I don't think this book was for me. I put it down at 50% and decided not to finish it because it was moving so slow. I was spending too much time trying to force myself to get into it. The story does not seem like a romance at all based off the 50% I read--not even a slow burn romance. It is marketed as a romance, but it might be more women's lit based off the part I read. Things might change at the end, but the heroine felt very manipulative in the chapters I read. She was supposed to be this really "selfless, kind, helpful" person at work and in her home life. She did not feel selfless or kind or helpful when she was going behind people's backs to "fix" them.

Also, I feel like I need to say it, you can't fix someone after only interacting with them once or twice. In fact, you can't "fix" people at all. They have to do that for themselves. Honest, open communication and a willingness to do better from both people is the only way real change ever takes place in a relationship. Do people really buy that some stranger can fix your spouse or boy friend after only one fake interaction? The main character was "fixing" men for women who needed their partners changed in some way through deceit and lies. Yeah, that would never work in real life... at least not long term. You might get what you want from your partner momentarily, but nothing long term would ever change about your situation if you go about changing someone in that way.

Then the MC ran into her old best friend (who she had a falling out with in high school and hasn't seen since) and was paid an exorbitant amount to get him to propose to his influencer girlfriend. I think he was supposed to eventually be a love interest for the MC, but if he is a love interest... he's not a great one. He's wishy washy and changes his personality based on who he is dating. He appears to have no healthy communication skills and neither does the MC for that matter. Most of this book felt toxic tbh, so I put it down.

Maybe the ending gets better, but I couldn't muddle through it long enough to get there.

I was approved for an ARC of this book on NetGalley, so this is my honest review! Slight spoilers ahead.

This book was fantastic, and incredibly relatable. I went back and forth screaming “Heck yes!” And “Oh god, no, please.”

Aly and a couple of her coworkers/close friends start a side business where they manipulate men into being better partners to their spouse. What starts in good fun, ends up becoming a thin line between dishonesty and actually trying to do the right thing. When Aly is hired to “Fix Up” an old childhood friend, things get super complicated and Aly has to fix herself by the end.

This was a fun read, while also delivering some harsh truths. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Aly is definitely a fixer. She's been fixing people since she was a teenager. In fact, she's put so much energy into other people and her job that there hasn't been much left over for herself. She and her close knit group of friends stumble into a side business helping women "fix" up the partners in their life with gentle and not-so-gentle pushes to move forward. All is going great- until a very famous influencer asks them to "fix up" her boyfriend and get him to propose. That boyfriend turns out to be Aly's first love and childhood best friend. The one she hasn't talked to in years after a drunken incident where she revealed her feelings and then ghosted him. Once he and Aly reconnect - things take a turn as Aly realizes her feelings have never faded.

This is definitely more on the women's lit side of things than romance. And it involves some topics that may be difficult for some - bad relationship between parents, parental abandonment, narcissistic partner, and serious discrimination on the basis of sex in the workplace. The book is entirely from Aly's perspective and there are parts where you really just want to yell at her that maybe not everyone needs fixing.

I loved seeing Aly grow and come in to her own - and I REALLY wanted her to quit her job long before that happy even ever happens. For me - this book was SLOW. Brit Lit often is more wordy and longer - and maybe my attention span is just to Americanized - but I didn't love the pacing. I also desperately wanted more of Aly and the hero - and less fixing.

Overall - I recommend it - just know what you are getting in to.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley.

I received an arc if this book in exchange for a honest review.

What I loved: This is a adorable second chance romance. 15 year apart after a drunk misunderstanding, 2 people find themselves back in each others lives. Each of the characters in this book have their own growth (not just the main few characters!) Alys friend group is to die for, and their growth as friends played a huge part in my love of this book.

What I didn't care for: The main story line of fixing men was off putting to me. I understand it in the aspect of the book and how it plays into the 2nd chance romance but it left something to be desired to me.

If you want a light hearted 2nd chance romance to read. This is totally for you!

The Fixer Upper is a romantic comedy set in England in the workplace. Aly fixes people she meets in the workplace, her boyfriends, and her family. Her friends notice that everyone she has spent significant time with has improved. Why can't she do that for herself? She starts a side hustle with friends to help women change their men and then gets in over her head when an influencer wants her to fix her boyfriend for way more than she could imagine. And the boyfriend...well he was was once her best friend.
The book was easy to read and my favorite genre of romantic comedy. I appreciated that it was a very clean romance with just a kiss for the last scene. The theme was women can help themselves and each other to do better in life and in the workplace. They don't need to keep improving men to get ahead.

A second chance but he is dating and influencer who hired you to make him her ideal partner and to propose. Sticky matters for certain. A forever love thwarted years ago through mixed messages. Great characters and the story you need to read and enjoy.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Fixer Upper is a story about Aly, the master of fixing people’s lives. (In a goals and dreams way, not a mafia way). She gets hired by a social media influencer to fix-up her tech developer boyfriend…and get him to propose along the way. Turns out…Aly has a history with the boyfriend.

I loved the storyline where Aly and her friends started this business and were working to empower women, and help them move forward with their hopes and dreams. I didn’t love that Aly was so dang numb about her own emotional well-being and straight up ignored her own needs to earn a buck. Her continual enabling of her mom’s shallowness also really annoyed me. And by the time Aly figures out her own life…the story has virtually concluded. I would definitely read a sequel about what Ali and Tola are up to next, because that storyline is super appealing.

Thank you to @NetGalley for this ARC!

I was given an ARC with promise of an honest review. I debated on not finishing this at about 60% through, it was super predictable at times and the plot wasn’t super interesting to me. I personally hate the I don’t like this about someone so let’s just manipulate them to do what I want plan of attack. While that does get addresses a bit in the end, the book frustrated me. It did come together a bit in the end, but I don’t think it’s worth picking up.

I was excited to have finally picked this one up. The blurb sounded like a funny rom-com and I have been in the mood for that. Sadly, this one just didn’t work out for me as I had hoped. It was more or less about the character growing and not really all that much about romance.

The book is told from one perspective and it comes from Aly. Each boyfriend she has left has moved on to become successful. Her friends from work have this idea to change the world through her gift and come up with a business. Obviously things don’t go as planned and issues arise when they take on their biggest client.

I honestly felt nothing for the characters besides maybe annoyance every now and again. Although Aly grows and understands that maybe she needs to put the same effort into her own life as she wants for others, but she just goes about it so wrong and kind of screws people over in the process. I also felt like their meddling was quickly forgiven or just pushed to the side when concerns arose. It just didn’t sit well for me.

I guess you could say there is a hint of romance since there is a love interest but again, the way it went about was just off since he was seeing someone else. Nothing exclusively happened between him and Aly but emotionally there was some investment.

The book did have it’s moments with being humorous but sadly it couldn’t save the book for me.

Overall, this was an okay read. It wasn’t for me but I am sure it will find its people that enjoy it more than me.

Everyone needs friends like this! With a flash of self-awareness of habitual patterns, life changes dramatically. Wouldn't we all love to have the power to "fix up" those around us? It's always easier when it's someone else. Fixing yourself is a larger task, but this is a delightful, laugh-out-loud read to encourage us all!

I loved the slow burn between Dylan and aly, I loved seeing her character grow from never being able to say no to finally standing up for herself. I wish I could’ve seen Dylan have a conversation with his dad but either way this was a great book and I loved the ending they got thanks Putnam books for allowing me early access

Thank you Putnam and NetGalley for early access to read this title!

This book is swoon-worthy and gives you the ultimate found-family vibes. Alyssa is a relatable character, especially for those who spend time caring more about others than themselves (I’m talking about all y’all Enneagram Twos and water signs). Dylan is extremely swoony and his love for Alyssa is adorable.

My one complaint is that this book leans on the side of woman’s fiction over romantic comedy. I think there needed to be a bit more romance in this one, even more than just a happily-ever-after. It’s a cute and heartwarming read. I really loved the overall concept.

3.5/5 ⭐️‘s

This was an adorable slow burn romance for me. Once Aly realizes she has been fixing everything about her ex boyfriends and then sending them out in the world...she and her co workers decide they have a great new company...to fix up men and their issues.
What could go wrong?

I really enjoyed this story and how you can see Aly grow as a character, gain confidence, and finally fight for what she wants. I loved the friendship dynamics and the humor in their conversations. Her story with Dylan was beautiful and how they truly understood each other was so pure. I wish I got to see more one on one moments with Aly and Dylan, but every single moment they had was amazing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

2.5/5 stars. As a romance I was expecting a lot more...romance. I also wasn't exactly comfortable with the big scheme overall. It always felt a bit icky and there were moments where I was hoping it would be over and then the next stage would begin, but it really held out for basically the entire book. I appreciated Eric and Tola's friendships with Aly and how Aly eventually grew into herself, but I can't say I loved this book. It was alright, but it was not particularly a romance novel.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s a slow burn, second chance love story. Aly and Dylan are incredibly flawed humans and I loved that they felt like real people.

this book was an incredibly slow burn. i wouldn't at all call it a romance because it was mostly comprised on witty humor. i struggled to get invested in Aly and her friends......maybe it's a british rom-com thing but this is one of my least favorite netgalley books.

What even was this? All I know is it should not be marketed as a romance or even Women's fiction cuz there's barely any of that, it's more of a general fic. It's not that it's a bad attempt at a book it's just that I was disappointed cuz of the lack of romance, I mean the moments we had between the protagonist and the love interest were cute but not quite ethical (as in I'm pretty sure the guy had a gf until the end and nothing happened, he didn't cheat or anything but it all felt off). I prolly would've liked it better had the story focused more on the characters' past together and their present rather than what went on in the office.
And even if I were feeling generous enough to rate it as a general fic, I wouldn't go higher than a three because as I mentioned above it's not a bad plot but that's the whole point it's not bad or good, just very bland. I can't even vouch for the ending to be better, cuz it wasn't executed properly, it felt very hurried, like after all I've been through to reach the end at the very least I deserved an epilogue but there was nothing, nada.
To conclude, if you wanna give it a go, be my guest but you've been forewarned it's NOT a romance.

A big thanks to Putnam Books & Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book, which I voluntarily read & reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Fixer Upper was a slow burn, second chance romance with an emphasis on character development. I really enjoyed how it was mostly focused on Aly’s growth as an individual instead of in a relationship. She was so used to being a people pleaser and doing everything everyone asked of her. I think a lot of woman in the workplace (and people in general) can relate to her struggles, especially with her acting as emotional support for her mother. It was empowering to see her stand up for herself and place some much needed boundaries in her personal life and work life. I enjoyed Aly and Dylan’s friends to enemies to friends relationship but I really think Dylan should’ve taken some time to be single. He was so used to being in a relationship and was a people pleaser himself, disguising himself as whatever someone wanted him to be. It would have been nice to see him do a little self discovery and figure out who he was outside of a relationship. It almost made it hard to root for him and Aly to be together but their friendship and chemistry made up for it. Ultimately, I really enjoyed Aly’s story in this one more than the romance aspect and would’ve been happy if she walked away from Dylan and Nikki during the camping trip and never looked back! She had two supportive, loving friends in Tola and Eric and their banter made me laugh quite a few times. I was rooting for those three to succeed the whole time. I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to reading more by Lauren Forsythe!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

Readers who enjoy a slow romance may enjoy this story more than I did. I struggled to get hooked on the plot and the characters, whom I found a little more depressing in their insecurities and past romantic history than what I was in the mood for. However, I think there is absolutely something here for the right audience.