Secretly Yours has become one of my favourites by Tessa Bailey, it was such a fun read. I adored the setting in the Napa Valley and all the discussions around wineries and modernising the scene. One of my favourite subplots was Hallie rebelling against a store in town and resorting to pranking them which ended up being some of the most entertaining scenes in the book.
The romance between Julian and Hallie was such a great pairing and the contrast between Julian’s strict schedule and Hallie's free spiritedness made this one of the best opposites attract stories I’ve ever read.
There were some emotional themes here too, Julian's strain with his family and Hallie recovering from the loss of her grandma, and this added a tender and more serious aspect to the book. I love Tessa’s writing so much and have to mention she never lets us down when it comes to steam too. I wasn’t crazy about the secret love letters, dare I say I cringed a tiny bit, but for Tessa Bailey I will let it slide.

Secretly Yours introduces us to Julian and Hallie, complete opposites and yet undeniably drawn to one another. An almost kiss in high school has Hallie comparing all prospective partners to Julian from that moment on. Julian leaves, returning to their hometown (Napa Valley if you don’t mind) years later. While his head says their differences are insurmountable, his heart has other ideas.

I listened and read a physical copy of this one and the audio really enriched my reading experience. A solid 💛💛💛💛 stars for Book #1 in the Vine Mess series.

I liked the plot of this read and the characters seem well rounded. I also really liked the voice that came from Hallie. Description was great and the idea of the book was refreshing.

As my first Tessa Bailey, this one disappointed me quite a bit. That third act breakup just confused me so much and I didn't enjoy it at all. I really liked the two characters, I could relate to them and I could understand them both, but the story just wasn't deep enough for me. Will still eagerly read her other books though. Thanks to @Harpercollinsnz for sending a review copy my way

Wonderful!! Cannot rate it highly enough. You’ll laugh, feel for both characters and be so thrilled to be taken on the journey with them. Will be reading more by this author for sure!

Great read, loved the characters and the raunchy scenes! Certainly helped warm up a cold winter! The character of Hallie was my favourite.

loved this so so much. would definitely hand-sell and add to my staff recommendations. will probably go buy a hard copy when out because this was honestly amazing. normally have a little trouble getting into books but this was perfection.

Secretly Yours was a ridiculously fun read that completely surprised me with it's depth. I loved both main characters Hallie and Julian. It was so lovely to witness them both on their respective journeys of healing. I was pleasantly surprised by how deep this book got. I had not been expecting for so much of it's focus to be on grief and anxiety but it definitely was a welcome surprise, I feel like it really enriched the story and made me feel all the more invested in the blossoming of their relationship. It was definitely one of the more rich and relatable takes on the grumpy x sunshine trope, their personalities really felt meshed out. I found the twist on the secret admirer trope really interesting. It was definitely predictable and cheesy at times but ultimately I liked the tension and stakes it provided, and it definitely made the miscommunication more understandable. I wasn't a huge fan of the 3rd act conflict but it did make sense for the characters so it was good enough for me. The ending straight after the resolution felt a bit abrupt. It would have been lovely to see a little more of them settling in together after their HEA but I enjoyed how it all wrapped up nonetheless. This was the perfect little summer read!

I have mixed feelings about this one. I really loved Hallie as a character with her dogs and the gardening. I also love the childhood friends/teenage crush to adults trope. There was a MMC who is a professor with anxiety issues. All adds up to an instant five stars but I just didn’t get the same swooning as other Tessa Bailey books. I still really enjoyed it and recommend it as a good light romance read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🤩 Another tick to add to my eclectic reading repertoire - my first Tessa Bailey 🔥

I’m not sure weather to write about the book, or how hot (like really hot and steamy!) those intimate scenes were … I sorta feel that all I need to add here is 🔥🥵🌶️❤️‍🔥♨ … getting the picture? Another one NOT to listen to on audio, without ears heavily encased in headphones! 😳🎧

Now, on to the book. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and aside from the spice, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Set in the Napa Valley with cosy small town vibes, we have what’s ultimately a grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract tropes that was actually a lot of fun. I found the banter and punchlines hilarious at times. If a book can make me laugh out loud and blush at the same time its worthy of a few stars!

Will I read more from Tessa Bailey? Hell yes! That’s the best recommendation I can give.

🍆 🍆 🍆 🍆
Many thanks to NetGalley and @harpercollins for a #gifted advanced reading copy.

*Review up on Instagram and Goodreads*

I was really looking forward to reading this one. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a connection with the couple and DNF.

I absolutely loved this stunning rom com. Hallie's Gardening business is interesting and it really adds a touch to the plot. I adored the dog's of course because I love any book with dog's. I belly laughed so much I got a cramp. The dialogue is snappy and witty. The romance is slow building just the way I like it.

3.5 stars

In Tessa Bailey’s new duology, we follow Hallie and Julian in small town wine country. Hallie is a local landscaper and Julian’s family own a local vineyard. The MC’s are complete opposites attract. Hallie is chaotic whilst Julian is structured. Throw in a long held crush and an instant attraction and that about sums up our story. The characters do go through some growth, with mental health, grief and trauma at the root of their perceived flaws and both reflect on these as their relationship progresses.

The secret admirer letters missed the mark. The blurb reads as though this is the basis of the interactions with each other and where the story leads. It creates a bit of third act drama but it is essentially a side plot.

I always approach TB’s novels as a fun easy read and this one lived up to that expectation. It had a few spicy scenes that felt less cringy than other TB novels I’ve read and the story was easy to keep track of as I read other books. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, focusing on Julian’s sister, Natalie.

Tessa Bailey has written a book about the wine region of Napa California. A son to a winery family and a granddaughter to a down on their luck wine tasting bar
The two couldn't be more different, and yet their romance works in unexpected ways.
This book works for people who are fans of It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

Swipe for a quick review of Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey. ✨

Look.. this book wasn’t my favourite of hers ( I preferred it happened one summer) but there were still some fun moments in this one.
- Secretly Yours ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much @harpercollinsaustralia and @netgalley for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved that we got more diversity in the body type of the female. I just wish we got to learn more about the characters. I think if I had a greater understanding of who these characters were as individuals I would have been more invested in their relationship.

Cute idea, fun moments like a cheese heist. It just felt a bit predictable. I really enjoy it when characters fun jobs- so I liked that Hallie’s was unique.

She’s always been obsessed with him. He fell very hard very fast. A touch too quickly for my liking. Some cute little quotes and moments between the two of them. He just became very very obsessed.

It reminded me of… it happened one summer, my killer vacation and to love Jason Thorne!

I love Tessa Bailey, her books are always full of life and love, family and friendship, a fabulous escapist read!
The storyline is slow to start but also packed with information on the main characters. Hallie is not always organised but enjoys her gardening, her mind seems to race back and forth and her thoughts are somewhat jumbled!
On the other hand, Julian is much more particular about his daily life, he likes to be in control!
The characters are fun and have a history, the romance and attraction is falling off the pages, there’s a lot going on! Overall, a good read!

Thankyou to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hallie Welch is in love with Julian Vos, she has been since she was 14 when they "almost" kissed. So when Julian returns to their small town and Hallie is hired to work on the gardens on the Vos estate, she hopes to finally get that kiss. But when their personalities clash and he is nothing like she remembers, she does something irrational (while drunk may I add). She hides a secret admirer letter for Julian.

Unknown to Hallie, Julian also has feelings for her. This beautiful, chaotic girl infiltrates his mind every minute of his day (and I mean "every" minute). When he finds this anonymous letter from this women of the past, he's still infatuated by her. Could she be the one who turns his world upside down?

This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I have very mixed emotions...

I liked the characters, but they weren't relatable and I didn't feel any spark between them. It felt like a forced romance and I didn't understand how they really got together when they're so so so different. It kinda felt like a convenience relationship if that makes any sense. But I am happy that they got a happy ending I guess. It had a pretty good flow... when I picked it up. There was nothing that really gripped me to the story and make me want to read more and it kinda became a chore to finish it even. It took me just over 2 months to read it The conversations between Julian and Hallie were quite awkward too, especially during those spicy scenes. I did quite like the world-building and character development though

I'm quite disappointed with my first Tess Bailey book to be honest but it doesn't sound like I'm alone with that thought. I'll definitely try to pick up another one of her books this year.

3.5 stars.

DIRTY KNEE'S !!!!
Thankyou to NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

'Secretly Yours' by Tessa Bailey, is an excellent rep of anxiety and the effects a traumatic event can have years later. We meet the Grump Professor Julian Vos, whose family owns one of the best wineries in Napa. While we think he's cold and unfeeling, he is actually suffering the effects of the traumatic event that everyone in Napa. He refuses to accept this leading to him going home, where he meets Hallie. Hallie Welch is your bubbly gardener that may refuse to commit to anything because things she is refusing to accept cause issues. She has had a crush on Julian for YEARS. Their story of finding each other is amazing.

While there were a few parts where I wanted to stop reading from how cringy it was, those moments truly did make Hallie and Julian the characters everyone falls for. I love this book. It took me a while to read due to personal circumstances, this book makes me feel so seen. There is a part where they both talk about their insecurities and OH MY GOD, did I cry for hours... Yes!!! Hallie explaining her issues surrounding her weight was amazing.

READ THIS BOOK, ITS WORTH IT.

“Hallie, listen to me. You don’t make messes. You follow your heart and your heart is so beautiful, I can’t believe it was mine. Put me out of my misery and tell me it’s still mine.”

- Small-town romance
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Opposites attract
- Professor/novelist x gardener
- Dual POV

Secretly Yours follows local gardener, Hallie and Julian, on a sabbatical from his job to write a novel back in his hometown in Napa Valley. He meets Hallie when his mother employs her to update the gardens around his guesthouse. She's the complete opposite of him: sunshine to his grumpy, chaos to his need for control. But that doesn't stop him from falling hard and fast. However, what he doesn't realise is that he's already met Hallie... and Hallie's had a crush on him since high school.

Now, this sounds like a great book plot, right? I think so too. But as the title suggests, there's a secret admirer angle as well. Hallie writes Julian a couple of notes and he responds, unaware he's writing to her and therefore feeling conflicted about his growing feelings for Hallie and his feelings for his secret admirer. CUE THIS MISCOMMUNICATION 🙄.

I think this book would have actually been better without this subplot. There was enough happening within the plot already surrounding them, their careers and saving a certain wine shop. I think removing it would have allowed other plot points to further develop. Specifically, I thought Hallie's feelings about her career were underdeveloped. She spoke about wanting more and being unsure of her career path, but this was left unresolved.

Julian and Hallie did have great chemistry though and I really liked Julian's character development, with him coming to terms with his past and moving forward alongside his family. He was completely gone for Hallie and it was so sweet to see. Also, it's not a Tessa Bailey book without dirty talk, just saying! These two do things in some unusual places 😂.

If you're going to read it, I recommend the audio.

Hallie Welch is a scatterbrained, eccentric mess of a gardener who has recently lost the grandmother that raised her. She's feeling a bit lost when news of the return of Julian Vos reaches her. Julian was her crush as a teenager who she almost kissed once. She has never completely got over him, so she finagles a gardening job at the guest cottage where Julian is holed up writing his novel. Meanwhile Julian has his life planned out completely, down to the minute. It's the only way he can overcome the crippling anxiety he constantly battles. Hallie enters his life in a big commotion and is distracting from the start.

This is kind of a second chance romance but not quite. It's also a bit of an opposites attract book. Hallie and Julian both come with a fair number of issues so they don't get together easily. But they do help each other in their own ways, whether wittingly or not. This was a good read but not one of the best by this writer. Some parts seemed to drag for me and I didn't feel the need to get to the end as fast as possible like in some books. Still it was enjoyable overall and I did feel for the characters.

I give this book a tentative three stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers, Australia for the advanced reader copy. I have provided this review voluntarily.