Reviews

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

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I loved this so much! It was so good and the characters were so sweet! I made my day much brighter. I love Lynn Painter’s stories. They are so well crafted, thoughtful, and filled with references in all the best ways!

karensirkos's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

this had me giggling and kicking my feet

kaulhilo's review

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3.0

the do-over has one of the loveliest, if in a way overdone, teenage romance plot concepts you'd come across. the lead, em, is stuck in a time loop, on valentine's day, which seems to go disastrously no matter which way she attempts to live through it. an accident, a breakup, a toilet catastrophe, a rejection, a separation: whatever happens, she leaves the day dejected only to have to go through all of it again. and on valentine's day! i'll admit time loop plots don't usually do it for me; i usually steer clear of any book that revolves around them, but salma convinced me to give the author a try! and - that fervor wasn't misplaced. the writing style was so easygoing and soft here, where it felt incredibly effortless to fall into the story and characters, into the loops and the repetition, where every chapter flew by without my notice. the characters are some of the most personable and wholesome in their niche, easily likable, if somewhat malleable and timeworn. it definitely helps that em is a big taylor swift fan, so much so that even the barest skim reading will throw you tens of mentions and song references, in a way that doesn't come off as too tryhard, only incredibly endearing. i loved reading em's reactions on a journey no one but her had been on, how it helps her be brave, and gets her to a place she needed to be. i loved the many ideals of valentine's day celebrated here, in traditions and history and even tragedy, and just - love. i flew by the trip downtown, a coffee shop and a bank, endless chemistry classes, and late-night phone calls meant to be forgotten the next day.
likewise, i adored the love interest, nick. their banter was so much fun, and so entertaining to read - not taxing in the least, and actually had me grinning, at the edge of my seat quite a few times. the slow progress into liking each other, to having perfect, almost scripted (haha) moments together.. it really was, truly, the easiest i've found myself sinking into a novel.
the problem for me was predominantly the entire third act. i couldn't understand nick's perspective for most of the book (i feel like this is one of those cases a double pov would've helped) (or maybe i'm overthinking it?) but the closing scene made me so.. ? i really don't understand what warranted his behavior, or understood the consequent justification behind it. i don't know if it's simply showcasing immaturity, or grief, or something else entirely. maybe it's just that the author can't write depth very well.. whatever it was, it left a bad taste in my mouth, and somewhat devalued the book for me. besides this, i noticed a few discrepancies in the time loops, which was confusing, but altogether easy to ignore.
either way, i do still think this book is without a doubt an ideal leisure read, something short and flowy, something fun to take your mind off of things! thank you to simon&schuster young readers for the arc. (3.5/5)

breannahoerig's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

kenyabrooke's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ash2wall's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

jotsbyjasmine's review

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5.0

4.5 Stars
Another great, swoony, giggling, all-around GREAT time read from Lynn Painter!
The only reason this isn’t a 5 star like Better Than The Movies is because I felt like the side characters (parents, stepparents, grandma, friends) weren’t as developed as characters—they are there but didn’t feel real enough. Also, Wes is so adorable and likable right off the bat, and it took me a second longer to like Nick, who ends up being equally as adorable and likable.
Would always recommend this read.

emmabrooklyn's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

THANK GOD I FINALLY FINISHED A FAWKING BOOKKKKK. 3.5 stars I think because I was hoping the time loop would have been explored more and the pop culture references were god awful but I did have fun. So