Book: I Owe You One
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Romance, Fiction
Pages: 374
Published: February 2019 (UK)
Happy Monday! How are you all today? Hope you’re well! I have another book review for you today – ‘I Owe You One’ by Sophie Kinsella!
Synopsis
Fixie Farr can’t help herself. Straightening a crooked object, removing a barely-there stain, helping out a friend… she just has to put things right. It’s how she got her nickname, after all.
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. To thank her, the computer’s owner, Sebastian, scribbles her an IOU – but of course Fixie never intends to call in the favour.
That is, until her teenage crush, Ryan, comes back into her life and needs her help – and Fixie turns to Seb. Bit things don’t go according to plan, and now Fixie owes Seb: big time.
Soon the pair are caught up in a series of IOUs – from small favours to life-changing ones – and Fixie is torn between the past she’s used to and the future she deserves.
Does she have the courage to fix things for herself and fight for the life, and love, she really wants?
(Taken from the blurb of the book)
Review
I’m not one who knows too much about today’s authors, but I’ve heard/read incredible things about Sophie Kinsella’s books and always see them on the shelves of my local bookshops. When ‘I Owe You One’ was published in the UK in February this year (yes, yes, I’m a little behind on these reviews!), I thought enough is enough and bought a copy.
However, I do believe this book to be, quite simply, an ‘average’ read. As mentioned in the synopsis, Fawn (nicknamed ‘Fixie’) Farr is our flawed protagonist – who cannot stop fixing things. Whether that’s her friends, family, relationships or the family business, she’ll try to fix it. Only, that’s all. I don’t feel any empathy for Fixie; she’s a very basic character with very little character development as the story progresses. The same can be said for the other characters also, I almost feel that Kinsella chose a name and then attached a personality trait or idea to it as each character remains on a basic level – whether that’s Fixie’s sister Nicole’s self-care regime, her brother Jake’s business ventures or high-school-crush Ryan’s ambition. Each character remains safely within their bubble and there’s no pin in sight to pop their little world.
The plot itself felt to be going nowhere. Realistically, this book could have been read in an hour or two, only I kept putting it down as there was nothing to keep me reading or guessing. It’s very predictable with no real development; it all just felt really quick. Fixie’s relationships, for one, started and ended within a flash and whenever she mentioned her high school crush Ryan’s name it suddenly felt like you’re reading the diary of a teenage girl. I felt like the plot was developing more towards the end of the book, although it was very rushed.
As for Kinsella’s writing style, it was odd. The settings weren’t descriptive and there was little imagination, the focus was more on Fixie’s thoughts and emotions, which were often childish and naive. However, this is my first modern ‘Romance’ novel that I’ve read in a while, and I’m not usually a fan of this genre so I may be biased. In fairness, there were some good moments. Sebastian (the kick-starter of the ‘I Owe You’s’) and Fixie’s dialogue did have some comical moments and I did find myself rooting for a deeper friendship/relationship between the two.
On that note, there are a few things that I should make you aware of; This book does contain strong language, descriptions of sex (nothing too descriptive) and themes of power/authority. As always, you’re welcome to contact me and ask questions if you believe that it could potentially be triggering for you. All in all, I am disappointed with Kinsella’s book and I was hoping for so much more. Therefore, I’m rating this as 1 out of 5 stars, as I wouldn’t read it again and found it difficult to keep reading – sorry!
Am I being too harsh? What did you think of Kinsella’s ‘I Owe You One’?
Take care, Sophie x
Disclaimer: As mentioned in my 'Terms and Conditions' page, I am not asked to write my book reviews, contacted by the author/publisher in any way nor have I been given anything in exchange for my reviews, unless otherwise stated.
