54 reviews for:

Frenemy Fix-Up

Yahrah St. John

3.33 AVERAGE

realbooktingz's review

3.0

lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sosheescapes's review

DID NOT FINISH: 17%

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MMC was not for me.

niqueturnspages's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 31%

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Colin Anderson really gave off a-hole vibes. I don’t like anything about him. Maybe he redeems himself but I’ve tried. I like to like the main characters. I’m OK if side characters are not very likable. This book will not deter me from checking out other books in this authors catalogue.

turtleberry's review

4.5

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Got a copy of this book from Net Galley. I've been following this series and was excited for this installment.
Shay and Colin kinda knew each other in high school. She had a crush on him and he didn't really acknowledge her existence. They aren't exactly enemies but they butt heads on their first meeting after years. 
Then he needs her help. He makes her an offer she can't refuse and she agrees to help him get healthy. The chemistry between them is right there from the start. 
Once they cross that line, things between them are explosive. They end up being friends with benefits. But of course feelings begin to grow. 
I really enjoyed this love story. For once, I wished the ending was dragged out a little longer. I wanted them to get to happily ever after but I felt like she let him off the hook too quickly.
This was an awesome addition to the Six Gems series and I can't wait for the next book.

duckyreads's review

3.5

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Frenemy Fix-Up is the fourth book in the Six Gems series by Yahrah St. John, but can be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed Shay as the female lead in the story. Her drive and passion as an entrepreneur is very inspiring. Her group of friends were also very funny and protective of her, as every great friend group should be. 

I did find it more difficult to relate to Colin as a main lead, since he had a more superficial personality. I enjoyed that their relationship shift from rivals to more was realistically awkward. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage, Death of parent

Minor: Mental illness

bklynbookbelle's review

4.0

adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This was the way I wanted to start my Valentine's Day!! Can we get a round of applause for the supporting cast!! Them gems are the girlfriend's every girl wants!! I loved their relationship as a whole. They were so loving, honest and supportive! In the reverse I wish Colin had an insulated group of friends to combat his foolery. He was so smart and driven but sometimes his ideals really felt extreme! I love how Shay stay true to herself and stuck to her guns. At one point I was scared that the back and forth was going to turn me away but it was passionate til the very end! I will be recommending this book to my bookish community!!

carla_is_reading's review

DID NOT FINISH

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The MMC's internal thoughts were very off putting. He said he doesn't like the hippy type he likes them refined, and mentions to still be hung up on his ex. I get character development is supposed to show growth from this, but the blow was so rough to my head, it was hard to step out of that insulting thoughts. Maybe if the thoughts were a bit more softened to communicate how he believes they are incompatible without the slight edge of degrading mindset. 

cakt1991's review against another edition

4.0

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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 I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own. 

While I had mixed feelings about the marketing of the Afterglow line, especially when my first attempt trying one of their books ended in a DNF, I had a lot of faith in Yahrah St. John’s first book for the line, Frenemy Fix-Up, given she’s an author from the Desire line I have some experience with. And while I didn’t initially realize this was a continuation of one of her Desires series, it can stand alone, and I’m now eager to go back and read those books. 

I generally liked both Shay and Colin. They had great chemistryFrene and banter from their first interaction, and I liked that while their relationship was a mix of their professional relationship and the friends-with-benefits dynamic, there are also some real complications with their emotions that helped me become invested, which is something that not every book with this trope.

I did have some mixed feelings when I realized what the actual conflict was going to be, but I respected immediately that Shay had the self-confidence to set boundaries and wasn’t kowtowing for this rich guy, even if she had feelings for him. I did feel like Colin took a little too long to figure out what was important, from his fixation of a job that could easily replace him to thinking about an ex-girlfriend who he had idealized who was clearly not the right fit for him emotionally. But I also feel is generally a good person, and he’s grown to the point where he does fully acknowledge Shay is the one for him, even if I did want a tad bit more from his grand gesture at the end. 

I also loved the presence of the friend group, giving me a taste of the overarching theme of friendship between the women. I love how they support each other through all their various milestones, like weddings and babies and whatnot. They also provide great emotional support for Shay, who has been through a lot of emotional turmoil in her past, from her dad cheating on and leaving her mom to her first marriage to her own disastrous first marriage. 

This was a nice fun read, and I’m excited that there’s still more of the series still to come. If you’re looking for a steamy contemporary romance with two Black leads. 

 

andrea_author's review

4.0

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A health scare pushes overworked accountant Colin to ask former classmate and yoga instructor Shay for a lifestyle transformation. She has 90 days to overhaul Colin’s assumptions about success and happiness. As these opposites reunite, will their hot yoga sessions turn to romance?

In this warm and heartfelt novel, Colin and Shay have sizzling chemistry between them. The characters are well-developed with strong family ties.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

cchastings87's review

4.0

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I received a copy of this for my honest review.

This is the fourth novel in the Six Gems series, but is an interconnected standalone. Our FMC is a divorced yoga shop owner, who needs capital to expand her business. Our MMC is an accountant who has worked himself so hard he has a cardiac episode one day. The two had a reconnect moment, since they both went to highschool together, and when he decides he needs to focus on his health while on medical leave - he proposes she be his trainer and he will give him $50K. Can the sparks flying remain at bay? Or will a frenemes with benefits situation be enough?