Even Goodreads user KP outlines the steps to what goes in Kinsella’s novels. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but some readers have issues with how formulaic her stories can be. I never read that book, but from what I’ve read, I get the feeling that she likes to write quirky female protagonists with a “fatal” flaw and that they experience character growth. Will she take a stand and grab the life and love she really wants?īefore going into this novel, the only thing that I knew was that the author Sophie Kinsella had written Confessions of a Shopaholic. It gets to the point where she is torn between her family and the life she wants to live. As a result, Fixie and Sebastian pass a series of IOUs to each other. Would she? And then, her childhood crush Ryan comes back into her life, and she tries to convince Sebastian to give him a job. He scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. It turns out that the stranger – Sebastian – is an investment manager. Not only does she agree, but she also saves it from a certain disaster. Then one day at a coffee shop, a handsome stranger asks her to watch his laptop. That’s her nature, even if it means picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own when running the family housewares store. I Owe You One is about a woman with a complicated family, a handsome guy, and an IOU that changes everything. What do I think? Despite its predictable nature, I liked it, for it’s a good read before going to bed. I bring all of this up because I read I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella recently, and reviews were mixed for reasons including the one mentioned above. For me, it depends if I’m reading it before going to bed, or if I’m doing that during the daytime. Some like the familiarity, while others want something more atypical. Anyone who has read romance novels will know how predictable they can get.