This was an OK read. It's not my favorite Tessa Bailey, but it was alright.
Hallie has had a crush on Julian since she was a teenager, and when he returns to their hometown and their paths cross multiple times, she decides that the way to get over her feelings is to confess them in a series of letters. While this is happening, Hallie and Julian are actually developing a relationship, both of them are falling fast and hard for the other.
This was a quick read, and I liked the friendships and family dynamics that were at play. If you enjoy the author's other works then you'll probably enjoy this one was well.

Sadly this book was a bit of a flop for me. It was my first by this author and my expectations were very high. Overall, I felt the story lacked depth. I was left wanting so much more from the Corked versus Uncorked situation, more from the friendships, and the romantic storyline just didn't click. Hallie felt stalker-like after one singular teenage encounter and the drastic shift of Julian's character from straight laced to horny dirty talker felt entirely unnatural. The third act conflict seemed like a stretch and like the author was extending the novel unnecessarily. It seemed pointless.

3.5⭐️

Secretly Yours is a fun, spicy romance with two loveable, hilarious characters.

Hallie is a whirlwind of a person who is trying to figure herself out after her grandmother dies. She’s very chaotic and a bit impulsive but I couldn’t help but love her. She’s very passionate about the things and people she cares about and I loved that she was a curvy FMC.

Julian is structured and strait laced but protective. He struggles with anxiety and to cope he likes to follow schedules and have a very structured day. But Hallie completely interrupts his life and at first he doesn’t like it but he slowly grows to love Hallie and her chaos. His dirty mouth was so unexpected and HOT. And he’s writing a book?! I was swooning over the parts when he went all protective of her because it seems so out of character but at the same time isn’t.

The romance is sweet and spicy and I loved how Hallie and Julian are opposites but work so well together. Parts of this book were utterly hilarious and had me giggling at the situations that Hallie got herself into.

The love letters are so old fashioned and romantic and such a fun addition to the story. I do wish there were a few more written since the book is named after them. Napa was such a beautiful setting and it made me want to visit and explore wine country. The book did start off a little slow for me and took a bit for me to get into.

I wish we got a little more for the ending and an epilogue of them being happy together. Overall I enjoyed Secretly Yours!

Things to expect:
✨Dual POV
✨She’s had a crush on him since high school
✨Small town vibes
✨Opposites attract
✨Spice: 2.5/5

My least favorite Tessa Bailey book. I liked the characters but the secret letter conflict was pointless and honestly dumb. The bigger conflict was their drastically different personalities and lifestyles but that plot twist was abandoned for the secret writing and anxiety conflict which felt really forced and uncomfortable. 3.5 stars at best, the sex parts were steamy but why would you make it so far fetched by making her a 29 yr old virgin? It was unnecessary and didn’t add to the story.

This book was so cute!! I loved seeing how imperfectly perfect that Hallie and Julian were.

It’s not often you get to see a man that struggles with anxiety and panic attacks - and it’s so important to the narrative and stigma of mental health that everyone struggles. I resonated with Julian on these struggles and I’m so glad Tessa wrote it in a way that was so real and raw.

Hallie was the definition of a sunshine girl. I thought the whole secret admirer thing was SO cute and such a great touch to the story. I can’t wait to read the next book!

my all time favorite trope ✨grumpy x sunshine✨

julian and hallie are so perfect it actually hurts. the way he cares for her to intensely and so effortlessly makes my heart pound. i loved the letters and the way it all unfolded, especially loved how it was left perfectly for the next book (which i cannot wait for!!!)

(thank you NetGalley for my e-arc!!)

This book is the definition of all right. It’s an easy read and is nice at times but leaves a lot to be desired. I truly feel as though I don’t know the characters enough to care about them ending up together.

What an absolutely adorable romcom about a professor/winery legacy child?! and a soft, chaotic gardening queen who had a crush as a teen and hasn’t been able to let it go.

The characters were my favourite part, and I officially need a prequel about Lavinia and her bakery. I’m also counting down the days until I get to read about Natalie and the Navy Seal.

The plot wasn’t always the most linear, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I would have liked to have seen more of the penpal/secret admirer letters sent back and forward, since that felt like it would be a larger plot than it was, but I liked how honest and real Julien felt and his storyline.

My favourite seen was when Hallie was getting called out by the owner of Uncorked and Julien steps in basically telling the man that if he yelled at Hallie again he’d kill him. I absolutely adore the “touch them and I’ll kill you” trope and Julien fell into this one perfectly.

Overall, while it wasn’t the perfect romance for me, it was a welcomed escape and I’ll definitely be continuing with the series as it releases.

I am a huge Tessa Bailey fan, however this one was a let down for me.

What I Liked:
-small town vibes, competing wine businesses, trying to save a local business
-Hallie has her own gardening business and is a fun & loveable character
-Julian views Hallie as his undoing which adds fun tension
-the build up of the tension

What I Didn't Like:

I feel like ultimately the romance fell flat. Julian felt way out of character every time there was a spicy scene. I love Tessa Bailey spicy scenes but these were a bit cringe. The secret admirer letters were strange, they started after they already had an intimate encounter so I didn't really understand what they were supposed to do. Hallie has been obsessed with Julian since she was fourteen, In the book she is now 29 and still has the same obsession which I found a bit stalkerish. He had no idea who she was because he's older than her.

The third act breakup was so annoying. Miscommunication trope. It was connected to an event that happened long ago but we never really got a lot of explanation for that event or any closure. It just seemed a bit weak.

Tessa Bailey is the queen of romance and this one is not disappointed! Add this to your summer list and enjoy all the romance on a warm summer night

this one was cute! Julian and Hallie were complete opposites and I loved their developing relationship. I was a little disappointed there weren’t more secret admirer notes. I was hoping that would play more of a role. this one was cute! Julian and Hallie were complete opposites and I loved their developing relationship. I was a little disappointed there weren’t more secret admirer notes. I was hoping that would play more of a role.

This is the first book in the Vine Mess series. In true Tessa Bailey fashion, the banter is on point and the romance is spicy. Hallie is a bubbly and gardener who’s had a crush on Julian since high school. Julian is an uptight professor who doesn’t remember Hallie. It’s an opposite attracts slow burn romance with secret admirer letters that takes place in a small town in Napa wine country.

I thought this one was ok. I thought the plot was slow but I did enjoy both characters. The romance was sweet, but I wished the secret admirer letters played a bigger role. I also didn’t like the “conflict” towards the end…it was overdramatized and almost seemed forced.

Book two is about Julian’s sister, Natalie. I’m looking forward to read her story.

I accepted this ARC on a whim though one of Tessa Bailey’s books, Reborn Yesterday, is a favorite of mine. Plus, I have a soft spot for grouchy characters and rom-coms. Once I read the blurb, I was all in.

It did take me a few pages to get into the story but the moment I got to Julian’s point of view I was hooked. It was hilarious how Hallie messed up his tight schedules and his neat plans, how she left him baffled and fascinated. Oh my god, his obsession with her had me cracking up!

Hallie was another unique character who left me in stitches. I do admit I was more interested in Julian’s POV, but I liked the plotline a lot. The meaningful conversations they had together that brought out their inner struggles tugged at the heartstrings and I loved these touching moments of deep connection between them. It doesn’t hurt that the chemistry between them was off the charts and let’s not forget the steamy scenes!

This book was a lot of fun to read with quirky characters and a hint of another story in the making. I’m definitely looking forward to reading Natalie’s story.

I was kinda disappointed not gonna lie. It was an okay plot, kinda boring if you ask me. I can’t really remember much of what happened now that I’ve sat with it for a couple days. The spice wasn’t very spicy either. I just don't think this book was for me. The FMC was way too quirky for me and I feel like the FMC & MMC had very little chemistry.

I don’t know if I would recommend this book.

Julian Vos is a buttoned-up and burnt-out professor taking a summer off to write a fiction novel at his family's vineyard. Hallie Welch is a spunky, care-free gardener with a longtime crush on Julian. When Julian moves back to their hometown, she starts writing secret admirer letters to him. Hallie and Julian's paths keep crossing, whether it's through Hallie's schemes to update the landscaping at the Vos family vineyard or spontaneous meet-ups and local wine bars. Their personalities are polar opposites but they both share smoldering physical desire for each other.

I love Tessa Bailey, but some of her books are starting to feel formulaic. I'm sure it's all related to the pressure on author's to churn out multiple books a year. The characters of Julian and Hallie are described as one personality trope, but then completely change on a whim to move the plot forward. In the character build-up, Hallie did some wild (and clearly illegal) things, like steal from a trendy wine bar that was competing for business with her beloved, run-down favorite. She writes multiple secret admirer letters and finally admits her identity once they're together, but then panics when she realizes he will know it's her. How does this make sense? She has been desperate for Julian to acknowledge her since high school. Julian is described as a stuffy grump in the synopsis, but at the drop of a hat, he supports Hallie with her illegal schemes and becomes an expert dirty-talking alpha during the sex scenes (which doesn't really match his stuffy professor personality). The third act break up made me roll my eyes because it was probably the most basic act of miscommunication I've ever read in a romance novel. The sex scenes were hot as usual, but this one wasn't really much to write home about. I'm hoping Natalie's love story in the next book is a little more exciting!

Tessa does it again! If you loved It Happened One Summer or My Killer Vacation run, don't walk, to pick up this one. Secretly Yours will tug at your heartstrings and make you ask, 'what do I love most that's about to disappear and who will be my knight to save it?' Hallie is a mess in all of the best ways. Relatable and funny, she'll charm you into running away to play with plants yourself. Julian, her exact opposite, will have you looking at all the stuffy men you've passed by before in a new light. All I can say is, once you start you'll need to keep reading until the last page!

Secretly Yours is the first book in a new series by Tessa Bailey. Recently this author has been very hit-and-miss for me, so I was a little apprehensive going into this read. I requested the arc months ago, then totally forgot about it, went on to read other TB reads and thought maybe she wasn’t for me anymore, and then got this arc approval a week before its release date. So I definitely went in with lowered expectations, but it kind of worked because I kind of liked this. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t mind it either lol So just wanted to share that so you can take my review with a grain of salt so-to-speak.

Basically in this, we follow Hallie, as a teen, she was raised by her grandmother and recently took over her grandmother’s garden/landscaping business after she passed away. Hallie finds out her crush from 15 years ago has moved back home and immediately jumps at the chance to be around him. Julian is a history professor who recently moved back to his family’s winery to focus on writing his first novel, a historical fiction. Julian and Hallie had an almost-kiss 15 years ago and she has held a torch for him ever since, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine him showing back up in her life. When she realizes he’s back, she immediately calls up his mom (who is already one of her landscaping clients) and insists she comes to plant some new flowers on the property.

Julian is pretty smitten from the start, I think Tessa Bailey’s recent reads all kind of have this insta-lust vibe to them (which sometimes works for me). This is definitely an opposite attract romance: Julian has anxiety and he very much handles life better by being organized and sticking to a schedule and structure, while Hallie is chaos and doesn’t have a schedule for anything. This did have a lot of fun elements: set in Napa Valley, with lots of wine talk, I liked seeing them help out a local wine shop owner who was being out-sold by a new and flashy competitor. It does have that classic TB dirty talk, the steamy scenes didn’t really do it for me though and I never really got behind their romance. At one point the heroine gets drunk and does write secret admirer/anonymous pen pal-type letters to the hero (I guess where the title name comes in). Honestly could have done without that storyline, it didn’t add much besides a third-act conflict that didn’t work for me.

I actually did like the setting and them helping the wine shop owner, I did like his sister as well who apparently gets the next book and has a fun setup with tropes that might work better for me.

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

Alright I’ve been sitting on this book for a few days trying to decide what to say. I love Tessa Bailey but Secretly Yours was not my favorite.

The characters are cute unique as always. I think I liked Hallie a lot more than Julian, he just didn’t do it for me. Brendan, Travis, and Dominic are all men that make you melt immediately, but Julian just wasn’t it for me.

I also thought that their real interactions and the secret admirer letters worked against each for focus.

So not my favorite, but still cute and witty. I loved Hallie’s personality and her inner struggle with neat vs wild and what that represented in her life

Secretly Yours releases tomorrow 2/7/23. Let me know what you think!

Thanks to @netgalley and @avonbooks for this advanced reader!

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Thank you Netgalley for the advanced ARC.

Tessa Bailey is an auto read for me, so Secretly Yours was a no-brainer. Her writing style is quick paced, witty, and spicy. The perfect combination. Messy, scattered Haley has my heart. She's everyone's best friend vibes. Her crazed pranks on uncorked instantly endeared her to me. I always love a book that touches on mental health issues and helps the characters get over their own stigma with it.

Secretly Yours is available now!

A professor bound by schedules and orderliness meets his match in a gardener who’s the essence of chaos and color in Secretly Yours. Julian is buttoned-up and reserved. He learned as a child to help his anxiety by using schedules but he’s taken it to the nth degree. I adored the stuffy professor who is both flummoxed and incredibly attracted to Hallie. Hallie took a bit longer to grow on me but she eventually did. She’s mourning the loss of her grandmother, who was her rock. Because she feels like she’s losing bits of her grandmother with every change, she becomes irresponsible and overly chaotic. She finds herself and her path, embracing her whirlwind self but maturing. And Julian learns to love letting go, to embrace the color that Hallie brings into his world. They both have journeys to take and I enjoyed watching them take them.

The romance was sweet and entertaining but not my favorite of Tessa Bailey’s. Hallie had such a huge crush on Julian from high school that she measured all other men against him for fifteen years. He, in turn, didn’t really know her nor did he remember her when they meet as adults. A combination of events leaves Hallie to one night drunkenly leave him a secret admirer love letter. I actually really liked what the love letters did but the initial setup just left me a bit indifferent. Still, by the end of the story I was rooting for Julian and Hallie and I loved where they ended up.

Secretly Yours kicks off the Vine Mess series and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Hallie and Julian’s family and friends. I definitely finished the book wanting to read about Julian’s sister, Natalie, who is also at a crossroads in her life. All in all, I thought Hallie and Julian’s book was an energetic and fun romance and it left me wanting more Vine Mess books.