Title: It Happened One Summer
Author: Tessa Baily
Publishers: Harper Collins Australia
Genre: General Fiction, Modern Romance
Year of release: 2021
Release Date: 27th October 2021
Rating 🌟🌟🌟
(Bellinger Sisters #1)
Reviewers Note: Coarse Language, Strong Sexual Content
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 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
28-year-old Hollywood socialite Piper Bellinger decides to throw a party on a rooftop, things don’t quite go as planned, when the cops show up and throw Piper in the slammer overnight it doesn’t take long for Piper’s step-father to find out and he’s beyond furious and decides enough is enough, Piper needs a wakeup call he cuts off her finances. Deciding her lesson doesn’t just end there so he sends Piper and her younger sister Hannah off to the small fishing village of Westport in Washington State to run their late father’s dive bar whilst their he hopes the sisters learn some responsibility.
Will Piper Bellinger realise there’s more to life than a large Instagram following or a new designer handbag or will the bright lights of Hollywood be too hard to resist?
It Happened One Summer is one of those books that make this genre so appealing to so many, I think it has a love connection that will have readers swooning over them. The small-town vibe was charming, as it came to life across the pages, I found myself happily immersing myself in the little town of Westport and becoming rather found of most of the townsfolk.
This reviewer really enjoyed Piper Bellinger as the main character she was believable as a socialite and loveable as a person. I wish I could say the same for the sea captain Brendan; I can see why most will be team Brendan and I was almost one of them; but sadly, that was not going to happen not with his almost permanent bad mood aimed at the wrong person, enemies to lovers just does nothing for me especially here.
“Her soul was made of musical notes.”
― Tessa Bailey, It Happened One Summer
It’s here I feel I should give the reader of this review some warning this book is a little heavy on sex and the use of pet names, if Brendan said the word baby one more time I was going to scream and whilst I’m on the subject of things that were repeated and made me want to scream I’ll insert the recharging station quote to help you understand the cringeworthy factor.
“When I hug you?” Fuck. His heart was turning over and over like a car engine. “My hugs are your recharging station?”
― Tessa Bailey, It Happened One Summer
I think I prefer Rom-coms on screen and not on the page, so if these things put you off maybe don’t pick this title up, I feel I should also mention it does work as an audiobook.
When I found out more of Brendan’s past this is what made me hate him as a character, to this reader it sounded as if he was forced into his previous relationship but held onto it when it when convenient for him, thanks but no thanks. Once I reached the closing chapters I just wanted this one-dimensional ass of a character to go back out to sea and never return; just because Piper came from a different world doesn’t make him the more grounded person in the relationship.
But I think Piper’s growth throughout the book does manage to get Brenden looking at life a little differently at times, this was applauded by this reader.
I might not have been 100% sold on the romantic relationship here, but the relationship between Hannah and Piper made for a fun and interesting sub- plot. The sisters were the most developed and interesting characters in the book.
I found the second half of the book harder to get through forcing myself to read the last 10 chapters because I simply wanted to say another book has been read and I didn’t want to abandon Piper.
I think one of the strengths of It Happened One Summer was the book’s ability to move quite quickly except the last 10 chapters which felt never ending at times. It was predictable and the cliches were heavy but what more could you want from a Modern Romance.
As much as I have issues with this book one of the reasons I gave it a 3-star rating was the writing style, author Tessa Bailey can bring a whole town to life and she’s also managed to weave humour into her writing making this reader laugh-out- loud at times, and although rather small the LA aspect of the book was certainly fun.
“That sparkle was positivity and life and promise of better things, and she always, always had it, glowing within the blue of her irises, lighting up the room.”
― Tessa Bailey, It Happened One Summer
If I had to, I would describe this book Hollywood Rom-Com with spice, the ending has me a little eager to read book two Bellinger Sisters series Hook, Line, and Sinker told from Hannah’s point of view. I would recommend this book to a mature audience, if you have enjoyed the authors previous works then I’m sure you will be happy to have another series to read.