Rating: 5/5 stars
“Secretly Yours” by Tessa Bailey (“It Happened One Summer”) is the first book in her new duology titled “A Vine Mess.” This book follows the story between Hallie and Julian, two people who could not be more different.
Hallie is struggling to figure out who she is in a world without her grandmother and is a chaotic, impulsive person. She is a gardener who operates on her own schedule, telling people she will be there “soon,” which could mean anywhere between noon and 7 p.m.
Julian is a professor at Stanford who has to schedule every minute of his life. Structure is the only thing that makes him feel in control of his anxiety. He has come home to Napa Valley to write a historical fiction novel, but while he is home, he discovers that his family’s vineyard is struggling.
Hallie has had a crush and slight obsession with Julian since she was 15 years old when they almost kissed at a party. When she is hired to fix up the garden at his family’s guest house, where Julian happens to be staying, she sees an opportunity to see if her infatuation with him could actually lead to something.
However, instead of pursuing Julian like any normal person would, Hallie drunkenly writes him a secret admirer letter. After he writes back, she is torn about whether or not to tell him it is her. She does not want him to think she is even more crazy than he already does, but when their real-life relationship starts to develop more, she is faced with the decision of whether to come clean or not.
Bailey has a talent for writing romance novels that will suck you in right from the first page. Hallie is such a loveable character that it makes it hard to put the book down. Despite her impulsive tendencies, you will be rooting for her in every way.
Julian slowly loosens his strict hold on his life the more time he spends time with Hallie, and seeing his character development is amazing. He starts out seeming like he would be a stuck-up jerk, but he is just as loveable as Hallie. He has relatable issues and Bailey shows him struggling to accept them.
Bailey took a trope that could be seen as cliche and wrote an amazing story out of it. The opposites attract trope could be seen as cheesy, but the way these two characters compliment each other is hilarious.
Bailey also touches on familial trauma and mental health issues in an amazing way. She shows Julian’s family slowly healing after a horrible event that happened four years prior. Julian’s mental health suffered because of his father, and we see him working through it.
This is the perfect book to read if you are looking for a lighthearted romance. The inner dialogue of each character is hilarious and witty and will leave you smiling. It also teases the second book quite a bit.
The second book, “Unfortunately Yours,” will follow Julian’s sister, Natalie, and an ex-Navy SEAL, August, who we are briefly introduced to in the first book. We see a glimpse of Natalie and August arguing, which promises an enemies-to-lovers book next. “Unfortunately Yours” will be out June 6.
Image from Tessa Bailey via Twitter
