3.5 ⭐️

I loved this book! The premise was very cozy: a repair shop in the Scottish Highlands. I love The Repair Shop on tv, and I love small town series, so this was perfect. The characters in this book were very fun to read about, I loved the community vibes. In some sense it reminded me a little of Virgin River.

Ally and Jamie were fun characters. Sometimes I didn't really feel their chemistry, but I did understand their connection. What I especially appreciated in Ally was her growth as a character, I think it's very recognizable for us young women. I think Kiley described the "funk" after covid very well, and navigating friendships after highschool essentially. Her struggles to maintain balance in her entire family were quite recognizable as an eldest daughter.

I loved the way this book was written, the writing style flowed really nicely. The pov-switches felt natural and not forced at all. It was very fitting actually, because we had so many little storylines we were reading about. I would love to read more books in this series!!!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the arc.

This book was simply a warm hug in a cozy blanket! Everything was perfection from start to finish from the charm to the emotions to the characters themselves!

This is a sweet, slow paced story that will make you want to curl up with a cup of tea and enjoy a trip to the Highlands. The characters are multi-faceted and believable. Mental health is approached in a way that is informative and helpful. Social reform and community development is also addressed with hope but without being overwhelming. I've never been to the Highlands but so want to visit and this book only added to my wanderlust.

Soft, cosy and gentle. A story of gentle romance, finding your own way in life, second chances, and community. Jamie and Ally have both had a bit of a bumpy ride through life and their connection with each other is just perfect. And the setting in the beautiful Highlands was ideal.
Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Kiley Dunbar for the free ARC. All opnions are my own.

I absolutely adored this book. I could see it being made into a film. There is nothing bad to say, the writing is excellent, the storyline is engaging and I really just enjoyed every second. Please go and read this book, you’ll be left wanting more because it’s so good!

This book is a warm hug in cardigan form.
Kiley Dunbar is the queen of cozy heartbreak, and Fixing a Broken Heart delivers small-town vibes, lovable weirdos, and just enough emotional damage to make you cry into your hot chocolate.

Imagine “Gilmore Girls goes to Scotland,” but add power tools and healing through acts of service.
Yes, there’s romance. Yes, there’s a grumpy-sunshine dynamic. And yes, I now want to move to the Highlands and never come back.

(As a Scot from the highlands, loved this.)

A warm hug of a book - uplifting, romantic, and brimming with heart.

This book is completely immersive - perfect for cosying up and getting lost in. I loved the characters of Ally and Jamie - stellar characterisation - and the cast of supporting character really brought the village to life. The themes of second-chances and embracing life really shone through.

Can't wait for more in this series.

Ally is working at a job she doesn't like, and her boyfriend is ending their relationship. She meets Jamie at her father's repair shop. there is an instant attraction. Jamie is only there for the summer, what will happen?

Fixing a Broken Heart at the Highland Repair Shop is the kind of book that feels like a deep breath and a warm blanket. Set in the charming Scottish Highlands, it’s a gentle story of healing, second chances, and finding strength when you feel broken.

Ally McIntyre’s journey from heartbreak to hope is beautifully written. I loved watching her rebuild both her life and her sense of self in the cozy village of Cairn Dhu. The repair shop setting was unique and symbolic in all the right ways—mending broken things while learning to heal herself.

Jamie was such a lovely match for her—supportive, soft, and genuinely swoon-worthy. Their romance was sweet, slow-building, and had just enough open-door warmth to keep things realistic without taking over the story.

Cairn Dhu felt like a character in its own right, full of personality and heart. The cast of locals brought a sense of found family and small-town coziness that made this book such a comforting read.

Finishing this book on the train after a job interview that felt really good must be good luck?! I hope Im as lucky as Ally with finding a new job and going out and learning about myself some more.

I loved this setting so much. The way everything is described and all the new characters I know I'm going to love is wonderful. There were a lot of storylines all going together but that is to be expected for a new book in a series and im excited to see where we go from here.

thank you Kiley for the early review copy I loved this one and can't wait for more

I love the Borrow a Bookshop series and was excited to read this new book (hopefully the start of a new series) . The perfect thing about this book is that it combines another love of mine: the repair shop. This great tale focuses on more than the romance between the two main characters: Ally and Jaime. It’s a rake of community, finding yourself and processing grief. At times it harnesses the real emotions behind the repair shop but also the benefits to the community of recycling f and reusing. The end is fantastic and I’m so glad the easy ending wasn’t taken and Ally wasn’t held back.
Now I want more. Perhaps more from Ally and Jaime or Murray and perhaps even revisiting Laura in the future.

Another lovely read from Kiley. I really liked all the different aspects of this one, yes there is some romance mixed in, but there’s also a focus on reusing and repairing, helping the environment and even a police case thrown in too. Community is also a major part of this book, and so very important.

Ally is stuck in a job she doesn’t really like, with a boyfriend about to upend their relationship!
Jamie is visiting the town for a few months for experience as a Special Constable.
When their paths cross, for all the wrong reasons, at Ally’s dad’s repair barn, the wheels are set in motion for change for them both, and perhaps their friends and families too.

The cover for this book is beautiful, as is Kiley’s description of the Cairngorms and surrounding areas. I found myself rereading some of the descriptions, really absorbing each word, seeing these wonderful places in my minds eye.

I liked how the story doesn’t just focus on the main couple of characters, as their tales develop we get to know their families and their friends, all of whom are pivotal to this book. You will come to love (almost!) everyone you meet, especially those working in the repair barn, I loved the sisters personalities as well as the young and older coming together, sharing skills, new and old.

The relationship between Ally and her friends was a really moving part for me. Showing how we think we know someone, think we know all about their life, but we really don’t. We don’t know the struggles anyone is facing, a few social media posts tells us nothing. It shows how easily friendships can become a few ‘likes’ here, the odd comment on a photo there, no real proper communication.

There’s a couple of quite emotional bits so do have your tissues at the ready. Loss and grief is mentioned throughout, but in a very respectful, considerate way.

All in all a wonderful story, I’m hoping to find out more of what happens to Ally and Jamie’s story, but also that of Ally’s brother, there’s definitely a story to be told there! And of course all the others at the Highland Repair Shop!

Oh it's been a while since I've had a Kiley Dunbar book to lose myself in. I love them so much, and with this one set in Scotland, I'm instantly hooked.

I generally don't like it when a book is written in a specific dialect, for me it removes me from the action. But I liked it in this. It's only now and again, and it makes me feel closer to Scotland, and I love Scotland.

It is quick and easy to read, a quarter of it was done in an hour, and then I sped through the rest as I just couldn't put it down.

Ally was a very recognisable character, so real and flawed and familiar. She was almost depicting the experiences of every reader. The other characters were all great to - if not necessarily great people - and they all worked wonderfully against Ally's story.

I do wish the romantic aspect had happened more organically; I found it a little forced at first, shoehorned in to fit a plot that didn't really need it. There was nothing and then in the space of a couple of pages, there was this romance that just didn't feel very real to me. Although it did get more natural as it went on, I just think the start of the romance storyline needs working on.

It is a bit busy, there's a lot going on (I won't spoil it by saying what), and I do wonder if it would have been better if Kiley had focussed on a few of these storylines instead of all of them...I'm on the fence. I really enjoyed it so I can't say it negatively affected the enjoyment of it, but I did find myself thinking that there were perhaps too many storylines.

I loved the sense of community in this book. We live in such a one-use wasteful world that I love this inclusion, this fixing things, and very much "make do and mend", it was lovely, but it wasn't preachy.

What I love about Kiley's books are how warm and cosy they make you feel. This wasn't my absolute favourite of hers, but I'm glad there's a new Kiley Dunbar book in the world as they really are very good.

I enjoyed learning more about Ally and Jamie, the other characters in the book too were fantastic to read about. They all added something. The parts of this book that touched into loss were written beautifully and very heartwarming and emotional (like Jamie’s object he took to the repair shop).

Overall the book is an easy, fabulous read where you can get swept away to the highlands. It’s perfect for curling up on the sofa when you have a few hours spare. If you love reading about second chances this is a book that sums it up perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest views.

A heartwarming Highland hug of a book — even if some pieces didn’t quite click into place. 🧰💔🏔

The premise completely won me over: a charming Scottish repair shop, a heroine at a crossroads, and a cinnamon-roll constable with baggage of his own. There’s plenty to enjoy here — warm community vibes, a splash of romance, and that ever-popular Highlands setting.

But while the concept sparkled with promise, the execution felt a little too familiar at times. The emotional beats didn’t always land, and I found myself wishing for deeper character development — especially for Ally, who deserved more personal growth after her public heartbreak. I was especially torn over her decision to stay in the small town, when her fresh start elsewhere would've felt more empowering.

Still, this is a cosy, low-effort read with a sweet message about second chances, self-repair, and finding love where you least expect it. Ideal for curling up with on a quiet afternoon — just go in with gentle expectations and an appreciation for warm fuzzies over plot depth.

Ally's dreams shatter when she loses her job and her boyfriend. She tries to help her dad set up a repair shop for the locals but then get involved with stolen jewellery. Jamie's a special constable there to do training before he can become an enrolled police officer. Can't wait for the next book about the Highland Repair Shop

Probably my favourite book of the year to date. Kiley Dunbar is one of those authors you know will never disappoint and this book proves the point. Set in the Highlands it’s a gentle romance which touches on some big issues but all in the context of the story. Perfect reading for transporting you to a different place and time.

I really really loved this book. It is a fantastic story set in the Highlands . It is a story of a repair shop that one family runs. You have a couple of killer emotional moments. You have a love element . I don’t know how to review this but it is an ace read. Even the ending gets you. Read it. Kiley Dunbar is a fabulous writer.