Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey
Publisher: Avon Books
Publish Date: June 11, 2019
Synopsis: Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World… whatever that means.
Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?)
Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.)
Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)
Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)
Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite.
Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there’s Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her…
Disclosure: ARC provided for an honest review. #partner
This book. Whew!
I wasn’t expecting anything from Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey except a good time. But wow, friends, did I get so much more.
I haven’t read many from Tessa Bailey, so I wasn’t prepared for the great sexy times that filled the pages. Fix Her Up began with a sweet childhood crush that developed into a reinvention of sorts. Both Travis and Georgie have their own pasts that they were trying to overcome, and each found solace in each other.
I loved Georgie. She’s quirky and fun, with such a large and kind heart. I understood her on a level I didn’t expect. She is the baby of the family, so to have to outgrown that status was something that I really connected to. I loved that she is a clown for all the right reasons. Her personal story really touched my heart, and I loved everything good that happened for her.
Travis is the token guy in the story. He had it all – rich, fame, girls – and it was quickly taken away. It took a bit to get used to him, but I think that was the purpose. Bringing these two together was the turning point. I was saddened by his family’s past. It isn’t easy talking about broken homes, and Bailey touches a lot about different levels of dysfunction. I appreciated his story, and I think that is what helped me connect with him.
Acceptance and loyalty play such a huge part of this story, and I wasn’t really expecting that. It had a deeper and more emotional feel than other books I’ve read of late, BUT it also had much more steam than others.
Okay, the sexy times. Bailey took it ALL the way there and I was here for it! The intensity between these two? Off the charts. It definitely balanced the heavier emotional aspects of the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t put it down, and I definitely sacrificed sleep so I can finish it. I cannot wait for Dom and Rosie’s story!
*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*