The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe is a listed as a romantic comedy where Aly is always fixing everything. From her friends' love lives, coworkers' problems, everything but advocating for herself. When she starts up a side gig to help women help their significant others everything is going great until a high profile influencer enlists her help and the guy she needs fixing is her childhood best friend...

It seemed more like women's fiction than romance to me, and it was a cute story!

I have accepted that publishers seem to be fast and loose with the rom-com label. This book was fun and amusing, but in my opinion, the story was more about Aly. Though the sheer fact that all these men she dated were a better version of themselves AFTER dating her could be frustrating, the truth was that they improved or succeeded because of her sacrifices. Aly had a tendency to put her needs after others, and it was this thread of the story that really spoke to me. Women are somewhat conditioned to nurture others at the expense of their own needs. That was a big theme in this story, and it was wonderful to see Aly finally recognize this in herself, so that she could put herself first and achieve all her heart’s desires.

Though it was light on the romance, I was all in because I have a thing for second chance romances. I will admit, I was frustrated to learn both sides of the tale of why the friendship between Aly and Dylan ended, but I also reveled in watching them reconnect. I am a sap for long and storied friendships, and these two just seemed to be each other’s “person”.

I would say one of my favorite things about this book was Aly’s reunion with her childhood best friend, but I also adored the cast of supporting characters. They all contributed to how fun and feel-good this story was, and I delighted in their brand of chaos.

Overall, I found The Fixer Upper to be a solid debut. A fun and entertaining story with a cast of characters to adore and amuse me. It was also very satisfying to see the fixer finally put herself and her needs first. All of this was topped off by an utterly delightful ending left me with a smile on my face.

In a moment of clarity, Aly notices that every man that she has dated and subsequently ended things with has gone on immediately after her and done something incredible. This includes getting a job they wanted but were too scared or lazy to attempt to go for, buying a house, even finding love and getting married. That's when she decides to start a fixer upper program, where she helps woman by doing their emotional labor of encouraging the men in their lives to realize their potential. It is all going good until her most famous client puts forth extreme wishes of wanting her boyfriends new company to launch and be successful AND to have said boyfriend propose in an extremely short amount of time. This is especially true when Aly finds out the man she wants Aly to encourage to propose to her, is Aly's former best friend Dylan who she hasn't talked to in years. Of course, that's when issues arise.

This sweet romance book was an incredibly quick read for me because I truly could not put it down! It was a cute new concept that felt very fresh and kept me interested for sure. I could easily see this being an incredibly romcom movie. The character development was fantastic, I felt like we got a true sense of Aly and Dylan, and the side characters of Aly's friends Tola and Eric are fantastic and I hope that they get their own book as well because I loved their characters!!!

I would definitely recommend this book to my friends, especially if they love a feel good story that completely wraps up and just leaves you feeling warm. I received a review copy from PENGUIN GROUP via NetGalley and I voluntarily provided an honest review. This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review

There wasn’t too much I liked about this book. I really didn’t like the main characters, at all, but did enjoy when the side characters were in the scene. The entire premise of the story was based on outright lies, lies of omission and deceit. It wasn’t working for me. It was one of those stories where I was internally screaming, “Just tell the truth! Just communicate!!” This one left much to be desired.

I get that this is a slow burn and women's fiction novel, but I couldn't stay concentrated on it. It did not hold my attention and truth be told, I was quite bored with it. I could not draw myself into the story with the characters.

If Jane Austen’s Persuasion was a modern romcom then it would be The Fixer Upper! This book is full of heart and funny moments, amazing friends and complicated family, navigating the ups and downs of social media, and an emotional second-chance romance. It felt a little slow to start, but then I really got into it and loved all of the characters (except maybe a few that you love to hate) and the second-chance romance. Lovely, emotional, romantic story!

The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe is a listed as a romantic comedy where Aly is always fixing everything. From her friends' love lives, coworkers' problems, everything but advocating for herself. When she starts up a side gig to help women help their significant others everything is going great until a high profile influencer enlists her help and the guy she needs fixing is her childhood best friend...

It seemed more like women's fiction than romance to me, and it was a cute story!

Book Review:

The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe

This is a cute premise and a really enjoyable rom-com. I liked Aly and Dylan's history and their chemistry. It's a pretty PG romance so mostly focuses on the characters and feelings more than their actions. It has a great ensemble cast for both Aly and Dylan.

If you have a beach trip coming up I would definitely bring this one with you!!

Thanks to @netgalley for this advanced reader!

#BookReview #Bookstagram #LaurenForsythe #TheFixerUpper #GPPutnamsSons #BookishLife #Reading #BookRecommendations #RomanceBookStagram #RomanceBooks

I liked this one, good banter, perfect British humor, but I get really frustrated with characters who don't/can't/won't communicate. It makes for a frustrating read, especially when half the time I'm thinking JUST SAY SOMETHING.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy of The Fixer Upper in exchange for my honest review.
Predictable romantic comedy with some funny parts, but a bit confusing and the flow was a bit off for me. The Fixer Upper service seemed over the top and unrealistic. Quite a bit of drama and overall, the story didn't come together in the end, but it was a happy ending.

I was so annoyed with this book. It felt like a “fix what I don’t like about the partner” book. I didn’t connect with any of the characters.

I just couldn't enjoy these characters or story. From the main female character, so the guy's girlfriend, to the general unrealistic, manipulative storyline... it just all was so unappealing to me I couldn't enjoy it at all.

I think I've realized that this style of romance just isn't for me. I've read a few 'woman confronts her ex's who are thriving in their new relationship' books and it's been a struggle for me to connect with the characters each time. While I appreciate Aly's positive fixer attitude and I'm always here for a second chance/childhood friends to lovers romance, this didn't give me the butterflies that I wanted.

Aly is waiting for her reservation at a restaurant but soon finds out that they don't accept solo reservations. Until her married ex shows up and insists the waiter gives her a table for one—unless he's being discriminating.

Suddenly, the ex thanks Aly for being forceful with him to improve his life. Hoping it ends there, he asks the dreaded question.

I suddenly realized where the conversation was about to shift, and there was no way to avoid it. I rallied my energy for the inevitable: Who’s doing better now? Who’s winning at life?

Her good friends do research to test a theory and find out that all the men Aly has dated became successful after leaving her. After pondering on the thought that she may have been wasting her time all.these years, a plan forms in her mind.

Even though Aly is a character who's portrayed as insecure, overworked, and hurting — while hiding all these, she grows so much. She was a relatable character, and I loved how Lauren weaved her flaws into the story, showing us we're all humans.

Thanks to Putnam for sending me a galley! I loved it.

Aly has always been good at fixing things for the people around her, and she seems to have a special talent for fixing her boyfriends. After every break up, the man she was with seems to get his life together and find the woman he ends up with. She decides to put her talent to use and starts a business helping women fix their significant others. But things get complicated when one of her first clients is asking her to fix her former best friend.

This was the slowest of the slow burns. This one was sweet, but a bit too slow for me at times. However, there was some fun banter, and this was an entertaining premise. I really enjoyed how it all wrapped up, which ultimately made the journey worth it.

Thanks to Putnam Books for the advance copy.

It took me awhile to get into The Fixer Upper - Aly is a "master manipulator" as she fixes those around her. I did really appreciate her character growth by the end, though. The friends were the best part for me. The social media influencer, Nicki, was the WORST. I liked how this book had narratives the overall message on not letting people walk all over you and communicating with honesty. This was a really solid debut from Lauren Forsythe and I am definitely interested in seeing what she writes next! (less)

The Fixer Upper somehow managed to be a very cute romcom that made a lot of great points about women in relationships while also making me deeply uncomfortable at times. On the one hand, the discomfort was part of the point - we're supposed to know what Aly and co. are doing by manipulating dudes into being "better" partners is questionable at best and concerning at worst. But on the other hand, a book that has such long stretches of cringey behavior by its leads isn't necessarily the most fun reading experience.

On the side of the good was the very enjoyable characters and the satisfying character arcs. Most everyone has a chance to grow and learn from their mistakes (of which there are so many). Aly and her friends have great banter and as morally questionable as the Fixer Upper scenes were, they were genuinely funny at times. This book had a good balance of emotions, ranging from funny to sad, sweet to honest. It also had a lot of spot-on things to say about the ways women perform emotional labor in relationships, and the ways in which social media can make people lose sight of who they actually are.

On the flip side, though, the book was built around an uncomfortable and manipulative enterprise. Which, again, is the point! But watching a woman decide over and over again to lie to her former best friend and crush is upsetting! I couldn't decide if the payoff - Aly's grand gesture and the long awaited getting together of her and Dylan - made up for it. Or if I even really thought he should be forgiving her.

I think in the end, this is a book that is a light and fun read... as long as you don't think about it too hard. Like a lot of romcoms based on schemes, it starts to feel a little yucky when held up too closely to the light.

3.75/5

This book is described as a feminist romantic comedy. However,I felt it was light on the romance. There was definitely some comedic factors and I particularly enjoyed the side characters, but, all in all, there is nothing extraordinary or memorable about this book. There were moments where I was enjoying myself, could relate to the women in the book, and saw this being at least a 4 star rating but overall, it was just an okay book for me, so I am going with a down the middle rating of three stars.

Aly, the protagonist, finds herself accidently becoming a "fixer upper" when women begin to come to her to improve their men without them knowing it. One day she is contacted by a famous influencer with the largest paycheck yet to discover who she is supposed to improve and motivate to propose is her oldest best friend and first love, who she hasn't spoken to in 15 years. I love a good second chance romance, but to me this one was primarily her forcing him to be the best boyfriend for another woman and their romance didn't rekindle until the last few pages, so I grew very frustrated with that aspect. I wish we could have seen their romantic relationship grow more in the book sooner, which is why I feel this is more women's fiction rather than a romance novel.

Overall, the book was easy to read, simple and would be one I'd read on vacation, but I don't think it would be one I would recommend to others.


**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

This book was NOT for me. I truly would’ve DNF’d it if I wasn’t working on my NetGalley ARCs. The main reason is that this book would’ve lost a race with a snail. I truly didn’t get actually engaged with the story until I was 57% into the story.

Aly is an amazing person that always seems to uplift and help people while simultaneously ignoring how everyone around takes advantage of her. After venting to her friends about discovering how one of her exes glowed up after they broke up, her friends points out how this is the pattern for all of her exes. The Gen Z of the group suggests that they create a business to do this for other women which leads her to an Influencer and her boyfriend who just so happens to be her ex-Best Friend and crush.

Now, I love a good enemies to lover, but this was NOT that. He pretends he doesn’t know her then starts to treat her coldly. They go from this not interesting enemies to rekindle friendship that reminisces on how they both have always loved the other. The issue is that none of it was interesting. The subplots and background pieces kept slowing down the story, and I wanted more Main Character time. The ending was cute, but there was so much paint on the wall from the background pieces I was just glad that it was over.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is really a women's/contemporary fiction title. While there is a second chance romance, that is not really the main storyline.

Aly is always supporting and helping others even if it means she can't get her own stuff done. She's got good instincts on where to nudge and what to say to help people make positive shifts in their lives. And while she's unknowingly helped a lot of past boyfriends realize their potential, she's not where she hoped to be career and life wise.

As she and two close friends (loved them!) put together a business for women to help them 'fix up' the men in their lives, it leads to a lot of bigger questions about life and Aly's life path. It does monetize her skill in steering people@in the right direction, but it also fees manipulative. I'm actually also listening to a book on moral philosophy right now (How to Be Perfect by the creator of The Good Place) and it complements this book well! Do the ends justify the means?

I was rooting for Aly. And I thought her choices and struggles felt authentic. She and the other characters all had flaws (like all of us, right?) which made them really relatable, especially since we got some great back stories. While I wasn't a fan of all of Aly's choices, I loved her journey and how it all came together in the end.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.