A review by emilyharmonica
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

emotional lighthearted reflective 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

3.25

(Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

There is so much I love about Tessa Bailey’s writing: her sense of humor, her lovable characters, and (of course) plentiful dirty talk. That said, as much as I enjoyed parts of this book, it wasn’t my favorite of hers.

I’ll start off with the things I liked: the side characters were funny and charming, and their banter with the protagonists was the main source of much-needed comedic relief. The spice was spicy. The dogs were adorable. And the scene where Julian retells Back To the Future at storytime to a bunch of unruly kids was a total hoot.

Compared to other TB books I’ve read, this one is a bit heavier in tone and subject matter, and it seems like it’s trying to do a bit too much all at once. Hallie (FMC) is still in the process of grieving her late grandmother, and Julian (MMC) is coping unhealthily with severe anxiety. It tries to offset these elements with a few classic rom-com shenanigans, but the overall balance was a bit off. I had a really hard time getting into the story, and I found some of the winery/wine shop subplots a bit boring. Add in the secret admirer letters and the whole thing just felt a bit all over the place. I also did not love the third-act conflict, and I reeeally didn’t love how quickly and publicly it was resolved, especially considering the subject matter at hand.

Even though this wasn’t my favorite of Tessa Bailey’s books, I’ll definitely pick up the next book in the series, Unfortunately Yours (which follows Julian’s sister Natalie and ex-Navy SEAL-turned-vintner August, whose early begrudging attraction we caught glimpses of in this book).

Overall rating: 3.25 stars
Spice level: 3/5
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