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missprint_'s review against another edition
2.0
Jill Whitaker knows the exact moment she fell out of love with Sean Addison. It was the same moment she caught him in a compromising position with her mother. It was just before her mother walked out leaving behind nothing but a post-it note by way of explanation.
In the aftermath of that horrible day, Jill is trying to relearn the intricacies of her life. She still works with her father at his garage. (She isn't about to give up fixing cars when she could turn a wrench before she could tie her shoes.) She runs cross country with her best friend Claire to train for the high school track team. Sean is there too, but Jill isn't sure how to be around him yet. She isn't sure if she'll ever be able to fix everything that has broken between them.
When a new guy moves in next door, Jill finds herself trying to fix him too. But as Jill gets closer to Daniel she realizes that his problems (and his scars) may be bigger than she imagined. There's also the small matter that despite their obvious chemistry Daniel is twenty-one. Jill used to be able to fix anything but before she can move on, she's going to have to learn how to fix herself in If I Fix You (2016) by Abigail Johnson.
If I Fix You is Johnson's excellent debut novel.
Jill is a thoughtful and entertaining heroine. Her first person narration is conversational and breezy filled with evocative descriptions of a hot Arizona summer. Jill's love for cars and skills as a mechanic are unexpected and add another dimension to this story.
Johnson negotiates a complicated love triangle well. Jill's interactions with both Sean and Daniel are fascinating with chemistry that is tangible. While the romance is a huge part of the story, If I Fix You is really about Jill and her own choices as she tries to decide how to move forward after the painful heartbreak of her mother's departure.
If I Fix You is a solid and often unexpected contemporary romance. Recommended for readers who enjoy stories about characters pulling themselves back from the brink, books with chipper best friends, and romances that keep you guessing.
Possible Pairings: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre, Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake, This Raging Light by Estelle Laure, When We Collided by Emery Lord, Falling Through Darkness by Carolyn MacCullough, The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle
In the aftermath of that horrible day, Jill is trying to relearn the intricacies of her life. She still works with her father at his garage. (She isn't about to give up fixing cars when she could turn a wrench before she could tie her shoes.) She runs cross country with her best friend Claire to train for the high school track team. Sean is there too, but Jill isn't sure how to be around him yet. She isn't sure if she'll ever be able to fix everything that has broken between them.
When a new guy moves in next door, Jill finds herself trying to fix him too. But as Jill gets closer to Daniel she realizes that his problems (and his scars) may be bigger than she imagined. There's also the small matter that despite their obvious chemistry Daniel is twenty-one. Jill used to be able to fix anything but before she can move on, she's going to have to learn how to fix herself in If I Fix You (2016) by Abigail Johnson.
If I Fix You is Johnson's excellent debut novel.
Jill is a thoughtful and entertaining heroine. Her first person narration is conversational and breezy filled with evocative descriptions of a hot Arizona summer. Jill's love for cars and skills as a mechanic are unexpected and add another dimension to this story.
Johnson negotiates a complicated love triangle well. Jill's interactions with both Sean and Daniel are fascinating with chemistry that is tangible. While the romance is a huge part of the story, If I Fix You is really about Jill and her own choices as she tries to decide how to move forward after the painful heartbreak of her mother's departure.
If I Fix You is a solid and often unexpected contemporary romance. Recommended for readers who enjoy stories about characters pulling themselves back from the brink, books with chipper best friends, and romances that keep you guessing.
Possible Pairings: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre, Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake, This Raging Light by Estelle Laure, When We Collided by Emery Lord, Falling Through Darkness by Carolyn MacCullough, The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle
rillastone's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
charmaineac's review against another edition
5.0
What a way to start a new year in books. Listen, I started this last year (haha) and cried. And cried. And cried some more. It was... cathartic. And right after I finished getting through the bad parts in the park, I put the book down (which was impressive, since I pretty much could not put it down prior to that point). It's like I wanted to experience the turning point with Jill during the new year.
I think it's insane how well Abigail Johnson can write about supremely messed up families when she says her family is supportive and loving in the acknowledgements. I do see some similarities with her follow-up book, The First to Know. They are ridiculously sad. Parents do strange and terrible things. The protagonist has an immense burden to bear.
I kind of wish a certain guy wasn't as great as he turned out to be (am I a sadist?). I think it would be such a wonderful parallel to Daniel's mother if we saw something similar in Jill's life. Like: forgiving someone even when they do despicable things, because you'd rather have them in your life than not. I think it was a cop-out for the situation to have turned into a misunderstanding.
The curveballs were crazy (Jill's mom is the definition of a "mic droop"). The setting, the pathetic fallacy, and every plot decision seemed meticulously planned. I think Abigail Johnson is quickly upgrading to "must read" status.
I think it's insane how well Abigail Johnson can write about supremely messed up families when she says her family is supportive and loving in the acknowledgements. I do see some similarities with her follow-up book, The First to Know. They are ridiculously sad. Parents do strange and terrible things. The protagonist has an immense burden to bear.
I kind of wish a certain guy wasn't as great as he turned out to be (am I a sadist?). I think it would be such a wonderful parallel to Daniel's mother if we saw something similar in Jill's life. Like: forgiving someone even when they do despicable things, because you'd rather have them in your life than not. I think it was a cop-out for the situation to have turned into a misunderstanding.
The curveballs were crazy (Jill's mom is the definition of a "mic droop"). The setting, the pathetic fallacy, and every plot decision seemed meticulously planned. I think Abigail Johnson is quickly upgrading to "must read" status.
ellietriplett's review against another edition
5.0
I love Johnson’s books. They are full of tough realistic situations and the deep, hard to process feelings that go along with them. Few authors can write emotional development at this level or with this much success.
caitlin_gabrielle's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Main characters:
Jill
Daniel
Sean
This book was written well and got me hooked pretty quickly. I was like, “ YESSS finally a good book ! “
But the thing that left me feeling weird was how everything all plays out ... I felt that the romantic part and the love interest was really disjointed.
Spoilers kinda
Main characters:
Jill
Daniel
Sean
This book was written well and got me hooked pretty quickly. I was like, “ YESSS finally a good book ! “
But the thing that left me feeling weird was how everything all plays out ... I felt that the romantic part and the love interest was really disjointed.
Spoilers kinda
abooked's review against another edition
3.0
I was surprised because the second character (the girl friend of the main character) was really good portraited, had her own thoughts and problems and were well developed.
*Respecto a la edición en español de este libro, he encontrado por lo menos como diez errores ortográficos, que para ser un libro de 300 paginas me parece bastante.
*Respecto a la edición en español de este libro, he encontrado por lo menos como diez errores ortográficos, que para ser un libro de 300 paginas me parece bastante.
prachidayal's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
- Easy read (5 hours)
- Jill was unlikeable and the treatment towards Sean was unjust. Sexual assault seemed normalized and victim-blaming was prevalent. I didn't like the car metaphors and similes and there really was not a hook to the book.
- Unpredictable, engaging romance. I love Claire's character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Child abuse