Disclaimer: I received a free digital Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of I Owe You One from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received the latest Sophie Kinsella from Netgalley and I was so so excited. I have read a few of her other books and enjoyed them, and the synopsis for this one sounded so cute! Then I got caught up in a few other reads and so I just got around to reading it over the past week or so. And it was cute! This is one of the better women’s fiction (aka “chick lit” but I totally hate that name) I’ve read in the last few months, and like all Sophie Kinsella books, there was so much more to it than the romance. I will keep this spoiler-free but want to talk a little about the characters and story. Read on and I hope my review helps you decide if this book is for you! If you do want to read it, the good news is that it has been published, so you can go right on out and pick it up.

Book Title: I Owe You One (Amazon, Goodreads)
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance
My Rating: 4 / 5 stars

The main character, Fixie, is a Hufflepuff through and through. She is kind and loyal, and always doing things for other people. In fact, the heart of the story is basically an exploration of what happens if a person spends so much time helping other people that they kinda forget to help themselves. In the first part of the book, Fixie is pining for the guy she’s had a crush on since middle school, and then we get to meet him, and you guys—he is the biggest LOSER. He is totally self-absorbed and manipulative. And Fixie doesn’t see it! So you kinda want to wring her neck, but then for me, it also got me thinking that I have probably been just like that with certain relationships in my life. I wanted it so badly that I deluded myself and didn’t see how reality in no way matched what my hopes/dreams for it had been, and I didn’t listen to anyone else when they tried to tell me so. This theme is very much explored for much of this book, and it is so darn frustrating, but also so relatable and real!

The main love interest, Sebastian, is just too adorable for words. But he also makes mistakes and isn’t perfect, and I love that this is just such a realistic story. He and Fixie definitely have a kind of star-crossed relationship for a lot of the book, but you get a glimmer of what it might be like if they do ever sort it out, and that keeps you rooting for them. Yeah, I really liked Seb. Sophie Kinsella is good at creating book boyfriends who are keepers!

I also really loved the exploration of Sophie’s relationship with her family members, particularly her older brother and sister. There are past events that have shaped how they interact with each other now, and again, some if it is really frustrating, but mainly because I could totally relate to it and I was shaking my head at Fixie saying and doing the exact same thing I would do, when I know that’s not what’s good for her. But there is great conflict resolution, and I really enjoyed that part of the story!

This is an entertaining, heart-warming, relatable story about a young woman trying to put herself first for once, and I absolutely loved it. Check it out!