Is there anything Tessa Bailey can't write? I feel like with Hook, Line, and Sinker, she has cemented her status as a must-read author for me.
From the moment Fox and Hannah met, there's always been a little sizzle of attraction there. But between Fox's reputation as a ladies man and Hannah being the younger sister of his friend's fiancée, it doesn't seem like a good idea to take it further. Now they are solidly in the friend zone, texting every day and sharing their deepest thoughts. But when Hannah has to stay with Fox for a few weeks because of her job, will that finally nudge them towards being honest with their hearts and each other?
I thought the beginning of this book was just adorable. There was so much tension between them as they went around pretending they were strictly platonic friends with each other. Hannah even has a lingering crush on her boss, and Fox has to give her advice on how she can go about trying to snag him. It was so much fun and I about died with delight.
But then we reach the middle of the book, and I feel like it kind of lost some steam for me. Instead of the usual snappy pace, it just went on and on. Fox or Hannah would come up with yet another reason (or the same one) for why they can't possibly be together, and we just went in circles, again and again.
To be fair, I always think I'm going to love the friends-to-lovers trope so much more than I actually do. When I think of other books I've read in the same vein, I always end up a bit lukewarm by the end. It's because there just isn't 300 pages worth of material you can fill on two friends who clearly have the hots for each other, but are either too slow or hung up to actually realize it. So to make a big conflict out of the whole thing, minor reasons must be dragged out to the max, and that's what happened here.
Usually with Tessa Bailey romances, I feel like I have to make a note of how steamy they are, lest a new reader go in unawares and combusts in front of the pages. But this one didn't feel that hot. I don't know if it's because the story dragged on a bit and so the tension wasn't as high, or if the hotness level was a notch down from the usual. Either way, it's still steamy, just not as scorching as I normally associate with Tessa Bailey.
I feel like this all sounds a bit negative, but it really isn't. Tessa Bailey can write the heck out of anything, and she definitely makes this story as interesting and heartfelt as possible. So in terms of this being a delightful read, there's no question. But even her writing chops cannot overcome a trope that just isn't that exciting to begin with. But even within the confines of that, she still wrote my favorite rendition of it. And that says a lot.
Readaroo Rating: 4 stars
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