3.5 stars (rounded up)!

"The Do-Over" by Suzanne Park is a bit of a double-edged sword. There's a lot to like here, but there are also some things about it that I didn't like. First, the good. I love the Asian representation in this story. Park's commentary on the expectations and pressures children often face from their parents to succeed is top-tier. She also mentions the imposter syndrome they face, the struggles they go through in potentially letting their parents down, and how failure and/or reinvention are frequently frowned upon. I love the mental health representation. Park notes that this topic is not often discussed in books by Asian authors, and she handles this topic with great care. She weaves these heavy subjects together with lighthearted characters, interesting (though farfetched) scenarios, and a romantic rekindling that will, unfortunately, leave you wanting more. Park's commentary about corporate America is also handled really well in the context of this story. I like the progress that both FMC Lily and MMC Jake Cho make as people/characters. Their second-chance romance leaves Lily wondering if Jake even changed at all over the decade they were separated. Their character arcs are really well done, especially where Jake is concerned. Finally, the supporting characters, Mia (Lily's best friend) and Beth (Lily's roommate), are fantastic! I need books for both of them! As mentioned above, I wanted more from their romance. Their connection was there, but it was a little weak. I was slightly let down by the fact that there wasn't more romance in this book. The story is a bit slow in the middle-end, but it wraps up strong (though predictably). Some of the situations (the swim test? what? is that even a real thing?) are a little out of left field and didn't add anything to the overall story. I went along with it for the sake of the book, but it still was like...huh? Overall, the good outweighs the bad, and I did enjoy this book quite a bit!

Thank you to NetGalley, Suzanne Park, Avon, and Harper Voyager, for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I don’t know what it is about the cover, but every time I looked at it I thought this book was a YA romance. It’s not! It’s probably only PG-13 (at max) but it’s cute. It leans more toward friendships and overcoming obstacles than romance in my opinion. I do love that Lily goes back to school to finish her degree and excels in her computer science class! Women in STEM are amazing!!

I would recommend!

Thank you so much to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lily Lee is a successful author of self-help books and plans to write her next about landing a perfect job. However, a background check reveals that Lily is missing credits and never completed her degree. She returns to completer her degree only to find that her ex, Jake Cho, is now her TA. Lily is offered the chance at a do-over not only in college but also in love.

I love Suzanne Park’s writings and stories so much. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me. I couldn’t get into it and I ended up in a reading slump. I found that I wanted more from all the characters as they all seemed to be missing something. Jake stayed the same man from before and I couldn’t see myself rooting for him and Lily.

I recommend So We Meet Again if you’re looking for a romance from Suzanne Park!

This was a cute story. I did think it dragged a little and I didn’t love it the way I did Suzanne Park’s last book but I am glad I read it.

The Do-Over is a book that explores mental health in the Asian community, the pressure to succeed, and second chances. I instantly connected with Lily. Maybe it's our similar names? But I loved how she's always looking to the next thing. She's gone through so many periods of re-invention, but she's always trying to prepare and jump the next hurdle. To try to always do the next right thing. So when she finds out she hasn't actually graduated, it throws a huge wrench in her plans.

I can't even imagine how much I'd be thrown for a loop! She's given advice to see this as another chance - and not punishment - but for her it's a difficult piece of advice to actualize. From the beginning, I saw myself reflected in Lily. In her fears and vulnerabilities especially in looking at a possible different career direction? The Do-Over is a testament to how we can never have new experiences too late.

After a routine background check for a new job, Lily Lee finds out that she didn't technically graduate college. Lily thinks it must be a glitch but after consulting with the registrar she learns she was a few credits short. In order to complete her degree, she needs a course for her major but also due to the changes in graduation requirements, she unexpectedly ends up in a computer science course. While she didn't want to take the course, she finds herself becoming very interested in the subject, and also in the course's TA, Jake Cho, who happens to be her ex. As she juggles being back in school, trying to keep her professional life from crashing, and still trying to write her second book, she also realizes that being back at school might just provide her with new opportunities and show her options she had never considered. The romance seemed like a side plot at times, with more of a focus on Lily sorting out her professional life and job opportunities, There were also moments of tension with Lily's parents and how their actions ten years prior partly led to Lily's rough last semester that resulted in not graduating. Overall, a good read that shows how unexpected events can open new doors and provide a new outlook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I absolutely love Suzanne Park's writing. I have loved every book I have read by her so far, and I don't see it stopping any time soon. This book hit a little close to home, as I am also an older student at school with a bunch of younger folx (though I am in a graduate program, not undergrad), but I could relate to Lily's feelings of "What am I doing here?! Am I supposed to be here?! Do I even WANT this anymore?" and some of the burn it all to the ground and start again feelings she seemed to present. Her reconnection with Jake was adorable, and I really enjoyed seeing how they worked through their feelings & miscommunications. Lily learned a lot throughout this book and it was really enjoyable to read and get a fresh take on an "adult" going back to school. Lily had such a great support system and I really appreciated her character development throughout the book. This was just a nice book to read, easy enough that I didn't feel bogged down reading it, but not so light and fluffy that I didn't feel like I was reading something without any purpose. I really enjoyed it.

You know those nightmares where you’re running late for class or you’re back in class and it’s the day of an exam? Then you wake up and realize, you’re no longer in school and it was all a dream? For Lily Lee, there is no waking up because it’s not a dream. She finds out she never graduated and has to go back to college to get those pesky units she was missing. It only gets worse when the TA ends up being her ex-boyfriend.

The premise of the book lends itself to multiple opportunities for Lily to be put into sticky situations; however, this is not the direction Park takes and I appreciated it. There are some awkward and smile-inducing moments as Lily tries to keep going back to school a secret, but the book is focused on second chances. Lily is already successful, so I was curious as to how going back to school might affect her outlook on life. I liked the message the book relays, that it's never too late.

The book is more women’s fiction and less romcom. There are some funny parts and the romance takes more of a backseat. Being pulled in different directions leads to a lack of depth in Lily’s story. There were multiple instances when whatever Lily was doing was summed up in a few sentences, and then it was on the next thing.

While I enjoyed the book for its overall message, I admit I was a little disappointed. Despite loving romance, I would have been okay if some of Lily’s interactions with her ex were eliminated to include more about her college experience and how it alters her outlook on life. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

4.5 stars
I absolutely loved the Do-Over! Such a sweet second chance romance with great friendships and reflection on how much we change over our 20's.

The Do-Over is a captivating story of second chances in both life and love. With a perfect blend of depth, warmth, and wit, this book offers a beautiful and hopeful perspective on the power of starting over. The author's careful depiction of anxiety adds a layer of authenticity to the story, while the engrossing love story keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.

This was a fun read! I definitely would class it more as women’s fiction than romance, as the romance was definitely more of a subplot than anything else. I loved seeing Lily grow her confidence in things she didn’t think she could do before and stick it to the man in the end. But I did find myself a little disappointed at the lack of chemistry between the two characters and the really frustrating reason it turned out they broke up in the first place. It was a fun, girl-powery read, but if you’re looking for a swoon worthy romance, I would look elsewhere!

Lily Lee seems to have it all. Designated as a top 30 under 30, book under contract, she has her life together... until she doesn't. Finding out she didn't really graduate, Lily makes a tough choice.

The Do Over takes Lily back to college and follows her through navigating the experience in her early 30s. I liked how Lily's friendships factored in through her story, the reality of how perceptions can impact your thinking, and reading through the dual timelines of Lily's college experiences.

Really well written second chance romance. Lily has to return to college to complete her degree due to a clerical error. Shocking news is her Ex Jacob is the Teaching Assistant in her first class.

Loved this story.

This was my first book by Suzanne Park and I really love the wit and charm that shines through in her writing.

The Do-Over is a second-chance story. Not only a second-chance for love, but a second-chance to experience college.

Lily Lee is a popular non-fiction author that has created her brand around workplace culture - tips, tricks, how to succeed. So, it comes as a total shock to her when she finds out she never actually graduated from college.
She finds herself back on her old campus, needing to wrap up a few credits and some new degree requirements so she can carry on with the life she had planned out. While she’s there studying, she gets bitch-slapped by the past when she finds out her ex-boyfriend is now a PhD student there, and the hot TA for her Computer Science class.

Lily has her best friend Mia around to help her navigate through murky old waters, before she finds herself swimming to the finish line. Literally.

In a story of self-discovery and healing, Lily Lee finally gets the graduation she deserves. And baked goods. Lots of baked goods.

I absolutely intend to read more from Suzanne Park’s backlist, but unfortunately - I didn’t connect with this story. I wasn’t able to suspend my disbelief about several situations, and that probably says more about me than it does about the book. Please don’t let that dissuade you from picking up a copy yourself!

I would rate this 3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4 because I wanted to like it a lot.

I received an eARC of this title from Avon and Harper Voyager through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I tried to enjoy this book. But it just didn't with me. I found her annoying acting like she was so old going back to school. This book wasn't for me. Not much romance mostly women's fiction.

The Do-over
By Suzanne Park
Pub Date: April 4, 2023
Avon- Harper Voyager
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I loved the authors previous works more than this one. This is women’s fiction that focuses on self growth.
3 stars

When she needs a copy of her college transcript for a job, Lily discovers that she never actually graduated--she walked at commencement, but it turns out she was a few credits short. Now, a decade later, she's back on campus to finish the degree she thought she'd had all along. And when she gets there, she discovers that her ex is the TA for one of her classes.

I loved the voice of this book--it was a little chaotic, just like Lily, who's accomplished a lot but doesn't always feel like it. And each of the characters is fun and lovable and just different enough from the others to make them really stand out.
I was expecting this to be a bit more of a Romance than it was, but I really really loved that the romance plot was a bit more secondary to Lily going back to school, and her career.

I've always wanted more books about adults finding their way, coming-of-age stories that happen later in life, and adults struggling to figure out where they fit in and who exactly they want to be. Though Lily's story is very different from mine, I recognized a lot of myself in her--in those feelings of being adrift, of not quite knowing exactly where she fits in. The Do-Over was fun and weirdly relatable, and I really liked it.

This second chance romance sees self-help/business writer Lily Lee forced to return to college for a semester to earn the credits she needs to finally finish her degree ten years after she thought she graduated.

What she finds is her college boyfriend as her new TA and through flashbacks we get to see what went wrong the first time around. The idea of having to go back to school now would be my literal nightmare but Lily thrives the second time around finding a new idea for her next book and forgiveness for what Jake did in the past.

Great on audio narrated by Joy Osmanski with excellent mental health (anxiety and panic attacks) rep. This just might be my new favorite from Suzanne Park. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I've been a fan of Park's from her very first novel. Loathe at First Sight remained my favorite until maybe this one! I really loved the basic premise of this novel: Lily is primed for a high level position until the firm does a thorough background check to find Lily has not actually earned the college degree she thought she had. Haven't we all had that nightmare about the class we forgot about and didn't get the credits? This is what's happened to Lily as she decides to quietly enroll for a semester at her (almost) alma mater to earn those final credits.
What I loved about this story was a character who by all counts a success story, but the surprise of not having a degree she thought she earned throws her deep into impostor syndrome. We get a peek into her back story involving a guy who walked away when she needed him and a family decision that seemed to disregard everything Lily had worked for. When you have to go back to what feels like the beginning, does that mean you have to let go of all you've accomplished since then? Park does such a great job of creating a character in Lily that we all see in ourselves with an additional bonus of great friendships -- both old and new -- with a splash of second-chance romance.

I've always enjoyed Suzanne Park's books, both YA and adult, and this is no exception! It was a fast-paced and fun read that had me laughing out loud several times. And even though it had such hilarious moments, it also touched on some pretty serious things like systemic racism, imposter syndrome, cultural differences, and ageism. I appreciated that the author was able to intertwine the serious topics and the lighthearted moments into a cohesive plot that kept me wanting more. It made it a captivating story from start to finish. The main reason it wasn't a five-star read was that when it comes to books with romance, I prefer them to be on the spicier side. This is categorized as women's fiction and romance, but I'd say it'd be more appropriate to categorize it solely as women's fiction.

Overall, this was another great read by one of my all-time favorite authors, and I hungrily anticipate more of her works in the future! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.