Maybell Parrish has the worst luck in love and in life. Her job is terrible, her boss is mean, and her “best friend” once pretended to be her online boyfriend for two months! Maybell wishes she could be or anything else, but her options are few until she inherits her aunt’s large house out in the county. The catch? She’s actually co-owning it with grumpy, man-of-few-words Wesley Koehler. Wesley thought he was inheriting the house all by himself, so when Maybell shows up he is less than pleased. The two come to a begrudging truce as they start to go through Aunt Violet’s many, many possessions and along the way Maybell starts discovering that she doesn’t need to be the world’s doormat...she can take action for herself! Wesley isn’t all that he appears, either, and soon Maybell realizes that he doesn’t hate her...he has severe social anxiety that makes it hard for him to relate to anyone.

Sweet and funny, this was a delightful read. The author works Maybell’s elaborate daydreams into the story and into Wesley and Maybell’s blossoming relationship in charming ways that would make for an equally delightful movie someday!

If you like this, read the author’s debut novel YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER (or vice versa)!

Advanced copy courtesy of Netgalley and Penguin RandomHouse.

I love loved loved this story. Ya'll get ready to add this book to your TBR pile in April. I am in awe of how much I truly enjoyed this story. I just finished You Deserve Each Other yesterday, and I read Twice Shy in one sitting.


It's hard to truly articulate how much I loved Wesley's character but let me just say the way Sarah Hogle wrote his anxiety and fears made me cry. The ending was one of the realest things I think I've read in a while. Sarah, you are becoming one of my favorite authors!

I wish this book could go on forever. I sunk right into it and it surrounded me with a sense of warmth and love. It was so charming and lovely to read. I loved both main characters, the setting was fantastic, and their story is one I will probably think back on.

I adored the characters. I was all in on Wesley’s anxieties and Maybell’s fantasies, you could just feel the chemistry between them.

I appreciated having a main character with anxiety. We rarely ever get to see something like that in a romance, and I felt that it made Wesley’s character very relatable/real.

I loved Maybell’s sass. Especially when she was wanting to tell her boss off 😂 I know we have all wanted to at some point in life. She is so relatable & hilarious.

I also loved that it was based in Pigeon Forge, TN/The Smokies. I visit there quite a bit, & it definitely helped paint a picture in my head while reading.

This is such a sweet quirky romance read that I just couldn’t put down! I am 100% certain this book will be in my top 5 fave romances of 2021.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars

Maybell inherits a house from her great-aunt in Smokies and quits her job to move there. On reaching, she finds out that she is not the sole owner but will need to share ownership of this house with another guy, Wesley who was taking care of her aunt. It falls under classic grump and sunshine trope along with forced proximity. They stay together to make something out of the mansion and fall for each other.

I liked the way the author introduces the readers to each layer of Wesley’s personality as at first it made me wonder if he would be likable but at the end, I liked his character so much more than Maybell. Though I don’t have that kind of social anxiety, I can understand how it would be, how people with extreme social anxiety might behave. It was nice that Maybell totally made him comfortable without making him feel even slightly guilty. The humor that came up with Maybell’s presence itself was enjoyable and all her whimsical thoughts were fun though a bit weird. Most importantly, as a fan of Smokies, the place and the hike sounded lovely!

Maybell Parish, a dreamer and a hopeless romantic, inherits a charming house in the Smokies from her Great-Aunt Violet. Seizing the opportunity to make a fresh start, she moves out of her shared apartment and quits her job before discovering it seems her troubles have only just begun. When she arrives at her newly inherited home that is in the brink of collapsing, she is informed that she isn't the only inheritor. She has to share everything with Wesley Koehler, the groundskeeper who's as grouchy and as it turns out he has a 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. As renovations begin to restore the home, Maybell uncovers something unexpectedly sweet beneath Wesley's scowls and cold-shoulders—leading readers in a heartwarming tale about two strangers that find love where they least expected. Love that had me wanting more, more, and more of this sweet romance!

Shortly after putting this highly anticipated release down (with a show of hands, who else has been waiting for this since 2020?) and devouring it in one sitting (not the first and surely not the last with this author), I had to take a moment to gather myself… because this was absolutely phenomenal. Sarah Hogle is hands down the new queen of romance! She has me 2 for 2, 5 star ratings!

Oh my goodness!

‘Twice Shy’ was perfect.

It’s the only word to describe how she was able to bring these characters to life with the romance, storyline, humor, and real life issues (death, anxiety, etc). This slow burn romance hit me right in the feels! And the characters were incredible—so what’s not to love?

One hand we have Maybell—epic one-liners, hopeless romantic that more often than not daydream of being swept off her feet by ‘Jack’ in her AU where she owns a cute retro coffee shop. Then the other, Wesley—brooding, grumpy, grouchy loner who has an unexpected soft side to him. He’s so book boyfriend material. Wesley was adorable and I couldn’t help but want to hold him when he got shy, flustered, and struggled with his social anxiety. Seriously as the story progressed, I fell more in love with the main characters. They’re so charming, real, raw and I simply couldn’t get enough.

Honestly I never have much success with authors follow up novels. There is always a major flaw that makes them fall flat and I didn’t think it was possible for the author to top ‘You Deserve Each Other’ but ‘Twice Shy’ pars for sure.

‘Twice Shy’ is perfect for fans of “The Hating Game’, ‘You Deserve Each Other’ and ‘Shortcake’, especially for readers who are looking for opposites attract romance, laugh out moments, amazing characters with a decent plot that glues everything together.

📖 "Twice Shy" by @sarah_hogle will be released on APRIL 6, 2021!

⚠️ CW: disassociation, severe social anxiety, claustrophobia, death of a loved one, catfishing, bullying

👏🏻 This book is a classic case of not judging someone based on first impressions and that everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about.

🍩 Maybell Parrish lives in a world created entirely by her need to protect herself against the bad hands that life has often dealt her.. in other words, she lives her life in a constant daydream state and often does her best to just blend in and not stand up for herself.. that is until her Aunt Violet dies and leaves her estate to her. Without giving it much thought, she leaves everything behind and heads to the house she had not stepped foot in since she was a young girl, only to find out that her Aunt had left half the estate to the groundskeeper Wesley and that the one place she had always thought of as perfect had now turned into a complete and utter disaster.
🥗 Wesley Koehler is the definition of the strong and silent type. He hides more than he lets on.. and has plans to turn the estate into an animal sanctuary, no matter what Maybell says or does.

(SLIGHT SPOILER!!)
✅ WESLEY - at first I struggled desperately wanting to know more about this brooding character, wishing we could hear his side and read his thoughts as well but then as the layers of this adorably sweet, caring, patient and selfless character starts getting peeled, we start to understand why we weren't privy to that because it adds to the complexity of his person.
✅ I loved that throughout the novel, the author not once made these characters "fixable" - she let them be free to be who they were while learning to live somewhat confidently and comfortably despite of their perceived shortcomings.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A ETL trope that will make you want to give these characters a tight hug. Seriously.. this book is more than just a contemporary romance. It's the struggle, the learning and the acceptance that makes this a 5star read.

First of all I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. I have 100% fallen in love with Sarah Hogle and she has made her way in the rom-com scene! This book was perfect! Maybell has a lot on her plate and things don't go as planned but the chemistry she finds is so good! Add this to your summer lists ASAP!

Something about this book just felt off for me. From start to finish, it just didn't grab my attention. I loved Hogle's first book but this one just didn't give me the hyped up fun reading her debut novel did. I think my biggest beef with this one was that I really didn't connect/like either of the main characters. I didn't feel any spark or heat from their connection.

While this one wasn't a winner for me -- and this is all me (maybe this wasn't the right time for me to read this book), I still plan on lovin' Sarah Hogle's writing and will continue to read and support her!

Sarah Hogle did it again. I am just so happy to know that books like this exist. A book that makes you want to abandon everything else you're doing, stay in bed all day and bask in the moment. I adored Hogle's debut novel 'You Deserve Each Other', and I think I loved Twice Shy even more. We follow Maybell Parrish, a certified hopeless romantic, as she discovers that she's the inheritor of her great-aunt Violet's beautiful manor. And what good timing it is, to finally have a reason to quit her job (which she hates) and leave all her annoying colleagues behind. She drives back to her old town, ready to claim what is now hers, only to find out that she's not the only inheritor. She has to share the house with Wesley Koehler, her great-aunt Violet's grumpy groundskeeper.

I honestly can't formulate how special, how sweet and soft this story is. It has that slow-burn romance that I love so much, and the hilarious banter that I never want to end. And it has such a great social anxiety rep too! Definitely a book that would make you realize how life can be so cruel but that doesn't mean it'd stay that way, and how love makes a fool of us all but we embrace it regardless and learn the lines we draw around ourselves and our relationships. I can't wait for people to fall in love with this sunshine of a book! Out on April 6th!

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam for the arc!

I've heard of the curse of the "sophomore book" but Sarah Hogle has managed to exceed all expectations. Twice Shy is, without doubt, one of the best romance novels I've ever read. Hogle has such a distinct voice, and her sense of whimsy is on full display here. Maybell and Wesley's relationship blooms beautifully, and it was heartening to see some social anxiety representation here. I can't wait to have a physical copy of this book and purchase copies for my library.

This sweetly charming novel about two social misfits finding each other while coming to terms with their own imperfections is an unusual romance.
Maybell Parrish is struggling in her job at a resort. Given the title of events coordinator, she is in fact a housekeeper and putter out of fires whose ideas for events are squashed at every turn by the hotel owner. Lacking a sense of purpose and even of self, Maybell lives mainly in her imagination, an Alternate Universe in which she runs a café and meets all sorts of interesting people whom she charms with her talent and wit. Learning that a great aunt whom she hasn’t seen since childhood has left her a boarding house/hotel in the Appalachians, she travels there to find that her co-heir is a taciturn groundskeeper with his own crippling psychological disabilities who dreams of making the property into an animal sanctuary.
The novel explores the themes of social anxiety, claustrophobia, lack of self-acceptance, and other debilitating psychological conditions. The main characters are imperfect individuals who manage to find friendship and finally love with each other despite their fears and flaws. Maybell and Wesley stumble forward on their journey to each other with a lot of humor yet with believable emotion as they battle through to their happy ending. I especially enjoyed the scenes depicting Maybell’s imaginary world, which are a touch surreal and very visual—this would make a great rom-com movie. Twice Shy is an enjoyable read with some serious points to make. I recommend it for readers who enjoy unusual characters, a different sort of romance, and the triumph of the underdog in a dog-eat-dog world.

Maybell Parish has spent her whole life working at a water park in the Smoky Mountain area. She hates her job and the people she works with. Imagine her surprise when she gets a call that her Great Aunt Violet has passed away and she has inherited Violet’s estate. Maybell walks away from her job and her coworkers without a wayward glance. When she arrives, she finds out that she is actually the co-owner of the mansion. The other half belongs to a dashing groundskeeper, Wesley Koehler. Not only that, but the place has been left in complete disarray. Can Maybell and Wesley agree on what to do with the estate? Will they get along as they try to transform their newly gifted property into something worthwhile?

This book was written by the author of You Deserve Eachother. I really enjoyed her debut novel so I was excited to give this one a try!

First off, I really liked Wesley. He was so sweet and romantic. The gestures he made for Maybell were completely swoon-worthy. However, I had a really hard time liking Maybell. I think it was because she lived with her head so high up in the clouds. As an accountant, this was a difficult place to fathom a character living 😂🤓

The storyline was a bit all over the place. I think that matched the pace of the main character living with her head up in the clouds though. It covered cleaning out the estate, going treasure hunting, searching for the Loch Ness monster, painting murals, creating animal sanctuaries, and making homemade donuts.

If you’re looking for a book to help you escape reality for a bit, this is the book for you. Grab your copy on April 6!

Maybell has an active imagination which helps her cope with her life, including her prickly relationship with her mother and being disregarded at work. However, she has just discovered she's been betrayed by someone she thought her friend and then is contacted that her aunt has died and left Maybell her estate. She walks off her job and heads for her aunt's place. Maybell feels bad that in recent years she has neglected her aunt and has wonderful memories of spending part of of her childhood there. Upon arrival she is surprised that her aunt has left half the estate to her groundskeeper, Wesley and what poor health her aunt had been in. Maybell and Wesley's contrasting dreams of what they want to do has them adversarial at first, but eventually they learn to compromise. Having both characters suffer anxiety and have panic attacks and have them help each other through art and imagination was a nice part of the romance.

This book absolutely killed me and I am an ooey gooey puddle on the floor. Absolutely adorable, I will be buying my own copy because I know I'm going to want to reread it. 100,000 stars and a million thumbs up.

Oh boy, did I love Twice Shy! I love love loved Sarah Hogle's You Deserve Each Other so much, that I thought "she can't do it again!". She did. This was so much fun, and I loved Maybell and Wesley. Maybell's introduction sets the stage for how this entire book will play out. She's too sweet and extremely unassertive, but you just love her.

This was such a cute book! I really loved that it was the male character that suffered from anxiety and I think the author dealt with it in a realistic way. Let me just add, the camping scene! *Squeeeee*

Oh my gosh!! How adorable was this book??? I absolutely love Wesley and how caring he was. And Maybell was such a unique character. I absolutely loved it. The writing was fast paced and the story was just the perfect amount of slow-burn. The way the two characters learn about each other and get to know one another is fantastic, and I absolutely could not stop smiling during the “hide and seek” scene. It was one of my favorites. Would absolutely recommend!!

Sweet, unassertive and daydreamer Maybell inherits her great aunt's falling apart estate. Unfortunately, she is a co-inheritor with grumpy, groundskeeper Wesley They must work together and overcome their shyness and learn to fall in love with both each other and themselves.

At the beginning of this book, I wasn't sure that I'd love it. I was maybe the teensiest big annoyed at Maybell--walking out of her job with only the vaguest plan of what to do next gave me such anxiety, and honestly, there were times when Maybell's Cafe AU sort of took me out of it. Not sure if it was just the way we transitioned into those scenes, or if the content just seemed a little juvenile at times, but regardless of how I felt at the beginning, the payoff was worth it when she and Wesley finally start to trust each other. Wesley was a delight from start to finish--a gentle, anxious, maybe brooding vegetarian gamekeeper who wants to run an animal sanctuary? What more could I possibly want? I would have loved (LOVED!) more steam, and I the lack of epilogue is a real bummer, but the last 60 percent of this book was really a delight. I appreciated that any misunderstandings/conflict between the characters happened at the beginning, and we didn't have to deal with unnecessary drama for drama's sake.