22929578Title: The Fixer

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: July 2015

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Contemporary Thriller

Series or Stand Alone: Series, Book One

 

 

Synopsis can be found here.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Review:

 

Oh, what was that? My breath. I can breathe again. Whew.

The Fixer is another great book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes who proves once again that you can take a subject you think you know about and surprise readers with fun twists and unexpected drama!

I like Barnes’s books  mostly, The Natural series being my favorite so far. And this first book in a new series promises to be a great start. Ivy and Tess are wonderful characters, playing off of each other beautifully as only sisters can. I liked the realism to their relationship – love, guilt, resentment. You know – like a real family! 🙂

Ivy is Washington’s “fixer” and knows all of the high players to do it, including the President. But when Tess attends the prestigious Hardwicke Academy, she finds herself following in Ivy’s footsteps. And maybe that isn’t such a safe place to be. As their worlds merge, high school and high stake politics, Ivy and Tess have to navigate their way through some tough decisions including blackmail, a kidnapping and murder.

It’s not what you’d expect.

I’ll be honest – I wasn’t a huge Tess fan until the end. She is supposed to be pretty smart but she does make some pretty dumb choices through the book. I liked Ivy as a character way more, but even she didn’t seem to have a good handle on how to manage Tess, or anticipate what Tess’s moves were going to be. Throw in Asher (hilarious, likeable and slightly odd) and Henry (hurting, handsome and grounded) with Emilia and Vivvie, I loved Tess’s whole group of friends. That is something Barnes really excels in – making all of the secondary characters KICK ASS. She did it in The Naturals series, and she does it again in this one. Add Bodie and Adam to Ivy’s group and you’ve got a hit!

The first part of the book went pretty fast for me an I enjoyed reading it late into the night. I think the characters were interesting enough but not too heavy to hold down the plot or the pace. I liked how fast I read it – reminded me of some great Adult thriller books. But it’s the end that really got to me with all of the reveals and secrets and FINALLY Tess doing something dangerous and awesome and thoughtful.

Overall, if you like fast flying and thrilling plots with political tones, grab The Fixer. It’s really good and perfect beach reading for long days in the sun.

Rating 8 Cookie Worthy