Secretly Yours: A Novel (Vine Mess Book 1)

I managed to put this down and sleep - but it was a very near thing - I could have just kept reading and reading. I loved this book - although I am male, 75 and British - some books just bridge everything.

It was okay. Took me longer than usual to get through just because I thought 💭 there was no real plot, it was kinda just a girl 👧 falling in love 🥰 with a boy 👦 then boy 👦 realising he loves her back… quite cliché. It was very slow and I didn’t like the miscommunication trope. I will not be reading 📖 the second book 📚 in this series mainly because this one was kinda crap…

This book was a bit unrealistic and the plot was a bit crazy. I think the major issue for me in this book was that realistically he wouldn’t have written it back and would probably have called the police or just thrown the letters out instead.The characters were really well written and I genuinely enjoyed getting to know them in so much depth. Learning about their lives and their struggles. The issues that the characters have and that they have been through were so realistic and emotional that it made the whole book so much more realistic and enjoyable.The story line was so funny and cute, if a bit unconventional at times, which also made it so much more unique. It was such an easy book to read and enjoy, not one of my favourite tropes but I still thought it was done really well.Really liked the fact that he had been her childhood crush and she had held every man up to his standard for her whole life and that they ended up together. That hole concept I found really sweet and it was so nice to seeI felt like Julian was such a good character and he was written and conveyed so well throughout this book and even though he didn’t change much in this book I think that his character development was beautiful. You got to see him come through the other side of something he had been struggling with for the majority of his life, and though he didn’t completely leave it behind, it was so good to see him starting to take the steps towards that

Ah Tessa Bailey at her finest! This was truly a return to form with quirky, complicated characters and wonderful best friends. A completely brilliant sight for sore eyes!Truly hoping the next book is Natalie’s as I need to know what happened to her.

I'm sorry, this is not for me.

I would say for Tessa Bailey this definitely counts as a slow burn, but I'm not mad about it because this story had me literally on the edge of my seat waiting for the trademark TB spice ( and it didn't disappoint)At the age of 29 Hallie is unfocused, unreliable and drifting through life. And when she finds out her crush of 15 years, Julian is returning to town she can't resist trying to get closer to him.Julien is the complete opposite to Hallie - he's regimented, painfully organised and not a minute of his time is unscheduled but he's drawn to the chaotic Hallie. And even though he knows they would be terrible together he can't help but open up to Hallie in a way he hasn't with anyone else.Set against a backdrop of Juliens family vineyard in napa this pair have really lovely growth as they navigate their own issues with grief, anxiety, panic attacks, family drama and their own flaws.I got so swept up in this book that I read it in a day and absolutely adored the characters - I can't wait for Natalie & Austen's story in June.

I love Tessa, but this is just terrible.

Another perfect escapism for my holiday read by Tessa. Emotionally raw & totally romantic. Loved the plot, every 'draw-you-in' word & how this story unfolded just like one of Hallie's flowers.

The book itself was very enjoyable to read, I loved the characters but some of them definitely have a odd quality to them

Un cadre bien choisi, deux personnages attachants avec leurs failles et leurs espérances....Mais de vraies faiblesses dans la narration et la structure qui diminuent la fluidité de lecture, des invraissemblances et des longueurs aussi qui donnent envie de passer certaines pages.

Loved it. Such a unique book with a very special cast of ppl. It was sweet and innocent but also scorching hot. A beautiful array of thoughts and such cute language. Oh my. I really, really liked it.

Typiskt Tessa Bailey bok. Läs!

*SPOILER ALERT*I love a steamy scene (and these ones are hot) but I just don’t think they feel realistic and kept popping up when I thought there was going to be some deeper character development. It bugged me that the main character just allowed the love interest to pretty much do whatever he wanted to her and she was sort of just…there. And a virgin? It just didn’t feel right.I was so excited to read this but unfortunately I’m struggling to keep reading until the end.