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!

Shopaholic To The Stars: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella

Becky Brandon is back and this time round she's moved to Hollywood!  The land of celebrities, stylists, sunshine, and wheatgrass shots.  Talk about EXCITING!!!  Becky is beyond thrilled that Luke's business has taken him to La La Land, because it means that she will get the opportunity to style celebrities, befriend celebrities, and possibly become a celebrity - yeah, FAME is where its at in Becky's mind. Of course, being famous has its price and in this latest tome by Kinsella we learn all about the ups and downs of celebrity life via shopaholic, Becky.

Luke, Minnie, and Becky settle into their new digs and begin to adjust to life in Los Angeles.  Minnie's attending the top school in town.  Luke's working like mad to fulfill his contract.  And Becky is shopping, daydreaming, and scheming to become THE stylist to the stars.  All she wants is the chance to show everyone what she can do - which is create an unforgettable red carpet look.  However, things are going that well and Becky finds herself homesick and rather lonely.  Luckily, her BFF, Suze, has decided that her family needs a trip to the States in order to check on their businesses in California.  Soon enough Becky is surrounded by familiar faces and begins to enjoy her new life in L.A..  Except everything falls apart when Tarkie gets involved with a cult, Becky's father suddenly appears in L.A. to finish some unfinished business, Luke finds out that Becky lied to him (again); and Becky realizes just how false the celebrity life is in Hollywood.  Yeah, FAME is not where its at, but it just might be too late for Becky when she finally accepts this fact.  Or is it?

Yep, Kinsella has left this story with a cliffhanger - can you believe it?!  I was so engrossed in the novel that it took me a minute to realize that I had reached the end and that I wouldn't be able to find out what Becky's father's secret was. ACK!!  Talk about disappointment!  Of course, I'm still excited to find out where Kinsella will take this story next.   I can't wait for the next installment in the Shopaholic series -it is going to be FANTASTIC!!

And now, I'm off to read more about Bertie and Jeeves.  Happy Reading!!

Three Quick Reviews

I have been reading like crazy lately and I have been loving every minute of it!  Summer is nigh and I've started craving quick, easy, and fun reads.  Here are three that I've recently devoured:

A fun and quick read that I gobbled up in two days.  I probably could have read it in one day, but I didn't want the book to end.  So, what's this new Dan Brown about? Well, I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just write this - Robert Langdon is back!  Woo hoo! Our favorite professor is once again swept away in a mysterious and dangerous mission to save humanity from possible destruction.  This time round he's missing his favorite Mickey Mouse watch and his memory - yikes!  Plus, he has no idea who to trust - his own government appears to be out to get him. What? Oh, and all of this is happening in Italy and time is running out!  Suffice it to say, I was on the edge of my seat the whole through with this book and I loved every minute of it!  Brown's latest made for the perfect weekend read - a fun adventure to get lost in. I would definitely urge all Dan Brown fans to check this one out!!

Chick lit at its best!  A fun, sexy romp filled with miscommunications, sisterly (mis)advice, rash decisions, and no sex (well, almost).  Talk about a laugh out loud read!  I absolutely loved Kinsella's latest novel involving two sisters named Lottie and Fliss.  Lottie has just found out her boyfriend of 100 years does not want to get married - and to think she bought him an engagement ring to match the one she had assumed he had bought her - and she is beyond heartbroken.  Fliss, a harried single mother, whose never-ending divorce battle with her ex, and super busy job are all put on hold when she receives her sister, Lottie's latest phone call. She's married!! Say what?  Days after the big breakup and Lottie is married to an ex-boyfriend who showed up out of the blue - WTF!!  Fliss is overcome with worry about her younger sister and decides to do what she can to end this marriage ASAP - and believe me, she does everything and anything she can think of to end this marriage!  Its pretty crazy and funny all the drama that ensues.  I laughed so much that I teared up.  And in the end, I got my happily ever after - a must have for me when it comes to chick lit.  This is one book that I would happily recommend to fans of Kinsella and the chick lit genre - you will love this book!!

Sequels are not always a good idea.  Especially, when the story has been told and there is nothing left to tell.  After reading The Devil Wears Prada and watching the film version, I thought Andy's story was over - she was free from Miranda!!  What else was there to know?  Well, I guess I was wrong.   And, I'm so glad I was wrong, because this sequel was terrific!  I loved reuniting with Andy and finding out what had happened to her post-Runway.  She's launched a successful magazine with her new BFF, Emily - remember her, Miranda's cruel assistant that starved herself to go to Paris but didn't make it?  Crazy to believe, but Andy and Emily became besties and partners in business!  As far as her romantic life goes, Andy is about to marry the love of her life, Max.  Life couldn't get any better, except for those pesky nightmares involving Miranda; and the letter she found in her husband-to-be's gym bag; and the nausea that won't go away; plus a call from Miranda's attorney; and so many other crazy issues that just seem to pop up out of nowhere.  Suffice it to say, Weisberger has done an excellent job of bringing Andy and all of her Runway drama back to life.  I loved the book!  It was a quick, fun, and familiar read.  It made for the perfect rainy day read.  I would definitely recommend this book to fans of The Devil Wears Prada and fans of chick lit - you will enjoy getting lost in Andy's world all over again.

And there you have it - the three last books I just finished reading.  They were the perfect chasers after all of the historical fiction I've recently read.  Plus, they helped remind me that soon the sun will be blazing hot and iced cold glasses of lemonade will be my drink of choice, because summer is almost here!  What about you?  What fun books have you recently found yourself lost in?  Any recommendations for me? 

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

From book flap:

Becky Brandon thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true:  a shopping friend for life!  But it's trickier than she thought.  Two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping.
Minnie creates havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening.  Her favorite word is "Mine!" and she's even trying to get into eBay!  On top of everything else, Becky and Luke are still living with her parents (the deal on house #4 has fallen through), when suddenly there's a huge financial crisis.
With people having to cut back, Becky decides to throw a surprise party for Luke to cheer everyone up.  But when costs start to spiral out of control, she must decide whether to accept help from an unexpected source - and therefore run the risk of hurting the person she loves most.
Will Becky be able to pull off the celebration of the year?  Will she and Luke ever find a home of their own? Will Minnie ever learn to behave?  And...most important...will Becky's secret wishes ever come true?

My thoughts:

I must admit that I absolutely adore Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series; they are some of my favorite reads, because I always know that I'm in for a rollicking good read.  And with Mini Shopaholic, Kinsella does not disappoint - the book was hilarious!  I laughed out loud so many times that I cried from laughing so much.  I LOVED IT!  Of course how you can not laugh at the ridiculously over the top situations that Becky always seems to find herself in - like when she finds out that Minnie's pocket money (50 pence a week) has been spent until 2103 (Minnie is in the red and only 2 years old!); or when she gets caught in a lie, which always seems to be the case, like when her husband Luke finds her outside his work building (she had just secretly met his secretary for lunch to get help planning his surprise birthday party) and she tells him she just had botox, then decides to switch it up and say she wants a boob job (the kind that is not invasive and consists of getting your breasts inflated for a week) - they are all super funny moments that easily put a smile on your face.  Along with the funny, Kinsella throws in real life issues, such as, the economic meltdown, motherhood (specifically child-rearing), relationships (marital, friendships, mother-daughter, mother-son, etc) and so forth; all of which help to ground the story and allow for us to see how much Becky has developed and grown as a character.  All in all, another fantastic read in Kinsella's successful Shopaholic series!  I can't wait for the next one - which, according to the teaser at the end of Mini Shopaholic, will take place in Hollywood (can't you just imagine all the high-jinks Becky will get herself caught up in?)

Til the next book! Ta! Happy Reading!!!

Twenties Girl in the Noughties World

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella is a typical chick lit book with a slight twist. We have a modern day gal struggling with her love life and career and suffering from a severe case of self doubt (typical chick lit); added to the mix, her dead great aunt Sadie's ghost pestering her about finding a necklace (twist). Lara has just chucked her job and opened a headhunting business with her best friend Natalie who has headed off to Goa with some guy thereby leaving Lara in the lurch (Lara has no headhunting experience). She's recently been dumped by her boyfriend Josh and is determined to get back together with him. And her parents are forcing her to attend the funeral of her great Aunt Sadie, a woman she never even knew. Talk about a jolly good life. It is at this funeral for dear Sadie that Lara's life begins to take a turn for the different. Whilst listening to the vicar drone on about a woman she hardly knew, Lara finds herself listening to the pleading of a young woman nearby who is looking for her necklace. This young woman turns out to be the ghost of Lara's great Aunt Sadie. Unable to believe what is happening Lara soon finds herself stopping the funeral and declaring that Sadie was murdered at her retirement home all in an attempt to prevent Sadie's body from being interred without her beloved necklace. Soon the hunt is on to find this one of a kind dragonfly necklace worn by aunt Sadie. Along the way, guided by Sadie, Lara soon finds herself asking out a stranger in the middle of a board meeting, dressing up like a twenties slapper, reuniting with her ex Josh and taking charge of her new company. Of course a wrench or two are thrown her way, but Lara battles it out and soon finds herself discovering who she really is. All in all a fun read. Albeit the beginning was a bit slow, but soon enough it picked up pace and I found myself reading non-stop to find out what would happen to Sadie, Lara and that necklace. Another book to cross off of my Random Reading Challenge list! Yay! And now I am picking up Sense and Sensibility for the Everything Austen Challenge. Happy Reading to all!!