Twice Shy

In the acknowledgements, Hogle describes this book as a “cozy nest” and a “fluffy escape” and it’s an apt categorization. There is something very soothing about a book where, as a reader, you know nothing really bad is going to happen––you can just relax and soak up the atmosphere. And a nice atmosphere it is, from an imaginary café in Maybell’s dreams to a proposed animal sanctuary in Wesley’s. These rival imaginings conflict when Maybell and Wesley find they have co-inherited Maybell’s great aunt’s stately home in the Smokey Mountains. In learning to live with each other, will they learn to love each other?

I found this novel to be meandering and a slow burn, neither of which are bad on their own, although they did contribute to a slower pace. I found myself wishing for things to hurry up and get resolved. The characters repeated themselves often and their backstories felt a bit forced. The character traits that contributed to the slow burn are anxiety and shyness, feelings that both Maybell and Wesley experience often. I found this story very touching. What’s meant to be will always find a way, no matter how unready or inadequate we feel.