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.

This was my first Tessa Bailey book and it did not disappoint! I immediately fell in love with Hallie's chaotic, wild & impulsive nature and loved just how much she and Julian were polar opposites. Despite being polar opposites though, the heat and desire between the two were undeniable! There were only a couple of steamy scenes in the book but there was plenty of spice packed in them. l also enjoyed how the story wasn't just about the romance
between Hallie and Julian but also about each of them reflecting on themselves and realizing in order for them to
be the best versions of themselves, they needed to be a little bit more like the other. I also swooned at Julian
coming in to save the local wine shop that Hallie held near and dear to her heart and his own family's winery. The
story did end a bit too abruptly for my liking, but that's just because I wanted more Hallie and Julian content and
wanted to see where the future would take them.

After "Hook, Line, and Sinker" my bar for the next Tessa Bailey was pretty high. Hannah and Fox were just...perfect.

Now, Julian Vos was everything. He was written so well and, at least for me, more relatable than Hallie. There was part of Hallie that I know I will be able to relate to a little too well soon. We were introduced to Hallie first, and while she was one half of the couple, she almost felt like a side character to Julian. (Which, okay, I'm not *that* mad about because again, I love Julian Vos.)

The book also dealt with one of my least favorite things in fiction, but especially in romance: a big problem would be solved if they would just *speak* to each other. I'm referring to the letters in the tree stump.

Overall, I enjoyed this, but it ultimately fell short of the magic I know Bailey can bring.

If you are looking for a fun, quick and steamy read, I would definitely recommend Tessa Bailey and this novel. Bailey's go to opposites attract dynamic plays to its strengths in this second chance, vineyard set romance. Bailey's writing is accessible, well paced, and filled with moments of humor and levity that all work hand in hand in creating a charming read. Bailey's characters are easy to relate to and the situations seem logical in the context of the story. I think if you love Tessa Bailey you are going to enjoy this novel, she is doing what she does best in the way that she has been perfecting over the last few years while working under the Avon label.

This novel, to me is ultimately enjoyable in the moment, but not something I am going to remember forever, which is okay, we can not remember and hold each novel close to our heart. This novel was exactly what I was expecting and it was a great way to spend some hours. There is nothing particularly wrong with this novel, and any die-hard Bailey fan is sure to love this one. I enjoy the opposites attract dynamic, it is always a favorite trope of mine. The secret love letters is an interesting idea, and I think if these played a more important and stronger hand from the beginning I think it would have help to create a stronger tension between our main characters as well as strengthen the third act conflict, which to me never really felt like it had any gravity to it. The relationship between our hero and heroine is also very insta-love and feels surface level, which make me not fully connect with their romance. I did adore the setting of the novel and I think that is where a lot of the strength and charm of reading this work came into play.

If you are a Tessa Bailey fan, I would recommend reading this, you are sure to find everything you would expect with in its pages. If Tessa Bailey is not always for you then you might want to skip this one.

While not my personal favorite Tessa Bailey book, Secretly Yours was a fun and fast-paced read. It, of course, includes one of her signature dirty talking heroes, Julian and Hallie is a relateable heroine. Both of them grew over the course of the story into their relationship and I hope they make a cameo in the following book!

I loved every page of Secretly Yours. I wasn’t surprised at how sweet the story was … but the sexy scenes were surprisingly dirty. That is not a complaint!! This romance was hot and sweet and did such a good job of representing difficult families and mental illness. Great read!

I had mixed feelings about reading this book. I have been struggling to finish books so I decided to give it a try. I was able to finish this one. I enjoyed and had fun majority of the book. And I am intrigued about the next book.

I voluntarily read an early copy.

This was such a cute read and really got me excited for Valentine’s Day… Secret love letters, lots of flowers, wine, and even jewelry.

🍇I loved that this was set in Napa, and how this book perfectly captured the small-town chicness of Napa.

🥂The rivalry of old vs new Wine Shops- Corked and Uncorked was absolutely adorable and hosted some of my favorite scenes.

🔥Being (somewhat) local to Napa, I appreciated the spotlight Tessa brought to the fires and the damage that was done both physically and emotionally to the community.

⏱Anxiety and time management are very prevalent in this book and she even addressed toxic productivity (something I definitely struggle with). Grief is another underlying theme in this one and I really feel like it was approached beautifully.

🫣Some of the concepts fell a little short for me. I had a hard time with the actual spice of this book- the dirty talk was kind of off-putting for my personal taste. I didn’t feel like the second-chance aspect was actually second-chancy, and the way the secret letters played out kind of missed the mark for me.

🫶🏻I really did have fun reading this, I just had a harder time with some of the key elements in this book. I still highly recommend reading this, especially if you need help getting into the spirit for Valentine’s Day. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for this advanced reader copy.

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read and provide my feedback. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. The writing style and plot didn’t hold my attention. Thank you for the opportunity.

I enjoy all of Tessa Bailey's books & liked this one. It wasn't one of my favorites but still enjoyable. The steam was decent but I didn't love the chemistry between the two characters. I enjoyed them each on their own but I just didn't love them as a couple.

This book is spicy and fun! The characters have great chemistry trying to figure out how to sort through their own personal messes and find happiness! I loved it!

Ooofff Tessa look I love you and it happened one summer and hook line and sinker are some of my favorite books but this just didn’t land with me.

I think it was the characters. Hallie’s obsession and secret admirer letters were not necessary for this book. This was ✨almost✨ a second chance romance but Julian didn’t remember Hallie and then she didn’t tell him for so long. He was also just fine with all the lies. Julian has a lot going on including needing to be in counseling which I’m so for but I felt like there was an opportunity to reinforce the idea of therapy being a good thing and instead it was just barely hinted at that he should go. Also his compliments of Hallie’s body didn’t feel uplifting. I have read many romance books where the guy loves his partner’s body and explains what he likes but the way Julian did kind of gave me the ick. It felt very frat boy to me in how he described her.

I wanted to like this so much but it just didn’t land. The story was chaotic and I think the side characters were very average friends and the plots besides the romance didn’t even get wrapped up well. Sorry Tessa.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I have a love-hate relationship with Tessa Bailey books. Some of them hit hard and I fall head over heels. Others flop. "Secretly Yours" is somewhere in the middle of the two.

I love the idea of two characters pining for one another while think the other doesn't view them like that. It always sets up a lot of fun scenes and a lot of sexual tension. Hallie and Julian do exactly that. We get so much of this early on, especially from Hallie who has been pining over him since highschool. Their relationship is sweet - the true definition of opposites attract. I enjoyed everything about them together.

Apart though - I found Hallie to be just an adult child. It was annoying and frustrating at some parts of the story. Julian's involvement with her felt odd at first. I know he felt confused about it and I felt even more confused than him. Also speaking of Julian, his first scene where he pleasures himself to Hallie being a needy damsel really felt wrong to me. It made me not care for Julian and I had to put the book down for a bit before going back to it. It felt gross and him acknowledging that it was sexist of him made it worse.

Overall, Secretly Yours is a fun story. Tessa Bailey always manages to make some of the best rom-coms - no one can deny that. If you're looking for a quick read, this is definitely a good one, especially for Valentine's Day.

Another amazing book from Tessa I fell in love with the characters and can’t wait to go grab my physical copy

“You see, a small breach in fairness can cause a snowball effect.“

“She should always be smiling. Simple as that.” (I mean…get you a man who feels this way about you 🥰😍)

“Weird how the worst scenario is coming true could pull everything into perspective. “

I won this ARC in a #goodreadsgiveaway and I was so pumped to receive a copy of this one. I’ve been on the fence about whether I was a Tessa fan…I don’t mean this in a bad way, promise! Hear me out. Tessa writes such a range of romance novels that there is legit something for everyone. For me My Killer Vacation wasn’t my fav but I loved Secretly Yours. Window Shopping was ok too. I’m still working through her catalog. She’s got such a range with her writing when it comes to what you may (or may not) want in a romance novel and I admire that in a writer because not every book is for every person. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

From the outset I empathized with Hallie. An obnoxious eyesore called Uncorked opens up across from her fav wine shop, Corked…making a mockery of all that is Corked…then add the extra layer of Hallie’s love for her grandmother…who sat at the same Corked table every time she would come to her fav wine shop…I’m totally invested within the first few paragraphs.

Then there’s some unfinished business that Hallie has with Julian…unbeknownst to Julian…who doesn’t know she exists…until….he does. Hallie has been crushing on Julian for 15 years and he’s suddenly back in town.

I adored all of the characters, especially Hallie, Julian and Julian’s sister…I’m excited to see how they grow and develop over the course of the series. I’d love to see this be turned into a movie or a limited series.

Take this review with a grain of salt. I was trying to hold this series up to the expectation of “hook line and sinker” and I was a bit disappointed.

While this book was on par for the author it was not up to par with her previous work. I felt like the set up was a bit forced and there wasn’t as much chase. I will still be reading the second one because I’m curious if it gets better