A review by sweetsxrrxw
The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

i wrote this review back in february 2023 but i have recently learnt the author is a zionist, so fuck her <3

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i don't know how i found out this story takes place during valentine's day but once i did i knew i had to read/finish it on february 14th. so that's what i did!
i did not hate this story but it's not going to become my favorite book so i think this rating gives it justice. but i have to say that if i had read this a few years ago i would have probably loved it more. 

the whole time loop trope is okay but it's always predictable. you always know that, soon or later, it's going to end. of course there's things that you can't fully predict but the plot was lowkey predictable
like i think it was so obvious how the day the main character decided to just not give a fuck about anything would be her final day in the loop. and even eric's death happening on valentine's day was predictable, if you think about it. i am guessing the only weird thing is the fact that the ending implies that somehow he was the one to bring his brother and emilie together. i guess i can "turn off" my scepticism for some magic realism but i couldn't help but think that proposed cause was unbelievable. like out of all people in that city, why would emilie be the chosen one?


anyways, there were some funny moments that made me giggle and some fluffy scenes that made me giggle too but in a romantic way, you know HAHA. it's obviously not the best romance i've ever read and i guess it could be labeled as some kind of insta-love? and also the character development wasn't that huge.
like, ok, emilie learnt how to stop making lists for everything, planning her whole life and just letting herself live without any kind of scheduling, which is cool (and probably one of the main morals of the story), so good for her! on the other hand, nick was just coping with grief? i am guessing by the end he learnt how to take risks and became a little bit more of an extroverted but that's it.


as i said at the beginning, it was not a super great story for my 19-year-old ass but it wasn't bad so, yeah, if you want to read it maybe you can give it a shot!
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