Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Genre: NA Realistic Fiction/Rom-Com
Blurb (on back of book):
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 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, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about 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?
In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man...
MY OPINION: *****
I don't need to defend myself for my stellar rating of this book. I was headed into one of the worst (or best?) months of my life with a slew of college decisions coming my way when I finished this book (yes, I am writing this review almost a month late). I was looking for something quick, fun, and fluffy to take my mind off of school and college and all of that. I loved the first book in this duet and was excited to start this one as it centered on two of my favorite side characters from the first book. Judging from my rating, I certainly enjoyed this one.
I love a good rom-com. I am not afraid to admit it. Something about them are like drugs. I keep coming back to them, though I try to read more "academic" or "advanced" books in between. However, nothing propels me to read until 4am at night like a romance novel. They're usually extraordinarily cringey and angsty and something about it is just so GOOD. Sometimes, though, the chemistry or the characters or the tropes don't sit well right me. However, this one did not disappoint.
I loved Hannah and Fox and the chemistry between them was perfect. Both of them were dealing with their own personal issues that made it hard for them to fully commit to each other and I loved seeing their gradual progression and development. The tropes in this book fit well with my list of favorite rom-com cliches and I loved how the book itself was written, covering both Fox and Hannah's perspectives.
Hannah suffers a little bit from imposter syndrome and prefers to think of herself as the side character, the supporting actress to her sister's leading lady (or production assistant to her movie's real music director). I loved seeing her grow out of these insecurities with the help of Fox. I think it's a common mindset to believe yourself to be the background character or the sidekick of someone else's story, especially for those who are less extroverted and desirous of always being in the spotlight.
Everyone sees Fox as nothing more than a playboy. He's always played up that role for himself, talking of his various escapades. However, we soon learn that this is all just a facade, a mask that he can't seem to get rid of. I loved reading about his development as well as he learns that he is more than the "manwhore" everyone seems to think he is. It touched upon important stereotypes in society for men that aren't nearly talked about enough. Men are hyped up for how many women they can sleep with, breeding toxic masculinity (not to mention the opposite side of the coin with how the women are treated). He's very hesitant to start a committed relationship with Hannah because of the views that others have of him and consequently will attribute with her.
The book, despite its cute cover, covers a series of important issues that I think are strongly resonant in today's society that deserve to be more talked about. I also loved the theme of music within this book, which, while overdone, added a lot to the communication between Hannah and Fox.
Hannah still has a little crush on the movie director from the previous book, Sergio. I loved the use of Sergio as that little jealousy factor because it made the relationship between Hannah and Fox all the more anticipated. The "dating advice" was silly but cute, though you could tell how much it hurt Fox to dish out his wise words to Hannah about how to get with another man.
Obviously, I cannot say this book was perfect. There were times when the self-pity was borderline pathetic and some parts of it were so unrealistic it went beyond the lines of "fiction." However, it was enjoyable and lightened my stress and for that, I give it a rating perhaps higher than it deserves. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a cute, fun rom-com. I would say to read the previous book first, though it's not required, just so that you understand more of the small details and jokes within this one!
Main Character: Hannah, Fox
Sidekick(s): Brendan, Piper, family, friends
Villain(s): Stereotypes, misunderstandings, insecurities, etc
Realistic Fiction: This book was all very real to life.
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