This is the first Tessa Bailey book I have read, but it certainly won't be my last. I thought the cover was cute and the premise was promising, and I am so glad I picked it up! This was such a charming story. I love the childhood crush aspect, I love how their relationship blossomed, I love the family aspect. I was very pleased.

Didn't finish. The hero was too cold. I couldn't get past how much of a mean hero he was. Then all the details about his past sex life and how the heroine didn't have one.

Fix Her Up was a thoroughly enjoyable romp! I’m a sucker for fake relationships, so I was quite excited to read this one. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the characters) the fake relationship wasn’t as much of a focal point as I was expecting, but was still great.
Romance novels seem to either have cookie-cutter characters or girls who are so quirky I end up rolling my eyes half the time. Georgie, while certainly leaning more towards the quirky side, managed to seem realistic enough, and was funny to boot.
It was a fun, quick read that has me interested in Tessa Bailey’s other books.

Fix Her Up was my first Tessa Bailey book and while I was excited to get in on the ground level of a new series, I was also a little nervous. I think it was the combination of best friend’s little sister trope combined with a family business trope – both of which are hit-or-miss for me depending on how they are written and so while excited to give a new-to-me author a try, I approached cautiously.

But all that nervous hesitation was for nothing because this book sucked me in almost immediately and my heart swooned and thumped away happily over the course of Travis and Georgie’s love story.

One thing I will never get enough of is strong, plucky, quirky heroines. Georgie fit the bill on all counts and then some. I mean, she’s a clown by trade and part of me thought that might be a little over-the-top for me. But…it wasn’t. It was somehow perfect for her and handled in a way that didn’t seem too zany or weird. I also loved how she wasn’t afraid to call Travis on his bad behavior, she wasn’t afraid to push him, and she wasn’t afraid to walk away when it seemed like he wasn’t good enough for her. I absolutely adored her.

The chemistry she had with Travis was on point. It sparked and sizzled and gave me that highly coveted achy, swoony feeling in my chest as they flirted and bantered their way into real feelings. I loved Travis’s story arc just as much as Georgie’s, and while he proved to be a bit more frustrating as a character than Georgie was, I still loved him pretty intensely. He was all growly alpha male, but also wounded and I seriously couldn’t get enough of all the ways those two healed each other.

There were some things that I felt maybe deserved a bit more resolution. Travis and Georgie’s story tied up beautifully, but I would have liked some more closure with Georgie’s family relationships. I mean, there were some pretty broken, icky relationships there and it maybe wrapped up a little too neatly for me. But overall, my heart felt full and happy with how this book played out and I absolutely will be back for more!

Whew. This might be the steamiest book I’ve ever read. Don’t read it if you don’t like suuuuuuper hot scenes. 😊😂 Travis and Georgie had amazing chemistry. I could have lived without Georgie being a professional clown. I just thought it was odd and didn’t quite fit. But wooooweeeee this is a spicy read!! Fans of Helen Hoang and Christina Lauren will dig this one. 4 stars.

Thanks to netgalley for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

The best friend’s little sister trope is not one of my favorites romance tropes but it could be if the book is done well. This book was cute and light and I would recommend it for a quick beach read. I didn’t enjoy the male character as much as I thought I would but I did like how spunky Georgie was at first. This is a solid 3 stars for me. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

actual rating: 3.75 stars

This has been one of my most anticipated books of the year ever since the cover and synopsis released. I am a big fan of HGTV shows, and I can't lie: both cover and description of this book gave me those vibes. When I saw I got accepted for an ARC of it, I was so excited to start it!

Overall, the book was pretty enjoyable. I think what really drew me into this story from beginning to end was the character growth. This book was more than just about two people finding love with each other: it was about two people finding themselves in the process as well. Both Georgie and Travis learn so much about themselves in this book, and they both grow into such mature adults by the end of the story. They feel like completely different people (in the best of ways). The messages that we learn as we see these two grow were incredibly important and touching: Georgie found her voice. After so many years being treated as someone who did not have the capability for opinions by her family (all because she was the youngest sibling), she finally learnt how to be heard, how to raise her voice so that others could take her seriously. Travis learned that even if you have a messed up family, that does not mean that you are a lost cause. And even if, after years of working towards something, you lose it, it does not mean that you need to lose yourself in the process. And that you can be a great husband and father, even if you own dad did not give you a good example of what that would be.

Another aspect of this book that I absolutely adored was the girls supporting girls theme. It was so prominent throughout the entire book, and it warmed my heart to see Georgie, her sister Bethany, and their friend Rose come together to support each other during not only the happy times, but also the bad times; and to give each other the strength to follow their dreams.

Now, I gotta say, as much as I loved Georgie, I had a really hard time connecting with the romance. I think it was mostly personal preference; the dominant personality going on with Travis is not really my thing, and I very rarely love it. They had very sweet moments for sure, and some of their scenes left me smiling super big, specially by the end of the book, but there was something lacking in there - maybe their relationship needed a bit more build up - that made it hard for me to connect 100% with these two.

This was my first ever Tessa Bailey book, and all in all, I am very intrigued to pick up another one of her books. I loved the characters she created, the growth they went through really spoke to me, and the girl power in this story made it a very enjoyable read for me. The girl scene were definitely my favorite part!

I also need the second one asap, because the couple it'll be about showed up in this book and i have to say, being the angst obsessed reader that I am, that I am definitely intrigued.

With the already known and loved by many writing style of Tessa Bailey, we open a new series (hopefully), full of love and wit and two characters so adorable you wish you were their neighbor so you could witness everything first hand.. Travis, the baseball player with an injury that ruined his career and Georgie, the clown. not in a figurative way, no: AN ACTUAL CLOWN.. If I ever have to read a book where the female protagonist chooses to dress up like a clown for kids birthday parties, I'm all over it. What a fantastic way to portray the hard working american woman. Seriously. I loved Georgie not only because she held on to that long time crush she;s had on Travis, but also cause we see a Georgie becoming a real butterfly and showing her family her job is seriou, her mindset is serious, her love for Travis is serious. Usually her family would not believe this, but the development we have in her throughout the story is absolutely fantastic. Travis will learn to grow more mature with her, to overcome his insecurities and to learn to live life as full and loving as Georgie will.

Many kudos for the illustrated cover. How refreshing it is to see a nice cover that show's love instead of male nude torsos or sexual innuendos.. This is exactly what caught my attention.

This was my second Tessa Bailey book, but it will most def wont be the last. Thank you so much to the publisher for granting me this privilege of receiving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was cute, I liked the main female character a lot. Her struggle to be heard felt real and relevant, and I liked her dedication to a business not usually seen in romance novels - clowning.

A cute romance in the ‘in love with brother’s best friend’ sub genre.

I did not love how Georgie seemed to need to reinvent herself before Travis noticed her as a woman. And his past behavior was distasteful and made me wish Georgie would find someone more worthy of her.

But Georgie is a fun character and her interactions with her friends were some of my favorite parts in the book.

Some parts of this book from Travis' point of view felt a little too patriarchal for my liking -- Travis' need to let Georgie's brother in on their relationship, the mention of his refusal to look her father in the eye, etc. However, I loved how natural the relationship felt between Travis and Georgie as it unfolded! Georgie is an incredible character, and I loved the parts of the book that weren't focused on their relationship -- her relationship with her sister, her friends, her driven career goals. It made the book feel that much more real. I absolutely devoured it!

I had never read anything by Tessa Bailey before, but the premise of the book sounded like it would be something I would enjoy, but this book was a miss for me. I'm all for the cute, romance books, but there was something about the storyline that I just couldn't get into. I think I was expecting it to be a little different than it was and make me want to root for both Georgie and Travis, but I was actually rooting for Georgie to go in a different direction.

This was one of my all time favorite romances ever! I had never read Tessa Bailey but I will now. I adored Travis from the beginning even though he’s sporty. Apparently I do like Sports romances !! Georgie was a fantastic lead female. I enjoyed her life, her sense of humor and her genuine nature. I like the friendships in this book and the sibling relationships too.
An adorable and must read of the year!!

This one was a bit much for me the storyline was cute but I don’t care for the amount of horrible language that was in it. I don’t cuss personally and I don’t think there needs to be quite so much in a book to make a good romance story

I love illustrated trends, but the cover of Fix Her Up doesn’t quite match the story. I thought I was jumping into an uber cute rom-com, but this was an emotional and a crazy hot brother's best friend story instead. This book is the perfect blend of fake dating meets I've been secretly crushing on my older brother's best friend my entire life. I love romance novels that start out with a fake relationship. In true Bailey style, she put together two destined hotties in a delicious romp! This book was a win for me.

How hot can you handle it? If you like your romances steamy and funny and sweet, this one’s for you! .

The heroine: Georgie Castle, the youngest sibling, the perpetual joke of the family—and she even runs her own clown business for kids’ parties. The hero: Travis Ford, her older brother’s best friend and super-hot professional baseball player. The set-up: When Travis returns to their hometown after a career-ending injury, he soon realizes his next best career move is commentating on family-friendly TV Network—the trouble is, his reputation is decidedly NOT family friendly. Enter Georgie. She’s determined to make her family and friends see her as an actual adult, not a silly kid sister, and what better way to do that then by pretending to date Travis? He’ll look wholesome by being with her, she’ll look like a grown-up by being with him. What could possibly go wrong? Oh yeah, they’ll fall for each other...

This story started out absolutely adorable. It’s impossible to not love Georgie, and the author perfectly captures the way her family continually overlooks her. There’s a scene in which she invites her family to come over to her new house for breakfast and no one shows up...heartbreaking! No one, that is, except for Travis. His feelings for her grow and deepen in the best way as he slowly changes from protective older-brother’s friend to fake boyfriend to real, true love.

Speaking of love. This is a very steamy book! 🔥 🔥 Do not be fooled by that sweet cartoon cover. I’d rate the steam factor on par with something like The Kiss Quotient, and in my opinion, the raunchy sex clashed with the sweetness of the story. I was also a little disappointed to watch Georgie undergo a typical romcom transformation from frumpy overall-wearing clown to chic and stylish siren. Still: lots of fun. Lots of cuteness. Lots and lots of hotness.

Releases June 11, 2019! Thanks @Netgalley and @avonbooks for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 1/2 stars My favorite Tessa Bailey yet! I think it started out kind of slow - but it picked up as it went on. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

Hard personalities and romance, something I usually like. But this one was a bit problematic for me. The depiction of women at large was either invisible, or when female characters did come up or were discussed, it was like they were caricatures tinted with negative stereotypes.

This is perfectly perfect book. I wanted to read it again as soon as I finished it. It is so cute. I loved story is perfect. The main characters are lovable. I definitely recommend this book.

my blurb!
A literal birthday clown decides that dating her high school crush and towns bad boy will help her be taken more seriously.

2.75 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 steam level

what I liked:
This book was a cute and funny romcom. I chuckled to myself a few times while reading it. The family dynamics were written really well. As the youngest child in my family, I liked reading about the siblings and their struggles to all be taken seriously. My favorite part of the book was the girl gang. The Just Us League was a crew of women supporting women and I can get behind that all day every day! I could tell as I was reading that there were going to be some other companion books in this series and when I finished the story, that was confirmed! As I was scrolling through my kindle notes for the novel, I found quite a few funny lines highlighted. This was a true romcom (and a steamy one)! The amount of clown jokes in this, was perfect in every way. I laughed a lot at Georgie’s humor. Also, her sister Bethany was awesome. She definitely has to have her own book because she was amazing in every way. I loved the scenes she was in. Here’s a little snippet of humor to wet your pallet:

“You look like a live childbirth just went by in your Facebook feed.”

Funny right? Haha! I definitely busted out laughing when I read that line.

what I didn't like-
There was a flaw with the whole plot. It didn’t make any sense why Georgie would be taken more seriously as an adult by dating Travis. He was a playboy… who dates a playboy and then is suddenly taken seriously?
There is a big scene regarding professing a relationship status. That scene just wasn’t for me. It perhaps has to do with my personal taste public displays of proposals. But oh my gosh I was cringing while I was reading it!
There was a sentiment in this book that was repetitive. The reader was reminded that Georgie was attempting to show Travis that he was worthy of commitment. Did I tell you he was worthy of commitment? Travis, you are worthy of commitment! Oh did you get it already? I did too.
Holy steam-room steam level! This book was STEAMY!!! I think a lot of romance readers are really gonna like that about it. However, for my personal preferences, this was too steamy.
I couldn’t get a read on whether or not Travis was supposed to have an accent in the book. That doesn’t really matter but he gave Georgie a nickname that they used THE WHOLE BOOK (in fairness I do not like cutesy nicknames in books. It rarely seems genuine to me) and that seemed like it was kind of more a southern style of talking. I’m not sure.
Travis. Travis, Travis, Travis. I just didn’t like him. Isn’t that the WORST in a romance read? It’s not the writing of him, I just didn’t like his character. I would NEVER date him. He was super domineering and gave intense mixed signals. He was possessive and had a dirty bedroom mouth. He was just kind of a douche. I know, strong words but really how else do you describe someone like that?!

This book was not for me but honestly, I do think a lot of readers will really like it. I would probably recommend it to a few friends who’s reading style I’m familiar with.

while reading you should:
Do: write down your ultimate goals and dreams. Find your support group that will encourage you to get there.
Eat: a big waffle breakfast!
Listen: God Only Knows by Brandi Carlile

Happy Reading,
Dux