The Fixer Upper audiobook

I am a huge Mary Kay Andrews fan, and know that I am not alone. As a southern woman, I just adore the picture the paints of quaint southern charm. And she never fails to create a main character that is a strong, yet sweet and gentile southern belle. I wish I was a Mary Kay Andrews character!The moment I read about the upcoming release of The Fixer Upper, I rushed to reserve my copy, and couldn't wait to start reading. I finished the book in near record time for me, it was that good. I loved that the story revolved around the rehab of an old plantation home, which is something I would jump at the opportunity to do, atleast in theory because as Dempsey shows us, it is quite an undertaking. Dempsey is the perfect woman for the job, even if she doesn't always know it. She is funny, sweet, highly motivated even if at times a bit lost and lacking confidence. The romance, drama and suspense that goes along with the rehab of Birdsong makes for a fantastic read. Andrews was right on the mark with this book, she even remember to include the eccentric elderly family member, which, let's face it, almost all southern families have one. It's part of our southern charm!

This is the first novel I've read by Mary Kay Andrews. I'm a Georgia girl born and bred, and I kept seeing her books in the bookstore touting Ms. Andrews as a local writer. I finally picked up the novel Fixer Upper. The book intrigued me since my husband and I are in the process of buying a house. This book has it all- political scandals, cover-ups, a love story, and my favorite part - a depiction of the south that is not stereotypical, but is honest and endearing. The main character in Fixer Upper is named Dempsey Killebrew. Dempsey inadvertently gets involved in a political scandal involving her boss and is forced to move from DC to a small town in GA after she loses her job. Her purpose in GA is to fix up a family home her father inherited and split the profits with him once the house is fixed up and sold. Dempsey's adventures along the way lead her to 'fix' her own life as well. The Fixer Upper is witty, interesting, and a pleasure to read. This novel reminded me of a sweet iced tea with lemon, refreshingly southern. I definitely plan to pick up another of Ms. Andrews' books.

This book was enjoyable, but I absolutely hated the miserable bitchy old hag that sometimes dominated the story. I found myself often shouting STFU whenever she appeared. So annoying, and unlike the protagonist, I felt zero affection for her.

This book was super funny and the perfect book to get me out of the reading slump I’ve been in. I love Mary Kay Andrews’ older titles....their so much fun and make me laugh out loud. This story about a woman working in Washington getting caught in a political scandal who escapes to Georgia to begin working on an old house she inherits, had a whole hysterical cast of side characters and was full of that traditional MKA southern charm. I loveddd all the reno stuff as a huge Chip and Joanna fan 🤣 It also had a great scandal story too imo.....one of my faves of hers. 4.25 ⭐️

All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mary Kay Andrews (MKA) is a ‘go to’ author of mine; her books are always so much fun and The Fixer Upper is another of those! She really captured the genuine small town feeling for me with Fixer Upper. I could picture everything she wrote as I listened to the audiobook. Everything was very descriptive and even the descriptions of Birdsong (the house) are well written. I felt for Dempsey in her situation that she goes through. She’s an innocent (situationally and in life) and you want her to pull through everything successfully. It is crazy to believe how quickly she goes from a high class junior lobbyist to an overall wearing ‘do it yourself’-er in a small town. She obviously missed her calling in life!.The heart of the novel is Ella Kate! She is an older woman very much set in her ways and tells it like it is and does not care what you think! She was my absolute favorite character and I would love to read more books with Ella Kate! You just have to read Fixer Upper to understand….As previously mentioned, l listened to the audiobook version of Fixer Upper. I would recommend listening to the audio version as the narrator, Isabel Keating, does a superb job. Her portrayal of Ella Kate is 100% spot on!The Fixer Upper is recommended.

Dempsey Killebrew loses her lobbyist job and her reputation when her boss is caught in a political scandal and tries to throw the blame on her. She heads to Florida to visit her father and his young family. He is not thrilled and sends her off to Guthrie, GA to oversee flipping a house he inherited. He offers to split any profits with her when it's sold. The house is a pink, crumbling disaster with an elderly relation and her dog illegally squatting in the house. The town boasts 2200 people and is far removed from D. C. Dempsey takes on the challenge and finds out a lot about herself as she begins the dirty work. The FBI is investigating, her divorced parents are giving conflicting advice, the elderly relation is cantankerous and a father/son team of lawyers take her under their wing, while she is learning rehab from the ground up with the help of a local handyman. Fun beach read.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book. I liked it mainly because it was a "fixer upper" story. Those are always so fun. Here's a great quote from the book. "New paint was about hope. It was about believing that underneath the dirt and the crud and the hurt, it was possible to find something solid and substantial. Something worth saving."Isn't that nice?Note: A few instances of language and adult scenes, though they are brief and well handled.

I listened to this book on audiotape and even though the voices really annoyed me at first, I got really into the story! This is my first Mary Kay Andrews book and now I really want to read more! :)

Good book about a young woman, trained as an attorney but working as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., whose boss is in deep trouble, who is fired on the same day the boss’s troubles are outed by reporters. Her name is blackened by association, so when her father offers her a “job,” she’s not in a position to refuse, even though it’s something she’s never done.He has inherited his family’s home in a small town in Georgia, and he wants her to get it ready to sell. He hasn’t seen the place in about fifty years; she’s never seen it. But she doesn’t have any other options, so she agrees.The house is old and needs a lot of work, but it has great bones and many original features. (It also has a squatter, an elderly distant cousin who dislikes her on sight.) Once she and her father agree on a budget, she hires a contractor recommended by the attorney who has served the family for years, but she’ll have to do a lot of the work herself to keep within her father’s strict budget.Then the FBI comes calling.With the contractor’s help, will she be able to do what needs to be done? What about the FBI and the new set of problems they bring? What about the two men, one an older neighbor, one her lawyer’s son, who seem interested in being more than just helpful?A terrific, thoroughly enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this character-driven story of a young woman unwittingly caught up in a scandal. She retreats to a small town and focuses on renovating an old house, until the FBI tracks her down...The beginning was a little slow for me, but about 50 pages in it clicked. The characters are truly characters, and I loved the house, which was kinda a character in its own right.

So glad I bought Mary Kay Andrews books years ago. Wonder why I didn't read them when I got them. They are excellent and I am truly enoying them. Highly recommend her books. Read all her new ones and now I am enjoying her older ones.

4.5 from me!

I laughed when I read the reviews. A perfect light and beachy read.