3.9 stars

Thank you Netgalley, G.P Putnam’s sons, Penguin Group Putnam, and Lauren Forsynth for and free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Aly has a tendency to date men who are ‘projects’. Coincidentally, each relationship she’s been in, every guy has come out of it to a better life than they had before. Most of them have ended up success stories. Her and two of her friends, due to this sort of power Aly has, start up an “if you know, you know” sort of business that caters to women know need their boyfriends, husbands, fiancés, etc. to change or be nudged into reaching some sort of potential. One day, the business is approached by a multi-million follower influencer who needs help with her app developer boyfriend—who also happens to be Aly’s long lost ex-best friend and whom she also loved at one point, Dylan James.

I had a really great time reading this fun british rom-com! It was fast-paced and a second-chance romance that I loved. Dylan is just a blessing of a character and I genuinely adored the way the two characters reconnected :) I thought the concept for the novel was unique and it flowed together really nicely.

Aly wasn’t my favorite character, but I liked her as the lead and I found myself relating to her on numerous accounts. Hardworking, insecure, and a people-pleaser, Aly has a hard time saying ‘no’ and sticking up for herself. It made me a bit frustrated with how much she was walked over, but I understand it was apart of her arc. I like how she was sort of her own antagonist in this story, which was a really interesting take. I can tell how much she cares for Dylan even if they haven’t spoken in years. Tola, Priya, Ben, Dylan, and Eric really made this novel was it was—I was laughing at their banter and I adored all of them right away :) I appreciated how Tola and Eric allowed Aly to come to her own decisions instead of forcing some agenda on her, but also, I felt like tough love could have been given earlier.

Overall, while it wasn’t the most memorable book I’ve ever read, this was a lovely, fleeting read and an enjoyable rom-com with lovable characters. I would definitely recommend for someone who is just starting in rom-come or if you’ve been coming out of a slump lately. Again, thank you for the arc!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and Lauren Forsythe for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Style/Trope/TLDR: Friends to Strangers to Lovers

Spice: 0/5

Aly is a constant helper, and it seems like everyone (including all her ex-boyfriends) has been made better by being with her. All that help, though, comes at the consequence of herself. When her coworkers start a business of helping fix up people's significant others by doing the "emotional labor" typically reserved for women in their relationship, Aly's next assignment is to fix her first love who she hasn't seen in 15 years, so that he could be better for someone else.

This book was a fun premise, and I enjoyed the general chemistry of the supporting cast. I found the actual execution to be a bit of a stretch and the characters to be not as developed as I would like. That being said, I devoured it quickly and enjoyed my afternoon.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I have always had a fondness for British rom-coms and upon picking up THE FIXER UPPER, I thought it would be just another of the same. However, this book brought out so many emotions, completely blowing any expectations I had away.

Aly is that woman who seems to take on the problems of everyone—family, friends, boyfriends, coworkers—in her life, so much so that she has to carve out a single night once a month to treat herself to an indulgent meal alone while reading her book. After running into an ex-boyfriend during one of these nights out, Aly and her friends come to the conclusion that every man she’s dated has been “fixed” by her gentle suggestions to better themselves. With a little bit of acting, the group decide to use that talent to push (mostly) men to step up, grown up, and better themselves for their partners. However, after having so much success, they’re contacted by a social media influencer/kitty litter heiress to fix a person from Aly’s past.

I could relate to so many aspects of THE FIXER UPPER. Like Aly, I am often the emotional support and sounding board to those in my life and know how hard it can be to express my own feelings when it feels as if no one’s opening to listening. I loved the dynamic between the friends and the love story that ended up being years in the making because of a terrible misunderstanding. But overall, the message of the book, that people don’t need to be “fixed,” that everyone deserves to love and be loved, was the best part of all.

What an adorable story! I think this is perfect for anyone that loves second chance romances. These aren't usually my favorite, but I loved this one and how much you could feel the love that the main characters had for one another. The concept was honestly incredible, and I loved the business aspect of this novel. I wish that the plot had developed more evenly, however, it was still a fabulous read.

The Fixer Upper
By Lauren Forsythe

I gave The Fixer Upper, by Lauren Forsythe, 4 out of 5 stars. I thought this was a very entertaining and cute, second-chance love story.

Aly Aresti is a fixer. In every past relationship she’s been in, she’s been the one to “fix” those men into being the ideal boyfriend. However, that’s when they leave. She fixes them up for someone else. She feels as if she is not progressing towards her dreams and goals, while all of her past boyfriends are “winning” the break up and surpassing her in the big game of life. With the help of her friends, Tola and Eric, Aly puts her fixer-up skills to good use by creating a company to help women “fix” their significant others. However, when Aly agrees to help a social media star, things get complicated when she’s hired to fix her boyfriend…which so happens to be Aly’s old best friend who she was in love with.

I absolutely LOVED the relationship between Aly, Tola, and Eric. They were very relatable characters and their banter was contagious. Individually, all 3 of these characters were very well-developed, but together they created an energy and humor that made you want to keep reading.

Similarly, I loved the relationship between Aly and Dylan. Second-chance romances and childhood best friend romances are two of my favorite romance tropes. I thought the two had great chemistry and the whole time I was rooting for them to be together. Watching Aly and Dylan reconnect was everything I hoped it would be. They complimented each other well.

One of the main things I look for in books is good pacing. I thought that this book had that. It was a very easy, and quick read. Once I got a little more than halfway into the story, I didn’t want to put it down at all!

If you are a lover of this romance trope, British rom-coms, witty banter between friends, and a light, easy read this is the book for you!

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"It's only scary when you're falling, then it feels like home."

Oh this book! I've been in a slump. Reading things I wasn't interested in or disliked or forcing myself to finish. This has been on my Kindle for a while and I was saving it to read closer to publication day, but I needed something that sparked joy. And did this ever spark joy!

This was a feel-good, friends from the past reconnect as enemies and figure out their new story together, rom-com, hilarious friend group story with a dash of a kitty litter heiress added in for good measure.

I adored Dylan and Aly's story - I loved her Type-A and his charismatic charm. Tola was a character that I wish was a real person we could be friends with! We had a glimpse into the struggles and burdens Aly had to shoulder from a young girl with her Mom. It was a main sub-plot within this book that gave this rom-com so much depth!

This was my first Forsythe book and will not be my last. This was just chefs-kiss amazing!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

The Fixer-Upper
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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

Aly has always been something of a “fixer,” especially when it comes to her romantic partners. She’s got a way of taking lazy, unmotivated boys and turning them into successful go-getters… just in time for their NEXT relationship. So when her coworker convinces her to use her fixing powers for the good of women in her community, it’s really a no-brainer. Until, that is, one of the men she’s asked to fix is her childhood best friend - the one she was always in love with. Now Aly must decide if she’s willing to fix her one-time crush for another woman… if he even needs to be fixed at all.

I loved the female characters in The Fixer-Upper - both Aly and Tola are strong, smart, badass women and I enjoyed their interactions the most in this book. There are some really great female-empowerment quotes here, too - I seriously felt like I was highlighting something every few pages, and I loved that. What I really wanted more from the story was the romance between Aly and Dylan… in fact, this book was marketed as a Romance, but I would call it more contemporary fiction. I felt the main theme of the book was the empowerment of women and the “romance” was more of a side plot. Overall, I enjoyed the time spent with these characters!

You Should Totally Read This:

• if you like office-place stories
• if you love strong, badass female characters
• if you hate at these one of your coworkers

4.5 ⭐️ // I knew I would enjoy The Fixer Upper after reading the description, and my instincts were right! Who wouldn’t enjoy a premise of The Fixer Upper, an underground service for ladies who need help with their relationships? It reminded me a little bit of The Bromance Book Club series, which is one of my favorites!

The main character, Aly, was well written and likeable, and she is a genius. I was in awe of her ideas and quick answers. I also adored her coworkers Eric and Tola. Can we have side books about them, please? Each chapter kept me wanting to read more and more, and it was hard to stop! Also, the dedication and “Five Wonderful Things” will stick with me for awhile. The only thing missing was an epilogue! I really hope it will be added when the book is published or sometime later.

Read this book if …
🔨You’re good at problem solving
💕You fell in love with your first crush
💼You’re a fan of work place or second chance romances
💋You’d kiss someone in Truth or Dare
👙Your favorite glamping activity is staying in the hot tub and drinking wine

Playlist:
- You Belong with Me - Taylor’s Version (Taylor Swift)
- Fake (Lauv, Conan Gray)
- Slow Dances (Winnetka Bowling League)
- You Make It Easy (Red Hearse)
- Move with You (Trey Kennedy)
- I Won’t Say I’m in Love (The Lost Bros)
- I Got 3 (Jack Gray)

TW: divorce, manipulating boss/coworker/parent/significant other, narcissistic behavior

Although it was a cute concept, this one wasn't for me. For a romance novel, you think there would be..... romance, but it was like a small side part of this romance novel, which is a bummer because I requested based off of the romance genre. I also couldn't;t enjoy the character or story and nearly DNFed a few times because I just couldn't get into it.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Very good book, a fun read indeed..

“It’s only scary when you’re falling, then it feels like home”

I’ll be honest, I started this one and wasn’t feeling it at first - but that’s mostly to do with the headspace I was in when I started it. I’m so glad I decided to pick this one back up! It was exactly the story I didn’t know I needed today!

I feel like there were so many life lessons in this book and so many things to learn from. I really liked that Aly wasn’t feeling the business and did what she thought was best sometimes, even if she didn’t always follow that advice. I loved that she started to stand up for herself and fought for what she wanted in the end!

Ever since she can remember, Aly has been fixing everything around her: her parents’ marriage, her colleagues’ work problems, and her friends’ love lives. After a chance meeting with an ex who has gone from a living in his parents’ basement to a married project manager in three years, she realizes she’s been fixing her boyfriends, too…
So, Aly decides to put her talents to good use and, alongside two work friends, sets up The Fixer Upper, an exclusive, underground service for women who are tired of unpaid emotional labor.
Using little tricks and tips, Aly and her friends get the men to do the work themselves – to get out of the job they hate, sign up for that growth seminar, to do more parenting. Before long, a high-profile Instagram star hires them to fix up her app developer boyfriend.
There’s just one catch – he’s also Aly’s childhood best friend and first love. As Aly tackles her biggest “fixer-upper” yet, she’ll have to come to terms with their complicated history and figure out how much to change someone she’d always thought was perfect as he is…

Rating: 5/5 Stars

I received this book as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), from the website Netgalley, and I was blown out of my mind.
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
This may be one of the most top-tier romance novels I've ever read. I loved every single aspect of it- from the depth of each character to the rom-com like the plot to the tear-jerking ending.
The concept was so fun, and I could clearly picture what was happening and also imagine a plot like this occurring in real life.
Aly was the perfect main character and reminded me of myself too much. I loved all of the characters, and they were all dynamic, developed, and lovable.
The story was paced quickly, and I unashamedly read about half of this book during a school day - I could not put it down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
I can't wait for everyone to read it, mark your calendars for August 22, 2022!

The Fixer Upper explores the ways women tend to fix and help everyone else at the expense of themselves. I enjoyed the characters the growth they had. This was a cute and quick read. Not as romance heavy as I'd prefer, but the story keep me interested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC of this book provided in exchange for this honest review!

This review has also already been posted to goodreads! @prarthanarawal (link has been attached)

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc!
3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️
the only spoiler is in the last paragraph, and I have added a warning before:)

*aggressively adds Alyssa Aresti to my kin list*

Although it took me around 15% to get into the book, I did enjoy reading this book. I loved seeing Aly’s growth and seeing myself in her while also wanting to yell at her sometimes. The best part was seeing her understand she is worth more than just a machine that fixes people.

I also liked seeing her in her workspace, however, sometimes I felt as though I was overwhelmed with the amount of business information through lengthy conversations. I like the business aspects, but it just felt like too much at times.

I love the childhood friends to strangers to lovers trope. I liked seeing Aly and Dylan buttheads and refuse to acknowledge each other from their very first interaction. Sometimes I felt as though their tension and bond were reliant on them being childhood best friends, but by the end, I was convinced there was more to it. I just wish I got to see more emotional interactions between them that weren’t based on their past.

*spoilers* I am not normally a fan of the girl grovels trope, however, I saw it done right here. I think that given this circumstance I actually kind of liked it because the premise of the book was that she was supposed to ‘fix him’ for his girlfriend, and he was already insecure about himself and what she was supposed to ‘fix’ about him. I also think the groveling played a huge role in Aly’s growth because she had learned that it was not her responsibility to ‘fix’ others, whether it be her family issues, or her coworkers, or anyone else.

The Fixer Upper is definitely a romance worth reading! The book follows Aly, a woman who has spent years "fixing" her boyfriends, only for them to end up successful and her to end up- well, not. At the prodding of her friends Eric and Tola, Aly agrees to put her skills to good use by helping other women in the same position- women who are stuck doing the emotional labor to set their partners up for success. One day she gets a call for their biggest "fixer upper" yet, and the target is her best friend and first love, Dylan.

I really enjoyed the pacing and writing of this book; it was an easy read! Aly's relationships with her friends were one of the heart-warming parts of the story for me; so often romances see the romantic partnership as the one to redeem a woman's life, and in this book, that is not the case! Aly couldn't have made it through the events of this book without the help of her side-kicks. As for the romantic relationship, my only complaint is that the build-up didn't start sooner. Ultimately though, I did love the ease of the relationship between Aly and Dylan, and their shared childhood history.

A great book, an awesome romance, and definitely something for people to look forward to in 2022!

Aly has been fixing people her whole life without reaping any benefits. When an internet celebrity approaches her to fix her boyfriend, she has the opportunity to make some real cash. But then the boyfriend turns out to be Aly's old flame. I'm always a sucker for second chance loves, but I wanted more connection.

A cute read that explored some good topics of maturity, career, and relationships! I enjoyed reading about Aly, her friends and family, and the various dynamics she feels stuck in. A little bit less of a romance and a little more fiction, which I didn't mind. I thought it was a great premise and I enjoyed reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC of this book provided in exchange for this honest review!

I did not finish this book. It seemed really all over the place and I could not connect with the main character at all. The premise seemed right up my alley but I ended up being really bothered by the “I can fix him!” mentality. Maybe just came at the wrong time for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

I give this a solid 3 stars.

I feel it was more about friends and the romance was really the side plot of the story. Doesn't mean I didn't like it. I did, but I expected a tad more romance from a romance novel.

Aly is a people pleasure who is always fixing peoples problems and when her work friends notice they decide to start a "business" helping women better their boyfriends/husbands. They get this super famous influencer client Nicki and her boyfriend happens to be Aly's old best friend Dylan. They had a falling out so are forced together again and acting like they don't know each other the whole time. She tries to make Nicki's boyfriend the perfect man (and future husband) while trying to also fix her broken friendship.

I enjoyed most of our characters and the character growth. This was a really cute read quick read. Not as romance heavy as I'd prefer, but the story keep me interested.

Aly and Dyl are the cutest in this romantic story by Lauren Forsythe. The Fixer Upper is a company created by Aly and her two coworkers to help women by helping their men. The concept of Fixer Upper was so interesting and they landed a high profile client, Nicki, an influencer with a huge following, who needed her boyfriend to get a push in the commitment department and to level up in his business as well. Fixer upper was ready for the job, until Nicki introduced her boyfriend as Dylan, an old friend who Aly had lost touch with 15 years prior, but remembered her love for him like it was yesterday. I loved reading their journey back to each other- such a good read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.