Top 10 book of the year for me! 5 fabulous stars! Cannot wait for Book #2.

Fix Them Up follows Kat and Liam, two opposites thrown together by circumstance—and a crumbling house. When Kat relocates to Everly Heath to renovate her late father’s home, she’s focused on restoring the property and finding a fresh start. What she doesn’t anticipate is falling for Liam, the grumpy builder she hires to help her. Renovating a house is no small feat, and as the challenges pile up, so do the emotional stakes. The question becomes: can their growing connection survive the chaos?

What set this book apart for me was its emotional range. It didn’t just make me smile—it made me feel everything: joy, frustration, longing, and even heartbreak. Maggie Grant brings Everly Heath to life so vividly that I could picture every detail—from the high street to the local social club to Kat’s fixer-upper. The setting felt immersive and real, making the characters' journey all the more impactful.

The ending left me genuinely emotional in the best way possible.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Love love loved - small town strangers to kind of enemies to lovers but make it BRITISH!!! Gorgeously written, really sweet storyline and lovely characters. Yes a bit "insta love" but who cares this was simply brilliant and I can't wait to read more from Maggie Grant.

I loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting! Kat was such an awesome FMC - neuro diversity FTW! it was such a nice change to read a book not based in London and also loved the dynamic of the story being based around a house reno - particularly with sentimental meaning. I'm so looking forward to book 2!!!!

I read this first when it was published as "The Reno" and absolutely loved it. Having read it again under its new name "Fix Them Up", I can fully remember why I've been eagerly awaiting more stories from Everly Heath. The banter between the central couple Kat and Liam flows flawlessly and whilst hitting several tropes of the romance genre, the whole thing feels fresh. The only downside is that it's not a new story from Everly Heath, but it was still gorgeous to be back with everyone.

4.5

Thank you to Maggie for the ARC ❤️ all reviews are honest and freely given.

I’ve been really excited for the release of Maggies debut novel and it was worth the wait. Everly Heath and its inhabitants are charming as hell, Liam had me ❤️ from the first scene and as an ADHD girlie myself, I connected a lot with Kats struggles.

Maggie has already announced book 2 and I’m counting down to go back.

Okay, this had no right to be the masterpiece that it is! How will I ever manage to narrow down all my favourite quotes?? Haha. But really what a beautiful small-town grumpy meets sunshine enemies-to-lovers slowburn romance! A classic combination of all things hilarious and heartful. I cannot believe this is a debut novel, Maggie Grant has produced something wonderful here. Fans of Tessa Bailey, Tarah Dewitt, and Abby Jimenez will adore this!

To sum up this book “it was something out of a fucking Hallmark film” – which is exactly why this needs to be made into one!

For a debut, this book is incredible, you have to read it to understand where I am coming from! There are some hilarious sequences like Kat hitting Liam with a lamp thinking he is a burglar (I laughed so hard at this!), or when she insists on camping for the night but the tent rips and she gets soaked and Liam saves her despite her protests. But this is not just your average rom-com, there is so much depth to the characters that a lot of it resonated with me and I could feel it in my soul! In that sense, this reminded me of Abby Jimenez and her work except this book did focus more on the romance which is what I prefer. Hearing Kat’s mother putting Kat down, I felt this. I really hated her mother (surprised that even I liked her by the end of it). I know those sorts of conversations and having to be defensive about it – Maggie captured this perfectly. Nobody deserves to have to defend their dreams.

Maggie Grant acknowledges her own husband in her Acknowledgements thanking him for his “steadfast encouragement when doubt and imposter syndrome sets in”. This is so sweet and a lot like Liam with Kat, so clearly Grant’s own beautiful relationship is reflected in her work.

Indeed, the exploration of healthy and toxic relationships was done very well. We get the toxic relationship between Kat and her mother Paula, but a more positive one between Kat and her stepfather Graham and (bless him) he is always the voice of reason for Paula and helps diffuse situations. Eventually, Kat’s mother sees the error of her ways and tries to be there for her (and has even paid attention to Kat’s designs and admit she’s proud of her). Her friendships with Lydia and Willa are very wholesome and they are supportive.

Liam and Kat’s relationship is so healthy. They communicate all the time which is something couples are not good at. Their conversations flowed so naturally. I especially love their “It’s fine” or “I’m fine” and they respond “No, it’s not. Talk to me”. And they are super supportive of the other person. Kat encourages Liam to finally open a restaurant, and Liam helps Kat find her own self-worth, gain confidence and also follow her dreams. This is so beautiful. Their talk of grief moved me the most.

The descriptions Maggie Grant writes alone are amazing, very witty and poetic. Some examples I love are “She had the energy of the Duracell buny and the spirit of a children’s TV presenter” and “Lydia’s eyes were wide, bouncing between us like it was the final at Wimbledon”.

I expected more spice but what was here was *chef’s kiss*, ‘scuse the pun. Other than that, I found very little fault. Overall, I adored this and I am hope very much to return to Everly Heath soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bedford Square publishers for providing me with an arc!

Fix Them Up follows Kat and Liam. When Kat moves hundreds of miles up north to renovate her late dad’s house, she doesn’t expect to fall in love with grumpy builder she hired to help her. She’s determined to make this house a success but turns out completely redoing a whole house is harder than she thought. In come grumpy builder Liam, can the pair’s potential relationship survive this ordeal?

I know a book is next level good, when I don’t just feel love, happiness and excitement but also sadness, frustration and anger. I truly felt like I was in Everly Heath, I can picture the whole town. The high street, the social club, Kat’s House: everything felt so real. The ending of this book made my heart feel so happy and only the special ones make me cry, and these guys had me. Maggie Grant, I love you and can’t wait to see what you write next.