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ARC Review: The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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ARC Review: The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Fixer
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Publication date: July 7th, 2015
by Bloomsbury

Format: eARC

PURCHASE:

Amazon | Book Depository
Goodreads

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.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

What we need more in YA is political thrillers. SERIOUSLY. This book was so much fun and so addictive. It’s the kind of book you want to high-five while reading (don’t question my logic of high-fiving inanimate objects).

For starters, believe the tagline, this book actually did remind me of Scandal (the tv show) and in the best possible way. I would also encourage you to disregard that bit about love triangles in the blurb because I don’t have a clue as to where that came from.  There isn’t even a romance in the book so I don’t know what that love triangle bit is referring to.

Tess is forced to move to DC to live with a sister she hasn’t talked to in years. Understandably, she is pissed and doesn’t really want to have to move and have to deal with a whole new environment. Sometimes though, you don’t have a choice and you just gotta go with the flow. The problem is that Tess’s sister Ivy is hiding something from her and when she is thrown into a politically charged environment, Tess needs to catch up and FAST.

After a little questioning, Tess finds out that her sister is a professional fixer and is actually quite an influential person in DC (she is on a first name basis with the first lady.) All of that might make the reader wonder whether Ivy is actually an asshole and thankfully she isn’t. She has been absent for the past couple years but she had her (somewhat selfish) reasons and you find those out later on in the novel. It’s obvious she regrets not being there for Tess and she is trying to make up for it now. I really liked the way Tess and Ivy’s relationship was explored in this book. It’s done in a very realistic manner so that even though Tess is understandably mad, she also trusts her sister and would walk through fire for her.

Tess is also a great main character. I love how clever she is. I love how smart she is. I love how she hates bullies. And I love how badass she is. I love me some smart characters and Tess definitely hit that mark. She is also loyal to her friends and family, makes good decisions, and will stand up to the bullies. I am not going to say that Tess if the first female lead with those characteristics in YA but I would also love to see more Tess-like female lead in YA.

The secondary characters are also a great bunch. We have Bodie and Adam who ‘work’ with/for Tess’ sister and we have her friends Vivie, Asher and Henry who add so much detail into the story and make it so much fun to read. We also have Mr. Keyes who was very fishy (someone needs to stop eating all that fish *shakes head*) but also written really well as a dubious character whose moves you can never guess. 

The plot in this book is intense. The thriller bits keep you on your toes trying to guess who done it but the best part is that it’s not an easy answer. In the world of DC, there is never just one person who is responsible but a chain of people. We never find out who is on top of the chain in this novel (because they were probably PRETTY high up) but that’s okay because we found out a lot of other interesting things.

This is the kind of novel that is impossible to put down but also YOU DON’T WANT IT TO END. I know I didn’t. When the book finished, I wondered about the characters. I wondered who Tess could potentially get romantically involved with (not that I didn’t enjoy that there wasn’t a romance), I wondered about a potential romance between Ivy and someone (PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN. I SHIP IT), and I just wanted to know where things would go from here.  Goodreads doesn’t say anything about there being a sequel but I NEEDS there to be a sequel to this fantabulous read. I am not ready to say goodbye to this politically charged world and to the fantastic characters.

This is a book I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers with high stakes!

Rating Report
Plot
Characters
Writing
Pacing
Overall: 4

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