It Happened One Summer

A Novel

By: Tessa Bailey

Narrated by: Charlotte North

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt's Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood "It Girl" who's 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.

©2021 Tessa Bailey (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Incredible!!

Such a great story and narration! Loved listening to every minute of it! Brava, Tessa! Brava, Charlotte North!!!

Disappointing. Not like it was described.

I was very disappointed. Marketed as Schitt's Creek similar. More of a Bodice- ripper book.

it was ok

piper is kinda stupid but the poor girl knows no other way of life. still dont understand what Brendan saw I her. but ok. this happened. loved the sex scenes. that about it. 🤷‍♀️

Wow!

Wow! I loved it! I need the next one, I laughed so much. I almost thought it was gonna be a sad ending but omg, it was amazing!

Cliché, but super sexy.

Definitely a kind of cheesy, typical “hot modern girl falls for muscled stoic fisherman” type, but the sex scenes had me blushing and vigorously reminding my husband he needs to get his vasectomy ASAP.

A Perfect Romance

Just an excellent, engrossing, perfectly told romance with plenty of steamy sex. Loved it. ❤️

Fantastic Characters

Opposites attract and sparks will fly! It Happened One Summer follows the LA elite Bellinger sisters from LA to Washington when they are “grounded” to the small fishing town where they’d been born. Piper Bellinger, rich girl, social media magnet, pulls a few too many “look at me” stunts and her step-father sends her to Washington, cut off for three months, to prove to the world that she can make it without daddy’s credit card. Her sisters dutifully follows. While there, Piper falls in love with crab boat captain Brendan. In a story of, can the outgoing Piper bring out the softer side of the grouchy Brenden, and can Brenden offer Piper happiness in a life that is nothing like her life in Beverly Hills?

The characters in this book are so well developed. You know them, you feel them, you love them. Ms. Bailey is fantastic in giving those details to build the most delectable cast.

The only part of this book that skewed me from 5 stars to 4 is the hot and heavy sex scenes. They are WELL done, don’t get me. wrong. However, after the amazing character development, in the bedroom (or elsewhere), our characters absolutely turn the tables. Sure, behind closed doors, people are different, but I just felt that in intimate situations the character differences between caring lovers to wild and dirty just didn’t hit the mark. All parts are done well, but the transition just missed the mark for me.

I loved this book and would recommend it, and it’s seaqual.

Light, romantic listen

Loved this listen! Very light hearted and I appreciated that moments of drama were not dragged out forever. Some other reviewers were hating because it’s a bit cringey but almost every romance novel is, so I feel like maybe this genre just isn’t for them. I thought the plot was really fun and I liked the development of the main character over the course of the book.

It was okay

Not sure I fully understand the hype. It’s pretty silly and very predictable. It has the ending you’d expect! Overall decent read!

I loved it!

Perfect smutty discreet cover type book! I had heard Tessa Bailey was a great author I just hadn’t had the chance to experience it, but so glad I finally did. I wasn’t expecting this type of enjoyment though. The descriptions were…. *insert fire emoji*. Such a good book. Will definitely get the sequel