Book Review: Unfixable by Tessa Bailey

 

Willa Peet isn’t interested in love. She’s been there, done that, and has the shattered heart to prove it. Ready to shake the breakup, she heads to Dublin, Ireland. But there’s a problem. A dark-haired, blue-eyed problem with a bad attitude that rivals her own. And he’s not doling out friendly Irish welcomes.

Shane Claymore just wants to race. The death of his father forced him off the Formula One circuit, but he’s only staying in Dublin long enough to sell the Claymore Inn and get things in order for his mother and younger sister. He never expected the sarcastic American girl staying at the inn to make him question everything.

But even as Willa and Shane’s fiery natures draw them together, their pasts threaten to rip them apart. Can Shane give up racing to be with the woman he loves, or will Willa’s quest to resurrect the tough-talking, no-shit-taking girl she used to be destroy any hope of a future together?

Unfixable is not normally the type of book I like. The New Adult genre and me have not really hit it off, I can count the number of New Adult books I have liked on one hand. I don't really get it if I am honest, they are just like adult romances but with more angsty drama and I am not really a big fan of angst especially if it is over done which appears to be a must for New Adult. One look at the description for Unfixable and I was sure I was going to hate it. A doomed romance between a trapped boy and a girl who hates herself, sounds like pure angst to me. No, I should not have liked Unfixable. Yet somehow this book got under my skin and I couldn't put it down and I fell in love with it.

I have only read one Tessa Bailey book before this. I gave His Risk to Take three stars but I struggle to remember anything about it. Even looking back over the blurb and my review I am coming up blank. Unfixable will not be as unforgettable. Tessa Bailey really did a good job of writing this book, everything was thought out, the characters, storyline and relationships were all structured and well built and the writing was descriptive. Reading Unfixable was easy, I picked it up and within moments I was lost in the story. I felt maybe that the ending was a bit rushed like Bailey realised the was running out of room but that's the only complaint I have.

What I really enjoyed about Unfixable was it's storyline. Sure there was drama but for the most part it was believable. For me this was more than a romance, it was almost like a coming of age novel, the characters take a journey of personal discovery along side the romance. Tessa Bailey managed to sneak a little bit of everything into Unfixable, it was at times happy and sad, it made me laugh, it filled me with wonder and at times despair. It was a well balanced book full of ups and downs, it flowed well and I never found myself bored with it.

Tessa Bailey's writing and Unfixable's story line both helped to make this book great, but what made me fall in love with this book was it's characters. Shane was a tempestuous man, he was stubborn and angry but behind that there was a guy that truly cared, that didn't know how to go about doing the right thing. He was very much a secondary character to Willa but that didn't make him less important. Shane was the only one who could and would challenge Willa's perception of the world and herself. I liked Shane a lot but it was Willa that truly made this book a joy to read. I fell in love with this girl from the beginning, and I related to her in quite a few ways. Willa does not have the best opinion of herself, she feels like she is broken and unfixable but she never wallows in self pity, she wants to live and to love but she doesn't know how. I found her honest and real, she's had it tough but is determined to make it through. It is rare to come across a new adult character with this much baggage and not have them be an angsty, dramatic mess. Sure, Willa was not perfect, she made mistakes but she owned them. Self pity really wasn't her style and I loved her for that.

The romance was fantastic. The chemistry between Willa and Shane sizzled and jumped off the pages. They didn't fall into bed quickly and the sexual tension Bailey created was almost unbearable. Sometimes books heavy with sexual tension can fall flat once the characters give in but not Unfixable. Tessa Bailey kept the tension high and I must say that she sure knows how to write a sex scene. This book is seriously hot, none of the love making was casual, it meant something to these characters which made it even hotter. Out side of the physical the romance still worked, animosity turned to lust, lust to respect and respect to love. These characters learn to love each other and themselves, they learn that it is ok to lean on others when you need to, that it is ok to share your bad thoughts and your good ones, your hopes and your fears. Everything about the romantic aspect of this book worked for me, I truly have nothing negative to say about it.

Unfixable was like an unexpected gift. It has made me look into the new adult genre again, and has introduced me to an author that I cannot wait to read more from. It was more than I thought it could be and I am so very glad I've read it.

4 stars

 

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Unfixable by Tessa Bailey.  Published April 14th 2014 by Entangled Publishing (Embrace)

 

A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.  Image courtesy of Goodreads.