This was absolutely adorable! The characters are wonderful and inviting, making this novel a pleasure to read and relax with. Aly is a very comforting and refreshing character, I particularly liked her little vibrant group of friends, every character had a significant role and played into the plot beautifully.

I recommend this book if you like second chance romance , childhood friend trope and little no to steam.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc.

I loved this book, it grabbed my interest from page one. I had such a fun time with these characters. Aly was such a sweet character! This book had so much moments that just hits you and makes you feel all emotional. This is a must read book!

A quick, light read. Not incredibly memorable for me unfortunately.

I went back two to three times to start it over, as it was just not holding my interest.

Nice, lighter fare - a great respite after deep thrillers! I enjoyed the ebb and flow of the conversations and felt connected to characters. Will keep my eyes peeled for more from the artist!
Thanks for the ARC opportunity!

If I'm being honest, this wasn't my favorite. It wasn't poorly written, poorly plotted, poorly anything, per se—I simply didn't like the romance. I like second chance romances, but only when the MC doesn't spend the entire book crafting lies only to be forgiven in the last chapter. Some people might enjoy it, and I'm sure many will, because the cast of characters were diverse and likable, the resolution was cute, and the couple—for all I didn't like the circumstances their relationship re-blossomed under—had the history that could only come from being high school besties with their inside jokes, cute ways of uplifting each other, and natural chemistry.

I initially liked the message of feminism, but I also think there were subtle instances that only served to undermine that message. Nicki, the main antagonist, was a social media influencer, and while none of the narrative surrounding her was explicitly misogynistic, it was only a few keystrokes from being just that. I do like how it explored feminism in other aspects, though, from Aly's job to Aly's mother's own struggles to the idea of helping women understand that they shouldn't have to settle for less just so they can feel desired.

Aly is the ultimate "fixer" after growing up in an emotionally unstable household she learned to people please her way through life. At the start of the book, she appears to be stuck in an endless wheel of hard work and emotional support with little to no personal gain; however, a chance encounter with her childhood BFF changes everything. I thought it was insightful how Ms. Forsythe portrayed the impact of childhood traumas on adult personality and relationships. I really enjoyed this book because by the end Mara was no longer "fixing" people but helping them see their own value with a renewed confidence in herself as well.

I loved the setting, living in American it was nice to escape to London. I pictured the metro rides so vividly. That's one thing I enjoyed about this novel, the author does a great job at describing the surroundings. From the office building to the lunch picnics outside the scenery was greatly painted.

This was an endearing friends to enemies to lovers romance. I liked the twists and how the two main love interests were reintroduced into each other lives. It seemed natural and flowed well with the story. The side characters were a fun and entertaining addition. The humor radiated and I loved the underlining tension that existed.

This was a fun, quick paced and comedic romcom. Perfect for a feel good vibe.

For fans of second chance romance and little no to steam, this book is for you!

This book is right up my alley- a romance with little romance and little steam 😂. I loved the theme of The Fixer Upper because I feel like a lot of women can relate to making their partner a better person.. for somebody else.
This is a quick and light-hearted read that is perfect for romance lovers and those who are looking for something to pick up in between heavier reads.
The book is set in London but I definitely got USA vibes; I’m not sure if that’s a me problem or what. It actually helped me relate more to the book because I envisioned the scenery as USA landscape but it might bother other people so I wanted to mention.

Overall, would recommend and I would read this author again!

Summary: After a run-in with her much more successful ex-boyfriend Aly decides to start a side hustle to help women get what they want from the men in their lives. Everything seems to be going well until an influencer hires her and her friends to fix her childhood BFF and Crush Dylan. While working together Aly learns that not everything needs to be fixed and she doesn't know everything she thought she did.

Thoughts: Dylan is a gem! This book is super cute, and very light heart, easy to read. Aly’s main conflict is that she needs therapy and needs to instill boundaries! Her relationship with Dylan was fun to see and watch grow. I also really liked Aly’s friends and Dylan’s coworkers/ friends they had a fun dynamic. I need a Ben and Eric sequel, Ben was such a gem! The grand gesture and resolution were very mild despite how badly Aly screws up things I like that the resolution was quick and drama free but as far as couple conflict Aly’s apology could have been even more over the top and it would have been appropriate. Dylan is a gem and I love that he got his happily ever after, now Aly and her mom need to go to therapy ASAP.

This was another cute Rom Com (my favorites!!) We have a friends turned enemies into lovers trope that keeps you guessing until the end! Will Aly and Dylan, best friends who had a tragic ending, rekindle after 15 years? Aly has created "Fixer Upper" with coworkers Tola and Eric, to help women get their unmotivated boyfriends motivated. Fixer Upper is hired to help an influencer get engaged to her start up boyfriend, Dylan. Once Aly sees Dylan, her first love and best friend, she gets excited. Until he ignores her and acts like they have never met. We see how Dylan and Aly maneuver this change of friendship, and how she can trick her first ever love to propose to a pretentious person.

Lauren Forsythe included the perfect amount of detail, and other story lines, in this book. We received the closure to all aspects. It was a fun change of pace for me to read!
If you are not into smut, but love a good romance story, you'd enjoy this.

This was an easy and fun read. I enjoyed reading about Aly and her friends more than anything else in the book. It fell flat at times, but was still enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc.

What a wonderful debut novel from Lauren Forsythe! I chose this book due to its cute cover and the premise of a woman being a "fixer" and essentially having a knack for fixing everyone and everything around her. That sounded like me, and I always appreciate reading books that have a lead character who I can relate to.

This was a different premise that I have never read before, so I was excited to dive in. A woman who realizes she's been fixing her past boyfriends (turning trash into treasure) decides to take that skill and sets up a service (underground, secretive) where men can come and fix their lives with her help, to elevate themselves. But, a past friend of hers (and first love) becomes a client and Aly has to decide if she wants to fix this guy up like everyone else or keep him as he is, as she has always viewed him as amazing, just the way he is.

I really liked this book. It was fun, witty, refreshing and I felt a chemistry between Aly and Dylan. The banter was spot on and I think it was well written.

The only issues I had, which aren't really issues; more personal preference than anything: 1) the entire book is very PG, no real spicy scenes at all. So if that's something you are looking for, just bear in mind that the book does not have spicy scenes. It was very PG. And 2) The entire reason why Aly and Dylan lost touch and he broke her hear hinges on a misunderstanding and could have been easily remedied but of course, that leads to the book, so...

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a fun read! I loved the characters and very much enjoyed this romcom novel. It was a quick, predictable, read with a warm and fuzzy pay off. I loved the witty banter between our two main characters and was cheering them on - right down to the Love, Actually style declaration of love!

This is the first time I've read the authors work and it won't be the last! I love a book where the characters reconnect as I find the banter delightful! That's how I felt about this one and I devoured it in nearly one sitting! If you enjoy romantic comedies then you don't want to miss this one.

SUCH a great read by Lauren Forsythe and I'm grateful for the ARC by Lauren and NetGalley!

This is a great balance of humor, warmth, compassion, romance, friendship.....basically, LIFE! Aly is that woman, and we've all known them (or been them) who dates the "Not Quite Ready for Adulthood" guys only to break up and have them move on to being the perfect grown man with the next girl. Because of this, Aly has been dubbed "The Fixer Upper" by her friends and parlays that into a business helping women turn their lackluster boys into go-getter men! Before long, their services are requested by an Insta-famous heiress who wants them to fix her app-developer boyfriend. Until it turns out the boyfriend in question is Aly's childhood best friend and first real love. Now she has to decide if she is going to face their complicated past and change someone who was always perfect for her...just the way he was.

This was a really, really wonderful read. While I enjoyed Aly's story, especially her growth arc, I whole-heartedly enjoyed her friendship with Tola and Eric. Aly goes from having no friends due to trust issues, to gaining two best friends: Tola, a cheerleading, no-holds-barred advice doling, cheerleader of a friend and Eric, the gay one-liner slingin', partner-in-crime that every girl needs! The development of these relationships, and the fact that Aly had a date with herself at the beginning of the story, is the type of woman-care we need in life! I'm here for it seven days a week!

Yes to Aly! Yes to Tola and Eric! Yes to standing up for yourself and your own self-worth and Yes to a love that feels like home!!

The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe was a book that, while reading, I didn't become lost in the story. I had some high expectations as the blurb sounded interesting, but about 50% through the book started losing the plotline and everything became very smushed together. This was not a cute second chance romance. The way we hear about how he treated the main character made me rethink why he was being given a second chance. Also, the writing style wasn't something I was a big fan of either. It was choppy, and the flow wasn't there. I found myself looking forward to the friendships most, not the romance. Aly and Dylan felt a bit flat at times, and the whole.
"second chance" wasn't the right troupe for this book. I also thought the main idea was somewhat simple, and the author stretched it too much. The plot is that men are broken, and when a woman comes along, she "fixes" them; I was disappointed how much the story skewed away from this and more into a rekindled romance that wasn't it! Also, when reading, you realized that Aly and Dylan are better when they're not together, and everything was just so TOXIC! I would say that if you want you can give this book a go, but it wasn't the greatest.

Thank you to #netgalley and #putnambooks
for this #giftedcopy of The Fixer Upper

This book was sassy, bold, and full of fun! The characters show growth and occasionally tore at my heartstrings! This novel also touches on workplace discrimination which will hopefully, inspire in-depth conversations! Perfect for book club!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! THIS IS THE BLUEPRINT ROMCOM! The characters were hilarious and the dialogue was ON POINT! The idea was not overdone and the way Lauren wrote this book was fantastic, and dare I say, tubular!?! I would read more of this author and would read this book 100 times over.

One day Aly realizes she fixes every man she dates. She decides to use this to her advantage and start a business to fix up by request of their significant other. She gets an opportunity to fix up a man for a well-known influencer. But, the boyfriend of the influencer is no other than Dylan James, her childhood best friend, and first love.

I am a huge fan of second-chance romances, it feels like they’re all I read these days. While I loved the story and the angst in this book, it did not play out the way I wish it would have. I know it was a slow burn, but it was a little too slow for my taste. I wish they would have gotten together sooner and we could have seen more of them together and navigating their new relationship. I thought this was such a good story though, and nothing like anything I’ve ever read! I really enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley, Putnam, and Lauren Forsythe for this advanced reader's copy!

The Fixer Upper was a cute second chance Romance. This book features Ally and her super fun group of friends. They start running a fixer upper business and are hired by women to give their significant others the push they need. When they are hired by a social media influencer Ally reconnects with her best friend from the past. This book was a little slow in the first half and did not get really interesting until around 65%. This was a fun and quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam, and Lauren Forsythe for this eARC in exchange for an honest review