I Owe You One: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, 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: “Family first.” But 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 her nature to say no to people.

So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, Fixie not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. Turns out the computer’s owner is an investment manager. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, Sebastian scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. But Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

Then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. She wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. And Seb agrees, until 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?

my thoughts:

I'm a huge Sophie Kinsella fan, so I was over the moon when I found about her new book, I Owe You One. It comes out next year (Feb. 5, 2019), but I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. Luckily, NetGalley came through and I was able to download is ASAP.  Woo hoo!! So, I spent my Sunday watching Hallmark Christmas movies and reading I Owe You One - talk about the perfect weekend  combination!

In the new Kinsella, we meet Fixie Farr, a young woman who works at her family's housewares store.  She is smart, funny, and dedicated to the motto, Family First.  Unfortunately, that means that she tends to let her family walk all over her.  Yep, Fixie loves them a bit too much - like, she can't ever seem to find her voice when they are all together.  So, its a bit of a problem when their mum decides to join her sister in Spain for a long holiday.  It will be up to Fixie, Jake, and Nicole to take point on running the shop and they will have their Uncle Ned to help guide them if need be.  Talk about Fixie's worst nightmare.  Seems that Jake wants to revamp the shop - he wants only high-end products (like olive oil that cost one hundred pounds!!) and posh-looking customers.  Nicole wants to be the face of Farr's, which means she will be posting a zillion photos of herself in the story but not actually promoting any of their products.  Oh, and she wants to run a yoga night, which entails moving aisles and shelves around to create more ground space.  Except, none of these ideas are actually smart or lucrative - they won't help Farr's in any way.  Nope, instead they will do Farr's in - as in financially, employee-wise, and it will affect their loyal customer base.  Yikes! Seems Fixie has a lot of new problems to fix.  She also has some romantic entanglements to disentangle herself from as well. Let's just say that Fixie's life needs quite a bit of fixing.  And that is all I will write about this delightful gem of a story.

Kinsella has written a fun and funny story about family, love, and self-discovery.  The characters are fantastic - you want to befriend them, shake them, and hug them. They are family and it so much fun reading all about their family dynamic - talk about family drama!!  Their story is filled with lots of love, family squabbles, and unity. It truly is a great book to dive into.  I just loved getting to know the Farrs and watching Fixie navigate all the craziness that seemed to bloom whenever her family entered the picture, which was all the time. And I just loved reading a very happy ending - you know Kinsella, there has to be a happy ending. 

I would happily recommend this book to fans of Kinsella and anyone looking for their next great rea - you will absolutely fall in LOVE with I Owe You One. 



Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!