Gosh where do I even start with this review? I loved this book so so much. I love that Sophie Kinsella doesn't only write books about Becky Bloomwood in her Shopaholic series, I love that she branches off and does independent books about other characters that are just as great as the rest of them.

This book is about Fixie, who if you couldn't figure out by the name, always has to fix things and has a major case of OCD. Fixie works in her family-rub business of selling quality products at value prices and never actually says what's on her mind in fear of hurting anyone's feelings or starting a drift within her family. When her crush of 17 years unexpectedly moves back she takes it as a sign that her wild dreams are coming true and she'll finally be happy. But a chance encounter at a coffee shop and a collapsing ceiling and Fixie meets someone that will completely change her outlook on life.

I loved the character of Fixie. I love how she went from a mousy twenty-seven year old just looking to fall in love with the rude, cocky, inconsiderate guy and changed herself into a confident woman that is no longer afraid to say exactly what's on her mind. She was my favorite character by far in the novel and honestly I wanted to reach in my iPad screen and throttle both Ryan and Jake. And then there was certain times I wanted to throttle Fixie with how much she put up with Ryan and from her siblings.

I also loved all the family dynamics in this book. I loved how each character was so different from each other and each had their own problems that got solved in the end. I myself don't have any siblings that I've ever had to bicker or disagree with but I love reading stories like this and I love how different this book was from her other books. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I haven't enjoyed every book she's written but I love how none of her stand alone novels are similar to each other.

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love Sophie Kinsella. I honestly can't remember how or when I read my first book by her which was Can You Keep A Secret but I've been hooked since then. I was so excited when I saw that she had a new novel coming out and I am so thankful to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for sending me a copy!

Cute. Slow beginning with the typical "doormat" female lead. I liked Seb, but his hand up to the point of serious anger didn't make sense, neither did his relationship with Briony.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Kinsella, Random House and The Dial Press for an advance copy of this novel.

Sophie Kinsella does it again. This was a very entertaining book that I devoured in three days. I loved Fixie, and absolutely hated her brother Jake. I've never read a bad SK book, and I don't believe she can write a bad one.

I've been reading Sophie Kinsella for a long time; I loved the Shopaholic series. But if you read enough of Kinsella's books, you start to see a pattern: spineless doormat heroines. I couldn't stand it anymore and so I took a break. I OWE YOU ONE is my first Kinsella book since 2011 and sadly, not much has changed. I wanted to smack some sense into Fixie and definitely smack that piece of human garbage Ryan. I get the point is that by the end the heroine finds her spine, but I'm so irritated at the behavior to start with that it's painful to get that far. Still, it was well-written with memorable characters and trademark Sophie Kinsella humor. I"m glad I stuck it out until the end.

I inhaled this one last night and into today, I kept compulsively reading it between work tasks until I scrolled to the end on my Kindle app. This isn't Becky Bloomwood, and I think maybe that's why this just is not my favorite, but it's still a solid Kinsella book. You can depend on it to make you smile and laugh and believe in love for a fleeting few hundred pages, and that's really what we need at the end of the day.

I have read and loved many Sophie Kinsella novels. Her ability to create unique characters always proves for a fun read. I really enjoyed the premise of this novel, but struggled to really get into it. Still loved the characters and the plot, but overall the story felt weighted down instead of being the typical fast-pace stories I have read in the past.

I have to start by saying I love Sophie Kinsella and will continue to read every single thing she writes. Sometimes you need a super lighthearted kinda cheesy book and she always satisfies that need. And while I love the concept of I Owe You One, it just wasn't a hit for me.

I love the idea of the initial meet-cute with Fixie and Seb and also thought the concept of "I owe you" in a new relationship is a good one. But there are so many parts of the book that just didn't feel believable to me, that were over the top, and that felt a bit forced. It also didn't really feel like there was much of a "story" until the book was practically over. Even the fact that the main character's name is "Fixie" felt super forced to me.

To be fair, I have to remind myself that most of Kinsella's books are like this and that's what most of us like about them. I mean, Becky Bloomwood wasn't a totally believable character and was super exaggerated, but we love her nonetheless. I honestly think that my serious love for My Not So Perfect Life almost ruined Kinsella for me because I thought that book was so awesome and enjoyable and I want another one of those for her!

Still, if you're a Kinsella fan, you should read this one, too, especially if you need a break from anything heavy.

It’s a heartwarming story of self-discovery, what truly makes you happy and what it means to actually love someone (friends, family, partner). Full review: https://wordpress.com/post/mellaing.wordpress.com/962

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for me to read and review.

I've always been outspoken about my love for Sophie Kinsella. Her books are these little bright spots in my life. The characters are so flawed, yet so funny and endearing.

Simply put, I loved this book.

Fixie was great. Her inescapable desire to fix things and her strained relationship with her family were way too relatable to me. The infuriating brother with a super sweet girlfriend? Yeah, I know all about that. When Fixie was contemplating why his girlfriend like him so much, I nodded along and looked at my own family dynamic.

Kinsella's books have a comfortable formula, yet she manages to pull me in with each story she creates. I wanted to scream at Fixie during her interactions with Ryan (and again, my own parallels bubbled up in my mind), and I came as close to swooning as I ever do whenever Seb showed up.

Every character was fun and unique and brought something to the story. Fixie's siblings were infuriating, but watching them evolve and change was good. The employees at the shop were all hilarious and endearing - each in their own way.

The ending was not unexpected, but I still felt that deep sense of satisfaction when everything fell into place.

This was a home run for me. To be fair, I would probably read an instruction manual written by Kinsella, but this was a great read, and I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to get a sneak peek.

Sophie Kinsella's books that fall out of the Shopaholic spectrum range from awful (Finding Audrey) to really good (Twenties Girl) but mostly fall in the middle. Somewhat good fluff. A quick fun read. There's nothing wrong with it, and I admit I look forward to reading her yearly piece of fluff. I was happy to get an early copy from Netgalley.

At first this seemed a little weightier than the last book Kinsella came out with, which was so unimportant that I can't even remember what it was about (something about being bored with your spouse), but as the book went on it got so bogged down with plot that it turned into another so-so Kinsella book. There was a LOT happening in this book, and it flew along so quickly that I didn't have time to get the bigger picture of the plot. I found I didn't really empathize with the characters and their situations enough. It helped to read through the book again once I had finished it the first time, because there are little clues that are mentioned once in the book that are never brought up again, that made me realize why one character did something later in the book, and why another character had a strong reaction to it.

It was a good read. I didn't mind reading it twice back to back. I will probably read it again in a few years when I have forgotten most of the plot, and I expect I will mostly enjoy it then too.

Mini Review:

While this book has an excellent premise, it overall just isn't for me. The prose felt clumsy, as well as the female protagonist's personality. Her internal thoughts didn't feel like they flowed or followed her own, signature tone. The cover is so gorgeous! But the content just didn't deliver this time. That inherent investment one feels for a great book wasn't there this time.

*Longer review on Goodreads/Blog to come!

You know Sophie Kinsella from her Shopaholic novels and many more hilarious books that we have loved for years. I really enjoyed I Owe You One, it’s just what you’d expect from Sophie. Its funny, sweet, heartwarming and the main character has a heart of gold though she’s a bit dysfunctional. Sitting down with a book by Sophie Kinsella is like hanging out with an old friend.

SYNOPSIS:

Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” And 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’s simply not in Fixie’s nature to say no to people. So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, she not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, the computer’s owner, Sebastian, an investment manager, scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

But then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life, and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. As always, she wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. No sooner has Seb agreed than the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. 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?

Its a quick read and lots of fun. It was a great break from all of the thrillers I have been reading!

Due out: February 2019

I am a Sophie Kinsella fan. Her books are heartwarming, charming, and a favorite of mine in women fiction. However this book didn’t connect with me. I tried to love the characters but found them hard to like. I loved the plot idea of a small family business, but didn’t enjoy the execution of it. I will still forever be a Kinsella fan but was definitely disappointed.

Kinsella has created another heartwarming story about a young woman named Fixie Farr, her family, family business and love life. In typical Kinsella fashion, it is impossible not to fall in love with this funny protagonist. The Farr family own a general store, that was initially the love child if Michael Farr, aka Dad, who is now deceased, and has been picked up by Mom and Fixie with a little help from her siblings Nicole and Jake. Nicole however is wrapped up in her own world of Yoga and missing her husband who went to Abu Dabi. Jake has his own business in which he does "deals" like the big deal he did on nude nickers, that brought in a lot of money. On her Mother's birthday, the love of her life, Ryan returns, after leaving to go to LA to find his fortune as a movie producer. This is just one of the things that turns Fixie's life upside down. Another thing that Fixie loves is the family store, and she works there full time. All was well with the store until Mom's birthday dinner. Mom works way too much and focuses on the care of everyone else., Unfortunately, all work and no play catches up with her and she does not fair so well at her own birthday party causing her sister to swoop in and ,recommend that she comes away with her on holiday. This would mean that the Farr siblings would need to be in charge of the store. To make life even more interesting, she ends up meeting Sebastian at a coffee shop, whose computer she saves from an unexpected flood of water. Seb gives her an IOU - he wishes to repay her kindness for this good deed. She does not want to take him serious about the IOU.... but who knows... it could come in handy.
I greatly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what Kinsella comes up with next!

I have read other books by Sophie Kinsella and have enjoyed them, but I didn't connect with this one. She is a talented author, there is no doubt, but you can't win them all. There are others who won't agree with me on this particular book, that's okay. However, I will give it 3 stars for her creativity alone.

This is quite possibly my favourite Sophie Kinsella book, period. Yes, there are certainly some cringe-worthy moments, but Fixie Farr is one of the most lovable and realistic characters that I've met in a novel.

Fixie makes a lot of mistakes and gives in to a lot of people because it is very difficult to say no to friends and family that you have known your entire life. I'm sure that all of us would love to say that we never budge on our principles, but that is easier said than done. She is trying to balance the expectations of her mother, brother, sister, uncle, customers, friends, and love interest all at once, and the balancing act is equal parts entertaining and heart-wrenching.

I had many laugh-out-loud moments- far more so than in the Shopaholic books! Fixie is relateable and you can see yourself being showered in red rubber balls or having to explain to someone that a yoga/meditation session in a shop won't convince customers to buy baking products. Sophie is an incredibly talented writer and can take you to some pretty outrageous situations, and make you feel like you are right there with them.

I will absolutely be buying this when it publishes!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Love. Love. Love. There is nothing Sophie Kinsella can't do! Her quirky characters are a delight! The Shopaholic books are fun, but her stand alone books are even better. After meeting in a coffee shop, are Seb and Fixie destined to trade IOUs? Read it and see for yourself.

I’ve read enough books by Sophie Kinsella to know that the main character, whose nickname is Fixie because she’s always trying to fix other people and situations, will eventually have character growth. In her case, she lets her family and a man she’s been crushed out over since she was ten years old walk all over her. Even though I had faith she’d grow a backbone at some point, it was still hard to read all the ways she’s refuses to see things clearly or speak up for herself.

One of the things Fixie does is rescue a fellow coffee shop patron’s laptop when the ceiling caves in from water damage. Sebastian writes on a coffee sleeve “I owe you one.” The ways the two pay each other back is a big part of this novel, as is the way her relationship with her older brother and sister and the family business play out.

As with other Kinsella novels, this is an easy, fun read. Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES FEBRUARY 19, 2109.

So many twists and complicated family issues keep you on your toes amd turning pages. Sebastian and Fixie are amazing people.

Nice quick, engaging read. Love the hardware store theme. Sophie is almost too good at writing horrible characters; often with her books my dislike towards the antagonists overwhelms the good parts.