Posted by “Confessions of a Shopaholic” author Sophie Kinsella is the queen of the bubbly, rom-com story genre. When you pick up any one of her books, you already have an idea of how the story will develop, but it’s still enjoyable. I recently finished Kinsella’s “I Owe You One,” which sticks to her general template.
Synopsis: Fixie Farr works for her family’s general store in England with her mother and an array of staff. Her older brother Jake always has a grand scheme up his sleeve, while her sister Nicole is seemingly an airhead who loves yoga and selfies. A family emergency forces the matriarch of the family to take some much-needed time off, leaving the store in the hands of Fixie. A chance encounter with a handsome stranger in a coffee shop, Seb, and the return of Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, lead to a complicated yet exciting turn of events, including an IOU.
“I Owe You One” is what I like to refer to as a “palate cleanser.” It’s a book that helps ease you back into reading without a complex plot, likable characters, and is all-around entertaining. From the very start of the book, I liked Fixie, a woman who answers the request when family duties call.
Her relationship with Ryan, however, was irritating. Fixie allowed her crush to consume her thoughts and actions, even when it was clear that Ryan was wrong and had poor intentions. Fixie held back with Ryan and her family, especially in situations when she should’ve spoken up.
The relationship with Seb seemed organic, at least in comparison to Ryan. Two people who grew to know one another, even if things got rocky.
Overall, cute read. It flowed very well and was easy to put down & pick up whenever I needed it.
4 stars. Why? It was a nice story, but nothing too magical—something to get your mind off of everything happening right now.
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