Ughhh. I love Tessa Bailey so much but this isn’t it. This one felt so forced and the chemistry and insta-love on the MC’s part just felt so unbelievable. It breaks my heart to give my favorite author a 2-star review but this book was such a mess!

Tessa Bailey does it again with Hallie and Julian. Julian is wound tighter than a wrist watch and Hallie is chaos. When their paths cross is someone willing to change or will their worlds collide. Add in wine and flowers what a fun read. looking forward to finding out how Natalie's life moves forward.

Honestly, this is the worst book that I have read this year so far. That’s bold considering I read a smut book about a girl and an alien blob of like sentient goo…

Seriously though, I hated everything from Julian’s POV. At one point he literally referred to Hallie as “the breasts” bffr.

I had constant second hand embarrassment for Hallie and cringed at her at the same time. If their stories were swapped we would hate him and call him a stalker and obsessed.

The spice was not great. The scene where he takes her virginity hurt my brain.

A generous two stars from me…

Don’t get me wrong, I like Tessa Bailey as an author but this was a pretty big miss for me. Half the time I was reading I kept thinking “this feels like a romance written by a man”, especially the spicier scenes, and I HATE that I felt that way because, again, I really like Tessa Bailey and the other books I’ve read by her. There were definitely some moments here and there that I liked (the dogs!! 😍) but as a whole this story and the characters were just really lacking.

Also, because of the Harper Union strike, I will not be posting my review elsewhere.

4 Stars! Cute read! This is the first book in the new series ‘A Vine Mess’ by Tessa Bailey and can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed this book, especially the ‘sexy time’ scenes - soooo hot! The main characters are Julian and Hallie and they are total opposites. He’s very structured & regimented while she is haywire & very ‘fly by the seat of your pants’. At first I started to think Julian might be somewhat autistic with how seriously he took his time management, but he seems to get better throughout the book. I smiled throughout a lot of this story, some of the things that go on and what they say just had me wanting to be apart of the friend group. I’d probably become BFF’s with Hallie, her best friend Lavinia & Julian’s sister Natalie, if they were real people! I’d say this is an opposites attract, secret crush, second chance all rolled into one. I do love me a good Tessa Bailey read! I’d definitely recommend this book & I really can’t wait for the next book in the series!
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey is a cute rom com book. Hallie and Julian’s chemistry was off the charts!! This was one of my highly anticipated and it lived up to the hype.

Listen, I will be Tessa's hype girl ANY day, no matter what she's written, because she has earned that loyalty with me. But this book just did not do it for me. I liked the vineyard setting and the characters, but the plot felt confusing. The letters made no sense to the overall story, and in the end they were pretty inconsequential. Not only that, they were somewhat cringey to read. I don't know about anyone else, but I really could have done without that entire aspect of the plot. Even without the letters, this book could have made sense and been perfectly fine as a second change small-town romance.

I am really excited for the second book coming out later this year, as we were introduced to those characters in this book, and their romance is giving hate-to-love REALNESS. Can't wait!!

Tessa. I love you. But this wasn't my fave.

2.5 rounded up.

⭐️⭐️½

It pains me to give this book this rating because I love Tessa Bailey, but this book missed the mark for me. Hallie was too immature for my taste. When she was carrying out pranks on UNCORKED, I couldn't stop cringing at the child-like behavior. Although I liked the idea of secret admirer letters, the execution of the concept in this story left something to be desired and in the end, it made Hallie seem even more immature.

Hallie and Julian didn't have a lot of chemistry and their characters didn't have the depth that I wanted. They seemed to be archetypes of their types of characters - Hallie being the free-loving fly by the seat of your pants and slightly chaotic heroine; Julian being the serious and stiff hero with mental health struggles. I'm not opposed to these types of characters, I just want them to be more layered/multidimensional.

Half a star upgrade for the erotic talk, because let's face it, that's what I come for.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: anxiety, panic attacks, mention of a destructive fire

Another fun read from Tessa Bailey! Set in Napa vineyard country, Hallie is a free spirit landscaper who has harbored a secret crush on Julian, heir to the once prestigious Vos Vineyard, now a straight laced Stanford history professor. When their meetings don't jog Julian's memory of their almost kiss is high school, Hallie decides to leave secret admirer letters. I was surprised at the level of care given to Julian's panic attacks and anxiety. All in all, perfect for fans looking for fresh romance.

I loved this book so much! Tessa Bailey really has a way with words like no other. The characters in this book are A+++. Natalie is an enchanting mixture of tough and soft, and I don't really know how else to explain it. This will forever be one author I automatically click on, one author I will always recommend.

When you see that Tessa Bailey has a book out on NetGalley, you request that bitch and then pray to the writing gods that you'll get selected. Well, thank you, Oh Mighty Gods, because I adored this book! It's honestly up there for me with It Happened One Summer and that's saying a lot since that's one of my all time favorite books.

Julian... holy hotness! That man could compete in dirty talking as a sport and hang with the best of them. He lives his life by the minute, everything meticulously planned out with zero wiggle room. After coming home from teaching, he stays on his family's vineyard and meets (or re-meets) Hallie, the hair brained, fly by the seat of her pants, gardener and he has no idea what to do. The attraction is instant, although he has no idea what to do with that.

Hallie is the hot mess express, but with the sunny personality that just doesn't let people get annoyed with her. She's been in love with Julian for 15 years and now has the chance to see if she imagined the chemistry once shared between them. She was the perfect counter to his stuffed up personality, free spirited and full of happiness, even during her pain.

There wasn't a huge amount of spice, but when there were steamy scenes, boy did those pages burn up! This is a character driven story and shows so much growth for both Hallie and Julian. I have to say though, I think the very best part of the book was the tension and interactions between the two. This is where I got IHOS vibes. I could physically feel their chemistry and it made me squirm in the best way.

Tessa Bailey has been one of my favorite authors for a while now (she's hilarious on social media too) and this book just cements why I love her! I'm excited that this will not be the last book in the series since there are so many great characters to get to know. My only wish is that the cover incorporated more of Hallie's necklaces. They're such an integral part of who she is and play a huge role in the book, I think as readers we miss out on that special touch. Otherwise, amazing book, easily 5⭐ and I'm excited to add it to my collection when it comes out!

Oh, this hurts my heart to say it…but I didn’t like it. In fact, maybe it’s a 3 star book and I’m just giving it 2 stars because I enjoy Tessa Bailey’s books so much it’s thrown me off not to like this one.

This is a wounded/grumpy meets sunshine romance. He is reclusive, and back in town to try to hide away and finish writing a book. She’s ready to see pick up on a miss chanced with her long time crush.

While I appreciate a curvy female main character, I just didn’t connect with Hallie. And even less with Julian. I found myself having to reread pages a lot and being tempted to skim. It picked up a little in the 2nd, but still can’t recommend it. Their story just never grabbed me. Even the spice was a little bland.

The one scene we get of the next book’s couple , I must say, still gives me hope I’ll enjoy it more and this was just an off one. I still recommend this author, this book just wasn’t my favorite.

* Avon & NetGalley provided the copy I read for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.

I loved the stark contrasts between Hallie and Julian. It gave me Bridget Jones/Mark Darcy vibes. This was a fun weekend read, I highly recommend it. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

Tessa Bailey is one of the authors that will be ALWAYS read anything she comes out with. This book was no exception. This book was a quick read and it was full of romance, comedy, and overall a great story!

I found Secretly Yours to be simply delightful! Of course Tessa Bailey has written another sexy and funny book. BUT I like how Hallie was a “real” woman …… with a real body. Hallie was a “mess” and knows it. She is trying to do better but you just love her for who she is…… and really in this world …… that is all we want. I also like how anxiety was talked about. It is real …… it is out there….. it affects relationships. Let’s talk about it.
This is another Tessa Bailey book that I will easily be able to recommend and sell to our costumers.

This reviewer supports the HarperCollins Union. I've read and written a review, but will not be uploading it here or on any other platforms until the Harper Collins Union has a fair contract. As NetGalley requires the use of a star rating, I am providing a neutral 3-star rating, which will be updated to my actual star rating once the HarperCollins Union has a fair contract.

Hallie has been struggling ever since her grandmother died - her grandmother helped her maintain order and grounded her flighty tendencies. She's a whirlwind, and just what Julian doesn't need during his sabbatical. However, Julian can't keep his eyes off her, or his nose out of her business, and the two are drawn to each other. What Julian doesn't know is that Hallie has been crushing on Julian since high school - and she's hoping to finally get that kiss from him. She's going to get all that and more, and totally upturn structured, organized Julian's life in the best way possible.

I liked Hallie and Julian as a couple - they opposites attract thing is a great trope. The pacing of the book was a little odd, and I did find myself skimming some towards the end. It definitely had some laugh out loud moments, which made up for some of the lackluster I felt towards the plot. I didn't love it as much as the Bellinger Sisters series, but it was a fine opener to a new series. I am excited to see where Natalie's story goes.

Tessa Bailey just knows what to do to make me melt! Excellent start of a series and I can’t wait to read the next book.

Julian, stern and buttoned up professor and Hallie, the bubbly, fly by the seat of her pants gardener, wouldn’t mix. Or at least, you’d think that. She’s messy - he’s neat. She wouldn’t know a schedule if it hit her in the face - he completely times out his day. She can’t stick to a plan - he can’t go without one. You get the picture. Hallie has been infatuated with Julian since high school and he’s returned home for a sabbatical to write a book. Now’s her chance to get her feelings off her chest. With a drunkenly written love letter. Suddenly they’re exchanging anonymous letters, while also connecting in person.

The growth of each character was inspiring and I highlighted so many passages in this book. It just really hit me in the feels.

Tropes: opposites attract, stern brunch daddy, dirty talk, secret identity, second chance-ish

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

CW: anxiety, panic attacks (on page), PTSD, death of loved one (past), grief, stigmatizing child's mental health, drinking to excess

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-childhood crush
-opposites attract
-friends to idiots to lovers
-sloooow burn
-grump/sunshine
-denial
-what is this thing beating in my chest

I adored this book. Hallie and Jullian made such journeys in this book and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Hallie, Hallie, Hallie. I always become immediately obsessed when a book involves a childhood unrequited crush and they meet again as adults and this book had it in spades. Hallie is figuring out her life after the death of her grandma alll while supporting her grandma's best friend's failing wine shop. I adored her chaotic energy as she learned to accept herself, while wearing her heart on her sleeve and only accepting love from Julian too. How her love of gardening was also worked into her personality was such a masterpiece and I just loved how she wasn't perfect, full of self doubt and just full of love for everyone around her.

And Julian. Type A to the max, a lover of schedules as the best way to deal with his anxiety. And in comes Hallie messing with all of that and this poor gruffster has no idea what to do with that. He's in a lot of denial about what he feels but all he wants is to make Hallie smile and bring her joy because she makes him happy. I loved every act of love/service he did and his own small steps in accepting his own mental health journey and the journey with his family. And this is a Tessa Bailey book so you know he's a dirty talker who is just gone on Hallie. I was screaming every time he finally admitted out loud how he was feeling, how he walked around town doing things to make her happy and slowly realized what it all meant.

A slower burn, but it felt very right for these characters and their journey. They chemistry was amazing and when they finally come together I was screaming. I adored the secondary characters and this fun small town full of characters, wine, and a lot of love.

Steam: 3.25

I am always here for a Tessa Bailey book. I know what to expect when it comes to her books and I love to use them as a palate cleanser for when I need something fun, sexy, and little drama to get me out of a reading funk. She has yet to let me down!

I loved that this book was a bit of a slow burn compared to some of her others. The tension was palpable and I couldn't wait for the two main characters to finally get together and when they did it was *chef's kiss*.

Overall a great read and I definitely recommend to anyone who loves Tessa Bailey or anyone looking to experience her books for the first time!