Review: The Long Game (Fixer #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: The Long Game (Fixer #2)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: June 7, 2016

Rating: 5 STARS!!!

The Kendricks help make the problems of the Washington elite disappear…but some secrets won’t stay buried.
 For Tess Kendrick, a junior at the elite Hardwicke School in Washington, D.C., fixing runs in the family. But Tess has another legacy, too, one that involves power and the making of political dynasties. When Tess is asked to run a classmate’s campaign for student council, she agrees. But when the candidates are children of politicians, even a high school election can involve life-shattering secrets.

Meanwhile, Tess’s guardian has also taken on an impossible case, as a terrorist attack calls into doubt who can—and cannot—be trusted on Capitol Hill. Tess knows better than most that power is currency in D.C., but she's about to discover firsthand that power always comes with a price.--Summary from Goodreads

The Long Game is everything that The Fixer is and more. More suspense. More drama. More at stake than ever before. Every time something big would happen in the book I just couldn't believe it! And then it would escalate father than I could have ever anticipated... and then that escalated even more. I was literally tense while reading this book. I dreaded knowing what would come next but I couldn't stop reading! I had to know! Even now I can't believe how amazing this book is. It surpassed all my expectations, which is saying something considering how much I love the first book.

All the characters that I love from the first book are back and it's great seeing them in action. The book starts with Tess, Henry, Asher, and Vivvie doing what they do best: blackmailing a powerful person for the right reasons. Asher makes everything hilarious and Tess is as brilliant as ever. But like I said, things get more intense after that. These relationships grow and change throughout the book as events happen and all I can say is that it is completely believable. The same can be said about Tess's relationships with her grandfather, Ivy, and Adam. I love all these characters and the author writes such complex and interesting relationships that are beautiful and sad all at once.

One of the things that makes this book so intense is because it all feels so real. The events in the book are scarily possible and I really couldn't believe the places this story went. The events were handled in a believable manner and Tess's ability to deal with the them as a teenager was realistic as well. I really couldn't respect this series any more than I do right now. I believe this to be one of the best YA series going on right now. THERE BETTER BE A THIRD BOOK!!!

The Long Game is a non-stop, high-stakes, political thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. If you love The Fixer than you will no doubt love this sequel. This is a book to move to the top of your to-reads list.
                   -Christina

The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: The Fixer (The Fixer #1)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Source: ARC - received a copy from the publisher at NTTBF which does not in any way influence my review of the novel.

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's

Publication Date: 7 July 2015

Rating: 5 STARS!

When sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick is sent to live with her older sister, Ivy, she has no idea that the infamous Ivy Kendrick is Washington D.C.'s #1 “fixer,” known for making politicians' scandals go away for a price. No sooner does Tess enroll at Hardwicke Academy than she unwittingly follows in her sister's footsteps and becomes D.C.'s premier high school fixer, solving problems for elite teens.

Secrets pile up as each sister lives a double life. . . . until their worlds come crashing together and Tess finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy with one of her classmates and a client of Ivy's. Suddenly, there is much more on the line than good grades, money, or politics, and the price for this fix might be more than Tess is willing to pay.

Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Heist Society, readers will be clamoring for more in this exciting new series. - Summary from Goodreads

I was so incredibly lucky to get an ARC from the publisher at the North Texas Teen Book Festival and I was even able to get it signed! It was the first copy of The Fixer that Jennifer Lynn Barnes had signed and that made it even more special. The thing that topped off the perfection was that The Fixer is an amazing book!

I knew from page 8 that it was going to be a great when Tess embarrasses a history teacher for bullying another student, using both history and Shakespeare as her weapons. I started to love her then, but the truth was I hadn’t seen anything yet. Tess is smart, resourceful, and is great at making allies (and enemies) even if she doesn’t know it. I’ve heard this book compared to Veronica Mars and I think it works. Tess doesn’t have the same snarky attitude as Veronica, she’s more serious, but I found the way that she created the relationships around her to be similar to VMars. They are friendships that are built in hard times and become stronger for it. I loved all of the characters and I can’t wait to get to know them more.

Tess’ relationship with her sister, Ivy, is complicated to say the least. The age gap and the fact that Tess feels like Ivy abandoned her certainly doesn’t make for a good relationship, but I kept wanting them to work things out and to form that connection that they both need. I really like Ivy, you could tell she was just trying to make amends and protect her sister. Unfortunately for her, Tess has a habit of finding trouble. Ivy also has a group of people that she works with. One of which is Adam and the other (my favorite character!) is Brodie, Ivy’s driver/bodyguard/criminal. It’s one of those awkward moments as an adult reading YA when you get a crush on the older guy. It happens, I’m not ashamed of it!

There was absolutely no romance in this book and, to tell you the truth, it didn’t need it. The plot itself and the character relationships carried it all on their own. I’m not saying that I would object if there was any romance in the later books (because I totally wouldn’t), but with everything going on in The Fixer, I didn't miss it. There is just so much AWESOMENESS in this novel I can't even address half of it in this review. The last 100-pages has so many revelations and it is intense and emotional and I will admit to tearing up a couple of time… okay, maybe it was a little more than just tearing up. It seems like the Political Thriller genre is getting a lot more attention in the YA world and is becoming one of my favorites.

The Fixer is an intense novel with fantastic and loveable characters that will keep surprising you until the very end. This book is, without a doubt, one of the best books of the year. I would highly recommend it to everyone.
     -Christina