Book Review – Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

Title: Twice Shy

Author: Sarah Hogle

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Publication date: April 6th, 2021

320 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Can you find real love when you’ve always got your head in the clouds?

Maybell Parish has always been a dreamer and a hopeless romantic. But living in her own world has long been preferable to dealing with the disappointments of real life. So when Maybell inherits a charming house in the Smokies from her Great-Aunt Violet, she seizes the opportunity to make a fresh start.

Yet when she arrives, it seems her troubles have only just begun. Not only is the house falling apart around her, but she isn’t the only inheritor: she has to share everything with Wesley Koehler, the groundskeeper who’s as grouchy as he is gorgeous—and it turns out he has very different vision for the property’s future.

Convincing the taciturn Wesley to stop avoiding her and compromise is a task more formidable than the other dying wishes Great-Aunt Violet left behind. But when Maybell uncovers something unexpectedly sweet beneath Wesley’s scowls, and as the two slowly begin to let their guard down, they might learn that sometimes the smallest steps outside one’s comfort zone can lead to the greatest rewards.

Review

“I never want anyone to hold me again if they don’t hold me like this.”

Sarah Hogle, Twice Shy

I absolutely loved Sarah’s first book, You Deserve Each Other, so I knew Twice Shy was a book I wanted to read – and it did not disappoint me.

I will say, the beginning to middle is a bit slow, as you get to know Maybell and her life starts to change. The story line didn’t quite go the way I was expecting based on the beginning, but that’s okay! The unexpected is good. The tension between the two was so well written, especially the part where they finally kiss? And what Wesley says??? (You’ll have to read to understand!!!!) My heart *swoon*.

I adored Wesley. Like, talk about a grumpy/sunshine pairing! And the anxiety representation was SO GOOD. It was so fun watching these two start to enjoy each other, especially while they were fixing up Violet’s house and working on it. There is some suspension of belief issues I have – how did they afford to do this? But, it’s a work of fiction! So I don’t hold this against the title at all.

I loved the setting and all of the quirks that the two have. This is one of those books that comes to you at the perfect time and hits you right in the feels – so you give it 5 stars and overlook some of the issues. So, I know not everyone will read this and automatically think “this is a 5 star read”, but again – THAT’S OKAY. This is just my opinion – and I freaking loved it.

Happy reading, folks!