The Do-Over by Lynn Painter is a charming enemies-to-lovers time loop story. It’s a captivating Young Adult story full of heart, humor, and a great message. If you enjoy YA romance with witty banter and a bit of magical realism, this is one to try!
My Overview
Emilie Hornby loves her planner and checking all the boxes. It seems everything in her life is going according to her plans … until her perfectly planned Valentine’s Day comes to a screeching halt. Suddenly, her perfect plans are falling apart, and she even finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her. At the end of the day, she just wants to put it all behind. Unfortunately, she continually wakes up to Valentine’s Day over and over!
I lost count of the number of times Emilie had to live through another do-over of Valentine’s Day. What matters, though, is that she’s stuck in a time loop and has no idea what’s causing it or when it will end. Each do-over Valentine’s Day is different from the previous one, and no one knows anything about it but her. That’s what kept this story so interesting throughout. Emilie was stuck in a time loop, but each day was different so the story never felt tired or repetitive. It was actually a great way to learn more about Emilie and those around her.
Finally, after living through several miserable Valentine’s Days, Emilie decides to throw caution to the wind and really start living her life. She decides to make that day a DONC (Day of No Consequences), in which she’ll live life to the fullest without a care about what others expect from her. First on her list: a skip day with Nick from her chemistry class. Together, they have a fantastic day running around the city, not realizing the impact that day will have on each other’s lives.
My Recommendation
This is my first book by this author, and now I can’t wait to read more. The relatable characters and witty banter is what I’m looking forward to in her other stories. In the meantime, I’ll continue listening to The Do-Over Soundtrack on Spotify. That’s right, there’s a playlist for this story! The link at the end of the story didn’t work for me, but it was simple enough to find Emilie and Nick’s playlist on Spotify.
This story reminded me of In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren. If you’ve enjoyed that story, you’ll probably enjoy this book.
Are you a fan of this author’s books? Which one is your favorite?
Dedra @ A Book Wanderer
I read this one last month, and it was my first Painter book, as well! Happy we both enjoyed it. I’m anxious to pick up more by the author!
Lucy
Glad we enjoyed the same book! Now we’re both new fans of Lynn Painter’s books 😃.
Cindy Davis
Great review! Glad you enjoyed it!
Lucy
Thank you 💖.
Jodie
I enjoyed this book too Lucy and have her most recent book on hold with the library.
Lucy
Glad you enjoy books by Lynn Painter too! I’m not sure which of her books I’ll get to next, but I expect I’ll like it 😁.
Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads
I’ve been wanting to read this book, so I’m so glad to hear you loved it! And there’s a playlist? I love that!
Lucy
I hope you’ll enjoy the book and the playlist 😃.
Wendy
I have this one on my tbr. I just finished her newest book, A Love Wager last week and just loved it and I can’t wait to read more books by her.
Lucy
Yay! Glad you enjoy this author too. I really enjoyed the writing style in The Do-Over, so can’t wait to read more of her books 🙂.
Sam@wlabb
I adore Lynn Painter. Though Better Than the Movies remains my favorite of her books, all of them were good. (YA and adult – The Love Wager is a close second). I agree, she did a great job with the time loop keeping it fresh each day.
Lucy
Good to know you’ve enjoyed so many of her books. I can’t wait to read Better Than The Movies 🍿.