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 love having the opportunity to escape with a Sophie Kinsella book, and I Owe You One came just when I needed it. Fixie’s story is one of missed cues, mistakes, and the realization that you can’t fix someone else’s mess until you fix your own—a smart lesson, wrapped in a gem of a novel.
Reading a book by Sophie Kinsella is like visiting with an old friend. This book delivers on everything that’s made Sophie’s books so wonderful—a heroine struggling with self-worth and family pressure, a charming job in a family home-goods shop and a hero with depth and heart.
This book is a shot of pure joy!
Such a lighthearted, fun filled read with a very unique and quirky cast. No matter if I wanted to reach into the pages and hug or strangle a character I felt such a connection to all of them. I had all the feels reading this story and was sad to see it come to an end…
Loved this one! I was not as keen in Kinsella’s last few books (though I’m comparing them to herself, and truly, when compared to others in the genre, hers are still TOPS!)
This one, though, held not only entertainment value, but something truly heartfelt. I was very much drawn to Fixie’s story of loving the wrong man, letting her family walk over her, and yet keeping her own integrity. A fantastic cast of characters that felt so real I expected them to walk down the street.
Keep it up, Sophie! I’m a fan forever.
The premise of the book was brilliant. Fixie meets a tall stranger in a coffe shop, Seb, does him a kindness, and he gives her an IOU in return. I loved how Sebastian went immediately sweet macho Lannister, “I always pay my debts.” (Sorry if you’re not Game of Thrones fans and don’t get the reference.
Anyway the first half of the book was really hard to pull through. Fixie gets pushed around so much by everyone—her brother, sister, uncle, supposed boyfriend—it was sort of painful to endure so much injustice alongside her. The only supportive character, her mom, gets whisked off book early on and I was screaming, “No, please, stay. With you gone awful things will happen…” And they did. But you get your reward at about 50% in when the romance with Sebastian begins to take shape. Their relationship was really sweet and cute and adorable. I also didn’t see the final plot twist coming, I had the big “reveal of evil” at the end all wrong, so it’s nice to be surprised.
Still, the book was 70% family drama, 20% sweet, cute, adorable romance, and 10% toxic romance paving the way for the sweet, cute, adorable romance. I wish the family drama had taken more of a back seat. I wanted more of Fixie and Seb.
I also didn’t have any LOL crying in tears of laughter moments as I usually expect with a Kinsella book, it was more quiet, little smiles…
I have read everything Kinsella has written and I am a huge fan. I love her sense of humor. Her storytelling mixed with some true-to-life (girls) situations. The main character, Fixie, is a soft-hearted, all-giving woman who feels guilty for everything that doesn’t work even those things that are not in any way her fault. I do have couple friends like her and it kind of change my perspective about my friends “very helpful” behavior. I do wish she had snapped out of it earlier in the story, but I know from personal experience that chasing those “crows” away is not as easy as it sounds. If you are chick lit fan It worth a read.
Another fun book by this author. I love how she always has so many emotions and a lot of humor going on in her books, which make her stories wonderful to read and original.
She often has characters that go through a lot of growth throughout the story and which make them very real and vulnerable.
This is a story of the Farr family who own a cookware shop Farr’s, which is run by the mother and three siblings, Fixie the main character gets her name from always wanting to fix a problem, whatever they may be. It is of a a lost and found romance, about a brother and sisters who have very different perspectives on life and how they think the store should be run, which of course leads to many confrontations and compromises.
I always enjoy reading one of her books as it carries me away to another world.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book.
After a failed business endeavor, Fixie Farr is focused on perserving the memory of her late father through Farrs—her family’s all purpose store. Fixie started out as this refreshing character that I instantly admired. She was vulnerable, she was finding herself, and even if she didn’t realize it she was the glue that held her family together.
But my obsessive Fixie is still hung up on her ex Ryan, so much so that her constant pining after and trying to please him overshadows Sebastian—our true hero. Sebastian is who piqued my interest from the blurb, yet his lack of presence in Fixie’s thoughts and in general in the beginning of the novel left me wanting more. More of him and a whole lot less of Ryan.
The premise of I Owe You One was enthralling, but the further I delved into the pages I was disappointed with the unfolding of the plot. Yet, the scenes with the Farrs employees, comforting conversations from Fixie’s mother, and Fixie’s bestfriend’s lack of filter were some of the highlights within this novel that kept me devouring one chapter after the next!
“Family is it, Fixie. Family is what drives us. Family is everything.”
How many times have we heard this? Although I agree with the sentiment of “family first”, I also agree that we each need to be aware of how family relationships impact our health and functioning. This is the overall theme I took away from I Owe You One, and it’s a good one. Family often represents that place we can come home to no matter where we are, but when family isn’t a safe space to be in, it can get real ugly fast.
Fixie is this story’s heroine, and as this nickname suggests, she accepts the placement of problems on her shoulders. Fixing things is just who she is. So when the family matriarch takes a time out, all the siblings are reunited to keep the family store running in her absence. Fixie’s mother leaves her with simple instructions, “Just don’t lose the shop, Fixie. Or let the family break up.” Did I say simple? Turns out these tasks couldn’t be more complicated.
Lighthearted and humorous while integrating important life lessons related to avoidance and the true meaning of love. I so enjoyed this book. Check it out.
Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of I Owe You One. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: NetGalley
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Random House, The Dial Press
Genres: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: February 5, 2019
Note: Quotes were checked against a finished, published copy.
This starts off as a simple girl meets boy plotline that slowly builds and convolutes into a great storyline with a host of quirky characters that grow on you, warts and all. The main character, Fixie, finds herself in some real pickles that had me laughing out loud. It seems that she is the only person capable of solving all the problems that life flings at her. But, is she strong enough to confront them?.
A good read.
Sophie Kinsella NEVER disappoints! When I need a pick me up, she is always the author I turn to. If you haven’t had a chance to read this one yet, I highly recommend!
Fixie is surrounded by horrid people in the beginning of the book, including her own family, but in the end, manages to redeem them all and even herself. Loved it.
Vintage Sophie Kinsella. The pattern is familiar but a joy just the same.
I am not familiar with Kinsella’s novels, but I have seen a great deal of positive chatter about this latest release. It is the story of Fixie Farr. A young woman working in her family’s store. She has dreams and big ideas but is lost in the shadow of a “Family First” mentality that often has her taking second place to everyone else in her life. She has earned her nickname “Fixie” due to an innate need to fix the problems she sees, though often to her detriment. A meeting with a handsome stranger in a coffee shop leads to a series of IOU’s that resolve themselves in interesting ways.
Most of the comments I have seen about this book talk about it as a romantic comedy. Amazon best sellers list it in the range of Self-help and Psychology, Women’s friendship fiction, and Humorous fiction. To be sure it at once fits into all of those categories and none of them.
The synopsis of this book was intriguing to me and seemed lighthearted enough for a quick fun read. Fans of Jojo Moyes’ Louisa Clark from her “Me Before You” series will love Fixie as much I do. She is quirky in the right sort of way. She has a big heart that often gets her into trouble and her life would be just amazing if she could realize her actual strength and find just a shred more self-esteem. She is everyday, relatable, and secretly amazing. I wanted to love this book as much as I did her. Sadly, I was on the verge of stopping many times in the first two-thirds of the book. Fixie’s family are horrendous. Mom is a bit out of touch, Her brother Jake is downright hateful, her sister is a self-involved loon, her uncle is misogynist user, and the ever-present loser of an ex seems always poised to make Fixie’s life just a little bit worse. What made it hard to read was the realization that all that could end if Fixie would for just one moment tell everyone to sod off. The misery of the first part of the book is paid off by the rest and I did very much enjoy the ending.
While I found myself constantly waiting for the romance with Seb to just start, I began to realize that this book wasn’t about that, but rather is about the growth of Fixie as she comes into her own. Despite not being entirely to my liking, the story has much to recommend it. Brilliant characters that make the reader FEEL something populate this book. The employees and customers at Farr’s were brilliant. It also has its laugh out loud moments along with the inevitable groans, followed with the occasional “You go, girl!”. While it seems predictable in the beginning, (after all there is only one way this can end. Right?) the end is still refreshing and satisfying. Sophie Kinsella does know how to tell a story.
Usually, Sophie Kinsella’s titles are an automatic 5-star for me. This one missed the mark with the first 30% or so of the book. I had to persist with it, which I’ve not had to do with Ms. Kinsella before. It turned out to be a good read in the end, with all the feels, thank goodness!
I Owe You One is exactly everything I’ve come to expect and love from Sophie Kinsella. Downright hysterically funny, a heart-warming story, and sensational characters. I Owe You One is a whimsical story of Fixie Farr, who can’t help but try to fix everything for her friends and family. Frustrated with the feelings of being used by those she strives to help, she embarks on her journey of self-discovery and learns how to find the value within her. Fixie is so relatable to readers that you just might find yourself comparing your life to that of fictional Fixie’s. Just like every other Sophie Kinsella book, I Owe You One left me feeling all warm and fuzzy. This is definitely one book to add to your to-read shelf!
Not the best work of Sophie Kinsella
For some reason, I prefer Sophie Kinsella’s stand-alone novels. This one was fun and whimsical, with great twists and turns. A welcome lightness after the many heavy novels I’ve been reading lately.
This is a lovely breezy romance with Fixie who wants to fix everything and Seb who happens to ask her to watch her laptop in a coffee shop. Seb has a girlfriend and he maintains a series of IOU’s with her that keeps their relationship going. I honestly didn’t like the part where he rebounds with Briony, after all it brings in to question his love for Fixie but overall the book ends well and Seb comes around, so this love story comes full circle.