Page Count: 304
Published on: October 25, 2016
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction
Source: Paperback - sent from the author and publisher
Source: Paperback - sent from the author and publisher
Age Rating: YA
TRIGGER WARNING. MAY CONTAIN HEAVY TOPICS PERTAINING TO ABUSE, DOMESTIC ISSUES, AND FEELS
Book Depository: {click here}
Twitter: @AbigailsWriting
My Rating: 4.25 stars
Goodreads synopsis:
When sixteen-year-old Jill Whitaker’s mom walks out—with a sticky note as a goodbye—only Jill knows the real reason she’s gone. But how can she tell her father? Jill can hardly believe the truth herself.
Suddenly, the girl who likes to fix things—cars, relationships, romances, people—is all broken up. Used to be, her best friend, tall, blond and hot flirt Sean Addison, could make her smile in seconds. But not anymore. They don’t even talk.
With nothing making sense, Jill tries to pick up the pieces of her life. But when a new guy moves in next door, intense, seriously cute, but with scars—on the inside and out—that he thinks don’t show, Jill finds herself trying to make things better for Daniel. But over one long, hot Arizona summer, she realizes she can’t fix anyone’s life until she fixes her own. And she knows just where to start . . .
~~~
Hey, guys!
I was contacted by the publisher and author to read and write an honest review. This book will become a quick favorite of those who enjoy Rainbow Rowell, Morgan Matson, Sarah Dessen, and Jenny Han's books. If I Fix You follows sixteen-year-old Jill. Jill's life has taken a turn for the worse when her mother just up and leaves her father after a major scandal. Suddenly, Jill's life is broken and a mess and she doesn't know what to do. As she tries to move past her mother's rejection, a new family moves in next door. The neighbor boy, Daniel is intense and really great looking. As Jill and Daniel become friends, she tries to fix his tragic situation the best she can. But she has to realize that in order to help others, she must heal herself before she can do anything.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book. The main character, Jill, was fantastically fleshed out and I really enjoyed getting to know her as the book progressed. Her growth as a character was really wonderful to read about. She never caught a break in this book and she always tried to make her situation better and to move past it and grow. Jill's character is really natural and relate-able. She's so fun and snarky and I adored her conversations and hilarious antics with her friends and dad. She is so passionate about cars and being a mechanic and I just loved it. Her emotions were so valid and were written really well. It was so natural and I never felt like Abigail Johnson was over doing it or writing about it badly.
The main two guy characters were also really interesting and well written. The character, Daniel, was such a deep and fascinating character. His whole situation was so tragic and heartbreaking. I really felt for him. As I continued to get to know Daniel, and as Daniel and Jill became closer friends, I started to really love their friendship. I never really shipped Jill and Daniel, however, I thought they were better off as friends. This isn't a spoiler, I promise. This is just an opinion. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens. The other guy character, Sean, wasn't as developed as Daniel, but he was still very dreamy. I loved seeing his character progression as the book went on. I think that because the book was always in Jill's point-of-view, it really emphasized the changes that she experienced and she really was quite observant when it came to how their friendship fluctuated. Their friendship was quite rocky for the majority of the book, but I loved reading the flashbacks and moments where Jill looked back on the time before her mother left.
The whole drama that took place throughout the book was written so seamlessly. The combination of the problematic friendships, the family drama, the domestic issues, and boy-issues were such heavy topics by themselves, but Johnson wrote them all in the story so wonderfully. It never felt like there were too many issues to handle or that any of them were too much in one story. The twist that happened towards the end wasn't a complete surprise in my opinion. I speculated that it had happened, but it was still quite tragic when it was confirmed. I feel like the topics that this book emphasized was done very well. It was very realistic, and I'm kind of in love with Johnson's writing style. I can't wait to read her new book!
Overall, this book was really fantastic and I was thoroughly impressed. It really exceeded my expectations. The writing was flawless and the characters were so fantastically fleshed out. I adored the setting and the couldn't put this book down. Johnson's debut, in my opinion, was a complete success. I can't wait to read her second book which comes out later than this year. and I can't wait to see how her writing career pans out from here.
Other Contemporary/Realistic Fiction Books You'd Love:
- Textrovert by Lindsey Summers
- Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant
- Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
- P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
- Girl Online by Zoe Sugg
- Geek Girl by Holly Smale
Happy reading!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~
@LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino
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