Thank you for the early copy.

I've been a fan of Sophie Kinsella for years now but I have to say that this her best novel yet. I loved the main character, Fixie, and was rooting for her the entire time. Kinsella did a great job of creating Fixie's world and family that made me want to keep reading until the end. And most of all the romance and the love interest were her best ones. I recommend checking this out even if you're not a fan of Kinsella, it was a great read!

I’m
A big Sophia Kinsella fan. I love love love her storied. I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was really unique and it’s one of my top 3 of her books. Keep up the great work!

Fixie Farr is dedicated to her family (family first!) and continuing the legacy of her father's retail store, which she and her mother work together to run. When she saves a laptop belonging to Seb, a handsome investment manager in a coffee shop, from being destroyed, he writes her an IOU. Fixie dismisses it as a joke - she would never actually cash in an IOU from a stranger. But when Fixie's childhood crush Ryan reappears in the UK after his business in LA going bust, Fixie is desperate to find him a job to make sure he stays in the UK with her. Seb agrees to give Ryan a job and then a series of back and forth IOUs ensue between Fixie and Seb. Meanwhile, Fixie's mother has gone on an extended vacation and her siblings are each trying to revamp the family store. The business is quickly becoming unstable, the family is slowly pulling apart, and Fixie can't figure out how to fix it all.

While I have loved many of Sophie Kinsella's recent books (My Not So Perfect Life, Surprise Me) and am familiar with the format of the flawed heroine who grows and becomes self-assured by the end of the book, I was less enamored with this one that I have been her past work. I found Fixie to be borderline irritating in her simultaneous desire to fix things and yet acting like a doormat and never standing up for herself. Her siblings came off as unbelievable caricatures of overly used tropes - the vapid sister, the success-at-any-cost obsessed brother. The main conflict and resolution of the plot also fell a little flat for me.

The good news is that the book was a quick, easy read - Sophie Kinsella's story-telling voice and writing style are consistent and her books extremely readable. I'm a big fan of Sophie Kinsella and look forward to reading her next novel, but Fixie Farr and I Owe You One just didn't do it for me.

My favorite thing about the past several Sophie Kinsella novels - and it's not something I usually care about - is the new style of leading man. Dry-witted, arrogant Mr. Darcy-esque love interests, usually described as "terrifying" and "scarily intelligent," are officially a thing of the past. Luke, Jon, and Ed have been replaced by Alex, Dan, and now Sebastian. And I couldn't be happier about it. I adore these sunny, outgoing, emotionally vulnerable male leads and I find myself falling in love with them right along with the heroine - no small feat for a lesbian reader.

Meanwhile, Kinsella's latest heroine is, somewhat unfortunately, more of the same girl we've met about ten times now. She's plucky and spirited, eager to please to the point of seeming to have incredibly low self-esteem, though of course that changes with the narrative arc. This particular iteration, Fixie, embodies the typical trait of "excessively helpful" so much that it's even changed her name.

I'll be honest, I was not terribly invested in Fixie's story at first, feeling like Kinsella was really over-recycling this particular character and the family who doesn't appreciate her, her inability to be assertive, the rapidly hemorrhaging small business (why do they all own their own companies or work for really small ones?), etc. But I can never resist this author's writing for long. Fixie's quirky siblings and Seb's boyish good-heartedness and the feel-good story of overcoming all kinds of adversity on a personal level, while all more than familiar by now, sucked me in and I was smiling for most of the book, feeling like I was wrapped in a big cozy blanket. Nothing about the formula has really changed in this book (aside from the shift to a more sensitive love interest), but maybe that's what makes Sophie Kinsella's writing so pleasant to long-time readers, like me. It takes some amazing writing skill to reuse these themes and character types over and over again while still making them feel fresh and vivid and warm each time, and the mix of the familiar and the new somehow makes me feel like I'm watching a Disney movie that I haven't seen in so long it feels brand new, yet cozy and comforting. And in a literary world that's currently focused on post-apocalyptic horror and gruesome psychological thrillers, that feeling is exactly what I need.

If you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella then "I Owe You One" is right up your alley. I recommend snuggling up to this over Winter Break for a nice escape and happy ending.

This is the typical “woman who is trying to get her life together and solve various problems while also falling in and out and back into love” kind of book. I liked this one much better than Sophie Kinsellas last book, Surprise Me, but it still has her trademark characteristic of a woman doing really dumb, nonsensical things and it’s kind of annoying at times. I’ve said before that I think I’ve outgrown her books and that’s still true, but this was more pleasant than I expected.

I might post a fuller review later (or maybe not!), but I have to say this, this book does follow a very *specific* formula, ( familial growth and growing a backbone) and for 3/4 of the book, I hated ALL of the characters. Even the female lead Fixie. I know that this book was about change and family but I have never despised so many people in a book (even the supposed good guys) - I wanted to throw my Kindle out of the window at certain points in this novel.

Yes, the family does come together at the end, but was the journey to that point worth it?

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors and though I was excited to read this new book, it fell a bit flat for me. While I still enjoyed the book, it wasn't one of my favorites. I didn't find the characters likable - Fixie especially - and the plot was a bit unreal for me. This would be a fine beach read. Our library will still purchase this book as our patrons are huge fans. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

I LOVED this book!! But really I love all Sophie Kinsella books...this book is about a girl who always puts her family first and not herself. I love how she finds herself with the help of some amazing friends and a little tough love. Fixie is my hero!!

If you've ever felt like the underdog in your own family, had a crush since high school, or felt that fate could change the course of your life forever, this is the book for you. A chance encounter at a coffee shop opens a can of worms in one woman's life. Her path will twist and turn in unexpected ways, but her greatest discovery will be the one that was inside of her all along. Another fabulous and funny page-turner from master storyteller Sophie Kinsella.

Another hit from Sophie Kinsella! Humorous, romantic, and emotional; I read it one weekend. Fixie is the star and like other characters in Sophie's book, Fixie is relatable, touching, and quirky.

4.5 Stars. Fixie is a fun character! I love the storyline of owning their own family story and how the siblings must work together. Doesn't every family have a Fixie, a Nicole and a Jack? Seb was a great character too and it was perfect to have the storyline of the IOU on the coffee sleeve. Great to see Fixie grow and develop over the book and some laugh out loud moments too. This is why I enjoy reading Sophie Kinsella books, always a great read, enjoyable, and entertaining! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I will be recommending to friends.

I have been wary of trying this author because I've heard mixed reviews on all of her books. I decided to take a chance on this new novel and it didn't turn out the way I hoped.

Where do I start with this novel? This really was a bit of a mess.

Should I begin with Fixie's character? Wow... talk about annoying, having men walk all over her, and making ridiculous decisions because she's so blinded with wanting a man that badly?

Fixie is a character that tries to "fix" everyone but yet she is such a giant hot mess that the entire novel she let's people walk ALL over her. Fixie is presented with a situation of trying to save the family business.. .but can she do it instead of focusing on fixing everyone else?

All of the characters in this novel were SO beyond basic. Can I talk about how much of a douche bag Ryan was? Seb? Ok... seriously I felt like the conversations were robotic between Fixie and Seb. The author tried to add a romantic aspect between Seb and Fixie... What was that? YIKES.

The downfall of this book was characters. So surface level and there was zero feeling to any of the characters. I was beyond disappointed in this book. This book definitely wasn't for me.

2 stars for me on this one.

Huge thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: 2/5/19
Published to GR: 12/2/18

Fawn Farr, 27, is known as “Fixie” because she sees problems and can’t stop herself from trying to fix them. She works in her family shop, a housewares store in Acton (a suburb of London) called Farr’s, started by her late father. She and her mum do most of the work: “Mum runs the family, the home, the business . . . basically everything. She’s our CEO.”

Her pretentious and obnoxious brother Jake and her beautiful but flighty sister Nicole are supposed to help but don’t. Jake is always working on some “deal” with “posh” people, and Nicole is busy with yoga and “self-improvement.” Nevertheless, Fixie feels like a total loser compared to them (aided in part by Jake’s constant reminders that she is).

Moreover, she always defends them: “Family loyalty is a big thing in my life. Maybe the biggest thing. Some people hear the Lord Jesus guiding them; I hear my dad, before he died, saying in his East End accent: Family is it, Fixie. Family is what drives us. Family is everything.”

One day in a coffee shop, Fixie helps save a guy’s laptop when the ceiling caves in dumping water on everyone. She learns he is Sebastian (“Seb”) Marlowe, a CEO of an investment firm, and he tells her he owes her one, and writes the IOU on a coffee-sleeve for her to prove it.

She has no intention of cashing it in for herself of course. But then a situation comes along she wants to “fix.”

Ryan Chalker, on whom Fixie has always had a crush, is Jake’s good-looking friend from high school, and even a bigger egotistical jerk than Jake. Fixie doesn’t see it, however. In any event, Ryan left for Los Angeles to take advantage of his looks and self-proclaimed talent. But now he is back, and in need of a job. He said he met was a bastard and took advantage of him, and now he is out of money.

Fixie asks Seb if he will take on Ryan in his firm as payment for the IOU. Seb reluctantly agrees. Fixie is ecstatic: maybe Ryan will return her feelings now.

Meanwhile, Mum is hospitalized with heart trouble, and her sister, Aunty Karen, takes Mum with her abroad to relax on a beach holiday. It is up to Fixie, Jake, Nicole, and the eccentric staff of Farr’s to run the shop.

Jake decides to focus on cultivating “partnerships” for “aspirational” products. Nicole decides to be the “face” of Farr’s on Instagram, as well as insisting on clearing out merchandise so she can have yoga classes in the shop.

Everything unravels, with Fixie taking the brunt of it. Seb confronts her: “I know, Family first. When did they last put you first, Fixie?”

Fixie finally realizes she must fix herself first, before she can hope to help anyone else.

Evaluation: Once again Kinsella writes with heart and lots of humor, highlighting both family and romantic relationships often to comic effect. In this book, however, some of the characters were so awful, and Fixie was such a clueless doormat, it was harder than usual to warm up to this main character. I was mainly wanting to shake her.

Still, I find Kinsella’s writing delightful, and often laugh out loud while reading her books.

Despite some terrible characters this was a pretty fun read. I only wish Fixie wasn’t so spineless. How can she be called Fixie when she never fixes anything for herself? The character was just way too much of a door mat allowing anyone and everyone to walk all over her.

At least she sort of tries to speak her mind later on in the book but is there really character growth? For an adult Fixie sure acts like a tween.

As I said before this was not without problems but is overall not a bad read.

This was my first book by this author and I found it endearing and enjoyable. However the beginning did seem a bit slow but then it took off. I will definitely look out for more from her!

I really wants to like “”I Owe You One” because I loved the Shopaholic Series and a few other of Sophie Kinsella’s books. I just couldn’t get into this one. I seemed slow and drawn out. Fixie was only mildly interesting and it took a long time to know where it was going.

That said I loved Fixie’s dedication to family first.
I hope at some point I can come back to this book and love it as I have loved others but it doesn’t seem like right now.

I loved this book so much! This book reminds me of other great books by Sophie Kinsella, like “I’ve got your number” or “Can you keep a secret?” . So if you love SK’s books go ahead and order this one. There is always the meet cute but there is so much more to the story and characters. What they’ve gone through before they met and how they bring the best in each other, it’s light but still touches deep family issues and how everyone deals with loss, fails and unconditional love. I devoured the book in a week. I have to say, I love happy endings when everything comes together, people have matured and developed, and I definitely got it with “I owe you one”. I’m pre ordering a paper copy and planning on reading it again as soon as it comes out!

Thank you Netgalley and Ramdom house for providing me with a copy of this book for an honest review.

Most of the characters were kind of annoying and it had some poor decision making skills. But as a fluffy beach read it would be eminently decent.

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Random House :The Dial Press
Publish Date: February 5, 2019

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Random House: The Dial Press for the ebook ARC of I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella in exchange for an honest review.

Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” But since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children. Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will? It is simply not in her nature to say no to people.

So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, Fixie not only agrees - she ends up saving it from a certain disaster. Turns out the computer’s owner, Sebastian is an investment manager. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, Seb scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. But Fixie laughs it off - she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

Then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan comes back into her life and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. She wants nothing for herself- but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. So Seb agrees, until the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie - from small favors to life-changing moments. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab, the life, and love, she really wants?

I give this book a rating of 5 stars and I highly recommend reading it. As soon as I saw this book, I knew I had to read it! Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite authors and this book is just as addicting as all of the others. I really liked the story line and about half of the characters. The book was so hard to put down and I felt so many emotions throughout the book. Everything came together really well and I can’t wait to read more from Sophie Kinsella.