"The Fixer Upper" is a romantic comedy set in England, focusing on Alexandra Griffiths, a successful estate agent, and her interactions with her best friend Emma, her boyfriend Thomas, and her new neighbors Mark and Callum. As Emma and Mark start a relationship, Alex grows closer to Callum, transitioning from friends to lovers. The story unfolds with humor and entertaining interactions, with a focus on Alex's professional life and personal challenges. The romance develops gradually, making it a delightful read for fans of gentle romance with comedic elements.

This was enjoyable and a perfect palette cleanser read. A fun fast read. Would have loved a bit more romance in this though.

I would recommend Phoebe MacLeod's new book, the Fixer Upper. Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

A two fold rom com.
Alex is a real estate agent who is moving into a flat with her friend. When her boyfriend goes to America for an art retreat things start going downhill.
I found this one tricky to get into. I liked the main character and the romantic lead but I felt like their relationship didn’t have enough depth and happened too quickly. For most of the book Alex is in a relationship with Tom and we see the relationship disintegrating. It is interesting to see the relationship fail in real time but doesn’t leave much time to develop the new relationship. I would have liked a longer epilogue to compensate for this.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Alex meets Callum when he moves in next door. First impressions are not great, but as she gets to know him she starts to fall for him. A great read.

unfortunately, this book was a flop for me. I was excited for a witty rom com but it felt so stereotypical and the characters didn’t feel 3D at all. Callum’s got that ‘just a normal guy’ vibe to the point that cringed at every single thing he did. also, Emma seems like a horrible friend! the whole inexperienced shy geek thing was just painful and the situations that Alex got into were not as funny as they were uncomfortable! there was barely any time for her to get together with Callum after how long it took for her to break up with her boyfriend from the beginning of the book.

Um 😶
Pros:
It made me laugh out loud a few times.
It was well written.

Cons:
The FMC is in a relationship with a man who is not the MMC, for over 50% of the book-we get more of their “love” story than we do of the actual couple the book is supposedly about
The actual “love” story is lacking in chemistry, time to to develop, and any semblance of detailed progression-it’s literally just 80+% in and suddenly they are couple and all is well.
There’s no hook to the plot, there’s lots of tiny little plots but none of them go anywhere and there’s no twist because you spend the first half of the book waiting for her to break up with someone else.
The whole bit about Jerry the homeless guy gave me the ick- the way they spoke about him and the infantilisation of “oh just give him a treat to distract him and he’ll leave you alone” he’s an adult human being not a child or a dog!
Oh and the epilogue is someone else’s wedding…they mention that our main couple are getting married the following month, so flash forward to that and give us their wedding not the wedding of the other couple that are barely in the book once they get together!
I
I’m sorry I laughed but even that wasn’t enough to make me enjoy this book-oh and the name makes no sense-the apartment doesn’t need fixed up, and if it’s meant to allude to Calum then a haircut and him wearing different glasses just doesn’t cut it.

A fun romcom about four flatmates!
Alex is our heroine, who's an estate agent, a people pleaser who is sadly not so happy in her own life. After her boyfriend, Thomas breaks up with her for the most selfish reasons, she decides enough is enough and starts to stand up to her own value!
By chance she starts a sort of friendship with grumpy Callum, who happens to be her neighbour. He is a bit shy under all the grouchiness and their relationship start to develop into new territories.
The unfolding of the story was a bit predictable at times, but sometimes that's exactly what you need in a romance book.

An absolute delightful read. It is marketed as a romcom, but it's more com than rom because the romance takes a back seat in the whole story. But that doesn't really matter. The storyline involving Thomas, his family, and the 'artists retreat' is very entertaining. And the real estate escapades of Alex are very funny. The moral of the story: 'never judge a book by its cover' or by other people's opinions.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A nice read based on four flatmates sharing two neighbouring flats. Alex and Emma, and Mark and Callum. Emma and Mark get together and Callum moves in with Alex. After terminating her relationship with boyfriend Thomas and discovering the hidden depths to Callum, this sweet couple get together after Callum proves to be a hero when rescuing Alex from a mugger.

A fun easy read. Not quite what I was expecting, but enjoyed the story and the writing. Will read more by this author.

This is a delightfully sweet and charming romantic comedy with a grumpy/sunshine trope (one of my favorites!). Alex is an estate agent and she spends her time trying to make everyone's life happy, but she isn't so happy in her own life. Her boyfriend of three years decides that instead of investing in their future, he wants to spend all of his savings and go on an artists' retreat, leaving her behind. He expects Alex to wait for him, but she realizes she deserves better and learns to stand up for herself. While her boyfriend is away enjoying his life, she strikes up a friendship with Callum, her new neighbor. They couldn't be more opposite, Callum is the grumpy to her sunshine, but something about him compels her to seek out his company. As they spend more time together, they get to know each other better and as Callum once came off as just a grumpy nerd, Alex sees that he's just a shy and socially awkward guy with a huge, kind heart. She begins to realize that maybe that's exactly what she needs in her life, and it's been right in front of her all along.
I really enjoyed Alex's character, such a sweet, kind, and empathetic person. I liked that she really got to know Callum and didn't let his gruff exterior put her off. The story was well-written and fun and I had a great time reading it. A predictable, but cute and entertaining story and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing a complimentary copy. This is my honest opinion

Best friends, neighbors, love interest... or all three. Two best friends finally move out on their own. One has a relationship end, the other is seeing new potential. There's a lot going on in this book and it's all about relationships! Would recommend!

"The Fixer Upper" by Phoebe MacLeod is a heartwarming and delightful romantic tale that goes beyond the surface to explore the potential for love and happiness. Alex, an estate agent who specializes in creating happy-ever-afters for others, finds herself in a romantic fix when her long-term boyfriend, Thomas, opts for an artist retreat in San Francisco instead of building a future with her.

I rated "The Fixer Upper" 5 stars because it skillfully combines humor, relatable characters, and a compelling storyline. MacLeod creates a charming dynamic between Alex and her grumpy neighbor, Callum, whose nerdy and taciturn demeanor contrasts with Alex's bubbly personality. As their friendship deepens, the novel beautifully unfolds the possibility of love being closer than expected.

The narrative is engaging, and the characters are well-developed, allowing readers to connect emotionally with their journey. "The Fixer Upper" is a feel-good romance that not only entertains but also resonates with the idea that sometimes, true love is found when we least expect it, right in our own backyard.

How refreshing it was to fall into the pages of The Fixer-Upper, Phoebe MacLeod’s latest romantic comedy, where friendship remains a pillar and shocking events don’t drive the plot. Rather, it’s a novel that lets us meet the main characters, sit with them a while, and watch them develop new and healthy relationships without any back-stabbing or scandal.

Alex and Emma are best friends who buy a flat together, and in typical rom-com fashion, fall for the boys next door – well, really across the hall. What follows is a sweet and often hilarious story about how confident real estate agent Alex and less confident Emma find themselves in a quest to find true – or at least lasting – love.

I enjoyed the tease of the title that persisted through the opening chapters, for the “fixer-upper” isn’t the flat that Emma and Alex buy. It’s their next door neighbor Callum, and even he doesn’t really need fixing so much as he needs a style consultant and a confidence booster.

Watching Alex process her changing feelings for her long-term boyfriend Thomas, especially after he moves to San Francisco for an artists’ retreat, is much like watching my own self in my twenties as I learned what I wanted, what I didn’t, and what wants were really needs, and it’s that universality that really makes this book shine. We’ve all had to re-examine our choices at one time or another. We’ve all had the focus of of our relationships change – at times the most important person is our best friend, while at other times it’s our partner. Those shifts are a normal part of our evolution into stable adults, and author MacLeod captures them brilliantly.

While I loved the Alex and Callum thread in this novel, and enjoyed the Emma and Mark thread, the character I felt was a bit underserved in this story was the other best friend, Michelle, who is a tower of support for Alex, especially when Emma’s focus changes.

If you’re looking for accidental sleuths, scandal, or mayhem, this is not the book for you. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a relatable, feel-good romance with well-drawn characters who feel like the people you might meet in the local cafe, run to your nearest source of books, and get a copy of The Fixer-Upper. You won’t regret it.

Goes well with: coffee and anisette toast.

This fantastic and hilarious book was such a nice easy read and it was nice that it focused on a clear story rather than going back and forth with too much drama.

The story followed the MFC Alex as she deals with Thomas, her long term partner who decides to spend all this savings and head off on a retreat to San Fran rather than using it to put a deposit down on a house with Alex (especially as he still lives at home with his mum!). Whilst he's away having some questionable 'fun', Alex finds she is drawn to her grumpy neighbour Callum who seems to be everything that Thomas is not...

I really felt this was such a nice feel good friends to lovers book, and I loved the building chemistry between Alex and Callum and seeing their character developments throughout the story. Although it was a slow burn romance I didn't feel as though I wanted it to hurry up, it was written well so that it built up nicely and the ending was perfect!

A really enjoyable read that I (shamelessly) read in one sitting....(what housework!? 😂)

Alex and Emma are flatmates. Mark and Callum share the flat next door. In a predictable rom com, they end up getting together.

I really enjoyed this story. It moved at a good pace and the characters were well drawn by the author.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Libro.FM for providing me with a copy of The Fixer Upper by Phoebe MacLeod. This book read like women’s fiction with a slight sub-plot of romance. The main woman has a partner for the first 50% of the book and he clearly isn’t supposed to be the main love interest. The second relationship feels forced for the plot and I didn’t feel the chemistry between them. There isn’t even a hint of attraction - on her side, at least as this is not dual POV - until 80% in and suddenly they’re happy and in love?

I was not sure about this book because I read a few bad reviews about it but I still wanted to read it because the story seemed fun and I am so happy I did! I really don't understand the bad reviews because this book is so much fun and so enjoyable to read! As you follow two different main characters, it's impossible to be bored and there is always something happening. I loved reading about both main characters even though they were very different from one another and one of them is a lot more likeable than the other. I loved every single page of this book!!!! I am so happy I have read it!

This was such a fun and cute read. I really enjoyed it and found it captivating and really enjoyed seeing how the characters of Alex and Callum developed. A fun light read