I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As her late father always said “family first”, Fixie Farr has always put her family’s needs above her own. She is constantly picking up the slack of her siblings and helps takes care of her family’s charming housewares store.

It's in her nature to fix things, hence her name. When a chance encounter in a coffee shop has her watching a handsome stranger’s computer, Fixie can’t help but save it from disaster. To thank Fixie, Sebastian attaches his business card to a coffee sleeve with an IOU scribbled on it. She politely accepts it but doesn’t think she would ever cash in an IOU from a stranger, or would she?

Ryan, Fixie's longtime crush and brother's friend, is back in town after a failed attempt at working overseas and his predicament has Fixie chomping at the bit to help him. She decides to cash in her IOU and ask Seb to give Ryan a job at his company to which he agrees. Things don't go quite as she plans and a series of IOUs ensue.  Things start to unravel and Fixie is torn between her family and taking a stand.  Can she really fix everything and make herself happy at the same time?

I have also had the pleasure of reviewing My Not So Perfect Life and Surprise Me and was thrilled to pieces to learn that I was selected to be an early reader/reviewer of I Owe You One. Sophie Kinsella, you've done it again!  I absolutely adore your writing and your words always make me smile.  (If you haven't listened to one of Kinsella's books, I highly recommend it, especially if narrated by Jayne Entwistle.)

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is light, fun, and endearing. I loved the setting, haven’t you always wanted to be a shop owner? The IOU was a cute theme and the perfect vehicle for a romance.

What almost derailed it for me were Fixie’s siblings—they are incredibly cruel, and I realize that part of the story deals with growth and empowerment, but they were just so awful! As far as the other characters, I found that Greg was an unnecessary addition.

Stick with the book, it is delightful and adorable, and we need more Fixies in the word. Thank you, Sophie, for another gem!  I adore your writing and your wit.

BUY NOW

SOPHIE KINSELLA is the author of the bestselling Shopaholic series as well as the standalone novels Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, Wedding Night, My Not So Perfect Life, and Surprise Me.

She lives between London and the country.