Review: The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Fixer (The Fixer #1)
by: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publication Date: July 7, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Physical ARC received via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 384 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
This thriller YA is Scandal meets Veronica Mars.
Sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick has spent her entire life on her grandfather's ranch. But when her estranged sister Ivy uproots her to D.C., Tess is thrown into a world that revolves around politics and power. She also starts at Hardwicke Academy, the D.C. school for the children of the rich and powerful, where she unwittingly becomes a fixer for the high school set, fixing teens’ problems the way her sister fixes their parents’ problems.
And when a conspiracy surfaces that involves the family member of one of Tess's classmates, love triangles and unbelievable family secrets come to light and life gets even more interesting—and complicated—for Tess.
Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Heist Society, readers will be clamoring for this compelling teen drama with a political twist.
Sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick has spent her entire life on her grandfather's ranch. But when her estranged sister Ivy uproots her to D.C., Tess is thrown into a world that revolves around politics and power. She also starts at Hardwicke Academy, the D.C. school for the children of the rich and powerful, where she unwittingly becomes a fixer for the high school set, fixing teens’ problems the way her sister fixes their parents’ problems.
And when a conspiracy surfaces that involves the family member of one of Tess's classmates, love triangles and unbelievable family secrets come to light and life gets even more interesting—and complicated—for Tess.
Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Heist Society, readers will be clamoring for this compelling teen drama with a political twist.
Oh wow. This book completely blew me away! I loved every minute of it! That comparison to Scandal and Veronica Mars is on point too. I loved meeting Tess and seeing her inadvertently get immersed in the political world and all the power hungry, scandalous individuals that come with it. I was sad we didn't get any romance in this book, but surprisingly, it didn't bother me too much. The plot has so much action, twists, turns, and invokes so many questions that I was completely engaged by those things alone.
I liked Tess as the main character. She is uprooted from her life in Montana and brought to Washington D.C. to live with her sister, as her grandfather is ailing from Alzheimer's. Tess isn't happy with this because Tess believes her sister abandoned her and she really carries some hurt feelings over this. There is a lot more to this story than meets the eye and I confess I guessed the truth pretty early on.
Tess's new school is known for being the one a lot of political kids attend, so everyone seems to know who Tess is by her association with her sister Ivy. Ivy is well known for her ability to fix things and make problems disappear, and it looks like Tess may share that attribute with her sister. However, Tess ends up getting involved in quite the mess, just by who she associates with at school.
Ivy and Tess's relationship drove me a little crazy because Ivy doesn't want Tess to get wrapped up in any part of what she does for a living and she doesn't tell Tess ANYTHING. I get Ivy's wanting to protect Tess, but if Ivy were a bit more open about certain things, maybe Tess wouldn't have gone searching for answers of her own. Ok. She totally would have. LOL.
I did love Ivy's friends, Bodie and Adam. They were both great and I liked how easily they accepted and got along with Tess. I am totally shipping Ivy with Adam and I hope that happens because I really liked him and how caring he was of both girls. Bodie was also a lot of fun and I like that he realized Tess wasn't easily dissuaded just by telling her to leave well enough alone. He got that and so he expected her questions and really understood her plight.
As I said, there's not a romance in this one, but I could see one potentially form between her and Henry. Henry is a pretty stoic kid, which makes sense as he has just endured a tragedy, but because of his dislike of Ivy, he and Tess don't really get off on the right foot. So I could see something spark there between them. There is another guy in this one, Asher, but I don't know that I would consider him for Tess. He's a complete goofball and a flirt- and he just didn't give off that vibe like Henry does.
Even though I figured out one of the big plot twists, I could not figure out the whodunit aspect. The book resolves a lot of the current questions raised, but not all. I am definitely excited to read the sequel to see how Tess and Ivy will handle what's happened at the end of the book. I forsee more manipulation, more twists and turns, and definitely more action in the sequel's future!
7 comments
I am hearing nothing but good things about this one so far. I just got it from the library and I can't to read it!
ReplyDeleteThis one was already on my radar but now I'm even more excited! I think you had me at the Scandal/VMars confirmation. Though more so VMars since I've never watched Scandal. This sounds like it's going to be a really great series!
ReplyDeleteOoh I like the concept of this one. Seems really interesting, especially from that comparison to Scandal and Veronica Mars. Great review. I'm motivated to start the book asap.
ReplyDeleteThe more reviews I read about this book, the more I want to read it!
ReplyDeleteOhhh this one sounds interesting and fun! I love it when a books twists and turns keep me turning pages. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this book at all but it sounds really interesting!
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this one! It keeps getting amazing reviews. But I know the possibility of a triangle is there, so I'm going to hold off for book 2.
ReplyDeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
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