I just wanted to hug Fox! I swear there were so many takeaways from this story, I don’t even know where to begin. So many people told me they liked Hook, Line, and Sinker more than It Happened One Summer and now I know why. The evolution of Fox in this story was just…WOW! I know, not the best way to describe it with easy access to a dictionary but that is what comes to mind. Like Hannah, journeying back to Westport was filled with memories, hope, and dare I say it – closure as we wrap up our journey with Piper and Hannah Bellinger. 

Welcome back to Westport, Washington! In the second installment of the Bellinger sisters series, the story shifts its focus to Hannah – the self proclaimed “supporting actress” to her leading lady sister Piper. Having just returned to LA to continue her work as a production assistant, she finds herself more alone than she has ever been before. Two years into her unrequited crush for Sergei, the director – Hannah isn’t sure where she is going in life and while music fills heart, mind, and is the embodiment of her soul – something else is missing. It doesn’t help that she has reconnected with Fox, a relief skipper she met the prior summer. Rekindling their friendship gives not only  companionship but a connection to a place where she had experienced one of the best summers of her life. Returning to work, she is surprised when a opportunity presents itself – Sergei needs a location suggestion for the movie as LA doesn’t feel right! What surprised her even more is when she opens her mouth and suggests Westport! She only suggested for her sister right? And her grandmother? She couldn’t possibly be suggesting it so she could see Fox. Fox who has essentially slept his way through the city of Seattle. Fox who clearly stated he didn’t do relationships. No – absolutely not, it was because she was just nostalgic. That’s it. It has to be – especially when she finds out Piper’s in-laws are going to be staying in the guest room and floats the idea of staying with Fox. 

Fox couldn’t be more thrilled to see Hannah again! She hadn’t left his thoughts since he met her the summer prior. That little fact is something he is determined to keep to himself. He couldn’t even imagine what the crew would say if they found out the player of Westport had a little crush. He gets a small taste of it when Brendon warns him to keep his hands to himself. Why doesn’t that surprise him. It’s how everyone has always seem him. Going to Seattle to get his rocks off, the butt of every joke, “Hide your daughters! Fox is on the hunt!” Doesn’t matter anyway, you can’t run away from the labels that have been on you since high school. He was no better than his father so why even bother. Maybe it was for the better, Hannah was his first female friend and he would only ruin things if it got physical. That’s just who he was. Why change now?

There is so much to say about this book so I apologize in advance for the length of this review. For starters, I liked how the friendship between Hannah and Fox unfolded. He took such care of it and was so delicate. If any of his old ways came through, he was quick to apologize. Through words alone he showed how much he cherished Hannah and their bond. I also enjoyed the coming to terms we watched in Hannah when it came to accepting her connection to her father. Being inside of her head, you didn’t realize how much of a struggle it was and how much she was faking it to feel connected to her grandmother and sister. She was in true form in this story. Watching her come into her own and not only be a force of nature, but be the gust of wind Fox desperately needed, her inner strength was something to be revered. 

I loved Fox’s evolution in this story! Yes, it kinda went “the love of a good woman” route but he fought it tooth and nail. The demons of his past held on tight and were willing to destroy everything versus letting go and moving on. The constant internal battle Fox had was agonizing to witness! He couldn’t believe he was good enough, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to – he just wasn’t capable of it because he was drowning in negative reinforcement. Hannah was a beacon of light back to the shore but he was surrounded by a fog of self doubt that not even she could fully penetrate. He was so determined to protect Hannah, even if it was from himself. The battle of mind and heart, past and present, perception – it was like watching a boxing match. So raw, so psychologically violent, so much pain. You wanted to cheer for him but scream at him at the same time. To make matters worse, for every step he tried so hard to take forward, there was literally a VILLAGE pushing him back. 

I hate that that was Fox’s life. From a young child, he was sexualized and forced into a box that he didn’t even understand. Without knowing any better, the people who he trusted the most gave him only one direction in life. Each time he tried to break free, the people around him, – again those who loved and trusted, just reaffirmed “what he was”. If I was a crier, I would have been balling with this book (doesn’t mean I didn’t shed a few tears!) I think I said “Ohh, Fox” way too many times and just wanted to hug the poor guy (and pull a Hannah – sharing choice word with those who judged him). Fox paid the price of his father’s misdeeds and never stood a chance. The coffee canister in the pantry? Come on! Who does that! 

It broke my heart that him and Hannah had to literally move out of town just to be able to build a life for themselves. I am sure over time this changed and people grew to accept who he truly was (or who he had become) but to essentially have everyone in your life say that you are nothing more than this and aren’t good enough – how do you rid yourself of that type of mental poisoning? For the sake of the story, he was able to flip the switch pretty quick but in reality, I can only imagine the countless years of therapy someone would have to go to in order to reverse that type of mental abuse! And he just took it because that had been the way his whole life and no one told him differently. When the first person in his entire life stood up for him and said it was not ok, he didn’t even know how to react and tried to defend the people insulting him. That is psychological damage that runs to the core and wraps around you! When his mother finally owned up to her contributions to the demise of his self- esteem, I just wanted to stand up and yell “See, it wasn’t you – it was never you. Now stop destroying your life, you moron!”

I will honestly admit I was actually surprised how tame this book was compared to how Tessa Bailey normally writes steamy scenes. Don’t get me wrong, they were still dynamite but this book was more about the build up, teasing, and intimacy of it. I feel like she went this route because she wanted to go beyond the exploits of Fox in the sack – showing that he was capable of so much more when his heart was in it.

Not only did Bailey do an epilogue but she did it ten years into the future! It was the perfect way to close out this story because you got to see how everyone’s life wrapped up and a recap of what was missed over the years. You were reassured there were good times as well as bad, triumphs along with struggles but they were a team and each success made Fox stronger. Hannah had won the war!

Hook, Line, and Sinker takes ALL the feels, wraps them in a beautiful bow, and waits for you to open it, gifting you with joy, laughter, heartache, tears, and hope. While I am sad to see this series come to an end, I couldn’t imagine it continuing in any other way.