Willow has always been muted by her nerves. It’s the reason she keeps to herself. Staying locked in her room, hidden behind her computer screen, is easier than facing the world. But next year, she’s going to be facing college. In hopes of making the transition easier, she searches the internet for a roommate. If she gets to know someone ahead of time, it won’t be as hard to speak to them when she gets there. When she joins the incoming freshman group, she meets the perfect girl. Someone who’s interested in all the same things. And they click— instantly. Her first true friend. But after weeks of chatting, she learns that the perfect girl, the one she’s become close with, isn’t a girl at all. It’s one very hot, very popular, very unattainable boy. Willow can’t speak to boys. Her nerves won’t let her. But this boy… is bound and determined to win her heart.
Landry Hill writes Hot & Dirty, Short & Sweet romance. She spends most of her days fantasizing and bringing book boyfriends to life in ink. When she’s not writing about sexy alphas who love hard and spoil their women in every single delicious way, she’s busy being a cheerleader for her kiddos and a devoted wife to her own sexy-bearded alpha. She’s a true believer in Love and Romance. Cherishes her friendships. And knows that happy endings don’t just exist between the pages of a book. They also exist in real life.
I was intrigued because it has dual V and I was really rooting for them in the beginning.
But then at the 39% mark, Brennon just had to say this freaking stupid line:
"I know she’s a virgin. So am I. But I’ve messed around with girls before. I’m getting the impression that Willow hasn’t even dated anyone before."
And my interest went from 100% to freaking 0% in a flash, because just freaking whyyyyy??? 🙄😤
No wonder he knows exactly what to say, and he's so damn articulate with his plans for her. It turns out he wasn't a freaking clueless virgin after all. 😑
That stupid line almost made me stop, but I'm not a freaking quitter (or I'm trying), so I pushed through for the sake of finishing this story.
But I can't get that annoying line out of my mind, and it completely ruined my mood and impression of this book. I was so annoyed that every interaction between them or every line from his irritated me to no end. 🙄
It doesn't make sense, IMO, to have a dual V novella where one of the MCs has a freaking experience.
Tbf, I'm not sure, and this is just my assumption because it wasn't explicitly stated what were the things he did in the past. But I can't help but feel that he did a lot of stuff aside from the actual P to V, which is the worst thing I could ever read. 🤧
Do not give me the non-virgin virgin hero. Either make him an experienced one, maybe a straight up hoe while you're at it because that seems to be the freaking norm nowadays, 🤢 or an actual virgin with no experience at all. Ugh. 😤
Overall, all I just want to say is that I didn't enjoy it, and I honestly wish I DNF this while I still had the chance.
Sooooo, at first I was thinking this was a cute, sweet, little romance, but then they actually found out that they were a guy and a girl and it went kinda off the rails. 🫣 So let me explain. Brennon is the MMC of this story and his username on the college forum is “Bren(some kinda #)RB”. RB is for running back. Well, Willow, our FMC of the story thinks “Bren” must stand for Brenda or Brenna and the RB is some kinda rank in a video game they both like. Her username is “Will(some kinda # too)TE” and Brennon thinks she’s William and a tight end. He’s thinking she would be someone perfect to room with. They talk like every day online for a month and play this online game together. Then BAM they find out they both were wrong! And what does my man Brennon IMMEDIATELY do? He sends her a picture of himself with his shirt off and asks if she’ll send him a picture too. 🤮 Willow doesn’t, but that would have been such a turnoff for me and I probably would have never spoken to him again. But not my girl Willow! Nope. She ends up letting him convince her to start “sexting” (is it still sexting if it’s not technically through texts on your phone, though🤔🤷♀️) over messenger on the PC. Soon he starts to pester her about them meeting up in person and going on a date, but Willow refuses because she’s got a secret. She has a speech impediment and doesn’t want him to hear her stutter. Because she keeps refusing, Brennon eventually goes to her school, asks people for help locating her (meanwhile hearing everyone he asks say some kind of mean or snide comment about her) and sees her putting books away in the library. Homeboy is enchanted! 😍 Then gets too nervous to approach her and leaves. Eventually he works up the courage to stalk, I mean “surprise” her at her school again and that goes about as well as one would expect it to. It is, though, essentially what gets their story going with the two of them together. So now that you have a basic idea of the plot, I’ll explain a few other things that caused this story not to hit right. Brennon was a little too sweet. He was the star running back of his high school team with a full scholarship to play for an impressive university as their new starting running back the next year, was supposedly an exquisite specimen of a man that all the girls wanted, BUT he was still a virgin… 👀 And I call bullshit! 💩 In no way is that realistic because let’s face it, pretty much every male teenager is the horniest creature you can find on earth. Generally what stops them from living out their horny fantasies is lack of options and that wasn’t a problem for Brennon. Not to mention, as soon as he found out Willow was a girl he jumped into wanting to sext with her… but nah he’s saved it for someone he really loves (his words, not mine). His inner thoughts didn’t come across as mature or masculine either. They very much seemed like what a girl imagines dudes think about rather than what a guy really would think about. Maybe that’s a problem for me because I grew up only with older brothers and even when I didn’t want to know a man’s perspective, I usually heard it anyway 😝, but the sentiment still stands. Willow wasn’t much better either. Whereas her “tone” was much better suited to her character, she became annoying because she constantly jumped to conclusions and the miscommunication trope was heavily utilized with her.
Anyway, there’s technically nothing wrong with this one, it’s just a matter of taste and it’s not my particular flavor. Definitely a safe read as there’s: - No cheating - No OW drama - No OM drama - No references to what I would think is triggering content - Does have HEA and 5 years later Epilogue
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 His Shy Girl by @authorlandryhill I loved Bren and Willow’s story! I really like how we get insights into all the side characters in Landry’s series! I loved how patient Bren was with Willow’s stutter, and that they got to know eachother before they met in person. Such a great book!
This was such a cute novella. Shy girl (Willow) with a speech impediment thinks she’s talking to her potential college roommate, turns out is a star football player (Brennan).
I loved seeing Willow and Brennan together, and how their relationship helped Willow, not only with her speech, but her confidence as well.
Brennan was obsessed with Willow, never letting her go and always trying to do best by her🥰.
Things I liked: - Disability representation - Sweet devoted young love - No cheating - Friends first
Things I disliked - “I’m/She’s not like other girls” trope - Magical curing of disability (if she has a stutter around her mom it’s gonna be a around her boyfriend too) - Hero calls himself a virgin but has messed around with other girls
Willow is a young lady in college who is a bit shy and reserved because she speaks with a stutter. She is also looking online for a roommate. When she sees a post by a person with the username Bren, she finds she has a lot in common with them and she feels very comfortable chatting with them online. But she is actually conversing with a guy. Not just any guy, but the big man on campus football player named Brennon. Willow's username is Will, so likewise Brennon thinks he's been chatting with a guy. The miscommunication trope is not always my favorite but in this case it works! And the results are sparks flying between Brennon and Willow. I adored Brennon's character. I loved how at ease he made Willow feel and helped her overcome some of her insecurities. He's so protective of her and the ultimate book boyfriend.
I was waiting for their story and it didn’t disappoint! This book was so sweet. I absolutely loved Willow. The shy girl trope is very relatable. Bren was amazing too! He’s so protective and obsessed with Willow!
The plot was great. I love the gaming references. It was a very super sweet, cute and wholesome romance!
His Shy Girl is a fantastic addition to the “His” series! It was great to see some of the old gang in this book, but even better to get to know Willow and Brennon. They meet online for the incoming freshman. The way they are comfortable with each other from the start is so nice. The friendship they build as foundation is solid. And when things start to become more, they actually use words! I get so tired of the miscommunication trope so it is seriously refreshing when the characters talk! I fall more in love with them.
These two are really sweet and have the best time together. I’m happy to know their story and can’t wait for more from Landry Hill!!
This is pretty all right. I like seeing disability rep, but I don’t know that this is a particularly good example of it. I’m not an expert, but growing up I was close friends with a girl who has a stutter, and it wasn’t like it’s portrayed in this book. I’m sure everyone is different, but stuttering isn’t necessarily tied to anxiety and isn’t necessarily every single word. Also, at least in the case of my friend, she could sing just fine without a stutter - something about the rhythm of a song helped her words flow better. Just some info from a different perspective.
That said, I really like the characters in this book. Bren and Willow have a lot in common and that makes their relationship feel grounded and real. I also like that each one of them catastrophizes about their own insecurities whenever things go wrong between them, because that’s totally relatable, especially for young adults. And it’s great that in each of their cases, their mom is the one who helps talk them down. These felt like realistic 18-year-olds.
Brennon’s love for Willow is very sweet and kind of obsessive, but unlike in most OTT romances, he has to acknowledge when he makes mistakes and do a better job of communicating with Willow so he doesn’t inadvertently hurt her. Overall, this book was pretty much all green flags and it was fun to read.
Short but sweet. Since it is a short book/novella it does move at a faster pace as far as the romance goes. She has been made fun of most of her life because she has a stutter when she speaks, and the more anxious/nervous she is, the worst it becomes. Because of this she doesn't do much interacting with boys. Good thing her and another online gamer mistaken each other for the opposite sex. Through the game, they become good friends, each thinking the other is the same sex as themselves... but then the reality hits. There is some spice to bring on the heat, but there is also much more story/plot. Good characters. Though the title implies she is shy, it's not so much she's shy, but rather she tries to avoid people because of her speech. (Especially given how much she's been made fun of or ridiculed because of it. He is a popular jock, but is sweet (at least towards her,) and doesn't come across as cocky or arrogant, and is actually nervous himself when it comes to her. Easy to read. Alternating POVs. As I mentioned, there is some spice (not too many scenes) yet enough that I would say this is suitable for 18+.
Fast past dual POV Started off great. Two highschool seniors met through an online college portal . Got to know each other through their fav gaming. The each thought the other was of their gender. When they both realized he was gaming with a girl and she was gaming with a boy. It became very fast pace with lots of sexual talking. And less of a story line. The story centered around her speaking disability and that’s it. Like I said less story line and continued sexual talking. Sexual experience and no protection during sex. He said babe way to much , and was already talking marriage before they even graduated highschool.
The idea started off good, the characters were fun, but it was a no to read and wouldn’t recommend.
Well, I finished it. I don't think I should rate it because I just really think this wasn't my thing. I had trouble connecting with the characters and while I had sympathy for the H's situation and thought the two of them were sweet, I just couldn't connect with her struggles. The whole thing seemed wildly unrealistic and not in a way I was able to just roll with. The relationship didn't feel natural or organic, especially when dude went from "This is my good bro dude" to "Let's go on a date and sext each other" in less than 30 seconds 😂🤦🏼♀️ Overall, I just don't think this author's books are for me. Very slow burn for PiV, but lots of sexting and foreplay, which isn't my thing.
Absolutely loved brennon and willows story! I've read a little about them from previous books, but reading their story was beautiful. Willow has struggled with a stutter all her life, and she never thinks a guy will want her because of it. A miscommunication, one of the best I've read, causes them to meet online and get to know each other, but they both think they're the same gender. When they find out the truth, their love story begins. I loved the double V in this one too!
This novella is a heartwarming, hilarious read! The main character's stutter has made her the target of bullies, so she's learned to avoid guys altogether. But when she meets a fellow gamer online, she's drawn to his quirky sense of humor - even if she thinks he's a girl. As they bond over their shared love of gaming, she finds herself falling for him. But what happens when they meet IRL and she discovers the truth? Let's just say things get complicated - and seriously steamy!
This was a short, sweet over the top novella. It follows the story of Willow and Bren who met online and became friends in real life. I love the use of mix media in the plot and Willow’s character is a great development from the usual FMC in books. I loved how the author portrayed her. It was a bit unrealistic for me but it didn’t take away my enjoyment of the story. I would love to read more of the author’s works.
What a cute short story! Love the dynamic between the two main characters. They met online, thought they were the same gender, and when they discover that they’re not, they learn to navigate their feelings and their entire relationship. It’s further complicated by Willow’s disability. I love how devoted Brennon is. And it’s beautiful to see Willow grow. I haven’t read the previous books in this series but now I’m going back and reading them.
Love this book so much! Such a sweet story with lots of spice! This book has everything you want in a sweet romance where the under dog gets the hot guy! Landry Hill has a talent for making a hot, short, and sweet story that leaves you completely satisfied! I recommend anything this author writes!
I love this series as its shirt and sweet. Outside of Chase and Ruby, I’ve enjoyed all of them, The boys being the best. This was really close and it was a great book. Willow overcoming her speech for him was growth>. Thankfully he went to another school. Like Sophie it gives redeeming qualities if they are at different schools.
Willow and Brennon’s story was so cute. They’re online meet cute started such a good friendship with them even though they didn’t realize who one another really were. Brennon is all in immediately and refuses to give up even when Willow gets nervous. Some minor drama, but of course it always works out in the end.
Loved this entire series - Landry Hill writes the absolute best MMCs. This one was especially sweet and I absolutely loved seeing these characters get together. Fun read that gave me butterflies.
This was great for a quick read. The writing was good and the characters were well done for the length of the book. I'd definitely read more from the author. This is great for between longer books when you need a little cleanse.
The concept had such promise! There was no real plot. I'm a spice girlie and have read some really outrageous things but this felt so rushed and not authentic. I really really wanted to like this.
It was an ok story until the FMC who has a major stutter is suddenly speaking clearly with the MMC almost immediately. It was sweet and cute until we got to that point and that's where it lost me. Quick, filler read.
Loved this! Brennon was such a sweetheart, and his protectiveness and devotion to Willow was adorable and swoon-worthy. This was definitely my favorite of the series!