Lynn Painter has made her way into my auto-buy/read author after I read Better Than the Movies and Mr. Wrong Number. So when I heard about The Do-Over I had to read it. I’m so thankful that I was able to get an e-arc from the publisher and read it early. The Do-Over releases on November 15th and believe me you want to read this book. Keep on reading to find out more about this book and what I thought!

In this riotous young adult romp for fans of Recommended for You and A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, a teen girl has the worst Valentine’s Day ever—only to relive it over and over again.

After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another nightmare V-Day.

Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into—sometimes literally—in unfortunate ways.

How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the universe stops doling out do-overs?

Review

The Do-Over was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and it did not disappoint. Lynn Painter has a way of giving us fluffy YA romances that you can’t help but love even when you know how it’s going to end. I flew through this book and was so sad when I read the last page.

Our main character Emilie is a straight A student, wants to please everyone, and each day has a checklist. Even her boyfriend meets all of the items on her list. So when her perfect Valentine’s Day ends up being anything but perfect (it starts off with an accident and ends with some news from her father she’s not expecting). I have to say I’d be just as shocked waking up the next morning and having to do it all over again. My heart broke for Emilie, because it had to be so frustrating to have to have hurtful things happen over and over again.

Emilie’s journey is a big one, because at a certain point she’s so fed up she decides to live the day and just do what she wants. I loved seeing Emilie learn that she should speak her mind and do what she wants just a little more often. Trying to please everyone is just hurting her in the end. And as a bonus, Nick comes to be a very interesting and important person. Sometimes love and comfort is found in places you don’t expect. Besides the time loop and romance plot, there is also some emotional sides to this book. I wanted to hug Nick and Emilie multiple times.

I don’t want to give away too much of Emilie’s DONC (day of no consequences), but it was one wild ride that left me with a smile on my face. Getting to know Nick was a lot of fun and Emilie finding letting people know how she feels was amazing. All in all, I couldn’t put this book down and flew through this book. I need Lynn Painter to keep giving me books like this!

 

Lynn Painter did it again with her version of Groundhog Day. I’m even more excited now for Lynn Painter’s next book, The Love Wager, releasing in March 2023. How would you respond when repeating the same day over and over again? Would you have a DONC? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.