I fell in love with this story right away! Fixie Farr is such an endearing character that you cannot help but fall in love with. I mean she is literally a hero from the beginning of the story saving Sebastian’s laptop from water damage, hence the beginning of the “I Owe you One” story!

This was the story of Fixie becoming the woman she was meant to be. She was working at her family business, living at home with her Mother, Single; in love with her first crush and shy to speak up around her own brother. As this story unfolds, Fixies learns that she must believe in her own strengths to find her own destiny. The question is what is that destiny?
I often could not put the book down.

I had never read a Sophie Kinsella story until this one and I am very excited for my next!

I Owe You Won by Sophie Kinsella is a story of a woman so self-effacing that she is willing to sacrifice anything in service of others. Her family and “boyfriend” are all too-ready to take advantage of Fixie’s inclination to transform herself from a smart, capable and creative individual to a well-worn doormat. The first half of the book was difficult, almost painful reading, and readers might be tempted to give up. Don’t do it!

The second half of the book is Fixie’s path forward to taking hold of her own life. It is fun, and more than once, laugh-out-loud hilarious. I confess that I was not persuaded in the miracles that Fixie apparently wrought in the people around her. Nonetheless, I won’t be surprised to see this story on screen, and I expect I will enjoy it. Pick this book if you are looking for a light read that will divert and amuse.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the electronic ARC and the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for a copy of I Owe You One for review, out now!

I can’t say I really loved this one, though the second half really was better than the first.
Fixie has some very toxic character traits that made me just angry with her. She was really down on herself, she believed everyone was better than her, and she put her family over everything, even herself. She fell over backward for her brother and her high school crush (both of whom were self absorbed and used her knowing she would worship them no matter what).
Eventually she figured out that she could do something for herself but it wasn’t soon enough or redeeming enough for me to love these characters.

Sophie Kinsella has been one of my favorite authors since the Confessions of a Shopaholic- so I'm always excited to see her have a new release. I Owe You One had everything I love in a her novels- flawed but fun characters, great dialog, and a unique premise. I enjoyed that this book was a bit more focused on an entire family and the setting of the family-owned shop was delightful.

Fans of Kinsella’s other novels and her style will certainly enjoy I Owe You One. Looking forward to her next release!

I think one of the main reasons I loved this book is because I related a lot to the main character, Fixie, who feels a compulsive need to fix everything... vases askew, situations she messed up with her words, other people’s lives- everything! It gets her into trouble but it’s also a huge asset. As is the case with most thing, our greatest strength can be our greatest weakness.

I wish the novel had spent just a little more time on how Fixie's need to fix everything was The Thing That Saved Everything in the end. It just felt a little rushed/brushed over.

The love story was a little weird and I would say a lot of people aren’t going to love this one, but I definitely have read much worse. It seems to happen really fast, which is typical of this genre, but there was something about it that felt slightly unrealistic.

All the characters in this novel are fun (or terrible) and feel like they could be people you know in real life. Kinsella did a great job with the characters. I've read a few of her other books and I didn't feel like I was listening to the same old people again. That is quite an accomplishment considering how many books she has!

Will definitely be recommending this to my friends who need a lighter, fun read!

What a wonderful leading man ... Kinsella has created the perfect book hero. Sebastian is kind, considerate, but vulnerable, and of course tall and handsome.

The protagonist, Fixie, I had more trouble liking. Just because push-over personalities are a pet peeve of mine.

This book was a great improvement over Surprise Me, because the romance was swoon worthy, but still... what's lately with Kinsella, dead fathers, and obnoxious families? At lest the mother was likable in this one, but she stays on the page far too shortly. I wish the book had been more about Seb and Fixie.

A special mention goes to Leila, one of the best supporting characters ever.

The second half of the book was ten times better than the first half.

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite writers! Whenever I need a book to cheer me up, I always gravitate toward her books. Her last book was also one of the first books that I ever reviewed on this account. So I was incredibly excited to get a chance to read I Owe You One early.

I really enjoyed this one! I think Kinsella just keeps getting better with each book. It was fantastic to see the main character come into her own, particularly toward the end. But you’ll be rooting for Fixie from page one!

Plus the romance was so cute! There was bad timing, mistakes, and an absolutely adorable meet-cute. The characters were all multi-dimensional and the plot was highly engaging. There were a few moments where there was a bit much going on and there was one moment toward the end where I wanted Fixie to have a bit more agency. Anyway, I’d recommend this one to Kinsella fans or anyone looking for a fun, cute romance.

I am always hesitant when starting a new Kinsella book because I have found them to be very hit or miss. I’m happy to report this is a hit! It’s Brit Chick Lit at its best! Some very funny moments but also some very sweet memorable ones. I liked her cast of characters especially Leila. The scenes felt vivid without being too wordy. I could have done with less store talk but otherwise I highly recommend for lovers of chick lit 😍

This is exactly what I expected when I pick up a book by Sophie. Silly moments, a family that grows together, and a love story.

Fixie is a hands on woman who is always busy fixing things. Part having grown up being the one who does it all and part trying be a people pleaser she runs nonstop fixing anything and everything.

When she saves the day for a handsome stranger she ends up with the ultimate IOU. Fixie continues to run herself crazy as she tries to fix family, her job, and her love life. When she uses the IOU she sets off a chain of events that touch the lives of herself and all those she cares about.

Super cute read that reminds us that standing up for ourselves isn’t always easy, but is worth everything.

I have enjoyed many Sophie Kinsella books in the past, but unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me. It kind of felt all over the place and I didn't really enjoy the romance aspect of it as much as I was expecting to.

Fixie was just not the type of heroine that I like. She kind of let people walk all over her and I spent half the book mentally telling her to toughen up. I didn't understand her relationship with Seb and the on and off again pattern was a little annoying.

I just kind of gave up on this one, but I definitely tried as I really have liked this author's work in the past.

I Owe You One is another enjoyable novel by Sophie Kinsella. Fixie Farr is just as her name describes. She is a young woman who can't leave anything undone. She meets Sebastian in a coffee shop when she saves his laptop from imminent destruction. Sebastian declares he must repay Fixie's kindness-he owes her a favor. Romantic sparks don't fly between Fixie and Sebastian because Fixie is more concerned with her former crush Ryan. In fact, Fixie cashes in her favor with Sebastian to help Ryan. Fixie is an extremely thoughtful woman and that is what makes her an interesting character. Kinsella has written a fantastic novel about friends, family and love.

This book was so much fun! I just love Sophie Kinsella's sense of humor in her writing. Her characters are so animated, its easy to imagine them.
I think a lot of readers will identify with Fixie and her life. So many moments during reading I could pick out things in my own life that were very similar. Sophie Kinsella is great at bring characters to life that are all too real feeling!

Fixie Farr is a fixer of all things, so when she feels responsible to keep the family business going, chaos ensues. This was a charming story by the amazing Sophie Kinsella, who write such wonderfully captivating and witty characters. A delightful, fight for what you want romance!

I received an advanced reader copy of I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella from Random House through Netgalley

What It’s About: 'Family First' is the motto of the Farr family and something Fixie lives by. She prioritizes everything over her own interests and helps run the family store her father left behind. She gets nervous by confrontation and aims to please. Therefore, when she saves an investor's computer, and he offers her a favor, she decides to use it to help her longtime crush. From there a bunch of circumstances happen.

What I Loved: I really related to Fixie and her desire to please everyone eve at the sacrifice of her own interests. The ability to relate to Fixie makes you hurt for her and get angry on her behalf which makes it a more worthwhile read. I really liked Seb and also loved some of the secondary characters like Greg, Hannah, and Fixie's mother.

What I didn’t like so much: I didn't like a few of the characters because they were painfully awful. Fixie's siblings and her uncle's behavior were frustrating and rude and while I know they were meant to be, it didn't make it easier to read. Also, Ryan is annoying, the whole time. I don't want to give to much away but let me just leave it this way. You have a character who puts people first and rarely sees a return.

Who Should Read It: People who love good 'chick-lit'. People who don't mind frustrating antagonists. People who love to cheer for a genuinely nice character.

General Summary: A book about learning the importance of taking care of yourself.

I have really enjoyed Sophie Kinsella's books in the past (and I still love Can You Keep a Secret?, I've Got Your Number, and The Undomestic Goddess) but this one was a serious disappointment. First of all, it was hard to get over the MC's name - Fixie? I don't know, it was attempted to be explained but it felt weird for the entire book. Second, Fixie was so oblivious for at least half of the book as to her own friends and family and their true selves that it was beyond frustrating. I just kept thinking, REALLY?! to myself and being upset. I don't know - this just felt boring, rehashed of previous plot devices from SK's books and overall could have done with more editing.

I Owe You One comes out next week on February 5, 2019, and you can purchase HERE. Hopefully you have better luck with this one than I did!

Two weeks later Mum is in St. Tropez with Aunty Karen. She keeps sending me long texts about the marina and the boats and the sunshine, and I know I should send her a proper reply--but I can't fact it. Once I start typing to Mum, everything will pour out, and I'll start sniveling all over my keyboard.

So instead I'm zapping her lots of smiley faces and emojis of shiny suns and sailboats and dodging the truth altogether. (Maybe that's what emojis were invented for in the first place, and I've just been using them wrong. They're not there to convey thoughts in a fun way; they're there to lie to your mum.)

I literally laughed out loud at several times while reading this book and loved each of the characters. Fixie , Seb and the whole family are just Wonderful. "I Owe You One" by Sophie Kinsella is a funny, sweet story about love, family, loyalty and the hard choice of living the life you really want. Sophie Kinsella always writes fun, witty books and this was no exception. Each character reminds me of someone I know and is endearing and pulls you in. Such a wonderful read!
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Thank you Random House and Netgalley for this advance reading copy for my honest opinion and review.
This review is posted on my social media site where I review and promote books I enjoy. Posted on 2/5/19

Overall, I enjoyed this latest release by Kinsella. But while reading it, I had to ask myself why so many heroines in women's fiction/chic-lit depicted as such doormats in the start of their story? It *is* possible for a heroine to have character development/transformation without having to go from doormat to butt-kicking superwoman.

I will say that the way that Fixie's family treated her was so bad, it actually made it somewhat hard for me to read initially. I really wanted to throat-punch someone on more than one ocassion. They were just horrible. I get that parents can have blind spots with regards to their children and their behavior, but it seems like Fixie's mom just chose to have blinders on and ignore how abysmally her older children treated (bullied?) her youngest.

However, true to the requisite character development, Fixie finally "grew a pair" and stood up to her ridiculous family. The overnight about-face change in behavior from her brother and sister once she DID stand up to them is probably somewhat unrealistic, but I was willing to overlook it.

Fixie's relationship with Seb seemed a bit odd as well. One minute he was dating someone else, the next he and Fixie are essentially living together and then the pendulum swung the other way again. It seemed a bit "quick" for me. Their ultimate reconciliation was sweet and overall, I liked the message about family, love and values that was conveyed through the course of the story.

*eARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

I thought the way Fixie and Seb met was definitely interesting and showed what kind of person Fixie is. She's a fixer and can't help herself. She wants to make things better for those around her. But her fixing doesn't always have the intended results. I'll let you find out what she gets up to! I enjoyed the fact that Fixie and Seb kept seeing each other and kept a running tab. (You'll understand this when you read it) But they seemed to be there for each other when it mattered most. Their meeting was unconventional and funny, but it lead to something neither one expected. I enjoyed the family aspects of this book and I really appreciated and enjoyed the way Fixie grew throughout this story.

So I'm going to be honest with you, reader. Full disclosure ... I usually love Sophie Kinsella reads, but this one started out really slowly for me. I wasn't all-in, in terms of Fixie. She kind of made me crazy. However, I gave Fixie a chance, and I'm SO GLAD I did! So, reader, please give Fixie a place on your TBR list and grab this book! This was a cute, sweet, a little maddening, and endearing read.

Fixie is the youngest sibling, and often feels overpowered by them. Jake dreams of being a mover and shaker, and Nicole is flighty and centered on the actuation of the self. Fixie feels a strong tie to her family and her crush Ryan, who is back in England after trying to make it in Hollywood as a producer. She tries to jump in and help everyone else, not thinking about what it would do for her. This even leads her to agree to watch over a stranger's laptop at a cafe and dive over it to protect it from a leaky ceiling; Sebastian is grateful and wants to give her an IOU, which she ultimately cashes in for someone else.

I feel so bad for Fixie as the book progresses through its first half. Her siblings continually leave her in the lurch, from putting down her viewpoint to her sister literally leaving in the middle of curling her hair and complaining that she needs to take care of herself instead of others. Even her crush Ryan leans on her for emotional and physical support, and at one point literally only seems aroused when Fixie tells him how handsome and important he is. She can't really take a stand, not when family is important to her, which I completely sympathize with. But she leaps to their defense when everyone else around her realizes that they take advantage of her. From chapter one, Fixie says her need to fix others is her flaw, and it really is. Her need to please others and make them happy does give her some pleasure in life, but it also stresses her out because her own needs are unmet.

Fixie's inner monologue is hilarious and relatable, much like Sophie Kinsella's other heroines. It's understandable that she has a hard time standing up to her older siblings, or realizing that her crush is a selfish flake that is using her. She and Sebastian get along fairly well, though they can still wound each other deeply with words, too. Fixie taking steps to assert herself more felt somewhat sudden, but a realistic kind of sudden. She had been pushed so far that "scorched earth" measures had to be taken. She's actually very good at what she does but needed a push. Everything falls into place for all of the characters because this is very much a feel good book. It closes at Christmastime, but it's not strictly a Christmas themed book. Still, it has the homey warmth you expect from the season and is as fun to read as Kinsella's other novels.

Fixie is a person that cannot let things be if she sees something that needs to be done. This is a complex personality trait that is both a blessing to others and often a disability to herself. At first, I thought her family nicknamed her Fixie as a negative thing, but as the story unfolds I found out that Fixie prefers this to her real name and it definitely suits her more.

This is a bit of a Cinderella story. She is the workhorse of her family’s business taking the model of her parents and is happy in that role. Her siblings take advantage of her and she lets it go, since that is her personality. She voices her feelings to herself and does not often let them out. She is often a doormat and lets things go without speaking up for herself.

Fixie has been head over heels in “love” with her brother’s friend Ryan since she was 10 years old and he was 15. This plays into the story. Ryan is another person in her life that accepts Fixie’s gift of wanting to make everything wonderful for her family and friends.

She is in a coffee shop and is asked to watch the laptop of a person at a nearby table while he goes outside to take a phone call. She notices water dripping from the ceiling and senses that danger is on the horizon. She jumps into action and saves the laptop from a flood of water coming down from the ceiling as it collapses. Once again being a “fixer” for someone else, and not caring what position that leads her in. She saved the laptop and was then soaked with dirty water from the downpour. The grateful owner, Sebastian, give her an “I Owe You” that he writes on a coffee sleeve.

While Fixie is still blindly attracted to Ryan and lets him guide her to do things she doesn’t want to, a friendship develops with Sebastian (Seb), who has an awful girlfriend (sad for Seb, great for Fixie!).

The story flowed so easily, was heartwarming and realistic. The characters are expertly developed. I loved most of them and of disliked a few, which shows how well they were formed for the book.

My heart was attached to Fixie almost immediately. I have that same tendency to want to fix everything also, so I felt a connection to her in the first paragraph. I also wanted to pull her out the book and try to talk some sense into her at quite a few points in the story.

This was a fantastic story! I enjoyed the journey of Fixie becoming the person she was meant to be. I love that she grew but never lost any of her core personality and goodness. I high recommend reading this book!