Lizzie Recommends Books

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Five Stars

I absolutely LOVED this book so much I wish there was a sequel about Piper and Brendan. However, I’m okay with Hook, Line, and Sinker about her sister Hannah and Brendan’s friend, Fox. I hope we get to see more of Piper and Brendan! I recently purchased Hook, Line, and Sinker, so keep an eye out for that review!

This story showed the complete transformation of the Hollywood party girl to a small coastal town, settling down, and growing roots girl. The character development of Piper was so fun to read about. She was so outgoing and made the best of every situation, which made me want to embrace that mentality myself. I was expecting Gossip Girl vibes and got Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita (2007) (for those that remember that series).

Reading Piper’s story and seeing how her character came to realize she was worth something and not just an airhead, but that she was intelligent, kind, and loveable made it even better. We get to see the girl who is told her whole life she can’t amount to anything rebuild her father’s legacy on the dreamy Washington state coast. She then meets Brendan, and like everyone else in her life, he thinks she’s just another girl who won’t be worth it. However, once he gets to know her, he sees through the materialistic vibe she gives off and wants to get to know her for her. Like many Tessa Bailey books, it’s grumpy/sunshine and oh, so adorable.

Honestly, I wish the story was longer. It made me so happy, and I think a big part of that was the whole small-town vibe, rebuilding their father’s bar, and growing up/finding herself theme. It felt like an escape from reality, and if a book can make me do that, I usually rate it high.

I would consider this a five-star read. No question. It gave me that perfect balance of sweetness, fun, growth, and comfort that I like my books having.

You can find It Happened One Summer Here.