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A review by smoothunicorn
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I am not really sure what to say about this. I’ll start I guess by saying that I am aware this book scratches a lot of itches for a lot of people - but as I learn more about myself in my romance reading journey, I have learned that this kind of story - specifically these kinds of people - do not scratch any itches I have.
What I liked:
The character voice (both for Piper and Brendan) was very good, consistent, and specific to each person. I laughed out loud several times at each of their internal perceptions and clever little phrases. For example, a passage I highlighted:
“Was he annoyed? Yes. Did he want to be anywhere else in the world? No. And that was fucking frustrating but apparently it was what he enjoyed now.”
It was overall humorous, and I enjoyed the setting and the story set up. Hannah in particular, Piper’s sister, was a great character: supportive, loving, protective, but also her own person who didn’t need to emulate her sister in order to love her or be loved by her.
The spice was plentiful and explicit. That’s how I prefer it so the book did not disappoint on that front. I’ve heard Tessa Bailey is referred to as “the queen of dirty talk” or something - some reviews here indicated that the dirty talk was cringey and awful, but I found it was fine at worst, pretty hot at best.
What I didn’t like:
Just their whole relationship really. Every conflict they had came from Brendan being incapable of having a relationship. I don’t hate a possessive MMC but possessive doesn’t have to mean abusive - and yes I said it, and tagged it in the spoilers. He is emotionally abusive of her. And based on the sheer number of times he physically restrains her from walking away from him, when she clearly wants to, I’d also consider tagging in a warning of mild physical abuse as well. In fact, Brendan doesn’t let her do much of anything that he doesn’t approve of. He doesn’t let her finish sentences when she’s struggling to explain her feelings (which are, to say the least, confusing and new to her). He doesn’t give her time or space to think through those feelings. He doesn’t allow her to adjust to her dramatically different life. This sounds extra picky, but he unilaterally buys her jeans she said she doesn’t like! It’s played off as cute and “spoiling her” but it’s just one more way Brendan outs himself as a controlling asshole.
Again, I know this is part of the fantasy for some readers, this gender essentialism that categorizes all actions, appearances, attitudes, and behaviors as solely “male” or “female”, and allows people to explore and revel in the idea of a woman submitting to a man’s emotional and intellectual dominance. And I’m not here to shame anybody for that.
Just saying, for those who didn’t know that this is a book that explores those themes, and it isn’t your cup of tea? It does, and it is pretty blatant.
2.75 stars, losing 2 for all of the above, losing 1 more for the sentence “even a casual mention of Brendan’s name and her pussy started pumping out a slow jam”, and gaining back 3/4 of a star for what turned out to be a reasonably good apology on his part - a good start but not the end of their struggles, I fear.
The spice was plentiful and explicit. That’s how I prefer it so the book did not disappoint on that front. I’ve heard Tessa Bailey is referred to as “the queen of dirty talk” or something - some reviews here indicated that the dirty talk was cringey and awful, but I found it was fine at worst, pretty hot at best.
What I didn’t like:
Just their whole relationship really. Every conflict they had came from Brendan being incapable of having a relationship. I don’t hate a possessive MMC but possessive doesn’t have to mean abusive - and yes I said it, and tagged it in the spoilers. He is emotionally abusive of her. And based on the sheer number of times he physically restrains her from walking away from him, when she clearly wants to, I’d also consider tagging in a warning of mild physical abuse as well. In fact, Brendan doesn’t let her do much of anything that he doesn’t approve of. He doesn’t let her finish sentences when she’s struggling to explain her feelings (which are, to say the least, confusing and new to her). He doesn’t give her time or space to think through those feelings. He doesn’t allow her to adjust to her dramatically different life. This sounds extra picky, but he unilaterally buys her jeans she said she doesn’t like! It’s played off as cute and “spoiling her” but it’s just one more way Brendan outs himself as a controlling asshole.
Again, I know this is part of the fantasy for some readers, this gender essentialism that categorizes all actions, appearances, attitudes, and behaviors as solely “male” or “female”, and allows people to explore and revel in the idea of a woman submitting to a man’s emotional and intellectual dominance. And I’m not here to shame anybody for that.
Just saying, for those who didn’t know that this is a book that explores those themes, and it isn’t your cup of tea? It does, and it is pretty blatant.
2.75 stars, losing 2 for all of the above, losing 1 more for the sentence “even a casual mention of Brendan’s name and her pussy started pumping out a slow jam”, and gaining back 3/4 of a star for what turned out to be a reasonably good apology on his part - a good start but not the end of their struggles, I fear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol