Book Review: ‘Twice Shy: A Novel’ By Sarah Hogle

Rom-coms have a simple format to them. Two people meet. They don’t like each other. They’re thrown together and they develop feelings for each other. Then they fight or some big secret comes out. They break up and then the question is will they get back together. The key to this genre is the writing of the characters and story. They usually succeed in most cases. In Twice Shy author Sarah Hogle’s second novel is a gem of a story. Her two main characters are as different as night and day but a like in some many ways. It was a fun story to read and follow along with.

Maybell Parish learns that she has inhereted the house and estate of her Aunt Violet, a woman that her mother has been estranged from for years and someone that Maybell hasn’t seen in a long time. She quits her dead-end job thinking she has it easy now. But she soon learns there’s a catch. Violet has only left her half the estate…the other half goes to Wesley, the groundskeeper who has helped look after Violet and the place for years now. They have a dislike for each other right away. Wesley is quite and moody and wants to buy her out. Maybell says no way. They each have ideas for the place and have to reach a compromise. They spend a lot of time together working and cleaning out the house and soon figure out they like each other. Can they get past their issues and move forward with each other?

You can pick up Twice Shy in stores on Tuesday, April 6th from Putnam.