I just finished this novel. Hang on a second while I wipe the tears from my eyes. It was a touching book about family dynamics. A fun read that I couldn’t put down!

Kinsella’s storytelling is tried and true - she will make you laugh, make you swoon, make you sad, and make you think, all in a way that makes the story feel fresh and fun. Her new book is no exception, and I thought it’s messages of family, favors, and freedom very heartfelt and entertaining.

SYNOPSIS:
Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” And 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 Fixie’s nature to say no to people. So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, she not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, the computer’s owner, Sebastian, an investment manager, scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

But then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life, and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. As always, she wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. No sooner has Seb agreed than 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?


This book took me a little while to get invested in. I didn't love Fixie, the main character, which is not uncommon for me and Sophie Kinsella's main characters. But I also found I didn't really like any of the characters in this book.

The story line wasn't cute or different, but I did want to know what eventually would happen. This is a fun read, but I would only recommend it to people who enjoy Sophie Kinsella. Her characters are kind of known to be a certain way and if you're wanting a strong independent female read, this won't be it.

Amusing chick lit book with messages

I found this book an amusing and poignant message for all of us who try to 'fix' everything, especially those of us who try to fix things from behind the scenes. Reading some of the other reviews of this book, I agree, this book is a bit less laugh out loud than some of the others by Sophie Kinsella. But it has the typical off-the-wall situations, quirky characters, and makes you want to alternately giggle and smack the characters upside the head!!! I give it 5 stars.

Reviewed on Amazon

Sophia Kinsella is one of my favorite authors. Her books are a welcome escape from the day to day. I Owe You One was a cute quick read. The relationship she had with her siblings was difficult and I was glad they had a resolution in the end. It is a enjoyable read where the good girl wins in the end. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.

⠀We all have our flaws. Fixie got her nickname because she can’t help but fix things. I’d say a bigger flaw was that Fixie allows people to walk all over her and that drove me crazy, until she became Ninja Fixie. 🙂
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I Owe You One reminded me of how much I love Sophie Kinsella’s books. Back when I was in school full time, and then teaching full time, I would check out her books from the library during the summers. They are an amazing escape full of quirky characters and her newest book didn’t disappoint. It’s Sophie Kinsella at her best. This just came out on the 5th so pick it up!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Sophie Kinsella’s books are always light, fun and enjoyable for me, but I rarely go as far as giving them five stars. I OWE YOU ONE was most definitely an exception.

I loved the main character, Fixie. She was smart, reliable, loyal and picked up some sass along the way. Although Fixie had her flaws she was very relatable. The thing I love about Sophie Kinsella, is her ability to create charming and quirky characters that make you smile.

The plot here is was what I like to call—the classic Kinsella way—humorous, outlandish at times and a dash of romance.

The romance in this book made me grin so much my face hurt. I will forever be falling over Sebastian’s character. The concept of how they build a relationship was so “meet cute” worthy and I was all about it.

This is one of Sophie’s best novels yet!

Fixie was raised to think of her family first even when her sister has crazy ideas and her brother won't stop spending, also neither will help at the family shop. When their mother needs to take some time off and the three become in charge, she'll reflect on what it means to keep her family first. To make things more problematic the love of her life is back in town and his behavior isn't much different. The only good thing going for her was being able to help a stranger and getting an IOU back, even if she would never want to claim.

This is hard to rate. I really loved part of the book, I could see Kinsella tried to make it a bit closer to the types of stories I like from her. But it was as if she went through some crisis in which she wanted to write the story I like but the moment she wasn't paying attention, all my issues with her books would surface. In other words, I loved some parts, I got bored of others.

Even though I remember feeling more excited while reading Surprise Me, I think this is my favorite book by her in the last few years. Her exchange with the IOU guy reminded me of I've Got Your Number, as well as her crazy siblings and good-for-nothing initial romantic interest.

Also, I think it's a book you can read quite fast, although it is a bit on the long side. But there are some parts that dragged. All of Fixie's conflicts brought back what I like the least in Kinsella's books. Yes, they happen, I identified a lot with her issues, but it had a serious, almost dramatic tone I don't want in chic-lit. I prefer how Poppy and Becky reacted in their books.

So while this was better than at least her two previous books, it's still not one of the best by Kinsella. I do recommend if you're a fan of both her styles because this book was actually a mix of them. Also, the romance is cute, I guarantee that part.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Fixie Farr, age 27, works in her family’s store called Farrs with her mother, brother, Jake, and sister, Nicole. Their father had started the business but passed away several years ago. Fixie takes her job very seriously and always wants to things to be perfect, i.e., the nickname of Fixie. Fixie had tried to open a catering business but it failed. She feels very guilty about losing the money that her parents had given her to open the business.

Fixie’s brother, Jake, appears to be the one who shines in the business. He dresses well and talks big saying he’s got lots of deals in the works. Nicole is married to Drew who is working overseas. She is not sure she wants to go with him because it’s so hot there. Nicole is a very self-centered person concerned with her yoga and well-being.

Years ago, Fixie had been in love with Ryan, a friend of hers and her siblings. He had moved to Los Angeles to be a movie producer and written saying he was rubbing elbows with millionaires and living the high life. Now, Ryan is back and Fixie wants to be with him.

Before going home from work, Fixie stops at a cafe for a break and a tea. She sees a handsome man across the room working on his computer and chatting on the phone, When he steps outside to take a call, he asks her to watch his computer. Just as the leaking roof starts to cave in, she grabs the computer and saves it. Grateful to her, the man introduces himself as Sebastian, the head of a business, and tells her he owes her one. Will she find a need to “cash in” that IOU?

I have read lots of Sophie Kinsella’s novels over the years and have enjoyed many of them. For me, this book was difficult to get into. In the beginning, Fixie tends to be a wimp and lets people walk over her. That and the fact that the book is simply too long, made my frustration grow with it. There are well-written characters in the story. Some of them you want to hug and some of them you want to kick in the butt. However, I think that the author is trying to show readers that even though people are flawed, they are still worthwhile and can be redeemed.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

There is nothing Fixie Farr can't fix - for good or bad she just can't help herself. A random act of kindness and a stranger's IOU sets in motion a string of events that are at once funny, cringeworthy and touching.

Not necessarily on par with Sophie Kinsella's other books, but a whimsical, fun, lighthearted read nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

I enjoyed this novel, though it spent too much time on Fixie's insufferable siblings, when I wanted more of the romance. You could really see the transformation in Fixie though, however long that it took. Pretty classic Kinsella :)

This is my second book from the author and I must say the both books put the author in two completely different groups. I found it quite difficult to finish this book. The story was not at all enjoyable. I've been stuck for weeks now trying to build the courage to finish it. I was quite excited for this book, now that I've read a few chapters I'm quite disappointed that it did not live up to its hype. However, this does not mean I wouldn't attempt to read another book from the author.

I LOVE Sophie Kinsella and I wanted so badly to love this book but I just couldn't get past how awful Fixie's family was. I spent so much time hating the way that her brother behaved, how her mother left Fixie to deal with him AND her uncle on her own, and how selfish and awful her sister was. I really wanted to love Fixie, and I did, except for the part where she left everyone railroad her in the name of family. Don't even get me started on her inability to see what a jerk Ryan was. Literally the only not awful people in this book were Bob and Seb but they just weren't enough to salvage this story for me.

Farr's is a family establishment that sells merchandise for a reasonable price. Fixie, her Mum, brother and sister run the shop with a small staff. Fixie's brother and sister do not care for the shop the way Fixie and her Mum do. Her Mum goes on holiday and Fixie is responsible for the shop and keeping the family intact.
Fixie's love life is in a funk too. A friend Ryan comes back to London and wants to start back a relationship that ended a year ago. Then she meets a suave guy, Seb, in a coffee cafe that confuses Fixie too.
This Sophie Kinsella book reminds me of the style of the Shopaholic series, You definitely will want to read this one!

I enjoyed the sweet, quirky character of Fixie and I loved the evolution of her family. This was a good, light hearted, feel good read. Thank you for letting me preview it!

I couldn't get through this. It was so predictable that I felt like I had read it many times before. I like the author, but this was just too much.

I have been a fan of Sophia Kinsella for many years and I found this book enjoyable. Fixie is a classic Kinsella character; she's not without her flaws which might be a little frustrating for some readers but her heart is in the right place. For myself I could see parts of me in her.....although exaggerated. I loved the characters and their crazy personalities which led to some comical scenes in the book. The storyline kept me entertained and I found myself thoroughly engaged in the book and the relationships.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Fixie Farr got her nickname from her need to fix any problems she sees. She also lives by her late father's motto of “family first” and works at his shop to keep his memory alive. When a stranger asks Fixie to watch his laptop in a cafe while he takes a call, she ends up saving it from disaster. In return, Seb, the owner of the computer and an investment manager, writes her an IOU on a coffee sleeve. Fixie has no plans to use it, but when her childhood crush Ryan comes back to town needing a job, her need to fix things leads her to cash in the IOU for Seb to give him a job. Life should be looking good with Ryan back in her life again, but things aren't going quite as she planned.

This wasn't my favorite of Kinsella's novels. The supporting characters were a little too out there for me, more caricatures than real people. I did like the second half of the book, where we focused more on Fixie and Seb, but that part felt kind of rushed to me. I'd give 2 stars for the first half of the book and 3 and a half stars for the second half.

Fixie Farr's family runs Farrs, a hardwares store. Technically, it's more like Fixie and her mom run the store, while Fixie's older brother, Jake, and sister, Nicole, flit in and out, doing their own thing. Fixie has always been intimidated by her siblings. Jake is pursuing his MBA and prefers the posh side of life; he's always after one business deal or another. Nicole, recently married, lives at home while her husband works abroad. Fixie lives by the motto of "Family First," ingrained in her by her late father since forever. This means running the store and looking after family, even at the expense of her own dreams. She's lusted after the same boy since grade school, Ryan Chalker, and still lives at home, dutifully tending to her family's needs. One day a stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop. When Fixie saves it from being destroyed, he gives her an IOU. Meanwhile, Ryan returns to London from Los Angeles. At the same time, Fixie's family dynamic faces a radical change. Will all of these moments force Fixie--who earned her nickname for her desire to always fix things--to face up to her fears, to become more forceful? Or will she let her family and the people in her life still walk all over her? And will she cash in on that IOU?

"Some people hear the Lord Jesus guiding them; I hear my dad, before he died, saying in his East End accent: Family is it, Fixie. Family is what drives us. Family is everything. Family loyalty is basically our religion."

This book had to grow on me. In the beginning, Fixie drove me a little crazy. I was less irritated with her devotion to her family (perhaps I could relate there), but I was annoyed at how clueless she was in her adoration to Ryan Chalker, who was just terrible. And truly, Fixie's siblings were pretty awful to her, too. There were very few side characters in this one who were easy to like. Even Sebastian, whose laptop Fixie rescues (and who, obviously, becomes her love interest), goes back to his girlfriend a little often for my taste. Which is sad, because otherwise the Fixie/Seb dynamic is quite enjoyable and really quite funny. Still, the poor girl was clearly under a lot of pressure with her family and the store, so I get some of her behavior there. As for Ryan, I'm not so sure what her excuse was!

Still, this book wins you over with time. Fixie is an engaging character and really, rather endearing. She can't help but be who she is and she really can't help whom she is surrounded by (except Ryan--let's just all agree he's awful). When Seb enters the scene, things become more funny, and things pick up as Fixie starts to grow into her own skin. This growth is a Kinsella staple, and she does it well. There's moments of her trademark humor, as well.

Overall, this one is predictable but sweet, and once I got past some of Fixie's issues, I enjoyed it. It's a light, quick read. 3+ stars.

This is my EIGHTEENTH Kinsella book. Obviously, I'm a fan, and I Owe You One had all those ingredients that keep me coming back. It was funny, charming, heartwarming, endearing, and everything I have grown to expect from a Sophie Kinsella books.

• Pro: Fixie was wonderful. She was sweet, kind, considerate, and fiercely loyal. I loved how she was rather selfless, even if she did make some decisions, which drove me bananas. She learned a lot, though, and the Fixie at the end of the book was better for the experience.

• Pro: The idea of "owing" someone was explored in multiple ways with respect to friendship, romance, and family. Fixie's struggle with this and how it related family loyalty was interesting, and I really appreciated the way she questioned how it affected the family dynamic.

• Pro: Seb was a great character. He and Fixie meshed so well together, and I shipped them quite hard.

• Pro: As I expected, this book was packed with lot of fun antics and was downright hilarious at times. I absolutely let out some laughs, and there was a lot of grinning too.

• Pro: There were quite a few beautiful moments in this book, and I really adored the way Kinsella let the characters evolve over the course of the story. I was extremely pleased with the way the relationship between Fixie and her siblings changed, and was proud of her for making those changes happen.

• Pro: I actually had a lot of fun in the store. Kinsella packed it with some really oddly fun characters, and they provided lots of amusement.

Overall: An amusing and heartfelt story of a woman navigating family, romance, and professional life, which made me laugh out loud and smile from ear to ear.