This was such a fun read! Tessa’s books are always fun and I was excited for this one. Glad it lived up to my expectations.

I love Tessa Bailey. She’s a fantastic author and a fantastic person.

That being said, I’m a little disappointed about this one. I ended up DNFing at 30%. I genuinely could not get invested in another insta love story with mediocre characters that were just surrounded by quirky chaos all of the time.

I wish I had loved this more.

This book was fun and cute. The smut was steamy and entertaining in a raunch way. The writing style always hooks me and it feels like I finish the book in mere minutes.

My problem with this book is the incessant need to harp on how Julian is a manly male in all his maleness and how Hallie is a feminine female in all her soft feminity. Weirdly gender essentialist and borderline transphobic. This isn't a book about queer people and that's fine but there's no need to make them uncomfortable by reinforcing how body parts make a gender identity. It's gross.

I will give props to this book for being body positive. On Tiktok Tessa seemed to imply that Hallie was plus sized but the cover and the book doesn't imply anything other than busty with full hips. She's curvy and that's mentioned on page. There is no wrong representation of plus sizes in this book so that's probably just a miscommunication on social media.

Otherwise it was fun to speed through.

I've got expectations when it comes to a Tessa Bailey romance. I expect great couples with more than a little hilarity, tenderness, and raunch on the side. Secretly Yours 100% delivers.

Set against the backdrop of Napa Valley wine culture, Secretly Yours is the story of Hallie, a gardener, and Julian, the guy she's been nursing a crush on since high school who happens to be back in town for the first time in years. I love a long-standing crush romance, and this one fully delivers on the trope. Plus, it acknowledges that the people we crushed on at 15 aren't the same as they were then - and neither are we. Both Hallie and Julian are given the space to grow over the course of the book, and their relationship comes out stronger for it.

This book is also laugh-out-loud funny, especially in Julian's POV chapters. He really takes "no I'm not in love with her I just feel like I'll die if she's not happy" to the extreme, and it's never not funny. Hallie's chaotic approach to life also offers several hilarious moments - including some grand theft cheese - and the supporting characters of friends and family were also guaranteed for some funny lines. On top of that, Julian and Hallie have tons of chemistry, both in terms of their heart-to-hearts and their steamier scenes, which are definitely the Tessa Bailey Special (tm). (Let's just say, Julian says some Things.)

My only complaints about this book were that the narration could occasionally feel stagnant, especially on Hallie's side, and that there were a couple side plots that felt a bit extraneous (particularly Owen's whole existence). These are super minor critiques though, especially compared to how much fun I had while reading overall.

Definitely a great time! And definitely can't wait for book 2!

4.5/5

Overall, a very average romance that had some cute parts.
Back in high school, Julian and Hallie almost kiss at a party. Julian stops when he realizes she is just a freshman, he’s a senior. Hallie has been “in love” with him since. Julian is back in town, staying at his family’s guest house, while he works on a novel. Hallie is a gardener that is working on the flower garden around the guest house.
Hallie is a DISTRACTION. She wears short shorts, has curly hair, a polka-dot bra(!), her chaotic nature, it is just all so much for the strict, schedule-crazed Julian. He can’t focus, Hallie is so chaotic, so beautiful, so much of a distraction! Julian has stuck to perfectly timed scheduled for the past four years but does not have the willpower or knowledge on how to close blinds. (I think if there were a couple of times of Julian calling Hallie a distraction in one way or another, it would be okay. It was just too many times.)
They talk, there is chemistry, though they could NEVER, EVER work, they are just too different.
Julian was a bit too perfect for me. His only weakness is his *gasp* ANXIETY. As another reviewer said, I didn’t 100% love the handling of the anxiety attack, but I also didn’t find it offensive. His dirty talk seemed to come out of left field, but I guess everyone has hidden depths.
Hallie is 29 years old and while she is going through a rough time, some of her antics were a bit hard to believe for a 29-year-old that is still running her own business and at least somewhat taking care of herself.
Lavinia, Hallie’s best friend, seems to be in the story for convenience of having Hallie someone to talk to and doesn’t really have much personality besides for that.
The secret admirer letters seemed shoved into the story. Like there could have been a story without them, but there needed to be some sort of end drama, so they shoved something in there that could work. The end conflict was unnecessary.
Conclusion
Meh, I’m not angry I read it, but I won’t be rushing to read the next in the series either.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Tessa Bailey for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was super cute!! I really enjoyed it. It was such a great dynamic between the characters in the messy/organized trope. The steamy scenes were also FIRE. The concept of a secret admirer was perfect for when the book comes out around Valentine’s Day. Again, super cute!!!

Set in a small Napa town, Hallie Welch, gardener extraordinaire, is hired to revamp the gardens at the Vos Estate. An estate that just so happens to be the family home of Julian Vos. Her crush she has been pining for ever since they almost kissed in the vineyards when they were teens.

Though still very much a hottie, Julian has become a grumpy professor whose personality totally collides with Hallie’s bubbly and perky one. No matter though. On sabbatical from teaching, Julian can’t help to be drawn to Hallie, whose presence only distracts him from writing his novel he has set out to work on. Will the pair find that opposites really do attract?

This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I’m officially obsessed with her writing! This story has just the right amount of sweetness and romance mixed with a whole lot of SPICE! 🥵 The chemistry between Julian and Hallie leaps off the pages and makes you need a cool glass of water (or maybe wine in this case 🤔). I will absolutely be reading more of her books and can’t wait for Secretly Yours to be read by all when it’s out in February!

Thank you Avon Books/Harper Voyager for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Bailey is one of my favorites! I always have a great time reading her stories.

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey was just as I was expecting it to be

Hallie and Julian are complete opposites! The character development was outstanding, the setting was
incredible and I freaking loved the side characters.
charming characters, satisfying plot, and just the perfect amount of steam.
This slow burn and opposites attract was fire!
It was so nice to see the realness of grief and anxiety. How ifpt affects us and those close to us.
This story just hit me on so many different emotional levels, and I loved them all.
Secretly Yours is an overall extremely enjoyable read. I couldn't put it down.

Now I'm awaiting for her next one Unfortunately Yours. I can't wait!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Avon,
I can't thank you enough!
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

While this may have been titled Secretly Yours, it felt more like a case of identity theft how much I shared in common with the heroine. From our similar physique, height, blonde curly hair, and even my brief tenure working at a family member’s garden store, I’m surprised Tessa Bailey wasn’t spying on me from a hidden balcony. Thankfully, our personalities differ because Hallie was a hurricane of a heroine whereas I’m more of a type A personality who looks at the menu before I even leave for the restaurant. Secretly Yours is a much anticipated novel from Tessa Bailey and it seems like her literary grapes weren’t quite ready to leave the vineyard. This novel was heavily wine-centric and all the oenophile references went way over my head. I rarely drink alcohol and even then it’s usually blended from a pre-made mix. My biggest problem with Secretly Romance was the inclusion of two juicy plot points that bombarded the delicate romance and would have instead been better suited to a single overarching theme.

Without giving away any major spoilers and only sharing what’s within the synopsis, the two main themes were Second Chance Romance and Secret Admirer. Personally, I thought these motifs would have been swell individually and became too overpowering when working in tandem. It didn’t add to the story’s organic flow and I had trouble keeping up with the turbulent shifts in plot. While I may not have been a fan of the strange choice in themes, I can’t deny the magnetic readability. I finished this book within a few hours and I couldn’t put it down. I thoroughly appreciated the couple’s ardor for each other, even if I wasn’t as swayed by the author’s notorious dirty talk. I thought Julian and Hallie made a unique couple despite their polar opposite personalities. I certainly could relate more to Julian’s uptight schedules far more than I could with Hallie’s lackadaisical lifestyle. Her trio of uncouth dogs running rampant through town as she chose landscaping jobs at random gave me the ick due to both my dislike of canines and the absence of basic timekeeping. I lost some suspension of disbelief because I know based on personal experience that you can’t just show up to gardening projects whenever you feel like it, even if it is your small town. Gardening requires finesse and precise planning, not the ability to make your client’s mouth water over how you look covered in potting soil.

Although I don’t personally find leaving anonymous love letters shoved into stumps around town particularly romantic, I’ll relent that Tessa Bailey always manages to snag my attention. While Secretly Yours certainly left me scratching my head, I’m more than eager to read the sequel Unfortunately Yours next year. The A Vine Mess duology is appropriately titled and hopefully we’ll have some more clarity in Natalie’s love story. The upcoming book features Julian’s sister and a major marriage of convenience plotline. 2023 cannot come fast enough, I’m telling ya! My main takeaway from this book is it seems like I should be extra vigilant examining my local tree stumps for any wayward love letters because they just might be Secretly Yours.

3.5/5 - very cute, steamy when it needed to be and romantically predictable in that way that all true romance readers long for and love.

DNF @ 40%

Unfortunately, I think Tessa and I may have to break up.

I really enjoyed the first few Tessa Bailey books I read, but the last few have let me down.

In the case of Secretly Yours, my primary frustration was the way Tessa advertised this book as having plus-sized rep, but then didn't make any mention of the main character's body other than a few comments about her having large breasts.

Additionally, I found the main character to exceptionally irritating. Overall, I just wasn't really enjoying this one and thus, won't be continuing.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Library notes:

After reading I am unlikely to recommend we acquire this for our fiction collection. If we purchase any Tessa Bailey, I believe It Happened One Summer is her best. However, all her MCs seem to have a high level of privilege that is not particularly relatable to our community audience.

My review from Goodreads:

Overall this book, like all of Tessa Bailey's books, was laugh-out-loud funny and well-written. A cute low-stakes romance. However, there were several points when the plot stalled and there wasn't much to propel it forward.

Throughout the story, two things really annoyed me. First, Hallie and Julian are clearly very into each other but refuse to formally (they still make out and flirt) act on that attraction because, "Oh no, we're soooo different." It just wasn't enough to actually keep them apart for the majority of the book. And second, the love letters were barely relevant, unnecessary, and not as important as I would have thought based on the description and title.

The end is when it really fell apart from me as a reader. The third act breakup was ridiculous and nonsensical. [ Why did Hallie think she did some awful thing? She wrote love letters to a guy who was clearly interested in her. Who, as it turns out, was hoping she was the sender all along. Not sure why she ever, ever thought she had anything to apologize for. AND WHY DID NOBODY CHECK IN ON JULIAN FOR TWO WHOLE WEEKS?! Y'all know he basically goes catatonic when something bad happens, and your solution was You know, let's just wait this one out. It'll probably be fine. Then finally the grand I-want-you-back gesture is...a planting party. You know, because she's a landscaper. And likes plants. And the Navy SEAL who his sister hates is invited despite barely being an acquaintance to the main characters, just to remind the reader that he's definitely going to be featured in the sequel.

3/5 for being well-written and funny, but having an aggressively unsatisfying ending.

Thank you netgalley , avon and Tessa Bailey for the opportunity to read and review this book before it came out .


This is not my first run in with a Bailey book, and I am going to continue to read her work. When I saw Secretly yours pop up on Netgalley I just had to read it. And when I got it I was jumping for joy .


Hallie was so chaotic in the best way possible and you couldn’t help but love her. She was unapologetically herself , despite having her own insecurities. She’s trying to come to terms with a significant loss while also trying to figure out who the real Hallie is. She has been harboring a crush for Julian for 15 years and now that he’s back that’s her in right? That’s until she drunkenly wrote him a secret love
Letter. She’s wild and bubbly and he’s her polar opposite. She spends most of her time fighting her feelings for him and feeling like she deserves him.


Julian is as a true grump who likes things in neat rows and rows always has a plan. Then Hallie comes barreling into his life and throws everyone out of whack. She’s chaos and he’s order but he can’t stop thinking about her. He struggles with anxiety and panic and feels like it’s his most fatal flaw and no one can really love him because of it. He’s back home under the ruse of writing a book, but he takes a different journey instead . He begins to work through some of his own insecurities and eventually gives himself a much deserved break.


Their individual journeys were pretty similar and it made them circle around each other for most of the book. This is definitely a slow burn , much like Hook Line & Sinker , and I felt that it was done well. Most of the banter came from Hallie, but Julian was definitely the king of romantic gestures. He would do anything to make her smile and she would do anything to make him laugh. They complimented each other well and never felt that it was forced. They had natural chemistry from the first moment and it only grew as the book went on. I rated this one 5 stars and I’m now eager to read the second in the series , Unfortunately Yours because Natalie’s story is going to be fun.

This is my third Tessa Bailey Book, and it never disappoints. My Gosh Hallie and Julian's love story chef's kiss they were cute. Hallie as a Sunshine and Julian as the Grumpy at Napa (small town) love story. The spice love it.. Can't wait for it. Surely will recommend this book for my reader's friends and library clienteles who loves romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the EARC of Secretly Your really enjoyed the book.

Tessa Bailey is an excellent story teller. She has a way of dropping readers right into a story and giving them just enough crumbs to get them invested from the jump,

Julian is an interesting character because he straddles the line between anxious and dominant. When he gets stern, watch out. I like that we got to see his weaknesses and watch the personal growth from beginning to end. Also love the tie in for the next book. Kind of would like to hear that stern talk a little more if you know what I mean.

Thank you for the free book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m obsessed with Tessa Bailey. I would sell my soul for her and her books. Her characters are just so lovable and I want to be in one of her books so bad.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book!

Listen I love Tessa Bailey books, she is def a comfort read. But she had me worried for a bit in the beginning of this one! I thought we might have a love triangle, and I was not having it. But have no fear, no triangle here! I loved Hallie and Julian’s relationship was so sweet. And the 🌶️🌶️🌶️ was on point! The third act “disagreement” was kind stupid but I still like it!

Great book, omg what an amazing slow burn. Love the story, the plot , the FMC is so all over the place but at the same time feel so genuine, and the MMC uff, like this book got me hooked and man I couldn’t put it down for 2 days . Definitely will recommend to all my friend , Hot Fun and Spicy my kind of book

(Sent for Review) Lets talk about it. Because this is sitting at barely a 4 star which is not necessarily an indicator of whether or not I'm recommending this book. Let me get this out of the way. It Happened One Summer is my favorite book. No Tessa Bailey will top that.

We have Hallie and Julian. Hallie is the sunshiney, flight of ideas, whirlwind gardener. She's had a crush on Julian for about as long as she can remember and when he's back at his family's vineyard for the summer, she's presented with the perfect opportunity to finally act on her crush. Or finally put him in the past. Julian, on sabbatical from his teaching job, is back at his family's vineyard to work on his book. Still, he can't seem to keep from getting distracted by the beautiful woman planting flowers just outside the guest house he's staying in. Combine his growing feelings for Hallie with his need for control and secret admirer letters and you have Secretly Yours.

What this book does well: Sex. Yes. Tessa Bailey always has and always will do the sex in a story very well. Honestly, as a sufferer of anxiety and panic attacks, the portrayal of Julian's rigidity as a reaction to those anxiety attacks was something that resonated with me. I think the way that he is scared of a loss of control that comes along with change and with his feelings for Hallie packed that extra emotional punch that had me screaming at this book for these two to just finally KISS.

That being said. Tessa Bailey also tends to lean very heavily on 'insta-love.' Hallie is already full-blown in love with Julian. Julian, immediately upon seeing Hallie, is attracted to her. So the development component of the relationship is a bit absent. That being said, the build-up where Julian is just continually trying to do things for Hallie, make her smile, and save her favorite wine shop, is incredibly endearing.

Additionally, I thought that you have to suspend disbelief a bit in this one. Seeing as Hallie could be (definitely is) a stalker. But you know, if you just push that aside. Cute!

Do I think the story was perfect? Nope. Did I enjoy it as another fun sexy TB romance read? Absolutely. However. It has not surpassed Hook, Line, and Sinker and It Happened One Summer. Though it is a close contender. TLDR; better than a lot of Tessa Bailey, not the best Tessa Bailey.

Tessa did a great job with the characters in this book. I was rooting for them and thought it was a sweet read with real issues.