Hook, Line, and Sinker - Review

Book Review:
Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker
Author: Tessa Bailey
Publisher: Harper360UK
I received an early copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"You cant 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."

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?

I’ve been in such a contemporary romance mood lately – I mean I’m pretty much always down for a romance book, but it's essentially all I’ve read this year so far. They give me all the feels and I’m a sucker for all the tropes.

And speaking of tropes, Hook, Line & Sinker delivers on a few few favourites. We have Friends-to-Lovers, yearning and a mid-burn romance. All the components needed for a wholesome, fuzzy feeling read.

While it can be read as a standalone, this book is actually the sequel/companion novel to It Happened One Summer, which follows Hannah’s older sister, Piper. (We also first meet Hannah and Fox and witness the start of their friendship in the first book.)
Out of the two books, I actually preferred Hook, Line & Sinker.

Hannah and Fox are friends. Hannah has a crush on someone she works with. And Fox doesn’t want to ruin the first platonic relationship he’s had with a female. So, yes, friends. But after texting a lot and then needing to live together, feelings blossom, and it is oh so cute...and a little angsty!

I think what made me love this book more than Piper's was that there was a greater emphasis on the character development and their emotions/insecurities, which ultimately made me connect more with Hannah and Fox. And then seeing them support one another to grow individually just made me root for their Happily Ever After even more.

Fox, for most of his life, has lived with the label of ‘Womaniser’ which has never really sat right with him. Pretty much everyone in his life only sees the surface level of his character – they see him as someone who is unreliable and not a man you bring home to the family. Overtime this character stamp has had a negative impact on his self-worth and he doesn't feel deserving of Hannah.

Hannah on the other hand feels inconsequential, like she’s a minor character in everyone’s story but never the main. She’s always trying to help and fix things, but always stays in the background and is ready to give up any recognition to appease others. She is a sweetheart and deserves the world.

These two work so beautifully together because Hannah helps Fox overcome his imposter syndrome, showing him that he is so much more than the labels shoved upon him, and Fox shows Hannah that she is the leading lady, not just a side character. The raw and vulnerable conversations these two shared were so meaningful, and they felt like two jigsaw pieces that slotted together perfectly.
And actually one thing I really appreciated was that usually it’s the female being insecure with the male love interest reassuring them, but here its flipped on its head, with Fox being the vulnerable one!

We love to see it!

Overall Hook, Line, and Sinker is a heartfelt friends-to-lovers romance, beautifully depicting how two loveable characters help each other overcome their insecurities and develop, allowing them to fully embrace their connection and love for one another. A little milder on the spice compared to It Happened One Summer, but more romantic (in my opinion...).

4 Stars
Goodreads