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A review by readingwithmeredith
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was my first Tessa Bailey book and if her others follow this pattern it will probably be my only. I really enjoyed the small town setting, opposites attract, and the first half of this book! But it became pretty clear that this was a primarily physical relationship and it just really took away from the story for me, even when I was skipping scenes (see chapters to skip below) there was a lot of innuendo throughout that just continued to show this book was more about spice than content- and these was so much potential for great content and focusing on the emotional connection and personal growth. There definitely are times that is focused on but it always came back to a super open door physical side. I’ve heard it is a little bit less in book 2 but I’m not sure.
One thing this author does incredibly well is writing in 3rd person. A lot of times I don’t like 3rd person and I feel so disconnected from the story, but she did an incredible job writing in that style and giving dual POV without having to have alternating chapters in 1st person. I think this writing style is what kept me reading!
I don’t regret reading it and I’m glad I tried this popular author. I just know there are better books with way less spice but still incredible romances out there and I wish more authors realized you don’t need so much spice to have a good book. If you are looking for a squeaky clean alternative to this book, I would recommend Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson. If you want a similar book that is closed door/fade to black, I would recommend When in Rome by Sarah Adams. If you want a recommendation with less spice (but still a heavy emphasis on that) I would recommend The Simple Wild series by K.A. Tucker. All of these had similar themes of small town, culture shock of changing to a new place, and some have elements of fame and mystery of family. I actually would recommend those books over this one- I think there is just too much to skip and the romance didn’t fully sell outside the physical.
Chapters with open door scenes for those who want to try to skip scenes: ch. 16, 18, 21, 24. 26, 27
One thing this author does incredibly well is writing in 3rd person. A lot of times I don’t like 3rd person and I feel so disconnected from the story, but she did an incredible job writing in that style and giving dual POV without having to have alternating chapters in 1st person. I think this writing style is what kept me reading!
I don’t regret reading it and I’m glad I tried this popular author. I just know there are better books with way less spice but still incredible romances out there and I wish more authors realized you don’t need so much spice to have a good book. If you are looking for a squeaky clean alternative to this book, I would recommend Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson. If you want a similar book that is closed door/fade to black, I would recommend When in Rome by Sarah Adams. If you want a recommendation with less spice (but still a heavy emphasis on that) I would recommend The Simple Wild series by K.A. Tucker. All of these had similar themes of small town, culture shock of changing to a new place, and some have elements of fame and mystery of family. I actually would recommend those books over this one- I think there is just too much to skip and the romance didn’t fully sell outside the physical.
Chapters with open door scenes for those who want to try to skip scenes: ch. 16, 18, 21, 24. 26, 27
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing
Chapters with open door scenes for those who want to try to skip scenes: ch. 16, 18, 21, 24. 26, 27