New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey aspires to three things: writing hot and unforgettable character-driven romance, being a good mother, and eventually sneaking onto the judging panel of a reality-show baking competition. She lives on Long Island, New York, with her husband and daughter. You can find her at tessabailey.com, on Twitter @mstessabailey or on Instagram @tessabaileyisanauthor. You can find more of my reviews of Tessa's works here.
King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he's a guaranteed good time—in bed and out—and that's exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She's immune to his charm and good looks, but she seems to enjoy his . . . personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is. Now Hannah's in town for work, crashing in Fox's spare bedroom. She knows he's a notorious ladies' man, but they're definitely just friends. In fact, she's nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague, and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport's resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker's eye. Yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur. Hannah can't deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost. Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she's walking around in a towel and sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing waking up next to her for the rest of his life and . . . and . . . Man overboard! He's fallen for her—hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he's all in, she'll choose him instead?
What I immediately adored about Hook, Line, and Sinker was the introduction back into the Bellinger sister world. Bailey opens this one with a few pages of text messages between Hannah and Fox, the love interests of the story. These messages immediately catapult us right back into the fishing town of Westport versus the glamor of LA; transport us right to the hilarity of Fox and Hannah's conversations, many of which we didn't get to fully see in In Happened One Summer; and reminds us of just how great a storyteller Tessa Bailey is. With just a few pages of text messages, we're sucked into this story, invested in how Hannah and Fox are going to make it work, and curious to see what sort of trouble they'll end up in before they get there. That's a power I don't often see a lot—getting a reader invested right off the bat—but Bailey succeeds here with the smart move of opening on text messages.
The second thing that struck me was how relatable Hannah was. I thought Piper was absolutely hilarious, but it took me a moment to find a source of connection with her. With Hannah, that connection was immediate: Hannah feels like the supporting actress in everyone else's life, rather than the leading lady of her own. I don't think I've ever heard a more fitting metaphor for myself. Hannah's journey of love throughout the book isn't just with Fox, but also in her ability to love who she is by determining when it's time for her to support someone else, versus when it is time for her to be a girl boss. Hannah's character arc spoke to me, in that I think it was exactly what I needed to read over these past few days to find inspiration and confidence within myself to go out and do and get what I want. More than anything, Hannah's storyline is going to resonate with readers, because I think a lot of voracious readers like myself need to hear that they are the main character, and that they deserve to go out and get it!
Fox's storyline of self-growth, too, is possibly more compelling than Hannah's. Hannah's character arc will hit close to home for some (if not most) readers. Fox's character arc, however, is one unlike I've ever seen in contemporary romance—to summarize, Fox has been sexualized his entire life, and because of that, doesn't believe himself capable of creating a stable relationship with someone. Fox's story is incredibly heartbreaking because, like Hannah, we know he is entirely capable—and it starts to make readers wonder how many men feel this way? I love that Hook, Line, and Sinker took something I never would have expected and made me think about the wider world, and the issues that exist surrounding the sexualization of men at a young age. I certainly will approach the world with a different outlook, and it's one of the reasons Tessa Bailey does an exceptionally great job at creating lasting stories.
I was so sad to see the Bellinger sister duology come to a close, but so glad that Bailey left us where she did. The epilogue was so fulfilling for Fox and Hannah, and fans of It Happened One Summer will find the Piper and Brendan closure they need here as well. While I would have loved to see Piper a bit more in Hannah's storyline, I completely understand the rationale of keeping Piper (who always has super-mega main character energy) distant from Hannah's self-discovery. What I especially love is how Piper's and Hannah's relationship makes me think of Jane and Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice—it's not exact or anything! But these two girls have stuck by each others' side through thick and thin. And that ending, where we see Hannah laugh after a particularly concerning incident, reminds me of the line "she only smiles; I laugh." It feels like such a great place, to leave these two characters in a great position, and gives me hope for the world ahead.
After the Bellinger sister duology, I think I can safely say that Tessa Bailey will be an immediate-buy author for me! Until her next book comes out, you can find her at tessabailey.com, on Twitter @mstessabailey or on Instagram @tessabaileyisanauthor. You can find more of my reviews of Tessa's works here.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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