If I Fix You by Abigail Johnson
When sixteen-year-old Jill Whitaker’s mom walks out—with a sticky note as a goodbye—only Jill knows the real reason she’s gone. But how can she tell her father? Jill can hardly believe the truth herself.
Suddenly, the girl who likes to fix things—cars, relationships, romances, people—is all broken up. Used to be, her best friend, tall, blond and hot flirt Sean Addison, could make her smile in seconds. But not anymore. They don’t even talk.
With nothing making sense, Jill tries to pick up the pieces of her life. But when a new guy moves in next door, intense, seriously cute, but with scars—on the inside and out—that he thinks don’t show, Jill finds herself trying to make things better for Daniel. But over one long, hot Arizona summer, she realizes she can’t fix anyone’s life until she fixes her own. And she knows just where to start . . .
Lately, I've been gearing away from reading the synopsis right before starting a book. I read it at some point, obviously, to decide whether or not I think I'll like the book. But then time passes and I forget the particulars and then when I actually pick up the book, I discover the story with fresh eyes. That's what happened with this book--I knew I had decided at some point that I'd like it (you know, since I signed up for the blog tour and all) but I couldn't remember what the story was about. Which was MARVELOUS.
Let me tell you about my reading experience:
- I started the book, okay.
- The foundation for the story was laid out, interesting.
- The characters slowly but surely grew on me to where I appreciated every single one (including the ones we don't even like)
- I got SO INVESTED in all of the things
- At 89% I literally said out loud, "ohmygod this book is freaking amazing"
- At 91%(-ish) I literally said out loud, "this is one of my favorite books this year"
- A little after that I literally said out loud, "ohmygosh this is too freaking cute I can't even"
- I reached the end and I was so CONTENT and I wanted more
That reading experience right there? The exact reason I love reading. And If I Fix You made me feel that.
And, yeah, I said it--If I Fix You is one of my favorite books of 2016. For sure. Without a single doubt in my mind.
I'm having one of those moments right now where I FEEL so much, but I have no idea how to put words together to explain it. This book was just...so fantastic. The writing was lovely, the construction of the story was magnificent, the characters were perfectly imperfect in a way that made me adore them. There was the most delicious sprinkle of sweetness and romance that balanced out the deeper issues and situations. Moments of humor were placed precisely where they were needed. There were moments that made me happy and moments that made me sad, moments that made me smile and moments where I was literally like "oh MAN this is happening."
And I loved all of it. Every word, every page, every chapter.
This book...I am in awe.
If I Fix You is a deep, beautiful, amazing debut. It's a book I highly recommend and will no doubt be re-reading often. Abigail Johnson knocked it out of the park with this one, and I am incredibly eager to get my hands on anything and everything she writes in the future. But for now--this book, y'all. If I Fix You is a YA contemporary that is not to be missed.
5 stars - An amazing debut and one of my favorite books of 2016!
~About the Author~
Abigail was born in Pennsylvania. When she was twelve, her family traded in snow storms for year round summers, and moved to Arizona. Abigail chronicled the entire cross-country road trip (in a purple spiral bound notebook that she still has) and has been writing ever since. She became a tetraplegic after breaking her neck in a car accident when she was seventeen, but hasn’t let that stop her from bodysurfing in Mexico, writing and directing a high school production of Cinderella, and publishing her first novel.
~Giveaway~
Enter to win one of three (3) finished copies of If I Fix You!! (US only)
This is a tour-wide giveaway. StuckInBooks is not responsible for selecting winners or sending out prizes.
~Tour Schedule~
10/17: Addicted 2 Novels - Review
10/18: Fiction Fare - Q&A
10/19: PaperTrailYA - Review
10/20: A Book and a Latte - How I Write
10/21: Ex Libris - Review
Week 2:
10/24: Lost In Lit - Guest Post
10/25: Tina the Bookworm - Review
10/26: The Irish Banana Review - Fast 5
10/27: The Petite Book Blogger - Review & Moodboard
10/28: Stuck In Books - Review
Okay, you've made me want to read this book! To feel this deeply about the writing, I must read it too because this is my favorite kind of book to read.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great! I've already added it to Goodreads. Thanks for the chance! :)
ReplyDeleteThe blurb got me interested, but your review clinched it for me. Going on my list!
ReplyDelete