He is actively WITH Nicki the whole time he’s rebuilding a friendship with Alyssa. For starters, he’s one of those people who disappear into their partners. There’s simply no more energy left for her own life! It’s…relatable.īut then they get a client, a rich social media heiress named Nicki, who is desperate for her boyfriend to launch his tech company and propose to her…and it just happens to be the one guy Alyssa has never gotten over–her childhood best friend, Dylan.ĭylan does need some help, to be fair. This discontent is further amplified by the sheer number of hot messes she’s got constantly sucking the life out of her–her mother, who is still hung up on her father, who has a whole other family and only blows into their lives to screw everything up again, her boss, who essentially uses her drive and self-sacrificial nature to keep her on the hook while promoting other people. Only, while Alyssa enjoys helping people, she also has some pretty big reservations about what she’s doing with her life.

This sparks an idea, and she and her friends end up making a business with Alyssa’s expertise, essentially nudging “stuck” partners into a better place. When her friends realize this, they make a list and determine that, in fact, every single man she’s ever dated has ended up better off for her having been with them. She’s spent her entire adult like in relationships with men who need “fixing”. Let me just tell you how beautifully this book is set up, because the tension builds like an elaborate room of dominoes and then it all comes crashing down in the most satisfying way.Įssentially, Alyssa is stuck.

Overall: This one might be a tiny bit smut adjacent, but it’s AMAZING and I’m completely obsessed with it. When she and her two friends create a side business for nudging reluctant partners in the “right” direction for their clients, Dylan ends up being the job…only Alyssa doesn’t think he needs any fixing. Plot: Dylan and Alyssa were BEST friends growing up, until Alyssa confesses her love for Dylan and ghosts him overnight in embarrassment. Think “13 Going on 30” meets “Failure to Launch” with a hint of “Bridget Jones’ Diary” Heat Factor: There’s no whoopie and there’s actually very little overt sexual tension but somehow I am still TOTALLY invested in this book.Ĭharacter Chemistry: They’re meant to be, and it’s adorable.

Lauren forsythe the fixer upper