4🌟

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It was a fun, cozy mix of a romcom and a thriller. I think there could have been a little deeper connection between the FMC and the MMC, but overall I liked their chemistry. I also enjoyed the side characters, they felt more fleshed out than side characters usually are in books like this.

This was such a fun read!! It's action packed and full of comedy. The characters are great and really fleshed out. The pacing is perfect and the romance between the main characters feels natural.

I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a fun, fast read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!!

The Big Fix follows Penny, an average woman with a career as a computer sciences professor, whose life changes drastically after what should have been an innocent visit to her neighbor's house during an estate sale. She expected to find antiques, but she didn't expect to bicker over candlesticks with Anthony (the deceased owner's nephew), and the last thing she expected was to see a dead body fall out of a closet.

Anthony is a fixer, which may or may not be as innocent as it sounds. After his last job goes wrong, he finds himself on the run. Because of their interaction at the estate sale, everyone assumes that Penny must be Anthony's girlfriend. As a result, Penny gets thrown into Anthony's scandal, evading kidnappers and trying not to get shot as they go on the run together, determined to clear their names and uncover the truth.

Penny's wits and Anthony's brawn make them a great team, and the pair's chemistry only strengthens the closer they get to revealing the truth.

I enjoyed the setup of the story, but I felt let down as it progressed. Penny was thrown into perilous situations and consistently seemed to know exactly what to do while barely breaking a sweat, while Anthony seemed a little too clueless considering his profession. It felt unrealistic, and I found myself struggling to remain invested in the story because it came together a little too perfectly. It wanted to be funny, and the chemistry wanted to feel realistic, but I feel like it just missed the mark.

I thought the narrator did a great job, and I was entertained while listening to the audio. It's a great example of what you'd expect from an action comedy, but it just wasn't quite what I'd hoped for. After reading Last Night Was Fun, I thought I'd enjoy this one a bit more.

3.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this novel.

Um yes please! I’d love if this became a series of wacky hijinks the Penny is involved in. I understand the Anthony part was the romance, but really I was here for that mystery. The romance played second fiddle to that. I do compare Penny to Finlay Donovan. It was in that same vein. I thoroughly enjoyed this and it was a fast read.

A really great read! You are plunged into the action immediately and I kept waiting for backstory and the traditional elements to surface before I realized THIS is the story. It was a delight and I loved the characters. I will definitely look for more by this writer!

Anthony and Penny sure know how to get up to some trouble in this book! This is an action packed, fun mystery. The narrator did a fantastic job. I enjoyed every word. 5 stars

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Listening to this book felt like watching a summer blockbuster film, so the comparison to THE FALL GUY is an apt one. I really enjoyed the light romance sprinkled throughout the book and appreciated that while the mutual attraction was evident from the start, it didn't feel like instalove and developed in a way that felt true to real life. The action sequences made the book feel fast-paced and bingeable, and I absolutley breezed through it.

Penny is at an estate sale when she meets a cute guy. Then, she finds herself on the run with this cute guy after a dead body tumbles out of a closet at the estate sale. I found this action-packed high stakes romance to be very entertaining and a nice change of pace for the romance genre.

This was such a fun read! I really enjoyed the audiobook narrator too. If you love the Finlay Donovan books you should for sure check this one out!!

The Big Fix is a delightful surprise, expertly blending thrilling suspense with unexpected romance. What begins as a mundane estate sale for bookish computer science professor Penny Collins quickly spirals into a high-octane chase, pulling her unwillingly into the dangerous world of Anthony, a professional "fixer."
The premise itself is brilliant: a dead body, mistaken identity, and a scramble for a mysterious MacGuffin. Penny, with her logical mind and academic pursuits, makes for a wonderfully relatable protagonist thrust into an utterly chaotic situation. Her reluctant bravery and surprising knack for survival are genuinely endearing, and it's a joy to watch her adapt to scaling walls and evading bullets. The accidental stabbing of a henchman is a particularly humorous and well-executed moment that highlights the absurdity of her new reality.
Anthony, the enigmatic fixer, is a compelling counterpart to Penny. While his top-secret occupation initially casts a shadow of mystery, his genuine concern for Penny and his impressive skillset make him a dashing, if unconventional, hero. The dynamic between them is fantastic, evolving from wary strangers to a duo relying on each other for survival. The "wrong people" believing Penny is Anthony's girlfriend adds a delicious layer of romantic tension to the already intense plot.
James masterfully weaves together the relentless pursuit by a ruthless billionaire and the FBI, creating a constant sense of urgency and danger. The pacing is relentless, with each chapter bringing new challenges and escalating stakes. While the plot is undeniably exciting, a few minor elements occasionally stretch credulity a little too far, and some resolutions feel a bit too convenient. However, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise incredibly entertaining ride.
The Big Fix is a strong four-star read that delivers on its promise of adventure and an unlikely romance. It's a perfect pick for readers who enjoy fast-paced thrillers with a humorous touch and a charming, intelligent heroine. Penny Collins proves that even the most academic among us can find themselves in the middle of an espionage novel, and that sometimes, the biggest fix needed isn't just for a job gone wrong, but for a life that's become a little too predictable.

This is a hilarious story that fans of Elle Cosimano will adore!

It's full of great characters + a treat to read!

(4.5 Stars) Huge thanks to @hellohollyjames, @dreamscapemedia, and @kensingtonbooks for the #gifted listening copy of this hilarious, romantic, and thrilling caper that I devoured in a single day!

Penny Collins, a computer science professor taking a breather from her push for tenure, reluctantly lets her sister drag her to an estate sale. She quickly realizes her sister’s real plan: playing matchmaker with Anthony, the hot, single neighbor hosting the estate sale next door. But instead of a flirty meet-cute, Penny and Anthony end up bickering over candlesticks, a body falls out of a closet, she’s mistaken for Anthony’s girlfriend, questioned by the police, kidnapped, and on the run with Anthony. As they work to uncover the truth, clear their names, and set the record straight, they can no longer deny the electric chemistry that has everyone mistaking them for a couple. Maybe they can try to make it work - if they live that long.

What a wildly entertaining story. I absolutely love romantic suspense books, and this one is fantastic. It is a funny, chaotic, fast-paced story that will have you laughing, swooning, and hoping everyone gets out alive. I sincerely could not put it down. I listened and read via KU, finding myself marking so many bits of dialogue that I loved. This is not surprising as Holly James has been an absolute favorite of mine since her magical realism book, Nothing But the Truth. It is also a smart must-read with a ton of layers. Holly reaffirms her auto-buy status in my book with this one!

🎧 Audiobook Notes 🎧 Lila Winters, the narrator behind Lucy Score’s Knockemout series, does an amazing job with this one. The banter, sarcasm, and danger come through in full force in her solo narration of this one, which was so incredibly fun. Highly recommend the audio! This would be a perfect audiobook if you are trying to get out of a reading slump!

This was a crazy, funny, romantic romp. It was really fun to read about Penny and Anthony falling together and for each other while trying to stay alive. Their situation was an absolute mess, and while making this almost unbelievable, it also helped to make the story light. There wasn't much that was super heavy discussed (with the exception of murder, of course).

This is my first book by Holly James but it won't be my last. Overall, this was a really fun read and I'd definitely recommend it.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my audio arc!

I wish I could be as perfect as Penny.

Overall: 3
Spice: 1 - kissing only
Narration: 4

Penny is a bookish computer science professor who gets caught up in a murder mystery when her sister drags her to an estate sale.

I was really enjoying this for 75% of it, but then it just became overwhelming with how Penny knew all the answers and could solve all the problems with this complicated murder mystery. The male character doesn't seem to have any answers even though he is a "fixer" by profession. We are told that the two characters have chemistry, but it doesn't come across in their conversations or relationship. I had to suspend my disbelief way too much for this to be enjoyable and Penny had no character development.

The Big Fix just didn’t work for me. The premise had potential, but the execution leaned too hard into cliché and cringe—more eye-rolls than laughs. Relationships all felt waaaay too forced—and that narrators voice for the sister and female BFF to the MMC…no. I almost DNF’d a few times, but powered through hoping for a redeeming turn. Sadly, it never quite stuck the landing. Not the worst, but definitely not my kind of fix.

I loved this audiobook! It was fun, so entertaining and I didn’t want to stop listening.

I also love the cover!

5 stars

4⭐️ 0🌶️ 4🎧

What’s a girl to do when her nephew finds a dead body in a closet next door and everyone think she is the neighbor’s girlfriend? Obviously the answer is try and solve the murder and the associated missing persons case involving a billionaire’s wife herself, only to end up kidnapped, rescued, and on the run with her maybe no longer fake neighbor boyfriend.

This was such a fun read! It was fast paced and funny and I really enjoyed it. It may have been a little predictable over all but I still had a lot of fun and didn’t want to put it down.

Penny and Anthony had such great chemistry and banter (hence the reason every things they were dating when they were really arguing over candlesticks). Her mild panic throughout the book felt very appropriate given the circumstances but I love that it didn’t stop her from being brave and saving herself and Anthony a time or two.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Holly James for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fans of Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan series will love this book- I am them. It is me. The tension between the two MCs, Penny & Anthony, was palpable and the way the plot twisted and turned I was along for the whole ride!

Narration by Lila Winters was incredibly well done. I would definitely seek out her narration again!

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟 🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Big Fix is a fun, exciting, and hilarious romcom with action and mystery. I loved this genre mash-up and the narration was perfect. Definitely a go-to rec.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Big Fix is a delightful summer read that offers a refreshing twist on both the romance and thriller genres. If you're in the mood for a story that's equal parts suspenseful and swoon-worthy, this book is well worth your time.