Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars. The idea of this book was great, and I loved Ary and Dylan's story. I think it was strong and you could see their past connection when you read it.
Now, I don't know if it's me, but this book was way too descriptive. I am a lover of dialogues and that happened way too little, which disappointed me a little bit. For that same reason, it took me sometime to acclimate to the book and start enjoying it. But right in the middle picked up just great. I loved the second part. It was raw and real and there were more significant conversations and things happening. I would have loved to exploit the Nicki-Ary banter a little more, but still, just the fact that it *was* there in the first place made me happy. I think it is a great story of growth WITH a bit of romance in it.

When I first read the synopsis for this book, I was intrigued, it had all the right elements for a wonderful book, but unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I wanted more excitement, drama, yet the whole time reading, I was incredibly bored. Honestly, I wasn't invested in any of the characters or their backstories. Aly's entire motivation was unclear to me, she was so focused on fixing everyone else before helping herself.

The only redeeming part of this book is the ending, of course I wanted to see her get her HEA, but it doesn't fix any of the issues that I had with this story. Personally, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone I know, that's how much I disliked it.

This was such a fun book. It really reminded me of Hitch - the Will Smith movie except more British. I was obsessed with the banter between Aly and the other characters. This was a very witty book. Aly and Dylan had great chemistry but I hated that Aly was such a people pleaser. I found myself kind of annoyed. I loved the friendship between Aly and Tola and Eric. That was one of the best parts of the book. A lot of that dialogue was so great. I did really enjoy Lauren Forsythe's writing. She clearly has a knack for banter and good, solid tension between characters.

I would definitely recommend this one to a friend.

4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam for the Advanced Readers Copy of this book!

I loved this book! Women's fiction plus good feminism is the best combo. I don't know what tropes to put this under, but I'm so glad I requested this book, it got approved, and I read this masterpiece. Allysa's character and attitude though a little extreme were more than relatable. There were plenty of quotes in the book that I loved and will share in my official review on my blog. I won't say much more right now, except that you NEED this book.

I’m so happy I got the chance to read “The Fixer Upper” before it comes out! I enjoyed it! It starts off a little slow but a couple chapters in, it’s worth it! I loved the idea of this book, it’s something that haven’t read by any other author. I will definitely be recommending it! Also thanks to Net Galley, Author, and Publisher for the ARC!

If you were a fan of Christina Lauren's Love and Other Words, you will surely enjoy The Fixer Upper. This is a childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance with great characters, pacing, and development. The main character, Aly, was easy to relate to-- she was a woman working in a male-dominated industry who had to be intentional with every move and work ten times as hard as her male colleagues, she dealt with insecurities, had family issues, struggled with relationships. Her life gets flipped upside down when her first love, her childhood best friend Dylan, comes back into her life. And unfortunately, the circumstance in which they meet is not ideal.. Aly and her friends help women "fix" their lousy boyfriends and now, Aly has been hired to "fix" Dylan for her next client. The two learn to work out their past while figuring out their individual present personal issues and along the way try to rekindle the friendship they had so many years ago. Towards the end, I even teared up because what Aly and Dylan had was pretty special and you could tell how important they were to each other and the pain they were going through.
I also loved the side characters in this book: Eric, Tola, Ben, and Priya. They made the story that much more enjoyable with their different personalities and the way they cared for the main characters while still being strong on their own. This was such an enjoyable read and I would highly recommend The Fixer Upper once released!

A delightful romp of a romance novel and hit a little close to home. Why DO women feel the need to find someone who needs fixing? In this novel, Aly realizes, with a little help from her closest friends, that she has a knack for improving the men in her life before they head off to greener pastures. And that idea makes a fabulous business venture...help other women with her skills! Except that her biggest client just happens to be her childhood crush...and she may still feel something for him...

Fun read!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Aly is a fixer. She takes her old boyfriends, motivates them, pushes them, and changes them for the better. But she doesn’t get to reap the benefits… she finds herself in the same position with the same job and same life, while her ex-boyfriends are living successful lives.

Fear not, Aly uses this talent to her advantage and starts a company with her two best friends, working to fix up other women’s significant others and their situations. But what happens when a famous influencer ropes Aly in for help to fix her boyfriend… who used to be Aly’s first love?

Okay, this book is a major slow burn, and it took me a while to get through it. It was a cute read, but it seemed very average to me. The ending also seemed a bit rushed. However, I liked the concept, and Eric and Tola are the best friends that I wish I had in real life!

This was not what I expected but was pleasantly surprised. Reminds me a lot of one of my favorite movies, Hitch. It is just different enough that you get the vibes with a unique story too. I definitely recommend it.

The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe - 4 stars | would recommend!

Congrats on this debut novel! I really, really enjoyed it! I am a Lauren Forsythe fan and am eager to read more of her work.

This was described as a sassy feminist romcom and I agree to that to an extent. While it was sassy (+ fun) and very pro-feminism… I do think it could have used more romance.

We got a look at Alyson who was married to her job and had her eye on a promotion. She was the best daughter, friend, colleague, and even acquaintance. She took care in those around her, asked questions, listened to the answers and made people feel so important. She was a fixer by fault. She enjoyed being a fixer of relationships, careers, personal issues…you name it, she would fix it. Until one day she is assigned a job to fix her ex-best friend / love of her life to perfect him for his famous current girlfriend. While in the process of working on that, she deals with many other issues both personal and in her career. She could fix so much around her, but could she fix her own life? That’s the million dollar question.

This book was fun, entertaining, and definitely got me thinking. I did find the friends in this book to be an amazing trio and felt like the book was more about a great, strong friendship + success in life rather than a second chance romance.

In light of the romance that did take place I had some favorite lines:

“Maybe they lived small lives, but they were so aware of what they had, of how much joy their was in small moments”

“Love is only meant to be terrifying right at the beginning, right before you fall… then its meant to feel like home”

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book!

This made me feel every type of emotion in the best way possible! Though I was laughing more than anything else. It is a second chance childhood friends to lovers, and it was so good. I will not lie there were points during the book I felt so unmatched to the characters, but I still enjoyed it. Though it was definitely more of a reconnecting with friends book than friends to lovers, it was nonetheless good! It's a quick read, I recommend it!

Loved the premises for this book and was so excited to read it. But sadly it just didn’t work for me. I didn’t not feel the connection or chemistry between the characters. And it just left me wanting something more…. different. This was just not a good fit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam.

This was super cute!! Loved the character growth and was well written! Had the best friend turned enemies turned lovers trope and it was a roller coaster of laughing, cute romantic set ups and a great happy ending to a couple i was rooting for. Thanks NetGallery for the ARC!

This was a fun rom com. I really liked Aly and her friend group. Every girl wants to surround herself with friends like Eric and Tola. Aly is a work-a-holic, people pleaser who can see how to help those around her, but doesn't know how to help herself find happiness. When her friends push her to start a side job, she is reunited with Dylan, the childhood boy she fell in love with. Overall a sweet story with a happy ending, and just what I wanted from the story.

This book was very enjoyable that I literally didn’t want it to end. The plot was a bit farfetched, but the overall message about relationships and who you are in them vs who you are at your core, is very well done. When her old flame returns my heart melted, I am a sucker for second chance love.

Thank you NetGalley sharing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read this as an arc and it was so cute! Aly is goal driven and dedicated to her craft…which her friends have convinced her is fixing people, making them live up to their potential. It goes well until she has to fix the first guy she was in love with. *enter drama*

Overall, the story line was different than I’d read in a while. I gave it three stars because I just didn’t love the characters and wasn’t super invested in them, but still a cute, fun, and quick read.

Fun British Rom Com that kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed reading about Aly who worked in advertising/branding and her quest to build up a side business fixing relationships. This book explored friendships, relationships, and family dynamics. There were lots of layers that were fun to unpack. I gave this 4.5 stars rounded up to 5! Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Fixer Upper was a fun read. I love the dynamic between Aly and her two coworkers/friends, Tola and Eric. The banter was great.

When I read the description, I was definitely expecting a Romance book, but I think we got more of the Woman's Fiction. The romance between Aly and Dylan was more of a subplot, unfortunately. I did love that there was the second chance trope in this, BUT so was the miscommunication trope. A very, VERY long miscommunication. It was annoying, to say the least.

I think this book had a lot of potential, it just wasn't executed in the way I would have liked. Still a cute story though. Which is why I rounded up from 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP for kindly sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Aly Aresti is a fixer - she's been fixing her boyfriends, colleague's work issues, and everyone else's problems for her entire life. As someone who tends to be a fixer, I definitely related to Aly and how she felt throughout the book.

I think my biggest issue with the book is that I expected a romance book, and this read more like a women's fiction with a romance subplot. The main focus of this book was Aly's business and her personal growth, and the romance really took a backseat. I think if my expectations had been set appropriately I would have enjoyed it a lot more. While it does have an HEA, the MMC spends most of his time in a relationship with another person, and that isn't something I love in my romance books.

I really enjoyed the banter in the book - both between Aly & Dylan and between Aly, Tola, & Eric. I also live for great character development, and this book absolutely killed it in that area. I loved the confidence that Aly gained throughout the story, both in her professional and personal lives.

The Fixer Upper was interesting, giving me lots of heist vibes.

A lot of time was dedicated to how they set up the business and I think that set the tone of the book, and not in a good way.

Once we finally met the H And things got going, sometimes time would just be skipped over or glossed over. You would think after all the detailed in the first 25% of the book in how to set up a business thag the romance would be detailed, but it wasn’t.


There was some heart wrenching moments- especially the one in the bathtub when the h finally FINALLY stood up for herself.

I just wish HE would have groveled. At the end, I felt like he did what he’d always done which was keep a girl
Hooked until
He knew the next one was a sure thing.

It took me a long
Time to write this review after reading because I just couldn’t get past that unfair ending for her. Sure it’s a HEA but, will it be ? Did he change at all ?