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sherpawhale's review against another edition
3.0
Wouldn't normally be my cup of tea thanks to the premise, but Beers really sold the chemistry between the two.
judeinthestars's review
5.0
4.5*
I’ve been a little disappointed with a couple of Georgia Beers’ latest books but definitely not this one.
Bella Hunt is an accomplished woman, happy in her life, both personal and professional. She’s managed to put her awful high school years behind her and move forward. Until one of the people responsible for the awfulness of these years enters her life again. Easton Evans is coming to terms with the end of her marriage to her high school sweetheart, having finally admitted to herself and to those close to her that she likes women. When as part of her new job she ends up in a conflict resolution class taught by Bella, she’s immediately charmed by the woman, not realizing she’s the girl Easton and her friends were so mean to as teenagers.
Beers’ writing is delicious and Lori Prince’s narration is amazing, perfectly suited to Beers’ light humor and sweet characters. I particularly enjoyed the fantastic best friends on both sides, and the banter all around.
My only complaint is that I felt Bella took way too long to reveal who she was and while I get why and how, it still took too much place in the story in some way. Yet it touches on the very sensitive topic of bullying and the way Beers deals with it is impressive. Not often do we get to see both sides and how it affects everyone in different ways. Kids like Bella have to be so strong to survive those years, they should be celebrated, and that’s in part what this book does. That whole « it gets better » thing? It can be true and that’s heartwarming.
I liked many things in this novel, one being the relationship between Easton and her ex-husband, the love and respect between them felt real. Every character felt real as a matter of fact. And I also liked that while when they were teenagers Easton was the one who appeared to be comfortable with herself (at least on the outside), when they meet again as adults Bella is the one who’s (mostly) put together and Easton is working on being herself.
And I loved the ending, just loved it. Too often endings in romances feel rushed. This one is perfect.
I’ve been a little disappointed with a couple of Georgia Beers’ latest books but definitely not this one.
Bella Hunt is an accomplished woman, happy in her life, both personal and professional. She’s managed to put her awful high school years behind her and move forward. Until one of the people responsible for the awfulness of these years enters her life again. Easton Evans is coming to terms with the end of her marriage to her high school sweetheart, having finally admitted to herself and to those close to her that she likes women. When as part of her new job she ends up in a conflict resolution class taught by Bella, she’s immediately charmed by the woman, not realizing she’s the girl Easton and her friends were so mean to as teenagers.
Beers’ writing is delicious and Lori Prince’s narration is amazing, perfectly suited to Beers’ light humor and sweet characters. I particularly enjoyed the fantastic best friends on both sides, and the banter all around.
My only complaint is that I felt Bella took way too long to reveal who she was and while I get why and how, it still took too much place in the story in some way. Yet it touches on the very sensitive topic of bullying and the way Beers deals with it is impressive. Not often do we get to see both sides and how it affects everyone in different ways. Kids like Bella have to be so strong to survive those years, they should be celebrated, and that’s in part what this book does. That whole « it gets better » thing? It can be true and that’s heartwarming.
I liked many things in this novel, one being the relationship between Easton and her ex-husband, the love and respect between them felt real. Every character felt real as a matter of fact. And I also liked that while when they were teenagers Easton was the one who appeared to be comfortable with herself (at least on the outside), when they meet again as adults Bella is the one who’s (mostly) put together and Easton is working on being herself.
And I loved the ending, just loved it. Too often endings in romances feel rushed. This one is perfect.
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
This one had me worried, but I should not have been. Beers is one of my favorite authors in this genre. I had not read her work in a while, but this book shows how adept she is at keeping up with the public's ever evolving taste--something some of her contemporaries have found hard to do.
mjsam's review against another edition
4.0
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ok, first up, I’ll explain the rating, which I usually leave til the end. I’d give this 3.5, but am rounding up to four, because I liked enough of this to rate it more than 3. I liked a lot of this book, it has engaging MCs, good secondary characters, and cute dialogue. But it also has some pitfalls.
Ok, good stuff first, both MCs are lovely (well, in the present anyway), Bella is a therapist who teaches a conflict resolution course and Easton is taking the course because her boss demands it. They both like each other, and have a series of dates/meet ups that are cute and sweet. They also both have great best friends, and I was relieved that Easton’s ex-husband Connor was not written as a dick, but was a nice guy. Easton learning more about herself and coming to terms with what she wanted was handled well, and I liked that Bella was not put off by anything Easton revealed (though in all honesty, it would have raised several red flags for me).
So the two meet up through work, but they’ve met before, in high school, where Easton was not so great. The back story between Easton and Bella was heartbreaking, and more so because of the lack of impact it had on Easton, which unfortunately for me, tainted my feelings about her the longer the book went on. I can tell you I would not have been able to get past it the way Bella did. It was also worse because even when Easton remembered, she didn’t really remember, and if I was Bella, I’d have followed my friend’s advice and just walked the hell away.
The other problem was knowing that Bella was keeping the secret of them knowing each other, because in books with secrets, you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and here it dragged on for way too long, which bogged down the pacing. It also meant the resolution was too rushed. I think it would have been better to have this reveal earlier, and left a bit more time for them to show how they overcame it. There’s also next to no scenes with Bella and Easton’s daughter and I’d like to have seen them relate within the relationship, they also don’t meet each other’s families or friends in any real way, and I would have preferred to have explored that too.
The present relationship and side stories with the besties were enough for me to enjoy probably 80% of the book, but a few tweaks could have had this higher. And in all honesty, this seemed more like a HFN, than a HEA, it’s one of those times I’ve gotten to the end of a book and not been sure the couple was right for each other.
Ok, first up, I’ll explain the rating, which I usually leave til the end. I’d give this 3.5, but am rounding up to four, because I liked enough of this to rate it more than 3. I liked a lot of this book, it has engaging MCs, good secondary characters, and cute dialogue. But it also has some pitfalls.
Ok, good stuff first, both MCs are lovely (well, in the present anyway), Bella is a therapist who teaches a conflict resolution course and Easton is taking the course because her boss demands it. They both like each other, and have a series of dates/meet ups that are cute and sweet. They also both have great best friends, and I was relieved that Easton’s ex-husband Connor was not written as a dick, but was a nice guy. Easton learning more about herself and coming to terms with what she wanted was handled well, and I liked that Bella was not put off by anything Easton revealed (though in all honesty, it would have raised several red flags for me).
So the two meet up through work, but they’ve met before, in high school, where Easton was not so great. The back story between Easton and Bella was heartbreaking, and more so because of the lack of impact it had on Easton, which unfortunately for me, tainted my feelings about her the longer the book went on. I can tell you I would not have been able to get past it the way Bella did. It was also worse because even when Easton remembered, she didn’t really remember, and if I was Bella, I’d have followed my friend’s advice and just walked the hell away.
The other problem was knowing that Bella was keeping the secret of them knowing each other, because in books with secrets, you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and here it dragged on for way too long, which bogged down the pacing. It also meant the resolution was too rushed. I think it would have been better to have this reveal earlier, and left a bit more time for them to show how they overcame it. There’s also next to no scenes with Bella and Easton’s daughter and I’d like to have seen them relate within the relationship, they also don’t meet each other’s families or friends in any real way, and I would have preferred to have explored that too.
The present relationship and side stories with the besties were enough for me to enjoy probably 80% of the book, but a few tweaks could have had this higher. And in all honesty, this seemed more like a HFN, than a HEA, it’s one of those times I’ve gotten to the end of a book and not been sure the couple was right for each other.
theamandashelby's review against another edition
4.0
I have read somewhere around 20 books by Georgia Beers and I haven’t been disappointed once. I call that a win. I actually enjoyed this one more than some of her more current books. I thought both characters were likable and had relatable internal problems to overcome. This book was pretty perfect for stealing a few minutes here and there to read and just enjoy a book. It is an easy romance, where the chemistry is done well, and the story flows. If you want to relax and lose yourself in a feel-good romance this should be your next book.
carriegessner's review against another edition
3.0
I've built up a big NetGalley backlog, so I'm going to try to get through at least half before the end of the year. This is the first, and it was my first introduction to Beers. The Do-Over is about Bella and Easton, who went to high school together fifteen years before. They meet unexpectedly on the other side of the (unspecified) state. Bella, who was bullied in high school, remembers Easton. Easton, who did the bullying, doesn't remember Bella.
The synopsis made it sound like this would be entirely from Bella's POV, and I've read romances that have done one POV before, but it's actually both Bella's and Easton's. That was only disappointing because I didn't really connect with Easton. She was less an active bully in high school and more of a passive one going along with the crowd because she was internally freaking out about her sexuality. It's not used as an excuse, and Easton herself feels bad about it once she remembers, but...it didn't make me warm to her. And honestly, some of the high school flashbacks were hard to read because of the bullying.
Even though I liked Bella more out of the two leads, I thought the conflict of Bella not wanting to tell Easton they'd gone to school together was stretched out too much. Trying to sustain it over the course of most of the book didn't work too well, and I thought there could've been a secondary conflict of some sort. The possibility was there, especially in Easton's seven-year-old daughter. How does Easton feel about introducing her daughter to the new woman in her life? How does Bella learn to interact with kids? But it wasn't taken advantage of.
Sometimes, I found the prose redundant or the dialogue/inner dialogue a bit silly. But I liked all the friend characters (Shondra for Easton; Amy and Heather for Bella), and there were definitely some cute moments. Although I thought this was just okay, I'd like to read Beers again in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, and Georgia Beers for the e-copy.
The synopsis made it sound like this would be entirely from Bella's POV, and I've read romances that have done one POV before, but it's actually both Bella's and Easton's. That was only disappointing because I didn't really connect with Easton. She was less an active bully in high school and more of a passive one going along with the crowd because she was internally freaking out about her sexuality. It's not used as an excuse, and Easton herself feels bad about it once she remembers, but...it didn't make me warm to her. And honestly, some of the high school flashbacks were hard to read because of the bullying.
Even though I liked Bella more out of the two leads, I thought the conflict of Bella not wanting to tell Easton they'd gone to school together was stretched out too much. Trying to sustain it over the course of most of the book didn't work too well, and I thought there could've been a secondary conflict of some sort. The possibility was there, especially in Easton's seven-year-old daughter. How does Easton feel about introducing her daughter to the new woman in her life? How does Bella learn to interact with kids? But it wasn't taken advantage of.
Sometimes, I found the prose redundant or the dialogue/inner dialogue a bit silly. But I liked all the friend characters (Shondra for Easton; Amy and Heather for Bella), and there were definitely some cute moments. Although I thought this was just okay, I'd like to read Beers again in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, and Georgia Beers for the e-copy.
lezreviewbooks's review
4.0
Bella Hunt is a successful therapist who, as a teenager, struggled to deal with her sexuality and was bullied by her classmates. Fifteen years later Easton Evans, one of her high school bullies, ends up in her conflict resolution class. Soon Bella discovers that grown-up Easton is friendlier and kinder than her teenage self but still very beautiful. As their mutual attraction develops, their shared past is eventually going to catch up with them...
This is a second-chance romance by Ms. Beers in which she draws on her own high school experience, showing how difficult a time that could be but also how people can change in adulthood. The story is mainly set in the present but it introduces a few flashbacks of some high-school moments that marked Bella's life. Past and present are woven seamlessly and the flashbacks make the reader understand the present better.
It's no news that Ms. Beers is an accomplished writer but, still, it really amazed me how well she built the chemistry between the main characters. The dialogues are perfect, their body language is depicted perfectly and the sexual tension is exquisite. This is undoubtedly Georgia Beers at her best. However, it's disappointing that both sex scenes felt a bit rushed and didn't reflect the intimacy that the author created so well.
The secondary characters are also very well-rounded. Shondra, Easton's best friend, plays a great role in showcasing Easton's goodness, compared to her past self. If there are any doubts of her transformation, motherhood completely redeems her. Emma, Easton's daughter, is another convincing character though it's a pity there wasn't so much interaction with Bella.
Heather and Amy, Bella's best friends, act like a sounding board and show how far she has overcome her own demons. Her two dogs are lovable fur characters. Somehow the author managed to balance the apparent fierceness of a pitbull with the gentleness of their temperaments. Also, kudos to Ms. Beers to portray their distinct personalities so well.
My major criticism and the reason why my rating dropped is that the main conflict, that is, Bella keeping her real identity a secret from Easton, seems a bit forced into the plot. I understand why Bella was hesitant to reveal who she was but, for me, it dragged for too long and it didn't flow naturally in the story. Maybe letting the conflict develop earlier in the book would have made it more believable and the ending wouldn't have felt so rushed. Despite this, because of the lovable leads, their amazing chemistry and the fantastic secondary characters, this is a very recommended read.
Overall, a very good second-chances romance with an amazing chemistry that only a few lesfic authors can create. 4 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com
This is a second-chance romance by Ms. Beers in which she draws on her own high school experience, showing how difficult a time that could be but also how people can change in adulthood. The story is mainly set in the present but it introduces a few flashbacks of some high-school moments that marked Bella's life. Past and present are woven seamlessly and the flashbacks make the reader understand the present better.
It's no news that Ms. Beers is an accomplished writer but, still, it really amazed me how well she built the chemistry between the main characters. The dialogues are perfect, their body language is depicted perfectly and the sexual tension is exquisite. This is undoubtedly Georgia Beers at her best. However, it's disappointing that both sex scenes felt a bit rushed and didn't reflect the intimacy that the author created so well.
The secondary characters are also very well-rounded. Shondra, Easton's best friend, plays a great role in showcasing Easton's goodness, compared to her past self. If there are any doubts of her transformation, motherhood completely redeems her. Emma, Easton's daughter, is another convincing character though it's a pity there wasn't so much interaction with Bella.
Heather and Amy, Bella's best friends, act like a sounding board and show how far she has overcome her own demons. Her two dogs are lovable fur characters. Somehow the author managed to balance the apparent fierceness of a pitbull with the gentleness of their temperaments. Also, kudos to Ms. Beers to portray their distinct personalities so well.
My major criticism and the reason why my rating dropped is that the main conflict, that is, Bella keeping her real identity a secret from Easton, seems a bit forced into the plot. I understand why Bella was hesitant to reveal who she was but, for me, it dragged for too long and it didn't flow naturally in the story. Maybe letting the conflict develop earlier in the book would have made it more believable and the ending wouldn't have felt so rushed. Despite this, because of the lovable leads, their amazing chemistry and the fantastic secondary characters, this is a very recommended read.
Overall, a very good second-chances romance with an amazing chemistry that only a few lesfic authors can create. 4 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com
sapphiction's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
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