Book Review: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

If I hug my future boyfriend/husband and it doesn't feel like I'm in a recharging station, I don't want it.

For the month of June, I read It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey for a book club and

This book. I loved it so much, more than I thought I would, honestly.

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 opposities, but there's an undeniable attraction simemring 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.

Character Development

Piper -- When I first started reading this book, I thought Piper was just an air-head who thought she only had to look good in order to be noticed. She didn't have to work for everything. It was just handed to her. And she was. That's who she was in the beginning. But after a break up, we starts to see the layers peel back a little. Piper's character development is one of the best I've read. She changed in some areas, but she was also true to herself. And I loved that. As the reader, we saaw her change first-hand and that made her such a lovable character.

Brendan -- Brendan is the fisherman with a very tight schedule. And it's all the same. Grocery shopping for x, y, and z on this morning. Dinner with this person at the restaurant with this meal that evening. Leaving for the sea at this time, no earlier, no later. But then Piper throws a wrench in his plans. And he starts to change. Like Piper, he stays true to himself but also tries new things. His character is just as lovable as Piper's. And tha makes both of them so special, especially together. He's willing to step out of his comfort zone and break down barriers and goes after what he wants while still applying some of his old values or plans.

Plot

The plot of this book was so good. Again, the character development was amazing. It really pulled the whole book together. The events that take place in this book are funny, tug at your heartstrings, and are just so well executed, I forgot I was reading. I loved watching the relationship between Piper and Brendan unfold. The book is written in third person, which really added to the development of the book. As the reader, we could see Piper's POV, which is mainly the whole book, andBrendan's POV, which provides important content.

I really just loved this book so much. I'm doing a buddy read with some bookish friends, where we read Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey, which focuses on Hannah Bellinger and Brendan's right hand man Fox. And I'm so excited!

Song I feel represents this book

Like always, I've paired a song to this book and it has been on repeat. You're welcome.

Have you read It Happened One Summer? Did you like it? Is it on your TBR? Let me know! Let's start a conversation.