Great book! I loved the small town vibe. I now want to go a winery and try lots of wine! I also thought the writing on anxiety for Julian’s character was written very well and was very realistic. I also liked the friendship that formed between Natalie and Hallie. Overall, it was a well written love story! I can’t wait to read Natalie’s story next! Thank you Tessa!

Every time I read a new Tessa Bailey book, I'm like "okay I guess now *this* is my favorite Tessa Bailey book now." I have just really been picking up what she's been putting down in the past year or so. This was a really charming contemporary romance with some hints of second chance (though it's complicated). Hallie Welch is a gardener/business owner in the Napa Valley and she is really struggling as she grieves the loss of her grandmother, who not only partially raised her, but also brought her into the gardening business and served as her touchstone for most of her life. As she's spiraling, she learns that Julian Vos is back in town. Julian has been her crush for 15 years, since he almost kissed her at a party when she was 14. He's back in town, taking a break from his professor gig at Stanford to write a novel, and she finagles her way into his line of sight because his mom is a client of hers. He doesn't recognize her initially, which is crushing, but they have an immediate spark. This confuses Julian, who very clearly suffers from some serious and significant anxiety, which he manages by keeping to extremely rigid routines. Hallie is anything but rigid, and her whole approach to life really throws him off. Meanwhile, a very drunk Hallie decides to write secret admirer letter to Julian and they start a weird back and forth in that format while their relationship also develops in real life. I appreciated that Bailey kept Hallie from being a stereotypical manic pixie dream girl by grounding her in her relationships, especially the lasting impact of her relationship with her grandmother. She also has some great dogs, and I'm a sucker for great dogs in a romance. Julian's mental health situation was also handled well, I thought, and I appreciated that he began to build a real relationship with his sister, who is the protagonist of the sequel. Really the secret admirer part was the only thing I wasn't super into, I feel like it was a bit unnecessary, but it didn't really reduce my enjoyment of the story.

I'm just going to put it out there, front and center: Secretly Yours is NOT Tessa Bailey's best work. Not by a long shot.

I actually forgot who the author was when I started this book, and I was thinking amateur-hour with an eyeroll, so color me shocked when I saw who the author was at the end. *cue surprised Pikachu face*

The characters are okay I guess, but bland. The female MC gave me kind of stalker vibes- like an unrequited crush for that long and he barely remembered you? And you based all of your relationships on the standard of one guy you knew for a hot second? I was not feeling that... at all. The male MC was okay but I didn't really understand him. The anxiety rep was shaky at best, and I thought his motivations and personality didn't quite match up. The two together didn't do much for me.

Where Tessa Bailey usually shines is in her sex scenes, and this was sort of the case here. I (again) rolled my eyes at the (view spoiler), and the completely out of character way the male MC transitioned from straight-laced to dirty talk. It just didn't go with his character AT ALL. I know Tessa Bailey shines at dirty talk (and it was pretty decent here) but the MCs just didn't match up with the sex scenes.

The side characters were okay, and the winery details seemed half-hearted, but it just really wasn't enough for me. Plus, the conflict at the end drove me insane!! Please, authors, do better.

Is this the book that makes me hang up my Tessa Bailey hat? Maybe (*unless she write another M/M- I'm here for that*).

First a HUGE thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC! ✨🥹

3/5🌶️
I am a sucker for Tessa Bailey so she can do no wrong in my eyes. I will have to say it’s obviously so predictable but isn’t that what we all love? The predictability of rom-coms? This book made me Awh and giggle on mutiple occasions. I will have to say a 5/5⭐️ for shining light on anxiety.

I received a free advance reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I read a teaser of this book in the last Tessa Bailey book I read (I think it was <em>Hook, Line, and Sinker</em>), and it looked really cute, so I was glad to see I could get an advanced copy from NetGalley. It was decent enough. I felt that Hallie was super chaotic and young, and I really just wanted her to get her shit together - I guess she frustrated me a little. Julian frustrated me too, but just because he was so rigid. It was nice to see both characters develop a little throughout the book. Cute and spicy.

Hallie Welsh has been pining for (almost) first kiss Julian Vos for 15 years. She is an absent minded gardener who lives in Napa Valley with her now deceased grandmother. Hallie is on a mission to save her grandma’s favorite wine tasting establishment Corked. When competitors open up UNcorked next door (how rude, right?) Hallie declares war on them.

Stuffed shirt Julian has returned to his family home after a tragedy four years earlier. Now a college professor he’s trying to write a novel but keeps getting interrupted. He must keep on a rigorous schedule due to his anxiety of needing every second planned.
When his mother hires the haphazard gardener and she shows up with her wayward dogs, how’s a man supposed to get any work done?
Tessa Bailey writes dirty talk like no one I’ve ever read before, and I am always here for it. When a seemingly stuffed shirt uses the dirty words? I swoon. I love Hallie and Julian, the town they live in and all the other background characters. The secret admirer adds a cute plot line and I’m crushed when it seems Hallie and Julian won’t work out.

The only part that gave me pause was Julian’s anxiety. Living with two humans with anxiety, his seemed vague and undone. Even after re-reading more carefully I wasn’t completely sure what was happening. That might be because he had never been able to address his mental illness and didn’t really understand it either.
Either way, it didn’t take me out of the story, just a bit confused. I wish Tessa would have left it out or gone into more details about it.

It wasnt my favorite Tessa Bailey but still a delightful read, and even a so-so book by her is better than most other authors. Im looking forward to the second book in the series.

I’ve never met a Tessa Bailey book I didn’t like. And this one was no exception. It started a little slow to me, but I really liked how Julian and Hallie’s relationship grew. Total opposites, yin and Yang, Hallie was the crazy to Julian’s ultra tame. Very cute, mild spice.

Tessa Bailey is a romance queen. Who doesn’t love a grumpy/sunshine second chance romance set in a winery? Though personally I tend to be more anxiety-ridden, over scheduled like Julian and chaotic characters like Hallie give me hives; I found Hallie to be super endearing. Very much looking forward to book two!

The grumpy/sunshine is my favorite trope and this book and characters do that trope justice. I think what annoys me about Bailey's books is that every female character is so quirky that they become a caricature.

I always enjoy Tessa Bailey's books. This was no exception, though it didn't flow quite as well as some of her others. I think the characters were a bit over the top, but overall I liked them, as well as their story and the setting in wine country.

I usually get into Tessa Bailey’s books but not this one. I think I’m tiring of the romances where the main character is a quirky misunderstood woman who is charming…. I just couldn't get into it unfortunately. But I enjoy Bailey’s books so I’ll always be ready for the next!

This was a pretty steamy romance. It’s an opposites attract with a chaotic/messy girl reconnecting with her high school crush who is a type-A planner.

I wanted to like this one more; but I felt like I was missing something. It felt a little surface level despite both Hallie and Julian sharing their deepest secrets/histories. I didn’t quite buy into their relationship which made me a bit bored.

Overall, this was fine. It’s entertaining but perhaps not fully engaging.

Wow. What a romantic book. I loved the connection between Hallie and Julian. So hot but also so sweet and fun. I am always a sucker for a hero whose goal is to prevent the heroine's sadness or pain and I've never seen a more blatant example. The conflict is a little light but the characters' emotions are so strong and engaging that it doesn't even matter.

This was a fun, quick read! However, the plot line was a little over the top for my taste. Hallie lives in Napa, having taken over her grandmother’s gardening business when she passed. And Hallie is still not over that loss - she is chaos incarnate trying to figure out where she belongs in the world. Julian Vos has returned to his family vineyard, taking a break from his role as a professor at Stanford. Little does he know, Hallie has harbored a secret flame for him, from high school! when they almost kissed in a vineyard. When they meet again in the present day, Hallie realizes she still has feelings for him and Julian cannot help but be attracted to her. However, they are utterly opposite: Julian needs structure and organization, Hallie thrives only without it. Will their mutual desire be enough to overcome these distinctive personality differences?

Very sexy! And there are other layers beyond Hallie and Julian happening here (a wine shop in distress, Julian’s sister returned home from NYC, a vineyard in trouble…) which does make it a compelling read!

Tessa Bailey does not disappoint. This is a story that follows a grumpy/sunshine romance between Hallie and Julian. Hallie is complete chaos whereas Julian is about complete control. He doesn’t recognize Hallie at first, nor know about her fifteen years of complete infatuation. But quickly Julian realizes that Hallie is the kind of chaos that he needs (and adores) in his life. The character development and their stories were amazing to read and kept me riveted from the start. Having Napa Valley as the setting was the cherry on top. I would have liked to know more about their relationship after their happily ever after, but am sure I’ll get that in the next book!

I am a big Tessa Bailey fan and although this book didn't disappoint, I enjoyed her other books more. In this story, I loved learning more about the main character Hallie as she embarked on a full circle journey with Napa royalty, Julian. I'm excited to see what happens in the sequel!

Not my favorite. I oddly still want to read the follow up but this wasn’t great. The actions seemed out of character for the MCs. Steamy but out of place.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Tessa Bailey for the advanced copy of Secretly Yours in exchange for my honest review.

If my opinion counts for anything, I firmly believe Tessa Bailey can do no wrong. Her books always make me laugh, feel all the things, and lorrrrrd have mercy the spice! I enjoyed watching how the relationship unfolded between our MMC and FMC, and that kitchen scene? HEW!

I will read anything Bailey writes, she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I can't wait for the second book in this series!

Secretly Yours will be on US bookshelves February 7!

This was a cute, spicy rom com, but not my favorite from Tessa Bailey. I didn’t love the main character, the romance was well developed. Overall I would recommend it.

Tessa Bailey sure knows how to make a girl blush. In short Secretly Yours is fun, silly and sexy.

I finished reading in one sitting. It is an easy-to-read romcom with lots of dirty talk and dirty thoughts 😉 Grumpy × sunshine trope. The grump ends up being a misunderstood softy (who happens to struggle with anxiety), and the sunshine girl ends up being impulsive, erratic, day drinking windstorm. Throughout the book, I really wanted to give these two a big hug and offer they both go to therapy.

Our main characters are older, meeting each other again after 15 years apart. Julian is a 30-something-old professor, taking a mental health break while visiting home. He's working on his novel, sticking to his rigid routine, and relaxing. Until 29-year-old-Hallie whirlwinds into his life. Hallie is a fun, wild spirited gardener, working on the landscape features next to the guest house Julian is staying in. Julian doesn't remember Hallie, but Hallie has held a torch for this man for 15 years. Ever since their almost kiss when she was 14 years old.

The way we are connected to the characters because of the dual pov is *chef's kiss*. I never want to read another rom com without the dual pov again. We get to experience Hallie's ferocity and strong will as well as Julian's self-doubt and anxiety. The way Julian is written is cheesy and perhaps a bit over the top, but toe-curling nevertheless. The side characters are written well and with intent. I could imagine them just as clearly as I could imagine our main characters.

Imagining these adults act out of their norm because they turn each others lives upside down made my heart pitter patter. All of the little side plots weaving our main characters closer together were amazing, but I didn't necessarily care for the secret admirer/note sharing trope. I'm not one for insta-love, but there's a strong case of it in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey, Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC.