– I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. –
To be published by Dial Press on 05 Feb 2019
Goodreads | Amazon
Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” But since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will? It’s simply not in her nature to say no to people.
So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, Fixie not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. Turns out the computer’s owner is an investment manager. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, Sebastian scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. But Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?
Then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. She wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. And Seb agrees, until the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab the life, and love, she really wants?
I chose this book because…
I read a lot of Sophie Kinsella growing up, so her stories will always have a special place in my heart. I’m imagining some good laughs from cheeky favours and a cute little romance that will tease me to a happily ever after.
Upon reading it…
This story was by no means perfect — in fact, I had quite a few issues with the characters — but the conclusion redeemed it for me. Let’s break it down.
Fixie was irksome. Her flaw was that she’s a fixer-upper, thus her nickname “Fixie.” Now, I don’t have any problems with flawed characters — more often than not, flawed characters are more interesting and more real — but a characteristic that I don’t have patience for is self-righteousness. Fixie was quick to identify other people’s flaws, and though to her credit she admitted she had her own as well (that she’s a fixer-upper), she saw her flaw as simply who she was and played the victim and martyr. I just didn’t buy it.
Besides that, she didn’t think for herself — she was intimidated by her siblings and she never challenged her mother, who was blinded by family. I understand devotion to family in general, but I didn’t understand her devotion to her family specifically, especially since their relationship to her was almost mentally abusive. If I understood Fixie better, I might have been more sympathetic towards her, but I needed a better reason than, “I care about family because my parents care about family.”
I liked Sebastian. Especially at the beginning, I wanted more of him. The combination of his sparsity at the beginning plus the really obvious interactions between him and Fixie made the whole arc of their relationship too predictable. Think an instantaneous non-connection that blossoms into a connection — not a spoiler, just the usual!
Let’s not forget the minor characters, mostly consisting of Fixie’s family members. They were one-dimensional, which doesn’t leave much else to say.
But despite all that, there are things to look forward to: Sophie Kinsella’s signature character development. However, it wasn’t a gradual progression. It was more like a single turning point, and it was almost as if the characters just flipped. I would have loved for there to be more nuance in the characters throughout the whole story to make this moment more believable, satisfying, and poignant. Because I really enjoyed the end.
Even though I had a difficult time with the characters, they eventually sorted themselves out and I liked the end, so I finished the book with a good feeling. This book is very readable, as Sophie Kinsella books reliably are, so I’d say to give this one a try if you’re looking for a light read and this story intrigues you!
★★★☆☆
(more like 3.5)
Love means all debts are off.
Love can be tough. Sometimes it has to be tough.
You need to start thinking less about what you owe other people and more about what you owe yourself.
Maybe I’m starting to see “family” differently. It’s not just the people you share genes with; it’s the people you share loyalty and friendship and respect with. It’s the people you love.
Love. It’s all about love.
You helped me realize that if you really love someone, you don’t just shove cash at them. You help them become the person they’re meant to be. And that’s what unconditional love is.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
I learned that failing doesn’t mean you are a failure; it just means you’re a human being.