“THE FIXER,” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Bloomsbury USA Childrens, July 7, 2015, $17.99 (young adult)
Tess loves her gramps and wants nothing else than to stay with him. But it’s getting harder and harder to cover for him — his mood swings, his forgetfulness. Tess has things under control until a nosy school administrator starts poking around, and Tess finds her sister, Ivy, at her door.
Now the 16-year-old is on her way to Washington, D.C. to live with the city’s No. 1 fixer — Ivy. Ivy’s known for making politicians’ scandals go away; she’s infamous for it. And now that Tess is in town, it appears she’s going to follow in her sister’s footsteps, whether she wants to or not.
Hardwicke Academy is D.C.’s premier high school; full of elite teens with elite problems. The sisters lead double lives, coexisting without trying to step on each other’s toes. That works fine … until their two worlds and clients collide. The stakes are high, much higher than either sister wants to admit. This fix could be their last.
I admit I started out wanting “The Fixer” to follow a different path. I found Tess’ experiences trying to deal with a grandfather who was in cognitive decline intriguing. I wanted more, but then the book took a sudden turn. Suddenly, Tess was moving in with her sister and the focus shifted sharply from her grandfather’s situation to being thrust into the position of fixer. Once the transition completed, I was once again caught up in Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ story. Still, I think the opening has the potential to play out into a different story.
Tess is a likable character, and there are lots of twists and turns that will keep readers glued to the page. There were a few predictable plot elements but nothing that would keep me from recommending “The Fixer.” I’m looking forward to any follow-ups in the works.
