Night and day have more in common than Julian and Hallie. For Hallie, life has been a whirlwind adventure of different places, different roles, and different people. She doesn’t know the meaning of the words structure, anchored, and predictable – at least not without her late grandmother’s help and guidance. For Julian, time and a stringent schedule is a way of life, a way of surviving. Without the knowledge of how every minute is dictated, the phantom of anxiety lurks, waiting to take hold of him yet again. To keep it at bay, he has to avoid chaos at all cost, until the chaos is a beautiful blonde gardener whose smile could give the sun’s rays a run for their money. Little does he know this “chance” encounter has been a dream in the making for the past fourteen years. Having realized her high school crush was back in town, Hallie is prepared to do what it takes to pick up where they left off.

What I liked about it: Bailey’s characters are always such a work of care, duty, and dedication and this book is no exception. Hallie’s inner monologue kept me in stitches! Her personality was so energetic on paper that you couldn’t help but feel good and smile when she interacted with people. She didn’t change for Julian, she accepted her faults, looked inward, and tried to find out the “why” of what she does, unlocking who she is. Julian did the opposite, convincing himself that he could control his evolution and demand change, not realizing that it isn’t something that you can just summon without doing the work and finding the source. Natalie being instrumental to that revolution, amidst her own struggles, made her such an intricate piece of the story (so excited to read her story next!)

What I love about it: So much praise to how Bailey handled the topic of anxiety! I loved that she didn’t romanticize it. Julian didn’t have this debilitating thing that was cured by “the power of love”. She shows the big, the bad, and the ugly that doesn’t play favorites and takes no prisoners. The way she wrote how he came to terms with the “why” WITH the understanding that professional intervention was a must was sheer perfection.

As far as the spicy level of the story,  come on – this is Tessa Bailey! That’s like asking if the sun is hot or if a wheel is round! Her method of creating the most sensational scenes never ceases to amaze me. Got a couple of questions about Julian’s things with knees though! Just saying…but to each their own!

Back to the heart of the book – experiencing Julian’s episode from beginning to end was gut wrenching. We got tidbits through the story about what happened but to relive it with him, to watch him feel so helpless, to see him come out of it and not even know how long he was “gone”, I was speechless.

There is not secret (couldn’t resist) how much readers will love this book! A sweet treat of hope that only unrequited love can give, sprinkled with a second chance encounter, and a gooey center of grumpy vs sunshine will leave you wanting more (with good news that book #2 – Unfortunately Yours – drops June 6, 2023!)