Favorite Quotes:

Aye, as a kid Jamie had known anger and fear, as well as the impulse to protect others, and it had made him determined as an adult to see the best in people, for the sake of his own well-being as much as theirs. You never knew what someone was going through, so it was best to be kind where you could.

‘Anonymous keyboard warriors posting comments in their underpants on the other side of the world aren’t the people who matter,’ insisted Ally, giving her brother a stern look. ‘Half of them will be bots, anyway.’

Angus was an elderly hillfooter who spent all day splattered with droppings in a hut with his beloved homing pigeons. He lived off his homegrown veggies and stinky roll-ups and was often in the local paper for threatening hillwalkers who strayed onto his land with various antique shotguns which the police seized one at a time, only for him to somehow acquire another.

Kenneth would begin his shift here at nine p.m. and end it at two when he’d walk down the lane to the dairy and stock up his milk van ready for his rounds which he, famously, did in his doorman tux. Nobody questioned it round the town. It was just the way things were.

There seemed to be a moment where she was searching his face for a reaction. He couldn’t help feeling some kind of test that he hadn’t revised for was being sprung upon him. He fixed his face into a delighted smile.

...he was hanging on a shoogly peg (which is the Scottish version of skating on thin ice, only much, much more fun to say, usually).

Party cannons shot confetti in her cerebral cortex.

My Review:

This was a fun, light, entertaining, and easy-to-follow read. I always enjoy reading Kiley Dunbar’s cleverly amusing tales, and I revel in her sneaky, wry humor. Her new series is set in a small Scottish village, populated with a large cast of quirky, flawed, and authentic characters.

I gained an entry to my British Isles Words and Phrases List with swither, which Mr. Google tells me means to hesitate, vacillate, or be perplexed, particularly in making a decision or choice.  I certainly will not swither if asked if I’d like to read another of Kiley Dunbar’s books.

A heartwarming highland story that was filled with wonderful characters coming together to fix their hearts and to help their community too.
Ally feels left behind, recovering from a failed relationship, so when an opportunity arrives that could see her move away she nervously takes the challenge.
Jamie arrives with his own emotional challenges, returning to a place that had a special place in his heart, to a time when his family was complete.
Unexpectedly thrown together with Ally, his role as a Special Constable at first causes some ripples, however a repair quest brings them together and they share their feelings and dreams.
Such a gorgeous slow burn romance with some unexpected moments that kept this story so entertaining and interesting.
The most beautiful setting and an uplifting concept of repairing things that are precious made this such a charming and endearing experience to read.

Okay, firstly, I have to confess that Kiley is a dear friend of mine but that hasn’t affected my review in the slightest (BACS me that fiver, hon, lol).

The first thing that struck me about this story is the way it’s told. It genuinely feels like you’re sat by a fire, having Kiley read it aloud. It’s not a narrative style that I’ve come across before and I loved it!

This book is exactly what it says on its somewhat meaty tin. There are few surprises, especially if you’ve ever watched The Repair Shop on TV, but rather than being a negative, it’s very much a positive. It’s like going to your Mum’s for Sunday lunch – knowing what you’re getting doesn’t stop it from being warm and comforting.

I’m going to start with the setting. Dear goodness, the descriptions are so vivid, you can almost smell the heather. Kiley’s love of her home country shines through in every paragraph. I could ‘see’ what Ally and Jamie did, could imagine the weathered paths and the glorious mountain. And, having been a hill walker in a previous life, could easily envisage the clouds coming down.

The there’s Ally. Though lost and broken-hearted, she never came across as pathetic. Her meet cute with Jamie was blinking awesome. But I am a fan of enemies-to-lovers, so no surprise there. Her kind-heartedness and drive once she got focused made me cheer for her, but she wasn’t without fault or flaw. She was no goody-two-shoes Mary Sue. She felt real, like I could pick up the phone and call her.

Jamie is also very sweet. I’m sure such men exist somewhere. It’s just not immediately apparent. I did love his focus on becoming a copper, and I loved his relationship with his dad and sister, especially after “Holiday” was returned to them. It was nice to see them all turning a corner in their grief, and doing that as a family. Not a thing I’ve read often.

The supporting cast at the Cairn Dhu Community Repair Shop are fabulously portrayed. I’d be here all day trying to pick a favourite, though anyone who can bake immediately goes up in my estimation, even if they do use yucky walnuts. There’s a recipe for Scottish tablet at the end, and I’m very tempted to try it.

Knowing that Fixing a Broken Heart at the Highland Repair Shop is the first of a series excites me massively. I’m desperate to know who’s next for the patching up.

A wonderful and heartwarming read. The setting in the Highlands of Scotland was wonderful. With the support of the local community the repair shop seemed to be a great idea add to that a lovely romance this was a feel good story which was a joy to read.

Fixing a Broken Heart at the Highland Repair Shop
by Kiley Dunbar

This is my second read by Kiley Dunbar, and I must say, both of her books have been enjoyable experiences. The characters in this story are vibrant and relatable, bringing a delightful sense of fun to the Story. I particularly appreciated the strong community vibe throughout the book. The evolving relationship between Ally and Jamie is engaging, although I feel it could have been developed even further to create deeper emotional connections.

Dunbar's descriptions of the setting are nothing short of exquisite. The picturesque village of Cairn Dhu, with its charming landscapes and warm community spirit, is beautifully brought to life. I love how she skillfully builds up this descriptive setting, enhancing the emotional moments that resonate throughout the story. The writing flows smoothly, making it easy to immerse oneself in the plot.

One of the standout elements of the book is the concept of the Repair Shop, which serves as a heartwarming community hub. Jamie, who is temporarily visiting the town for a few months to gain experience as a Special Constable, finds himself drawn into the lives of the local residents. Ally McIntyre’s journey from heartbreak to newfound hope is eloquently portrayed, capturing her struggles and triumphs as she rebuilds both her life and her sense of self in this close-knit village.

When Jamie and Ally’s paths cross unexpectedly at her father’s workshop—where items are restored and lives are mended—the stage is set for transformative change not just for them, but also for their friends and families. Jamie emerges as the perfect counterpart for Ally; he is supportive, gentle, and genuinely swoon-worthy. Their romance unfolds sweetly and gradually, making it all the more satisfying.

I also loved the deeply emotional scenes when Ally reconnects with her old friends. These moments are truly heartwarming and highlight the importance of friendship, nostalgia, and community support. Overall, Dunbar has crafted a tender story of resilience and love that lingers long after the last page is turned.

Didn't enjoy this as much as the borrow a bookshop series. It's a light hearted beach read. .

This book is the start of a new series by this author, and is the perfect opener, with lots of characters introduced, and plenty of hints at stories that could follow.

Ally is helping out at her family's repair shop after a relationship break up and a job loss. When scandal strike the repair shop and Special Constable Jamie Beaton arrives on the scene, Ally has to help clear the name of the repair shop and face her feelings for Jamie himself.

A sweet slow burn romance, with some emotional moments. It is well written, easy to read, a great summer book. One gripe I did have was the constant use of Jamie's full name, it became very irritating very quickly. However, looking past that, I'm waiting for book two!

Another fantastic read from Kiley, I can’t wait to read the rest of the series when it comes out.

After a sudden relationship breakdown Ally has to find her way through life, she works in the family run repair barn and after an issue with the barn receiving stolen goods which entailed the police and the investigation into what happened and who was responsible for the stealing. The barn ends up loosing customers until Ally and Jamie special constable get them back onside after telling them what really happened.

As Ally and Jamie get closer what will happen when they have new jobs to go to and will the relationship continue to blossom or will it be the end for them?

Ally meets Jamie when he is temporarily in her home town. They start spending time together, but he is still leaving so where does that leave them? A great setting for a book.

Heartwarming, hopeful and another great book with great scenery. I love a book that could be part of a series and i hope this one will. I would love to read her brothers story too. This was a great read, romance, friendship and fixings. I liked Jamies story and his family, i loved Ally’s realisation that everyone is in the same boat and is just muddling along trying their best.
This was warm, gentle and a wonderful book.
Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

The tale of Ally and Jamie, two people who meet and build a relationship. Ally has had a bad relationship and is working to assist her father at the Highland Repair Shop. Jamie has had a few issues in his path a dis currently on placement as a special police constable. As things unfold with various ups and downs, our intrepid pair move on together and we see romance develop. A nice gentle read.

Fixing a Broken Heart at the Highland Repair Shop is a charming and emotional read set in the beautiful Scottish Highlands.

Kiley Dunbar brings together themes of love, healing, and community with warmth and wit.

Ally and Jamie are both relatable characters with heartfelt journeys, and their romance develops in a gentle, realistic way.

The setting of the book is filled with cozy details and caring people and it all adds up to the comfort of the story.

For me, a book is really special when it makes you want to visit the places it describes.

It means the author brought the setting to life in a way that feels real and exciting. You can picture yourself there, walking the streets, seeing the sights, and experiencing what the characters did.

That kind of book doesn’t just tell a story—it makes you feel connected to the world in it and for me the author does a pretty good job in this book 📖

While a little predictable at times, the uplifting tone and engaging plot make this a feel-good read that leaves you smiling.

A lovely start to a promising new series.

4 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Loved the startof a new series by Kiley Dunbar and can't wait for the next book. Transported to Scotland and The Repair Shop. Friendships, romance and a bit of drama. All the good feels of The Borrow a Bookshop series.

Ally McIntyre is living a quiet life, back at her mum and dad's while her twin is doing the big fancy career thing (or so he makes out), working part-time as a tech support person and helping out at the repair cafe they run on a Saturday. She's got an OK boyfriend ... then suddenly even that's gone, with a healthy dose of public embarrassment. More embarrassment when the cafe accidentally stumbles on some stolen goods, but at least there's Special Constable Jamie Beaton to make friends with. Jamie's asked for a secondment to this Highland village so he can retrace the steps of the last family holiday before his mum died when he was really young. Can their growing friendship and the community around them help them both to heal and move forward? And will Ally's developing confidence as she organises community events help her to get the fancy new job she's decided to try for?

I loved that, although there's a Highland setting which might not be too diverse, Ally's dad's best friend is an Indian Scotsman who likes playing his Bhangra hits in the cafe, and Ally's twin is gay. A sweet story with depth and lovely descriptions - I will certainly look out for more in the series.

Blog review published 25 July 2025: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/07/25/book-reviews-kiley-dunbar-fixing-a-broken-heart-at-the-highland-repair-shop-and-michiko-aoyama-the-healing-hippo-of-hinode-park/

This is a lovely read set in the beautiful Scottish Highlands which are always a winner in my eyes. Something about the rugged hillsides just evokes the emotion that is perfect for a romance novel.
I did think that there was lots going on here, the repair shop, the crime, Murray's secrets, Ally's friendships, Switzerland, plus a budding love story. With all this going on, I did struggle a little to figure what the main thread was meant to be, some of them were so interwoven it was hard to tell.
I did love the scenes when Ally met up with her old friends, it was super emotional and I really felt that for all of them.
The setting and scenery is beautifully described, I love that descriptive setting build up in a book.
This appears to be the first in a new series, and I'm intrigued as to where it will go next so would definitely read more.

Loved this book, in fact at one point I really wanted to open my own repair cafe 😂
The community of Cairn Dhu, a place where everyone knows what’s going on, full of colourful characters.
The connection between Ally and her family was lovely then add Jamie the volunteer policeman and you’ve got a great mix full of fun and romance.
Heartwarming stories such as Jamie’s repair story and the folklore stories really added to the storyline.
A great read and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

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I am a huge fan of this author and loved her last series. I had high hopes for the start of this new one and I wasn't disappointed. 

There is a great range of characters in the book and I loved the majority of them.

I loved the concept of the Repair Shop and it's descriptions especially with it being a community hub.  My heart went out to the McIntyre family as they tried to overcome the trials and tribulations they endured. 

Ally and Jamie were 2 lovely characters, both down to earth and completely relatable.  I loved their budding romance and was rooting for them, especially with them both having past issues to deal with.

The author has a way of writing her books that convey a sense of family, friendship and community spirit and this is all wrapped up in a heartwarming and engaging read. 

I'm already looking forward to the next book.

McIntyre’s garden workshop has always been overflowing with things that’ll come in handy one day – all organised in crates and boxes, and neatly labelled. And it’s a broken paper shredder – he had just the right part – that gives birth to the idea of setting up a repair shop for the community of Cairn Dhu, the small village in the Cairngorms. Everyone there has really embraced the idea, bringing in their broken items of all kinds rather than throwing them away. There’s now a cafe too, run by two distinctly quirky sisters – but their baking is to die for – and a good sized group of people who bring their different skills. Including McIntyre’s daughter Ally – she’s their techie, working there on Saturdays (during the week, she works at home for an IT call centre), dreaming of changing her life. Her twin brother did just that, with a dream job based in Geneva, regularly travelling the world. Her love life’s a bit of a disaster area too – but perhaps she’s better off without Gray in her life.

Enter Jamie – a special constable, hoping to join the force, but currently volunteering to prove his capabilities. Their paths first cross under rather unfortunate circumstances, but he can’t get Ally out of his mind – although there are good reasons why it’s impossible for them to be together. But just as the barriers start to come down – and Ally’s interventions help him with some of his own rather complex issues too, as well as making his heart beat rather faster – the opportunity she’s been waiting for suddenly appears. And his time in Cairn Dhu is coming to an end too – it’s time to return to Edinburgh, pursue that application for a permanent job. Perhaps it just wasn’t to be…

And, I have to say, there’s considerably more to this lovely story – different threads and unexpected developments, moments of really well written drama, and times when the future of the repair shop looks distinctly shaky. I always love a community with strong and well-drawn characters – a little quirkiness never goes amiss either, or the opportunity for some laughter. Friends and family – that’s something else I always enjoy, and I especially liked Ally’s efforts to reconnect with her friendship group who seem to have moved on with their lives and left her behind. And all those lovely emotional touches – especially when they involve a bothy when the mists come down, or the healing possibilities of repairing the voice chip in a highland cow.

The setting is so perfectly drawn – I’m not familiar with the Cairngorms, but the author captures the scenery so beautifully. There’s a little folklore too – something I really enjoyed. And I liked the whole theme of sustainability – it’s not laboured, but nicely woven into the story, along with the whole notion of fresh starts, making things (and people) whole again, and new beginnings.

And then there’s the writing. I loved the way the story was told from both Ally and Jamie’s viewpoints – I took them both instantly to my heart. And I really enjoyed some of the (for want of a better word) “asides” to the reader – explaining things like the setting or the Scottishisms, often bringing a smile. And, although I’ll tell you nothing about it – that would be unforgivable – I really loved the ending, which wasn’t entirely what I expected, but I wiped away a stray tear and it left me in just the right place to look forward to whatever comes next in this series.

I do rather hope the next book might follow Ally’s brother Murray – there’s certainly a “to be continued” story there I’d like to read – but there are so many individuals in this book I’m looking forward to getting to know better. A really lovely start to the series, a feel-good and uplifting story I thoroughly enjoyed, and a book I’d very much recommend to others.

I really loved this book! It was such a heartwarming read, it was so good I read this in a day a bit I just couldn’t put down. I loved that everyone got involved and had their own wee jobs in the repair shop but everyone had each other’s backs as well and they were there to help no matter what. I loved the family element as well and how Ally did what she did for her family and the community.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you love a heartwarming read. I look forward to the next book in this series.

I would like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

A book set in Scotland immediately gets my attention and I am so, so happy that I read this book! I was in dire need of a bit of a feel-good read and this really hit the spot :)

Ally is living with her parents in a little village in the Highlands of Scotland. She has a twin brother, Murray, and whilst Murray is jet-setting all over the world, she feels stuck. Her father runs a repair shop from his barn and bit by bit, she starts to regain her confidence in her abilities and rallies the whole community whilst she is about it.

One day, Ally meets Jamie, a lowlander who is temporarily stationed in her village, but their meeting is less than ideal. What is going to happen between them, especially since Jamie makes it clear that he is only staying for a short period of time.

This book is all about relationships - family relationships, community relationships and a romantic one as well. It is all very positive and I LOVED Ally's family so much. The community members gave the book some lovely local flavour as well. Thanks for the tablet recipe too :) I love Scottish tablet.

I wish there were more books like this out there. Can't wait to read the next book in the series!

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.