**Many thanks to Shelf Awareness, Putnam, and Lauren Forsythe for the digital ARC provided via NetGalley!**

Bob the Builder, move over...YOU can't fix 'em...but ALY can!

Alyssa 'Aly' Aresti, that is...accidental 'fixer-upper' extraordinaire, who can't seem to date a man without breaking him out of a personal rut...but often gets stuck in her own. She's been aching to ascend upward in her marketing career, but keeps hitting roadblocks along the way, and has spent many an evening dining alone at restaurants. When she runs into an ex who has gone from Grungy Hippie Artist Failing to Launch to successful Project Manager and has managed to snag a wife and home along the way, Aly realizes her nudging ends up benefiting EVERYONE in her life but herself.

With some gentle coaxing and co-conspirator-style coersion tactics from two work colleagues who are eager to be involved, Aly agrees to launch "The Fixer Upper", a service of sorts where women can send their problem children...I mean, men...to Aly for that one last push towards an engagement, leap to professional growth, or encouragement towards active parenting. Much to their surprise, the mini-business takes off and catches the eye of Instagram sensation Nicki. Her boyfriend's mental health app is floundering, and her ring finger is oh-so-bare...and of course, Aly and her friends are all too willing to sign on, especially for the huge payday this high profile client will provide once Aly delivers the goods. When Nicki's beau walks in, however, time stops for Aly--it's her childhood best friend, Dylan, who she also happened to have a HUGE crush on...and the two didn't exactly leave on the best of terms. Will Aly make this project count to give Nicki everything she's always dreamed of...and can she stand by and guide the one that got away to the alter...with another woman?

This is a bit of a genre mashup, and probably lies somewhere in the realm of 60% women's fiction and 40% romance, which is okay as long as you go into this one prepared for the romance to sort of play in the background for most of the book. There's a lot of focus on Aly's friendships and just how wonderful and important they are...which may be true, but felt a little redundant by the third time the author said it. For an amazing guy she couldn't ever forget, Dylan was a fairly bland love interest...likeable enough, but not sure why Aly would have been pining for him so hard other than their shared history.

Honestly, this book is less about Aly's romantic relationships and more about the fact that women like Aly (and women in general) often find themselves needing to be endlessly selfless in order to feel 'worthy,' and THIS is where I connected with the narrative. Aly is so wrapped up in trying to be everything for everyone that she allows herself to be trampled over time and time again and feels that her worth is entirely tied to accomplishments rather than her inherent worth as both a person AND a woman. Forsythe's deep dive into Aly's relationship with her mother and father's toxic relationship was, again, MORE relatable and interesting than Aly's potential with Dylan. This is a book that (somewhat) subtly points at the fact that you need to fully love yourself before you can love someone else...but you'll have to see for yourself how (and if!) Aly learns that lesson.

I bounced around mentally with my rating for this one while reading...sometimes I'd feel incredibly enthusiastic about a passage, and then Nicki would start being a brat or something else would get on my nerves and the scales would tip yet again. Since this is a debut, it made me reflect on my own life, and despite its predictability, I grew to care about Aly, I'm going to round up on this one. Looking forward to hearing more from Lauren Forsythe, and in the meantime, I'll be picking up empty water glasses from the nightstand, turning off the lights in the (empty) family room, and moving the laundry from in front of our hamper INTO said hamper.

(Well, you'll notice Aly didn't attempt to 'fix' any of THOSE sort of habits...guess I'm on my own!)

4 stars, rounded up from 3.5

Oooooooh did I enjoy this one! It was so smart and witty.

Aly is a natural fixe - whether it is professionally or personally. She goes the extra mile to help her colleagues. She invests a lot of herself into her relationships - she sees the potential in people and wants to help. them reach it. She starts to realize, though, that people, especially men, take advantage of it. Whether it is coworkers or ex-boyfriends, they tend to take her advice and level up.

Soon her friend convinces her to take these skills and launch a business where she helps women "fix up" their partners. And it works, and before long an influencer reaches out and asks her to help fix up her boyfriend. And of course, that man just happens to be Aly's first love.

I loved this concept and how Aly's desire to fix was not just men, but in her career as well. I thought the book did a great job of weaving her personal and professional stories together in a way that was compelling and got me incredibly invested. I was incredibly captivated, and genuinely curious about how it would all get wrapped up. I saw a lot of myself in Aly, which is a credit to how well developed she and the other characters were.

This was so fun - it felt like less of a traditional romance and more of a story of growth and finding yourself, with a reunion of a lost love to keep it even more interesting. Highly, highly recommend!

I ADORED this book and finished it in less than a day. It’s romance with unexpected depth but in a way that didn’t feel heavy and instead inspiring. It managed to still come across lighthearted and truly enjoyable while touching on real and relatable human emotions. I would recommend it in a heartbeat. Pub date is this upcoming Tuesday, 8/2! Thank you to @putnambooks for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Who doesn't love a British Rom-com? The Fixer Upper is a quick, fun read about Aly who turns her talent of fixing everything into a career in fixing other's love lives, maybe even her own! Overall a light, fun easy read for summer.

I'm not usually one for romances, but this was a really fun read. It centered on a young woman and her friends who thought they were doing a good, beneficial thing, but in the end, was it really? Lots of relationships in this book, lots of little white lies, some manipulation. The book is enjoyable enough that you overlook those things. This was a great read.

This was a fun and breezy read. The characters seemed so real and relatable. I could have read an entire book dedicated to the bantering of Aly, Tola, and Eric. The Fixer Upper job was a little far fetched but it worked within the book and I was happy to go along with it. My main pain point was the lack of romance throughout. If you're looking for something that is based more around relationships but romance isn't the main focus, then this book is for you. Overall, an amusing and quick read.

📖Book: The Fixer Upper
⭐️Rating: 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏼Author: Lauren Forsythe
📚Genre: Romance
🗏 Pages: 300
💕Tropes: Childhood Friends to Enemies to Lover, Second Chance, Found Family


The Fixer Upper was part romance, part drama from family and work. The premise brought me in, but I felt like I struggled to connect with any of the characters or what was going on. The writing felt great in some chapters and lacking in others, with only a few good choice quotes coming out from the 300-page book, which is unusual for me. This is no sex scene... which is fine.. it's fine. Just not the vibe I was hoping for. I just couldn't get into this one and struggled honestly to finish it. I will try again when I am looking for a clean romance.

A cute rom-com about a woman who seems to make every man she has a relationship with better for having been with her, while no longer being with her. Soon she and her coworkers decide this could be a great little side job. What starts out as fun, pretty easy idea becomes an exercise in futility when she soon has to face her past and some painful realizations about her current life. What I thought was a home renovation story was way more than that and I enjoyed where it went. Enemies to lovers, second chance, sweet story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam & NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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“We watch all these movies where dudes with abs know how to plan these hugely elaborate romantic surprises, and in reality women across the country are reminding their boyfriends to change their boxers on a daily basis. They deserve better, and we could give it to them”
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I’ve read a LOT of books about women who ~fix-up~ men, and most of them are, objectively, bad. This book does not fall into that trap. Aly has lived her life perfecting other’s and never looking inward, while constantly turning away from what she deserves. Whether it was her parents’ marriage, her coworkers’ responsibilities, or the trash men she was dating, she was always the only one putting in the work. Her two work besties discover Aly’s strength and essentially start a business “fixing” men so that they can be better partners.
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Everything goes south when “The Fixer Upper” gets a request from a famous influencer to not only fix her boyfriend’s career, but also to get him to propose to her within the month. The catch? The boyfriend is the only man that Aly has truly ever loved.
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The good: I really like Aly. I thought the plot line with her mom was special and important, and I really enjoyed the book on a surface level even though at times it hit a *little* too close to home.
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The reason it’s only three stars: this is classified as romance/women’s fiction. It is not a romance book. There’s zero to no chemistry between the characters, the romance plot line is minimal at best, and even if it was there, she’s essentially stealing another woman’s man (okay, yes, he wasn’t right for the other woman, but still), which is not a trope I think any of us enjoy reading about. I also thought the ending and wrap up was super rushed, and that some of the side characters were a little more one dimensional than I would’ve liked.
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All in all, this book took me a week to read. I know people keep saying it’s a fast read, but as a woman, some of this book was a painful pill to swallow and honestly just made me sad… we’ve all been in Aly’s shoes, seeing the mediocre men we date get wildly successful while our life stays stagnant. I know that wasn’t the main point of the book, but I wish it would’ve strayed from the idea of romance and focused more on women’s empowerment here!

Aly Aresti appears to be a confident, single woman, but really she's the one who fixes everyone's problems- from her parents' unhealthy relationship to her colleagues' work problems. This motivates Aly and her friends to build a side business of fixing people's relationships. When they get a call from the reality star, kitty litter heiress, and social media influencer Nicolette Wetherington-Smythe, they decide this could be their big break. But Aly soon learns that the man they need to fix is her former best friend and first love, Dylan James. She soon realizes her feelings for Dylan never faded and problems ensue.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise was intriguing, and I liked the friends-to-lovers/"it's always been you" trope. I thought the side characters had some really great moments, and while this had a lot of potential, the romance fell a bit flat and the plot was problematic. I enjoyed seeing Aly help Dylan with his start-up company, but their chemistry was hot and cold. Even in the end, I wasn't sure if they'd actually get together. Plus Aly's issues with her mom were not great. Just so much drama with little reward.

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This had a really slow start but once the premise got explain it took off. aly always dated men that are projects who then turn out to be successes after they’ve broken up. Drowning in work while trying to get promoted, her co workers come up with a new plan to help out all women with changing their fixer uppers into stellar finishes. Until she lands the biggest of their career and it’s someone form her past. As aly navigates the new challenges I felt myself cheering her on. For someone who keeps getting trodden i wanted her to shout at everyone who was pulling her back and I was pleasantly rewarded. The romance is very slow and on the back burner. The real element of the book is watching Aly grow. I loved it

After running into an ex and discovering that he's gotten a good job, a new house, and a wife in the five years since they were together, while her life has stood still with multiple failed relationships, she realizes that the lives of all her exes are significantly better after her help and advice. She and her friends start Fixer Upper to help women get what they want out of relationships. Then, a popular social media influencer hires them to polish her boyfriend's image, help his startup company succeed, and get him to propose. Aly feels guilty and uncomfortable with the whole setup and refuses at first, but she really needs the money. Then she meets the boyfriend and he's none other than her childhood best friend and secret crush Dylan. Why does Nikki want Dylan to change when he's so perfect already...at least perfect for her!
This was a sweet, funny, totally PG clean romance. I could see how all the guys in Aly's work were treating her like a doormat just because she liked to be helpful and I'm happy she finally stood up for herself. Dylan's character was just so wonderful so I'm not sure why he put up with Nikki for so long. The make-up scene at the end was really sweet and romantic.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

The Fixer Upper drops tomorrow, a cute romance set in London that features best friends, second chances, and some great moments interspersed with some truly weird #secondwavefeminist moments that I could have done without.

Aly is a millennial in her 30s who has never truly been in love. Well, once to her high school former best friend. But since then, she has had a string of romances that weren't all that romantic. When her coworkers point out that she made ever single man she's ever dated's life better, they start a new company where they fix up men for women they know and take on the emotional labor that the women don't have time for in their busy lives. This plan all comes tumbling down when she is hired by a social media influencer to "fix up" her soon to be fiancé, Dylan. Aly's former best friend. Aly doesn't want to do it, until she needs to do it. Miscommunication and second chances abound after this.

Honestly the book works at its best when it surprises you but pulls a few punches. I really thought Forsythe had something with the discussion of women taking on more emotional labor in a relationship. It was interesting to see them start up the company and discuss what men needed to do to grow. Which usually came down to "open communication and a community that accepted their growth when they most needed it." And I thought it had something there. Especially when it came to growing pains in a world that wasn't like the one of our parents as millennials raising children and creating their own lives. I also very much enjoyed the discussion of Aly as a people pleaser who took on projects over actually dating someone she liked. That can also be the case for a lot of women. But then it pulled back, almost scared to delve deeper.

That is shown most through the treatment of the social influencer. A lot of this book screamed of millennials who just don't get Gen Z or who want to say they support people in their choices while giving them the side eye for how they go about doing it.

I did enjoy the romance here. It is a man who has a girlfriend, so there is no steam here. But there is something I very much appreciated for a friends to something more in a novel. I really appreciated that when certain things came to the surface, it didn't change everything all at once. There was still a moment of building back a friendship that hadn't been around for fifteen years. There was appreciation for how they seemed to change. That mixed in with wonderful lines like "[t]hat's what happens when you love someone fore over a decade, it lives in your bones, like an echo." That was beautiful and pure art in what it means to pine for something you once had. I loved that and the realistic stakes. That said, it felt a bit rushed at the ending.

📚My Summary

⚜️ Thank you @netgalley & @penguinrandomhouse for sending me this cute read! Aly's story of fixing up boyfriends but constantly being left behind is finally put to good use when a friend suggested that she turn it into a business. The story takes a funny turn when one of her clients is a past friend/crush.

⚜️Can everyone read this book?

📚 Yes

⚜️Would I recommend?

📚 Yes

⚜️Just Read Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I loved the romantic storyline. Who doesn’t love a flash from the past turned enemies turned maybe lovers?? I especially loved that it wasn’t JUST about the romantic side. That I felt so seen as a woman and recognized in the many professional and personal hardships we pretty much all face as a whole! I don’t know if I’ve really ever read a book that touched the parts of my soul from my teenage years all the way to the insecurities I face as an adult so fully before! Everything was beautifully fleshed out and I can’t wait to see what else this author might write 😊

A cute read. Aly is a fixer. People,come to her all the time, expecting her to grant fixes, which she obliges. However, she hasn’t caught on thwt she needs a major fix herself.
Aly is a major doormat for most of the story. I liked it when she found her voice and made confrontations thst were long overdue.
I like her friends, who have several interventions with her.
The ending is sweet, but predictable.

The Fixer Upper is the story of Aly who works in marketing but is really good at fixing the problems of others. Her friends notice that the guys Aly dates soon find the one after she dates them. On a lark they put together a side business of fixing other people’s relationships. They are hired by an influencer who wants her boyfriend to propose. Turns out the boyfriend is Aly’s childhood best friend, Dylan, who she had a crush on and hasn’t seen since leaving for college.

I was excited to read this book due to the darling cover, sadly the cover was the best thing about this book. This book is another case of a book marketed as a “rom-com” failing to deliver on both the romance and the comedy. Yes, Aly and Dylan end up together, but they are hardly ever on the page together and Dylan is still with his girlfriend until about 85% of the way through the book. That is not enough to establish a relationship and make this a romance. I also didn’t find the book humorous in the slightest as so much of what was going on was rather serious. I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I was never invested in the character or their relationship. I felt like it did a lot more telling rather than showing which turned into a disconnect between me and the characters. This was a debut novel, so i’m willing to give the author another chance in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cute romantic comedy with a London setting (an auto read for me just on those facts alone lol)

Aly is "The Fixer Upper"...that is when it comes to her former boyfriends "fixing" them to be the men and partners they should be...just with somebody else.

When she is hired by a social media influencer to fix her bf and make him more husband material on the inside and outside. Only unlike other times where she has helped strangers with her super power, this boyfriend isnt a stranger at all, but an old friend from a lifetime ago.

Childhood friends to enemies to lovers

A little slow in some parts but 150% worth the read!

Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Maybe it's just me, but this book was missing something. It missed a good amount of spots for me. And in someway, I felt like this was a book about me. And not in a good way. For me any guy that I have dated, has found their HEA. Meanwhile I still have not.

I wish I could say I loved this book, but I just didn't.

OVERALL OPINION:
I loved the concept of the story and I thought it was a cool take on the genre, especially since rom-coms. The main character was one of my favorites in all rom-coms that I've read.

WHAT I LIKED:
I really like the main character's voice. She's so engaging right off the bat and I definitely connected with her almost instantly. I felt like I'd known her for years at this point and it was so cool to get to grow along with her. I also love how real she is from a characterization perspective. Her arc was so strong and I could see the little milestones she has to move from point a to point b, which was so cool.
The dedication was beautiful!
The writing style was exactly my type- I meshed really well with the book and had a grea time reading.
I thought the Eric and Tola giving device was so well written because it didn't seem like the author was trying to sneak in Aly's flaws in an obvious way. It just felt like they were genuinely having a conversation.
The tone was well balanced, especially since a lot of Aly's actions on the comedic side were explained by her dramatic backstory/
The time jump was in the perfect place!
The dynamic between Dylan and Aly is so interesting. Also, the slow burn was really well paced because it felt logical for the feelings to be returning, but it wasn't drawn out awkwardly either.
I think both the romance and the main plot were a good way of leading the characters on their journeys
TOLA IS AWESOME
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I wish that the whole "fixer upper" thing wasn't as laid out by Aly's friends and that she had been the one looking into it alone. I wanted to hear more of her internal monologue. Most times, I say that I need more dialogue in reviews, but this time, I wanted more of Aly's thoughts instead of just her witty descriptions.
If Aly is so good at manipulating people, like she does with Becky's boyfriend, I want to see her do so in other situations, like in business and with her mom. Also, I wanted her to have a more active role in a lot of the fixer upper plans- like either her scheming or in the moment her talking to men.
I wanted the actual plot to come in faster- like I love where it starts, but I want Jason to be like the third of her exes she's seen in the past few weeks that's doing way, way better so she's the one that brings up the idea that she fixes men.
I think there's a lot of good social commentary here, but it needs to be more fully fleshed out into a poignant subplot that addresses weaponized icompetence and the fragile male ego. I felt like I was drawing conclusions a lot of the time and not in a "I'm so smart" way.
Eric feels a lot like the "gay best friend" trope and I want him to have a little more character besides supporting Aly.
The plot twist about Dylan being Nicki's boyfriend was surprising, but I would've loved for it to come quicker into the book or at least have Dylan thought about more to show how important he is! Also, I wanted more flashbacks of actually in the moment to show the old Aly and Dylan instead of just Aly recalling it vaguely through a paragraph or two here and there.
I wasn't sure exactly what the vibe of the book was supposed to be- it felt goofy but also super emotional? I know there's a mix of both in any good book, but there should be a general mood.
I wish he was in a fake relationship with Nicki because I actually really liked her- a good plot point would've been that she's queer and he's helping her cover or they're just in a PR relationship for other reasons? I don't know, it felt ethically wrong to ship Aly and Dylan for a while and I really wanted to because that's one of my favorite parts of a romance novel