Back in high school, Hallie had the biggest crush on Julian. She hasn’t seen him in years but when he comes back home on sabbatical to write a novel, she finds the butterflies are still there. One night after too many drinks, she decides to write him a secret admirer letter and leave it along his running path for him to find.

I usually adore anything Tessa Bailey writes, but this book just didn’t capture me in the same way her books usually do. I wanted to love it, and there wasn’t anything I particularly disliked about it, it just never fully had me engaged in the story. I love a chaotic main character so Hallie was exactly the type of whirlwind I love, but I didn’t fully buy into Julian being the right match for her whimsical nature. What I did love was the steam - this book had the Tessa Bailey steam we all know and love and it did not disappoint in that regard.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Tessa Bailey is the Queen of romance. These characters are funny, relatable, and so cute. Patrons will enjoy the steamy content, the easy language, and believable premises. Bailey hits all the big tropes in her books and there is truly something for every type of romance reader.

This was a bit disappointing - it felt like he didn't really like her? Or appreciate her for what she was? Something was just a bit off with these characters and I didn't see why they even wanted to be together. I think this could have been fleshed out a bit more.

Tessa Bailey does it again with this sweet and flirty rom-com. I loved learning more about the wine business and loved the setting. I can't wait for book two!

I liked that Hallie was this chaotic gardener and that Julian was a college professor. Kinda different and fun. Liked that Hallie didn’t have the typical body type always described in romance novels! Also liked that Julian struggled with anxiety and panic attacks because representation matters and I could personally relate.

Moving on to the things I didn’t enjoy…we don’t get many details on Julian’s job as a professor at Stanford or his life there. Overall you learn more about Hallie’s past than Julian’s. I felt like the side stories were just not worth being in the book (the secret admirer letters, what was the point?) and then the wine shop was resolved very quickly. Also, Julian’s obsession with Hallie having dirty knees was kind of a turn off but that’s just my personal opinion. Also missing was any type of fun and sexy banter.

'm normally such a fan of Tessa Bailey (It Happened One Summer was one of my top books last year) but this one fell really flat for me. Both of the characters were fine on their own but I didn't love them together. The spicy scenes were interesting to say the least- he seemed to have a dirty knees kink as her dirty knees (from gardening) came up repeatedly. Most of the spicy scenes just made me laugh at how odd they were honestly. I also kind of thought his grand gesture was pretty lame.

I've heard a lot about Tessa Bailey and I just dont think this was the best one to start with.... this is one of those instances where the grown-up, adult characters were written to act very teenager-y in a way that wasn't entertaining or enjoyable.

Tessa Bailey can do absolutely no wrong. She is EVERYTHING. I cannot wait for Unconditionally Yours!

Rating: 2.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC! Secretly Yours follows the love story of Hallie and Julian - a gardener and local vintner, respectively. Set in a small California town, this second-chance romance provides some laughs, swoons, and a few eye-rolls.

I've read several books by Tessa Bailey, and unfortunately, this falls on the lower end of my ranking. I felt the main storyline of the secret admirer letters to be immature and nonsensical. I couldn't wrap my head around how the secrecy of these two MCs was such a hang-up...especially after they had already slept together. Take that plotline out and I would've enjoyed it a lot more. I also couldn't buy into a 29-year-old woman being hung up on a teenage crush that *literally* did not even remember her.

On a positive note, some things I loved were...
- Small-town setting
- Slow-burn spice
- Unique MC professions
- Cute side characters

Overall, this was a light, fluffy read, but took me far too long to get through and didn't have me rooting for the couple. Not what I want in a romcom. I'll continue to read this author though, because this is the first I've read from her that I haven't really enjoyed!

im going to be 100 here, I ALMOST nfed this at one point. the plot was ok, but kind of odd. I found myself being more invested in the side characters and side plots than I was the actual mains.
i really loved the bellinger sisters series and this had so much potential, but it just didn't give what it needed to OR COULD HAVE given. i didn't really feel the chemistry until late in the book. and I also feel like it was zero to I love you in 4 pages. the mme was complaining that they could never be together because he is so clean and organized and she is a wild tornado, and then two seconds later he is in love and is cured of his anxiety? mmmmmm not vibing with that unfortunately. but there were parts i really enjoyed. i loved the vos family coming together. i thought the spice in the book was nice. there were definitely parts that made me lol overall a mixed bag. so glad if you enjoyed it, but definitely not an all time fav or a book I would very readily recommend

Unfortunately this was a huge miss. I ended up DNFing so my rating is based on what I read. I felt zero connection to the characters of plot in this one. The steam was cringey, and for this reason it’s not the first TB book that has left me with a bitter taste afterwards. Some of her books I have loved, and others not. Sad this one fell into the not category because I wanted to love this one.

yo amo la representación de anxiety y panic attack en libros y este libro lo time ropero aunque yo ame que el chico sea así y también tenga un buen poco de ocd el libro nunca me clickeo en mi mente no se porque sentí que todo fue apurado, la relación paso todo tan rápido de 1 a 100 y el chico para mi era tímido pero no! De tímido el no tiene nada. I did like the girl a lot Ella fue un terremoto pero en un buen sentido ella y sus perritos contra el mundo. And I did like that the boy siempre quiere hacerla feliz y arreglar todo para que ella no esté triste. Y adore que en capítulo el dijo que si el pudiera como darle a ella felicidad siempre el sería feliz and that’s como tú te ganas mi corazón. El libro fue cute, bye

I had really high hopes for Secretly Yours! I thought it was just OKAY. Definitely enjoyable but unfortunately a bit forgettable. I did love the dual POVs and small town feel. I really loved the supporting characters though and can’t wait for Julian’s sister’s story!

This is a cute little fun read.
It’s one of those books you can just devour in one sitting, which is my personal fav for breaking a slump. Which is what this did.
If you enjoy stories about second chance romances, small town romances, and dual POV this one will be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada for my eBook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

okay love Tessa but I feel like this could’ve been shorter. I loved Hallie & Julian but am I the only one who didn’t FEEL the chemistry? I feel like “It happened one summer” is my 5 star top read by Tessa so it’s gonna be hard to compete but this was a cute read

Super cute grumpy x sunshine book. I really enjoyed the beginning, but felt that the story was a little drawn out. The love letter aspect was a little strange. I was expecting it to be more of them getting to know each other through the letters but ended up being a little awkward and one sided.

Bubbly gardener, Hallie Welch, fell hard for Julian Vos after their almost-kiss years ago. After being hired to landscape the gardens of the Vos family vineyards, Hallie can't resist the temptation of her old crush being back in town--even if he might not remember her--and one drunken girl's night mistake later, decides to leave a secret admirer letter for Julian. As they continue to clash each time they meet, will her secret letters be enough to make things right?


Tessa Bailey has made quite a name for herself in the contemporary romance genre and for good reason! Secretly Yours is an adorable take on the grumpy/sunshine trope. With fantastic character growth and a cast of side characters you can't help but love, this is the first of a new duology that's going to be just as big as It Happened One Summer!

3.5/5 stars!

Fun! This was a sweet and easy to ready romcom. I feel like it was a bit different than Tessa's normal writing, but overall enjoyed the story.

Hallie has had the hots for Julian since they almost kissed! Now they are both in town to work but they couldn't be more opposite. She's a free spirit and he's in total control. Hallie gets drunk one night and writes him a secret admirer letter and leaves it where he can find it. She does throw him off kilter and he is having a hard time writing his book. Can they get it together this time? This is my first book by this author, and I enjoyed it a lot. I received an ARC from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Ok I love Tessa Bailey. Always. She’s my ride or die. So I feel so bad saying that this book just took me some time to get into. I wanted to love it, and in ways I totally did, it just missed the mark of immediately grabbing my attention.