BB’s Review: The Fixer Upper by Judith Arnold

The Fixer Upper by Judith Arnold

A Manhattan Love Story

MIRA Romance

 From the back cover:  He had the right tools for the job…

As the admissions director for one of Manhattan’s finest private schools, Libby Kimmelman is overworked, underpaid–and totally overwhelmed by flowers, chocolates and other bribes from zealous parents determined to enroll their little Einsteins.  The one parent who does intrigue her is Ned Donovan.  Vermont-rugged, carpenter-sexy, he shows up in her office trying to explain how his ten-year-old genius son applied to the school without his knowledge.

A widower with a lust for her marble fireplace, Ned is the kind of man whose natural earthiness seems so deliciously sexy in the city.  His knee-melting offer to strip her floors almost makes her forget her annoying ex, her exasperating teenage daughter and the fact that she is about to lose her magnificent, rent-stabilized New York apartment.  But is this building renovator after his son’s admission, her old apartment…or, incredibly, her?

This story is really good.  I think a lot of women will relate in one way or another.  First, Libby Kimmelman is divorced.  Second, she has a teenage daughter making her a single parent.  Third, she has an ex who constantly judges her lifestyle–she’s an average woman and he’s a rich snob (you’ll think of a descriptive name for him and it won’t be a nice one!).  Fourth, she has a demanding high pressure job.  Last but not least, fifth, her apartment building is going co-op and she has to buy it for an outrageous price.  Frankly, I wouldn’t have traded her…she struggled everyday to keep it all together.  Then, she meets Ned Donovan.  He’s a breath of fresh air.  He doesn’t bribe her like all the other parents who want their children to enter the posh Hudson School in which she is in charge of admissions.  Ned is also extremely good looking and doesn’t know it.  Yum, the best kind of man!  A great one that doesn’t think he’s God’s gift to women!  Ned has a young son who applies to this fancy school without his knowledge and now he has to see if he can afford it.  They meet in her office and her assistant wants to do a hot-parent calendar for the school…having Ned on every page because he’s such a hunk.  This book has a great, very detailed story.  Just like real life.  The characters are totally real…you’ll swear you know a few of them.   You’ll really enjoy the story–I did!            

Because the characters are very different and very real, I give this book 3 cocktails!

Tags: book, Book Reviews, Judith Arnold, romance, Single Mom