I’ve always loved every book I’ve read by Tessa Bailey, but this one was definitely not my favorite.

That said, I did appreciate the mental health representation of anxiety (VERY heavy in this book, be warned), but it’s regularly viewed as a weakness and something to overcome by both characters who refuse to seek out help for their struggles.

I liked Hallie’s character as the book went on, but at first she felt a bit too childish to me. Being in her late 20s, she behaved as though she were still a teenager. That said, as the book went on, I came to love her wild ways.

Honestly, I really loved Julian. I loved the struggles he faced, his dirty mouth, and how he was overcome with desire for Hallie, BUT his shift from needing everything perfectly in order to throwing his hands up in the air and getting down and dirty was a bit too drastic of a shift too quickly. For a book that felt a bit drawn out, that part felt like whiplash to me.

I loved the steamy scenes – Bailey always knows how to make her readers’ knees weak! I just wished for a bit more of an arc in the character development rather than full upheaval of personalities. Hallie’s felt a bit more gradual than Julian’s though.

All in all, I’ll still read book two – like I said, I love everything she writes, even if this series might not be my favorite of them all.

Tropes:
👀 second chance romance
👀 childhood crush
👀 secret admirer love letters
👀 anxiety representation
👀 small town romance

I loveee this author, but overall I just didn’t connect with the characters or enjoy the tropes in this one. Hallie was chaotic in an annoyingly immature way for a 29 year old, I did not find her endearing. There’s no way you could stay in business with the schedule you run, which is to say- there’s no schedule. The dirty talk did not do it for me. It felt so cringe. I absolutely loved the dogs, I would have liked more scenes with them.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is on par with It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line and Sinker!

She spicy 🌶️ , like all Tessa Bailey books.

Wine, high school crushes, opposites attract, fun and flowers!

I thought this book was very very cute! I loved the way both MCs worked through and helped each other with their personal struggles.

This was fun a quirky. Quick read. The idea was good it just fell a little flat for me. Just didn’t really have the Tessa feel I’m used to. In my opinion.

What I Liked: Tessa Bailey is always great for a fun, sexy romance and this book is no exception. I loved Hallie and thought her character was the most fully realized and interesting. The backstory about her grandmother’s death was emotional without being too sad and added to the complexity of her character. The side characters also fit into the story well and added some levity to the heavier moments. I especially liked Julian’s sister Natalie and I’m happy that the next book in the series will be focused on her. In theory, I liked the idea of secret admirer letters but….


What I Didn’t Like: …the letters seemed like an afterthought and didn’t add anything to the story, other than introducing a third act conflict that was rushed and awkward. Usually I’m happy to have a character in a romance novel that isn’t “perfect” and that has to overcome obstacles but Julian’s anxiety didn’t make sense to me and he didn’t act in a way that felt realistic to me. This book also has one of my least favorite romance tropes: the pining for someone for so long that you don’t date, kiss, or have sex with anyone else because you’re hung up on your crush for years. I found it highly unrealistic that Hallie would have put Julian on such a high pedestal that it would prevent her from moving on with her life after her high school (almost) kiss. I know that every romance novel has to have some kind of third act conflict but the one in this story was super thin and unbelievable.

Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a grumpy-sunshine-esque romance may enjoy this one. And wine lovers will particularly like the setting of this story.

Review Wrap Up: Bailey continues to be the queen of writing hot and intense sex scenes and this book features some great scenes with dirty talk. The story itself was decent for a romance and while I liked Halllie, I found Julian’s character lacking. Despite this, I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a hot read.

Favorite Quote: “As soon as she was alone with her phone, she would google, How Horny is Too Horny? Those search results ought to be interesting.”

“If I regret one thing about not having a direct hand in making wine at this vineyard…it’s that I can’t watch you drink a glass of Vos wine and know my efforts are sitting on that tongue.”

I love TB usually, but this one did not hit for me at all. The overly obsessed super inexperienced heroine, the almost indifferent hero, it just didn’t gel in my mind. Maybe it’s just this one.

I am a huge Tessa Bailey fan. It Happened One Summer is one of my favorite books of all time. This book, unfortunately, feels unfinished. Hallie is a gardener who has had a massive crush on Julian since high school. She has followed him online throughout the past 15 years and when he moves back into town, she decides she wants to see the grown-up version up close. As she works in the garden around his cottage, Hallie and Julian slowly get to know one another. Julian is constantly distracted by the chaotic mess that is Hallie. He likes things scheduled and orderly. Hallie is neither. And yet, they find a way to work somehow.

I did like the setting in this book of Napa Valley. Despite her oddly stalkerish tendencies and inability to move beyond the high school version of herself, I enjoyed her sunshiney personality. Julian was confusing. I liked how Bailey handles anxiety representation, but his straight-laced personality didn’t seem to match his behavior at all when it came to Hallie. She is known to be the queen of dirty talk, but the massive extreme in Julian from one behavior to the next was a bit too much. In addition, the secret admirer letters that they leave one another, while cute, felt the slightest bit juvenile.

That being said, I did like the book. It reads quickly and the grumpy/sunshine romance is always a good time. Plus, any Tessa Bailey book is still a good book even if this one wasn’t my favorite of hers. I think with some editing and changes, this one could have been great. 3.5 stars

I love Tessa Bailey and count several of her books as my favorites. This one is not one of them. I had so many problems with this but overall it was the lack of chemistry and the lack of any sort of development: relationship or character. What's her face is supposed to be a sunshine hot mess which normally would be my jam but instead of being cute and quirky, she's just cringe. Julian fares a little better but he's like a caricature of past Bailey heroes. The dirty talk was odd coming from him and at times it averaged on weird, he kept calling her vag a thing 😬 I wasn't invested in the story or the romance at all and I skimmed quite a bit. Definitely not one of her best but I am intrigued by Natalie and her ex navy seal 🥵

Secretly Yours is a sweet, lighthearted story about Hallie, a gardener who has been harboring a crush on Julian since high school, and she writes him secret admirer letters. I thought the premise of the story was cute, and I was excited to see where it would go! Hallie and Julian’s connection is undeniable, and their love grows authentically as the story goes on.

As much as I love Tessa Bailey’s books (The Bellinger Sisters😍), this one wasn’t my favorite. I really struggled to connect to Hallie and found myself annoyed by some of her extreme shenanigans. The last 25% of the book felt very predictable, and the ending scene felt rushed. I wish we got an epilogue! I also know this book is marketed as grumpy x sunshine, but it didn’t feel like it fully fit that trope in my opinion. Though this wasn’t my favorite, I’m still excited to read Natalie’s story in Unfortunately Yours and more of Tessa Bailey’s books!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for graciously giving me an eArc in exchange for my honest review. The book published on February 7, so check it out if you’re interested!

In Tessa Bailey's opposites attract novel Secretly Yours, it follows gardener Hailie Welch and professor Julian Vos.

Despite his best efforts to keep her to the back of his mind, Julian was clearly struggling to control his emotions when it came to his gardener from the start, in typical Tessa Bailey fashion. It was blatantly evident throughout the entire novel that Julian would have done everything to ensure Hailie always had a smile on her face, which was the greatest thing ever. Plus, you could see how intense and scorching hot their chemistry was!

Also, Hailie was a really driven individual who knew what she was doing from the beginning, and I admire her for that. Also, Haillie being a virgin definitely caught me off guard because I had not anticipated that at all, especially given how bold she was with Julian.

In all, Tessa has a way with truly captivating her mc's emotions, as seen by the love between Julian and Haillie, which was the most endearing thing ever!

*Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and to the author, Tessa Bailey for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

I'm a sucker for sunshine versus grump, or in this case pure chaos versus highly-regimented and buttoned-up. Plus, it's set in Napa in the summertime, which was the perfect excape from all this Colorado snow we've been having.

Hallie Welch runs a landscaping business, but honestly she's been spinning out of control since her grandmother died earlier in the year. When her long-time crush comes back into town, and it becomes aparant that he doesn't even remember her, she becomes even more reckless, and embraces all of her bad ideas.

Julian Vos has come home for the summer to write a historical novel, in the peace and quiet of his family's guest house. Of course, the chaos-incarnate that is Hallie Welch has been hired (by his mother) to spruce up the gardens around the guest house, and she's throwing all of Julian's carefully-crafted schedules and plans into disarray.

I loved both of these characters so much. They're very, very different but both so loveable in their own ways. I loved how they brought out the best in each other, whether it was getting Julian to losen up, or grounding Hallie's tornado and helping her focus.

It’s steamy, dirty, heartwarming and sweet. Plus, it’s the first in a new series, A Vine Mess, and I can't wait to read read the next book, about Julian’s sister Natalie!

☹️☹️☹️

I was so excited to get the arc for Secretly Yours, but I ended up DNFing 50% through. There were somethings that didn’t work for me and I got to a point where I was no longer having fun and life is too short not to DNF.

1. It’s chaotic. I am a FAN of chaos, trust me. But when it’s too chaotic to the point I’m confused? Some of Hallie’s hijinks made absolutely no sense to me. The way she stole a huge amount of cheese and the owners were like imma back down because King Julian (I had to - love Madagascar) said so? The whole thing with her stopping a disco ball. No clue what was going on.

2. I also did not understand JULIAN. He’s supposed to be an extremely broody, very anal professor. Yet, the minute Hallie shows up, he immediately changes his ways? Loses track of his schedule. There was no build up to his personality change. He was like an on/off switch. I do however loved how he was trying to help Corked because it meant a lot to Hallie.

3. Hallie and Julian’s relationship. I did not feel the chemistry yall. Hallie has been crushing on him for 15 YEARS!! A whole teenager. And Julian did not even remember. If that were me, I would be 😟. And the secret admirer notes also did not make sense to me.
The admirer notes gave more casual stalker who’s bored and wants to chat rather than admirer.

Although this book did not hit the spot for me, unfortunately yours sounds intriguing. I’m a sucker for a marriage of convenience and the small interactions between Natalie and August gave me more chemistry than Hallie and Julian.

I enjoy Tessa and I reallyyyy wanted to like this book, but in the end it left me a bit disappointed.

That said, please remember that this is only my opinion. You may love it, so please read it if you're excited about it!!

Overall, I felt the chemistry was forced, the dirty talk (which I normally love) felt out of place and came out of nowhere, the secret admirer letters aspect really did nothing for the plot, and the miscommunication/misunderstanding at the end was SOOOOOO frustrating.

Hallie was ok, but I wanted more character development. And to be honest, some of my favorite characters were the side characters, Natalie especially.

TBD on if I'll read Unfortunately Yours. I did really like Natalie, so it's not off the table! Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the eARC. I really appreciated it!

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and TikTok favorite Tessa Bailey comes a steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn...

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family’s winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small Napa town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she’ll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn’t the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls’ night later, Hallie can’t shake the sense that she did something reckless—and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She’s eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt—and so unbelievably beautiful, he can’t focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past. Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he’s sucked further into Hallie’s orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian’s grey-scale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there’s something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down.

Garden designer Hallie is hired to work at the family winery where her high school crush, Julian, is on sabbatical writing a novel. Can an uptight college professor fall for a free spirit like Hallie?

This is a quirky rom com with some deeper mental health themes. It's whimsical, fun, and emotional with a satisfying ending.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Secretly Yours.

Tessa Bailey books are just so much fun! As always she comes up with these amazing quirky characters, that are different but yet still relatable. And her Book Boyfriends always say the dirtiest things which I looove. Julian and Hallie could not be any more different. This is definitely a case of opposites attracted and it worked so well!! Julian has a really hard time keeping a handle on all his rigid schedules way once he meets the tornado that is Hallie. He becomes a boy obsessed and I ATE. IT. UP. The setting felt small town but was also a tourist wine destination and yet it all felt cozy and cute. Tessa packs in so much lightheartedness and humor but there were also a lot of really heartfelt moments. Both characters had so much growth. If you are looking for a fun spicy read then this is a great choice!

Thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for the free copy.

I had broken up with Tessa Bailey books because her '𝘏𝘰𝘵 & 𝘏𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥' series just didn't work for me. Then we got back together the 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 #𝟸 series. Unfortunately, I think I need to take another break because 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 was not a standout for me.

WHAT WORKED:
Napa setting
Mental Health rep
Sunshine & chaos with stoic & scheduled.

WHAT DIDN'T
Sexy time language that came out-of-nowhere
Virgin female MC
Haphazard chemistry
Unbelievable 3rd act

i wanted to love this, but i sadly could not..

i just did not feel connected to the characters at all. usually, tessa bailey does well at the third person even though its not my perferred POV. but i just could not connect with the story or the characters in this one that i found myself skimming the book at the end.

the romance also was not there for me because the build up was not as angsty for me and i could not find the chemisty with the characters either. i was looking forward to this read but sadly i did not love it..

A sweet & solid romance about opposite attract! Loved the small town vibes this gave! I wish We got more of the the letters and could have done without the little miscommunication. Loved Hallie so much she was the best. Can’t wait for more books in this series