This was a fun, cute read. I definitely expected more romance involved than what we got, but I still overall enjoyed the book.

Aly has always been a fixer and when faced with the task of making an influencer’s boyfriend a better boyfriend/future husband, she runs into her ex-best friend. It turns out the ex-bestfriend is the influencer’s boyfriend, Dylan.

Dylan and Aly had secret crushes on each other when they were younger, but after a huge misunderstanding they went their separate ways with no communication after. The miscommunication trope isn’t a huge favorite of mine, but it didn’t overpower the story too much. It was interesting to see how Aly and Dylan dealt with being around each other again, all while obviously still having the same secret feelings.

I enjoyed the main characters and also the side characters. Since the plot wasn’t too romance heavy, we got to see all the different aspects of the character’s lives. The character’s grew as people throughout the story and it made for a fun read. As I said, I wish there was more romance for a romance labeled book, but I did still like the book.

Thank you to the publisher through NetGalley for the ARC!

Cute, easy rom-com. This is the kind of book you want to sink into at the end of a hard day or a break up. However, it was a little slow starting and predictable.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick read that kept me going from the first page. Being true to yourself and your feelings should always be number one.

Fixer Upper is a great read and I would definitely recommend it! I am so glad I got an ARC and can’t wait for it to be released. I loved the Fixer Upper concept and how it grew throughout the book. Aly is easy to root for, except sometimes it was frustrating when she would doubt herself/get in their own way, but that’s also what made her character more relatable. Either way, it was a great read!

This book started kind of slow for me but once Dylan was brought into the book, I was hooked. Aly, fixer of everything, is somebody that I think many women can see in ourselves. She had dated many men without much luck for herself - although her exes all ended up being successful after dating her due to the fact that she pushed them to better and “fixed” them.

Aly worked with her 2 best friends at her day job and together, they decided to tap into Aly’s gift of fixing men by creating a business where women could hire them to “fix” their partners to be more of what they wanted to have in a spouse. After their business starts to grow, an influencer hires the Fixer Uppers to “fix” her boyfriend and convince him to marry her.

Plot twist: the influencers boyfriend ends up being Aly’s best friend from her childhood - the same one that she had fallen in love with and ghosted when she left for college. Now Aly is responsible for shaping her old best friend into somebody that will propose to the unbearable influencer. Can she do it? Or does true love never really die?

I enjoyed this book, like I said, once Dylan was brought into it. It was a little slow going before then but I give it 4 stars overall for being a light hearted, easy to read romcom. Each of the characters was unique and enjoyable to read about. Be sure to add this to your TBR list if you love second chance at love romcoms!

Thank you NG, publisher, and Lauren Forsythe for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Lauren Forsynth for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review ☺️

Let me just say, I read this book in just two days. I thought was addicting and cute. I absolutely love British romcom.

Aly, a marketing guru, has a terrible track record of ex-boyfriends. She always leaves them better than she found them - a classic fixer upper. Her friends help her realize the pattern, and together they create a business out of it. All is going well until a social media influencer asks for their help with her boyfriend… none other than Dylan James, Aly’s childhood best friend and the one boy she ever loved.

This book is filled with comical scenes, raw emotion, vulnerability, and the scariness that comes with real love. I adored the character development. Aly felt real. A woman who has struggled with her insecurities and then overcomes them. The timeline of the story felt realistic. It was a slow build romance but the book wasn’t solely focused on the relationship between Dylan and Aly, it also focused on the amazing friendships throughout. Honestly, that might have been my favorite part.

This book is fantastic in that it’s multilayered. I think there is something for everyone in this book ❤️

This rom-com from author Lauren Forsythe was a quick read with some witty banter and an interesting premise. There were, however, too many flaws to render it of any significant merit.

The story begins with an introduction to Alyssa (Aly), a thirty something woman with a path behind her of torched relationships, a less-than-ideal childhood and superficial friendships. She does, however, have the same two stereotypic friends I’ve repeatedly seen in this genre: Tola, a beautiful female friend who is living what appears to be an ideal life, and Eric, a gay male confidante whose flame burns bright. When Tola and Eric suddenly realize that each of Aly’s former boyfriends have, since their breakups with Aly, become madly successful, they crunch the numbers. What they discover is that Aly is consistently the catalyst for their success. The three then launch an impromptu business that sets out to give a nudge to men on behalf of their significant others in an effort to improve upon their shortcomings, from the short sighted boyfriend who doesn’t realize his girlfriend’s need for a proposal to the downright blind father who doesn’t realize he is failing as a stay at home dad. The trio insert themselves into the lives of these men for planned encounters designed to show them the “error of their ways.”

There were a few things that bothered me right out of the gate. First, the idea that men are really this stupid and easily manipulated is offensive. This didn’t strike me as light hearted or funny, but rather as pathetic and sad. Wanting others to conform instead of appreciating who they are is the ultimate example of the needs of a narcissist.

Second, Aly lies with impunity. She lies to her mother about not being available, she lies to her business partners about the financial specifics of a particular deal, and she lies about her familiarity with a former boyfriend whom she claims to have “just met.” Whilst the specifics that led to these lies were portrayed as “cute”, “noble” or just plain necessary, they destroyed any likability for, or even relatability to, her. The author’s attempts to justify Aly’s prevarications fail over and over again never quite making any of the lies acceptable, though every single character of import forgives her without so much as a second thought. It was this aversion to the truth, the deep seated flaw in Aly’s character, that made investing in her seem to be not worth the effort.

The third issue I experienced was one of authenticity. The story takes place primarily in London, the characters are decidedly British and yet the word choice, spellings and punctuation struck me as all American. Finding out the author lives in the UK came as a surprise, as the book read as if an American writer were trying to sound like a Brit.

Finally, the word yelp needs to be removed from this author’s vocabulary. Aly yelps, her mother yelps, Eric yelps, and the list goes on. I found myself shaking my head every time it was used, resulting in near whiplash.

I vascillated between a 2.5 and a 3 for this one. I enjoyed this author’s character development and pacing, I just didn’t appreciate the characters themselves. They were far too old to be behaving like immature adolescents, they possessed few likable traits and simply failed to engage me in their story.

Than you to NetGalley and Penguin a group Putnam for this ARC copy for review. Publication of Fixer Upper is tentatively set for August of 2022.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the characters of Aly, Eric, and Tola, and appreciated the storyline of Aly being put in the middle of her parents' complicated relationship. That's not a perspective one often sees in rom-coms, so it was unique and interesting. I also enjoyed Aly's shift from workaholic-desperate-for-a-promotion, to someone who sees her own worth and the fact that she's being taken advantage of in the workplace.

I didn't really understand the concept of Aly, Eric and Tola's Fixer Upper business. The idea was that they would do the "emotional legwork" of improving men, which implies that the men don't have agency in their own lives. They do this by meeting these men in bars and subtlety suggesting they take a class, dress better, get a new job. What?? It just doesn't make any sense. I also had a really hard time with the main love interest, Dylan. His character seemed mercurial and I did not understand his relationship with his girlfriend, an Instagram influencer, with whom he had literally nothing in common. None of it made sense to me.

"The Fixer Upper" was fun and entertaining for what it was, but overall unremarkable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin group Putnam publishers for the opportunity to review an e-arc of this book.

This really reminded me of the movie Hitch. It was cute, had a lot of fun and sweet moments, a little heartbreaking at times, but also empowering. In the Fixer Upper we’re given Alyssa, the fixer. Someone who has been helping everyone since she could remember. From trying to fix her parents marriage, to helping fix her best friend, to fixing all her boyfriends and then her coworkers. She was a problem solver until she became a doormat and she was a fixer until she realized that some things are perfect the way they are. That realization comes to light when her former best friend comes back into her life on the receiving end of her help. She comes to see that her being a problem solver means she can’t focus on her own problems. She’s learning to make herself a priority and it’s a game changer for her.

I really enjoyed Alyssa and all her coworkers/ friends and Dylan and all his coworkers/friends. I loved that they so easily blended together almost as if they were meant to be. I felt bad about the way her a Dylan left things when they were kids. It was miscommunication and they went ten years without trying to fix it. That’s the only part of the book I didn’t care for, how easily they could have talked things over, but of course that’s the book. I really did enjoy the original concept of the Fixer Upper. Some people really just needed a nudge in the right direction. What it turned into feels very different from what it was. The outcome, their new goal, seems really empowering and is an important change to see in the world. I really really enjoyed these characters and the supporting characters. They all seem like someone you’d want as your best friend. Overall I think this was an awesome book. It went over a lot of great things that we overlook in our day to day. I’d definitely recommend this for a quick escape into a fun quirky story.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

The Fixer Upper was a cute read! I enjoyed the multiple friendship dynamics throughout the novel. I could relate to Aly’s need to “fix” and control things, especially those who you love the most. I do wish she would have figured things out a little bit sooner.

My heart ached for Dylan in this story. I don’t think he deserved all of the need for fixing.

I liked the grand gesture ending. I’m glad that Aly learns how to stand up for herself and finally goes after what she really wants.

Overall, I enjoyed the storyline. It was unique!

I choose this book because of the blurb. I feel like there was not a lot of romance. I love romance in a book and I felt like the story line was so slow.

Synopsis: Ever since she can remember, Aly has been fixing everything around her: her parents’ marriage, her colleagues’ work problems, and her friends’ love lives. After a chance meeting with an ex who has gone from a living in his parents’ basement to a married project manager in three years, she realizes she’s been fixing her boyfriends, too…

So, Aly decides to put her talents to good use and, alongside two work friends, sets up The Fixer Upper, an exclusive, underground service for women who are tired of unpaid emotional labor. Using little tricks and tips, Aly and her friends get the men to do the work themselves – to get out of the job they hate, sign up for that growth seminar, to do more parenting. Before long, a high-profile Instagram star hires them to fix-up her app developer boyfriend. There’s just one catch – he’s also Aly’s childhood best friend and first love. As Aly tackles her biggest “fixer upper” yet, she’ll have to come to terms with their complicated history and figure out how much to change someone she’d always thought was perfect as he is.

Review: I was disappointed Aly, who was so aware of others and their intentions, couldn't see the potential for herself. The main plot of the book has her making a very questionable decision to lie to people she considers her friends to help people who I'm not sure deserve it. I liked the story more as it progressed and we see why she acts the way she does, but her friends and Dylan's employees are still the stars of this book for me. I enjoyed every part that had them in it and was rewarded with some great lines and friendship moments.

I found the storyline to be interesting so was excited when I got an advanced copy to read this. This is a first I have heard of this author, and enjoyed the way the story flowed and was engaging. The main character, Aly is interesting and well developed, with realistic insecurities and unresolved issues stemming from her family. In short, Aly is dubbed the "fixer upper" hence the title of the book, because of her history with men who she has dated who ended up advancing in their life after they broke up, and how our main character has been responsible for their growth. The story really moves when she takes on a job and the person involved is her first young love. Without spoiling the ending, this story was easy to get involved in and help one relate.

First, I want to say the best point of this entire book: Lauren Forsythe's writing.
The story is medium in length, and I confess that I had high expectations due to the main trope being friends to strangers to friends to lovers. I LOVE second chance trope, and I loved the main character of this story, but some parts of it just didn't match what I was expecting. I feel like the protagonist's development was very good but her and Dylan's relationship part was kind of average for me and what I was expecting, it made me down a star because I expected something BETTER and different, but it's not something I I really disliked it, I just think it could have happened otherwise - and with Lauren's writing, it would have been perfect. Reading was easy, fun and this is an emotional book that readers who enjoy books like Beach Read and Malibu Rising will probably like it, but I didn't like it that much. 3,5/5 stars.
Thankyou to netgalley for providing me with an
eArc.

The premise for this book was cute, but I just did not love the execution. I felt like the main character was fairly one dimensional and I did not find myself caring deeply about what happened to them. I still enjoyed the book, but I don't know if I would read another by this author...

This book was something I could really relate to. Aly is in here 30's. I, as well, am in my 30's. The past men that I have dated I have helped them only for the relationship to end or not even really start and help them get to the path on where they want to go. Only for them to succeed. Now, I, have also succeeded professionally, but not so much with relationships.
Somethings I loved with the book:
The character development. The personal growth of Aly by the end made me realize somethings about myself. The side characters are fun and well written. It is a troupe I don't read too often but will now seek out (friends to strangers to lovers).
Overall, a great and fast read that I will be making a physical purchase of upon release.

Review on my IG @bookatthebeach to come closer to PUB Date!

“Love is only meant to be terrifying right at the beginning, right before you fall. Then it’s meant to feel like home”

I’ll be honest, I forgot the synopsis when I picked this one up and I’m so glad I did. The element of surprise for something I knew was going to happen was entirely worth my forgetful mind. I loved the history of Dylan and Aly and I loved the way that time stood still for them. This was the perfect friends to maybe lovers to lovers and I really enjoyed their story.

Overall, I give this story a 3.5 rating, having genuinely enjoyed the story, the characters, and the themes found throughout. If you’re looking for a cute and easy read about friendship, women empowerment, independence, and some romance sprinkled throughout, this is the one for you.

The Fixer Upper sets up an unrealistic premise to develop our main character, Alyssa, into a self-assured and confident woman. However, while the story starts off slow, and does have an outlandish plot device that becomes the central arc of the story–and the reason for the title–it was a cute enough read for me to suspend my disbelief and dive into this London girl’s life, rooting for her successes throughout the way. Alyssa is someone who is very much used to fixing everyone else’s problems around her. The issue comes in the form of her own life, where she seems to have become a background character, helping those around her without owning her strengths, demanding respect, or taking credit for any of it. As the story progresses, she learns more about demanding what is right for her and making more selfish decisions that will benefit her in the long run. Overall, the theme of women empowerment is threaded throughout the story, giving Alyssa a strong female friend, as well as placing women around her who purposely need lifting or can help lift Alyssa up. I enjoyed the commentary about the many hats women wear and the ways in which women can be viewed, both negatively and positively, in the workplace and in their personal lives.

However, I will say that if you’re in search for a high-key romance novel, this is not it. As a matter of fact, romance seems to take a backseat in this story, becoming a result of Alyssa’s character development, rather than the central plot. The story relies heavily on the history behind Alyssa and the love interest, so we don’t spend too much time reading about the current romance brewing between them; it simply becomes apparent there was something there in the past that has been threaded into their present selves. Despite this, there were some really cute moments between the two, some genuinely sweet quotes that I couldn’t help but highlight to go back and re-read, and a sweet tradition between them that made my heart flutter every time it was brought up.

Because the romance does take a backseat in the overall arc of the story, we get to spend more time with Alyssa and her friends, and this story becomes just as much a story about friendship than it does one about romantic relationships. Alyssa surrounds herself with two very strong and interesting friends, who are honest with her and good to her in ways even she is surprised about. They were developed enough that I couldn’t help but root for them as much as I was rooting for Alyssa. As a matter of fact, I really liked that there were an array of secondary characters introduced, some who I loved and some who I genuinely couldn’t stand, but it made the story seem more realistic, like most of our lives are painted with both colorful and dull background characters.

I’m relieved i finished this book. Because i did not enjoy it. I had no investment in the characters, no investment in the plot. It was soooo boring and I just wanted it to be done.

Aly Aresti is a fixer. In all her relationships she has been overly helpful improving the lives of her men and they have moved on to be very successful with other women reaping the benefits. Her friends have seen this happen enough. They convince her go into business with them. It will be called The Fixer Upper and women can hire them to improve their men. When one of those men end up being her childhood best fried what can possibly go wrong? The characters showed a lot of growth in this story, and it was an entertaining read. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC. The publishing date is in August.