She’s back! Sophie Kinsella is back which means that I spent two days completely immersed in her new novel and then sad when it was over. The protagonist of this novel is Fixie Farr, a young Londoner who can’t help but always fix things and people, although most of the times it backfires.
Like when she wants to help her teenage crush Ryan find a job. She’ll do anything to keep him in London with her and since Sebastian, a stranger who owns her a favour, is looking to hire someone for his own company, she asks for his help. What could possibly go wrong? A series of incidents, coincidences, and probably fate mean that Fixie and Sebastian exchange more IOUs and have to spend more and more time with each other.
Like all the main characters in Sophie Kinsella’s novels, Fixie is likable, engaging, funny, and realistic. She develops throughout the novel, learning to put herself first sometime instead of her family. Entertaining, original, engrossing, this is another brilliant novel full of hilarity, romance, and life lessons - an absolute must-read! (NP)
I Owe You One, by Sophie Kinsella, is about an IOU that changes everything.
The summary says: "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 favours 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?" I Owe You One is out in February 2019.
