*notice that this book is 2.5/5 stars but I have read Bailey's other novels and have rated then over 4 stars*

2.5/5 stars
This book follows Hallie and Julian who almost kissed long ago but now Hallie runs a gardening company and Julian is a professor back in town to write his book. Both have their own issues and are the complete opposites but drawn to each other. I have to say that I love Tessa Bailey and her books but sadly this one disappointed me. I felt the writing changed from her other books as the conflicts were bland and there weren't cute aweing moments. Now I know I can't compare it to It Happened One Summer which is my favorite book by Bailey but this book didn't have much of a story development. The whole secret admirer part of the story didn't feel as much of a conflict as it should have been but more of a filler. For this book, I didn't vibe with the story and the characters were okay. This book is told from both of the character's pov.

Hallie is the FMC of this book and I just feel connected with her story. There was not much information given about her until the end along with Julian. She did have a character development which I enjoyed. Julian is the professor/author who has been traumatized by his past. Not my favorite book boyfriend but he wasn't a bad character. He also had great character development and I liked finding the little bit of story that we could get. There were many side characters but I'm excited to find out about Natalie and August because I can already tell their story is going to be amazing. This is a steamy book which Bailey is great at writing with also the best tropes, secret admirer, grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract, and slow burn. I liked seeing the romance and chemistry between the MCs as I think they are great for each other.

The ending was well done but after writing this review, I feel as though there are many plot holes that need to be filled. I feel as though there was information in the book that went missing and I don't think it will be in the next book now. Though will I be reading the next book? For sure. Even though I didn't enjoy this book, Bailey is still an incredible author. I have loved her past books and this one was just not for me. I'm excited to see what comes next for Bailey and can't wait to support her.

This was a good read I gave it a 3.5 out of five stars I liked the growth of the characters. I just wish there a little more to it I guess.

This was a slowwwwww burn. Like the first 75% of the book was build up. But I loved every second of it. Hallie Welch has been in unrequited love with Julian Vos for 15 years since they (almost) kissed in high school. She's extremely chaotic while he has to have every second of his day planned out in advance. They're complete opposites and that's what makes them so perfect. Also, Hallie is the most relatable main character, like, ever.

It took me an extremely long time to get through this book (thank you college), but I'm so glad I was finally able to finish reading it. I was also able to meet Tessa Bailey yesterday (!!!) and get a signed copy of Unfortunately Yours so I can't wait to hear Natalie Vos's story.

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

This book is an absolute pleasure. Transported to Napa, we meet hot-mess Hallie and overly efficient Julian. These two opposites are bound to attract! Hallie has had a crush on Julian since high school and watched him from afar. When Hallie finds out that Julian is back in town, she devises a plan to put herself in his very orderly path. Romance follows. I don't read a lot of contemporary romance but loved this one! It is funny, sweet, and spicy.

I have adored everything I’ve ever read by Tessa Bailey. Most of this book was super enjoyable, but the conflict in the third act felt so forced. Not the world’s worst offense considering everything that preceded it was much better.

I typically love Tessa Bailey but dang, this was just very meh to me. The characters were boring and I just really didn’t like them. I’ll still try the next novel because I’m hoping to like it more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5
❤️‍🔥Long time crush to lovers
🖤🤍 Opposites attract
🩷RomCom
🌻Gardener
📚 Professor
🍷 Wine
🏡 SmallTown

Hallie is chaotic, wild, unpredictable. Julian is anxious, orderly, strict. What will happen when their two worlds collide?

This was the cutest book I’ve read in a long time. It had me laughing at Hallie’s shenanigans out loud, and my heart aching for Julian in places. A quick easy must read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Secretly Yours*

With dual POVs and lots of emotional highs and lows, it was surprising how easy and quickly Secretly Yours was to read. It's a romcom, for sure, and one that takes place in a wine country small town chock full of cheesy and oftentimes unrealistic tropes.

The story leans heavily on the "opposites attract" trope as well as a childhood crush and secret admirer letters. Unfortunately, this Tessa Bailey spicy romance felt much shallower than her previous work, even with the emotional discussions of anxiety and self-doubt.

The female main character Hallie is a quirky, disaster gardener who's been lost since her grandmother passed months prior. Beyond her confusing self-destructive behavior, nothing else about her personality really stood out to me. While Julian may have found her chaos charming, many of her decisions came off immature, especially for being a 29-year-old small business owner.

Julian, on the other hand, was the most fascinating character in the book. He felt real, authentic, and relatable. I was way more fascinated by his and his family's wine-making history and his struggles with anxiety than I was by Hallie's indecisiveness.

Still, I enjoyed reading Secretly Yours - a sweet and spicy summery romcom that's perfect for a vacation to wine country. And with book 2 focusing on Julian's sister Natalie, I'll definitely continue reading this series.

Tessa Bailey is my girl but I picked up this book three times and couldn’t get into it for the life of me! I think Hallie could have been cute after a while but either Julian or their budding relationship threw me off completely. Maybe fourth time is the charm? DNF

i absolutely loved this book! it’s everything i’ve come to expect from a tessa bailey book. the perfect setting transports you to a warm summery small town in the napa valley. the chemistry is off the charts, with the duel pov that i live for. just the adorable kind of romance that gives you butterflies. if you liked it happened one summer and hook, line and sinker then you'll love this one too! i can’t wait for the rest of the series.

Tessa Bailey is wonderful and this book is no different. The perfect and most fluffy read, I love it.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format: Physical

3.75🌟 - it was good!

There is something about a Tessa Bailey book that even if I didn’t love it, she has me coming back again and again!

I liked the winery vibes, the grumpy x sunshine, and unrequited love!! It was cute and spicy, but overall not super memorable.

This was a quick read that was both cute and angsty. I really enjoyed the chaotic, free spirited energy of the main character, Hallie. This couples attraction is the definition of magnetic and there is all of the Tessa Bailey spice that one would expect🔥.

Love notes from a secret admirer is a lovely diversion. The sultry new gardner is a terrifically terrible distraction.

Julian came home to get away. He's writing a novel. He doesn't want distractions or diversions. He has a plan- a timeline.

Turns out Julian has no idea what he wants. Distraction and diversion war with his old life. A new life doesn't seem to fit either. Julian needs to make a choice.

It wouldn't be a Happily Ever After without him making the right choice! Enjoy the journey to Julian's new existence. Love Hallie through her growth too. The result is a beautiful mix of colorful chaos you couldn’t imagine otherwise.

Tessa Bailey is one of the authors I go to when I want something fun, dirty, and easy to read. This book gave me exactly that.

Definite grumpy/sunshine vibes with Julian and Hallie. They met as kids, and now they're meeting again as adults. Hallie is the quintessential quirky FMC. Julian is the perfect, uptight ivy league stuffed shirt. Eventually, they get it on in a vineyard. And live happily ever after.

Oh no. Just...oh no. I am so sorry to say that this was a miss for me. Which is so sad because normally, I love TB's writing! It was indeed a vine mess, and I found myself cringing throughout the entire book. I am really looking forward to the sister and ex-Navy SEAL book, though! Fingers crossed it redeems the series for me.

2.5 Stars

I was quite surprised since I have loved Tessa Bailey’s books in the past; however this one was very meh for me for several reasons. I didn’t love Julian; while I loved the idea of his profession mixed with his need for a schedule, kind heart, and very real panic attacks, he was too overbearing for me when it came to Hallie in all ways (sexual and in doing things for her that were a bit over the top for their stage of non-relationship/relationship). I also felt Hallie and Julian were both immature when it comes to relationships and some of their actions for adults which I didn’t particularly love. The book also was hard for me to get into at the beginning and felt like it drug on a bit; I was waiting for some big conflict or something bigger to happen but it just all kind of stayed flat.

I did love Hallie’s best friend, Lorna (who doesn’t love a grandma like figure), and Julian’s sister Natalie. I enjoyed the growth of Julian’s relationship with his family; because of this I’ll still read Natalie’s story since it’s Tessa Bailey, but I wouldn’t recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In her first book in a new series, Tessa Bailey introduces curvy gardener Hallie and buttoned-up professor, Julian. She brings chaos into his regimented life, and while there is an undeniable attraction between them, Hallie is struggling to get over the fact that he can't remember her from fifteen years prior--when they almost kissed. To get closure on her unrequited crush, she pens him anonymous love letters, but ends up confused when real-life feelings for the man he is now begin to form.

I enjoyed this book! Hallie and Julian, along with the side characters, are all extremely likable. In particular, the introduction of Julian's sister, Natalie, has made me ESPECIALLY excited for book two in this series--which features her in a marriage of convenience. But I totally shipped Hallie and Julian, and Bailey delivers the perfect steam as usual. I think the epistolary element was unnecessary and at times it felt like there were one too many plot threads to follow, but it didn't downgrade my overall enjoyment of the book.

Thanks to Avon for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 8/10

Secretly Yours is a classic Tessa Bailey novel, you know what you are going to get. Lots of chemistry and plenty of spice, with heart. Hallie and Julian are very opposite attract but they both help each other learn to be less rigid or less scattered in their own ways. I like the setting of this in wine country and i liked the small town vibe, with the focus also on healing family. I look forward to reading Natalie's story.

2.5 stars

I really had high hopes for this one. Sadly it fell flat for me. Both Hallie and Julian did not connect to me at all. I found a lot of their dialogue over the top and at times cheesy and that made me sad. I loved Tessa last duology, but this one just didn't work for me. I am still going to read the follow up book. Maybe Natalie and August will be a better fit. This book may not have worked for me personally but it worked for may other readers and it may work for you so don't be shy about checking it out anyway.