Book Reviews: The Fixer Upper

The Fixer Upper: A Novel
Author: Mary Kay Andrews

It seems that everywhere you turn there’s a story or television show about political corruption. Unfortunately for Dempsey Killebrew, she’s caught right in the middle of a bribery scandal. When her boss Alex Hodder fires her and then implicates her in the scandal, Dempsey is left broke and unemployed. At her father’s suggestion, she moves to Guthrie, GA to rehab a house that he just inherited.

The Fixer Upper: A Novel takes it’s readers through the rehab of a neglected old home (Birdsong). Dempsey sees right through the overgrown, pink exterior and years of neglect. With the help of her new friends in Guthrie and some good old fashioned hard work, the reader gets to see this glorious house come back to life.

During her time in Guthrie, Dempsey has to deal with the FBI, a family “squatter” that won’t leave Birdsong and a handsome young lawyer who falls madly in love with her. Written with humor, the characters in this novel are all quite endearing, yet just quirky enough to keep you interested.

I found myself cheering on the heroine of this book. It was one of those when life hands you lemons, make lemonade type of stories and I said a secret “you go girl” every time Dempsey overcame another obstacle in her life.

This is the first book by Ms. Andrews that I’ve ever read. I really enjoy her casual, flowing style and humor. Her characters are a bit quirky, which makes them very interesting (like Ella James the ornery squatter). Now I have to go back and read some of her previous novels.

You’ll find this to be a quick, light read that you won’t want to put down. As a matter of fact, I lost track of time and went to bed WAY too late to finish this book – but it was WORTH it!

Thank you to Harper Collins for providing this book to review.

Rating is based on a 5-star scale.

Plot: 4.5
Characters: 5
Presentation: 4
Overall: 4.5

You can purchase “The Fixer Upper” at Amazon.com

Review by Broad “Z” – Zippy