This novel is SO CUTE!

Hallie is a messy, disorganized gardener who is stull getting over the death of her beloved grandmother. Julian is the super organized son of Napa Valley royalty and she has had a crush on him since high school 15 years earlier!

What I LOVED:
* Hallie is curvy and a wreck and totally relatable!
* Julian is sweet and caring and protective of his family and helpfup
* The Cheese Incident
*Their connection seemed real
*Their tension was SO MUCH MORE than miscommunication
*Anxiety and mental health awareness
*Lots of build-up and sexual tension
*Open door
* Dirty talk

What Didn't Work For Me:
* Hallie was a virgin - this didn't seem believable because there was no awkwardness
*The "Getting Back Together" part was too over the top

Overall, I really liked this book, but I had a hard time believing Hallie was a virgin.

If you’re a Tessa Bailey gal, like myself, you’re gonna love this! It’s got her classic hijinks, and trademark steam. The tropes are grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract. Where I think this really shines is the mental health rep! The MMC goes though quite the journey processing his trauma and anxiety.

(⚠️CW: On page panic attacks)

I already love Tessa Bailey, but this is one of my favorites if hers already. Julian and Hallie were very real. Particularly loved the scene when Julian had to tell a story to the kids. I felt the letters were an unnecessary plot line and didn’t really make sense with the characters and the rest of the story.

I absolutely loved Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey. It had every element I look for in a romantic comedy with second chance romance. The letters were one of my favorite parts and the secondary characters gave ourain characters a great balance. It is a bit spicy so if you like spice, add this to your TBR

This book was super cute. I’m not the biggest fan of secret admirers since the lie by omission can be icky, but this is still definitely worth a read. Also, I’m just dying to read Natalie’s book. Her brief moments with her love interest were engaging, and I wanted to explore her as a character. So I’m super glad she is getting her own book!

My most significant note for the publisher would be to edit the first chapter. I think the first chapter has too much rambling and doesn't hook the reader as well as other Tessa books. The first two sentences are way too long. Nevertheless, still a fun book and I look forward to Natalie's story.

Not my favorite Tessa Bailey but fans of her will adore this one. I felt there was a bit too much instalove for my liking as the book started to simmer out once the couple got together initially, but overall it was a good read. I do enjoy the way Bailey varies up her settings and character types, so that gets extra points from me.

I love LOVE Tessa Bailey but......and unfortunately there is a but.... the romance in this book hinges on the idea that a 14 year old had a missed kiss with a senior boy. So from the start something wasn't sitting right with me. There is also a letter writing element in the middle of the book that seemed superfluous. The book was still enjoyable. Will I read other books in the series? Absolutely. Was this my favorite Bailey...no.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey, and Avon for the ARC!

While I didn't love this one quite as much as It Happened One Summer, I did enjoy it. Hallie is a very go with the flow and chaotic to Julian's level-headedness and order. I felt like there wasn't a ton of build up of feelings on Julian's part which I think is why it felt a little inauthentic. I do love the grumpy guy vs sunshine girl trope (Hello, The Hating Game) so that provided some appeal.

Overall, I still liked it and will of course read the next one in the series.

First of a new series and a bit of a different male lead than this authors norm. Got some hints for the next in the series- and I’m sure we will get updates on this pair’s latest then too. Wine, friends and romance while mixing in some true to life mental health issues.

Tess Bailey is a must read author for me, and Secretly Yours did not disappoint! I loved the grumpy-sunshine interactions between Hailey and Julian and how they both grew through the time they were together. I can't wait to read the next book in this series, and will absolutely be buying this when it comes out.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

-curvy girl rep
-florist + ivy league professor
-opposites attact
-mental health rep
-dual pov
-grumpy/sunshine
-🌶🌶/5
-HEA
This book was a quick read. A small town vibe with winery scene, and when the love interest pines and the Mc is clueless?? *swoon* Tessa gives us another quirky,cute and independent FMC who's determined to finally tell her long time crush how she feels..
Its a heartfelt Rom com- that will have love laughing, swooning and falling in love with Hallie and Julian.

This sweet, funny romance novel is just so lovable. Julian, with his goal-setting system, and Hallie, with her wild spirit and 3 adorable pups. The nostalgia over Hallie’s grandmother and protection of a quiet little wine bar was just so endearing. This novel has heart and enjoyment. Julian’s uptightness and Hallie chaos somehow brought the two completely different characters together in such a commending way. The two most opposite people in the world, yet the chemistry is undeniable. Not to mention the cute supportive and lovable characters throughout the novel. This was an enjoyable read.

This was cute but not spectacular. The chemistry between Julian and Hallie was fantastic and their family drama/trauma was touching. Didn't care for the wine vineyard/town backdrop--not at all interesting to me. And the inevitable conflict wasn't severe enough to warrant the fallout. This also lacked the humor I expect from Bailey, but again, still cute and entertaining.

I struggled to get into this book. I love the author and will buy her books for our collection and promote her books to our patrons but this title wasn't a favorite for me.

It took me awhile to get into this book, but once I finally did, I enjoyed it. However, it did not come close to the Bellinger sisters books. I'll still pick up Bailey's books, but I didn't think this book was her best.

Overall, a cute read, but it felt like the characters were lacking any real emotional depth. The plot often felt a bit too forced at times.

I really wanted this to be a five-star read because I generally enjoy Tessa Bailey…but I guess occasionally she will miss the mark. Now, I enjoyed reading this book, it had all the high points we expect in a Bailey romance. The characters had chemistry and showed realistic character arcs. The book was sometimes sweet, sometimes scorching and often laugh-out-loud funny. Good times were had by all. However, overall this one just wasn’t as great as Bailey’s other books. For me, this issue lies in our fair protagonists. Hallie AND Julian really skated that line between “hot mess to which we can all relate” and “someone who would be genuinely awful to exist near until they got some therapy,” often falling into the latter classification. Granted, overcoming those issue features in the story, but often I just felt like the main characters leaned a little too heavily into their tropes. This is nitpicky and 100% subjective (I will always recommend Tessa Bailey!), but it did color the whole narrative for me.

I absolutely LOVE Tessa Bailey she is an insta buy for me! I sat down and read this book in less than 24 hours.

This wasn't quite as phenomenal as It Happened One Summer, but it was so incredibly close. I'm leaving it a 5 star, but in my book journal I gave it a 4.75. I wanted the secret admirer notes to be more of a pivotal part of the story, but it really just felt like a background subplot.

I absolutely love Julian's character and was so happy to see anxiety representation in his character. It is nice to see that vulnerability in a male character, and honestly no one does that better than Tessa Bailey. Of course everyone's anxiety reactions are different so some readers may not see Julian's anxiety response in their own. I happened to connect a lot with Julian's anxiety response, but I understand that won't be the case for all readers.

Hallie was a complete riot of a character. I loved every interaction with her from her petty "crimes" to her just absolute chaotic energy. She is the perfect foil for Julian and it keeps the story, and characters, balanced. The reader doesn't get lost in too much chaos from Hallie because the order that exists in Julian's POV keeps the reader focused.

I can't wait for the next book in this series! A huge thank you to NetGalley, Harper Voyager US, and Avon for the E-ARC.

This didn’t impress me! The writing was sloppier than her other books, and the story didn’t really hang together for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a digital review copy of "Secretly Yours" via NetGalley.

I think Tessa Bailey is a hit or miss author for me. I've read a couple of her other contemporary romances and had some mixed thoughts -- for me, the strong points of Bailey's writing are the humor and the interesting small town settings. What often disappoints is the pacing of the romantic relationships, and some of the contrived plot points. Two romantic tropes that I almost never enjoy reading: longtime crush and instalove, and "Secretly Yours" features both of those quite heavily, so it should come as no surprise that I didn't particularly care for the romance in this book. If you're a fan of Bailey's contemporary romances, like the Bellinger Sisters duology or the Hot & Hammered series, you'd probably find this book fits right in. I think my favorite Bailey book is still "It Happened One Summer", and it'll be difficult to top that one, but I'll still give any of her contemporary romances a try.