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A review by gracescanlon
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved Julian — he was so well-fleshed-out, believable, and lovable. Hallie, however…annoyed and frustrated me. I know she’s supposed to be “chaotic,” but honestly, her various forms of “chaos,” like her chronic and egregious tardiness, are unbelievably rude, inconsiderate, and unprofessional. She’s also one of the most inconsistent characters I’ve ever read — and not in a realistic, true-to-form, or story-enriching way. Hallie is roughly thirty years old, but she’s so immature that if the author hadn’t disclosed her age early in the novel, I’d have been shocked she was old enough to legally drink.
Compared to a character like Julian, who though he had wrong ideas about himself and needed therapy (nothing to be ashamed of), functioned as a respectful, professional adult, Hallie looked even more immature, rude, and inconsiderate. The disparity in their maturity levels also made their non-physical attraction and compatibility improbable.
Hallie’s friend and her friend’s husband were lovely, funny, and interesting. I wish they’d gotten more “screen time” — the two of them and Natalie (Julian’s sister) were the most intriguing characters besides Julian!
I did greatly appreciate the mid- to plus-sized representation in the book. Specifically, I loved that multiple other characters besides Julian found Hallie attractive. I think my favorite part of this was that although Hallie wasn’t a thin woman, her desirability was a matter of fact to the people around her. Additionally, they never mentioned her weight in relation to her looks, which was delightful and a breath of fresh air. (An aside: Julian saying that the parts of her body she’s insecure about are what turn him on was, to me, sweet as well as sexy.)
Julian’s dirty talk did seem to begin out of nowhere, but I didn’t find it unbelievable for a character like him. After all, he can’t be straight-laced in every way. A person’s got to have some method of blowing off steam — especially one as uptight as Julian! So I thought his using dirty talk in bed was definitely within the realm of possibility. However, his transition from Mr. schedules-jerking-time to filthy-mouthed lover could’ve been more natural and gradual.
Also, I found the whole dirt thing incredibly off-putting. I don’t mean to shame — honestly, it just confused me.
Compared to a character like Julian, who though he had wrong ideas about himself and needed therapy (nothing to be ashamed of), functioned as a respectful, professional adult, Hallie looked even more immature, rude, and inconsiderate. The disparity in their maturity levels also made their non-physical attraction and compatibility improbable.
Hallie’s friend and her friend’s husband were lovely, funny, and interesting. I wish they’d gotten more “screen time” — the two of them and Natalie (Julian’s sister) were the most intriguing characters besides Julian!
I did greatly appreciate the mid- to plus-sized representation in the book. Specifically, I loved that multiple other characters besides Julian found Hallie attractive. I think my favorite part of this was that although Hallie wasn’t a thin woman, her desirability was a matter of fact to the people around her. Additionally, they never mentioned her weight in relation to her looks, which was delightful and a breath of fresh air. (An aside: Julian saying that the parts of her body she’s insecure about are what turn him on was, to me, sweet as well as sexy.)
Julian’s dirty talk did seem to begin out of nowhere, but I didn’t find it unbelievable for a character like him. After all, he can’t be straight-laced in every way. A person’s got to have some method of blowing off steam — especially one as uptight as Julian! So I thought his using dirty talk in bed was definitely within the realm of possibility. However, his transition from Mr. schedules-jerking-time to filthy-mouthed lover could’ve been more natural and gradual.
Also, I found the whole dirt thing incredibly off-putting. I don’t mean to shame — honestly, it just confused me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death