A review by mhairi_reads
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ 
Tropes: Grumpy x Sunshine, small town romance, guy falls first, enemies-friends-lovers. 
POV: Third person 
 
We follow Piper - the “It Girl.’ Known for throwing the most outrageous parties and being a bit of a good time in Los Angeles. She was raised by her Mum and Step-Dad in Bel-Air with more money than sense. 
 
After throwing an impromptu party that ended in her being arrested her Step-Father cuts her off, sending her off to Westport for three months to live in her late Father’s pub and see what life is like for the majority of people. Cue my sexy bearded fisherman. 
 
Sea-Captain and king crab fisherman Brendan is a widowed fisherman who was born and raised in Westport. It’s all he’s ever known and that’s just how he likes it. He is a man who lives a strictly scheduled and routine life - after all strong routine is what keeps his crew and him safe on the water. He is content eating his fish and chips on a Monday night and spending is life out at see. That is until he meets Piper. She is from a different world and completely out of his league. So why is he so damned drawn to her? 
 
I have read a few Tessa Bailey books and I thought she might just not have been for me as an author. Then I read It Happened One Summer and fell in love with this quaint little fishing town. 
 
I didn’t know if I was going to get on with this book because I did take a few chapters to warm to Piper. But after she stripped off the fake exterior she was just a sweet girl who wanted to feel seen. 

I can be in a room full of people that I know and still not feel like I belong. 
 
Brendan on the other hand. I absolutely adored Brendan from the get go❤️. Rough round the edges, a real man’s man but a big teddy bear inside. What more could you want? 
 
I fell in love with the characters, the town and all the townies! It was just so wholesome. 
 
But I really want to pick up Hook, Line, and Sinker - RIGHT NOW!! I need Fox and Hannah’s story. Hannah was a sweetheart and I love me a bit of a player being tamed. 
⚠️ Content Warnings: Death of parent, death of spouse, death of a child (adult child), drowning.
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