Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for this ARC! Tessa Bailey doesn’t disappoint when it comes to writing romcoms that are equal parts hilarious, adorable and spicy. I really enjoyed Hallie and Julian’s relationship! I loved the sunshine/grumpy trope as well as the friends/strangers to lovers. I can’t wait for book two in this series!

A funny and delightful opposites attract romance. Holly is a wild child gardener, who is never on time and always followed by chaos. Julian is a professor who lives by schedules and order. The plot is great and moves at a wonderful pace. Holly and Julian had met as teenagers and now they get to renew their acquaintance as adults. The characters are great and varied. They provide great entertainment. Julian has dry and stoic wit that provides the reader a reason to keep turning the page. This is a classic love story as Holly and Julian go all in aided by their friend and family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Landscaper Hallie wants nothing more than a second chance with her high school crush, Julian, who has just returned home to the family vineyard. But Hallie is the definition of chaos. Julian, on the other hand, is very structured, and doesn’t like when his schedule is disrupted. But when Hallie gets drunk and writes him a secret admirer’s letter, and she keeps crashing through his carefully built walls, maybe it’s time for him to start to let go a little too.

For anyone who knows me, you know that Tessa Bailey is one of my absolute favorites. I was so excited to get an ARC of this book that I actually stopped everything else I was doing so I could read it right away! And as usual, I was not disappointed. Hallie and Julien are the grumpy/sunshine tornado that I needed. I found myself somehow relating to both characters, despite their differences.

The only thing stopping me from giving this book 5 stars is that I wanted more. A lot of both characters’ struggles were internalized, so I wish there had been even more interaction. Because when they were together, it was magical. Julian’s dirty talk was on another level, even for Tessa! There were a couple great spicy scenes, but there could’ve been more of that too.

So, it’s 4 stars from me, but don’t take that as a negative! And I can’t wait to see what Natalie gets up to in the next book!

Tessa Bailey is amazing! This book is right in line with her others - it’s funny, exciting, and super spicy. This is a great read!

Highlights: small-town romance, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, childhood crush, secret admirer, miscommunication, virgin heroine, vineyard setting.

Tessa Bailey wrote one of my favorite rom-coms, It Happened One Summer, so I always get excited about her new releases. But after reading a few of her books, I realized that they are a hit or miss for me. I was looking forward to reading her latest, Secretly Yours, because the beautiful cover caught my eye, and grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract are my favorite tropes.
Unfortunately, Secretly Yours didn't quite live up to my expectations. The story relies on deliberate miscommunication. One character withheld crucial information from another character, which didn't work for me and made me feel disconnected from the romance. I did like the small town in Napa and the vineyard setting. It's a perfect backdrop for romance.

I would recommend Secretly Your for readers who like the mentioned tropes and enjoy Tessa Bailey's writing.

Sincerely Yours is a breath of fresh. As a fan of Tessa Bailey’s from the beginning, she continues to bring joy and heart to each book.

I have thoroughly enjoyed her last few novels, but I must say I am beyond excited to see a Navy SEAL hero in her next book staring Natalie and August!

I will also note that I would love for Owen to have a novella finding his happily ever after because he is a precious gem who deserves love. 💜

spicy lil rom com! i see why tessa bailey has such loyal fans. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 ⭐️ Such a sweet and lovey-dovey romcom perfect for a Valentine's Day and/or spring read! I loved Hallie so much that I couldn't decide if I wanted to be her, be with her, or be her best friend. Poor Julian never stood a chance. 😏😍 I'm obsessed with the message behind her story arc because as a chaotic and artistic person with ADHD, I can testify that the pressure to conform to neurotypical standards of time management is SO constant–I really appreciated seeing an opposites attract story where the message isn't that the chaotic person needs to just set an alarm clock and buy a planner to make the more routine-oriented person more comfortable. Loveeeed seeing them both be open-minded enough to accept the other person as they are and respect the differences between them.

This story really came to life for me in the last 25%–which is around the time when Julian started to feel more human to me. I hope his character is indicative of a larger trend where we start to see more MMCs learn to talk about their struggles with anxiety and a willingness to go to therapy to become healthier for both themselves and their partner. ❤️ Also.... the MOUTH on this man???!!! I'll never be able to look at my garden the same way again after that dirty talk. 😳 I left this book with a smile on my face and my finger on the preorder button for Natalie and August's book–the chemistry between those two already has me on the edge of my seat. 🥵

**Note: I'm holding my written review on Goodreads and my social channels until Harper Collins reaches a fair agreement with their employee union. Looking forward to sharing my thoughts with my audience when that day comes. ❤️ **

I love Tessa Bailey's books. She was one of the first romance authors to make my auto-read/auto-buy list, and she could probably write a grocery list and I'd buy it.

Secretly Yours is a story about a head in the clouds, disorganized ray of sunshine named Hallie; and a straight-laced, strictly scheduled, and anxiety ridden man named Julian. At a party, Hallie almost got her first kiss from Julian in high school, and ever since she has been dreaming about what could have been and measuring every guy to his impossibly high standard. She starts writing to him anonymously one night when she's more than a little bit drunk, and tells him all the things she can't seem to say in person.

I love so many things about the way Tessa writes, and this book had all the things I've grown to love in her stories. I love when her men are not afraid to fall ridiculously hard and quickly (I read to escape, so sign me up for all the insta-love, regardless of whether it is realistic or not). Julian falls hard for Hallie, and Hallie has had an uber crush on Julian forever. The fact that they are complete opposites makes me love their complementing of each other, and as always the dirty talk and steamy romance are off the charts.

Secretly Yours was a joy for me to read, and made me smile throughout. That's what I want in my romance!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I absolutely loved the quirkiness of these characters! I liked the women's fiction themes woven throughout this story. Tessa Bailey is incredibly talented and fearlessly stretches her writing chops and it definitely pays off.

Secretly Yours is another Tessa Bailey win!
I can't wait to read the Natalie's story

I really love Tessa Bailey but unfortunately the last couple books I’ve read haven’t landed completely for me. This one fell a bit flat for me but it may work for others! One thing you can count on with Tessa Bailey is excellent spice and that definitely was delivered here! And the body positivity was fantastic for our FMC. Overall it wasn’t for me but I hope it works for others because I sure do wish the best for TB!

⭐️⭐️ Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

I really hate to do this. I’m a Tessa Bailey fan. But I am not a fan of this Tessa Bailey book. It took me a long time to complete this one. I started, put it away to read something else, ended up reading a lot of “something else’s,” picked it back up, repeat process. I finally forced myself to finish because…Tessa Bailey.

This book was chaotic. Julian, the male main character, rendered zero feelings from me. I thought he was way too odd and incomplete. Let me pause for a moment and talk about the points of this book. Change. Taking chances. Doing things that are scary. Stepping out of your comfort zone. Now back to Julian. He had an OCD type/panic ridden personality that poorly evolved and was just an unbelievable character. He did not convince me at all that he could and would fall for Hallie. He just did. And so randomly. When the finally did get together, the things he said were so out of character that he was just icky. One moment I thought he was a professional, stoic, pompous professor with no time for those not on his level. The next moment he was a yearning dork. Then he’s a pretentious jerk. And now he’s back to icky loverboy. It gave me whiplash and not once did I find him fascinating, exciting, or dreamy. His change and growth just didn’t make sense realistically. Unfortunately, Hallie wasn’t any better. She basically stayed the same throughout but she was just so bland. She pined away for Julian for years but I just never felt it. I didn’t understand why. He never gave her anything to pine away for. Who is this character? I really don’t know. These two were just very odd together.

Aside from the lack of likable character development, there were numerous other things that bothered me. One was the lack of relationship building between Julian and Hallie. There was a lot of internal dialogue but very little substantial buildup to the two being together. They had some interactions, Julian did some nice things without her knowing, but it was just so boring. Next, the secret admirer aspect fell so flat. It was the most lifeless, uninteresting letters ever sent between admirers. And the fact that they both worried about these letters so much was confusing! Finally, the way Julian talked to Hallie (who was your larger than average girl) once they got together…her soft body, jiggles, and the like…was offputting. I understand that Tessa was trying to be body positive here but the things he was saying (while in the heat of passion) was not something I believe would be appreciated.

At about the 80% mark I started skimming for dialogue, and eventually just skimmed. Not sure I will read the sequel. So sad.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

There's something about Tessa Bailey's writing that feels nostalgic – it's all classic tropes and storylines that feel a bit like a throwback, but she always manages to find ways to turn romance clichés into modern, funny, and very steamy storylines.

When I first started "Secretly Yours," I was honestly a little worried – the characters seemed too one-dimensional, the plot seemed a bit flimsy, the tropes tired. But I shouldn't have been concerned. Soon enough, the characters went from flat to multidimensional, the plot kicked into gear, and the dialogue? The things that come out of Julian's mouth will make you blush in public, no matter how much of a straight face you usually keep when reading.

Overall, this is a fun and fizzy romance read that'll have you laughing, swooning, sweating, and sighing as you devour it in one sitting. And yes, it *is* best paired with a bottle of your favorite (Napa Valley) wine.

As always, Tessa Bailey brings the heat! Julian Vos, is an anxious grumpy professional and Hallie Welch is anything but! Julian resists Hallie’s chaotic sunshine for as long as he can, but it’s hard deny the connect and ease they have with each other.

Personally, I felt the plot fell a bit flat. I loved the main character’s chemistry, but found the conflict between them to be a bit of a non-issue. However, I still loved this book because it is STUFF with body positivity! Hallie curves are worshipped and celebrated. As a curvy girl myself, the heat felt extra hot because I could see myself in the main character. I found myself walking around a bit more confidently while reading it. Representation really does matter!

Y’all when I tell you that I SHRIEKED when this landed in my inbox… I was so dang excited!! If Tessa writes it, you better bet that I’m gonna be reading that as soon as I possibly can!
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Yet another phenomenal read by Tessa Bailey. Everything I’ve read from her I have just loved to pieces. This book was no exception.
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Hallie is chaos in human form. Julian likes everything planned out to the letter. Together what will they make?
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Julian’s POV was honestly my favorite part of this story. I loved seeing into his perspective and everything he was thinking about Hallie.
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I just don’t have the words for how excited I am to see Natalie’s story next. I can just tell that it’s going to be yet another masterpiece!
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🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Tessa Bailey knows how to write a swoony romance if I ever did see one. But for me, this particular story was a little underwhelming. The conflict at the end (as is the case with a lot of romances) was tough to believe. That being said, it is fiction so we can move past some unbelievability. I think this was a good read, but it wouldn’t be in my top romance recs.

This was super cute! I enjoy all of Tessa Baileys books & this one didn’t disappoint. Her spice is my favorite & as always I loved her main male character. Some parts dragged a little bit but overall a cute romcom thats perfect to read around Valentines day!

**3.5 STARS**

I’ve read two books from Tessa Bailey and loved them so when I saw this one I had to request it. Here’s what I thought:

+ This is an opposites attract story that has lots of sparks. Julian is a starchy, stuffy professor who lives by a schedule. And Hallie is everything he is not – she is messy, loves to be outside in the dirt, has three dogs, she’s a tornado. When these two come together, it’s full on attraction.

+ Speaking of attraction, the steam is hot in this one. I especially love when a grumpy, man who abides by order and schedules gets rocked off their center. They both lose control with one another which is fun, there’s some dirty talking and it’s exactly what I would expect in a romance written by this author.

+ I love the supporting case, especially Lavinia who is Hallie’s best friend. She’s funny and keeps it real! I thought Julian’s sister was an interesting character too and it seems like the next book in the series is about her.

+ This story is short, sweet and hot which is everything I want in my romance novels.

~ I love that this was a quick read at under 300 pages but I also do love when this author can really get into the characters and setting like she did with the Bellinger Sisters series. So if it had been just a tad bit longer with more details on the setting, and spending more time with the characters and building them up, then this would have been five stars.

~ The second chance romance part of the story had to do with the two in high school but he barely remembers her. And I wasn’t sure about the secret love letters – it was cute, but I didn’t see the point of them.



Tropes: opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine, small town setting, second chance romance

Why you should read it:
*you want to read something short, hot and sweet
*opposites attract trope and some dirty talking

Why you might not want to read it:
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My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this story because it was short, and sweet but with lots of hot moments. I also love a good opposites attract story, it’s one of my favorite tropes. But I didn’t see why the secret love letters were needed. Despite that I’m definitely interested in reading the next book in the series.

4.5/5 stars

This story was just so cute.

I adored the grumpy-ish professor who is clean, always on schedule, and had to have all in order,

And then the opposite side of the coin is or fmc…the complete opposite of him, messy, unorganized, and just goes with the flow.

She’s had a crush on him since 14 years old…and when a chance encounter has them meeting 15 years later we see their love story slowly unfold.

Between discovering letting go and allowing your anxiety to not take over your life, to cute dogs, and fun side characters, as well as secret love letters, this story was just so sweet, and fun to read!

I loved it and can’t wait for his sister's story!

Tessa Bailey usually writes really fun romantic comedies that, while not necessarily highbrow, are highly entertaining. But this book was formulaic to a fault, rife with clichés, and lacked all the personality of Bailey's other fare. This was generic Hallmark fare, but with a whole bunch of smutty scenes. There's nothing complex or nuanced or original about the characters or story and it just feels like lazy writing. Really disappointing.