I really enjoyed this story from start to finish. I kept struggling to put it down. I loved Aly, flaws and all, and Eric and Tola were the best kind of friends. The characters all had great chemistry and the ending was exactly what I wanted with even better ideas than what I had.


I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was such a cute premise. I love any book that features a driven female lead who's not willing to settle, and Aly definitely delivered on that front. The writing was sharp and snappy and the pacing excellent. This book reminded me of books by Sally Thorne or Mhairi McFarlane.

The cover is my favorite thing about the book. It is cheery and draws the eye. The book itself is not a romance. When the hero is still with his girlfriend at the 85 percent point this is not a romance. Aly works in marketing and is a fixer. She takes care of her job and fixes others problems as well. Her two best friends notice a pattern that Aly’s ex boyfriends always go onto to be better people after dating her. Together as a lark they decide to start a side job of fixing people. Get the long term boyfriend to propose call Aly. It’s going well until a big media influencer offers her money she can’t refuse to fix her boyfriend. Dylan James happens to be her childhood best friend before a falling out before she left for university. She is reintroduced to him as career coach in hopes of getting him prepared to meet with investors for his new app. There is more to the story but that is the basics.

Her friends are great but Aly who at first appears very competent and over achieving is actually a personal mess. She is over extended taking care of people around her. Reading as a women’s fiction this is an okay but it is a far stretch to call it a rom-com. I never felt a connection between Aly and Dylan. She tells us that she was in love with him in the past but even then they never dated or were involved as more than friends. It feels weak to build a whole thing from something that never was real to begin with. Then everything wraps up so quickly you don’t get to see them work things out or resolve issues. It is a small grand gesture and bam it’s over.

Somehow I was never invested in the characters enough to care that they got together. I did want Aly to get a better job that would be more fulfilling. And I wanted her friends to be happy. Intimacy is a couple of kisses for the MCs and the book has some language. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book. Although I felt like it was more chick-lit than romance. But otherwise it was good. The characters were well developed and so was the story. I felt intrigued and genuinely interested in what was happening with the characters.

Thank you Lauren Forsythe, Putnman, and Netgalley for the gifted ARC e-book.

Aly has always been the type of person who fixes other people's problems. After running into an ex, he tells her how much of an impact she had in helping him get his life together. Soon Aly realizes she's been fixing the problems in the lives of her ex-boyfriends too.

Aly and her friends decide to start The Fixer Upper, a service for women tired of unpaid emotional labor. Aly's role is to try to trick men into doing their "work" themselves - ie parenting, proposing, etc. The Fixer Upper becomes a hit with women and word begins to spread. One day a huge Instagram star gets in touch with them for their services to fix her boyfriend. Only problem is it's Aly's childhood best friend and first love. Now Aly has to figure out how to fix someone who's always been perfect in her eyes.

This was a super cute, quick read. It's a second chance romance, though I would label it more as women's fiction because it's not very heavy in the romance department. Despite this I found myself truly enraptured by Aly and Dylan's story. I was up way too late one night because I found myself just needing to know what happened in their past and what (if anything) would happen in their future. Both Aly and Dylan are likable yet flawed characters, which drew me into their story, but also at times had me wanting to yell at them too. The secondary characters, though not as developed, helped move the story along and bring some lighter moments into the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and ended up reading it in two sittings.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun clean read! I liked that we got to see more into Greek heritage as well!

4⭐️0🌶

Ally is a fixer. After a run in with an ex-boyfriend Ally and her friends realise that she fixed all of her exes. She gave them the support and motivation needed to reach their own goals and be happy with their lives.

So Ally and her coworkers/friends start a service encouraging the men in their clients lives to improve themselves. It might be motivating them to pursue a different career, giving them the confidence needed to embrace being a stay at home dad, or making them realise that their partner really wants to get married despite already having a home and kids together.

Thing are going well until a celebrity influencer wants to hire them to fix her boyfriend. Who just happens to be Ally’s estranged childhood best friend.

I loved this book. There was zero spice, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I related to Ally’s need to try and fix everything and have a plan and trying to be content with her life when things really weren’t going how she wanted. Ally and her friends were hilarious. I loved their banter and how they supported each other. I loved Dylan for working so hard to perfect a product he and his friends could be proud of. It broke my heart that he felt he couldn’t be himself, that he always needed to change to be the perfect partner. I dreaded the inevitable climax because I didn’t want anyone to be hurt. But I loved how it was resolved.

I can’t tell you how surprised I was that Ally was Greek. First of all I have never read a book where the main character was Greek, outside of mythology retellings. Seeing yiayia in a book was pretty surreal and I loved it. Especially since she reminded me so much of my own yiayia.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Aly has always been the one to fix everybody else and rarely puts herself first. Aly and her two best friends decide to utilize her talents and set up a secret service for women who need some help in their relationships by getting the men to do the work themselves. Their new business entices a high profile influencer who needs help with her techy boyfriend who also just happens to be Aly’s first love, Dylan.
This book had such a unique storyline and I don’t think I’ve read anything like it. It was a pretty enjoyable read but I started to get very annoyed with how Dylan was treated and portrayed. So many of Aly and Dylan’s problems could have been solved by just talking to each other.

This definitely had an interesting premise. I think there might be a hallmark movie just like it.

We find our early that Aly is a fixer. All her past boyfriends benefited from her encouragement and their time together, but she's not reaping the rewards. But we find out this seems to be pattern in her life. With her parents and with her job as well. She's always helping and too accommodating. But two of her coworkers decide they are going to use her skills to their advantage and start a low key business.

This is all kinds of sketchy. I like the idea, but it's just not morally okay I think? And then she gets a new client which was her best friend (that she was in love with) who she had a big falling out with. Awkward. But she's desperate for money since her mom might lose her house. (Don't even get me started on the trash that is her parents' relationship.)

I enjoyed the relationships and the friendships in this one, but it's sort of hard to root for the two romantic leads since one is in a relationship and the other is manipulating them. Books when someone is in a relationship with someone else can always be tricky and this one made me feel kinda strange about the relationship.

The end with the big romantic gesture did win me over and settle on three stars for the book.

ARC BOOK REVIEW

The Fixer Upper
by Lauren Forsythe

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publishing date: 8/2/22

Aly is always there to help someone when needed...colleagues at work, her mom, even past boyfriends.    But while out to dinner, she runs into a past fling who appears to be a completely different person- super successful, happy relationship...how did this happen? When Aly knew him, he was slumming it in his parents basement with no ambition.

She then realizes, SHE happenned. It appears that after dating Aly, the past men in her life suddenly get their " ish" together. Aly is changing men for the better!

With the help of a couple work friends, THE FIXER UPPER is created- a service for women who need help changing their man!  Aly is somehow AWESOME at giving men the nudge they need to succeed, so she might as well help other females whose partners are not exactly up to par.

The Fixer Upper is becoming more popular and Aly is hired by a famous influencer who is desperate for her boyfriend to propose. But there is one problem- the man she needs to change, is her past bestfriend  Dylan who she has been in love with since she was a teenager.....now what?!

This was a cute, easy read.  It was fast paced which I like.  I  thought the premise was original and unlike anything else I had read! It did keep my interest and I REALLY love childhood friends to lovers!

However, I think it wrapped up quickly and I wish we got to see more of Aly and Dylan as teens and in the present.i can't say that I LOVED the book but it was a pleasant read. 3 stars from me!

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars if I could but I had to round down.

Maybe it was my mistake but I assumed from the summary that Aly would be a bit more together. Not completely, but fairly self-aware, has a handle on life. Instead, she's mostly a disaster. She's competent at work but doesn't ever stand up for herself. She's a loner, just waiting for life to happen to her. She doesn't know her own worth and she's VERY annoying because of it. She always assumes the worst of people.

Tola's right: millennials like Aly need therapy.

The supporting characters are great. I love Eric and Tola and Ben. I wanted to see more Priya! They're dynamic and interesting, way more so than Aly. Even Dylan is better, though not by much. But the narrative that men all need fixing and wouldn't be anywhere without the women in their lives? That's tired and grossly heteronormative. Why do we have to keep pitting genders against one another?

Aly's arc, her growth, is fine. But I wasn't really rooting for her; I wasn't emotionally invested here. This isn't a book I'd recommend.

I loved this book, it was a break from your typical romance novels. I liked the concept of the Fixer Upper business, even if it caused problems eventually in the story.
I liked how Aly's mom finally stood up for herself to her dad, and got what she wanted.
I did notice a few errors in the book but overall it was a great read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

This is an adorable British romcom that has a relationship whisperer, Aly, as the FMC. Aly’s coworkers help her discover she has a fixer superpower and has managed to leave her past romantic partners better after their breakups. They decide to utilize this superpower to help others and are amazed by their success. Until they end up taking on a client who is a social media influencer that happens to want to “fix” Aly’s high school best friend and the love of her life. Nothing can go wrong, right?

The novel pulls you in from the beginning making the flow fast and easy. Aly is likable and feels real. I was rooting for her, wanting her to fall in love and get what she worked hard for and deserved. I wanted to shake her insecurity out of her and often felt frustrated that she didn’t seem to understand that she was a rock star!
This second chance, friends to enemies to lovers trope is great. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Lauren Forsythe and NetGalley for the ARC.

Aly has always been able to fix everyone else's problems, personal or professional. It is no surprise when she is approached by Nikki, a well-known social media influencer, to fix her boyfriend's business and get him to propose. Little did she know, the boyfriend is her first love, Dylan. Strapped for cash to save her mom's house, she accepts the job.

I could not figure out why Dylan was with Nikki in the first place, there was absolutely no chemistry and little backstory was offered. It made no sense. Aly and Dylan, on the other hand, were clearly attracted to each other, even when they pretended not to know each other.

With each fix, whether it was a relationship needing fixing or a push in the right direction, I grew frustrated with these women and their fixing business. I couldn't help but see red flags. Maybe it was the wrong guy for that person or maybe they needed actual, professional help. Even if it worked, would it last? Given all this, I was content with the ending and fully supported their end business and career decisions.

Read This If Enjoy:
•Childhood friends-to-enemies-to lovers
•Miscommunication trope
•Wanted to “fix up” your partner

Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this one, it was such a quick read. I thought it was a cute story with an interesting concept. I enjoyed every single character in this book, they each brought something different to the table (some I loved to hate lol). I thought the whole fixer upper concept was so interesting. I always love a strong female lead, and Aly didn’t disappoint. I thought this was a very cute British rom com, this book is very PG rated in the romance department.

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH.

I loved every single bit. The friendships were stellar. I read it all in one sitting because it just gripped me that much. I loved how messy it got, everything kept piling on and I was like Oooh girl no no no!!! Just too good. I hope this gets picked up for screen, HONESTLY.

I'm so pumped to read everything Lauren writes from here on out <333 I'M A LAUREN FORSYTHE STANNNN

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for this read <3

This is a cute little book about second chances at love. I really thought the plot and interactions were really funny and I will definitely be reading more of Lauren Forsythe in the future!

This romcom was a cute and short read. I love to read books like this as "palate cleansers" if you will, so this one was a good break from all of the majorly heavy stuff. I think the overall romance was very little, the only thing I really wished for in this book was that the main characters had more time as an actual couple. I know this book is considered a romcom, but I don't feel it has quite enough romance for that. The main trope of this story is kind of a second chance romance. The to mc's used to be childhood friends, they grew apart as they got older, then they got closer again. That's not my favorite trope, but someone who does enjoy it would probably like this book a little better than I. Overall, it's a good read.

This was a strong debut that pleasantly surprised me.

Short synopsis: Aly and her two close friends start a business to help “fix” relationships. When Aly is approached by a big time social media influencer, Nicki, to help motivate her boyfriend to successfully pitch his start up and ultimately propose, Aly is pushed into agreeing. The caveat is that Nicki’s boyfriend happens to be Aly’s childhood best friend, Dylan, and the two have not spoken for 15 years after a night of teenage drinking and drunken conversations. With Aly and Dylan back in each other’s lives tension builds, past memories resurface and attraction grows. Will Aly continue to do what she’s always done and help others or will she put herself and her feelings first.

Thoughts: What I liked most about this book was how unique and different the premise was! I was intrigued by the “Fixer Upper” role and while the manipulation and deception was hard to come to terms with, Aly’s involvement in this role led to some great self-realization and character growth in both her personal and work life. The supporting characters, minus Nicki, made the story. Dylan was a lovable hero who did so much good for the world, and both Aly and Dylan’s friends added depth and humor to the story, especially because we only had Aly’s POV. Also, I think the build up around the conflict was done well and I appreciated how the parts around social media were handled. Sometimes you think the absolute worst is going to happen because it’s fiction, but luckily it doesn’t in this one. I will say I did not love how we only got about 5% to see Aly and Dylan finally together. Also, this book did not have an epilogue and really needed one!

Read if you like:
-Second chance romance
-Workplace drama
-Books with no steam
-Self-discovery/ strong female character growth
-Grand gestures
-Amazing supportive side characters who you want to be your best friends

Thank you Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC. Pub date: 8/2/22

Aly is a fixer. After running into her ex-boyfriend who has turned out to be the motivated go-getter man she always wanted, she begins to ponder about her life, more specifically her past relationships. Her “friends” point out that she’s a “master manipulator” 🥴 and fixes all the men she dated. They then start a side-hustle fixing up other peoples men. That is until she’s hired by a reality star and influencer to fix up her ex-best friend, Dylan.

There’s a lot of lying, scheming and manipulating in this one which makes it hard to enjoy. I did overall enjoy the second-chance romance and learning to be confident in who you are. The character growth and friends are the real star of this story though. This is a great debut and I can’t wait to see what is next from Lauren Forsythe.