This was an absolute delight. Maybell Parish gave me Lucy Hutton vibes in all the best ways and I was giggling and swooning from start to finish. If you're looking for something to kick a reading slump (ahem, guilty) or if you just want a fun, romantic book to sweep you off your feet this summer: look no further. This was SO, SO good.

CW: catfishing, death of a loved one, severe social anxiety/panic attacks

After reading Sarah Hogle’s debut, You Deserve Each Other, I knew I had to request Twice Shy. I was a little nervous because I loved Hogle’s debut soooo much; one of my top 2020 reads.

I went in super invested with Maybell and Wesley but after a while it just went stagnant. Maybell was super quirky! This is definitely one of my favorite characteristics of Hogle’s writing. However, at times it was difficult to tell when Maybell was dreaming vs. reality. Oddly enough though, I loved her day dreams.

Maybell and Wesley, were C U T E. Their “adult teenage crushes” were adorable!! I loved that they were exactly what they needed. I can’t help but wonder if her Aunt Violet set them up on purpose.

Unfortunately, this sophomore read just didn’t do it for me. I think I am just the unpopular opinion here, but overall a cute sweet read. I think most people will genuinely enjoy it. It’s definitely one of those nice meet cute/enemies-to-lovers stories.

Twice Shy is quiet and slowly paced and sweet as honey. Wesley is a grumpy, pragmatic loner with terrible social anxiety. Maybell is a dreamer, always fantasizing about the romantic dream life she longs for while, in real life, she is incapable of standing up for herself and what she wants.

This odd couple is thrown together when they are bequeathed, 50/50, the estate, house, and land of Maybell's great aunt. Isolated in the Victorian mansion as they clean and renovate, surrounded by acres of rolling land, Wesley and Maybell initially butt heads, then find common ground, then start connect, first as friends, then as more. Their relationship is swoony sunshine.

I do think the story is a bit slow and lacking in actual plot. As I read, I could see the author's plotting at work (I'll throw in a scavenger hunt! And now I'll do a fated butt-dial!). But I ate this book up and powered through in less than 48 hours. So I'm very happy I read it and I look forward to Sarah Hogle's next book.

A sweet read about letting your confidence shine, even when sometimes all you need is the right person--or any person--on your side, with an even sweeter slow-burn mutual-annoyances-to-lovers romance.

Maybell Parish hasn’t seen or spoken to her Great Aunt Violet in years, but when she’s contacted and told that Violet has passed and left her house to Maybell, she drops everything. That is only to arrive and learn that she was not the sole inheritor of the house. Wesley Koehler has been taking care of the grounds and Great Aunt Violet for a while now. When Great Aunt Violet passed, he had clear plans for what he wanted to do with the house and grounds. But it was spoiled when he learned that he has to share the place with Maybell. As they begin to clear out and renovate the house together, they slowly let their guards down, get to know each other, go on an adventure, and step out of their comfort zones.
This book was. So. Sweet. It is incredibly well written and flows so that you never want to set it down or take a break. The characters are both delightful and relatable, making it incredibly easy to connect to the book. I really, really enjoyed everything about this book, from the slow burn to the cinnamon roll hero to the VERY swoony romance.

This book had a mix of things that really charmed me and some things that really bugged me. I was charmed by the rich daydream life of Maybell and I genuinely enjoyed the time spent in it. I also enjoyed imagining this decrepit house coming back to life and the wild jumble of stuff that was in it. Maybell herself was strange to me--she read much younger than 30 to me, and the whole time I'm reading, I'm like, where are her people? Why does her decision making strains credulity? I also am consistently frustrated with books that have a male love interest who tends to be more bottled up AND we never get his POV. I just never feel like I get to know him well. There are other aspects of this book that I know work for people that don't work for me--the slowness of the burn combined with a lack of...urgency? passion? renders it a little flat for me. That said, its charms did carry me through.

The way this book starts, my heart just breaks for Maybell. It’s terrible how she is treated and her circumstances. Initially, the part that I didn’t like was her zoning out on the dream scenarios. It took me out of this beautifully written story and plot line into something that made no sense to the actual story. As the story progresses, it kind of ties in into the story and gave some of the sweetest scenes with Maybell and Wesley. I loved sweet Maybell and grouchy but secretly adorable Wesley and fell in love with this story. I definitely recommend this book.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

This was charming, very cute and funny.

Maybell is a dreamer and very idealistic, she is working in a toxic place and her way to survive is dreaming, she daydreams about her own coffee shop and her perfect boyfriend (just like a romantic comedy).

When her aunt Violet dies, and she inherits the mansion, she decides to resign and go home, but oh surprise surprise, she is not the only owner of the house, the other beneficiary is Wesley, the landscaper and friend of her grandmother.

Both are taken by surprise by the presence of the other, they could not be more different, Maybell wants to turn the house into a hotel, Wesley into a sanctuary for animals.

I adore Maybell and Wesley. I can relate with both, especially Wesley. He looks serious and apathetic, It seems that he can't stand her, when she enters a room he leaves, but it is because he suffers from social anxiety and his case is quite severe.

Maybell has her own insecurities, she is chatty and very active, she loves to fill the silence with noise, unlike Wesley.

They both want to remodel the house, return it to its former splendor, they clean all day and reach a kind of truce and the more they know each other the more they like each other.

Its slow burn, fun and adorable, the house remodeling scenes were very entertaining, it is an old house with its secret passages and a hidden treasure! So fun.

If you want something light, cute, a little cheesy, with no drama, this is perfect

Sarah Hogle cemented herself as one of my favorite romance authors with her debut novel. It brought me such joy, and I will admit, having read from her Twitter that this was a different type of book, I wondered whether it would live up to my expectations.

There are books that you feel not only in your heart and head, but those that hit your soul and your gut. The ones that make you ache, not only because the characters are going through something you can relate to, but because their experiences are so poignantly, lovingly portrayed. "Twice Shy" is one of those books.

The concept is so simple: Maybell isn't happy. She's working a job she doesn't like and is surrounded by people who are casually cruel to her. When she finds out she inherited her grandmother's sprawling estate, she takes the chance to return to the only place she felt safe and loved as a child and the opportunity to start leading the life she has always wanted to. But there's a few catches: her grandmother also left the property to her caretaker, the gruff Wesley, and the place is a massive hoard in need of serious repairs.

The first 30% of the book, I wanted to pluck Maybell from the terrible water park she worked at and wrap her up in a hug. I wanted to shout at her awful co-worker who hurt and betrayed her. I wanted to tell her that she was worthy. When she arrives at her grandmother's property, and Wesley is a remote grump, I wanted to tell her that she didn't have to put up with his silly male nonsense. That her hopes were valid.

Then, god, then as the pair clear out the decades of hoarded stuff, Sarah Hogle lets us see the man behind all the frowns and grunts, and Wesley reveals himself as a cinnamon roll who loves animals and nature. You see what a kind, caring soul he is. Maybell's romantic, indomitable spirit, full of quiet, quirky strength, is the perfect foil for all the shyness inside Wesley.

Even writing this, my throat is getting clogged and that ache in my chest is returning, because this book is a beautiful, tender creation that reached into my heart and squeezed. I cannot fully express how quietly happy reading this made me, how much Maybell and Wesley came to mean to me. Not every great book shouts its profundity with overwrought, complicated prose; some, like "Twice Shy" communicate it through simple moments, intimate gestures and whimsy.

I love this book to the bottom of my soul, and I am genuinely, joyously happy to have had the pleasure and privilege to have read it.

Welp, my heart just exploded because that was the cutest thing I’ve ever read. I think in the hands of another writer I would’ve found it too cheesy, but this just worked for me and I could not stop smiling/reading!! I’m officially in love with Sarah Hogle’s books.

Brb. Currently swooning over Wesley.
After reading Sarah Hogle’s debut, You Deserve Each Other, I was stoked to read Twice Shy. Although I didn’t see many similarities in the writing styles between the 2 books, it still worked. What I missed in Hogle’s hilarious humor, she made up for in swoon and depth. Wesley and Maybell are complex creatures with so much wisdom to share and a desire to be heard. I closed the book feeling educated. Thank you to NetGalley and G. P. Putnums Sons for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

You Deserve Each Other was one of my favorite romances last year, so I automatically knew that I wanted to read Twice Shy. While Hogle's latest wasn't as good as her first novel, I still found it to be incredibly cute and enjoyable.

Maybell Parish hates her dead-end job. She's a hotel event planner that doesn't get to plan events. Always told no by her supervisor and forced to be friends with the boss's nice-to-your-face-but-otherwise-bitchy daughter, Maybell grasps at the opportunity to escape when she inherits her Great-Aunt Violet's old mansion. The catch - she's not the only inheritor. The property belongs equally to Wesley Koehler, Voilet's groundskeeper, and he has a very different vision for it. As they clean up the house and work their way through a list of Violet's final requests (which include a treasure hunt and movie night, among other things), Maybell and Wesley slowly begin to open up their hearts to a future that blends both their dreams.

Hogle's characters always come off as authentic to me, and Maybell and Wesley are no different. From Maybell's daydreams and frustrations with work to Wesley's reticence and relationship with his family, I think we can all find something to relate to. The plot, however, felt disjointed. There were threads that got dropped and new ones that appeared, with no real resolution in some cases. Things that seemed important didn't necessarily have the payoff that I was expecting. Overall, I just needed a little more consistency and focus when it came to the plot.

Maybell has a pretty dismal life. She works at a resort as the Event Coordinator but isn’t allowed to plan any events. Her coworker, Gemma, pretends to be her friend when she is actually a selfish, manipulative jerk. Her mother is a complete nightmare! The only way Maybell is able to cope with the situation is by daydreaming about the AU cafe and finding love there with Jack, the man of her dreams. When Maybell is contacted that her aunt Violet has passed away and left her estate to her. The summer she spent at the estate with her Aunt and uncle was the best memory from her childhood. Maybell decides this is a sign and packs up her belongings and leaves without a second thought. Upon arriving at the estate she discovers that that it is pretty run down, her aunt was a hoarder and she must share the estate with the grumpy groundskeeper, Wesley who is in fact Jack, the man of her dreams. Both of them have different ideas of what the estate should be. Now they have to figure out how to share this estate and learn to communicate with each other.

This is a very sweet story. Almost a little too sweet for me. I love contemporary romances, this was just not my favorite but I did enjoy it. It is definitely worth reading especially if you enjoy a sweet romance.

Okay so I have mixed feelings about this book! I went in loving the premise and I really resonated with the characters, but as I got deeper in I just wasn't drawn in anymore. The character development was rough and the pacing was really slow. I would still recommend though! Maybe someone else will enjoy it.

I do have to admit that I did sometimes struggled to read this book. I kept finding myself thinking is this a YA and then remember no they are 30 years old. With that said , I do have to say that I did enjoy how the author expressed how someone who struggles with social anxiety. I'm glad that I did finish this book.

3.5 rating

This was a sweet story of Maybell who inherits a property with..... a surprise co-inheritor! I enjoyed Maybell and Wesley's dynamic and it was fun to see how they navigated situations with the property together. Some of the pacings felt a bit off - it started and ended on really strong notes but the middle felt like it dragged on. I really loved Wesley as a character but unfortunately did not really connect with Maybell. There were just some things that annoyed me about her. I definitely would recommend this look if you enjoy renovation and enemies-to-lovers storylines. Overall, a decent read.

Twice Shy was and absolute favorite of mine! Talk about winning my heart! This book did it!
I'm seeing all over Goodreads her first novel..... And the brave about that one! Now I'm on Amazon!
Back.to TS! I loved Maybell's character. She is sweet, cute, She is so unique. And I just love it!
This book made me smile and laugh and swoon over the romance here!
Y'all have to get this one!

Maybell is a dreamer and total people pleaser. Working at the same vacation resort her whole career as a housekeeper, she is finally promoted to events planner, but no one will listen to her ideas. When her heart aunt dies and leaves her estate to Maybell, she decides she's done with her job. She quits and decides to move in to her aunt's house. Two very large and complicated problems stand in her way when she arrives: the house is unlivable and in need of major repairs, and also there is another person on the will to co-own the property. The very grumpy and standoffish Wesley. If they're ever going to compromise and make the property fit each of their dreams, they have to work together.
These characters were very relatable for me. I'm a people pleaser like Maybell and can't stand to have anyone mad at me. And my social anxiety isn't as crippling as Wesley's but I have had some of the same reactions in crowded places or with new people. This romance was just so sweet.
I received a free advanced reader copy through NetGalley. This review is completely voluntary.

This was such a cute, heartwarming novel, it surprised me. I expected more sadness but was rewarded with light, witty banter mixed in with some serious life altering moments. This is probably one of my favorites of the year. A grumpy hero, mistaken identities, a heroine with too many goals but lots of willpower. Maybell has always had a bad hand dealt to her but she still always rolls with the punches. The definition of an underdog, she’s just waiting for a chance to finally live life on her own terms and then it finally happens. In the form of an old aunt, a will and a dilapidated mansion, Maybell may just have found what she’s always been looking for. That’s if Wesley doesn’t stand in her way, the groundskeeper who has also inherited the mansion. As they navigate the mansion, a hoarder’s dream, they learn how to navigate each other and this slow burn of a novel introduces a romance that will dig right into your soul and never let go.

Twice Shy is the highly-anticipated sophomore novel from Sarah Hogle, who broke through with the critically acclaimed You Deserve Each Other last year. While many authors get mixed reviews on their second books, if anything, Twice Shy is receiving a better reception than its predecessor. I agree with public opinion, if anything, I like Twice Shy even more and found it to be a pleasure to read.


Maybell is pretty much stuck in her life, she has only recently been promoted at her hospitality job, but has not been allowed to do anything with her new responsibilities. She has a work frenemy she can barely tolerate, so when news of a surprising inheritance comes her way, Maybell wastes no time getting out of dodge.

Maybell’s beloved but distant Great-Aunt Violet has willed her crumbling mansion to our heroine, but there’s a catch: Maybell has to share the lot with grumpy, gorgeous groundskeeper Wesley. Not only is she required to share the decrepit, broke estate with a stranger, this stranger has a different vision than Maybell for the property.

As the two begin to clean out the huge house, Maybell and Wesley go from uncomfortable friction to a different kind of awareness, one that could mean trouble. Maybell has strong boundaries for a reason: her bad track record with men and difficult upbringing make her cautious of any handsome guy who happens to cross her path, or in this case, be thrown into it. It doesn’t help that Maybell has a history with Wesley, one he doesn’t even know about.

I adored this book, it works on a lot of levels. I love Hogle’s penchant for working-class heroines and emotional heroes. I think we also see a lot of Maybell’s trauma without being hit over the head with it, and I think Wesley’s mental health struggles are dealt with in a really amazing way. My only critique of that would have been having a “he got therapy and maybe medication” epilogue, because I don’t think we see enough of that. Contrary to popular belief, loving and trusting someone does not fix anxiety disorders! I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the representation and I did really love Wesley and empathize with him, so that’s just a small issue for me.

I would definitely recommend Twice Shy to any fan of You Deserve Each Other, it’s really different but the emotional resonance, complex characters and strong writing cary over. I can’t wait to see what Hogle does next!