I didn't realize that Avon was an imprint of Harper Collin when I requested this book. I won't do anything to hurt the author but want to stand by the union, so I'll be posting my review at a later point.

Where do I even start? This was the cutest stinking book ever. Tessa Bailey did it again.

Hallie and Julian could not be more opposites if they tried, but you know what they say about opposites right? And boy oh boy do they certainly attract in this one.

Julian has the filthiest mouth on him, oh my word. I’m not mad about it though but I certainly was not expecting it from him.

I see a lot of myself in Hallie. She’s chaotic, never has anything planned, lives life day-by-day, and loves flowers. My kinda gal.

Only reason I knocked this down a star was because, comparing to the way I felt reading It Happened One Summer, I didn’t have the same “can’t put this book down” feeling. However, that is the only fault I found, which mostly boils down to my own personal experience rather than the quality of the story itself.

4.5 stars

Let me start by saying that I really loved this book. For a Tessa Bailey book, this was more on the slow burn side of things and had a similar feel to Hook, Line, and Sinker. Of course, you still get the public sex scene (couldn't be a Tess Bailey book without one of those), but this one was very well done. I loved the chemistry between Hallie and Jillian. I loved that this was funny at times, but also had very serious moments. Hallie has had a serious crush on Jillian for over 15 years, and while he is back in town, she starts writing him secret admirer letters. I feel like this book shows Tessa Bailey's progress as an author. It shows that she can write funny and serious moments, and I found that to be one of the best things about this story.

Read this if you love:
- Crush from high school
- Letters
- Small town romance
- Anxiety representation
- Second chance romance
- Dirty talk
- Slow burn
- Open-door romance

Romance books are a very fickle genre. If your love language and quirks aren't represented, then the book can feel disconnected or awkward. Sometimes romance books represent fetishes and dynamics that turn people off, which happens occasionally for me.

Secretly Yours was of those cases. Specifically, the intense sexual dominance of Julian in regards to Hallie was not something I enjoyed. Don't get me wrong—I love dominance when done right *insert It Happened One Summer* but that wasn't the case here. The power dynamic just felt odd since Hallie had a crush on Julian since she was fourteen, so a lot of times this whole relationship felt more like infatuation than an actual healthy relationship. Hallie is emotionally at a disadvantage in this relationship because she has so much history with her crush on Julian, whereas he did not remember her at all from their near-first kiss. Plus, my feelings over this unequal power dynamic worsened when Hallie's virginity was brought up. Now I like the fact that this book shows virgins can be any age, and there is no shame in that, but the fetishization of virginity is not something I'm personally into. Julian just gave me the ick, to be honest, as he gushed for pages on her tightness/ lack of other partners. It just wasn't for me, so this book was pretty much tainted with that the rest of the length.

Now I'm VERY excited for Unfortunately Yours. The synopsis already makes me think this relationship dynamic will be much more my speed. I have a physical ARC of it staring at me through time and space over on my shelf, so I'm really REALLY hoping I can have a fun ride with the sequel. Who doesn't love enemies to lovers involving a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience?

Overall, Secretly Yours wasn’t bad, wasn’t good—just neutral for me since I did not vibe with the romantic personalities of the characters.

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this early. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

this was fun and cute, with a good dash of tension, as always for me and tessa's work, i have a fun time but something is missing, it could have hit stronger but it didn't. but thats only my experience, i feel like it is perfect if you want a cute romcom for valentine's day

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.