What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fixer Upper
The BRAND-NEW hilarious rom com from the bestselling author of An Un Romantic Comedy, perfect for fans of Sophie Ranald and Sophie Kinsella.
Finding a man is like buying a sometimes you have to look beyond the exterior to see the potential underneath.
As an estate agent, Alex’s job is to create happy-ever-afters. It’s just a shame she can’t work the same magic on her own life. Her long-term boyfriend Thomas still lives with his mother, and her hopes of them taking the next step are dashed when he announces he’s spending all his savings (savings she’d quite hoped he’d want to put towards their future home) on an ‘artist retreat� in San Francisco.
With Thomas thousands of miles away, getting a little too friendly with his fellow artistes, Alex strikes up a friendship with her new neighbour, Callum. Taciturn, grumpy and nerdy, Callum couldn’t be more different to Alex’s bubbly personality.... So why is he the one she wakes up wanting to talk to?
As they get to know each other, Alex starts to wonder if the answer to all her problems might be closer to home than she thinks�
Finding a man is like buying a sometimes you have to look beyond the exterior to see the potential underneath.
As an estate agent, Alex’s job is to create happy-ever-afters. It’s just a shame she can’t work the same magic on her own life. Her long-term boyfriend Thomas still lives with his mother, and her hopes of them taking the next step are dashed when he announces he’s spending all his savings (savings she’d quite hoped he’d want to put towards their future home) on an ‘artist retreat� in San Francisco.
With Thomas thousands of miles away, getting a little too friendly with his fellow artistes, Alex strikes up a friendship with her new neighbour, Callum. Taciturn, grumpy and nerdy, Callum couldn’t be more different to Alex’s bubbly personality.... So why is he the one she wakes up wanting to talk to?
As they get to know each other, Alex starts to wonder if the answer to all her problems might be closer to home than she thinks�
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 3, 2024
2271 people are currently reading
1480 people want to read
About the author
Phoebe MacLeod
16books354followersPhoebe MacLeod is married and lives just outside Sevenoaks in Kent. She has two grown-up sons at university, and a disobedient dog. She enjoys reading, cooking, playing the piano and walking the dog. She’s also keen on vintage and classic cars and can often be seen behind the wheel of her own classic - a 1928 Ford Model A.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews
March 6, 2024
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’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.
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’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.
May 30, 2024
I actually can’t express how dreadful this was
July 22, 2024
Much better than the last romance book I read. It’s a very slow burn but great development of the main character and love interest. The only reason why I have it four stars is that I wished for more heated love scenes.
Full review:
I like MacLeod, but do realize that she writes "clean romances." The main characters have sex, but you didn't read about it in the moment. Mostly fade to black and or they refer to it later and the main character will just say it's great. So, I do like her as a romance read, but dang girl, I would like some visuals.
"The Fixer Upper" follows Alex who is an estate agent. She's in a happy relationship with her long term boyfriend Thomas and ready to take things to the next level. However, Thomas is focused on his career on an artist, and Alex ends up moving in with her best friend. When Alex's best friend obsesses over the across the way neighbors, Alex finds herself getting closer to one of the new neighbors, Callum. With Alex getting to know Callum, she starts to see that there is more to him than meets the eye.
I honestly loved how Alex was developed in this. She took no crap. Once she realized where things were going with her relationship with Thomas she made a decision and stuck to it. She didn't allow her roommate to push her around either.
I also laughed some with one of Alex's clients and their lifestyle (no spoilers).
But all in all this was just a solid slow burn romance that made me happy.
Full review:
I like MacLeod, but do realize that she writes "clean romances." The main characters have sex, but you didn't read about it in the moment. Mostly fade to black and or they refer to it later and the main character will just say it's great. So, I do like her as a romance read, but dang girl, I would like some visuals.
"The Fixer Upper" follows Alex who is an estate agent. She's in a happy relationship with her long term boyfriend Thomas and ready to take things to the next level. However, Thomas is focused on his career on an artist, and Alex ends up moving in with her best friend. When Alex's best friend obsesses over the across the way neighbors, Alex finds herself getting closer to one of the new neighbors, Callum. With Alex getting to know Callum, she starts to see that there is more to him than meets the eye.
I honestly loved how Alex was developed in this. She took no crap. Once she realized where things were going with her relationship with Thomas she made a decision and stuck to it. She didn't allow her roommate to push her around either.
I also laughed some with one of Alex's clients and their lifestyle (no spoilers).
But all in all this was just a solid slow burn romance that made me happy.
January 16, 2024
I found it was a bit difficult to get into this book at first. It doesn't have big plot hooks that sweep you off your feet. No major twists, as you can imagine what's going to happen many chapters in advance.
The characters were a bit off. It was weird to see Alex's relationship to her roommate Emma, one so focused on cleaning, the other basically the opposite.
Or even her relationship to Thomas. You could have predicted a mile away what was going to happen when he decided to go to that college in San Francisco.
I enjoyed having no miscommunication and misunderstandings tropes, I really do hate them, as you probably know. And I found the last part more entertaining than the firs.
Overall, it's a nice book with no pretense to be more than what it is, an enjoyable read with low drama.
Thanks to Boldwood and NetGalley for the ARC.
The characters were a bit off. It was weird to see Alex's relationship to her roommate Emma, one so focused on cleaning, the other basically the opposite.
Or even her relationship to Thomas. You could have predicted a mile away what was going to happen when he decided to go to that college in San Francisco.
I enjoyed having no miscommunication and misunderstandings tropes, I really do hate them, as you probably know. And I found the last part more entertaining than the firs.
Overall, it's a nice book with no pretense to be more than what it is, an enjoyable read with low drama.
Thanks to Boldwood and NetGalley for the ARC.
March 15, 2024
Highly recommend listening to the audiobook!
The narrator has really brought this story to life and I laughed quite a few times out loud 😆
The narrator has really brought this story to life and I laughed quite a few times out loud 😆
March 29, 2024
Please help I can’t stop reading very mid romances😭😭😭
December 21, 2024
A solid four
Read
January 17, 2024i wanted to love this one, but it was so slow from the beginning and dragged. i didn't connect with the characters, and the overall storyline, while unique, was also a bit confusing. it didn't feel connected and wasn't very enjoyable. however, it was still a fast-paced and easy to read romcom- it just wasn't for me.
thanks to netgalley for my arc in exchange for an honest opinion!
thanks to netgalley for my arc in exchange for an honest opinion!
June 6, 2024
Very close to being a DNF. Was not impressed with the characters, especially Emma and Mark. Book jumped around a lot and felt like the storyline was just bizarre at times.
February 21, 2024
This was such a cute little British rom-com a-la flat-sharing and then swapping.
I enjoyed a lot of elements of this story. The author got a lot done in a short story, and still managed to develop characters. I enjoyed listening to this on my commute. It's a fade to black romantic comedy where two gals move into a new flat and two guys move into the flat across the hall. She's a real estate broker, he's a misunderstood computer nerd... it's all just very sweet. Friendship, self worth, jobs, finding things that bring you joy - all themes in this book!
Thank you to Libro.fm for access to this audio. These are my honest thoughts!
I enjoyed a lot of elements of this story. The author got a lot done in a short story, and still managed to develop characters. I enjoyed listening to this on my commute. It's a fade to black romantic comedy where two gals move into a new flat and two guys move into the flat across the hall. She's a real estate broker, he's a misunderstood computer nerd... it's all just very sweet. Friendship, self worth, jobs, finding things that bring you joy - all themes in this book!
Thank you to Libro.fm for access to this audio. These are my honest thoughts!
June 4, 2024
painful dialogue and not the plot i was expecting
January 24, 2025
Sorry but what a dreadful book, how is it that every single character wasn't even likeable?? I genuinely didn't think that was possible - Jack and Michelle were probably the best characters in this book and they were in it maybe twice for 2 seconds. I'm so disappointed because the premise of this book seemed like it would be so so good and then it just... wasn't? Alex wasn't anything special, I didn't dislike her but I didn't like her either - Emma I could genuinely do with never thinking about her again I hated her that much. Mark was irrelevant and Callum gave absolutely nothing if I'm honest - I was waiting for a tsundere turned taciturn and it wasn't there which, again, was a huge disappointment. Everything with Thomas seemed so pointless and just seemed like something to drag the plot along but even then it didn't add anything to the plot or to the story or to the characterisation of anyone - he was just a weirdo?? I just did not get this book or it's reputation, I plodded along for like 70% bored but willing to finish it and then the rest I should've just dnf'd - overall, not a great book
August 21, 2024
Ummmm I’m not entirely sure what I just read! 😂 The book hurtled into the strangest plot of a very unromantic story which was kinda hilarious but I can only describe it as odd. Half way though the book I couldn’t decide whether it was the worst book I’d read in a while or it it was actually a very strange but entertaining book!
Anyway by the later half of the book things came together and it was all wrapped up very quickly and fairly sanely - given the rest of the book - in the last few chapters. I’ve got to admit in the end there was actually a decent slow burn within it all (albeit with some strange elements) and some brilliantly written characters.
Anyway by the later half of the book things came together and it was all wrapped up very quickly and fairly sanely - given the rest of the book - in the last few chapters. I’ve got to admit in the end there was actually a decent slow burn within it all (albeit with some strange elements) and some brilliantly written characters.
June 6, 2024
this book fundamentally changed me and now i need to read every romcom i can get my claws on
i giggled, i almost threw my book, i kicked my little feet, and i finished it basically in one sitting � what more could you ask for?
10/10 no notes
i giggled, i almost threw my book, i kicked my little feet, and i finished it basically in one sitting � what more could you ask for?
10/10 no notes
October 10, 2024
me pretending i can relate, when this book is very british
March 2, 2024
� 𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖 �
The Fixer Upper. Phoebe MacLeod
🗓� February 3, 2024
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬: Rom com
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 👍:
▫️ Short and sweet and things move along as a pleasing pace.
▫️ Lighthearted and funny at times.
▫️ The romance is sort of cute/fluffy and refreshingly normal/relatable.
▫️ Most characters are pretty lovable.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’� 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 👎:
▫️ The FMC is with a love interest for the whole first half of the book and it’s obvious from the beginning they’re not meant to be endgame so it feels a bit dragged out.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: Rom coms that are cute/fun but without much spice
Thank you to @librofm for the ALC!
The Fixer Upper. Phoebe MacLeod
🗓� February 3, 2024
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬: Rom com
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 👍:
▫️ Short and sweet and things move along as a pleasing pace.
▫️ Lighthearted and funny at times.
▫️ The romance is sort of cute/fluffy and refreshingly normal/relatable.
▫️ Most characters are pretty lovable.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’� 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 👎:
▫️ The FMC is with a love interest for the whole first half of the book and it’s obvious from the beginning they’re not meant to be endgame so it feels a bit dragged out.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: Rom coms that are cute/fun but without much spice
Thank you to @librofm for the ALC!
February 9, 2024
I received an ALC copy of this book from the publisher.
I love when a book can make me LOL in real life the whole time. This was such a fun rom-com and a safe one for people who like books without all the spice. The narration was great. Highly recommend.
I love when a book can make me LOL in real life the whole time. This was such a fun rom-com and a safe one for people who like books without all the spice. The narration was great. Highly recommend.
June 19, 2024
Book Review: "The Fixer Upper" by Phoebe MacLeod
Title: The Fixer Upper
Author: Phoebe MacLeod
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Review:
Phoebe MacLeod’s "The Fixer Upper" is a light-hearted contemporary romance that blends humour with the often unpredictable journey of finding love.
Characters:
Alex: The protagonist, an estate agent who is as professional and successful in her job as she is uncertain and hopeful in her personal life. Alex is direct, has a keen ability to read people well, and is mature and reliable. She demonstrates strong boundaries and is a strong, relatable character with a good sense of humour.
Thomas: Alex’s long-term boyfriend whose lack of commitment and prioritization of his art over their relationship serves as a catalyst for Alex’s transformation. He is somewhat of a mama's boy and is definitively selfish, contributing to the story's conflict.
Callum: The new neighbour, initially grumpy and reserved, who gradually reveals a more caring and supportive side. Callum’s character adds depth and contrast to Alex’s world, making their interactions and eventual romance engaging and heart-warming.
Alex and Callum’s relationship develops slowly, allowing for a natural progression that is both cute and realistic. Their evolving dynamic is one of the book's highlights.
Conclusion:
Despite its flaws in writing quality, the book is entertaining and provides a pleasant reading experience. I have read worst. The author’s writing includes humorous moments that evoke smiles and laughter. The setting is also a pleasant surprise, being located in a town close to mine, which added a personal connection to the narrative.
Title: The Fixer Upper
Author: Phoebe MacLeod
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Review:
Phoebe MacLeod’s "The Fixer Upper" is a light-hearted contemporary romance that blends humour with the often unpredictable journey of finding love.
Characters:
Alex: The protagonist, an estate agent who is as professional and successful in her job as she is uncertain and hopeful in her personal life. Alex is direct, has a keen ability to read people well, and is mature and reliable. She demonstrates strong boundaries and is a strong, relatable character with a good sense of humour.
Thomas: Alex’s long-term boyfriend whose lack of commitment and prioritization of his art over their relationship serves as a catalyst for Alex’s transformation. He is somewhat of a mama's boy and is definitively selfish, contributing to the story's conflict.
Callum: The new neighbour, initially grumpy and reserved, who gradually reveals a more caring and supportive side. Callum’s character adds depth and contrast to Alex’s world, making their interactions and eventual romance engaging and heart-warming.
Alex and Callum’s relationship develops slowly, allowing for a natural progression that is both cute and realistic. Their evolving dynamic is one of the book's highlights.
Conclusion:
Despite its flaws in writing quality, the book is entertaining and provides a pleasant reading experience. I have read worst. The author’s writing includes humorous moments that evoke smiles and laughter. The setting is also a pleasant surprise, being located in a town close to mine, which added a personal connection to the narrative.
February 8, 2024
This delightful rom com is a sweet romance that also has a lesson about looking beneath the exterior to see the gleaming gem that is standing right in front of you. It is also about not just settling for safe and comfortable just because you have spent quite a lot of time in the same place. The main character, Alex, is a cute real estate agent who has been with her boyfriend for 3 years, but rather than get engaged and buying an affordable home together, he decides to head off to chase his artistic dreams and whims while expecting Alex to standby and wait for him to stop sowing his oats. In turn Alex learns to stand up for herself, expand herself professionally and personally and she starts to see what has been in front of her all along. The question becomes does she go for the known and comfortable or does she go for the quiet, nerdy, sexy guy who has been standing in front of her for quite some time! A fun and entertaining read that unwraps several red flags that women often overlook thinking that we can fix them and also when to not try to fix anything at all!
February 8, 2024
This book was so cute! I wasn’t the biggest fan of Emma, Alex’s best friend and roommate, and in some of the scenes with her I found myself rolling my eyes. But as she isn’t the main character I was able to put her in the back of my mind.
This book was very predictable, from the rooming situation with Emma and Alex being hard, to what was going to happen with Thomas when he left, to Alex moving in and falling for Callum.
But as I have said many times, I love a good Hallmark movie, and that is exactly what this book felt like. I might have known what was going to happen, but that didn’t stop me form enjoying the book.
I read this book in basically one sitting, and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the comedic relief throughout, and I also love how Alex is able to stick up for herself, not only to Thomas but also to her friend Emma.
I love the growth we see between Alex and Callum as a couple but also as individuals. I had a great time reading this book, and would definitely recommend it to people that like hallmark movies!
This book was very predictable, from the rooming situation with Emma and Alex being hard, to what was going to happen with Thomas when he left, to Alex moving in and falling for Callum.
But as I have said many times, I love a good Hallmark movie, and that is exactly what this book felt like. I might have known what was going to happen, but that didn’t stop me form enjoying the book.
I read this book in basically one sitting, and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the comedic relief throughout, and I also love how Alex is able to stick up for herself, not only to Thomas but also to her friend Emma.
I love the growth we see between Alex and Callum as a couple but also as individuals. I had a great time reading this book, and would definitely recommend it to people that like hallmark movies!
February 22, 2024
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?
March 20, 2024
3.5/5🪷
Cute book but just a bit slow paced where it shouldn’t be. I went into this without reading what it was about, but it was clear from pretty early on that Alex and Callum were going to end out together. Yet she was still with her (soon to be ex) boyfriend at 60% in? Then from there, it was all guns blazing, one minute she gets mugged, next minute her and Callum kiss and then they’re together. And then in the epilogue they’re weeks away from their wedding, less than two months later!
Cute book but just a bit slow paced where it shouldn’t be. I went into this without reading what it was about, but it was clear from pretty early on that Alex and Callum were going to end out together. Yet she was still with her (soon to be ex) boyfriend at 60% in? Then from there, it was all guns blazing, one minute she gets mugged, next minute her and Callum kiss and then they’re together. And then in the epilogue they’re weeks away from their wedding, less than two months later!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2024
Such a cute, predictable story. I loved all the characters. Usually the female character is the insecure, inexperienced one, especially in a romance book- but this had a male lead for that and I loved how it all unfolded in a subtle, non dehumanizing way. I totally judged a book by the cover and thought I was going to be a reading some version of a home renovation book and it was not that at all.
July 11, 2024
3.5. A few laugh out loud moments. Pretty close to being really good, but the development of the relationship between Alex and Callum is too weak. I loved their crossword club and the cafe meet-cute where he had made the single reservation. The surprise visit to Thomas made me cringe right from the get go. Emma as a roommate was funny and definitely relatable. Got a kick out of the porn star and his wife
February 12, 2024
Such a cute and light hearted read! The plot kind of jumps around but in a good way where it keeps you intrigued. I listened to it as an audiobook and the British accents were def a plus and the plot was cracking me up. If you have a long commute, I definitely recommend listening to this on your way to and from work!
June 16, 2024
This one was good. Not great, not bad, just good. I HATED the boyfriend in this one. Talk about a spoiled man-child. I like that she got away from him, and found someone who respected her, and appreciated her. I also like that the idiot boyfriend learns his lesson. It was the right book for me at the time I read it.
February 19, 2024
This book is one of the most beautiful romance book I have read this past 12 months or so! Or maybe even longer! Oh yes, I loved loved loved the romance in this book and how it was build up! It is not a straight forward romance, a lot is happening before anything happens. If you are a romantic at heart you can only fall in love with this book!!!!
April 6, 2024
I always have a couple of books going at a time, an easy read when you don't want to over think it, this was an easy read, nice characters, some weird parts that I am not sure if were really needed but the main romance, couple, were lovely and I love a happy ending.
July 26, 2024
A very sweet, gentle rom com that had Mr laughing at so many parts. The romance was very light and realistic expectations in a lot of ways and did not solely rely on "hot looks" to drive the storyline.
September 18, 2024
I really enjoyed it, it was fun and I really liked Callum. It felt a bit insta-lovey but also wasn’t, I can’t really describe it. It felt a bit short to I wanted to see more of their relationship. It definitely isn’t a 4 star read but it was easy to read and a great refresher.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.