Review: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Thank you Avon Books and Tessa Bailey for my copy of It Happened One Summer!
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it didn’t disappoint! I had a great time reading this totally escapist romance, even though it had some elements I’m usually not crazy about when it comes to contemporary romance.
Synopsis: “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 lif1. e 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.” —Via Amazon
What I Liked:
The Setting—I love a small coastal town vibe! Strangely enough I grew up next to a Westport but on the totally opposite coast. I loved how atmospheric it felt and we got a good storm! I love storm sequences in books, I don’t know why.
The Characters—I loved Piper and Brendan, but the side characters are what really color in this story. So much so that there is going to be a companion novel released
The Writing—The writing was breezy and readable which is just what I’ve been needing lately.
What Didn’t Work:
The Cheese—Personal preference totally, but I didn’t love some of the cheesy language used, especially by Brendan, but I did love that no one had to change themselves to be in the relationship.
TW/CW: loss of a parent, loss of a spouse, mention of drowning
Character Authenticity: 3.5/5 Steam Rating: 3/5 Overall Rating: 4/5