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The Fix

Natasha Sinel (Goodreads Author)

3.92 · Rating details · 403 ratings · 66 reviews

One conversation is all it takes to break a world wide open.

Seventeen-year-old Macy Lyons has been through something no one should ever have to experience. And she’s dealt with it entirely alone.

On the outside, she’s got it pretty good. Her family’s well-off, she’s dating the cute boy next door, she has plenty of friends, and although she long ago wrote her mother off as ...more

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Hardcover, 325 pages

Published September 1st 2015 by Sky Pony Press | Skyhorse Publishing

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Average rating 3.92 ·

Rating details

· 403 ratings · 66 reviews

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Jun 06, 2015 Sarah Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, mystery, netgalley-edelweiss, love-triangle, r2r-complete, read-2015, romance, abuse, read-with-abbie

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Sky Pony Press and Edelweiss.)

“He’s just a friend.”
“I don’t believe you.”

This was an interesting story about a girl with something bad hiding in her past.

Macy was a bit of a difficult character to really understand, and I found her behaviour a bit unusual. Sleeping around, sleeping with boys who are on a break from their girlfriend, thinking about kissing another boy when you have a boyfriend; these ...more

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May 25, 2015 Kim at Divergent Gryffindor rated it liked it

Shelves: 2015-releases, read-2015, rating-3-stars

The Fix is an in-between book for me. I felt like the parts that I liked and didn't like were equal, thus I'm giving it 3 stars. It's very hard for me to describe or write a review for this book, so I'm going to do a list review instead.

What I liked:
• The issues tackled - abuse, drugs, mental ilness
• Rebecca - the ever-supportive friend
• The MC's relationship with Gavin, her little brother
• Darren and his observance

What I didn't like:
• The cheating, even though the main character doesn't own up ...more

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Mar 26, 2015 Peach rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, arc, 2015-releases, grow-up-pls, regretful-reads, nice-cover-tho, intolerable-mcs

To think I spent three days on this.

Well, okay, it wasn't all terrible. I don't wanna be a Debbie Downer, but God. I don't know where to begin on this one.

Our MC, Macy Lyons, is at a party one evening with her friends and boyfriend when she bumps into the very-mysterious Sebastian Ruiz. They strike up what feels like an hour-long conversation, which I assumed the author was trying to make philosophical and John Green-esque, but it only came off as two stoned teenagers at a midnight rager, r ...more

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Oct 07, 2015 La La rated it it was amazing

Shelves: on-my-kindle, blog-highlights, review-arcs-edelweiss, diverse-or-issue-related

4.5 Stars on my blog. I accidentally requested this title on Edelweiss thinking it was The Fixer, and I am extremely happy I did! This book dealt with several sensitive issues that affect many young adults, and did it in a realistic way. And in answer to several of the bad reviews I saw here on Goodreads, this book IS NOT ABOUT CHEATING! THERE WAS NO CHEATING IN THIS STORY, and if you think there was, you didn't read the entire book. I liked it because it had examples of several "types" of famil ...more

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Jun 06, 2015 Abbie rated it liked it

Shelves: read-to-review

(I received a copy from Edelweiss, In exchange for an honest review.)

Macy and Sebastian were both okay characters, and I felt sorry for them at points, but I didn't love them.

There wasn't anything awfully wrong with this book, it just felt way too slow for me, which made the story drag. It felt longer than what is was because of it, and when I got to the end I was quite relieved.

Overall, Not awful, but not very enjoyable for me.
...more

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Aug 01, 2015 Charlotte Huang rated it it was amazing

Loved this emotional story about honesty and connection. Macy is a complicated, sometimes prickly, yet inherently likeable character with a chip on her shoulder and problems to confront. She has much to sort out with family, friends and love and I rooted for her to succeed and find happiness on each of those levels. This is great recommendation for lovers of darker contemporary YA.

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Jun 18, 2015 Kate Ormand added it

With an honest but gentle approach into Macy's world, THE FIX is emotional at times, heart-warming and witty at others, and very well written with a strong voice. I was captivated by the novel. ...more

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Jul 27, 2015 Jill MacKenzie rated it it was amazing

I was lucky enough to get to read the ARC of this book…and I LOVED it!

And I have to say, while I didn't know exactly where Ms. Sinel was taking us from the initial pages of THE FIX, I'm so glad I went there with her anyway. Macy's journey was one I'll never forget--I cried with her, screamed at her parents with her, and longed for the one person who just might understand the pain she'd been through, all with her. But it wasn't just Macy I fell in love with through every page turned. All of the c ...more

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Aug 02, 2015 Randy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, fearless-fifteeners

Loved this one. A painful story beautifully told.

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Jun 07, 2015 Shannon Rogers rated it really liked it

Shelves: own-arc

This book took me a little by surprise. First of all, I liked the main character, Macy, very much, despite the fact that she appeared to be a tad difficult with her mother. But much later in the story, you find out why. I'm getting ahead of myself though.

I thought this was going to be a somewhat serious but cute book, but as soon as I met Sebastian, I realized this wasn't going to be quite what I was expecting. As the story progressed though, I was great with that, because it ended up being so m ...more

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Jul 23, 2015 Inah rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, 2015-reads

The Fix was a dark story. It's very enlightening and interesting. It's about Macy Lyons, a smart and interesting girl, who felt a deep connection with Sebastian Ruiz.

It was nice to see each character's story unfold. Each of them having difficulties and trying to face them with each other's support. The characters were really dynamic and solid. I could feel every emotion from the pages. Also, the book featured diverse characters.

I guess what has drawn me into spending the whole day finishing this ...more

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Jul 17, 2015 Carol Riggs rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-debut

I don’t usually read contemporary novels that deal with difficult issues like this, because it’s too much like real life. But gritty, honest books like this need to be written, and books like this need to be read. It reveals the way oppressive secrets can cause guilt, detachment, sexual dysfunction, self-loathing, and escapism as a distorted way to cope (often involving sex, drugs, or alcohol). I hope this story will give both teens and adults the courage they need to confront truths in their pa ...more

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Aug 25, 2015 Penni Jones rated it it was amazing

The teen years are a difficult time, but even more so when dealing with trauma that has been pushed aside and ignored for way too long. Through Macy's story, Sinel reminds us that everyone is dealing with something (though not always to such a serious degree), and the only way we can get through difficult times is to depend on each other. Healing is possible. I can't wait to see what this debut author does next. ...more

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Jan 11, 2015 Ann Jacobus rated it it was amazing

THE FIX by Natasha Sinel is a gutsy and honest story of 17 year-old Macy who must come to terms with secrets about her past, her present, and her future with a young recovering addict who has secrets of his own. Compelling, heartbreaking--in the best way possible, and ultimately triumphant, it's an un-put-down-able read! ...more

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Jul 07, 2015 Amanda rated it really liked it

Couldn't put this one down. It's a bit to get to the core of Macy's past, but when she finally opens up its heartbreaking and empowering all at once. ...more

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Apr 02, 2018 Laura's Book Addiction rated it it was amazing

"So long ago, I'd stuffed my dusty memories and feelings into a neat lockbox in my gut, coated it with numbing anaesthesia, added a touch of self-deceit, and thrown away the key. The result was denial...and emptiness."

If your looking for a book full of heartbreak, hope and meeting the right person at the right time, then it's The Fix. I devoured this story in one sitting. ...more

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Jul 04, 2016 Kaelyn rated it did not like it

I really wanted to like this book, but I didn’t. I’ll start with the positives.

The language at some points was pretty good. “Sebastian’s absence next to me was wrong; it felt more like a presence in itself.” And Sebastian himself, though he’s not seen very much, is really likeable. He’s funny, yet struggling to find where he belongs. He’s very down-to-earth, though he loves astronomy, and I wish I’d seen him more in the book overall, since he’s pretty much the cause of the inciting incident. I l I really wanted to like this book, but I didn’t. I’ll start with the positives.

The language at some points was pretty good. “Sebastian’s absence next to me was wrong; it felt more like a presence in itself.” And Sebastian himself, though he’s not seen very much, is really likeable. He’s funny, yet struggling to find where he belongs. He’s very down-to-earth, though he loves astronomy, and I wish I’d seen him more in the book overall, since he’s pretty much the cause of the inciting incident. I loved that there was a list of resources for help with sexual abuse, depression, and substance abuse. It’s one small, yet powerful way authors help readers.

Unfortunately, there are more negatives than positives in The Fix.

There are multiple scenes that are completely unnecessary to the story. There’s one where an animal pukes in the bushes outside Macy’s friend Rebecca’s house. They sort of banter about who will clean it up, and the scene ends with Rebecca threatening social blackmail if Macy didn’t clean the bushes. The action feels so, so forced. Besides various unnecessary scenes, Macy goes off on thought-tangents all the time, especially in the middle of weighty moments; it feels like her mind is wandering to shove pointless information at the reader, even though she should be focusing on the situation at hand.

Then there’s Macy herself. None of her actions make sense in the least. She takes a job at a country club she’s hated her entire life for no apparent reason than the “plot.” Macy’s interactions with her brother and mother are very stereotypical; she’s always teasing her brother about having a girlfriend and fighting with her mother over the smallest things or for no reason. Even her relationship with Chris, her long-time boyfriend, comes across as fake and baseless. I couldn’t figure out why they were together at all.

Stereotypes abound in Macy’s head. “I couldn’t even imagine a fourteen-year-old boy, or a boy of any age for that matter, turning down a chance for a sure-thing hookup.” The expectation for Gavin, Macy’s brother, to get together with his friend-who-is-a-girl is constant. Macy describes the girl as the plain, smart type, who she likes because the girl is a little sassy and notes how skinny the girl is.

The most issues, however, are with the plot. By page 110, nothing has happened except for Macy getting “dreadlocks” and picking a few fights with her mother. (I use quotes because her hair is not meant to healthily form dreadlocks.) While The Fix is marketed as dealing with issues like sexual abuse, depression, and substance abuse, these issues are largely ignored, even though they directly affect Macy. When the book reaches the part where Macy’s “secret” is revealed, it feels more like a lesson on the aftermath of sexual abuse than a book about a girl who was abused.

The romance aspect was painful to read. It’s used as a plot device/way to stir up drama between Macy and her boyfriend. Macy’s attraction to Sebastian is a perfect example of instalove. They have one conversation at a party (he’s high and she’s been drinking) and suddenly, Macy’s going around hanging out with Sebastian and shoving Chris to the side. And yet, Macy and Sebastian don’t have anything in terms of a relationship, aside from a childhood encounter when he was new to the neighborhood. Sebastian’s just a pawn in a terrible game of Plot. There’s a dialogue infodump about him but he doesn’t get much more development beyond that.

Overall, The Fix was a very disappointing read for me. I considered DNFing, but stuck it out to see if it would pick up in the end; it only felt like a rushed, sloppy ending to a slow and uneventful beginning. ...more

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Dec 05, 2016 Jolien rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016

Review first published on my blog The Fictional Reader

First of all, can I say I want that dress or skirt the person on the cover is wearing? That’s so beautiful… I requested this book when I was in a contemporary YA mood, and it seemed like an interesting read. And it definitely was very interesting. I just didn’t love it as much as I wanted to.

So this is the story of Macy and Sebastian, who both are battling certain memories or aspects from their pasts. Sebastian is a drug addict, and Macy… we Review first published on my blog The Fictional Reader

First of all, can I say I want that dress or skirt the person on the cover is wearing? That’s so beautiful… I requested this book when I was in a contemporary YA mood, and it seemed like an interesting read. And it definitely was very interesting. I just didn’t love it as much as I wanted to.

So this is the story of Macy and Sebastian, who both are battling certain memories or aspects from their pasts. Sebastian is a drug addict, and Macy… well, I don’t want to tell you yet. The point is that they meet at a party. They talk, but get interrupted and leave. The next day, Sebastian gets checked into a hospital by his mother and Macy starts to visit him.

I’ll start with what I liked. I liked that this book talked about addiction, depression, abuse, therapy and hospitals for teenagers. It’s important to discuss these things. I’m glad they showed therapy in a positive light, how it helped Sebastian. That’s something that should be mentioned in a positive light more -therapy still seems to be a sensitive topic to many. So I loved that part.

I also think the family dynamics in this book are complex and interesting especially in Macy’s case. She has a father who’s away more than he’s home, a mother she feels is too superficial, a younger brother she adores and a cousin who lived with them for years when his parents passed away. I loved how this book showed different aspects of a family’s relationships. Macy had a great relationship with her younger brother, and I think she was an incredible sister to him. She loved her father, even though he wasn’t there often. And her relationship with her mother… well, it was strained. I thought it was incredibly interesting to see why these relationships were the way they were, what events and emotions led to them.

I also think Sebastian’s past was interesting, though very tragic. However, while I’m writing this review I feel like his life was far less developed than Macy’s was. But I think he was an interesting guy. I liked how he “pushed” Macy to talk to someone, at the very least. To confront her feelings. To understand that it’s not okay, and to say so to someone.

Like I said, I enjoyed the issues this story addressed. I think they’re important. But if I separate that from the actual story, I can’t say I love both aspects as much. The story itself wasn’t very captivating to me. I saw most of it coming, aside from one twist at the end. It was all quite predictable, and included some tropes I’m really not a fan of. For example, the trope in which you meet someone who understands you immediately after one sentence, like no one else has. I understand you can feel an understanding and connection after talking to someone, but in this overblown way? Also, I hate cheating. There is no excuse whatsoever for it. Never.

Overall, I think the issues addressed were important but I didn’t love the actual story as much. It was a story I enjoyed, and so I gave it a 3-star rating. It was nice, but it didn’t blow me away. ...more

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Jun 01, 2015 Eden Grey rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya_contemporary

At the same time devastating and hopeful, THE FIX tells the story of sometimes bad-girl Macy Lyons and her journey of self-discovery and awakening, friendship and honesty.

Macy meets the mysterious Sebastian at a party, and the next day he disappears. When Macy finds out Sebastian has been checked into the Behavioral Health center at the local hospital, she decides to visit - and neither teen's life will ever be the same. An undeniable connection forms between them, one that neither teen can ign ...more

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Jun 10, 2015 Read InAGarden rated it really liked it

Macy is content with her life - as much as she can be with a mother she strongly dislikes. But setting that aside, she has a good boyfriend, a best friend, a fun younger brother and she's successfully navigating the waters of high school. All's going well until one night at a party she sees Sebastian and he sees something in her that no one else has. When he asks her what's wrong, she doesn't have an answer but it makes her stop and think. And then snippets of memories start. When Sebastian is h ...more

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Sep 23, 2015 Kelly Akemann rated it it was amazing

I have a hard time when it comes to someone who cheats - whether it is honest to goodness physical cheating or mental or emotional. I have always believed cheating is cheating and it is bad so it turns me off of books. Ask my husband - I rant about it all the time. But that aside, I really liked this book. It brought together that compounded by her past and what happens when kids grow up and explore who they really are. I felt Macy was hard to understand but felt it was because she honestly had ...more

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May 03, 2016 Teresa rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, ya-fiction

While The Fix is the kind of issues book I don’t usually read (I like speculative fiction to escape the real world), this book was so well-written and gripping that I couldn’t put it down. Macy, the main character, has heart-breaking spunk and resilience and is so vivid that when I had to put the book away at the end, it was like losing a friend. As well as being a gripping read, this book provides empathy, and possibly solutions, to those who have suffered sexual abuse or drug abuse. I highly r ...more

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Sep 01, 2015 Sonya Mukherjee rated it it was amazing

I was lucky enough to get a chance to read an advance copy of this book. I found it gripping, emotionally complex, and important, too. Not only did I go on an emotional journey with the central characters, but I came away feeling like I could imagine a whole range of experiences in a way that was new to me. I'm so glad I got a chance to read this. ...more

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Nov 06, 2015 Tejas Janet rated it liked it

Not a bad book but not one that I really loved either. Maybe just a matter of personal taste. It had some really good moments, and i thought it had some credible psychological insights. A bit on the fluffy side despite the darker themes addressed. However, within the genre of young adult literature, I think it's worth recommending. For me personally, I can give a solid 3 to 3.5 stars. ...more

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Sep 02, 2015 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Although I'm a bit biased as Natasha is one of my closest friends from college, I really loved this book. I was moved to tears at the end. I highly recommend The Fix!! ...more

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Jan 11, 2016 Nourhan rated it really liked it

Keep silent, keep the pretense, everything is okay here, we're just a big happy family... ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Daisy Cakes rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’m really trying to give this book a chance but there is something problematic about it with every new page I turn. My review won’t be as in-depth as others, but this book has a lot of fat-shaming and mental illness shaming as well.

It’s ironic that a book written about such sensitive topics such as addiction and mental illness is so careless. I myself suffer from mental illness and this book does nothing but make me feel like shit. It’s not relatable. It does not fill me with any familiar emot I’m really trying to give this book a chance but there is something problematic about it with every new page I turn. My review won’t be as in-depth as others, but this book has a lot of fat-shaming and mental illness shaming as well.

It’s ironic that a book written about such sensitive topics such as addiction and mental illness is so careless. I myself suffer from mental illness and this book does nothing but make me feel like shit. It’s not relatable. It does not fill me with any familiar emotions. It feels like it’s written for people who have no idea what mental illness or addiction is like. There’s a part in the book where a kid is a paranoid schizophrenic and the author uses HARMFUL tropes about what that looks like. He’s paranoid. He’s scary. He has random outbursts about aliens. It’s disgusting.

This book is called The Fix. Admittedly I only read it because it was suggested on tiktok because it’s supposed to deal with addiction well. It does not. It took me until half the book to realize the main character is addicted to sex while her love interest is addicted to pills. It took this long because she’s in a committed relationship and so we only find out she has a lot of sex with strangers by her directly saying so and flashbacks. Idk it was just such a poor add in when it’s supposed to be the main theme of the story.

Her love interest is 1000x more interesting than she is and his addiction and issues are talked about more than the main character is. Macy comes off as a spoiled brat. We have to hear her remind us she has dreads every chapter. We get dragged through a whole chapter of her babysitting which added one piece to a part of the story we already knew. We got introduced to her best friend and her boyfriend was so hyped up just for them to fade into less than side characters halfway through the book.

I just don’t care about the main character at all. She’s written one dimensional and flat. There’s no depth. No emotion. I could ignore that if it wasn’t for how demonized mental illness is in this book. I mean seriously it’s so triggering. “But there was this look in her eyes like … no matter how clean they got her—showered and off the drugs—she’d seen things no one should ever see, and they could never scrub that out of her. She’s who Rashanna meant, like beyond repair….” DISGUSTING line. Mental illness and trauma does not equal damage. Nobody is damaged beyond repair. The author is writing about teens affected by others around them they have no control over and her message is “some people are broken beyond repair.” I mean one character goes to rehab!! Addiction is messy and it’s not clean cut. MOST people come back multiple times. Just because you fail the first time does not mean you cannot be helped! I hate this book so much and I want to stress how you shouldn’t read it if you suffer from any type of addiction or mental illness. Authors need to do better when talking about these sensitive subjects because people live this life. This isn’t just fiction. ...more

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Apr 12, 2020 Callie Blair rated it really liked it

Honestly, I was not infactuated with this book for the first a hundred or so pages. The writing style was not my favorite despite awknowledging that Macy didn’t fit into the cliche ‘not like other girls’ trope, which was refreshing to say the least. I figured that I knew where this book was headed, and while I do in some ways, I didn’t in others. I detested Macy’s handling of her emotions in regards to Chris until her turn-around, and I am of the strong opinion that he could have been much more ...more

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Jun 01, 2020 Abigael rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 26, 2018 Mason rated it it was ok

The Fix by Natasha Sinel is a book about a girl named Macy Lyons. She is a seventeen year old girl who lives in upstate New York. She has an older adopted brother and a younger biological brother. One day, she is at a party when she sees a boy. She thinks that she has never seen him before, but likes him immediately. She learns that the boy is named Sebastian and that she has in fact seen him before, over 6 years prior. She realizes he goes to her school, until one day he vanishes. He is gone fo ...more

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About Natasha Sinel

Natasha Sinel

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Natasha Sinel is a writer of young adult fiction. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in English and from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business with an M.B.A. Before beginning her career as an author, she was director of business development at Showtime Networks. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., she now lives in Northern Westchester, New York with her husband and thre ...more