Sophie Kinsella's books tend to be hit or miss for me...
and this one was a big, fat miss.
There are far too many things going on with the plot. Fixie* is running her father's old store while constantly feeling the need to help everyone else with their problems.. Her mother has mentally checked out and ends up living in another country for most of the book. Her brother keeps trying to bring in a higher end clientele without concerns to the location or loyal customers. Her sister is being wishy-washy and not speaking to her husband (for reasons never quite specified). Her high school crush returns and is suddenly into her. She ends up in an "I Owe You One" favor circle with a random guy she met. Not to mention, a sexist uncle who does basically nothing, but helped them out back in the day, so now they tolerate his being involved.
That said, there's a lot going on with little explanation. It almost seems better suited to a sitcom than a short chick-lit novel.
The "I Owe You One" concept is cute, but it doesn't deliver. I had been hoping for quite a bit of back and forth as they slowly got to know each other, but they really only do the favor thing a handful of times.
*I cannot stress how much I hate the name Fixie.
and this one was a big, fat miss.
There are far too many things going on with the plot. Fixie* is running her father's old store while constantly feeling the need to help everyone else with their problems.. Her mother has mentally checked out and ends up living in another country for most of the book. Her brother keeps trying to bring in a higher end clientele without concerns to the location or loyal customers. Her sister is being wishy-washy and not speaking to her husband (for reasons never quite specified). Her high school crush returns and is suddenly into her. She ends up in an "I Owe You One" favor circle with a random guy she met. Not to mention, a sexist uncle who does basically nothing, but helped them out back in the day, so now they tolerate his being involved.
That said, there's a lot going on with little explanation. It almost seems better suited to a sitcom than a short chick-lit novel.
The "I Owe You One" concept is cute, but it doesn't deliver. I had been hoping for quite a bit of back and forth as they slowly got to know each other, but they really only do the favor thing a handful of times.
*I cannot stress how much I hate the name Fixie.
Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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