Fixed Up can be read as a stand alone novel but is number three in the Renovation Romance series. The series focuses on a family who run a construction business in Bedlington, Vermont. The first two books, ’Sweat Equity’ (Oct 2023) and ‘Good Bones’ (Aug 2024) were romances for two sisters and now it is time for middle brother Jack.

Jack is an electrician and gets a bucket list job to work on a historic house in a nearby town. Jack is an introvert, who likes simple things like his work and family. He meets Ellie Lancaster, who preserves and restores hand-painted plaster and lathe. Sparks are flying early and escalate when they get snowed in together during a blizzard. I found it odd that everyone says Jack is grumpy when nothing in the story demonstrates that. Ellie is outwardly happy, often compartmentalizing her feelings. Ellie’s and her relationship with her mom is a big part of the storyline. Her mother's mental health put Ellie into a parent role early in her life. I thought this was well portrayed. I also liked her best friend Rhett.

I have read the previous books in the series and enjoyed catching up with the couples and others I remember from my reading. I’ve enjoyed the stylized covers for the series as well. This is a warm and cozy read. The relationship is nurturing and left me feeling warm all over. It jumped a bit quickly to the L word, but I’m a romance reader and won’t complain.

This was a great romance! It was nice to get updates on the other series characters. The polyam rep was lovely, and the mentally ill parent storyline was emotional and so well done. It was great to read a queer romance with a trans MC. I am hoping a sensitivity reader was used because there were a few things I wasn’t sure about, but otherwise it was a good read! I liked both characters. The third act conflict was not the worst.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
I loved how this book started—it was giving full romcom energy in the best way. The forced proximity blizzard setup was funny and cozy. And the spice was 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Also, Ellie’s cat?? Emily Dickinson! Adorable. 🤣

That said, after the blizzard snow in, I struggled with Jack. Normally I love a good grumpy/sunshine dynamic, but there were moments where Jack came off as controlling and overly rigid—especially in how he handled the conflict with Ellie. Ellie was clearly overwhelmed, trying to navigate things with her mom and not communicating well, and instead of giving her space, Jack forced the issue. Then, when she lashed out, he took it personally and made it about whether she was even capable of being the kind of partner he wanted.

“And because, he realized with a heaviness in his chest, saying it wouldn’t fix the gaping divide between what he wanted from a partner and what Ellie seemed interested in giving.”

They hadn’t even been together long enough for that kind of pressure, and it really rubbed me the wrong way. They do work it out in the end, but that section almost had me considering a DNF.

💭 Final Thoughts
While I had mixed feelings about parts of the romance, I really appreciated how inclusive this book was. I also thought it was powerful that the author showed how difficult it can be for an adult child to care for a parent struggling with mental illness—we don’t see enough representation of caregivers in fiction.

Jack’s family was also a highlight for me! They were so loving and united, and I really enjoyed the warmth and support they showed throughout the story.

⭐️ 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the advance copy! All opinions are completely my own.

Despite not reading the previous two books in the Renovation series, I really enjoyed reading Fixed Up. This was the first book I have read which included a trans main character, and I was not disappointed. Fixed Up gave me the cutesy small town romance I desired from this book, and made me feel connected to the characters including the side characters.
I also loved how inclusive this book felt. The representation of not only the LGBTQIA+ relationships but also branching out to topics such as poly relationships, made me enjoy this book even more.
Overall, a very good romance book.

This just wasn’t for me. It was fine, but I didn’t really love either of the characters, and I loathe third-act breakups. I appreciated the queer and trans representation, as well as the mental illness depictions, which was what kept me going in this story, but I just wasn’t super into this one.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another lovely story in this series - about the third Barrow sibling Grumpy Jack, who meets sunshine Ellie, while working on a renovation project.
Both Ellie and Jack have their own issues to overcome if they want to build a relationship and the book dips into mental health issues.
There are some very HOT scenes in the book as well as catching up a little with Maddie and Logan and some new characters that have the potential for the making of another book in my opinion!!
Thanks to Bold Strokes Books enabling me to give an honest view on this story.

This book is like a hallmark movie crossed with a HGTV show, with added spice and lots of queer people.

I really enjoyed this cozy romance, and I like the inclusion of queer people everywhere in the story, as well as on of the main characters being trans, and fully accepted by those in his life. I also enjoyed the honest discussions of parents with mental illness.

This is a cozy romance set in a small town in winter, and includes being snowed in, as well as found family.

I received a free copy from Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

So lovely to read some trans romance! Really enjoyed this story and the personal journey of each character. I felt like I was a part of their world.

Fixed Up es la tercera entrega de la serie Renovation Romances , que sigue las historias de una familia dedicada a la restauración de casas históricas en un pequeño pueblo de Vermont. En esta ocasión, el protagonista es Jack Barrow, el hijo del medio de la familia, un hombre trans que trabaja como electricista, y la protagonista es Ellie Lancaster, una artista especializada en la restauración de yesos y molduras pintadas a mano.

Ambos son aparentemente opuestos, se ven forzados a colaborar en la restauración de la antigua Hampstead House. Mientras Ellie, optimista y organizada, ve la belleza de preservar el pasado, Jack, algo gruñón y reacio a nuevos proyectos, se enfrenta a sus propios desafíos personales. Lo que parecía ser una relación de trabajo sin mayor química se transforma en algo mucho más profundo cuando quedan atrapados juntos en la casa durante una fuerte tormenta de nieve. La convivencia forzada y la cercanía harán que sus diferencias se conviertan en una chispa que encienda una romántica historia.



Estuvo entretenido, pero hasta ahi. Es una historia olvidable.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was sort of cute with the romance aspect but I found myself skipping/skimming several chapters. Nothing against the author as the writing was fine, this just wasn't the book for me.

Fixed Up is the delightful third instalment of the Renovations series. This time the focus is on Jack , middle child of the Barrow clan and artist Ellie, who are both working on a historical renovation. This is a grumpy and sunshine romance that has a spark right from the start. I don’t normally seek out storylines with trans characters as the main protagonists but I was excited to see Rey had included Jacks story in this trilogy as I loved him in the previous two and hoped he would also find love.

The banter as always is a delight, the story also digs into growing up with a parent with mental illness and how dealing with that can affect one’s attitudes to love. Rey thankfully normalises the trans part of Jack and Ellie’s relationship, focusing more on their personality differences. Such a positive compared to the real world at the moment. With some new faces adding to my already favourites, I see an opening for more romances for this séries, at least I hope so. Highly recommend reading them all, very enjoyable.

The third in the Renovation romance series, we've got a ton of tropes I love - a historic house renovation, two people super competent in their fields, snowed in by a blizzard, pet parents, and a trans man lead. I really enjoyed the prevalence of communication and talking through a lot of the typical emotional hurdles, especially when it comes to things like Ellie's relationship with her mother and Jack's emotional reservedness.

As with Rey's other two books in the series, the stakes are fairly low, so you get a lot of time to get to know the characters and where they are in their lives, what they've been through, and what they want out of their futures. There's emotional stakes and lots of queer found family as well as blood family, which are also some of my favorite tropes. Reading this series, but especially this book, gives you the sense of being wrapped in a warm blanket.

Fixed Up is the third book in Rey’s Renovation series, and while it could be read as a stand-alone, having read the previous books in the series made me feel as if I were catching up with old friends and provided a bit of insider background into some of the side characters’ histories.

This was overall a solid read, with minimal angst or overly emotional drama. The characters all felt like people I could be friends with, and I enjoyed the HGTV-esque historic home renovation plot. I would recommend this book to folks looking for a twist on a grumpy-sunshine romance in which both characters actively claim to fall into one side of the trope while still displaying great empathy for the other.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

its the 3rd one in the series and it has quite a theme to it...covering trans and mental health but on the whole its an enjoyable storyline

ellie is employed to help restore the plaster work and to do some renovations to the some scenes that the owner wants restored its in ellies remit so she takes the job on. she also lives on site

jack is the electrician and at first isnt looking forward to a new place of work as it depends on those working the sites.... but at this one he fits in.....

but its the snow that starts to fall that becomes his downfall...he hasnt realised the snow blizzard warning and he gets stuck with ellie at the workplace.... she at least is organised but jack doesnt even have clean clothes....

but its the sharing of body warmth that will be jacks undoing...

its a great storyline and it comes with toolbelts so i was a happy bunny...

looking forward to reading more from this author....

This is a really sweet romance. While part of a larger series it can be read as a standalone. I didn’t feel lost or confused going into to. I appreciate seeing trans representation as well as mental illness representation as part of this story. Both were handled in ways that felt authentic. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Jack and Ellie grow. What I really enjoyed is that the third act breakup that you see in so many romance novels wasn’t truly a breakup. I wasn’t screaming at the characters to just talk to each other.
I am curious to see the other characters stories and will be adding the other books from this series to my TBR.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fixed Up is the third book in Aurora Rey’s Renovation Romances, which follows three siblings and their family’s construction company in a small Vermont town. No one is better than Aurora Rey at writing renovation stories set in small towns. Her world-building is exceptional, and I wish I had lived in each place in her stories.

Fixed Up is the romance of middle sibling Jack, the electrician in the family business and somewhat of a grump. Still, love finds a way, even with curmudgeons.

Ellie meets Jack on a project to restore a historic house. She is a look-on-the-bright-side artist who specializes in preservation and restoration. Although initially oil and water, these two crank the heat when stuck together in a blizzard. Hang on for the ride to a happily ever after with just the right amount of realistic angst.

I loved these characters. And I’m grateful the author went out on a limb for a trans man main character and a mom with mental illness. I appreciated reading Jack, written just like any other male character and not an educational project for those curious about trans men and how they have sex. Not to say there isn’t steam in this story; it’s an Aurora Rey romance, after all.

I was also pleased to see a character with mental illness portrayed in such an authentic way. Ellie’s mother lives with schizophrenia, and the interaction of a parent with mental illness and how that affects her life plays a part in this story. We see through the veil of Ellie’s upbeat look on life and peel the effects away just like she restores historic hand-painted plasters.

This is considered a stand-alone romance, yet if a reader hasn’t read the first two, they may get a bit lost as the other two siblings from previous books appear. Hopefully, the reader will pick up the first two books as well. In case of a blizzard, I suggest reading all three books, and the reader will be toasty warm until the power comes back on.

Reading the dedication felt like lowering oneself in a nice, relaxing, hot tub. And indeed, people being kind, and to behave like mature adults with integrity, able to talk about hard things without turning unreasonable or into zombies, that's the kind of books I love.

And yet, this book feels odd. I can't help but think it is easy or shiny in most ways: people doing a job, excelling at it, and on to the next thing in which to succeed. Where was indeed the messy part in life that is mentioned in the dedication? On the one hand, I absolutely appreciate the queer-theme – especially with the world being on fire – but on the other, this comes with at least a wee bit of difficulties of which I found none in this book. Apart from that, I don't understand the able-bodied way to look at life.
Overall, it looks off to me with everything being a bit too good to be true. The lack of a real-life feel got me miffed, I gave up at 65%.

Another solid book by Rey, but not my favorite in the Renovation series.

Jack Barrow is the middle sibling, trans and a grump most of the time. He's antisocial and prefers his own company, but when gets the job at the Hampstead House to redo the wiring, he meets Ellie Lancaster who is as different from him as night and day.

Ellie Lancaster is an artist and has been dealing with her mother's illness most of her life, but now that her mother is in assisted living, Ellie hopes to take her life back. She's hired to restore the murals at the Hampstead House and gets more than she bargains for when she meets Jack. She's happiness personified and enthusiastic that her and Jack get on each other's nerves from the get go.

Until they get snowed in and it all changes. This is super low key angst with a semi weird 3rd act breakup, which I wouldn't really call it a breakup. Bea flirting with Jack was odd and seemed forced. I enjoyed Rhett living next door to Jack and being Ellie's best friend.

Overall, not the best, but far from the worst. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the Renovation Romance series — and Jack’s story was a great addition! The tongue-in-cheek reference to the grumpy-sunshine trope was a perfect Aurora Rey nod to the audience — and reminder of romance novelist character Kathleen.

Good character development — and as per usual for Aurora Rey, a good bit of hot & steamy. Glad that we’re seeing more trans representation, especially with the political & cultural climate.

Looking forward to the next installment of the series — c’mon, Clover gets a book, right?

Another great book by Aurora Rey! I’ve been waiting for Jack’s story ever since reading the first book, and Ellie was the perfect sunshine to his grumpy. An HGTV feel to it with a home renovation as the background, along with a small town vibe. Also loved revisiting characters from the first two books.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Fixed Up to come out April 15, 2025.