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. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a free finished copy of this book! Opinions are honest and my own. Even though I didn’t like the book, it’ll still be featured in so many photos on my feed so who’s the real winner here lmao. You can find my bookstagram in my profile description!** Meanwhile, Fox’s growth within this novel was just so wholesome, I’m still not over it. Fox suffers heavily from impostor syndrome and it shows. You really get to see how much of what Fox acts like is due to how others perceive of him. Fox believes being a good hook-up is all he’s good for because people have continuously not only given him that impression but told him to his face that he’s not “dating” or “boyfriend” material. It was heartbreaking to see those jokes from others landing like barbs and the way Fox forced himself time and again to just laugh and smile, to snark and walk off and yet all the while, internalising these beliefs that make him feel worthless. We see this in so many different ways—Fox’s reluctance to take Brendan up on a work opportunity with a leading role, the way people look at him when he’s with Hannah and even how he reacts when Hannah shows him that he’s so much more than he gives himself credit for. My heart wept for this fantastic man and his uphill battle to believe in himself and his worth again. 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. 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.

I didn’t know what right felt like until you,” he choked out. “I’m holding on to the good you give me. I’m holding on to you.” On the surface these characters have depth but underneath they were very very flat and unoriginal. They each only had one hurtle to overcome, one thing to change throughout the entire book. Neither one of the main characters was at all unique or did anything new for me. Their conversations felt weird and a lot of this book had me thinking I was listening to YA. Their texting conversation at the beginning was 15 minutes long (I listened to the audio) and it was very very juvenile. I didn’t learn much besides the fact that the tone it set for the book was one I’d have to crawl through broken and bleeding to get past the finish line. That is how dry the romance (actually everything) was. I just wanted dramaaaa. Which is ironic because I thought It Happened One Summer was a lil too dramatic. I recently saw a meme that said “The problem with a good book is you want to finish the book, but you don’t want the book to end.” And that’s exactly what I thought of this book. This slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance was a joy to read.

completely freaking out over the fact that I finally had another Player Boy/Nerdy Girl romance novel to match Beautiful Player that I could swoon over I couldn't form an attachment to any of the characters. I found Christian amusing and there were times when I could relate to Fox but other than that...there was a big hole in place where interest should've been. and honestly, i love how hannah prompts and encourages fox to grow. usually the female characters are the ones who goes through the development in romance novels, so its beyond refreshing to see the guy be the focus instead. foxs character development is so wholesome and purposefully combats the societal pressures men face when it comes to maintaining a certain reputation and image. its a topic that definitely needs more attention. Intense, funny and endearing, Hook, Line and Sinker is a delightful friends-to-lovers romance all about self-worth and the bravery it takes to believe yourself to be the leading role in your own life.

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…You can't live life worrying about what people will think. You'll wake up one day, look at a calendar, and count the days you could have spent being happy."