Aly Aresti works at an ad agency in London but now she has a side hustle as a relationship fixer. When she is hired by a reality tv star to fix her boyfriend. Her boyfriend turns out to be Aly's best friend from years ago. While, Nicki, the reality star and social media influencer, seems to not realize her boyfriend's past with Aly, it turns out she does and the whole thing is a publicity stunt.

Aly's and Dylan's past come back to haunt them when they finally admit their feelings for each other. Nicki uses the situation to further her own social media presence.

Aly has coworkers who also help with her fixer upper business, and their involvement adds to the comedy of the story.

Lauren Forsythe has written a really nice book that has way too much swearing that really doesn't add much to the story. The amount of alcohol consumed in the book also makes me wonder if some of the characters aren't alcoholics. Just my opinion. It is an entertaining read that will while away a few hours when the reader has nothing else to do.

Three and a half stars--rounded up to four.

G P Putnam and Sons and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I really wanted to love this book, and there are elements in it that I genuinely did really like, but the biggest issue was really hard for me to overlook and that was that the romance of this rom-com just.... isn't there.

Ostensibly, the romance is meant to be between Aly and Dylan, two former best friends who split apart after Aly drunkenly confessed her love to Dylan and then left down, believing he didn't feel the same. Now the two are in their thirties and Aly runs a service to help fix up the life of men as requested by their girlfriends. Aly is hired by Dylan's current girlfriend to get him to propose to her within a month. I'll be straight, I hated Dylan for pretty much the entire book. I don't have a lot of patience for characters who expect people to know what's going on in their mind and Dylan spends most of the book dating another woman, flirting with Aly, and then whining about needing to make people like him. He puts literally nothing at risk for Aly and yet she is the one who is forced to fight for this relationship at the end.

In a rom-com, you have to love both lead characters and while Aly's storyline with her parents' on/off relationship and her work struggles make you really understand and feel for her, there is nothing about Dylan that makes you care about him in the slightest. Quite frankly, Aly could do better. All in all, I needed more from this romance because when it seems like Aly and Dylan might not work out, I was actually hopeful that that would be the case.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hasn’t most every straight woman been Aly? You date someone who’s just not quite done yet, break up, and they move on from you to be the perfect guy for some other woman. I’ve been there myself, with zero regrets and true happiness for the couples, one of whom’s wedding I went to.

This isn’t a light and fluffy rom-com, it’s more along the lines of Josie Silver’s One Day in December. It was an easy to read, lovely, bittersweet, one-that-got-away novel and I mostly adored it. I didn’t love that most of the characters weren’t more fleshed out - there are a lot of stereotypical personalities here (the gay best friend, the vapid influencer, etc.) but not as much depth as I hoped to see. The premise was an intriguing one and, issues aside, I enjoyed reading this debut novel.

I look forward to reading more of the author’s work.

I just wasn't feeling this one.

The concept was cool enough... "fixing up guys", but it just couldn't hold my interest.

The Fixer Upper was a cute, quick-paced romcom book with witty humor and a unique plot. Unfortunately, much of the plot felt slow and/or unnecessary to push the plot forward. I loved the blurb on this book - it's what drew me in - but I feel like so much time goes into setting up the plot that the actual plot is lost. Aly was a refreshing and interesting main character, though her inner dialogue got on my nerves sometimes. Honestly, I think this story would probably hold more interest as a movie, rather than a novel. Either way, this book was just okay to me.

This was absolutely adorable! The characters are wonderful and inviting, making this novel a pleasure to read and relax with. Aly is a very comforting and refreshing character, I particularly liked her little vibrant group of friends, every character had a significant role and played into the plot beautifully.

I recommend this book if you like second chance romance , childhood friend trope and little no to steam.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc.

I loved this book, it grabbed my interest from page one. I had such a fun time with these characters. Aly was such a sweet character! This book had so much moments that just hits you and makes you feel all emotional. This is a must read book!

A quick, light read. Not incredibly memorable for me unfortunately.

I went back two to three times to start it over, as it was just not holding my interest.

Nice, lighter fare - a great respite after deep thrillers! I enjoyed the ebb and flow of the conversations and felt connected to characters. Will keep my eyes peeled for more from the artist!
Thanks for the ARC opportunity!

If I'm being honest, this wasn't my favorite. It wasn't poorly written, poorly plotted, poorly anything, per se—I simply didn't like the romance. I like second chance romances, but only when the MC doesn't spend the entire book crafting lies only to be forgiven in the last chapter. Some people might enjoy it, and I'm sure many will, because the cast of characters were diverse and likable, the resolution was cute, and the couple—for all I didn't like the circumstances their relationship re-blossomed under—had the history that could only come from being high school besties with their inside jokes, cute ways of uplifting each other, and natural chemistry.

I initially liked the message of feminism, but I also think there were subtle instances that only served to undermine that message. Nicki, the main antagonist, was a social media influencer, and while none of the narrative surrounding her was explicitly misogynistic, it was only a few keystrokes from being just that. I do like how it explored feminism in other aspects, though, from Aly's job to Aly's mother's own struggles to the idea of helping women understand that they shouldn't have to settle for less just so they can feel desired.

Aly is the ultimate "fixer" after growing up in an emotionally unstable household she learned to people please her way through life. At the start of the book, she appears to be stuck in an endless wheel of hard work and emotional support with little to no personal gain; however, a chance encounter with her childhood BFF changes everything. I thought it was insightful how Ms. Forsythe portrayed the impact of childhood traumas on adult personality and relationships. I really enjoyed this book because by the end Mara was no longer "fixing" people but helping them see their own value with a renewed confidence in herself as well.

I loved the setting, living in American it was nice to escape to London. I pictured the metro rides so vividly. That's one thing I enjoyed about this novel, the author does a great job at describing the surroundings. From the office building to the lunch picnics outside the scenery was greatly painted.

This was an endearing friends to enemies to lovers romance. I liked the twists and how the two main love interests were reintroduced into each other lives. It seemed natural and flowed well with the story. The side characters were a fun and entertaining addition. The humor radiated and I loved the underlining tension that existed.

This was a fun, quick paced and comedic romcom. Perfect for a feel good vibe.

For fans of second chance romance and little no to steam, this book is for you!

This book is right up my alley- a romance with little romance and little steam 😂. I loved the theme of The Fixer Upper because I feel like a lot of women can relate to making their partner a better person.. for somebody else.
This is a quick and light-hearted read that is perfect for romance lovers and those who are looking for something to pick up in between heavier reads.
The book is set in London but I definitely got USA vibes; I’m not sure if that’s a me problem or what. It actually helped me relate more to the book because I envisioned the scenery as USA landscape but it might bother other people so I wanted to mention.

Overall, would recommend and I would read this author again!

Summary: After a run-in with her much more successful ex-boyfriend Aly decides to start a side hustle to help women get what they want from the men in their lives. Everything seems to be going well until an influencer hires her and her friends to fix her childhood BFF and Crush Dylan. While working together Aly learns that not everything needs to be fixed and she doesn't know everything she thought she did.

Thoughts: Dylan is a gem! This book is super cute, and very light heart, easy to read. Aly’s main conflict is that she needs therapy and needs to instill boundaries! Her relationship with Dylan was fun to see and watch grow. I also really liked Aly’s friends and Dylan’s coworkers/ friends they had a fun dynamic. I need a Ben and Eric sequel, Ben was such a gem! The grand gesture and resolution were very mild despite how badly Aly screws up things I like that the resolution was quick and drama free but as far as couple conflict Aly’s apology could have been even more over the top and it would have been appropriate. Dylan is a gem and I love that he got his happily ever after, now Aly and her mom need to go to therapy ASAP.

This was another cute Rom Com (my favorites!!) We have a friends turned enemies into lovers trope that keeps you guessing until the end! Will Aly and Dylan, best friends who had a tragic ending, rekindle after 15 years? Aly has created "Fixer Upper" with coworkers Tola and Eric, to help women get their unmotivated boyfriends motivated. Fixer Upper is hired to help an influencer get engaged to her start up boyfriend, Dylan. Once Aly sees Dylan, her first love and best friend, she gets excited. Until he ignores her and acts like they have never met. We see how Dylan and Aly maneuver this change of friendship, and how she can trick her first ever love to propose to a pretentious person.

Lauren Forsythe included the perfect amount of detail, and other story lines, in this book. We received the closure to all aspects. It was a fun change of pace for me to read!
If you are not into smut, but love a good romance story, you'd enjoy this.

This was an easy and fun read. I enjoyed reading about Aly and her friends more than anything else in the book. It fell flat at times, but was still enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc.

What a wonderful debut novel from Lauren Forsythe! I chose this book due to its cute cover and the premise of a woman being a "fixer" and essentially having a knack for fixing everyone and everything around her. That sounded like me, and I always appreciate reading books that have a lead character who I can relate to.

This was a different premise that I have never read before, so I was excited to dive in. A woman who realizes she's been fixing her past boyfriends (turning trash into treasure) decides to take that skill and sets up a service (underground, secretive) where men can come and fix their lives with her help, to elevate themselves. But, a past friend of hers (and first love) becomes a client and Aly has to decide if she wants to fix this guy up like everyone else or keep him as he is, as she has always viewed him as amazing, just the way he is.

I really liked this book. It was fun, witty, refreshing and I felt a chemistry between Aly and Dylan. The banter was spot on and I think it was well written.

The only issues I had, which aren't really issues; more personal preference than anything: 1) the entire book is very PG, no real spicy scenes at all. So if that's something you are looking for, just bear in mind that the book does not have spicy scenes. It was very PG. And 2) The entire reason why Aly and Dylan lost touch and he broke her hear hinges on a misunderstanding and could have been easily remedied but of course, that leads to the book, so...

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a fun read! I loved the characters and very much enjoyed this romcom novel. It was a quick, predictable, read with a warm and fuzzy pay off. I loved the witty banter between our two main characters and was cheering them on - right down to the Love, Actually style declaration of love!

This is the first time I've read the authors work and it won't be the last! I love a book where the characters reconnect as I find the banter delightful! That's how I felt about this one and I devoured it in nearly one sitting! If you enjoy romantic comedies then you don't want to miss this one.

SUCH a great read by Lauren Forsythe and I'm grateful for the ARC by Lauren and NetGalley!

This is a great balance of humor, warmth, compassion, romance, friendship.....basically, LIFE! Aly is that woman, and we've all known them (or been them) who dates the "Not Quite Ready for Adulthood" guys only to break up and have them move on to being the perfect grown man with the next girl. Because of this, Aly has been dubbed "The Fixer Upper" by her friends and parlays that into a business helping women turn their lackluster boys into go-getter men! Before long, their services are requested by an Insta-famous heiress who wants them to fix her app-developer boyfriend. Until it turns out the boyfriend in question is Aly's childhood best friend and first real love. Now she has to decide if she is going to face their complicated past and change someone who was always perfect for her...just the way he was.

This was a really, really wonderful read. While I enjoyed Aly's story, especially her growth arc, I whole-heartedly enjoyed her friendship with Tola and Eric. Aly goes from having no friends due to trust issues, to gaining two best friends: Tola, a cheerleading, no-holds-barred advice doling, cheerleader of a friend and Eric, the gay one-liner slingin', partner-in-crime that every girl needs! The development of these relationships, and the fact that Aly had a date with herself at the beginning of the story, is the type of woman-care we need in life! I'm here for it seven days a week!

Yes to Aly! Yes to Tola and Eric! Yes to standing up for yourself and your own self-worth and Yes to a love that feels like home!!