This was an enajoyable, easy read, but I found a lot of the conflict to be utterly contrived and illogical. Now, this is a romance, so that's not necessarily a deal-breaker! But there needs to be something else, something magical between the characters to make up for their irrational behavior. It just wasn't here, unfortunately. The third-act breakup and the reason for their previously break-up made me actively mad; to call it a communication issue is to say Clifford is a big dog: true, but so much more than that.

The Do Over
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Suzanne Park
GR: 3.32

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Avon Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Lily Lee is a bestselling author of the How to Be a Supernova At Work series, and her editor wants her to strike while the iron’s hot with a new book, How to Land the Perfect Job. But when Lily is offered a coveted position at a top firm, the employer background check reveals she’s short a few college credits and never actually completed her degree. Unbelievably, her worst nightmare has come true.

Lily returns to her alma mater, reliving her senior year of college ten years later. She enrolls in classes, gets invited to frat parties, eats most of her meals with “dining dollars,” and to make things even more weird and chaotic, she discovers that her computer science TA is her old college boyfriend, Jake Cho.

As Lily and Jake reconnect, she sees that her ex has done well for himself: the handsome, charming grad student appears to have his life together while Lily’s so close to losing her dream job opportunity and her book deal.

Things aren't so simple the second time around

My Thoughts: This book was more women’s fiction with an aspect of romance. It carried a good message, women should empower themselves and always stand in their truth. The best way I can describe this book is Lily’s journey to discover what she truly wants out of life and the steps to get there. The romance was not as strong as I would have liked, it was more like a subplot than the whole plot. Not to say this was not a good novel, I did enjoy reading it, I just wanted more in the romance department, more chemistry, more banter, did I say more chemistry? This was not a bad read, I did enjoy it, but believed I would have enjoyed it more if it was labeled as a women’s fiction versus a romance.

The story is narrated by Lily, mostly in the present with flashbacks to the past. Lily is unsure of herself, even though she had always thought she was confident. The female relationships were heartfelt and I loved them. There is the dialogue between the characters and there is also Lily’s inner dialogue, where you find out a great deal about her. While the book is premised on a second chance romance, it is also Lily’s opportunity at a second chance at life. The author did a fantastic job at addressing mental health and did it so gracefully. Lily had a tremendous amount of growth throughout the novel. Overall, this was a good story and I would recommend to others.

The premise of this novel pulled me in without a doubt. The idea of retiring to school (successful no less) and seeing your college boyfriend... as your TA. I loved it! Sadly I did feel it fell a little short. I usually don't mind if a book is closed door as long as the chemistry between the characters is off the charts and for me this one wasn't there. I could tell that they were attracted to each other and there was obviously unresolved feelings but past that is fell flat. I still enjoyed myself reading this and would easily read future novels by this author!! Also yes to more conversations about imposter syndrome please!!!

I loved this one! It plays a really nice line between YA/early adult (with the university setting, study hall, midterms drama, etc) and more adult contemporary (MC is in her 30s, dealing with all of the real-world problems of people being in their 30s) in a way that let me get the best parts of both genres. It’s fun, it’s cute, it’s everything a contemporary romance should be, with a side of quarter-life crisis of self-reinvention. The ending, if a smidge predictable (like all the best romance novels are, in my opinion) really stuck with me in the sense of “it’s never too late to do something again and/or for the first time.”

This was my first Suzanne Park book and it was a fun, crazy read. The plot did not feel realistic to me at all, but once I got over that it was enjoyable. I thought that the main characters were generally likable, but the side characters were who really made this story for me. I love the family that Lily creates for herself during her second chance.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley.

Sometimes when you pick up a romance and instead you get a fiction novel with a romance as a subplot... well, that is this novel. It's not bad, but it's not the type of romance you would think it is from the descriptions or the cover. It's more of an empowerment, self-worth story with a sprinkle of romance here and there. Again, it's not bad, but not the swoony type of story that most people who look in the romance section think they are getting.

🎓Summary🎓

Lily has a great job now as a consultant and writer, after quitting her corporate job. After writing a best selling book about , she’s on track to write book number two and take her career to the next level. When a company considering hiring her does a background check that she fails, Lily learns that in her last semester of college, when she was struggling with personal issues, poor advice from her advisor meant she never actually earned her college diploma. Now, she’s back at Calthorpe to take the last classes for her degree and her college ex is the TA for one of the classes she needs to graduate.

🎓Review🎓

This book was all about second chances. Lily, needing to officially graduate from college, is now living with a new roommate, taking classes outside of her wheelhouse (Computer Science anyone?), and making friends. It is a second chance, but I would say, less second chance romance and more second chance at figuring things out. Some of the story was a little ridiculous. This college seems to be a hot mess if there is not a list of requirements somewhere! And while there is a focus on mental health, it also didn't seem to be as fleshed out as it could have been to be really impactful. And things just tied up in a neat bow at the end but with all the messiness Lily needed to overcome, it seemed too perfect for the story and her life. It was a good read for something light, but I think there was a missed opportunity to flesh out some of the story lines to make it more impactful and more engaging.

Lily Lee is a best selling author of HOW TO BE A SUPERNOVA AT WORK and is about to land the job of her dreams, until she figures out she is a couple credits shy of actually having the degree she said she already had. unfortunately, the TA for the class she has to take to graduate is none other than her ex boyfriend who broke her heart.

This book was cute. Very light hearted and charming to read if you just need a pick me up. The romance aspect was cute, but as romance heavy as I was expecting. Also, it was fun to see how Lily navigate college ten years after.

Read this if you like:
- Second chance romance
- university/school settings
- womens fiction
- m/c who work in the book industry
- light hearted romcom.

this book didn't quite line up with my expectations of this author.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy.

I'm sad to write this review, because I like Suzanne Park, but I really disliked this book. The premise is fun, but I found the main character pretty insufferable and infuriating at times. I feel this was marketed a bit like a romance, when really it's more like women's fiction, so that might be why I didn't enjoy it (it caught me off guard).

I had a hard time reading this one. The author is writing what should be empowering women's fiction probably but was called a romance. The romance is barely a subplot. They spend so little time on the page together and when they do, there are no sparks. This book is about a woman going back to complete her college degree and finding a new career she loves while also discussing the issues of age, race, gender, and class in the workplace.

Unfortunately, even as women's fiction, I wouldn't have enjoyed this one. The book does a lot of telling instead of showing and it felt very boring to follow the MC from class to work to seminar etc. until she achieved her goals. Throw in a dorky Southern roommate and a best friend that was literally copy and paste Awkwafina (but the author was like "she just gets COMPARED to Awkwafina a lot, which???) supporting her all the way but having almost no nuance themselves? Pass.

I think people looking for something light-hearted and inspirational might want to pick this one up as well as those who like a more low-level romance in their stories. I would recommend to people looking for fiction, not romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

I love Suzanne Park's books, her sense of humor always makes me laugh! This was another great book by her, that I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Suzanne Park writes a warm, fuzzy, and insightful romance with The Do-Over. An incredibly powerful entry to the romance canon, you won't regret picking this up.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
FMC: Lily- after applying to her dream job and failing a background check, Lily discovers she’s a few credits short of ever actually graduating… now in her 30s she needs to go back and finish her degree. What could possibly go wrong?
MMC: Jake- after breaking up in college, Jake falls out of Lily’s orbit and isn’t anywhere on social media. Until Lily shows back up to college and he’s her TA. Will sparks still fly 10 years after graduation? Will they be able to forgive each other for their college breakup?
POV: 1st person, single POV
HEA: yes
spice: a few fade to black steamy scenes
TWs: mental health- anxiety, sexism, racism
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this had all the boxes checked for being a romance I would love but unfortunately it all fell a bit flat for me. The side characters were more interesting to read about, the whole plot seemed really underbaked and unbelievable, and the whole breakup/angst…. Wow I was hoping for a little more? I didn’t understand why we were supposed to be angry with Jake about their breakup? Overall cute but seemed very high school and not reading about actual adults in a college setting.
Korean/Asian representation all over though which is great. And women in STEM!

read this book if you love

🤐 miscommunication
💓 slowburn
💼 workplace romance (kinda?)
🧑‍🏫 student/teacher
2️⃣ 2nd chance romance
🏫 college sweethearts
🤩 curvy FMC

This is my first book from Suzanne Park, and I really liked the mental health representation, especially since it isn’t talked about much in many communities, including Asian families.

Lily is applying for a job at a firm and things are looking good, until WHAT?! Turns out she did not finish her degree? I thought that was so insane to think about. How does that get overlooked? Anyway, she’s stressed and rightfully so! And rushes to get that completed.

In comes Jake, who is her old college boyfriend and now her TA!! Omg the luck Lily has.

Anyways, I enjoyed this story about her focusing on herself, that it’s okay if your journey is not as you expected. It’s not too heavy on the romance plot but I liked seeing lily working on her career.

3.5/5. Forced to go back to college 10 years after she thought she had graduated, the last thing bestselling author Lily Lee expects is to run into her old college boyfriend as her class’s TA. This novel follows Lily as she revisits college life, while trying to balance a changing career, demanding parents and editor, and a budding but complicated second chance romance.

This book is all about coming into your own and finding your own voice in a world full of expectations, demands, and pressures. Like all of Suzanne Park’s books, work plays a significant role in the characters and the plot, especially workplace misogyny. This one in particular focuses more on imposter syndrome and mental health, including high functioning anxiety.

In my opinion, it’s misleading to consider this as a romance; it’s more fitting in the contemporary fiction or women’s fiction genres. There is definitely romance but it is very much a subplot, and I had some issues in how their relationship progressed. There were so many suddenly hot and cold moments that would escalate drastically then go in the opposite direction seconds later. I wanted more consistency and a bit more realism in the progression of their relationship.

Overall, this is a quick, enjoyable read about finding your own way. I wanted more from the romance but appreciated the mental health representation and the college life nostalgia.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this one, but I'm coming to realize second chance books just aren't really my thing. The return to your past and right your wrongs doesn't feel believable to me. Second chance lovers will really enjoy this book and the way that it puts the characters back into their past in the college setting.

A light read with charming characters, I love a good second chance at romance. Lily going back to school and having emotional growth from where she was. The premise was enjoyable and the writing was great.

The Do-Over is a fun read. I loved the second chance romance with the flashes back to the past. I genuinely laughed out loud several times. I found myself caring about what happened to these characters and rooting for them.

This was a second chance love story that centers around Lily Lee, a bestselling nonfiction writer, who reunites with an ex, named Jake Cho.

Overall I enjoyed this lighthearted read and the University setting, while I was never a fan of second chance romance before, I have now become a fan of them.

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review