This book was a delight, with unexpected depth and layers that added so much to the story. Aly is a hardworking woman with large ambitions, who finds she has a knack for fixing other people’s problems—but loses sight of the things she needs to fix in her own life. I was enthralled by Aly, as well as her friends, her mother, and most of all Dylan. The feelings in this book ran deep, sometimes dark, but it was the honesty and the truth that brought it all together. Although there were many lighthearted moments in this book, it was the vulnerable, serious bits that touched my heart.

Rating: 2 stars

*Thank you NetGalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons and Lauren Forsythe for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I loved the idea of The Fixer Upper and I believe that this book holds a ton of potential. However, I was unable to develop any sort of attachment nor desire to want to keep reading. I couldn't decide to stick it out or not so I went to Goodreads to read through other reviews and noted a common theme that the romance never really develops. Well, I was only holding out for some romance so I took that as a sign that this book wouldn't be a good fit for me.

Overall, the first half of the book was a quick read so I think it is safe to say that this book will be a fast one if you are interested. While I know it wasn't for me, I hope there are many others out there who will love it. Also, due to the potential this book holds, I am open to continue reading books by Lauren Forsythe in the future.

3/5 stars on this one for me. The concept and storyline was a fun one (don't we all wish there was a service that could fix all the things that annoyed us about our men?) but the characters in it fell flat. I think my favorite characters were Eric and Ben and they weren't a huge part of the book. I got annoyed by the main character and felt like it turned into a pity party she threw for herself. The connection between Aly and her love interest Dylan didn't show through enough to make it believable either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the advanced copy!

Present day Hitch with a female lead. If your ever dating a guy and you have this 1 thing you wish you could change call the fixer to help him reach his potential. It started off slow and it took a while to get to the love interest due to the long set up. But one the love interest is introduced it gives you everything you want from a romance story. The influencer angle made it new and relevant to today's society.

Reads like an episode of Sex and the City, a feminist warcry. Highly entertaining. Was also a very quick read.

3.5 stars

"Love is only meant to to be terrifying right at the beginning, right before you fall. Then it's meant to feel like home."

Aly is a driven 33-year-old who creates a secret side business dubbed the "Fixer Upper" to help women with relationship problems after realizing she has a gift for "fixing" up her ex's to be more successful than when she dated them. Then the Fixer Upper lands its biggest client, a famous influencer needing their help to secretly push her boyfriend to a life overhaul and proposal... the only problem is that boyfriend is Aly's former childhood best friend, Dylan James, whom she had a huge fallout with 15 years prior.

A super light, fast read with a childhood friend romance mixed with enemies-to-lovers trope. This story kept the pages turning, and most of the characters are enjoyable. Parts of the book I found to be a bit rushed, specifically when Aly and Dylan mended their friendship and the ending. Overall, a great beach read or for when you're in a slump.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and Lauren Forsythe for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

3.5-4 stars for this one. I really enjoyed the premise of this story with Aly being a fixer, and then coincidentally getting hired to fix her ex best friend. I felt the problems in this story were believable and were very true to the characters but I felt the falling out from her and Dylan when they were friends as young adults was not!
The side characters in this story were so sweet and well done, the way Aly grew and began standing up for herself was good character growth to see as well! I wanted to see more banter and maybe a quicker intro to the plot of the story. There was about 7 chapters before we got to the point of the story.
Overall super quick and enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was a typical entertaining rom com novel but I didn't totally love the characters here, specifically the main character Aly. Perhaps I didn't connect with her. I also didn't connect or feel the connection between her and her supposed love interest Dylan. There wasn't enough steam in this romance novel if you ask us. It had potential and definitely was a quick feel good read just not my fave.

I unfortunately DNF this book. I tried to start reading it a handful of times over the past few weeks and I just couldn’t get into it. The characters and the premise didn’t suck me in. I’ll give it a try on audiobook after it’s released eventually.

I felt like the bones of this story were good, but it was lacking oomph for me. I thought the strongest element was actually the arc of Aly's relationship with her mother, especially her coming to terms with the ways that childhood had shaped her and how her love for her mother was also causing her pain. I also thought the friendships were strong, even if Eric and Tola both leaned into some pretty significant rom-com bestie tropes. However, I didn't really find the romance between Aly and Dylan particularly compelling or filled with chemistry, and it certainly didn't help that the reveal about what happened built and built and then was a disappointingly shallow miscommunication moment. I was also a little bit baffled about what made Nicki at all compelling to Dylan in the first place - they seemed like such an obvious mismatch that seemed mostly narrative convenience/the need for roadblocks. I also wanted far more resolution on the ending, both in terms of Aly and Dylan getting together, and regarding how Aly and Tola plan to rehab their reputations and get into business together.

A fine suggestion for those looking for quick, female-forward contemporary romance, although I wouldn't say it's a standout among those being offered today.

Aly has a problem. Every time she breaks up with a guy, his life suddenly improves. That new job he wanted but was dragging his feet to apply for? Got it. The commitment issues that held him back from a proposal? Fixed, now he's engaged. When her friends point out that she's the common denominator, they decide to make a business of it. The Fixer Upper will take your man and make him better, WITHOUT you having to break up to make it happen. Business is booming, but Aly's next client is a little more complicated...it's her first true love. Is she up to this fix up?

4.5 stars rounded down because it wasn't quite perfect. It dragged on a tiny bit towards the end, but I enjoyed it regardless.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this book! I laughed out loud a lot of times and love the friend dynamic! The character development was really well done too! There is a lot of references to self worth and I appreciate the author having it feel real. Sometimes it takes a certain someone to push you to realize your worth and that is how it happened in this story. Overall, 4.5/5! I am eager to see more from this author!

Loved this book! The character development was on point and the relationship was so sweet. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

It a fun story about how Aly finds out that everyone she has dated in the past has moved on from her to improve their lives. One of her coworkers find the pattern with all her exs and want to turn it into a something more. They start helping other women who are having issues with there man committing. In the end it back fires on them but they are able to turn it into something else when Aly finally learns that she was passed over for the job she wanted by someone who had been they only a year and was constantly asking for help from her. This gives her the push to move on.

4.5/5⭐️

While the premise of this British feminist rom-com is rather questionable (however it does end with some growth and insight), I did enjoy it overall.

Aly, who is an under appreciated employee at a marketing firm, has a reputation as a do-gooder (“fixer”). She has bolstered and encouraged her ex boyfriends’ lives, yet she hasn’t found her own key to success, both professionally and personally. She is talked into (by her work friends Tola and Eric) forming an underground “fixer” service for women with boyfriend/husband issues (why won’t he commit, support me, etc.). With their surprising success, they are approached and offered big $$$ by a social media influencer/cat litter heiress to both help her boyfriend Dylan gain confidence for a business proposal as well as nudge him toward a marriage proposal…within a month. The problem? Dylan is Aly’s best childhood friend, and things were left strained between them 10 years before.

I enjoyed this on multiple levels. First, it’s hilarious. Then there’s the lovable Tola and Eric (who shined in every scene they’re in). And finally, it’s rewarding to watch Aly’s growth from a helpless doormat to a strong, confident woman. Along the way she also juggles being her mom’s support system (her dad is just a user loser), and whether or not she’s willing to help change Dylan (or anyone for that matter) into someone they’re not. Can they/should they be working to change men at all?

This is not just a fun, sweet read but one that probes some more serious issues…workplace discrimination, staying in relationships that aren’t ideal, where to draw the line on enabling, etc.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing the free early arc of The Fixer Upper for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This was a fun and fast read. I really like the main character Aly. From her time consuming office job, to her group of fun friends, I thought she was very relatable. It is a second chance romance and I loved seeing the relationship develop between Aly and Dylan. The physical aspect of the relationship is very PG. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for a review.

Aly is the type of woman who is always there for her friends, family, and co-workers---helping them all become the best they can be. But when she runs into an old boyfriend who’s doing so well, he’s almost unrecognizable, Aly and a couple of her co-workers realize there’s money to be made in this niche market. Using their organizational, marketing, and PR experience, they start taking on clients to “fix” them…and it works! But when Aly’s latest client wants her to “fix” a guy who turns out to be Aly’s old high-school love, things get a little messy. This was my first book by this author, and although it wasn’t a bad book by any means, it was kind of predictable. I think there was a few missed opportunities to branch out the storyline some and to even add a little more comedy. As it stands, this book is the equivalent to a Hallmark movie: although it will pass the time, you won’t really get a whole lot out of it.

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A cute second chance romance. Aly gets things done. She is talented and hardworking and seems to go out of her way to help undeserving co-workers and underwhelming boyfriends achieve their potential. When her friends suggests she channel those “fixer upper” powers into a business, their most important and high-profile client happens to be dating Aly’s childhood best friend.

It took me a few chapters to really get into this as the “Fixer Upper” business idea is a bit vague regarding how it would actually work in practice and there are questionable ethics. However, I did like Aly and could easily see how a super nice and competent woman at work (in this case, a marketing firm) can be routinely taken advantage of by her colleagues/members of the “old boys’ network”. Aly’s friends, Told and Eric, are equally likable and provide comic relief throughout. The “villain” of the story, an influencer/British reality TV star also provides some comic relief and her ambition and ability to spin any story to her advantage is impressive. While I wish there was more interaction between Aly and her love interest throughout the novel, they had chemistry, largely derived from their shared history and friendship.

Overall, I recommend this quick and sweet read to fans of friends (to strangers) to lovers and second chance romance. 3.5 stars.

This was such a fun read. The friends to lovers, unrequited love trope was handled well.
I felt connected enough to get knots in my stomach when things started going sideways, catch my breath during the hot tub scene, want to scream at Felix and laugh in his face in his last scene... Wonderful read!!

Pub date: 8/2/22
Genre: romcom
In one sentence: Aly is a fixer, but turning her fixer-upper skills into a business leads to trouble when she's hired to fix up her first love.

The premise of this book was so real to me - it feels like women are societally expected to fix men. I liked how Aly decided to turn the game around and make money from this emotional labor. I do wish there had been less of a miscommunication trope (one of my least favorite romcom tropes) in the story. The pacing felt a bit off, and there was more "fixing" than romance. Although this wasn't my favorite, it's a light read that would fit well with a cocktail by the pool or at the beach!

Thank you to G.P Putnam's Sons for providing a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.