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Reviewed by: Colleen Woods, Middle School Librarian Title: The Do-Over Author: Lynn Painter Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Year: 2022 Good for Grades: 8-12 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: No Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I read Lynn Painter's first YA book, "Better Than the Movies," and loved it! So I was excited to read her next YA title. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: The Do-Over is a book that delight and entertain readers with its witty banter, swoon-worthy romance and lessons that in life, there isn't always the option for a do-over. |
Review:
The Do-Over is a stand-alone novel by Lynn Painter (author of the popular "Better Than the Movies"), and is described as a "Groundhog Day-inspired rom-com." I would recommend this book to teens who love a light-hearted romantic comedy novel that reads like a movie. We do have it in our middle school library, but I generally only book-talk it to 8th grade classes. There isn't anything glaringly inappropriate for 6th or 7th graders, but the age of the main character (16/17) and the issues she faces make it more suitable for ages 14 & up.
Sixteen-year-old Emilie Hornby is determined to have the best Valentine's Day ever. She's a type-A personality who wakes up every day ready to tackle her to-do list. However, when her perfect Valentines Day goes horribly wrong, Emilie could not be more ready for it to be over. So you can imagine her confusion when she wakes up the next day to find that it's Valentine's Day... again. Things get worse when the horrible Valentine's Day continues to play on repeat. Each day, Emilie tries to do things a little differently, in hopes that the day will improve and ultimately, end. Will Emilie be forced to live Valentine's day over and over again forever, or can she figure out what needs to change in order for her real happily ever after to take place?
I really loved reading this book. It was filled with laugh-out-loud moments, a little bit of mystery, and ultimately the idea that sometimes the right choice isn't always the easy choice. We watch Emilie transform from someone who's got it all figured out, to someone forced to face the problems in her life. The fun part is watching her confront the same problems each day, but choosing a different approach each time, at first expecting different results. But eventually realizing that perhaps it's not up to her to change others, but herself. Her character really begins to evolve once she lets go of her pre-conceived notions of "perfect." I enjoyed watching the relationship between Emilie and Nick evolve as well. He's a person she would have never spoken to before the fateful Valentine's Day. But he's someone who (frustratingly at first) continues to pop up over and over again in her day, ultimately helping her figure out who she really wants to be.
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