Just Finished Reading: The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Fixer (Fixer #1)
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
To be published on July 7, 2015
by Bloomsbury

Source: ARC for review from the publisher

Synopsis from Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick has spent her entire life on her grandfather's ranch. But when her estranged sister Ivy uproots her to D.C., Tess is thrown into a world that revolves around politics and power. She also starts at Hardwicke Academy, the D.C. school for the children of the rich and powerful, where she unwittingly becomes a fixer for the high school set, fixing teens’ problems the way her sister fixes their parents’ problems. And when a conspiracy surfaces that involves the family member of one of Tess's classmates, love triangles and unbelievable family secrets come to light and life gets even more interesting—and complicated—for Tess.

My take: I love thrillers, but I seldom find YA thrillers very ... thrilling. So I was beyond happy to find The Fixer! It was a fun, fast-paced story that had me flipping the pages like crazy. The Fixer had a lot of my favorite story elements. It has a fish-out-of-water feel, as Tess is whisked from her old life in Montana to a fancy Washington D. C. private school after her grandfather needs to go into a nursing home. At the tony Hardwicke school, Tess has to adapt to a completely new environment and get to know her classmates, many of whom are children of the powerful and well-connected. Not surprisingly, The Fixer also has political elements -- the story involving the death of a Supreme Court justice reminded me a little bit of my favorite John Grisham book, The Pelican Brief.  Plus, Tess' big sister, Ivy, is a "fixer" like Olivia Pope in Scandal (or real life fixer Judy Smith, the woman Pope was reportedly based on.)

The Fixer is also a story about family, as Tess and Ivy have to address their strained relationship. But one thing that The Fixer is not is a romance. There are two male characters who could develop into love interests for Tess, but she really doesn't get involved with either one of them. (I didn't mind this, but just letting you know. Plus, I think this gives The Fixer a high potential for a love triangle in future installments.)

For me, The Fixer was the perfect gripping summer read. I think I'll be part of the blog tour, so if this book sounds like something you'd love, be sure to keep a look out for my tour post and giveaway!