Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Kensington Books for the arc of this book. This book is a very cute rom-com mystery with a side of suspense. This book started out a little on the slow side but when it started to pick up it took off and kept moving until the last chapter. This book had me laughing out loud a few times. This was the first book I have read by Holly James and greatly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more books by this author. I enjoyed this book so much I read it in two sittings.

Penny is a computer science professor who is mistaken for a fixer Anthony's gf. She now has to dodge henchmen, the FBI and a ruthless billionaire

Love Anthony and Penny together. Penny is resourceful and smart and Athony is savvy.... Tremendous chemistry... Love the fun and humour.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I'm not sure what to classify this as, a romantic comedy or suspense filled romance. Either way, I enjoyed it. Portia is taken on a wild ride after her sister tries to meddle on her love life and set her up with the neighbor's nephew. At times it's a comedy of errors and at times it full of suspense. The pace of the story works and Portia and Anthony are worth rooting for. Holly James doesn't miss.

What a fun little ride!!

I received The Big Fix as an ARC (Thank you NetGalley and Holly James for this early copy). I really went into it blind based off the cover.

The Big Fix follows Penny (a college professor trying to earn tenure) and Anthony (a "financial consultant" whose real job is revealed in the book). Penny shows up for an estate sale at the home of Anthony's uncle. When a closet door is opened a dead body falls out!

The story takes a wild ride from there! I don't want to give too much away without revealing spoilers. But Penny finds herself in a situation that she never imagined she would. This story is fast paced and you can't help but like the characters.

Very enjoyable read!

A fun, quick and cute read that I basically finished within two sittings. If you’re into fast paced action and suspense and love romance this book will be right up your alley!

This writing is great at times it can be a little bogged down and there were a few instances where what could have been said in 2 paragraphs went on for 2 pages. Regardless it was easy to follow and the pacing for the majority was good.

The characters. I feel like I just didn’t gel with them? penny came off as very immature and honestly a little dumb for someone who’s supposedly a doctor. She could have solved her own issues numerous times and just… didn’t? Her priories were all over the place. I will say she did kinda pick up at the end but not by much. Anthony didn’t have much of a personality for me I really struggled with his character.

The romance unfortunately wasn’t what kept me reading but the action/plot did. Was it a little obvious? Could you see the twists coming a mile away? Was the plot and mystery a little over the top and at times a bit annoying?Honestly yeah but it was still fun and it did make me want to read until the end.

Overall I think the book was good it just lacked a little depth that I typically like in my romances but if you’re looking for a quick, one to two sitting read and you don’t care if there’s inconsistencies and a crazy plot then this is the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the arc!

Another fantastic book by Holly James! Her books never fail to make me laugh and swoon and this was no exception. This book was a blast featuring an excellent blend of humor, romance and mystery. The banter between Penny and Anthony was great and the twist on fake dating made this book stand out.

Cute romance/cozy mystery

I am not a huge romance fan and thought this would be more of a mystery, but I still enjoyed it. A college professor teams up with the handsome neighbor to help save a damsel in distress - a wealthy friend of his with a bad guy husband. There is some blood with several people getting shot/stabbed, but it is not explicit, nor are the sex scenes. All in all a light-hearted, cute romance/cozy mystery.

Thanks @netgalley @kensingtonbooks and @hellohollyjames for the chance to read Holly's adventure romance, The Big Fix. It releases on March 25, 2025.

This book was SUCH a ride. Holly masterfully pulled at the various threads of this story to concoct a novel that was an edge-of-your-seat delight oozing with chemistry between the two leads.

Computer science professor Penny gets more than she bargained for when she lets her sister drag her to the estate sale next to her house in the Bay Area suburbs. And when a dead body falls out of a closet during the event, suddenly she's accidentally thrust into a world of fixers, hit men, missing trophy wives, and more. The most dangerous part of it all might be Anthony, the new owner of the house next door who everyone thinks is Penny's boyfriend, and just might be her only chance to get out of this mess alive.

Steam: 🔥 (closed door)
Tropes: adventure, forced proximity, bad guy who might be a good guy, touch her and die

Although many books have said they are similar to the Fall Guy (a movie I loved and watch 3x in the theater), this is the first book I've read that lives up to that hype. I think what this book has captured that most lack is that ephemeral vibe: fun and almost cozy, but still full of thriller-esque twists that feel realistic.

This book was so much fun, the snarky banter between Penny and Anthony was hilarious. I appreciated the new twist of fake dating - when everyone else thinks you're dating but your not. The mystery was the perfect balance of danger and thrill without becoming too dark or terrifying. The story itself had moments of unbelievable, but overall was so well done that I don't know that I can point to anything I would have changed. I also appreciate that no one is a superhero perfection in this - although quite capable we see Anthony struggle and grow just as much as Penny. Like with Fall Guy, part of the joy is that the characters are more like real people than flawless super-spies put in extraordinary circumstances.

Holly James has become a new favorite author and I need more of whatever magic was put into this book. Please.

Had a blast! I think the cover perfectly describes the vibe of the book (comedy/romance/suspense) in the best way. The characters are all solid and so well drawn from the first moment they're on the page. Holly James is a new-to-me author, and if this is even a little indicative of her other work, I'll be trying more!

A few (very small) quibbles (the sort of thing that stop this from being 5 stars, rather than just Very Fun): this is a very closed door romance. Which is fine, you do you, but you have people being kidnapped and saved and running for their lives and at no point do we see them having sex just to feel alive? There were definitely times that I wished we had Anthony's POV, even just a couple of chapters I think could have really tipped this book.

Holly James has quickly become one of my favorite authors and THE BIG FIX only further cemented that fact. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the advanced copy!

The eye catching cover art fits this lighthearted romp to a tee. While entertaining with some humor, this one is predictable to a fault.

Just when Penny Collins thought trying to make tenure would be the height of her summer stress, a body falls out of a closet at an estate sale. She soon finds herself on the run with Anthony the guy whose closet began these shenanigans. Banter, danger, and hijinks follow. Oh, and closed door romance!💘

In the early chapters Penny seemed a little immature however as the book progressed her character leveled out and I liked her more. The romance threads in the beginning are obvious. A more nuanced approach would’ve built more tension. That’s where it’s at when it comes to romance. Tension. The supporting characters were intriguing and felt genuine.

I’d recommend this one for those looking for genre bending escapism. Romantic/Suspense

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for providing an Advanced Reading Copy for review. These are my unbiased opinions.

3.5 stars

This started out as a humorous mystery and ended up as a zany adventure. Professor seeking tenure Dr. Penny Collins is estate sale hunting with her sister (who is really looking for a boyfriend for Penny). The hunky house owner is definitely acting strange when things get quite weird: a dead body falls out of one of the closets. Turns out that Anthony knows a bit about what's going on.

Before you know it, sparks are flying between the two but they don't have time to act on that since they are running from some very bad folks. Throw in a kidnapping or two, a homicidal billionaire, the FBI, a disappearance, and Las Vegas. It's all quite improbable but fun in an over the top way. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you’re looking for a truly hilarious thromance, this is the book for you! I’ve become a bit obsessed with this trope 🤣

So on to the book, Penny is a straight laced professor looking to complete her tenure, she is not looking for drama but the drama happened to find her in the shape of a tall, handsome (of course) fixers nephew. I loved the chemistry between the characters, the banter was on point from the get go.

I usually read books with more spice however the storyline and action made up for the lack of…well you know.

Solid 4.5 stars, I’m now googling what other books the author has written

This book is a genre blend of romance, and mystery, that kept me hooked right from the first page! (Finishing the book in one sitting)

The story centre's around Penny, who gets caught up in a wild adventure while staying at her sister's house for the summer.

Penny’s sister drags her along to a neighbour's estate sale, which becomes complete chaos…. (This is where Penny meets Anthony) and a body falls out of a closet!

Penny and Anthony, find themselves on the run, dodging bullets…. All the while unraveling a captivating mystery. Their chemistry is off the charts… and
I really loved Anthony's mix of practicality and awkward charm… I found it to be really endearing.

Holly James has beautifully blended humour and suspense, creating a fast paced story.…. That I really struggled to put down.

The romance is tasteful and the mystery is intriguing, making it a must-read for fans of rom-coms, mysteries, and thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Publishing!

Sometimes books with a "case" or a murder can feel too DUN DUN DUN to be enjoyable for me. However, The Big Fix was really fun! It gave me vibes of the movie Date Night with Steve Carell and Tina Fey!

✔️ Not-So Meet Cute
✔️ Fake Dating Adjacent (lol, everyone thinks they're dating and they're not!)
✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Road Trip

Penny is a professor, working to get tenure, when she gets accidentally pulled into a world of murder and mayhem when she finds a dead body at the estate sale of her sister's neighbor's hot nephew, Anthony.

I loved the two MCs, I enjoyed the plot, and overall the whole vibe of romance shenanigans with a little bit of danger. Some of Penny's lines made me laugh out loud and I still giggle thinking about them, days later

This is an entertaining and breezy read - I was captivated throughout.

Steam 🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

This was cute. I liked all of the characters and the storyline. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review, publishes 3/25/25

Holly James is now on my must-read list! The Big Fix kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the end. Equal parts suspense and romance; this book is so much fun.

The Big Fix was a low-level thriller with a twist of humor at the expense of our female MC. Penny is a young university professor hoping to make tenure, and she falls into a messy situation during an estate sale. In reading the synopsis of this book, I had assumed that the adventure would begin immediately upon the shocking discovery during the estate sale. I was a little taken back that “action” would be a slow-burn before it eventually sizzled up. There were a few days of strange occurrences and awkward exchanges between her and him, which kind of fell a little flat for me. 

This story was entertaining, it just didn’t provide what I expected from a story of two people on the run. Perhaps I was expecting to be a little more like Jason Bourne? In this case, Anthony, our male MC is a little more average. It can be charming at times and fits into the fade-to-black romance storyline. Their chemistry is sweet and believable. Ultimately their survival is based on near-misses and overall luck rather than an action hero save-the-day story.

I’d recommend The Big Fix to friends who enjoy light-action with a dash of cozy love. It has the right amount of humor to balance the adventure and romance. Perfect for a weekend read cuddled on the couch.

(This review will go live at thelitbuzz.com on 03/25/25)

This was just so so for me. It felt like a first draft. The concept sounded fun, but the execution was not good. For one, I didn't really get why the MMC liked the FMC. She was kinda mean to him throughout the book. Maybe the author was trying for banter but it fell flat most of the time. The plot got more and more ridiculous as the book went on but also I predicted many of the turns it took. Pretty cliche book.