piper and brendan it happened one summer

Brendan has lots of external forces still expecting him to honor his ex-wife and not move on. Before Piper, he was married to a woman who was the exact opposite of Piper and had died. Brendan has many emotional barriers that are broken down throughout the novel. As Piper and Brendan fall for each other, Bailey explores the concepts of true love versus earned love. What ensues is a great exploration of hurt, healing, and steamy intimate scenes. Bailey makes sure to put readers into both Piper and Brendan’s heads so we can view their growing feels for each other.

While reading their initial sequences, it was thoroughly enjoyable to see Piper stand up for herself as she learns how to work and do things for herself. He sees that Piper is not cut from the same cloth as most people in this town and dismisses her as a waste of space. There is a small inkling of the enemies to lovers troupe from the first moment Piper meets Brendan. Although, Bailey characterizes him as someone who is incredibly flawed, sensitive, and caring. He seems to be a stereotypical example of masculinity. When in Westport, there is a burly, strong fisherman named Brendan who is the other protagonist. There are some mentions of budgeting and not eating out often sprinkled throughout the novel but it was severely disappointing that it wasn’t a focal aspect of the narrative like readers are lead to believe. It feels like an easy way to offer surface-level comparisons to the hit show without really exploring growth in Piper. The writing is weak and Bailey has Piper’s step-father give her a small set of money that she can use to start up in that town. It does not have the care and nuance you can see clearly in Schitt’s Creek. Unfortunately, I don’t think the exploration of Piper’s relationship with money is thorough enough. He believes that Piper needs to be stripped of her wealth and learn the value of money. The real meat of this story is when Piper’s Hollywood director step-father sends Piper to the fishing town of Westport, Washington to stay where her mother is from as punishment for her hotel stunt. It’s through this mental anguish that Piper decides to throw an extravagant party that involves breaking into a hotel and skinny dipping. She is characterized as a sensitive person who doesn’t understand why people think she’s a privileged air-head.

Upon starting, Bailey introduces Piper through the lens of a breakup. Marketed as a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com, readers are introduced to socialite Piper Bellinger. I was sure this would be the book for me.

This year, I wanted to open my reading arms to more genres I tend to avoid and having binged Schitt’s Creek with my boyfriend. Before reading this, I knew very little about Tessa Bailey and her brand of fun, smart, and sexy happy-ending romance. It Happened One Summer is written by New York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey and is published by Avon Books.

Piper and brendan it happened one summer