Review: It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters #1)

• Title: It Happened One Summer

• Author: Tessa Bailey

• Series: Bellinger Sisters #1

• Genre: Contemporary Romance

• Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌, 𝑷𝒊𝒑𝒆𝒓? 𝑵𝒐. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆." 𝑯𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉. "𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓."

Whilst I'm a huge fan of both grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract tropes, what I loved most about this book was reading two people find the worlds/routines they knew and lived in for years were only a shell of what they could truly become.

Tessa Bailey has always created interesting characters to me but I adored Piper. The intentional setup of her vapid, spoilt socialite self in the beginning was fantastic, and I loved her from the get-go. I saw her as a product of her environment, and the further we get away from her LA life, the more we get an understanding that there is so much to Piper Bellinger than what angle she looks best in taking a photo for Instagram. She's sassy, dedicated, kind, resourceful, and have a genuine knack for making people feel valued in her presence. Sure, she also loves the fancier things in life and isn't afraid to admit it. I loved watching her balance both her past and current selves and figure out what mattered most to her. Brendan is a great main character as well. He's doesn't like change, orders the same thing to avoid disappointment, and is stuck in this repeating cycle day in and out. Watching him break his routines and step out of the shadows of his former life is as rewarding as Piper's growth. The pair together push and pull well with each other and face their insecurities in a way that is commendable.

The humour in this story is second to none. I was laughing from the first page, and some of the commentary from Piper and her sister Hannah had me laughing so much I had tears in my eyes. The way the sisters converse is quite entertaining, and leads to some hilarious instances. I especially loved the witty remarks between Brendan and Piper during the book.

The romance is palpable from early on in the book, and it's hard for either of them to resist falling for each other. I will say that it seems to be a trend with Tessa Bailey to have characters fall rather quickly and admit they're in love early into a relationship, at least from the titles I've read by her. Whilst I wouldn't say this was a bad case of instalove, I did see their relationship as quite fast-paced and was a little surprised by the pair expressing their love for one another when they did - even if it was delivered in a natural and delightful way. The spice was through the roof, as I expected it to be, and I guess with a physical connection like that, maybe the ILY's are easier to say earlier, haha!

The angst was balanced really well in this book. I liked seeing both Piper and Brendan navigate their way through the stormy weather thrown at them and find their footing again. I did find the ending a little rushed once the last obstacle was over. Otherwise, it was a sweet enclosure for this couple, with a hopeful opening for the second Bellinger novel to continue well with.