A review by yeontan
The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

4.0

The Fixer tells the story of sixteen year old Tess Kendrick who has spent her entire life with her grandfather on his Montana ranch. One day Tess' estranged older sister shows up and plucks her out of her quiet Montana life and tosses her headfirst into her political D.C. life.
I started this book because I was going through a very long reading slump and let me tell you, it was the best choice to get me out of said slump. I instantly connected with Tess. Jennifer Lynn Barnes wrote her with such a powerful voice and an affinity for protecting the weak, it was impossible not to love her. Tess' relationship with her sister was one of my favorite aspects of the story. It is complicated and filled with raw emotion. I felt every punch in the gut just a strongly as the Kendricks sisters did each time they interacted. And boy was their relationship complicated and grew even more so as the story progressed. Just when you think you know everything there is to know about Ivy and Tess - you realize you don't.

I also enjoyed Tess' relationship with her friends: Vivvie, Henry, Asher, and Emilia. I expected Tess' time at Hardwicke to be socially challenging and was pleasantly surprised she did not find herself the victim of bullying. Instead, Tess is able to seamlessly fit in with her classmates and make fast friends particularly, with Vivvie and Asher. Although I will say I was upset to see less and less of Asher and Vivvie as the story unfolded.

As Tess begins to spend more time in D.C. she realizes she doesn't exactly know everything about Ivy. Regardless of this fact Tess manages to earn herself a reputation as the school fixer and realizes she and Ivy have more in common than she thought. As her school's reluctant fixer Tess finds herself in the middle of one situation she can't fix and what is easily the nation's biggest scandal.

I have to say I was not expecting Tess to find herself in the middle of such a big conspiracy but was pleasantly surprised. The story telling was fast paced and addictive. The main villain is in plain sight yet I was still surprised. Jennifer Lynn Barnes did an excellent job at tying in every character to the overall conspiracy. Every person had a role in some way. As Tess discovered more and more about the conspiracy I was on the edge of my seat.

The Fixer is a tightly paced story with lovable and vivid characters. It is a story of family, political intrigue, and legacy. If you're looking for a quick read to end your reading slump highly recommend The Fixer.

full review on blog