Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
It is a nice romance, but not for me.
I was expecting something different.

This is a Hate to Love Romance, and this is the first book in A Vine Mess series. This book is fun quirky mixed with some hot steamy times, and that was everything I wanted in a book right now. I think if you love books like The Hating Game by Sally Thorne then this is the book for you. I did not want to put this book down, and I really was rooting for the characters in this book. I really loved the dogs in this book. Great fun read. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Avon US) or author (Tessa Bailey) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I received a copy of Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey from Avon and Harper Voyager via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Things I liked:
- Vineyards and chaotic gardens, definitely enjoyed this Niagara-on-the-Lake small winery town charm going on
- A serious brooding writer and the chaotic, big personality of the gardener; I was getting Love Actually, Jamie and Aurélia vibes here - though of course, without the language barrier and Hallie isn't actually working like a maid for Julian.
- The mental health talk - especially for men. I feel like I've seen and read more female MCs dealing with and overcoming their mental health issues but there's been like of the male MC version of it especially in contemporary romance fiction
- I'm big on any contemporary romance that also features healthy and strong female friendships

Other thoughts:
- I never know quite where I stand with plots where the MCs met as young adults, had a moment, and then years later, one is still incredibly infatuated with the other despite not having had more than that one moment. I can definitely believe in its believability - but then it becomes really important for me to see how that infatuation grows beyond that as they meet again as adults. I think that Hallie and Julian do develop that through this story and so it all worked out in my mind in terms of continuing to believe in their love.

Our RomCom queen is BACK with her new series, starting with Secretly Yours.

Hallie Welch has been nursing a crush for Julian Vos for 15 years (yes, you read that correctly). When Julian, a grump professor at Stanford, comes back to town to write a novel and spend some time at his family’s vineyard, Hallie is hired to re-vamp the gardens around the Vos estate and she is hoping to run into her long-time crush.
After a wine-fueled girls night, Hallie gets a crazy idea to write Julian a “secret admirer” letter spilling her feelings, and signs it Secretly Yours.
While they both realize they are complete opposites, they cannot get past their undeniable attraction to one another, all while Julian is trying to figure out who his secret admirer is.

I genuinely enjoy Tessa Bailey’s books, and this was no exception. However I had some issues with the plot. It seemed like there were way too many plots lines to follow throughout the small 300 page book and she left most unfinished. My biggest plot issue was the rivalry between Corked and UNCORKED. Hallie just randomly stopped terrorizing the rival wine shop when Julian started helping Corked succeed, but then what happened to it? Did they stay busy? Did they tank? I think this book REALLY could have used an epilogue to really solidify and finish the details in the book. (I did look at a finished released copy, and there was no epilogue there either). I know there is a second book, and chances are there wasn’t an epilogue for that reason, but it’s about a different couple and I still think it would have been justified.

Overall, I would rate Secretly Yours 3.5 stars ⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/3)
Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, second chance romance

I think Tessa Bailey’s writing isn’t for me. It Happened One Summer was her best book for me. The pacing was so slow at first, it was incredibly hard to really get into this.

Main characters were each very appealing in their own way. Great mental health connection -plot/backstory made it clear that real people can have situations that affect their present lives. I was rooting for them both!

I am always a fan of Tessa Bailey. I jump at the chance to read her books. This book fell a little flat for me. I LOVED that the main character was a curvy girl! The story just stayed a little stale and boring for me. The spicy scenes were on point though! Anyways, where Tessa Bailey leads, I will always follow.

I was disappointed with this one. I’ve read many of Tessa Baileys books and loved them but this one wasn’t my cup of tea. I didn’t like the female or the male main characters. The books didn’t catch my attention the way “It happened one summer”, and “Hook Line and Sinker” did. For me this time around I just didn’t resonate with the characters as much.

Book 1 in a new series set in Napa Valley and I’m already excited about book 2!
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Hallie fell in love with Julian in high school as they almost shared a kiss in his family vineyard but he brushed her off and she hasn’t laid eyes on him in years.
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Now he is a grumpy professor returning home to write a novel, in sharp contrast to her whirlwind of a personality. Hallie still feels the attraction when she starts work as a landscaper at his house. One drunken night she decides to write a secret admirer letter and leave it for him along his running route. This letter alone with her general existence is throwing Julian’s entire world off its axis.
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This is a super fun one and I loved Julian. I can’t wait to watch his sister fall in love in book 2. I would love to have a book 3 where is his mom finds love please!
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Thank you #avonbooks and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really REALLY wanted to fall in love with this one. I love Tessa’s other books, but this one just missed the mark for me.

The spice was GOOD! Great even, but I need more than that from a book.

I just didn’t love the characters. Julian was the most likable, but all the characters felt underdeveloped. And if the characters are undeveloped and the plot isn’t captivating enough I just can’t… feel it.

Try it for yourself! You may feel differently, and I still love this authors writing as a whole.

Thanks to Avon for my copy of Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey.

I want to love this book and I read it on a flight so I was entertained, but there were too many eye roll moments. This isn't anything like It Happened One Summer or Hook Line and Sinker which I absolutely loved, but I actually finished it unlike My Killer Vacation so if that gives you an idea of my feelings.

Hallie was way too immature for me and the whole secret admirer letters and third act breakup was just bad. The best parts of this book were the dirty talk and sex scenes, which we all know is why we keep reading Tessa Bailey.

I think I am finally going to accept that Tessa Bailey is not for me. This book was the worst I've read from her yet.

So unbelievably corny, saccharine and unrealistic. I wanted to put the book down and walk away multiple times, but pushed through for the sake of the review. The bumbling, chaotic woman character is so overdone and boring, and the grumpy x sunshine trope only works if the author isn't hitting you over the head with it every five minutes. Wasn't rooting for the couple, wasn't even rooting for them as characters. None of the relationships in the story rang the slightest bit true. Also—what is with Tessa Bailey's need to include a military character or cop in every goddamn book she writes? It's exhausting.

Safe to say I will no longer be reading anything by this author. I've reached my limit.

Classic Tessa Bailey.

"Secretly Yours" was such a joy to read! Reading Bailey's work is so much fun because at times you're just reading along and then you get to a point where your'e like "HUH?!?!"..but in a really funny/good way.

Tessa is such a solid writer. I don't think I could ever be disappointed with her work. "Secretly Yours" was hilarious, flirty, and deep when it needed to be. The way that the two main characters were such complete opposites was enjoyable.

The next book in the series was teased perfectly in this one. I am super excited to read "Unfortunately Yours" when it comes out!

I always recommend Bailey books to those that are hesitant to pick up romance books, this book is perfect for it's valentine's release. The characters are relatable and funny with just the right amount of spice. Always a no brainer buy and read for me.

I really do like some of Tessa Bailey's books. They are cute yet steamy romance books to read. But I felt disappointed after I finished reading her newest book, Secretly Yours. It had the potential of being a cute romance book, but it fell flat. Let me explain.

Secretly Yours has been advertised as a cute yet steamy romance book. And that's what I was expecting to read, and yet, it was totally different. Secretly Yours tried to be a cute romance book, but it had a lot of heavy tones and topics that made the read so much different.

We are reading about Hallie struggling to deal with her grandmother's death and her grief process as she tries to become closer to her childhood crush, Julian. While Hallie is struggling with her grief and her crush, we also dealing Julian, who struggles with his anxiety and panic attacks. It was never mentioned in the beginning of the book about these heavy topics, so I was a bit surprised when I was reading about it.

What I felt so disappointed about this read was the misrepresentation of grief, anxiety, and panic attacks. It was never discussed in the beginning like a content warning. So I was a bit surprised to read about it in this rom-com book. It makes this read not a rom-com.

Tessa Bailey has done it again folks!! The adoration her characters have for each other is always so unmatched and makes the reader feel all warm inside from it. I love the little quirks that make up Hallie's personality and way of being, and that it gives Julian the push he needs to overcome what hold him back from truly experiencing life.

Another win from Tessa Bailey!! I loved this one so freaking much. Just the sweet love story and the wine, all the freaking wine. I can’t wait until the next book!

Tessa Bailey is a hit and miss for me. This book was okay. I had high hopes for it in the beginning, but got bored easily. I really like Hallies spunk, but I started to dislike how she wrote Julian’s character during the sex scenes. It wasn’t sexy at all. Sometimes, Tessa’s make character seem like predators to me.

I read and really got into two excellent books by this author—It Happened One Summer and also Hook, Line, and Sinker. I expected to feel the same about this book, but I just didn’t.

I liked the main character Hallie, a gardener struggling to find herself after taking over her recently-deceased grandmother’s business. The author did a good job making her appear quirky, creative, and caring.

Hallie, now 29, has been in love with Julian, whose family owns a winery, since high school. Julian, a Stanford professor with anxiety issues, has taken a leave to return to his family’s winery to write a novel. The two connect when Hallie is hired by Julian’s mother to landscape the winery’s grounds. The two seem to be polar opposites, with Julian being super-organized and Hallie being super-spontaneous.

The title, Secretly Yours, refers to some secret admirer/anonymous letter exchanges that the author uses to advance the plot and spur growth and development of the main characters. I would have liked the book better if it included less about the letters and more about the wine and gardening businesses. Overall, the book was a decent rom-com with a satisfying HEA.

Going into this book, I knew I was in for a sweet rom-com, and I can confirm that Tessa Bailey delivered!

Bailey’s books are typically light and fun, and while this one definitely had those qualities, it also had some heavier topics, including anxiety and panic attacks. I liked the romance between Hallie and Julian, but my favorite part of this book would have to be the accurate and relatable representation of anxiety/anxious thoughts.

What I liked about this book:
📈 Anxiety representation
🍷 The winery / small town setting
💥 Hallie’s spontaneity
📆 Julian’s dedication to routine
✌🏻 The opening to the second book in this series

What I didn’t love about this book:
😬 Some cringey scenes
🤦🏼‍♀️ A tiny bit of miscommunication

I am looking forward to reading book two of this series, Unfortunately Yours, out June 2023!