The Fixer Upper

Her life may require more fixing up than the house her father has sent her to renovate.

My Review:

What a wonderful and intriguing story of a renovation of an old Georgian Mansion called Birdsong and the latest indictment of Dempsey's old boss Alex for allegedly trying to buy his way into an oil company's bill in Washington. Since Dempsey works for Alex as a junior associate lobbyist, she finds herself embattled with this FBI investigation when her boss turns her in to the FBI and claims himself innocent of all charges. He subsequently fires her as a way of making the story stick.

Since Dempsey can't really work in Washington right now, her father, Mitch, wants her to head down to Georgia to fix up and flip an old house he has inherited from his grandfather. What Dempsey finds there is truly an overgrown money pit, complete with a live in, old lady who insists the house belongs to her.

The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews takes you on quite adventure in not only the art of restoring a home where every penny counts and just when you think there isn't anything more than can go wrong, it does! The characters are so believable that you wonder if Birdsong really doesn't exist. This is a fabulous summer read that takes you away and you can completely lose yourself in another life.

I received The Fixer Upper, compliments of TLC Book Tours and would rate this book a 9 out of 10. There are some sexual scenes between Dempsey and her attorney's son, but they are brief and don't distract from the story.

For more information on this wonderful book, the author and where to obtain your copy, click on the link below:

http://tlcbooktours.com/2010/04/mary-kay-andrews-author-of-the-fixer-upper-on-tour-june-2010/

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

I really enjoyed this wonderful novel!

THE FIXER UPPER is about family and all that entails, heart, humor, love, problems.Needing to redefine herself after her adventure in Washington, DC and getting tangled up in a political scandal, Dempsey is given the opportunity, thanks to Dad, to have her fix up their old family home to sell back in Guthrie, Georgia. There's a lot of exciting drama thereafter concerning a smooth-talking real estate agent, a contractor, a widowed attorney, an FBI agent and so on and so forth. I really enjoyed this wonderful novel!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Hoddergate

What a fun book. I happened upon Mary Kay Andrews when I spotted Savannah Blues on the community book shelf at work and have been a fan ever since.

My friend just borrowed this book and read it at one sitting. Different from the other Andrews books in that it starts off with in DC rather than the south and involves a political scandel. One of my favorite MKA books.

Can't wait for the next book.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

"Empty Literary Calories"

This is how one of the characters describes a book she is reading and it can be applied here. It is not a condemnation of the book, just an explanation. It was an easy-breezy, fairly predictable read, which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you are looking to expand your horizons or stretch your imagination, look elsewhere. But if you are looking for a relaxing read, this book fills the bill.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved the Story...Sad when it ended!

I really got into this book! I could not put it down! the characters were very likeable but i do wish there was more about Dempsey and Tee. I loved them as acouple and was very disappointed with the way the story ended. I wish she would of written more about dempsey and Tee and what happens for them in the futre! Overall i liked the story!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Really Good!

Mary Kay Andrews does not disappoint! Another charming story - I was sad to see it end!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews

Dempsey Killibrew has worked as a lobbyist for a very short time when a political scandal breaks and she finds herself without a job, broke and homeless. Her father comes up with the perfect solution, he has just inherited a house in Gurthrie, Georgia, that the lawyer assures him that with a TLC the house will sell for much more than it's current appraisal. He convinces Dempsey to get out of Washington and head to Georgia to give the house a good cleaning and a little paint and he'd split the profits with her.

Well when Dempsey get to the small town and sees the house she knows it a much bigger job than she ever imagined, plus she has inherited a 79 year old "mean old lady" and her dog as part of the deal. She also realizes that small town life is much different from anything she has ever experienced. Everyone knows everything about everybody.

She rolls up her sleeves and gets to work trying to return the house to the beautiful home it once was only to have the FBI come calling trying to pin the whole Washington scandal on her. We see a totally new Dempsey emerge as the story continues.

The was a very enjoyable story as are all of Mary Kay Andrews sagas. It's the kind of story that even after the last page is read you want to know more, after the crisis is over what happens to all the characters. You become so involved in the story, the family feels so real.

http://dollycas.blogspot.com/

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I have almost all of this author's! Funny and engaging and thoughtful too. She just doesn't write fast enough--- I am ready for the next book!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Mary Kay Andrews rocks!

Living in the South, I love Mary Kay Andrews' style and her characters are people I can identify with. Her books are always more entertaining than the latest movie and are always my first choice for a trip read. Her Savannah books are my favorite so far. I love these characters and hate for each story to end!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Summer Read and nothing more

I have been a fan of Ms Andrews from her first book to this recent publication.While this one wasn't bad I missed the atmosphere background I have come to enjoy. Being a displaced southerner her books were bits of home that were memory provoking and amusingly spot on in detail. I look forward to the next book. Her heroines while very twenty-first century still leave a hint of honeysuckle behind.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Read..

I love the character, Dempsey Jo Killebrew and her family. I was looking for a good read with a "southern flare" and this book was the ticket.

The main character, Dempsey loses her job and winds up in a political scandal. Her Dad gives her a chance to escape to a home he inherits called "Birdsong". She arrives to find out that an old lady is living there and does not want Dempsey to be there. They form a bond in the end and Dempsey also finds love... it's a great read.

I love Mary Kay Andrews. She is a great author....

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What a great beach read!!! This book captured my attention and was full of romance, humor and characters that seemed to be so real, I had to remind myself that they were not!

I loved this book. Hats off to Mary Kay Andrews and her phenomenal writing style. This book kept my attention and allowed me to escape into a great read.

Andrews captured the dialogue of her characters precisely and each and every character came alive as you read. The main character was so believable as were the supporting characters.

Her plot was so believable with real life and I identified with the main character's trials and tribulations.

Please read this book and be prepared not to be able to put it down for long. It is that spellbinding.

I am anxiously awaiting her next book.

Enjoy and be sure to have some southern iced tea, some chicken salad and chocolate in any form and enjoy.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

SATISFYING SUMMER LISTENING

Dish, and now An experienced stage actress and Tony nominee Isabel Keating has given voice to several stories by Mary Kay Andrews - Hissy Fit, Deep The Fixer Upper. For this reader/listener Keating is the Andrews voice, perfectly capturing the sounds of the South. Of her Hissy Fit narration I wrote that it was a fun, thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. I said ditto for Deep Dish, and repeat my approbation here - The Fixer Upper is another winner.

Heroine Dempsey Jo Killebrew is more than out on a limb in this story - she's out of a job after her boss, a lobbyist, lets her take the blame for what has turned into a political scandal. What's a girl to do? When her father asks her to come to the old family home in Guthrie, Georgia in order to fix it up she accepts. After all, it will be a roof over her head which she is without at the present time.

"Fix it up" is certainly a misnomer as there's more wrong with the house than she imagined, and she continues to find more things amiss than were initially apparent. As if repairs weren't enough there's also an elderly distant relative in residence who refuses to move. She'd be busy enough without government agents who keep dropping by to ask about her former boss, and the distraction presented by a really good looking newspaper owner.

As is her wont Andrews laces her tale with plentiful doses of humor, and while we know that all will be better than well in the end that does not detract from the journey. Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Needs some fixing up...

Good for escapism, clever book cover, a bit touching & romantic but needs some fixing up...

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

I first started reading Mary Kay Andrew's books when I happened

I first started reading Mary Kay Andrew's books when I happened upon Hissy Fit, and Little Bitty lies for sale at a local store. Once I read those two I became hooked. I love her style of writing, and how she brings her stories to the south. I also found myself loving the characters; especially Dempsey because she is shown to be an honest and selfless women who not only takes care of a run down home, but an old lady "squatter" who has her share of her own issues. Dempsey overcomes all odds in the story making it a satisfying read, and even find love in a small town that she never would have immagined living. Of course, I highly recommend this novel! It is excellent.

Very entertaining

I read this book in a day and a half. I really enjoyed the refreshing story line. I have read almost all of the books from this author and this was one of my favorites.

Dempsey Jo Killebrew, is a young naive junior associate to a lo

Dempsey Jo Killebrew, is a young naive junior associate to a lobbyist in Washington, After her boss throws her under the bus for his actions in trying to bribe a US Congress member, Dempsey winds up broke, unemployed, and homeless. That is until her father suggests that she go down to Guthrie, Georgia and fix up his family’s home, he had just inherited, Birdsong. As she fixes the house she comes to terms with her own situation and we join her in an adventure of self-discovery.

I fell in love with the mean old lady who was squatting in Birdsong, Ella Kate, the cantankerous old woman reminded me of my own grandmother minus the dog! Mary Kay Andrew does a wonderful job of describing details in this book, so that even those who have never renovated a home have a clear picture of what is happening. It wasn’t a bad book but it felt lacking, to me the romance in the novel was very abrupt, but on the other hand when Dempsey finally snapped out of her self-pitying and idiotic behavior and grew a backbone I almost whooped for joy, I have never had much patience for women who always talk badly about themselves. The ending was not that great either especially for a stand-alone novel, but it is a fun and light hearted read and I think Ella Kate makes it worth it.

Fast read

Once again Mary Kay Andrews writes a fun, easy book.

Highly Recommended for a good fun reading experience

I love reading Mary Kay Andrews books. They are just down to earth, can't put down - funny. You can really get into her characters. Way to go Girl.

loved it!

Great read! Worth the $$$$$!!!