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sage_alexandra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Maybell has a very vivid and whimsical imagination that she uses to escape her subpar, mundane, and sometimes sad life. When her great aunt Vivian dies and leaves Maybell her entire property, Maybell finally gets the fresh start she deserves. Pair that with a broody, grumpy dude (Wesley) who might have a hard exterior, but is actually squishy soft, and you get an adorable enemies to lovers romance.
I loved learning bits and pieces of Vivian and Victor's (her husband who passed about 2 decades prior) love story and experiencing Maybell's memories through rose-colored glasses (literally).
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Confinement, Racism, Vomit, Car accident, and Abandonment
The only racism mentioned in the book is in regards to Vivian and Victor's romance. Victor was black, I'm not positive on the timeline, but they were together years before they were allowed to legally marry. The two faced a lot of discrimination, leading them to purchase their remote property to escape.viviundworte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death
Minor: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
leahfoko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Some of the descriptions were sometimes a little much for me and it of course didn’t feel perfectly realistic because there are too many coincidences that brought them together, it is a book after all. But it had that fun whimsical feel, the grumpy male lead who has to open up to show he is sweet underneath, and a sweet happy ending in Scotland. What more could you want?
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, and Car accident
hanz's review against another edition
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Car accident
booknerdbetty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, and Car accident
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Maybell was a funny narrator, but it was Wesley who really shone for me. I literally fell in love with him and now no man will compare. Also, I loved Victor and Violet's love story and definitely shed a tear for them. This book just did love so well.
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
qace90's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my gosh, this book is soooooo swoony!! I love these characters, and cannot wait for everyone else to meet and fall in love with Maybell and Wesley~! Full review closer to release.
Full review:
Goodness, if you are looking for a warm, swoony read, Twice Shy will definitely fulfill that need!
Maybell is used to being a dreamer and kind of taking things from people that she doesn’t deserve because while she can come up with elaborate fantasies of being bold and confident, the reality is she’s more apt to take the slights heaped on her. Part of this comes from growing up with a mom who couldn’t be there for her, and so she’s gotten used to just accepting scraps of affection. When her Aunt Violet suddenly (to her) passes away and leaves her the old house she remembers so fondly from one summer, Maybell is full of dreams of what it’s going to be like living in her dream house. What she isn’t prepared for is having to share the inheritance with Wesley, a shy, socially anxious landscaper who communicates with stony silence and notes down the dumb waiter.
I came into Twice Shy expecting the same kind of humor and feel as You Deserve Each Other, Hogle’s debut novel, but I’m amazed at just how vastly different they are - but how wonderful Hogle’s books are as well! This book did start a little slow and took a little while for me to get into, but it was absolutely worth the wait. Wesley comes across very gruff and grumpy, but he’s actually a gooey marshmallow and he says the sweetest things. But really one of my absolute favorite things in this book was the emphasis on who they are being enough for both Maybell and Wesley, showing how loving someone is loving them as they are, good and bad and put-together and messy, and not trying to make them someone different or “better.” There were so many little lines that made me legitimately clutch my chest and swoon because it was so wonderfully sweet and caring. And there’s no love fixing or curing Wesley’s anxiety, but we do see how love makes him feel able to do things that scare him because he knows Maybell loves him.
I just adored this book so much and even though it has a very different vibe from You Deserve Each Other, it still has some of the same humor that made Hogle’s debut so wonderful. I’ll definitely be reading more from her, and I hope so many others fall in love with Maybell and Wesley and Falling Stars too!
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Sexual content, and Car accident
Gaslighting, catfishing, amanormativity, anxiety