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I Owe You One

Review

I Owe You One

Londoner Fixie Farr's entire world revolves around her family's housewares store that she manages alongside her mother, Joanne. Owned and operated by the Farr family since 1985, Farrs was her father's pride and joy. Although her dad has been gone for several years now, Fixie, so nicknamed because she's never encountered a problem she wasn't compelled to fix, still clings to his motto: “Family first.” To do anything less would be disloyal and might let her dad's memory down, something she'd never knowingly do.

Fixie and her mom aren't alone in taking care of Farrs. Fixie's older brother, Jake, and sister, Nicole, are tasked with helping out. Unfortunately, they have a different picture of what the store should be than Fixie and their mother do. Jake, a go-getter whose head is filled with big ideas and posh dreams, and Nicole, a flighty, ethereal creature who would rather practice yoga and post her image on social media, aren't especially skilled at the day-to-day running of the business. Fortunately, Fixie is.

"I OWE YOU ONE, another winner from Sophie Kinsella, is a fun adventure between two strangers who eventually become friends as their paths cross repeatedly in a series of misadventures."

While Fixie is usually quite levelheaded, one person can make her lose her good sense: her brother's best friend, Ryan Chalker. Fixie has had a raging crush on Ryan ever since she was a girl. When she hears that Ryan has left his career in Los Angeles behind to return to his life in London, she's excited beyond belief. Could it be that she just might have another chance to get him to feel about her the same way she feels about him?

On the day when Fixie learns about Ryan's return, she stops in a coffee shop on the way home to gather her thoughts. While she's there, a fellow customer, Seb Marlowe, asks her to keep an eye on his laptop while he steps outside to take a phone call. As luck would have it, the collapse of a leaky ceiling nearly wipes out Seb's expensive laptop containing all of his business's critical data. Who averts disaster? Why, Fixie, of course. When Seb returns to find Fixie soaked to the skin from saving his computer from tragedy, he writes her an IOU for a favor of her choosing.

When health reasons dictate that her mom take time off from the shop, Fixie is left alone to deal with her troublesome siblings and her overbearing Uncle Ned. The problem is, instead of standing up for herself, Fixie, as always, trembles in the glare of their criticism and backs down almost immediately. She also feels obligated to help Ryan find a job so he can make a new start in London. She eventually allows herself to be pressured into approaching Seb to call in his IOU to secure a job for Ryan.

As Fixie and Seb encounter each other, exchanging IOUs as they go, they become close as only two people who've weathered storms together can. As time passes and catastrophes mount, Fixie gathers her wits about her, digs down deep to locate her inner strength, and possibly, for the first time, decides to go after exactly what and who will make her happy for a change.

I OWE YOU ONE, another winner from Sophie Kinsella, is a fun adventure between two strangers who eventually become friends as their paths cross repeatedly in a series of misadventures. It's also the tale of a goodhearted gal who finally gets tired of always putting everyone else first and learns that what she has to say is just as important and meaningful as the opinions of others.

Reviewed by Amie Taylor on February 8, 2019

I Owe You One
by Sophie Kinsella

  • Publication Date: June 25, 2019
  • Genres: Fiction, Women's Fiction
  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
  • ISBN-10: 1524799033
  • ISBN-13: 9781524799038