congrats on another deliciously funny and steamy read, Tessa Bailey 💕✨ All I’m going to say is JULIAN VOS 🥵🫣🤤 Ready for the next book in this series, I’ve already requested it on NetGalley 😂

Ahhh. Okay first, I want to thank @netgalley and @avonbooks / @harpervoyagerus for the #gifted ebook.
I got about 20% in and immediately preordered the physical copy.
I really loved this book so much. I'm a sucker for grumpy/sunshine. | love Hallie and all her quirks, and that she is a plus sized babe.
Julian is a complicated dude. He's "grumpy" but also so incredibly tender hearted. I enjoyed seeing a MMC with mental health issues, it is severely lacking in representation and I think Tessa nailed it. I'm so happy that she made him physically imperfect, also severely lacking in representation.
Now the tiniest tidbit that I didn't like (and this is strictly a ME problem).... Brendan Taggert is like my standard for...ahem... * talk * . I think Julian was close, but not quite there. Still admirable, just not for me. And I mean that with the utmost respect.
Also, I'm choosing not to read the preview for the next book, I'd like to go in completely blind. Although I know the trope, and with the information I have from this book, I think it's going to be fantastic.

"Secretly Yours", the first book in Tessa Bailey's new "Vine Mess" series, is an adorable romp between a ray of sunshine and a storm cloud. Hallie is a little bit of chaos incarnate and she is wrecking havoc on the life of perfectly planned professor Julian Vos. After moving into the family guest house to write his novel, the last thing Julian expects is to be disturbed by his mother and her gardening plans. Except when the gardener shows up, he finds that her visits become the highlight of his day. Hallie is everything he can't stand, so why is he so obsessed with her? Meanwhile, Hallie is living out her teenage dreams getting to see the swoony Vos on the regular. When a night of over drinking leads to Hallie writing down all her feelings as a secret admirer, both parties discover what, and who they really want. Told from alternating perspectives, the book follows as Hallie and Julian get closer and closer to finding both middle ground and love.

I mean, tessa bailey is tessa bailey. they're fine books, but nothing i'm too crazy about as of late. I just feel like there's more innovative stories out there right now.

🌤️ grumpy/sunshine
👩‍❤️‍👨 high school crush
👁️ insta-love
🍷 vineyard setting

2/5⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Admittedly, I am not the biggest Tessa Bailey fan. I requested this book from NetGalley because I desperately want to fall in love with TB. I thought, what better book to set myself up for success than a romance between a grumpy professor and a cute gardener? Unfortunately, this book was, yet again, not the one to magically transform me into a TB stan.
I’ll start with the characters…
Hallie was a cute, carefree character, but I felt like some things were lacking. This novel seemed to harp on the same 3 aspects of her personality: 1. Hallie is impulsive. 2. Hallie was very close with her grandmother who passed away recently. 3. Hallie has had a crush on Julian since high school. And the same 2 aspects of her appearance: blonde curls and big boobs. It was tiring. 😴
Julian’s character though... He is possibly the most uptight MMC I’ve ever read. He times everything down to the minute, rewards himself with whiskey-only if he completes his tasks for the day, watches Jeopardy, goes to bed by 9 pm, talks like he was born in 1930, and seemed to always wear fancy clothes? Needless to say, Julian’s character was a 90 year old man in the body of a 30-something. I mentally pictured his character sitting in a recliner watching Jeopardy every night with his compression stockings on and his legs elevated in a leather recliner. To top it off, I couldn’t help but imagine him wearing super high waisted dress pants with a belt?? My imagination may have gotten away from me with that one, but I couldn’t help it. Julian radiated OLD MAN vibes.
Finally, I feel like the shit mental health representation in this book has to be addressed. (If it can even be called MH rep?!) TB, you’re telling me this man has anxiety attacks in which he basically blacks out for weeks at a time? Goodbye. 👋 These characters were both such a mess, my brain couldn’t help but play armchair psychiatrist and try and diagnose. But it’s pretty much impossible because the representation in this book and lack of research into anxiety/panic disorder is just cringey.
Lastly, the entire conflict of this novel was wrapped up in the last 3 pages?? This was followed by a quick curtain drop and the end. The story did not end leaving my confident that Hallie and Julian’s relationship would last.
At times, I felt like I got more from the side characters. Hallie’s best friend was hilarious. Lorna, the wine ship owner seemed so sweet. I would have preferred to see more of these characters rather than chapters of Julian’s internal monologue as he lusted after Hallie. 😷
Particularly, I loved the scenes involving Julian’s sister, Natalie. I loved her character so much I ✨might✨ give TB one last chance with Unfortunately Yours. TBD.

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!