I will always pick up a “enemies to lovers” book, and even though this wasn’t exactly that, it definitely still counted to me! Mckenna and Henry met when they were much younger and can easily be labeled as rivals . Mckenna is a lawyer who definitely is rough around the edges - making comments about family who loves her, not visiting her family, not really caring for relationships and only focusing on work - which definitely is something a lot of women feel these days. It was kind of hot and cold for me with how I felt about her. But she just ended up rubbing me kind of the wrong way a lot of times by the end. Whereas Henry was extremely likeable the entire time. It was an easy read, but I wasn’t left feeling anything extreme by the end.

Parts of this story were really enjoyable. I would have loved to have seen more development of the subplots. My favorite characters were the minor ones, I loved Jared and Taylor.

Okay, so I actually quite liked this. It was a fun, breezy read with a few genuine laughs.
The Do-Over is about ambitious New York lawyer McKenna, who is framed for embezzlement and forced on unpaid leave during the investigation. She spends this time going home to her family in Durham in time for her spoiled little sister’s wedding, where she becomes involved with her old friend/academic rival from high school, who is now a documentarian investigating one of McKenna’s ancestors.
So um, spoiler alert for several plot points, but there was a lot going on: the was the investigation at McKenna’s job, the investigation of the ancestor, some random family curse killing unmarried women unless they marry before their 40th birthday, the romance with Henry, and the tension between McKenna and Taylor and how this affected the rest of the family. Some of this worked well, and some … not quite as well.
The situation with McKenna’s job seemed a bit under-developed, and she honestly seemed very apathetic about the whole situation for someone who, the novel tells us repeatedly, is incredibly ambitious and have doggedly pursued professional success her entire life.
The story with the ancestor was only briefly sketched, and while more time could have been devoted to exploring it, it still managed to reach a satisfying emotional conclusion. The curse thing was just odd and unnecessary. It was taken a bit too seriously to be a joke, but not seriously enough to form part of the plot.
The romantic plot was a bit too insta-love’y for my tastes, but I felt that they had good chemistry, and the novel still managed to mostly sell the romance on the strength of the chemistry and their shared history.
Finally, I loved the relationship between the sisters, which constituted the real heart of the novel. I also found it really refreshing to have both a somewhat older heroine (approaching 40, which feels mature for a romance heroine) and a heroine with no interest in having children, who remains childfree by choice by the end. I also really loved how this lead to the ending, which subverts the typical romance novel baby epilogue, by having a baby epilogue where the one’s having the babies are in fact not the main couple, but rather someone who actually wants children.
All in all, I found this quite an enjoyable read.

The Do-Over caught my attention due to the cover and it looked interesting.
I was right, it was! It was my first book by her and I was pleasently surprised at the hint of rom-com and her writing.
It was a little slow but enjoyable. I had a funtime reading it about Mckenna and Henry.

4.5 stars! i liked this one a lot and will definitely be buying my own copy!!

McKenna Keaton has always known what she’s wanted and has the brain to get there. As she’s on the track to becoming a senior partner at a prestigious New York law firm, she’s accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from her firm.

While the investigation continues, she’s forced to sublet her perfect apartment on the Upper West Side and go back down to where all of family resides in Durham, North Carolina. Luckily, her little sister’s engagement party is timed perfectly and she has an excuse to be there despite having missed Christmas the last two years. It’s in Durham that McKenna bumps into Henry Blumenthal, an old high school classmate and friends who’s turned into a famous documentarian, who’s in town for his new film.

When Henry unearths a seemingly disturbing curse of McKenna’s ancestors, she begins to worry if she’s next. Worrying about that, her job and lying to her family and dealing with her feelings for Henry, she’s trying her very best to keep her cool and figuring out what’s next for her and the plan for her life that she thought was set in stone.

📚

this book was amazing and i really enjoyed reading it!! the prologue immediately had me. it was whimsical and detailed and set such a great foundation for the book and i feel often time prologues don’t do that too much. although it’s usually hard for me to be into workaholic leads, mckenna was a great character with nice development through the book. it was as much fiction as it was romance and sometimes i find that balance hard for authors, Bethany Turner wrote it in a way that i enjoyed and was interested in. Turner wrote about all the interesting details. where some authors get caught up in the boring details, Turner kept the pace easy and interesting.

henry was an absolute dreamboat and even i found myself swooning! i haven’t swooned for a fictional love interest in awhile and henry was just perfect honestly. he and mckenna are just such nerds and i was absolutely obsessed with them.

the character development for mckenna was interesting in all terms of her life as a lawyer, as a sister and as a love interest. i find with romances that sometimes they lack that development for characters and i was happy to see mckenna through all of it. her family was such a great supporting cast and henry was a great love interest. i just adored this book and i can’t wait to physically hold it in my hands.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION, Thomas Nelson for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new to me author but one that I would like to read more from. This was such a cute story about a high powered attorney, named McKenna. McKenna is called to a meeting where she is meeting with all the partners and thinks she will also be named partner only to find out that she is being investigated for embezzlement. McKenna returns home while they are doing the investigation where she only sees her dreams slipping through her fingers. While home she runs into her old high school rival, Henry.

Henry is now a famous documentarian, who is also back in town working on a new story that happens to involve MeKenna's family. I loved the second chance at love trope between Henry and McKenna. I loved that they were older adults as well, who were established and knew what they wanted out of life. I loved that it was a clean romance. My only problem was this book was that it could get a little slow at times.

Would recommend to those who like clean romances, second chance at love, and older adults.

McKenna and Henry’s story grabbed me by the feels. I went into this expecting one type of read and got something completely different.

I really enjoyed the characters and their growth in this one and the endearing qualities of the story made me smile.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a little slow at times, but overall a cute, fun, and emotional read. Loved that the main character was in her late 30’s, which I few like is rare in rom coms.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this arc.

I’ve loved all of Bethany Turner’s books, but I think this is my new favorite. I’ll admit, I wasn’t a big fan of McKenna at first, but as the story unfolded, I came to understand her more. This is a great story about realizing maybe the life you’ve always dreamed of isn’t the right dream. And the ending is absolute perfection.

The Do-Over is a clean romance by Bethany Turner. It is written in first person, with McKenna Keaton as the narrator. We get her parents history and then the story moves to present-day, where McKenna is a 38-year-old workaholic attorney at Wallis, Monroe, and Burkhead in New York City. She has barely dated and believes that someday she might marry Jeremiah Burkhead, a workaholic Senior Partner and divorced father of a 4-year-old. McKenna goes to a meeting with the three Senior Partners to discuss a promotion, but instead she is accused of embezzling $300,000 from the firm. She is immediately put on unpaid suspension and she decides to visit her family in Durham, North Carolina.

McKenna’s best friend is her older sister, Erica, who married Jared Pierson, a high school classmate of McKenna’s. McKenna was the valedictorian to Jared’s salutatorian, and the third high achiever in their senior class was Henry Blumenthal. Henry was smarter than McKenna and Jared, but he was more socially awkward and moved to Oregon during their senior year. Over the years he has reinvented himself as a successful documentary filmmaker named Hank Blume.

On McKenna’s first night back in Durham, Jared convinces her to attend a film festival where Hank will be honored. She is startled at the change in his appearance and eventually becomes romantically interested in him. McKenna only confides her work problems to Erica, who shares with Jared; the rest of the family believe that she’s in town for her youngest sister’s engagement party.

McKenna is a self-absorbed career woman who has neglected her family and personal relationships her entire adult life while she pursued her career goals. As a reader, I would understand her goal better if she had been aiming for District Attorney or a judgeship rather than making Senior Name Partner by age 40. The story is a character-development story, but I didn’t like McKenna and didn’t care if she found true love. She had the emotional maturity of someone college-age, not 38.

I did not like this book for several reasons: (1) I didn’t like the narrator/heroine, McKenna; and (2) the story was too wordy and full of discussions of pop culture references. This story had so much potential if McKenna had been engaging and sharp, like Julie James’ attorney heroines, or if it had more suspense elements related to the embezzling charge. The many side characters were likable and made the story better. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading a chapter or two before bedtime because I did not find it engaging.

This is such a sweet story.
Pretty sure it’s the best one Bethany Turner's written yet!!
McKenna is such a fun heroine. She's always lived her life according to "the plan". This is a plan she laid out before she was ten years old. And she's kept to it religiously.
So, her life seems to be progressing right on track, and she thinks she will soon be making partner at the high-powered law firm at which she is an attorney. But then, she gets falsely accused of embezzlement. She goes home to regroup, and wait on the results of the investigation, and who should she meet but her old high school nemesis, Henry.
I loved seeing this happen. McKenna had thought herself immune to love, and men in general. But, she'd never seen this Henry before...
Ms. Turner has given us another funny and fun rom com. One that you will quite possibly find yourself laughing out loud as you quickly turn pages...
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Known for her pop culture references and wit, Bethany Turner writes fantastic inner dialogue in my opinion and that is ultimately what keeps me coming back to her novels. Upon reading The Do-Over, I was expecting a romantic comedy that would have me laughing out loud and that wasn’t exactly what I found…

What I Enjoyed : The second chance at love trope, an adorable, sweet guy who’s actually a genius and outgrown his shy teen years, a fantastic kissing scene in NYC, a dad with a cool hobby and some great family connection moments.

My Thoughts: McKenna, while incredibly driven and smart at age 38, was hard for me to relate to with her deep cynicism and self-centered focus. I did not love the things she thought about her younger sister, Taylor, and expected better of a grown adult. Turner redeems that quality later though, thankfully. Regardless, McKenna was simply unrelatable for me.

I wanted to toss the book across the room when McKenna chose to make decisions that did not satisfy my desire for a deeper, richer romance in this story. I found my heart going out to Henry over and over. He was by far my favorite character, so very sweet and for the life of me, I don’t know why he fell for McKenna. Ha! He was perhaps the one reason I decided to see this novel through to the end.

The secondary characters were cute and I liked them, enjoying their family connection and Mr. Keaton’s hobby. The dual setting was fun, with parts of the story taking place in rural Durham, NC and other scenes in the excitement of NYC. The pop culture references were somewhat lost on me (there were many) but I also do not watch a lot of television and am certain other readers might find that more relatable. The beginning of the story as well as the romance were a very slow build that almost lost me (again, expecting an instant rom-com with laugh out loud scenes) but I hate to not see a story through and give the author a chance to win me over.

In Summary: I’m giving this read three stars with an OKAY/GOOD rating. I liked the book enough to finish it, found a couple of reasons to enjoy it and I think that, as with most books, the story is relative to the reader who is reading it. I know others will like this story more than I did and I believe it is worth a recommendation to those who want to dive into a clean romance read, especially one with characters who are “older” and like a second chance at love.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts below are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. THANK YOU to the publisher and author for allowing me to read this book!

Bethany Turner is an author that I have really started to look forward to seeing new reads from. I've enjoyed her romantic comedies greatly in the past, and truly couldn't wait to dive into this one. I must admit though that as far as heroines go, McKenna was not my favorite character. For me personally, I found I didn't quite understand her or relate to her at all as she is quite different than my own romantic self. Still, while that might typically keep me from enjoying a book, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this one. I found Henry to be a great character (I did find myself wishing we could have seen from his point of view as well though), and found that there were several moments throughout that literally had me laughing out loud. I enjoyed the chemistry and the awkwardness of their interactions... that is perhaps one area that my socially awkward self COULD relate. There were perhaps some things that were a little predictable, and yet again that really didn't stop my enjoyment of the story. Overall, I found this to be a fun romcom that kept me smiling throughout.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

I love Plot Twist by Bethany Turner so I was extremely excited to get approved for an ARC of her new book The Do-Over! I loved the family dynamics but I wish McKenna had been more honest with her family. She was the "outsider" but it was more from her own doing than any fault on the other members of her family. My favorite thing was how awkward McKenna would be around Henry. Very relatable and made their interactions so much more endearing. I wish there had been more with them or even some of his point of view. The conflict with her work made for a great addition of a little mystery. I knew from the beginning there was something not right going on there. I love how Bethany Turner is able to include pop culture references in her books without it feeling out of place or forced. It really makes the stories that much better! I look forward to reading more from Bethany Turner in the future!

I read this book in a day. I haven't had or made time to do that in too long. But today I did. It was perfection. I loved every page. Maybe because as an attorney, I could relate to the heroine McKenna and her drive to prove herself and charge hard after her dream. Maybe because I needed a book that was light and romantic, yet layered with heart. For whatever reason, I enjoyed every page and wish there had been more. In my book, that's the perfect recipe for a romantic comedy.

I picked up The Do-Over because my home state of North Carolina is the primary setting, and I had not read Bethany Turner’s work before. Slowly, I was drawn into a sweet rom-com with a career-focused heroine, personal issues I could relate to and a life that makes a major U-turn.

McKenna Keaton is the middle of three sisters, born and raised in Durham, NC. When the family moves to New York City to give McKenna’s mother her chance on Broadway, McKenna grows to love everything about the city. She is devastated when her mother becomes pregnant and the family moves back to Durham and blames Taylor, the baby sister, for ruining her perfect life. After undergraduate work at Princeton, McKenna returns to her beloved city to study law at NYU then moves up quickly in the law firm of Wallis, Monroe and Burkhead. Now she is poised to be offered a partnership. Her home, her career, and her life are lining up perfectly. Until she walks into the meeting she believes is going to confirm the partnership.

Instead, however the partners share evidence that  McKenna has misdirected over $300,000 from the firm, and while the investigation proceeds, she is put on unpaid  administrative leave to wait for the results. In minutes, possible professional ruin stop McKenna’s life ambitions in their tracks. Convinced she will be cleared of all charges, and now forced to save as much money as possible, she sublets her apartment and travels back to Durham to participate in baby sister Taylor’s wedding.

McKenna is gathered into the arms of a family excited to see her after nearly five years, and faces stories of high school days and youthful antics as well as relaxing in the support of her elder sister Erica and Erica’s husband Jared.  McKenna has sworn the couple to secrecy about her job situation and determines to keep the professional accusations from the rest of the family.

During the family events and preparation for the wedding, Jared is invited by Hank Blume to a fund-raising viewing of Blume’s new film. McKenna, a fan of this award-winning producer of documentaries, asks where Jared met the man. Jared laughs in astonishment. Doesn’t she know? Hank is Henry Blumenthal, the nerdy guy they both hung out with in high school. To avoid the teasing that erupts around her for being clueless, she begs Jared to take her with him to the party. Not long after an awkward meeting with Hank/Henry, and after a forty-seven-minute dinner at a nearby restaurant, McKenna Keaton, who avoids relationships like the plague, is broadsided. She has a major crush on a man.

The Do-Over takes the reader along with McKenna on her journey, quite literally, since the author writes in deep first person perspective. McKenna’s thoughts, experiences, and emotions are the way we live with her through these critical weeks in her life. She is given the chance to rethink almost everything she believes and to change directions, and we’re along for the funny, insightful, heartwarming, and romantic ride.

Although published by a traditional Christian publisher, I would characterize this book as a sweet romance with a strong inspirational theme – to live a full life, we must be open not only to career success but also to success in matters of the heart. Without that balance, we have left behind an essential part of life’s experience. The entire book encompasses that lesson and does a wonderful job showing it through daily life.

Two things gave me pause – the pacing and the setting. The unrelenting focus on McKenna’s inner mindscape is not always balanced with movement in the story. The author writes at an almost ‘thour-by-hour’ pace, reminiscent of the TV show, 24, without the urgent suspense, but with plenty of humor.  I often put the book down, as I would a weekly TV series, satisfied with the episode just past, but not prepared to binge. As a resident of Durham, I was disappointed with how the author handles the setting. By using deep perspective and the focus on the heroine’s inner state, the reader sees little of the surroundings. As described, Durham could be any city, and this story could have taken place in any urban setting.

Nonetheless, The Do-Over provides an enjoyable story of how one focused lawyer is thrown onto an unexpected path, only to find that offered path is giving her a glimpse of life at its fullest. Solid, emotional writing full of fun and heart make The Do-Over the perfect excuse for finding a comfy chair and settling in.

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I started this book thinking it was going to be a rom com. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the story! I became emotionally invested and thought the embezzlement storyline accusation was interesting and different. While there were emotional moments, I also found myself laughing out loud at some scenes and think that speaks to the authors range. I enjoyed and would recommend!

DNF - 43%

This book is sooooo slllloooowwwww.

There was no chemistry between the leads. I really disliked how the lead female and her sister treated their much younger sister, even in adulthood. The early chapters of this book blame the younger sister's existence for ruining their mother's career and shattering the family's hopes and dreams. It occurred to me that this may be examined and put to write later in the book but I just didn't have the desire to continue reading.

I finally stopped reading when the badass, female, high-power lawyer was legitimately afraid of a newly discovered family curse.

This book just didn't work for me.

The Do-Over
by Bethany Turner
Rating: 4.5/5

“You know . . . You probably won’t actually die if you’re not married by forty.”

Wow. Bethany Turner does it again! I can't believe I devoured this book and read it in one day. I couldn't stop LOL.

First, the cover is stunning. I LOVE the cover. It is eye catching and beautiful with whimsy.
Second, Henry Blumenthal is my favorite. He is smart and artistic. I fell in love with him as McKenna was re-falling in love with him. The author is so good with her characters and the chemistry between him and McKenna was well written and believable.
Third, I loved all of the pop culture references that the author always incorporates. She is so creative in the way she weaves them throughout the story in such unique ways that make you laugh and sigh. She has a true gift that I've come to expect in her stories but I feel like this one goes above and beyond.
Fourth, the author really puts you inside McKenna's head and it can get intense but it's so worth it. I sort of wish she did dual POVs so I could get inside Henry's head too.

Highly recommend if you enjoy a swoon worthy hero and a fiercely independent heroine on a journey back to each other.

PG-13.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

This book started off slow for me and unfortunately didn’t really pick up steam. I loved that McKenna’s character was portrayed in her late 30’s, but sometimes her actions made it hard to believe that she was an educated, mature woman. I really enjoyed Henry’s character as well as the genealogy aspect and family history mystery mixed into the storyline. I liked how McKenna eventually found her way, but it felt like it too her an unrealistically long time to get there.