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Pergola Worthy: Stormy Seas, Slow Burns and Being More Than Someone’s Pot Pie
Romance works best when it balances chaos with sincerity. This week’s reads absolutely understood the assignment.
At first glance, It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey and Book Lovers by Emily Henry could not look more different. One gives us a salty fishing town and a grumpy boat captain. The other delivers sharp publishing banter and small town North Carolina tension. But underneath the settings and tropes, both books explore something deeper: what it means to feel chosen on purpose, not by default.
And honestly? That hits.
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Let’s start with the stormy seas.
Piper Bellinger begins as the glossy LA party girl archetype. Influencer energy. Designer chaos. A woman who appears to float on surface sparkle. But when she’s shipped off to Westport, Washington after one public misstep too many, the shine starts to crack.
Enter Brendan Taggart. Stoic fisherman. Grumpy sunshine trope in full effect. A man who communicates in actions more than words.
What makes this book work is not just the chemistry. It’s the demonstrative love.
Brendan doesn’t monologue about devotion. He builds a pergola. He shows up. He remembers details. He invests time and effort into something that lasts.
That now-iconic “pergola worthy” moment resonates because it reframes desire. It’s not about polish. It’s about durability. It asks a quiet but powerful question: are you worth the labor?
Piper’s fear she might be someone’s “pot pie” is equally sharp. What if you’re not chosen because you’re loved but because you’re already on the plate? What if someone stays out of obligation instead of desire?
It’s funny and painful and deeply relatable.
The romance unfolds alongside sister dynamics, community restoration and the harsh honesty of coastal weather. The setting feels lived in. The emotions feel earned. And the spice? Jalapeño level. Three peppers. Present, warm and intentional without overwhelming the story.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
If Tessa Bailey gives us salt spray and lumber, Emily Henry gives us banter sharp enough to cut glass.
Nora Stephens is the so-called villain in every Hallmark fantasy. She is career driven. Big city. Ambitious. The woman who gets left behind when a man discovers his small town destiny.
Except this time, she is the protagonist.
Charlie Lastra matches her wit beat for beat. Their dynamic leans into enemies to lovers with a slow burn that rewards patience. The tension is intellectual before it’s physical. Competence is foreplay. Shared standards are seductive.
And then there’s the quiet intimacy. The realization that they wear the same discontinued citrus earthy fragrance. The subtle recognition of mirrored ambition. The understanding that neither of them is asking the other to shrink.
The sister relationship between Nora and Libby grounds the novel emotionally. Sunshine Falls becomes more than a backdrop. It becomes a testing ground for identity. Who are you when you’re not performing? Who are you when the narrative no longer casts you as the obstacle?
The spice here also lands at jalapeño. Three peppers. Slow build. Measured heat. Emotional payoff.
Slow Burns, Sisterhood and Showing Up
Both novels highlight something modern romance does exceptionally well: honoring women as complex without punishing them for it.
Piper is allowed to be glittery and uncertain. Nora is allowed to be ambitious and tender. Neither is flattened into a trope. Both are given room to want more.
Love in these stories is not about grand declarations shouted into the void. It’s about attention paid. It’s about hauling lumber. Ordering coffee correctly. Choosing to stay.
It’s about knowing that you’re not pot pie.
Romance fiction thrives when it reminds us desire and dignity can coexist. That chaos can lead to clarity. That slow burns are sometimes worth the wait.
And, perhaps most importantly, that we’re all worthy of someone building something that lasts.
Pergola worthy, if you will.
The Books
Have you read either of these contemporary romantic comedies? What did you think of them? Comment below! We’d love to hear from you. Interested in reading these novels yourself?
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
To learn more about New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry, click here. And to learn more about NYT Bestselling author Tessa Bailey, click here. Want to listen to the podcast episode? We’re available on pretty much all your favorite podcast streaming services. Or you can visit our podcast player page here.
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