How to Be Loved

Fixer-Upper #2

by Stacey Wiedower

From USA Today bestselling romantic comedy author Stacey Wiedower comes a story about bucket lists, reality TV, and love despite all modern obstacles...

Interior designer Quinn Cunningham has spent her life competing with her sisters, struggling with her weight, and breaking up with one jerk after another. She’s currently at war with her mother, who wants nothing more than for Quinn to land a man and fall in line with her wealthy Southern family’s traditional path of marriage, kids, spin class, and social climbing. But all Quinn really wants is to build a thriving career and make her own way.

When she lands an assignment to design a London townhouse for her boss’s brother, Quinn is ecstatic to get out of her hometown of Memphis and embark on an exciting adventure outside the bounds of her mother’s stifling social scene. As she learns the ropes in a new city and tackles the restoration of a stately old home, she meets a quirky fellow designer who pulls her easily—almost too easily—into her inner circle, along with not just one, but two hot British men with secrets she’s dying to unravel. The question is, will transatlantic romance unravel her, or will love finally find a place alongside Quinn’s ambition?

The Fixer-Upper novels:
How to Look Happy
How to Be Loved

What critics are saying about Stacey Wiedower:

"I thoroughly enjoyed the story with all of its twists and turns, and I really connected with the author’s writing. I can’t wait to read her other novels and I highly recommend you get a copy of all of them for yourself too!"
—Living Life with Joy, 5 out of 5 stars!

"(30 First Dates) was so poignant and funny and true to life. It doesn’t happen often that a book inspires me outside of the pages. I liked this book so much that I decided to make my own bucket list."
—The Bad Mommy Diaries, 5 out of 5 stars!

"I absolutely loved this book! Highly recommended!"
—Chicklit Club

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2018

About the author

Stacey Wiedower started her career as a newspaper reporter before following her passion to interior design school. After spending three years at a firm with bizarre similarities to "Designing Women," she began funneling all her experience into her work as a full-time writer. Now she pens novels, short stories, magazine articles, website copy and more, and the wacky characters she's met poke their heads into her stories from time to time. Stacey lives in Tennessee with her husband, also a writer, and a son who's inherited their overactive imaginations.

Reviews

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that generates lots of emotions. Quinn Cunningham is an interior designer who comes from a privileged background but with expectations. Her dad is an attorney and politician who wants her to follow in his footsteps. One sister is a doctor and the other is a stay at home mom. The latter is jealous of her and expresses her sour feelings toward Quinn frequently. Both sisters are thin but Quinn is tall and not so thin. Her mother is constantly watching her eat at Sunday family dinners. Quinn has had her share of deadbeat boyfriends and seems to be attracted to the type. Her two best friends are her biggest support in the world other than her father. Needless to say, Quinn's self image is not the greatest but her career is going great. When she goes to England for work, she is excited, especially when she meets a new friend who introduces her to her group of friends. Life is great until she feels betrayed by the British friends. Quinn is a fun loving person who loves her friends and family. She deserves to find love too. When she thinks she has finally found someone, she feels disappointment. But should she? I felt happy for Quinn but at times sad. Sometimes, people aren't what they seem--good or bad. This is a deep book about relationships and love--how to be loved. It was fun to see a glimpse of the British culture. The author does a great job at showing Quinn's work in progress as well as a visit to London.
Thanks to Gemma Halliday for this ARC to read and give an honest review.

[Meredith Schorr · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing that always impresses me about Stacey Wiedower's writing is her way of setting the scene and making you feel like you are right there with the characters. Her skill with description is unmatched and this book was no exception. The reader got to behind the scenes of interior design and London. I could practically hear the British accents as I was reading! I found this book to be especially unpredictable as I honestly had no idea how things would end up for Quinn until the very end. The author totally kept me guessing! The same goes for the secondary characters - who was a genuine good guy and who was a foe was a question I asked myself while reading - there was a little mystery mixed up with the romance. I empathized with Quinn and her difficulty with trust and I cringed during some of the family scenes. Without spoiling anything, I will say that I was pleased with the way things were wrapped up!

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book that started out with gentle emotions and relief of being "rid" of the boyfriend, Chase, and ended up like a tsunami. In between I was impressed with interior designer Quinn's ability to concentrate on her work and not be devastated by the lack of emotional support she got from her mom and sister. Obviously her two good friends were able to keep her from dwelling in the toxic situation her mother and sister Vivianne promoted. I guess the author demonstrated the old adage about choosing your friends and being stuck with your family. I certainly cringed as I read about the family dinners and commentary that Quinn was forced to endure.

Most people would have been terrified to cross the ocean and renovate a home without any contacts established. Impressively, Quinn manages to find a group of friends to hang out with besides all the rest. She is obviously very good at her job, as she manages to get workers and materials lined up in a short time, leave for several weeks, come back and things are on track, and do it all over again. When she comes back for the final installation there has been so much emotional upheaval and yet her professionalism never wavered.

One of the funniest tidbits in the book was how all the Brits in her small circle of friends assumed she would know Lisa Presley just because Quinn was from Memphis! Funny hearing a stereotypical comment from the British point of view!

I felt the author did an excellent job of writing the various characters, without tipping her hand as to what was planned for them later in the book. Several times I expected quite different things to happen than actually did happen. It made the book very exciting and made me read faster. When I started the book, I wasn't even sure it would be something I liked! Now I recommend it highly, and hope there will be a continuation of the characters in the future.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book did not go the way I was thinking it would. I really thought it was going to go in a different direction. But heck I loved it.

In this book Quinn is going to London to overhaul her boss brother’s flat. She is really good at her job, but doesn’t get the support from her family that she should. While over in London she meets an up tight hunk and a laid back sex god. As the story goes on she deals with deception and hurt. It is amazing how she deals with all of the issues that come up and still be able to concentrate on her job and still be a bad ass interior designer.

There were many wonderful characters and plenty of fun banter to go around. Quinn is definitely a wonderful person, who is strong, determined and caring. Her story has some twists and turns in it and she doesn’t follow the path that I thought she might. I was really thinking that this book was going to end a different way and I really could see it going that way, but the end was nice.

The book flowed nicely and was very entertaining keeping me hooked till the end. I loved how it is set in London with a British point of view mixed with Tennessee flair. It made for a fun and interesting read. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a quirky fun read with a bit of romance.

*ARC provided by Gemma Halliday Publishing

[Missi Martin (Stockwell) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading a story where there are little mentions that the reader can relate too. In How To Be Loved by Stacey Wiedower, she mentions little things like television shows and characters, that I can wholeheartedly relate. She mentions Chandler Bing and his character on Friends in relating his relationship woes to the main character Quinn. Quinn and Chandler both find the littliest thing wrong with a member of the opposite sex and have the relationship doomed before the first date has even officially started. And then later in the story Wiedower references another great show, How I Met Your Mother and how the character relates to Ted.

I also love that Quinn is an interior designer living in Memphis Tennessee but work has her traveling to London to redecorate her bosses brother’s home. I love everything about London….from the way they speak, to them drinking a cuppa tea, hanging at the pub…. And with Quinn being an interior designer you get a glimpse into the artistic aspect London has to offer.

The story is very captivating from the very beginning and the reader has no problem getting to know Quinn’s family and her 2 best friends in Memphis, Savy and Jules and when she jets off to London and meets Miranda and her crew in the pub, you are instantly a member of that circle as well.

The independence of Quinn and the way she handles herself with all the different situations that arise are page turning addicting. Even when she is having problems with her London crew, she handles it to the best of her ability and you love and admire her even more. Her vulnerability is what will have you tearing the pages as you turn them quickly to see how she happens the situation when the pot really begins to boil……

I loved the beginning, the end and the middle….I hated the end not for the way it ended but the sheer fact that the story had to end at all….

[Samantha March · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Stacey Wiedower, and have read How To Be Happy, the first book in the Fixer Upper series. I enjoyed following Quinn and her quest across the pond, and seeing her London adventures. There was a lot of interesting twists in here when it came to both her friendships and her romantic interests while in London, and both aspects kept me on my toes. I enjoyed not really knowing how her story was going to end up, and that definitely held my interest throughout. I also enjoyed getting to know Quinn’s friends, and really hope we get another story from one of them, maybe Jules, in the future. It was also nice to play a little catch up with Jen from book 1! I will say that toward the end it did get a little long for me, a little too drawn out in the romance department, but still a really fun and sweet romantic comedy that I did have a fun time reading.
I received a review copy

[JigsawGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out kind of slow for me. Just as I decided it wasn't my cup of tea, unexpected things started happening. Then you get the sense of, "Maybe I need to see this through.", and it becomes engaging.

Admittedly, I had moments where I wanted to rescue Quinn from her shrewish mother and sister. I was cheering for her to go overseas to get away from them. I was really glad she had her father.

I don't see this book as a romantic comedy. I didn't find much humor in it. More of just a romance, with slightly sad moments for Quinn.

I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy received from Gemma Halliday Publishing.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Quirky, Unquiet Life of Quinn Cunningham.

Quinn has to go to the UK for her work as an interior designer. Culture clash! Always nice, especially the differences in use of language. In between dealing with her ex and meeting new men in the UK, she has to completely restore a British home.

It was lighthearted and fun, but also unexpected and surprising. Entertaining. A bit slow at times but not boring-slow; it flowed well. I really liked it!

[Fran Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was a fun and entertaining read. The story did not go as I expected which was a nice change. Quinn's character is one that a lot of women can relate to. She is self confident in a lot of ways but struggles in other areas. Quinn, her family and close friends, and the people she meets along the way pulled me in and left me wanting more.
I received an ARC from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review.

[Robin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book is the second in a series, it can be read as a stand alone. Quinn is an interior designer and has been given the opportunity to design a renovation in London. After a breakup, this is the distraction she needs. She makes friends in London, one of whom she is attracted to but fights the urge. Ian does not divulge much about his life, which makes her very suspicious. The story unfolds beautifully and I enjoyed it very much.

[Sandy Lipinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

More romance than comedy. Believable characters with a believable story. Interior Decorator Quinn is given a prestigious job in England. Money is no object. She flies from Memphis to England to redo a home. She meets interesting people that later betray her. Coming alive falling in love. This story expresses how strong and powerful real love can be.

[Bernadette Cinkoske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Quinn - no one should have to endure a Mother like Quinn's. Small wonder Quinn was thrilled to work in London. I really enjoyed this book - sparkling dialogue, great characters, plot twists, etc. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an escape. It will keep you entertained.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. The characters were complex and the story interesting. Like Stacey Wiedower’s writing style. Enjoyed the feeling of being in London.