Every girl wants to be the one to change the bad boy. But it takes so much energy, time, and trauma to do so. That’s where Aly comes into play. This slow burn romance was a little too slow for my taste, but still was cute.

I really liked this one - rounded up to 5 stars! It’s more of a women’s fiction with a dash of romance. I listened to the audio and was so entertained & it was so enjoyable.

This one was 50/50 for me. I enjoyed the beginning and the storyline that was created around these characters, but I did slowly lose interest in what was happening throughout the book. *Spoilers (sort of!)* I wanted to root for the couple in the book, but also he was with someone else who was trying to force something to happen that shouldn't have happened. It's just hard to get through that when it's so obvious.

BOOK REVIEW: The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe
2022 Publication Date: August 2

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CONNECT WITH A BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
When a home needs renovations, you solve a problem... When a relationship needs renovations, you reveal a problem...

T.I.M.E. BOOK REVIEW:
In The Fixer Upper, the main character Aly has a gift for seeing potential in people — especially boyfriends — and she loves to help them until they become the best version of themselves.

Her friends believe she is often taking the back seat in favoring to help others at the detriment of her future advancement. But they also see a business opportunity, as Aly is good at it. They convince her to start a business fixing up women's boyfriends.

One day, a super-successful influencer contacts her for help. She wants to give her boyfriend a nudge toward proposing. There's only one problem... The boyfriend is Aly's childhood best friend and first love that she has not seen in years.

Funny, heartwarming, and romantic all at the same time. I enjoyed watching Aly grow as a person and seeing her relationships with the people in her life change and develop. The main characters and the secondary characters were also very well written and added a lot to the story.

Perfect for anyone looking for a feel-good best contemporary romance book read with plenty of laughs anytime you need a light and enjoyable romance novel that still packs an undercurrent of life lessons... ✨😎✨

Pages: 299
Genre: Best Contemporary Romance Novels
Sub-Genre: Second Chance At Love Romance
Time Period: Present Day
Location: London (England)

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Movie: Legally Blond

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When you're a fixer-upper expert, people know you're the go-to person for getting things done. You're the one who can take on any project and make it happen, no matter what. So when your relationship needs a "renovation"... Who are you gonna call? Aly.

Aly has always been the kind of person who fixes things. She is always fixing her parents' relationship, her business associates' projects, and her boyfriends' potential futures.

So she decides to use her special skills to help other women. Aly and her friends start a business called the Fixer Upper. But things get complicated when one of their clients' boyfriend "project" is Aly's childhood best friend and first love.

If you're looking for a light-hearted contemporary romance with witty banter that will keep you entertained from start to finish, then this is the book for you!

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION:
• Where is the boundary for helping friends and family vs helping yourself?
• Discuss the impact of what we experience on social media vs real life
• Can you "renovate" a relationship to achieve the relationship we are hoping for?

BOOK QUOTE:
"Seeing the reality, no filter... " — The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe

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All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This is a great second-chance romance wrapped up in a very modern story that touches on many of the obstacles a modern woman has to face in every aspect of her life. It was great to see how seemingly having everything together in the traditional sense doesn't necessarily translate into a happy life.
I really enjoyed this one, particularly the parts about Aly finding her voice, spine, and passion while working to fix things for others. There's a great feminist message underlying everything that happens in the book and it makes the inevitable HEA even better.
My one complaint is that the romantic element of the relationships between Aly and Dylan never really gets fully explored, although I can't really complain about this because Dylan spends 95% of the book in a serious relationship with someone else and I would have been deeply disappointed if things had happened. So it's a catch-22 that doesn't have a solution, but I would have loved to see more of them interacting as an actual couple.


Happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the inspiring read!

I had a really hard time getting into this book. It just wasn't for me. DNF around 15%.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read which is about a woman who realized she fixed her ex's life in a good way and decides to start a business where one of her clients turns out to be her old crush and best friend from many years ago. Forsythe is an incredible writer when it came to writing out the whole story. The storyline was great with a good amount of conflicts, the pacing was fast which is perfect for the book and I enjoyed the setting. The problem came with that this book is listed as a rom-com. There was the comedy which was very well done but there was barely any romance so that was disappointing.

The main character is Aly and I enjoyed learning about her character. She was easy to relate to and had good character development. I love how she made her talent into her job which is nice to see in a women's industry. Then there is Dylan who needs help with his image. I honestly didn't like him as much but the bantering between the two was funny. There were other side characters but they weren't involved a lot in the book that I wish they were. The romance is honestly barely in the book. There was kissing but that's it and I was so sad when I finished the book to realize there wasn't good romance.

To the point I got to the ending I was kind of let down where the book was going. As this book is listed as a New Adult romance, I'm expecting some sort of romance that is more than kissing. This book could be on the YA shelf because there isn't anything graphic or mature theme in the book. The writing and characters were still good though but the lack of romance will let some readers down when they realize they didn't get what they wanted.

A sweet childhood-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers British romantic comedy, this book was so fun to read. Quick and nice to read. I wasn't overly invested in this book, but it was a great time.

Your girl is actually posting reviews *gasps* and let me tell you about this book. First of, I went into it not expecting much and came out the other side in love with this book. ​​​​​​​​
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First things first, I loved the characters. Aly was a joy to read about, though I wanted to shake her at times and her journey was believable. Let’s just say I was rooting for her to find her voice and use it and stop people-pleasing everyone in her life and watching her stick up for herself and come into her own was such a joy. The side characters were all 10/10 and Tola and Eric were the best friends a girl could ask for. This leads me to the subject of Dylan and how much I enjoyed his own journey. Though I wanted to shake him even more.​​​​​​​​
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All this being said, this book does have romance in it, but I wouldn’t say that it’s necessarily a romance book, you know? So, if you go into it expecting it to be all romance, all the time you will find something quite different. This book is one of those books that’s about character growth and finding you voice with some A+ romance on the side.

'The Fixer Upper,' by Lauren Forsythe took a a few chapters to get into but once it got rolling is quite enjoyable. A perfectly readable rom-com following the plot we know by heart, but updated in the modern world of marketing, influencers, and glamping!

Thank you @netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for early access to this ARC in return for an unbiased and voluntary review.

This book was delightful!

Aly is in her early thirties when she realizes that while she’s dedicated her life to her job and helping others, all of her previous partners have become complete successes. She’s “fixed them up” and helped give them the boost they need to get what they want. But, she’s stayed stuck in the same place for 15 years. After being convinced that she can turn this into a service for women, she’s approached by a social media influencer who wants her commitment-shy boyfriend to propose. Little does Aly know, this task is about to be a blast from the past.

I found this book to be so charming. I really loved Aly as a character. I found her to be funny, frustrating, and relatable. All of the side characters were funny and added a lot to the story. Even though I’d classify this as more women’s fiction with a little romance thrown in, I’m still going to say that this is my favorite romance novel of 2022.

The childhood friends to enemies to friends to lovers was really enjoyable to read. It was paced really well and felt like the perfect light read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam, and Lauren Forsythe for the advanced e-copy of The Fixer Upper!

I really enjoyed this one. Im not one for the friends to lovers trope. But i felt like this one was really well done. I also really enjoyed the friendships Aly had with her coworkers. Their dynamics were great. Overall this was very entertaining and had me laughing out loud many times.

I loved the premise of this book! I like how she takes the time to really build well rounded characters.

This book was very middle of the road for me. I guess, in the end, it simply did not feel like a true romance. I suppose it is since we are left believing the main characters get an HEA, but I just didn't feel the normal emotional pull from it. I think I just feel...not great...about how the whole plot played out with Alyssa deceiving Dylan about how she was supposedly helping him, even after they seemed to reconcile. And about how she deceived her friends/ business partners about the money she was receiving.
I think maybe the bigger issue, for me, was that it seemed like, at the beginning, the author wants the reader to believe that Aly is a really strong, confident,, independent, take-charge woman. However, what she shows is someone who is really more of a doormat who doesn't know how to properly communicate. There were a couple times, too, where it seemed like maybe the characters were developing in a positive way, or the plot was going to change into something more tolerable but then they.....didn't.
The writing was fine, and I always love England as a setting. But overall, this book was not my cup of tea.

First and foremost, I need Aly in my life. She is the ultimate relationship guru who can fix broken hearts, get your career on the right track, and help you meet your career and relationship goals!

After realizing that all of the men she's dated in the past have gone on to live wonderful lives, Aly understands that she's born to help people find love and success. Naturally, she starts a business that thrives on these ideas with her two friends.

Enter Dylan, her new client who also happens to be her best friend in a past life and the same guy who broke her heart. Struggling with his job and his identity, Dylan seeks Aly's help, which means diving into their past relationship and figuring out what went wrong.

With the promise of their spark rekindling, Aly has to deal with the moral and ethical issues of pursuing Dylan (who already has a girlfriend). What could possibly go wrong?

Despite the far-fetched premise and the ridiculous miscommunication trope, I really enjoyed reading this book. The banter was funny and sweet, the characters were likeable, and the romance was a well-paced slow burn.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Aly is in part all of us. Hardworking a good friend and someone people use for there advantage because she is someone who always helps even if she doesn't want to. This story starts out with her doing her weekly dine out alone when the host is giving her grief for wasting a table for two on one.
When a ex is behind her and she finds out he grew up married and doing the things she encouraged him to do. When she tells her friends this the joke of her being the fixer comes up saying she does the work for someone to benefit from her hard work. Then the plan of the fixer upper is born. Where they help other woman to push there partner to better the relationship.

Aly is approached by a social media influencer who wants her help to motivate her boyfriend to propose and other things the only problem is, her boyfriend is Aly’s old best friend and former crush inter Dylan.

She's not going to take the job for that reason alone but other issues happen and she needs the money. The only other problem is Dylan isn't happy to see her a lot of things went down all those years ago and feelings are still hurt.


this book is a second-chance romance / friendship and gotta love a do over. The part I love the most is how Aly grows and starts standing up for herself.


This is Book 24 of 30 for September participating in the Bookopoly Readathon

Thank you Netgalley, penguin group for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Fixer Upper is a fresh, funny rom-com that will leave you smiling. Aly is a hardworking brand manager who discovers that after breaking up with previous boyfriends, they have all improved - pursued their dream jobs, got married, and bought houses. With the help of her two friends, Eric and Tola, Aly launches The Fixer Upper, a business that will help improve careers, but also women's partners that need a little kick in the butt.

It all changes when they end up working with a popular influencer whose boyfriend happens to be Aly's former best friend who she hasn't seen in over a decade.

I thought the story was really creative and fun, and definitely a different take on romance. It was a breath of fresh air after reading some really intense books.

Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

3.5 stars rounded up
This is a contemporary romance from the perspective of Aly, who seems stuck in life and can’t seem to move up or forward in any aspect of her life, from work, friends, and especially her old boyfriends who all seem to go on and have success in life and love after she has helped them out. So, she decides to use her talents at giving men the little push they need in the right direction and make a little money at the same time. I mean what could go wrong.
Ok, while reading this book I got a lot of Failure to Launch with Sarah Jessica Parker vibes from it. I liked Aly’s friends and side characters; they were a lot of fun. For Aly I just wanted her to step up the whole time in her job and life and she was so back and forth the whole story and helping other people and I was like why can't you do that for yourself! There were some laughable moments, but the story was just fine but nothing spectacular. The love interest, he did several things, especially in relationships just did not make sense to me and drove me crazy, like why would you do that! There was just a ton of miscommunication between them throughout the story, which is not a favorite device in books for me. While this is a romance, it is PG rated so if you are looking for something a bit spicier, it is not in this book. I did have a pretty good time while reading it, it was easy to follow and was a fine rom-com type of story. If that is what you're looking for I would definitely recommend checking this book out.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

This was such a cute read! I really loved the characters and how they grew throughout the story. You can’t help but root for them! If you’re looking for the perfect lazy afternoon book — this is it! Would definitely read it again! 4/5 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an e-galley of The Fixer Upper.

Aly has always been a fixer, so much so that all her ex-boyfriends are now successful men...and happily dating other women. Once her friends realize Aly's "fixing" ability, they decide to have her help other women get their boyfriends or husbands to improve themselves. The universe has other plans when one of her clients ends up being the first ex - the one that got away. Will Aly be able to keep up the ruse or will she crumble under pressure and regret?