I am a fan of the typical Sophie Kinsella book. Most do not vary from the main character developing throughout the book and finding her way in the end. While this one didn't differ, it was painful at times to read about her letting people repeatedly run over her. This was probably my least favorite of all the Kinsella books, but not bad enough to turn me off of reading her books. I am still looking forward to the next one.

I need to start by saying that I’ve loved all of Sophie’s books. She has a great way of adding humor and a bit of train-wreckishness to her characters that makes them so lovable. Comparing this book to her other books is very hard, because her latest two, Surprise Me and My Not So Perfect Life we’re fantastic with likable characters and fast moving, believable plots.

I had a hard time connecting with Fixie— I wanted to shake her so many times! She let people walk all over her to the point that I was cringing while reading. I feel like the feeling of “family first” was over-romanticized and really just made her seem weak. Plus, every time Nicole talked and just stopped mid sentence.....


See? Annoying. Now, to the good. I really liked the concept of this book: two strangers meeting and then relying on each other for favors over a period of time. It makes for an interesting plot, but a lot of what played out in between was slow building. This isn’t a book that’s going to grab you and keep you in without effort. You’re going to have to put effort in.

Overall, this isn’t my favorite of Sophie’s, but I’ll absolutely read more of hers in the future.

I received an ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Wow. In the past I’ve truly enjoyed Sophie’s books. This one felt a little all over the place to me. The characters don’t seem too deep. This book almost feels rushed.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I've always liked Sophie Kinsella, so I was glad to read this book early. I Owe You One is basically what I expected it to be. A fun read that's light and engaging. It's a romcom, and I love those! I loved the characters, although, I do wish Fixie would have been less of a doormat. For the most part, the characters are loveable and endearing, and they become better people by the end of the story. I know this type of story is not for everyone, but if you love light hearted feel good stories, this one is for you. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to #Netgalley for the e-ARC.

Ok, STICK WITH THIS ONE. Fixie is one of the most annoying characters Kinsella has written in a while, *but* her arc in this is actually really worth sticking it out with. And the men are god awful but for the most part, their flaws are brought to light and are actually fully fleshed out characters.

Solid story and great ending, but you got to make it past the first 100 pages or so to really not throw the book across the room.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40702156-i-owe-you-one

I love Sophie Kinsella and was so excited to get the ARC of this book! The book is mostly predictable and follows pretty typical chick lit formula but overall it was a good read and I enjoyed it.

Aside from her silly nickname, the main character Fixie --she's called Fixie because she fixes things-- is cute and quirky and generally likable even when she does ridiculous things that make you roll your eyes just a little. (She can't seem to fix herself even though she tries to fix everything else around her.) Fixie and her family own a housewares store. Her high school crush Ryan comes back to London unexpectedly and Fixie gets involved with him again, even though he's pretty awful. Then a bunch of contrived things happen (they clearly only happen because the plot needs to advance) and Fixie finds herself in quite a few tough situations. The family business is a mess, her relationship with her family is a mess, and her love life is a mess too.

Ultimately she figures a way out of it all and I was rooting for her as she did. Sure some of it was cliche and even though I definitely knew who she'd end up with, I wasn't exactly sure how she'd get there and I wanted to keep reading to find out how it all worked out. I like Fixie's journey from doormat to diva and the cute ending made me happy.

Bottom line: not my all time favorite Sophie Kinsella book but a cute, light, fun read.

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cute beach read until it started getting annoying.. Come on girl, develop a spine!

Fixie is the doormat of the family, madly in love with user Ryan, friend of her brother. Then she meets a stranger... you get the idea? You know near the beginning where this is going, but it had amusing parts.

If you are looking for a book that makes you think, this is not it, but if you want something like that may or may not annoy you at times and make you laugh at times, you will get what you are looking for.

Maybe it's me; guess it's time to stop reading books like this if I am annoyed. It's supposed to be lighthearted so don't take my criticism to heart, ok?

NetGalley- thanks for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Read my reviews at www.mommyreadsbooks.blogspot.com

Kinsella’s books seem to be hit or miss for me. I didn’t love this one. But it wasn’t a complete miss either.
Fixie Farr doesn’t have her nickname “Fixie” for nothing. Between her “Family first” motto and needing to fix everything she comes across from crooked vases to the lives and relationships of others, Fixie has no time for herself. A chance meeting at a coffee shop leads to a game of IOU’s passing back and forth between her and the handsome (no longer) stranger.
I usually enjoy her “train wreck” main characters; but in this one, Fixie was bit too oblivious for me. I loved her heart and wanting to keep the family and shop together. Her desire to help out everyone in her circle. But, geez, take the blinders off. You’re totally being used.
The way she throws herself, heart and soul and body, into relationships is a bit frightening and unstable as well. Despite that, I did like her as a character.
I hated most other characters, including Seb and his stupidity. But I think I was supposed to.
Some language and sex. Which, again, some of her books seem heavier on than others. This one leaned toward heavier, in my opinion.
The book was an interesting premise. But a little to over the top of me right now. Perhaps I would have loved it at another time. But for now, I would say I’m split between “just okay” and “liked it.” So 2.5 stars from me.

Paint-by-the-numbers Kinsella fluff. A "quirky" protagonist who is not only emotionally stunted but may have actual mental deficiencies, a Deus ex Machina of a romantic interest, an antagonist from 80's villain central casting, and a handful of flat background characters who may as well not have names.

I used to really enjoy Kinsella's chick lit. It was funny and light, but, unlike Kinsella's main characters, I've grown up and found better material.

In I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella, Fixie Farr got her nickname as a kid thanks to her perpetual need to fix things. Her compulsion to help others has served her well over the years thankfully, although to some it might seem like she's always putting herself last. But after losing her father several years ago, Fixie has taken his words of wisdom to heart--particularly his adage of "Family First"--and made it her mission to keep the Farr family happy and their local store running smoothly. With or without the help of her oftentimes flaky brother and sister.

Fixie's skills at running the family store are put to the test when things start to go haywire in her personal life. Her first crush, Ryan, suddenly appears back in London and hints at a possible relationship. And after an incident at the local coffee shop where Fixie saved a businessman's laptop from being demolished, she has an IOU he insisted on to repay her somehow. But over the next few months, her priorities shift. As does her attitude. Soon she's fixing her life, one choice at a time and standing up to the naysayers. And Fixie has a feeling this is only the beginning of good things to come for her and her loved ones.

Part romantic comedy, part family drama, but completely entertaining, I Owe You One was a charming new novel by bestselling author Sophie Kinsella.

Reading a Sophie Kinsella book is always a pleasure. Between the quirky characters, their madcap adventures, and the surprising little twists in the plot, her work always holds my attention. I Owe You One definitely fit that pattern. The Farr family, their coworkers and friends were a delight to meet as we watched them with all of their individual struggles. And I thought their issues were all pretty relatable, too. Things like money woes, career options or a lack thereof, romantic debacles, etc. Of course, Kinsella's touches of humor made everything much more fun and lively for her cast than it would be dealing with the same problems in real life.

The only issue I think some readers might have is that our heroine Fixie was a people pleaser who didn't stand up for herself for the first half or so of the book. Needless to say it was frustrating watching her being used and taken for granted as you kind of knew what was going to happen to her. But I love stories with lots of personal growth, so this worked for me. And I'm not ashamed to admit that when Fixie started showing her backbone in the last chapters of the book, I might have cheered and done a fist pump or two in the air, saying "Go, Fixie!!". (lol)

The premise behind this novel was an interesting one, I thought. Fixie had an IOU given to her by a businessman after she saved his laptop from imminent destruction. And the commitment they had to "paying" each other back as random things came up in their lives was a lot of fun. But I could also see how it could become complicated for Sebastian and Fixie over time. It was how they both dealt with their evolving friendship, all while their lives were changing in other ways, that I loved to watch. There were a few romantic entanglements we followed here as well with several characters, not just Fixie, and I think readers will be fully satisfied with how it all worked out for everyone.

I Owe You One was a funny, heartfelt book that will show readers the strength of family bonds, whether blood-related or family of the heart, as well as how every choice we make has a direct effect on our life.

It was time for me to pick up a feel good, funny story. I love Sophie Kinsella and pretty much love everything she writes. This was a quick rom-com that left me smiling. It was a little predictable - you know it's going from point A to point B, but the travel to get there is still enjoyable. As always, the characters (most of them) grow as the story progresses and become better people. It was a cute story and had some funny parts. I recommend it especially if you want a quick, happy read! Add it to the TBR list- comes out in February!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Dial Press for this ARC!

Sophie Kinsella is a solid author. Readers know that they will get a funny, sweet, emotional story that Kinsella brings to life with realistic characters. "I Owe You One" is another Kinsella success! Fixie does everything for her family, including spending her days at the family store. She identifies problems and has a compulsion to fix them. One problem she can't seem to fix is standing up for herself. Her brother and sister manipulate her sense of duty and the man she's loved forever, Ryan, takes full advantage of her.

Until one day when she saves a stranger's laptop. That stranger is Sebastian, "Seb", who promises Fixie an "I.O.U." to be cashed in anytime. This begins a connection between Seb and Fixie that is sweet, sustaining, but also challenged on all sides by the people in Fixie's life.

Fixie's growth throughout this story was incredible. She is inspired to build a backbone as she gets closer to Seb. This isn't just a love story (though the story is very satisfying), but it's also about Fixie finding her courage and restoring balance and joy in her life.

A true winner!

This was Kinsella’s best book in years. I became hooked on Sophie Kinsella’s work years ago with the Shopaholic series. Light reading with fun plots and likeable characters. I wasn’t as impressed with the last three books of hers, and so I didn’t have high hopes for this one. I was wrong! Great plot, fun characters and an all around addictive read.

I am a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella's and love most of her standalone novels but I will admit, there's a few wobbles that weren't my favorites. However, I Owe You One is another one that I've shelved in the "love" side and will enjoy recommending to friends and family to read this year.

This book is about "Fixie" who got her nickname because she loves to "fix" things and can't help it. I am of a similar nature so I really "got" her so to speak. She meets a man named Seb in a coffee shop and does him a massive favor and they start trading IOUs in a super cute way that continues throughout the book. Meanwhile she is working at her family's shop and butting heads with her siblings who are nothing like Fixie and the stories that come from this are ones anyone with siblings can relate to!

While it's mostly sweet there is a bit of real life tossed in that keeps it from being overly sugary. Like Seb, I have lost all of my immediate family members quite young in life and I really related to his story, especially how people react when finding out. I feel that Sophie wrote this situation really well - it's a tricky one that many get wrong.

I found myself charmed by Fixie and most of the characters - even her nutty sister was comical in her over the top "influencer" way. I tore through the book and finished it in a bit over a day.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fun book to read and escape from real life for a little while from.

I love Sophie Kinsella's quirky, British female characters & Fixie in this book doesn't disappoint. In fact, Fixie Farr may be my favorite character of all of them. She is funny, sweet, practical, down-to-earth, loyal, & I want to be her friend. I love the story & couldn't put it down. The characters are all interesting (can't stand Briony, but she's well written). Highly recommend this book!!

This is a rough one. I get it, Sophie's schtick is a book that's pretty buch 87% inner dialogue. I'm not saying that inner dialogue isn't funny. It's. Just. Too. Much. I couldn't stand a one of the characters. Not a one. Not mom, not Fixie, not her sister, not her brother, not Ryan, not Seb, not Gary, not Hannah. No one. The plot was meh. Honestly though, it kept coming back to the characters. I couldn't get into the story because I couldn't have given two sh*&s about the whole lot of them.

I do appreciate the book in exchange for an honest review (thank you Netgalley!)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2648603571

Let me first say although I had heard of author Sophie Kinsella, I had never read one of her books. But I am here to tell you better late than never!

I Owe You One is the charming, funny story of Fixie Farr the "fixer" of all her family's problems. Family is very important to Fixie and more so since her dad died. She is everyone's caretaker.

The book begins as Fixie is in a coffee shop and saves the computer of Sebastian, the very handsome owner of an investment firm from serious damage. He is so appreciative that he writes her out an IOU to be used if she ever needs anything.

On the family front, Fixie's family owns a cooking store named Farrs. After their dad's passing their mom took over the store, but due to a health scare she decides to go on an extended vacation and leaves the three children Fixie, Jake and Nicole, along with their Uncle to run things. They all seem to have different ideas as to the future of the store. And their personalities are oil and vinegar...and Nicole...oh my goodness...the dialogue had me laughing out loud!

To add to the confusion, Fixie's old crush Ryan returns from the United States, jobless and fixing to fix his sights on Fixie...

Add the IOU and the very dashing Sebastian and chaos ensues. Lessons are learned, especially by Fixie whose main purpose in life had always been just to make her family proud.

I Owe You One is a sweet story with snappy dialogue. I didn't want the book to end! It was such a happy, very humorous story!

And rest assured I have already ordered a few more Sophie Kinsella books!

Thank you to #NetGalley #Random House #The Dial Press #Sophie Kinsella for the advanced copy. I Owe You One will be out On February 5.

I liked this latest offering from Sophie Kinsella. It's definitely better than last year's Surprise Me, but not quite as good as My Not So Perfect Life.

What keeps me from giving it 4 or even 5 stars? The overwhelming rage I felt at times while reading this story!

Fixie fixes things (hence the nickname). She's a capable, reasonably intelligent doormat to her truly awful family. Seriously, these people are horrible. Her brother is a self-important ass and her sister is a vapid wannabe Instagram influencer who is quite possible the most selfish character I've ever encountered in all my years of reading. Fixie's biggest flaw is that she somehow thinks she's inferior to the terrible people and I spent a good portion of the book yelling at her to just tell them off already.

Frustrating as it was at times, this book has a great heart and I did enjoy it. Once it gets going (which was very early on for me), you won't want to put it down!

Fixie Farr has to fix things. If she sees something wrong she becomes very anxiety ridden until it’s fixed. The majority of the time when she fixes things though... it ends up worse. Anyway, the Farr family owns a grocery store that was their fathers pride and joy before he passed away, so everything is “family first”. Her mother is an angel and manages everything, but her brother and sister? Useless. So Fixie is always picking up the slack. One day she is at a coffee shop when a handsome gentleman asks her to watch his laptop while he goes outside to make a phone call. The ceiling in this coffee shop is leaking and Fixie saves the day by protecting this gentleman’s laptop (Spidey senses?) Fixie won’t take anything from this guy for her heroic efforts, except for an IOU on a coffee sleeve.

So anyway, life so goes on for Fixie until her high school love, Ryan, returns to town. She is stupid in love with this guy and I mean stupid in love. I could tell right from the beginning that Ryan was such a sleezeball, but Fixie kept making excuses for the guy. She cashes in her IOU from this handsome gentlemen (Seb is the CEO of a fancy marketing company) and gets Ryan a job.

What goes on from there makes me want to bang my head on the table. Ryan continues to be an idiot. Fixie continues to fall for it. Her siblings continue to be useless at the store. Fixie makes excuses for them. She sees Seb around town, but does nothing about her attraction to him. Granted he’s in a relationship, but he’s in a relationship with an awful woman!

It felt like there was a lot of back and forth with Fixie and Seb, but not a whole lot of action. I mean, there was someaction, but it was short lived. The characters felt a little flat. I mean, they mentioned their backstory, but it was just kind of glossed over. And why do we never know what Fixie's real name is?!

Personally, this book was a little boring and not what I’m used to from this author, but it picked up at the end. Things finally came together in those last few chapters and it wasn’t until then that I could actually say I had a smile on my face from this book. Originally rated it 3 stars/5 stars, but I bumped it up to 3.5 stars/5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars).

If you're already a fan of Sophie Kinsella, you'll enjoy her latest novel just as much as her others. This story stars Fixie, a woman who can't help meddling in other people's problems yet can't seem to stand up to her own family. When her Mom goes away for a much needed vacation, she's left to hold the family shop together despite her brother and sister's grand, but terrible plans. Plus, there's that intriguing stranger who insists he owes her a favor after she happened to save his laptop...

Kinsella always delivers a light-hearted, fun adventure with lots of ups and downs as the heroine tries to find her way through mishaps and misunderstandings. Everything you'd expect from a rom com is included here: the initial terrible love interest, family conflict, quirky characters, a misguided argument with the right guy, and a satisfying wrap up.

Although this follows the general chick lit outline, there are enough unique aspects to keep this novel fresh and engaging. I loved reading about the family shop and customers. The brother and sister were each ridiculous in their own ways, but still seemed reminiscent of people I've met and therefore believable. Overall a cute and satisfying story that I'd recommend for anyone who enjoys this genre.