It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters #1) by Tessa Bailey

5 Stars Aug 16, 2022

My review

5/5 stars

Tessa Bailey is a new author for me, so I had no idea what to expect, other than the fact that I've seen loads of people rave about this book on social media.

The rave was deserved. I devoured this in 2 days and enjoyed every moment of it.

Piper was a brilliant lead character. I felt invested in her throughout the book and it was made clear from the start that she was not all that she appeared. Her insecurities were perfectly captured and made her that much more endearing. She was funny, warm, highly-strung, and fierce, and it all felt totally believable.

Brendan was a very sultry male lead and provided the perfect mix of masculinity and being able to talk about his feelings. He was direct, yet soft. I really enjoyed the chemistry between them throughout the book; it leapt off the pages and was evident from their first interaction.

The book contained a lot more spice and explicit scenes than I anticipated going into it, but it absolutely was not a problem. While it initially caught me off guard, I soon came to appreciate the author's direct and detailed approach to the scenes, to the point where it felt right within the book and added to the chemistry between the leads. It heightened their already well-written romance and gave a new facet to their relationship; while maintaining a strong balance with the romance and protectiveness that they felt over each other.

Just enough was written about Piper's sister, Hannah, to make me want to read her follow-up story, so keep an eye out for a review of Hook, Line and Sinker soon.

Book blurb

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar... in Washington.

Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.

Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.