Twice Shy

By: Sarah Hogle

Narrated by: Dorothy Dillingham Blue

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

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 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 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. 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.

©2021 Sarah Hogle (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The perfect springtime romance.” (PopSugar)

"Excellent.... [An] endearing take on the enemies-to-lovers trope.... Readers are sure to be enchanted by this couple and their deeply felt struggle to open their hearts.” (Publishers Weekly, starred)

“If fixer-upper fantasies are your thing, don't miss Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle.... Maybell's voice and point of view make the story funny, engaging and enchanting.” (NPR)

Great romantic story

Wholesome and adorable. Could benefit from male point of view. Enjoyed the read, narrator was good.

Almost gave up…

In the beginning I wasn’t feeling the book but I’m glad I kept going. I loved this story. It’s so cute and had me laughing out loud.

Just what I needed

Light, smart, funny, wonderfully written, beautifully and adorably read aloud different kind of love story that was the perfect get away. AKA: just what I needed!

Sweet , Swoony

The narrator was fantastic! She did a very good job. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book for the first 1/3, May Bell's active imagination was cute in the beginning but then became off putting. By the mid point of the book I was hooked. Wesley is a great grumpy but secretly cinnamon roll hero, responsible for some sweet swoony moments. I really liked the ending as well- though I wasn't certain if it was real or imagined Anxiety rep was appreciated and I loved that it was set in Pigeon Forge TN near my home.

Love love!

I really loved this book. Quirky, endearing and loved the characters love connection (my fave!!) And I’m not really sure what the haters are talking about so just ignore. I devoured “you deserve eachother” in a day and couldn’t get enough of Sarah hogles writing! I read tons of books and it’s not often that I get sucked into the writing style AND storyline and characters. This book is pretty pg13 but even though I’m used to more steam, I didn’t care! I want to go to the falling stars hotel and wander around myself!

Adorable!

Adorable, well written story. Only drawback was that it was somewhat confusing when the story switched to/from a daydream. It would probably be clear if you were reading the book, but isn’t clear as an audiobook. Nevertheless, an enjoyable read.

A Big Hug of a Book

Ah! A warm hug book! I admit that at first, Maybell’s weird daydreams threw me off, but the more I read them, the more I came to understand just how weird and loveable Maybell really is. And Hogle did a fantastic job of setting up the grumpy /sunshine trope. Wesley is an utterly unlikeable grump at first, but when we learn more about who he is and why he is the way he is. Sigh. He’s so weird too, and I love it. I want to hug him. Hug them both.

Tropes included:
Grumpy / sunshine
Forced Proximity
Only one bed

Such a sweet little rom com. Highly recommend this one!

Least favorite book of the year (so far :/)

I...hated this book so much. It was incredibly boring, with fairly one-dimensional characters, and the plot at the end was so out of left field.

Whimsical, sweet, comforting

This book feels like a warm hug! such a fun read, whimsy, treasure maps, lovely chemistry & romance. it was so easy to get swept up in this story.

Adorable

This was so cute my heart damn near leapt out me chest!! Couldn’t stop cheesing😭💕💕