eARC Review – It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

Title: It Happened One Summer

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Avon Books

Publication date: July 13th, 2021

416 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl” who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town… where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong. 

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.

Review

Inspired by Schitt’s Creek, It Happened One Summer follows two sisters banished from their posh, LA lifestyle to a small, fishing community in Washington state. Piper and Hannah go to run their father’s dive bar and learn what it means to have responsibilities and the value of a dollar. When Piper arrives, she meets Brendan, a sea captain who spends weeks trolling the ocean for king crabs. They are complete opposites, but might help each other grow in ways they never expected.

I really liked It Happened One Summer. I found the characters to be enjoyable, and I even liked the background characters more than the main characters. It was interesting to read about the king crab fishing and the opposites attract romance between the main characters. Piper’s character development was great to read, but Brendan’s was even better. I wish the ending was better, but I can understand why what happened, happened. The romance was heartwarming and I got thorough enjoyment out of it.

This book has a LOT of steam in it. Definitely considered open door, and if steam or spice are not up your alley this book may not be for you. In my experience, it is more explicit than average for this genre – which is great for me but I know not everyone likes that.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!