Secretly Yours

A Novel

By: Tessa Bailey

Narrated by: Callie Dalton

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From Tessa Bailey—#1 New York Times bestselling author, TikTok favorite, and "the Michelangelo of dirty talk" (Entertainment Weekly)—comes a spicy small town rom-com about a grumpy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn...

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family’s winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to Napa Valley, and when Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she'll finally get that smooch. But the starchy professor isn’t the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly.

One wine-fueled girls’ night later, Hallie can’t shake the sense that she did something reckless—and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She’s eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt—and so unbelievably beautiful, he can’t focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past.

Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he’s sucked further into Hallie’s orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian’s grayscale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there’s something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down.

"Tessa Bailey is the queen of rom-coms. Long may she reign!"—Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Merry Little Meet Cute

©2023 Tessa Bailey (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Really good read

The characters were good - the narrative was good. Could have been just a little longer!

Good but not great

I love Tessa Bailey’s other books but this one felt like something was missing throughout. And I do not like how the end conflict was portrayed or resolved. It just seems like it could have been written a little differently. It’s a cute love story though.

Good Read

I enjoyed the characters and storyline . Was a little slow to get started but other that than all good .

Heats up

Slow to start but worth sticking with it. I thought I was on par with some of her other summer beach reads.

A Cute Spring Romance

***4.5 stars***

This was such a perfect springy, Valentine's Day read. While it may not be quite as perfect as "It Happened One Summer", it's pretty close. I adore this romance and has such a fun time reading it. I loved the small town, Napa Valley setting. Wine country will always be a winning setting for me and it really leant itself to the late spring vibes of this book. The plot was deliciously slow, and I loved the buildup of Hallie and Julian's relationship. I also really enjoyed the anxiety representation in this. In my opinion, it was done well and added another layer to the story.

I think the only thing keeping this from being a five-star read for me was the whole secret admirer plot point. It didn't feel necessary to the story at all, especially because Hallie and Julian were coming together without that. It doesn't really add anything to the story and Julian doesn't even really react when he finds out that Hallie was the one sending them.

Overall, this was such a sweet, tender romance. And I can't wait to pick up book two in this new series in June!

Swoon!

This story was so freaking sweet it made my teeth ache! Lol I could not get enough of Julian and Hallie! They were so meant for each other!

After an almost kiss in the vineyard 15 years ago, Hallies crush on Julian Vos has never waned! When she finds out he’s back in town she gets herself a gardening job at the estate where he’s staying. After their first meeting Julian is totally smitten and having not remembered her from 15 years prior, he’s finding ways to keep her around. But of course chaos ensues when Hallie gets it in her head she’s going to write secret admirer letters to the man of her dreams. Only she realizes that he’s not what her imagination has conjured over these past years! He’s so much better and he cannot seem to stay away from her!

Their chemistry was freaking magical! I could not stop reading this book! I feel in love with these two the moment Julian couldn’t stop staring at her boobs. Lol

Would highly recommend this funny and chaotic and romantic story!

Can’t wait for the second book, and I loved that there were already bits and pieces of Natalie and Augusts story in this book! It’s going to be amazing!!!

Loved it!!

I really enjoyed this story. The storyline wasn’t bad. Narration was great, always a fan of Callie Dalton. There were some parts of Julian characters that I didn’t expect but overall it was very good.

Good story

It was good mindless read, I’d say a good palate cleanser for in between a long book series I’m in. But giving it 3 stars for some of the cringey dialogue in some parts.

Good not great

Not a bad book, took me two tries to finish it though. It isn't the most gripping book; more of a lazy summer day read. Its a good write, I just didn't love it nor was I blown away.

I loved both Hallie and Julian for their personality and mental issues. Showing that even when your brain works in a weird way due to trauma or upbringing, you still deserve love AND can navigate it. I respected that she also highlighted that you don't have to change who you are for someone but that when you are with someone, they do tend to rub off on you and that blending can be beautiful.

Something I wasn't happy with- it droned a little. It was a bit more back and forth of the same failing. What I do respect about that though is that it is real. It often takes us humans multiple times of repeating the same mistake before we finally wise up. It just kind of sucked reading it however much it did resonate.

For audio: She did a good job bringing life into the book and was the only reason I finished it. Her voice is a bit high and sounds younger than the character though.

Tessa Bailey does it again!!

I loved this book!! The characters were lovable, the performance was great and the spice was perfect. Can’t wait Tessa’s next adventure.