Loved this book. It has a great setting in a small town with wineries and a great friends to lovers/past crush storyline. I liked the plus size representation and anxiety representation as well.

This was a super sweet, easy read and I really enjoyed this. We have a small town setting, Dual POV, Insta lust, second chance & everyone’s favourite Grumpy x Sunshine 🫶🏼

I surprisingly connected with Julian a lot more than I did Hallie here. These two couldn’t be more completely different and from two different worlds. Hallie is wild, out of control and goes with the flow and Julian is extremely routined & OCD (hi it me 💁🏻‍♀️) I LOVED how Julian unravelled over time around Hallie and I loved his character progression. He really was the star in this book for me. Even his jealousy at one point was comical.

My only disappointment in this is the secret letters. The Pen Pal trope is one of my favourite tropes but for some reason it just fell flat in this book for me. The small town setting in Napa Valley was amazing, the friendships amazing and the introduction to Natalie, Julian’s sister was great too. I loved her character and can’t wait to read her book next. Also round of applause for the curvy representation 👏🏼

Of course this has Tessa Baileys signature spice 🌶️ and we’re all here for that!


Secretly Yours releases on Feb 1st
Thank you @harpercollinsaustralia & @netgalley for the ARC

⭐️4.25 🔥3.8

🌤️Grumpy sunshine
✨Curvy Heroine
💞Unrequited love – high school crush
<blockquote> “It’s come to my attention that I am far more wrong for you than the other way around, Hallie. You’re nothing short of breathtaking. Unique and beautiful and bold. And I’m a goddamn idiot if I ever made you feel otherwise.”</blockquote>
I’m a gardener myself but this truly gave a whole new meaning to getting your hands in the dirt 👩‍🌾 🌱⛏️ Hallie may have been the one covered in garden dirt, but Julian delivered some filth 🫠🥵
I will never think of dirt-covered knees the same, and I’m grateful 🥵🌶
<blockquote> Do you ever go to bed with those dirty knees, Hallie? Do you climb onto the mattress facedown and open those filthy knees wide in your sheets, like you do on the front lawn? God, I’d fucking pay to see it.” </blockquote>
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/XKINJJN4YfIAAAAM/whoo-breathes-in.gif"/>

This was an enjoyable and fun read. I love reading Tessa Bailey write a curvy heroine, and the spice really writes its own little love letter to soft bodies 🥵
This has small-town vibes. Hallie is a Gardner, who is chaotic, messy, and struggling with finding herself after losing her grandmother. Hallie has had a crush on Julian since she was in high school, when they nearly kissed at a party. While she has held a torch for him for <i> 15 years </i>, he is blindsided by the whirlwind that is the gorgeous, eccentric, chaotic gardener that is distracting him outside the window, even if she seems familiar. Julian is her opposite; he is taking a break from his tenure as a Stanford history professor to write his historic fiction novel at his family vineyard. He thrives on schedules, order and control and struggles with anything that challenges that, as he fears that he won’t be able to manage his anxiety. Their personalities clash and she realises that perhaps she needs to accept they are too different, but the wine-fuelled, anonymous secret admirer letter she left for him may suggest otherwise.
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/ANSK4eCBeM0AAAAC/cant-hide-my-crazy-jessica-day.gif"/>
I do feel that some of the spicy scenes didn’t flow as well from the story as they have in previous books, they kind of sneak up on you. That being said, they were HAWT! Their first scene was an unexpected choice but damnn, I was very pleasantly surprised even if that Julian is a bit of a 180 from him outside the spice (spoiler: if you really wanna know, <spoiler> mutual masturbation</spoiler>).

I will say that the failure to communicate really drove a lot of the conflict and that frustrated me. The letters as a conflict didn’t really play as much of a part as I wanted them to, like how necessary were they? Ya know?
Also, personally, it wasn’t super clear from the beginning that Hallie hadn’t had sex before, we knew she didn’t have much experience and hadn’t kissed many people and we could kind of infer that. But she waited like 15 years and had a crush but wasn’t really waiting for him, just no one stacked up to her fantasy of him. In my head, I did kinda have more questions about that, I wanted a bit more depth on why she never went there? Particularly given she’s pretty bold when she does put herself out there to run into him.
I also feel like the ending/resolution happened quite quickly. Also, the psych masters student in me wants Julian to go back to therapy Without spoilers, I think if it were me, I wouldn’t have let that all be fixed so quickly… I think I wanted more post-resolution.
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/8XrBFep_7RoAAAAC/its-fixed-nick-miller.gif"width="300" height="300" />
With spoilers…
You were warned…
<spoiler> My Dude just had a Panic episode and yeeted out of the picture for like weeks leaving her to think she’d ruined everything.
And like is super cute and apologetic and all that. But I needed more. Hallie was so crushed and then it was all tied up in a neat lil bow. Maybe like a game plan for if Julian checks out again 😅
Julian could defs use therapy </spoiler>
All of that being said though, it wasn’t enough to impede my enjoyment. Overall, I consumed this so quickly. I really loved it. It was very sweet, and as someone with ADHD, I resonated with Hallie’s fears and her brand of chaos. I didn’t really want to do much else until I finished 😅
I don’t know why I would expected any less than top-tier filth when it comes to Tessa Bailey's spice but man I was so here for it 🫠🥵🔥
<blockquote> “If the clutter is yours, I want it,” he whispered against her mouth. “If you’re late, I don’t care. Just fucking show up.” </blockquote>
If you needed any more convincing Julian’s brand of filth can make anyone see the pros of being curvy:
<blockquote> “I think you’re soft. No, I know you’re soft. I think you work hard in the sun and the dirt . . . and it shows in your hands and calves and shoulders. But the fact that you’re a woman is also very . . . fucking . . . obvious. You have these incredible tits.” He slid his hand up the front of her towel and slowly squeezed each mound, bringing her nipples to attention. “You’ve got hips. The kind that let me be a little extra rough last night.” Her vision started to double, then triple, the perfume bottles on top of her dresser multiplying into an army. “I can still feel my sweaty stomach sliding up and down on top of your belly. I already love every inch of it. I probably left some chafing behind to prove it, huh?” </blockquote>
<blockquote> “I know every little jiggle of this body. They’ve taken turns making my cock hard. One by one by fucking one.” He clutched firmly enough to make her whimper. “Your curves shake when I’m packing this thing tight. I know it for a fact now. The parts you’re nervous to show me are actually what make me hard, Hallie.” </blockquote>
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/nzOwMq_X23QAAAAC/dead-swoon.gif"/>

TW:
Panic attacks
Anxiety
Bush fires/Fire

I was very excited to receive an ARC for this so thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review ☺️

Secretly yours starts with Hallie, a chaotic and impulsive gardener who is struggling to stay organised after her grandmother passed 6 months earlier.  We then meet Julian, a college professor, who plans his days out to the minute and uses timers to keep on track.  When Hallie sees that her teenage crush, Julian, has returned to town she writes him a secret love letter.
Sounds like a cute opposites attract romance right?

Something about Secretly Yours just missed the mark for me.  The characters felt forced, like they had to be 'quirky' in the extreme, until they could simply get over their flaws for the sake of each other (I'm sorry, but if Julian cannot focus or sleep if he doesn't follow his schedule, he wouldn't be able to just go with the flow by the end of the book).  It also felt like we could have easily had an ADHD meets Autism romcom, and I'm a little disappointed we didn't get that.  
Our couple was also completely averse to the bedroom, and their spicy scenes a little.. different.  While I'm all for trying new things, these again just felt a little forced.
The 3rd act conflict, which was building up the entire way to be about the love letters (yawn), turned out to be even more stupid than expected.  After finally officially getting together, Hallie leaves Julian in the middle of the night to retrieve her final love letter, the one where she tells him it's been her the whole time, and Julian wakes to find her gone, triggering a panic attack.  She comes home, he sees the letter, he ends up leaving in a panic induced 'numb' state, and they just don't talk for 2 weeks. Cool.
Basically we blew right past the miscommunication trope, and jumped to no communication? 

To be completely honest, as much as I usually Enjoy Tessa Bailey's writing, Secretly Yours was a miss for me.  Even though TB books are generally in need of some diverse representation and proper acknowledgement of mental health issues (therapy, anyone?), we still get a nice light, fun romcom, but just did not quite get there with Secretly Yours.

Will I read the next one? Yes. 
Will I continue working my way through her backlist? Also yes, because I somehow set myself that challenge.  But will anything measure up to the Hot and Hammered series?  I really hope so!

Overall Secretly Yours was a perfectly average 2.5 star read for me, rounded up to 3 stars for goodreads.

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

Oh no.
Oh no, oh no, oh no.
I think i’ve finally found a Tessa Bailey book I didn’t like, and I really didn’t like this.
Both of our mains were unfortunately insufferable and completely two dimensional. There was so much chances to flesh out Julian’s anxiety or Hallie’s grief, but instead (except for one incident) it felt like there issues melted away as soon as they were in love. Which is cute in theory but kind of boring in storytelling.

Next issue: As someone who usually likes TB’s spicy scenes, because I think she does a great job making them engaging and interesting, these ones were just weird. Not in a ‘i’m here to kink shame’ kind of way, because whatever floats your boat babes. But why does he speak like that creepy guy on tinder that wants to put your eyes in a jar? Cause it was starting to feel like that. Except it would be her knees???
Not to mention, easily the most disturbing moment of my life, RASPBERRIES WHERE?!

As for the tension in the third act, my god it was boring. Unfortunately, it also meant the miscommunication trope was in full swing.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I liked this book. It had a lovely setting, great side characters and a lot of charm. But I didn’t LOVE LOVE it, like the read-it-all-in-one-sitting-and-forget-the-time kind of love I’ve had with other Tessa Bailey books.

I’ve been trying to work out what threw me off.

1. I don’t think the letters were frequent enough to justify the complication
2. I think the third person voice threw me off
3. There were a few loose ends - would have loved to see Julian being treated for his anxiety, and perhaps some resolution with the family vineyard plotline

I’m keen to see if my enjoyment of this book will grow with more of the universe-building to take place in book #2.

I can say that this book has the trademark high quality Tessa Bailey steam. Always excellent!

In short: I’m on the fence. Let me see what book 2 delivers. Also, I’m definitely a 1st person POV gal.

4⭐️ Oh how I loved Hallie and all her chaotic and messy beauty! She was just such a great character 💐Overall I did really enjoy this story but felt like the ending was a little bit rushed and I was left wanting more. Still a great addition to your romance TBR Lists! 🍷💕
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A big thank you to HarperCollins Australia and Netgalley for this advanced copy to read and review. ‘Secretly Yours’ is available on 1 FEB ✨

This is my favourite Tessa Bailey book that I’ve read so far! It had so many things I love:
✅ wine
✅ flowers
✅ hot history professor
Who could ask for anything better?

The story was really cute and I enjoyed watching Hallie fulfil her fantasy of dating her high school crush.

Julian was such a sweetheart and I loved his character development throughout the story.

I loved the family and friend relationships that were present in this story in addition to the romantic relationship between Julian and Hallie. This was a perfect, light, quick romance read.

This review has also been posted on Instagram @holmay_books

In this book we have Julian who is home in Napa writing a book while staying in his childhood home, which happens to be a vineyard. Then we have Hallie who is a fabulous gardener if not a bit unorganised.

I just finished this book and while I enjoyed it, sadly I just didn’t love it. I enjoyed the storyline, especially the first 50% of the book but then it kind of just lost its momentum.

The good.

I thought that Julian had an absolute heart of gold, he loved hard and protected those that he loved. If he wanted to do something he just got stuck in and did it. Hallie was a girl who had loved her grandmother hard, she absolutely adored her and works so hard in their home town to keep her memories alive and to make her proud.

I enjoyed all the hijinks Hallie got up to and thought she could be quite a fun person, especially when her and her best friend Lavinia were up to no good haha.

The bad.

There was so many things that just confused me within the story. I didn’t really connect with Julian and Hallie, I just didn’t see them together, I know opposites attract but they just seemed like chaos. The dirty talk was just weird, I know Tessa is renowned for her spicy sex sciences but it felt weird and not Julian’s character at all, it just didn’t seem to take place in the storyline.

I loved the setting though and thought it sounded such a beautiful little town.

However overall I just didn’t get the feels from the actual story which is sad.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.

Another stunner from Tessa Bailey and already up there with my favourite reads this year so far (she gave me the dual POV I didn't know I needed)

The small town romance aspect gives such cozy vibes ngl especially when u pair that with the cute banter between Hallie and Julian. Sure I laughed at the banter between them but a part of me just began to. Swoon. Immensely. Im sorry but I cannot control that part of me that comes alive at grumpy x sunshine tropes. I think thats why for quite a bit of the book I was like boi just kiss already and let me faint from swooning.

And then on top of that its hurricane meets rigid scheduled routine or more specifically chaotic wild-spirited gardener Hallie and her second chance romance with the professor Julian (currently on a mental health break) who’s been occupying her mind for The. Past. 15. Years. I have no words other than… the dedication.

The only thing I wasn’t too much of a fan of was the secret admirer letter trope intro (it felt unneeded tbh)

Overall I did really love this book and recommend it

Thankyou to Tessa Bailey and HarperCollins and Avon books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

* review posted to instagram & Goodreads *

I wanted to like this more than I did. I really enjoyed the Bellinger Sisters series, and was hoping this would be another favoruite, but it just fell short for me.
There was so much I liked about this book; the 'Grumpy, Sunshine', trope, the love letter storyline, eccentric and bubbly Hallie who was constantly causing trouble, and growth of these characters throughout the book.
But as much as I really liked all these thing, they also fell short for me. I was hoping the love letter storyline would be more involved. I wasn't really able to connect with the characters as much as I wanted to, but only felt brief moment of connection, but I wasn't rooting for the couple to get together as much as I wanted to.
All in all, a good book and enjoyable book, but I was just wanting a bit more.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this as as ARC. This is my honest review.

This is the first Tessa Bailey book I’ve read, and I gotta say I was impressed. Julian is a very by the books guy who schedules his day down to pretty much by the minute. Hallie how ever is the complete opposite, a chaotic girl who very much runs on an attitude of, we will see how the day plans out. The chemistry between these two is out of this world, it certainly kept me on the edge of my seat chanting, just hurry up and kiss. I don’t always particularly like slow burns, but this one managed to keep me interested. I liked that they both had their own flaws and instead of just saying ‘this is what you get, take it or leave it’, not only did they admit it, but they tried to work on it as well. I think that’s why I liked this couple, they went about their relationship in a more mature way, I mean they had a few bumps, don’t get me wrong, but it was quite refreshing to see. I’m so used to seeing childish behaviour from both parties or just an alpha guy telling the girl how it’s gonna be. The spice in this book was pretty darn good too, I mean that kitchen scene, they barely even touched each other and just omg. The Navy Seals Winery and her garden scene, definitely take the cake tho.

“A man didn’t hang his jacket on the back of a woman’s chair unless they were together, and now the room knew—and that satisfied something in Julian he’d never known existed. Mine.”

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

For me, reading Tessa Bailey is either a hit or miss but this was definitely a hit! The only criticism I have about this is that I thought there would be more of a secret admirer thing with the letters but it’s kinda put on the back burner until about halfway through the book. If there’s one thing Tessa can do though it’s grumpy x sunshine and I’m gonna love it everytime.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC to read and review.

A sweet contemporary romance.

📚 dual pov
📚 opposites attract (organised/ sunshine)
📚 second chance encounter

Spice 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️
🗓️ pub 7 Feb 23

Went into this book blind and was won over by its charm.

Hallie is a disorganised and a little chaotic, trying to discover who she is after the passing of her grandmother. Whilst Julian has returned home to his family vineyard to write his novel. His life is completely regimented and is challenged by the flighty blonde who starts landscaping outside his window.

“I don’t think there are two more different people in this whole world”

Bailey does know how to write steamy scenes and delivered here. It is also interesting to see her tackle mental health and anxiety faced by her characters.

I was expecting the secret letters to have played a larger role. Sort of felt like they were mainly used as a crutch to cause conflict that wasn’t really needed.

Unfortunately it does rely a bit on miscommunication to drive the plot along. But there were a number of sweet scenes and loved how protective Julian was of Hallie.

“Who could shout at this…human sunflower? None of my business…but his gut compelled him to so torn and side and stand between her and any sort of negativity. No only watch””. - Julian

But if you’re a fan of IHOS and Hook, alone & Sinker, you should also enjoy this romcom.

A sequel for this is also set for publication later this year. Following Julian’s sister Natalie and can’t wait to read that one.

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon Books for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

“You’re all…tired in knots and full of woe like a T-Bird in love with a Scorpion. grease is my comfort movie. Okay?”

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and HarperCollins Australia for allowing me to read and review this book before release.

Tessa Bailey quickly became one of my favourite authors. Last year I read 14 of her books and Secretly Yours is definitely top 5 for me.
It was the kind of fun and romantic book I was expecting with that grumpy/sunshine trope that Tessa Bailey writes so well.

I love Hallie and Julian together and in the end it really does feel like the complete each other.
I could relate to both main characters in many ways. Julian is the calm and Hallie is the storm and I love it.

A few key elements I loved:
•Anxiety rep
•Hallie is plus-size
•The love letters
•Hallie’s fierce love for her family and friends
•Julian trying to repair the relationship with his mother and sister
•The sexual tension

Secretly Yours was a very fun way for Tessa to kick off a new series of books and I can’t wait to read Natalie’s story.

I will be sharing this review to my Instagram (hellowildflowerrr) and StoryGraph (hellowildflower) accounts in the next week.

Hallie is chaos. She doesn't plan and she doesn't stick to any sort of schedule. Since her grandmother, Rebecca, died Hallie has felt more lost at sea than any other time in her life. Seeing her grandmother's favourite bar threatened by a newcomer has tipped her over the edge.

Julian is the epitome of plans and schedules. You could set your watch by what time he jogs through town each day. After one of his colleagues had a breakdown, Julian has taken a sabbatical and come back to his family's vineyard to write a novel. He has made a plan and a schedule for every moment of the day.

But when Hallie comes back into Julian's life like a whirlwind, the easy go attitude of Hallie has him confused and out of sorts. However, how can Hallie tell a man that she had a crush on him in highschool? Will Julian be able to see past Hallie's relaxed attitude and see a wonderful and loving woman? More than this, can they save 'Corked' and what is going on at the family vineyard?

This story was so wonderful! I laughed, I cried, I had my heart torn out with the angst. Hallie and Julian were so relatable with both characters having different coping mechanisms. The spice was frequent and amazing! Some of the best I have read. Please be aware that an anxiety attack is described in the book.

📖 Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

🏘️ Small town setting
💭 Dual POV
👱🏻‍♀️ Bubbly, creative, sunshiny gardener
👨🏻‍💻 Grumpy, romantic, heart of gold professor
♥️ Second chance romance
💌 Secret admirer letters
☯️ Opposites attract
🍷 Wine country
🔥 Slow burn
🥵 Looots of tension
💬 Cute banter
🌶️ Great spice

Tessa Bailey is hit and miss with me. I’ve only liked a couple of her books and this is one of them! Julian and Hallie are complete opposites. He’s uptight and strictly regimented and she flies by the seat of her pants, acts on a whim and definitely can’t stick to a schedule to save her life. Hallie has had a crush on Julian since high school, and when he comes back to town, she can’t wait to lay eyes on him again.

The tension between these two is off the charts! There’s a nice balance between the two characters getting to know each other and well, how horny they are for each other haha! They also have their own issues to work through - Julian with his anxiety and his fractured family dynamic and Hallie with adding structure to her career and lifestyle. There is a bit of back and forth, but once it’s on, phew! Amazing spice scenes! There’s also the secret admirer element, which did add to the growth of the characters individually and as a couple.

I recommend you give this one a read! Cute but realistic characters, no third act breakup, just these two sorting their shit out and fighting to be together.

Thanks to #NetGalley for this ARC.
This book will be released on Feb 1 (paperback) and Feb 7 (ebook). I think!

**This review has been published on Instagram and Goodreads

4.25

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review a copy of this before release!

Tessa Bailey honesty has so much respect from me, I adore her books so much. I love the pacing, the level of spice and sweet, the happy endings. I also love that we can expect sequels following side characters. The different family and friends dynamics were also such a great addition.

Hallie and Juliens romance honesty had me on the edge of my seat. And while I would have loved a little more drama and intrigue with the letters, I think the gardening and vineyard and secret letter plotlines were all so fresh and fun. I loved that Hallie was described as having curves and a belly, and Julien also. I love how flawed both characters were.

I do wish we got MORE - more angst in the third act, more of the Corked store's revival, more flirtyness and spice. But I feel as though its not a fair compalint as I loved how snappy the book was and how quickly I was able to zoom through it on account of how fun it was.

I am now left wanting to visit a vineyard and wreck havok amongst the rows.

Perfect summery read in my opinion.

ARC Review of Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
* * * * *
An enjoyable steamy romcom read filled with several of all your favourite tropes: a small town romance between a stoic, straight-collared professor and a curvy gardener who is eccentric and all sunshine, with a second chance twist.

Hallie Welch was doing alright in life, happy and loving her home and people. Things only get better when her best friend Lavina tells her Julian Vos is back in town - the man who is still on her mind fifteen years since she was fourteen and dreaming of getting a kiss from the handsome older boy. She wants to get close to him again, and what better plan than to call up his mother and chat about some begonias.
Julian was taking a much needed break. After a colleague's episode got him thinking on his own mental health, he decided to stay with his mother and focus on a little writing. Though that is becoming difficult when the beautiful Hallie begins her work on his mother's garden.
The attraction is undeniable.
The tension is building.
When the secret admirer letters start coming in? Can Julian open up?

A sweet romance that gave off the author's vibe I have read in her other works. I very much enjoyed the set up of our characters and their backstories, and how Hallie and Julian reunited. Had a right giggle at when Julian sees her for the first time...and he doesn't exactly meet her in the eyes!
Unexpected dirty talk from Julian, but not hating it.
I was a little apprehensive with how the letters came but a part of me understands it being beyond just it coming from a secret admirer. Plus it was sweet when Julian made a vow on writing back his own letters to make up for time.

I hadn't heard of this author previously, so wasn't sure what to expect. I had hoped, based on the blurb and cover, that this book would be upbeat and fun, and instead, it fell flat for me.

I couldn't relate to the characters, their motivations and actions were at odds with their personalities, which made them untrustworthy to me as a reader.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.