Reviews: Fix Her Up + The Friend Zone

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

pub 6/11/19 by Avon
Contemporary Romance
Received e-ARC from pub for review

As much as I love the cover of Fix Her Up, it is a tad misleading. While there is a playful side to it thanks to the heroine Georgette Castle better known to all as Georgie, I ended up being surprising by how steamy it was! When we first meet Georgie, she's struggling with being taken seriously in part because she's the youngest of her siblings, has no interest in joining the family home renovation business and loves her one-woman production of planning children's birthday parties. But she wants to change people's perceptions of her and maybe her own too. She decides she needs to expand her business, dress up a bit more and start dating. All good things! But I did feel like her childish behavior especially in regards to her personal style and hygiene was overdone. It reminded me too much of The Duff (like that scene in the movie where he takes her to the mall) and I struggled a bit with finding it realistic that a grown woman couldn't have figured this out sooner. Especially when she gets it in her head that to help further her image as a "woman" she should get into a fake relationship with Travis Ford, a major league baseball player whose recent injury ended his career. He also happens to be Georgie's brother's best friend. When he moves back to town, Georgie takes it upon herself to kick his butt into gear (that part I liked) but then propose this fake relationship too. It was a bit jarring how he went from seeing her as the annoying kid sister to.. something else entirely. I do like how much he supported her though and I can certainly relate to the idea of struggling with being boxed in by your family's image of you. I think I just wish it had been a little less extreme? Because otherwise, I liked Georgie, Travis, their relationship and the friendships.

Do I recommend? If you've never read anything by Tessa Bailey, I think it's a good place to start! But my favorite from her is still the Line of Duty series and the spin-off Unfixable.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

pub 6/11/19 by Forever Romance
Contemporary Romance
Received ARC from pub for review

The Friend Zone is everywhere these days and for good reason – it's just THAT good. The heroine Kristen decides to move forward with a medical procedure which will ultimately help her but also make it impossible for her to have children. It's not a decision she makes lightly and even though it's necessary, that doesn't mean it isn't bittersweet and sad for her too. I don't think I've ever read anything (especially in a romance novel) that's delved not only into infertility but spoke so honestly of what Kristen was going through. I was impressed by how the author refused to sugarcoat her struggles because that's what made feel so real. But despite what she's going through, Kristen decides to keep the procedure a secret so she can focus on helping her best friend Sloane plan her wedding. Of course, it's through this that she meets the best man Josh Copeland and they click from the second they meet. Their chemistry and how they got to know one another was one of the many highlights of this book. It was fun, sexy and heartwarming to see them start off as friends with an obvious attraction to one another but witness how it became something very real to them both. My other favorite part was Kristin and Sloane's friendship. They are a prime example of what I want to see more of in fiction – two women who show up for one another through the good and bad unconditionally. I genuinely feel this book has it all: love, friendship, laugh out loud moments and tear-inducing ones. This is definitely one to put on your TBR!

Do I recommend? Yes! I'm already excited for her next book, which I think I'll like even more!