NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A gem of a novel.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great ThingsFrom the author of Surprise Me comes an irresistible story of love and empowerment about a young woman with a complicated family, a handsome man who might be “the one,” and an IOU that changes everything.Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: … changes everything.
Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” And since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will?
It’s simply not in Fixie’s nature to say no to people. So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, she not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, the computer’s owner, Sebastian, an investment manager, scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?
But then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life, and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. As always, she wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. No sooner has Seb agreed than the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab the life, and love, she really wants?
Praise for I Owe You One
“This book is a shot of pure joy!”—Jenny Colgan, author of The Bookshop on the Corner
“A humorous exploration of family life, finding love and the difficulties of coming into one’s own as a young professional woman . . . The entertaining cast of characters . . . will certainly remind readers why nineteen years after her first hit Kinsella remains one of the reigning queens of women’s fiction.”—The Washington Post
“I Owe You One is another impossibly delightful story by Sophie Kinsella, a must-read for her die-hard fans and new readers alike.”—PopSugar
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I have been a fan of Sophie Kinsella’s since first reading the Shopaholic series, and I have remained one all through the years. She is in fact the only Women’s Fiction author constantly on my list, regardless of the book description. I know that I can depend on Ms. Kinsella for excellent writing, stellar dialogues, and stories that will keep me interested. I OWE YOU ONE is, simply put, a perfect character-driven novel: each one a complex entity, unlike any other in Ms. Kinsella’s books, and a story so compelling that I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, from rage to tears and relief.
I was nearly exhausted after the first chapter, but I already cared so much about our heroine, Fixie, that I nothing could have prevented me from reading this extraordinary book, which had me as excited as any great thriller. Many of us will identify with because we don’t always see what is in front of us when we love, don’t we? I can hardly find the right words to express how moved I was in so many different ways. What I can say is that I very, very highly recommend I OWE YOU ONE; it does not get any better than this.
I absolutely loved reading this book. It was funny (really funny moments that made me laugh out loud -imagine that at night with everyone sleeping) and sad at once filled with unconditional love. Loved the story line which is about family run the business. That means to say nothing. It’s a strong connection and it hits home -Family first! I’ve learned to love Fixie and Seb, and other characters. Loved to see those complicated characters to grow especially Fixie with all her insecurities and how she grow to discover her real self. That’s amazing when you find yourself in a few of them at some point, it’s like a trip down to your own memories.
Great read although you can guess what’s comming but that’s what this genre is about. It still keeps you enthralled until the very last page. Highly recommend it.
Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “I Owe You One” by Sophie Kinsella, Random House, February 5, 2019
Sophie Kinsella, Author of “I Owe You One” has written a delightful, witty, entertaining, enthralling, and heart-warming novel. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, and Humor. The timeline of the story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her entertaining cast of characters as quirky, complicated and complex.
Fixie Farr, has a name well suited for her, as she tends to try to fix other family and friend’s problems and matters. Fixie lives by her late father’s rule “Family First” In Fixie’s case, her brother and sister are quite dysfunctional and too many things fall on Fixie’s shoulders. The family store and its problems seem to be handled by Fixie. As a matter of fact, her brother and sister have caused quite enough problems. Yet, Fixie has to learn to assert herself, and stand up for herself. Her childhood crush is back in town, and Fixie would do anything for him. Or would she.
On a rainy day, when Fixie goes into a coffee shop, a young handsome stranger asks Fixie to watch his computer, while he steps outside to talk on his phone. Unfortunately the ceiling collapses and Fixie manages to take cover, and safe his computer. To show his appreciate the young man gives Sophie an “I Owe You One” on the coffee sleeve promising her that he owes her one favor.
I love when Sophie Kinsella adds communication problems to many of her stories. In “I Owe You One”, this holds true as well. Her childhood crush needs a job, and Fixie had mentioned the I Owe You. I am sure you can guess what dilemma Fixie is in now.
I appreciate that the author discusses the importance of family, friendship, self-worth, empowerment, tough-love, communication, honesty, and hope, faith and love. I would highly recommend this amusing and pleasurable book for those readers who enjoy a delightful read. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
This was a fun, well-written book. Fixie Farr is sweet, loving and always loyal to her family and friends. She meets a stranger, Seb, in a coffee shop and both their lives take turns they were not expecting. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella. All opinions are my own.
I am and will continue to be a huge Sophie Kinsella fan. I have read all her stand alone novels, and I loved I Owe You One, which follows Fixie Farr as she navigates family, work, and her love life.
Fixie meets and saves Seb’s computer in a coffee shop…. what follows is a series of “I Owe You One’s” between the two; all while Fixie is trying to run her family business while her mom is on sabbatical. Her siblings and family are dysfunctional – making the story more realistic. Her sister Nicole is a Yogi who is married to a husband she never sees. Her brother is always scheming how to make a million dollars – both siblings try to influence their ways in the business which is driving Fixie crazy.
I liked the story line between Fixie and Seb. The I Owe You One storyline is clever and keeps you entrenched in the storyline. At times it was a bit long, but I liked the twists at the end and the way Ms. Kinsella wraps the story up.
I would recommend I Owe You One to all my book loving friends and to anyone who loves Sophie’s previous novels.
I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This was my first book by Sophie Kinsella. For me, the book was a bit hard to get in to and I was a bit bored with it until about half the way through. Then it started getting better. After that I really liked the book and things picked up with the characters and the story seemed to just get better.
This is a quirky, funny, romantic story that, given a chance, will have you cheering for the characters every so often and wondering what in the world will happen with them next.
It definitely took turns I wasn’t expecting from the blub (and took a few more chapters than I expected to develop into the story described in the blurb), but it is definitely a Kinsella page-turner. Unlike Bex (Shopaholic series), the cringes come more from Fixie’s siblings than Fixie herself, but she’s not without her self-induced stumbles and room for character growth. And grow she does! The first third of the book had moments where it was easy to put down; by the time I got to the last third and resolution, I couldn’t stop reading.
This review is based on an ARC received from the publisher via a Goodreads giveaway, read December, 2018. The opinions expressed here are wholly mine.
Unfortunately, I spent a good portion of this book frustrated. Fixie was such a doormat. Personally, I prefer a spunky main character with sass and gumption. Not someone who is continuously trod upon by most characters in the book. I Owe You One was supposed to be about Fixie and Seb, but I felt like it was more about her crappy family (especially her brother Jake) and how poorly they treated her. She did finally grow a back bone and got them to listen to her, but the change was such a complete 180, it wasn’t really believable.