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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I liked this novel and didn't like it. Or, to be more precise, I enjoyed some parts of it but hated the absolute cringe-worthiness and stupidity of Maybell during the first half of the book. More about that later.
There were pros in addition to the cons, though! Wesley was a sweetheart, and the way his crippling social anxiety was handled felt believable and touching. Their banter, when they actually started communicating, was cute and funny. The exchange of notes and letters was borderline adorable, and the general feeling the story gave me in the second half of the book was warm and fuzzy. Thank you ever so much for NOT ruining it with a stupid last-minute conflict or misunderstanding. When Maybell and Wesley finally started communicating, they did so with openness and sincerity, and hence Wesley's meltdown at the airport and its aftermath were beautifully handled.
The cons, then. I could say a thing or two about the thinness of the plot, and the ridiculousness of the very idea that a very hands-on and outdoorsy groundskeeper who loves working with animals would ever, in any universe, choose to wear white clothing when going on a long hike that involves digging, but those are things I can let slide. What I can't let slide is how utterly useless, airheaded, scatterbrained, and dumb Maybell was for the first half of the book. She was so cringe it was painful and annoying as hell. The daydreaming sequences were godawful, and what was even worse was that she was stupid enough to allow herself to get lost in them for HOURS - to such an extent that she got lost in the woods for real, night had fallen without her noticing, and Wesley had to rescue her. Unnngh I can't even. Thank goodness she started showing signs of intelligent life after that, and after the utter stupidity of painting on the walls with watercolours, and after brushing off Wesley's conservation of endangered species with "but it's not pretty", otherwise this would have been a DNF for me. It came close, but I'm glad I clenched my teeth and soldiered on until I got to the parts that were honestly sweet.
I do wish Maybell had grown a stronger backbone when she returned to her former workplace to set things straight, but having been in a vaguely similar situation with a bad former boss, I couldn't pull out all the stops either, so I can relate to her not going Godzilla after all. Might have been liberating, but I understand why she left the way she did.
Overall, this rom com was not without faults, but it was still a nice read with occasional moments of tooth-rotting fluff.
There were pros in addition to the cons, though! Wesley was a sweetheart, and the way his crippling social anxiety was handled felt believable and touching. Their banter, when they actually started communicating, was cute and funny. The exchange of notes and letters was borderline adorable, and the general feeling the story gave me in the second half of the book was warm and fuzzy. Thank you ever so much for NOT ruining it with a stupid last-minute conflict or misunderstanding. When Maybell and Wesley finally started communicating, they did so with openness and sincerity, and hence Wesley's meltdown at the airport and its aftermath were beautifully handled.
The cons, then. I could say a thing or two about the thinness of the plot, and the ridiculousness of the very idea that a very hands-on and outdoorsy groundskeeper who loves working with animals would ever, in any universe, choose to wear white clothing when going on a long hike that involves digging, but those are things I can let slide. What I can't let slide is how utterly useless, airheaded, scatterbrained, and dumb Maybell was for the first half of the book. She was so cringe it was painful and annoying as hell. The daydreaming sequences were godawful, and what was even worse was that she was stupid enough to allow herself to get lost in them for HOURS - to such an extent that she got lost in the woods for real, night had fallen without her noticing, and Wesley had to rescue her. Unnngh I can't even. Thank goodness she started showing signs of intelligent life after that, and after the utter stupidity of painting on the walls with watercolours, and after brushing off Wesley's conservation of endangered species with "but it's not pretty", otherwise this would have been a DNF for me. It came close, but I'm glad I clenched my teeth and soldiered on until I got to the parts that were honestly sweet.
I do wish Maybell had grown a stronger backbone when she returned to her former workplace to set things straight, but having been in a vaguely similar situation with a bad former boss, I couldn't pull out all the stops either, so I can relate to her not going Godzilla after all. Might have been liberating, but I understand why she left the way she did.
Overall, this rom com was not without faults, but it was still a nice read with occasional moments of tooth-rotting fluff.
*3.5. Well, this was about just the fluffiest romance I've read in long while, and I really enjoyed it. We follow Maybell and Wesley as they find themselves co-inheritors of an estate that has seen better days. I loved how they both slowly warmed up to reach each other, and even more when they began to come out of their shells for one another. Maybell and Wesley were both flawed and in need of some healing, and I found both their journeys to be realistic and just a pleasure to watch. I especially liked the way that Wesley's social anxiety was confronted in a way that felt very authentic to him.
I have to say though, it did take me a while to get into it (about 40% in), but gosh darn that realization we got just hit me in the feels and I ended up finishing it in one sitting.
I have to say though, it did take me a while to get into it (about 40% in), but gosh darn that realization we got just hit me in the feels and I ended up finishing it in one sitting.
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
sarah hogle has done it again with the absolutely funny, witty and swoony romance that takes my heart, rips it open, stuffs it with the sweetest, cotton-candiest of cotton candy and makes me feel like i'm floating on cotton candy clouds.
i was honestly a bit apprehensive of this book; my friends didn't like it much so i tried dampening my hopes for it, especially since you deserve each other was a masterpiece i knew nothing could top (which is still true) BUT! twice shy has to be the best new adult romance i've ever read, taking place second to sarah's debut.
let's start with the writing style: i adore it. i love it. it's so witty and hilarious, and the way sarah hogle writes her characters IS SO INCREDIBLE. you get transported to the character's shoes, and they feel so fleshed out and real it takes me aback. just the way she describes things, it isn't too flowery but it's honestly amazing how she does, as if it's the main character's inward dialogue speaking using similes that relate to just the character, you know what i mean? it just feels so SMOOTH, i have no proper words to explain how much i love it.
also! her characters! maybell parrish is me, in every essence. i mean, we have the same MBTI, but even beyond that! her line of thinking! her clumsiness! her idiocy and doormat-ness! and she's HILARIOUS (which i am not) and it's concerning how many times i've laughed out loud reading this. she's so determined and yet so meek, and i love her personality and i love her. along with naomi rosefield, she is definitely my favorite new-adult-romance lead.
and wesley koehler! tall and broad-shouldered but also an absolute cinnamon roll! what's there not to love, i absolutely don't get it? he's adorable and so, so shy it's so cute. AND SUCH A ROMANTIC. sarah hogle's biggest crime is writing male characters who almost never exist in real life and then give us expectations so high not even the most charming and chivalrous man will be able to GRAZE it.
wesly and maybell are the shyest and cutest couple. their dynamic! sarah hogle has described the tropes herself: THEIR FORCED PROXIMITY! BEGRUDGING INHERITORS TO A MASSIVE MANOR WHO SLOWLY OVERCOME THEIR AWKWARDNESS AROUND EACH OTHER! SLOW-BURN! GRUMPY/SUNSHINE! also the one bed (one tent?) trope???? their chemistry and sexual tension is bonkers. they're so adorable.
i'm so glad i wasn't massively disappointed by this. this was beyond my expectations. whatever else sarah hogle writes, i will read. i didn't even know the plot of this book before reading it, and i absolutely loved it. the sweetest and cheesiest book ever and i DEVOURED it because it was just so good.
[4.5/5]
i was honestly a bit apprehensive of this book; my friends didn't like it much so i tried dampening my hopes for it, especially since you deserve each other was a masterpiece i knew nothing could top (which is still true) BUT! twice shy has to be the best new adult romance i've ever read, taking place second to sarah's debut.
let's start with the writing style: i adore it. i love it. it's so witty and hilarious, and the way sarah hogle writes her characters IS SO INCREDIBLE. you get transported to the character's shoes, and they feel so fleshed out and real it takes me aback. just the way she describes things, it isn't too flowery but it's honestly amazing how she does, as if it's the main character's inward dialogue speaking using similes that relate to just the character, you know what i mean? it just feels so SMOOTH, i have no proper words to explain how much i love it.
also! her characters! maybell parrish is me, in every essence. i mean, we have the same MBTI, but even beyond that! her line of thinking! her clumsiness! her idiocy and doormat-ness! and she's HILARIOUS (which i am not) and it's concerning how many times i've laughed out loud reading this. she's so determined and yet so meek, and i love her personality and i love her. along with naomi rosefield, she is definitely my favorite new-adult-romance lead.
and wesley koehler! tall and broad-shouldered but also an absolute cinnamon roll! what's there not to love, i absolutely don't get it? he's adorable and so, so shy it's so cute. AND SUCH A ROMANTIC.
Spoiler
i mean, he brought maybell's happy place to life! he's so soft and mushy he drew portraits of her, he let her sleep in his bed while he slept in a CLOSET, he pulled her from her very crazy work and tucked her into bed all while giving her moony longing glances???wesly and maybell are the shyest and cutest couple. their dynamic! sarah hogle has described the tropes herself: THEIR FORCED PROXIMITY! BEGRUDGING INHERITORS TO A MASSIVE MANOR WHO SLOWLY OVERCOME THEIR AWKWARDNESS AROUND EACH OTHER! SLOW-BURN! GRUMPY/SUNSHINE! also the one bed (one tent?) trope???? their chemistry and sexual tension is bonkers. they're so adorable.
Spoiler
i mean, they literally played hide-and-seek with each other AND made cinnamon rolls (i think it was cinnamon rolls) with each other?i'm so glad i wasn't massively disappointed by this. this was beyond my expectations. whatever else sarah hogle writes, i will read. i didn't even know the plot of this book before reading it, and i absolutely loved it. the sweetest and cheesiest book ever and i DEVOURED it because it was just so good.
[4.5/5]
4.5 stars
Books with relatable characters...
Weasley is so much like me I feel exposed. Maybell is the kind of person who lets everyone take advantage of them to appear nice to the outer world. Maybell and Weasley inherit a home together, but each had made separate plans about it.....
There are some moments so livid that I could picture them in my head. If a movie is made out of this book someday, no doubt it'll be the sweetest movie of the year.
Treasure hunt, baking doughnuts, painting walls, and the last scenario- OMG it was just- it melted my heart, all right? How does Sarah Hogle do that? Make us feel like that?
I also loved how Maybell helped Weasley coping up with his anxiety. It's usually the opposite in movies and books, so it was refreshing to see something like that.
It was funny and heartfelt- and I really, really liked it.
Books with relatable characters...
Weasley is so much like me I feel exposed. Maybell is the kind of person who lets everyone take advantage of them to appear nice to the outer world. Maybell and Weasley inherit a home together, but each had made separate plans about it.....
There are some moments so livid that I could picture them in my head. If a movie is made out of this book someday, no doubt it'll be the sweetest movie of the year.
Treasure hunt, baking doughnuts, painting walls, and the last scenario- OMG it was just- it melted my heart, all right? How does Sarah Hogle do that? Make us feel like that?
I also loved how Maybell helped Weasley coping up with his anxiety. It's usually the opposite in movies and books, so it was refreshing to see something like that.
It was funny and heartfelt- and I really, really liked it.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
Child abandonment, child neglect, extended daydream sequences, hoarding…and I’m out. DNF.
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sarah Hogle's "You deserve each other" is one of my favorite romance books. So this book was added to my tbr immediately, and it didn't fail me. These characters were relatable in a way. As a person who has social anxiety myself, it is always nice to see representations and similar characters in books. This book was so cute. At first, I was apprehensive about liking it, but by the end, it was impossible to not like it and have a smile on my face. It was wholesome.
Could not complete. I think I have to give up on this author.