4 stars. Fix Her Up was a good book! This book is about Georgie and Travis. They both grew up in the same small town. Travis was Georgie's older brother's best friend. He went on to become a professional baseball player, but a career-ending injury has landed him out of a job and back in town, depressed and at loose ends. Georgie is now a clown who performs at birthday parties. She is the youngest in her family and she feels like no one takes her seriously. Also, she always had a crush on Travis, even though he always thought of her as a pest. So when she finds him wallowing over his circumstances, Georgie decides to help him move on. Travis has a bad reputation as a manwhore in the press. When a new chance at a career as a commentator comes around for him, he and Georgie make a deal. The two of them will pretend to be a serious couple, giving him a more settled down reputation and letting her family know she is not the child they think she is. Of course, as the two spend time together, the game of pretend becomes very real and they fall for each other.

I really enjoyed this book. Travis and Georgie were both good characters with great chemistry and lots of layers. They were funny, sweet and sexy together. I definitely felt the love between them. Their relationship was fun to watch develop from barely friends to more. I also really liked the small town feel and the side characters of the couple's friends and family. I wish there was an epilogue, but that did not hinder my enjoyment.

Overall, this was a good read! I am never disappointed by a Tessa Bailey book. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Romantic comedies are very difficult to pull off but Tessa Bailey works her magic again in 'Fix Her Up'! With a mix of her trademark heat and smart banter, this book was pure enjoyment from start to finish. Light, funny, verrra sexy and with surprising depth, this was one of the best romantic comedies I have read in a while.

This book features the fake-dating trope done right. Georgie has had a crush on her older's brother's friend Travis for years. Travis is back in his hometown after suffering an injury which ended his professional baseball career. He might have a shot at a sports commentator job if he can only get rid of his wild playboy image. Georgie and Travis have amazing chemistry but she doesn't think she has any real chance with him.. She'll always be just a kid to him.

“I’ve seen naked men. Tons of them.” On the internet, God bless it. “You used to be a nine point five, but you’re slowly bottoming–ha into a seven.”

“Really? Because I can feel you staring at my ass.”

“Oops. I thought that was your face.”

If you have read any Tessa Bailey then you know she writes some very dirty-talking Alpha males and Travis is no exception. OMG!! But the characters are all very well-written and the romance between Georgie and Travis is a slow-burn. This novel has a solid story and I loved all of the supporting characters. Romantic comedies are difficult to write well but 'Fix Her Up' is fresh and sexy and very funny.

“I’m going to take a shower, all right?” He ran his fingers along the curve of her shoulder, pressing a thumb to the side of her neck and massaging. “I’m going to feed you before I introduce you to God.”

I also adore this cover! Sometimes you just need a fun and light adult romance and this book fits the bill to a "T". Happy reading!

Fix Her Up is a study in contrasts. On one hand, the cover and summary promise a cute contemporary romance featuring a fake relationship and the good 'ole "my older brother's best friend" hurdle. On the other, this is probably the most explicitly sexual book I think I've ever read.

And I couldn't tell with which side I took the most issue.

Was it the cutesy, over-the-top plot? 🤷‍♀️ Like, there's rom-com sweet and then there's made-for-TV sweet. Everything in Fix Her Up feels just slightly off, as if the story can't quite stand up on its own—but, perhaps, sandwiching everything around sex means it never has to. With a few minor exceptions, I pretty much loved the book until the very end.

(spoiler→Travis proposes to Georgie live on television after they've broken up because Things Were Kept Secret and OH YEAH she also wants a huge family and he doesn't want kids. Someone needs to explain to me how a month-long relationship can enable this kind of self-actualization because damn. Like, this book literally ends in a marriage proposal. It felt like a slow-speed car crash instead.←spoiler)

I could over-look how every relationship besides that of Travis and Georgie lacked depth and authenticity. I could ignore the compressed time-frame and "oh, so we're going there" plot points. I could even turn a blind eye to how Bailey very clearly sets up the protagonists of book two in the “wait, this is already a series?” series. (Give me three guesses and I can probably name the stars of books three through five, too.)

What I cannot get over—still, after five days, have not been able to get over—is the pornographic play-by-play on top of all of that saccharine sweetness. As if there happened to be a scene in your favorite Hallmark movie where that cute Chris Evans knockoff said “soon as we get on that couch tomorrow, I’m going to ride you straight through the credits” while he was (absolutely, no question) fingering the love interest.

(Like, y'all. I cannot, with a straight face, read some of the dialogue in this book!)

While I can objectively understand how Bailey moves her story from point A to point B, it also kind of feels like the plot was there only to set-up all of the sex. Like, on what kind of emotional journey can Travis and Georgie go where her giving him a blow-job in the high school dugout feels the most resonant? Is it after she rekindles his love for baseball? And it starts raining? And this blow-job is wish-fulfillment for her thirteen-year-old self? Let's go with that.

Is Fix Her Up a good contemporary romance? Sure! It's sickly sweet! It punched me right in the feels! It made me giggle and squee because Travis and Georgie are so goddamn cute and I wanted more of the story!

Does it also have good sex scenes? Yes! They are certainly explicit but also fun and felt like a natural—albeit heightened—extension of the characters and their relationship to one another.

BUT—and it's a big but—do those same scenes work with the story Tessa Bailey was trying to tell? 😬 One part of me wanted the romance more than anything—the furtive glances, the blushing, the repartee and innuendo—and would have been just fine with the fade-to-black on which that kind of story thrives. And then the other went along for the x-rated ride, shaking my head at the absolutely absurd and unnecessary plot, speed-reading because who tf cares about Georgie's financial independence?

I could never reconcile the two.

4.5 Steamy Steamy Stars to Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey!

Based on the cover, you might not realize just how steamy Fix Her Up is (cold shower steamy), but there is so much more to this story than just the sex scenes! At the heart of this story is a sweet love story featuring two people who desperately want to be loved for who they are, but their family lives have not made this easy for them. Baseball superstar Travis grew up neglected by his parents and emotionally abused by his father, mostly raised by his neighbors and best friend's family, The Castles. Youngest Castle sibling, Georgie, has always been treated like the baby, her opinion undervalued and her voice discounted. When Georgie and Travis find themselves on new ground, they have the power to help each other in many ways.

Fix Her Up is well written and the story is captivating from start to finish. One fun feature for me is that this is set very close to my hometown on Long Island (NY) and I loved recognizing the landmarks mentioned! This was my first novel by Bailey but I have already gone back and purchased more!

Thank you to Avon Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Fix Her Up is SWEET, SASSY, and SEXY. Tessa hit a home run with this book. This story falls under so many tropes that it sounds cliche, I promise it's not. I was drawn to Georgie, right off the bat, she's fun and loveable. She struggles with low self-esteem, which made her relatable. Travis also struggles with self-worth after his injury. They both help each other in that way without even realizing it. It took me a little while to warm up to Travis, but he finally won me over. I was rooting for their HEA. If you are a fan of fake relationships or sports romances, you'll absolutely love this.

Where to start first off Georgie's and Travis character's were well written. I actually enjoyed Georgie's character from the beginning, And therein lies the problem for me, I loved her so much as she was and didn't feel the need for her to change for anyone. Since this is such a huge plot I couldn't get into it. The writing, characters, and story were well written and I would and will recommend this book. My issue with it are my own personal preference and nothing to do with the book or author.

This was not what I expected but I can’t say I didn’t devour this. My dark circles have shamed me all day for staying up so late to finish this. I rated this 4-stars based purely on the entertainment factor. I seriously could not put this down, but that’s not to say there aren’t some elements of the story that could have been better.

First, I love Georgie so much. She is such an amazing character. She’s funny, cute, silly, and fiercely loving. She’s grown up crushing on her older brother, Stephen’s best friend, Travis. Travis was always hanging around their house because he had a bad home life so she sees him all the time. He was always into baseball and ends up in the MLB. Georgie was the dorky younger sister who showed up to every game to cheer him on. So she still has those butterfly feelings when Travis is forced to retire from playing professional baseball due to an injury and moves back to town.

At the beginning of this story, Travis is really brusque, defensive, and depressed. His entire dream is ripped away from him too early and he feels lost without being able to play baseball anymore. When he moves back into his hometown, Stephen tries to cheer him up but Travis refuses to leave his apartment or do anything except wallow. Enter Georgie. She literally pours food all over his sleeping back to get him out of bed. You get the sense that she is exactly who Travis needs to push him into some kind of action.

“I mean…” She winked at him. “I think I’m safe.”
“You are one thousand percent safe.”
“Okay, you don’t have to be quite so adamant. I do have a thimbleful of vanity and I’d like to keep it.”

I liked seeing Travis warm up to Georgie. He starts to see her as more than just his friend’s younger sister, but to rely on her as a friend who challenges and supports him. In turn, we see that he has always been someone who validates Georgie’s feelings. Everyone in her family and in town brushes her off as a little kid (even though she is a grown woman), but he sees her efforts to be heard and taken seriously. He sees how much people in her life don’t seem to appreciate her. And he stands up for her. And that makes Georgie like Travis even more.

It’s clear that they have some kind of chemistry and attraction between them, but it isn’t until they start fake dating that it kicks into high gear. So now you have two tropes: the friend’s sister & fake dating. The fake dating was done so well. We all know how it’s going to end, but whew! The attraction between these two was fire. The fake dating was done so well. Georgie wants to be seen as a grown woman capable of making her own decisions. Why not prove to everyone just how grown up she is by dating the good-looking athlete everyone looked up to (and who has an infamous reputation for being a womanizer)? For Travis, a new career opportunity comes up for him, but he needs to change his reputation to something more wholesome and family-friendly. Why not do this by getting into a serious committed relationship with the town’s clown who plans children’s birthday day parties for a living? But of course, we all know how the fake dating trope ends.

So let’s talk about what I thought could have been better. The fake dating trope: good. The brother’s sister trope: bad. We hardly get interaction between Travis and Stephen. Honestly, I think they hang out maybe twice in this book. Fortunately, we get just enough information that Travis hung out at Stephen and Georgie’s house a lot when they were younger to make this trope work okay, but it could have been done better. I didn’t really seem like Travis really cared much about what Stephen would think. There wasn’t as much inner turmoil regarding crossing the line from Travis, in my opinion.

“You bought my favorite dinner and turned my climbing tree into a fireplace.” She stroked her fingers over the hair curling at his neck. “You’re batting a thousand in the gestures department, Ford.”

I saw some reviews that didn’t like how Travis only started to like Georgie after she started changing how she dressed, but I didn’t agree with that. Well, first, the makeover trope doesn’t bother me. I love a Cinderella moment in my romance stories. Second, there were clear signs that Travis was starting to like Georgie even before she started to dress differently. Third, they kind of grew up together. He always saw her as the dorky younger sister and sometimes it does take a “moment” to knock some sense into someone. The way she dressed just made him surer, and I think he would have gotten there sooner than later even if she didn’t change the way she dressed. But every reader is different so you may not like this aspect of their romance.

Another thing that could have been done better was the sex scenes. If I read these in isolation, then yes, they were steamy and well-written enough. However, they didn’t seem to fit the lighter romantic-comedy feel the rest of the story had. Outside the sex scenes, Travis would talk to Georgie more as a friend. But during the sex scenes, he does a lot of dirty talk and their sex is more on the rough controlling side. I don’t mind alpha male type romance books, and Georgie definitely gives consent and enjoys when Travis is more controlling during sex. My issue was that it seemed off with the rest of the book. Maybe if Travis was more suggestive and flirty with Georgie outside the bedroom, the actual smut scenes would have flowed better.

Don’t let the cute illustrated cover fool you. While this is a romantic comedy, the sex is a lot more in the general romance aka smutty category. I am not dissing the general romance genre, I happen to like reading that genre. It just felt like this book wanted to mesh both of those together and it wasn’t as smooth as it could have been. The ending isn’t as strong as the rest of the book, but I can see how some people will love it. It’s a very typical HEA ending.

Overall, I loved Travis and Georgie’s relationship and really enjoyed this book!

** Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an ARC for review. Any quotations used are taken from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change.

This was SO good! I never wanted to put this down ❤

I received and arc of this from Avon Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary
Travis thought he left his small town and demons behind when he made it to the MLB. But after an injury ended his career he ended up back in the town he never wanted to see again. Wallowing in filth, booze, and self-pity is where Georgie finds her old crush.
Georgie has always been the passed over, younger sibling. But she is tired of not being taken seriously. When Travis needs to clean up his image for a new job, the decide to fake date. But their intense attraction quickly blurs the lines of their "fake" relationship.

Overview
This is told in third person and you see both Georgie and Travis's POVs.

This book is explicit! Yes this book has a cutesy cover and I would definitely call this a rom-com, but the sex scenes are frequent, detailed, and far from fade to black. So if that's not your thing, I'd skip over this one.

Content Warnings: depression, neglect

What I Liked
1. I'm in love with Travis. The entire relationship between him and Georgie warmed by heart from start to finish. I loved watching them push and challenge each other. But they did so with so much tenderness and respect.
2. I love the humor of this! There were so many funny characters and one liners. The banter was great and Georgie was so dang witty. I thought the whole clown career thing was weird at first, but it actually worked.
3. I want to be a part of the Just Us League. One, the name is clever AF. And two, I'm all about women supporting women. I loved that this book was not only a romance, but showcased strong women supporting each other.
4. I really appreciated that this book tackled the feeling of not being able to shake a preconceived idea/image. This was talked about with Georgie being an only child, and Travis being seen as a womanizer. I feel like everyone can relate to being stuck with a label they don't want and are unable to rid themselves of.
5. I can see why people have said that Georgie's makeover felt like it was "for a guy" or that Travis only liked her because of it. But I disagree. I loved how strong Georgie was on her own. Apologizing to the owner. Taking charge of her own life. Finally ready to shed the safety blanket or her childhood wardrobe.

What I Didn't Like
1. I wish Travis's past was a little more flushed out. We got to hear a little about how is parents neglected him and what a mean, drunkard his father his. But I don't feel like it really went far enough into explaining his history. I wanted just a little more.
2. While I found it endearing in general, "baby girl" was over used. It didn't actually take anything away from the story for me, but I could have used with a few dozen less of these.

Overall I devoured this book. This romance 100% had me swooning. If you love a steamy, brothers-bet-friend romance, definitely add this to your TBR!

I must have been living under a rock because I haven’t had the joy of reading something by Tessa Bailey before. I really enjoyed the story of Georgie and Travis! I love a book where a character has so much growth and both Georgie and Travis had growth in this story. I love that Georgie was a fun character who was able to stand on her own. I love that both Georgie and Travis make each other better versions on themselves, whether they like it or not. This was a steamy read despite the cute cover. I can’t wait to continue reading this series and more by Tessa Bailey. This one is a perfect summer beach read!

Travis was a big deal in baseball until he wasn't due to an injury. Now he doesn't know what to do with himself except drink and wallow in his grief. When he moves back to his home town, he feels like the failure his father always told him he'd be. Georgie, his best friend's little sister, is relentless in making him get over his pity parties and he comes to appreciate her honesty, optimism, and sweet sexiness. Georgie has always been treated like a child and it doesn't help that she is a professional clown for a living. She's had a crush on Travis for years but figuring she doesn't have a chance she tries to be a good friend. Things heat up of course. I really enjoyed this sexy hot romance and am looking forward to Tessa Bailey's next book!

This story is two of my favorite troupes....best friend's little sister and a fake relationship!

Georgette "Georgie" Castle is tired of everyone treating her like she doesn't matter. Just because she chose to be a children's party planner including dressing up as a clown, instead of working for the family's home renovations business, doesn't mean that she doesn't have a brain! Georgie decides she is going to change a few things in her life so that maybe for once she will actually be noticed. What she never expected was to be noticed by Travis Ford, her brother Stephen's best friend. Travis was the hot "it" player in the MLB until a career ending injury has sidelined him for good and thrown him into a self induced pity party.

Growing up Georgie was always the little tag along bratty sister because she had a huge crush on Travis and if she was fully honest, she still did! When Georgie goes over to Travis place to force him out of his funk, she didn't expect to find him asleep, naked and his place a pig sty! After some fun banter back and forth, Georgie leaves but clearly she affected Travis because he finally decides to move on with his life....and he is thinking maybe he wants some more of Georgie in that life!

As Georgie and Travis spend more time together, their friendship starts to take a different turn. When Georgie realizes that they both could give each other something that they both want, they come up with a fun plan. But just when it seems like this plan is working perfectly, feelings start to get in the way and feelings end up getting hurt because of demons from the past.

It will take a huge leap of faith along with some unexpected moves for Georgie and Travis to get their happy ending but it is well worth the wait.

Overall I loved this story! Two fun, flawed characters with such witty banter I found myself laughing out loud a lot as I read this book. The sexual chemistry these two shared was off the charts and their emotional connection brought tears to my eyes a few times.

Fix her up was my first book by Tessa Bailey. I’ll definitely read more. It is an enjoyable contemporary romance between two smart, capable individuals who are trying to find their ways in a small town where everyone thinks they know everything about everyone. There are the predictable ups and downs that go with life in that kind of environment and this story focuses on both. My only regret is that the book was a little too long. Just when you see our couple figuring things out, they regress back into some extended angst that seemed manufactured to fit a romance formula. Everything works out in the end but I do get impatient with characters I like who don’t get with the program when it’s time. All that said, I’ll be looking for more Tessa Bailey. I loved the humor, the characters, the relationships with family and friends,and the well-written dialog. Always happy to find a new author!

Finally a book with a cutesy, illustrated cover that actually has a good story inside! Fix Her Up is all about discovering your worth. The hero is an ex professional athlete and the heroine is the youngest child that no one takes seriously. The hero happens to be best friends with the heroine’s older brother. These characters are so easy to love. They definitely bring the heat with several sexy scenes.

My biggest issue with the book is that it drags the last 10%. I feel like it could have ended earlier or some of the stuff that happens could have been worked in differently. It just did flow. Overall, it’s not that big of an issue. The book is filled with secondary characters that really flesh out the story. I’m invested and look forward to more stories to come.


I voluntarily read an early copy.

Fix Her Up was a highly entertaining story and great start to a new standalone series. Georgie made this book for me. She's so quirky and fun. I can't tell you how many times she had me giggling. Despite not liking how everyone treats her like a child she didn't really care what people thought of her. She does want to be taken seriously but still be herself. I really liked that about her.

Travis was a bitter and angry man after getting injured and losing his professional baseball career. He needed a kick in the pants and Georgie intends to deliver. She's been in love with him since she was a child and he treats her just like everyone else but as she challenges his new attitude, he's starting to see her in a new light.

I really enjoyed the banter between these two. He's angry and rude and she responds in a way that is defrosting his heart until he's no longer angry. They were just a fun couple to read about. The only thing that I didn't enjoy about this book was the way Travis insisted he would never do commitment. I'm just not a fan of commitment phobe men, however, it didn't keep me from appreciating their journey to a happily ever after.

Thank you @netgalley, @harpercollinsus and @avonbooks for providing eARC for an honest review!

So I actually stumbled on this book by accident as I was scrolling though netgalley (as you do) and was drawn by this adorable cover (because DUH!) and immediately requested it. It was shortly after that I started seeing the buzz on #bookstagram and so was totally stoked when I got approved! 😃

And I was NOT disappointed!!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! ♥️

Georgie was always seen as “the little sister”. Being the youngest of three, it’s hard to find a way to stand out. So she embraced her family role as the clown and even made it into a growing career. But even though she is now an adult who owns her own home, she is hardly taken seriously...not even by her childhood crush, Travis.
Travis is a celebrity in his home town having made it in Major League Baseball. But an injury has forced him into early retirement and now feels he has nothing left. In a town crawling with fans offering sympathy, the last thing he expected was his best friend’s little sister to come barging into his man cave throwing things at him 🤣

This book is seriously chock full of lols. It had many moments where I was laughing and talking back to the book 😂
And OMG the STEAM!!! Takes a little bit to get there but oh man when it does it’s panty dropping! 🔥🔥🔥

“Fix Her Up” for me is the perfect blend of story, character development, heart and steamy goodness! Everything I could want in a modern romance! I highly recommend it! Release date is June 11th!


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🙌🏻 Well dome @tessabaileyisanauthor

🖤Katie

Not at all what I expected, but so much better! Charming, funny, and grand-slam, out-of-the-park steamy.Fix Her Up has all the bases covered for a great rom-com: heart, heat, humor, and some awesome girl power!

I adore Georgie and Travis, and the whole cast of characters and cannot wait for more. Bailey left me yearning for an epilogue, but I hope we'll see more of what the future holds for Georgie and Travis in the next book in the series featuring Rosie and Dominic. And I hope Bethany has a book in store for her too!

My first book from Tessa Bailey and I was blown away. Her writing is so witty and comical and oh so sultry! This book had me hooked from the first chapter.

I adored the heroine Georgie and her infectious, quirky personality and unique line of work. She was so sweet yet different from most romance book leading ladies. You never knew what was going to come out of her mouth, but you knew it would either floor you or leave you laughing. She never let anyone steal her sunshine or break her spirit, despite how many times it was thrown in her face that she was a joke and still just a "kid" in her ripe old age of 23.

Travis, the has been MLB player who needed to have lo mein thrown at his head to get him to come to terms with his new reality was not only sexy and swoon worthy in all his self loathing, but proved that sometimes people truly can change.

Yes, this book had some of the typical aspects of a brother's best friend romance and parts were predictable and safe. But, the intimate scenes were HOT and I'm a sucker for grand gestures! This book gave me everything I look for in a rom-com and then some. The humor was wonderful, the characters were likable and relatable, there was a bit of woman power surrounding some of the main characters and there was the all important HEA. What more could you want? Tessa Bailey won me over with this read.

I was provided an ARC of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story revolves around Georgie and Travis and how their relationship grows. I truly loved seeing how their relationship developed and grew into something so endearing. Their story pulls you in and you quickly get immersed in their relationship. Loved the humor throughout the story.
Tessa Bailey is a new author to me and one I will be looking forward to reading more books by. Anxiously waiting for book 2 in this series!
Many thanks to NetGallery, the publisher and author, Tessa Bailey, for the opportunity to to read and give my honest review of “Fix Her Up.”
Note: I wouldn’t recommend this book if you do not like “steamy” graphic romances as there is a lot of sex going on from middle to end of book. But, if you are looking for a fun, steamy read, this is the book for you.

Travis was a pro-baseball player with a reputation for being quite the ladies' man. He had an injury that resulted in several surgeries and him being cut from teams and traded until he found himself out of a job. He returns home to Long Island where he sulks in an apartment until his best friend's little sister comes and throws lo mein at his head and makes him shake himself off and start over.

Georgie is Travis's best friend's little sister. She is a clown by profession and no one takes her seriously. She has had a huge crush on Travis since they were kids. She and Travis enter an agreement to have a fake relationship to prove he has a more family friendly image and that she is an adult that should be taken seriously.

This one is steamy and the characters are so likable and relatable. Travis is a damaged man and Georgie gets to help heal him. I LOVED this one!!

It was so refreshing to have a main character who has an unconventional job. I found Georgie's character to be so adorable. All those funny moments and her innocence? I lived for them. I liked Travis' character and his growth. Sometimes I just wanted to shake him. But anyways, her sister-in-law, Kristin, is so damn annoying. Like can she please chill? I don't understand what her brother sees in her but then again I'm also not a big fan of her brother.