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.
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Community Reviews
While it was slow to the start, once I really got into the book- I got INTO the book. Both Piper and Brendanâs journeys had you rooting for them not only as a couple, but also as individuals.
This was my first Tessa Bailey book, but it definitely wonât be my last.
This was SOOO good.
I haven't really read a dynamic like this. (In some time at least)
Where the main female lead is super prissy, pampered, privileged, and high maintenance BUT so relatable in her interpersonal journey and exploration.
Tessa has so brilliantly penned a character needing to be anchored (pun intended) in real life, and in unconditional love to truly evolve into herself.
Piper has always floated along, in her rich lavish life. She gets sent to a fishing type town in Washington, its very much "Simple Life" premise.
On one hand this should be a plot I roll my eye to. BUT NO I was captivated by how much Piper feels, yet has to hide behind social media filters. This self actualization she goes through is so lovely. Her falling for Brendan in all his fisherman glory is an actual joy to read. I swooned, I blushed, I LOVE this book!
Truly a great story and am thinking the next book will be about her sister Hannah who def as a supporting character, captivated my interest as well.
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