It Happened One Summer: A Novel (Bellinger Sisters, 1)

The first in a spicy and unforgettable rom-com duology from #1 New York Times bestseller and tik tok favorite Tessa Bailey, in which a Hollywood “It Girl” 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. 

As seen on E!Online, PopSugar, CNN, EliteDaily, Vulture, Buzzfeed, Bustle, the Nerd Daily, PARADE, LA Magazine, Country Living, USA Today, and more!

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Published Jul 13, 2021

416 pages

Average rating: 7.29

948 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

literarily_occupied
Aug 12, 2025
6/10 stars
⭐⭐⭐ / 3 stars

So I am going to start off by saying that I have never watched Schitt's Creek so I have no frame of reference for the comparison.

It Happened One Summer put me in mind of Paris and Nicole in The Simple Life and unfortunately I was never a fan. Much like Paris and Nicole I found Piper to be really grating and while I did warm to her some as the story progressed I just couldn't connect with her.

Now, the broody bearded fisherman on the other hand I could get behind all day.

There were some cute banter driven bits that I enjoyed and honestly would have liked to see more of but they move from enemies to hooking up pretty quickly so that was short lived.

I enjoy steam in my reading from time to time but I was not a fan of the sexy time in this book. Maybe it was just the audio, I don't know, but I found myself eye rolling and cringing quite a lot.

This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I have the sequel to this queued up through NetGalley. Hopefully I will enjoy it more and perhaps reading instead of listening will make a difference.
Lauren Greely
Jul 01, 2025
8/10 stars
3.5 ⭐️ 3 spice
Shadowbee
Jun 26, 2025
2/10 stars
This book is like if Hallmark wrote a porno. I only gave it 2 stars because I'm a sucker for romance. Cringe at best.
allygilkey
Jun 03, 2025
10/10 stars
LOVE LOVE LOVE Brendan and piper!! The cutest couple out there
Mhoovs21
May 12, 2025
8/10 stars
This is a horny book...

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