Before I get into the book, a reminder that the Harper Collins union had been on strike for two months now, with (as I understand it) no negotiations with management. HarperCollins is putting authors in an absolutely awful position, not to mention the striking employees. It sucks.

But anyway. The book is good. Like SO WE MEET AGAIN, it's more of a women's fiction that has a romantic thread. There's a HEA and a relationship, but the relationship isn't the main story.

The plot setup is great: like everyone's favorite anxiety dream, our hero finds out that she walked at commencement but didn't actually graduate and has to go back to college ten years later. Genius, just hilarious.

The plot deals with imposter syndrome, anxiety, cultural expectations and pressure..it has a lot going on, but it all gets resolved in the end. Probably better than most people could ever hope for in real life, lol.

I thought some of the dialogue felt a little clunky at times, but overall found it enjoyable.

First off, I have recurring nightmares about not actually graduating even though I graduated college over 15 years ago.

I don’t think I’ve ever related this much to a character before - high-functioning anxiety, imposter syndrome, 2nd gen immigrant.

I appreciated all the themes that were covered in this book that is so relatable for women who work so hard to successes and be seen.

I also loved Lily girl squad, Mia and Beth. #WomenSupportingWomen

A best selling author finds that she did not in fact complete her college degree and must now go back to college... all the while facing her ex turned T.A. and the fact that her dream job is in jeopardy if she doesn’t complete her degree. Lily Lee is a best selling author of the How to Be a Supernova at work series and just as her editor wants her to work on a new book she is also offered a coveted position at a top firm... but the employer tells her there is one snag in her background check: she’s short a few college credits and never actually completed her college degree. Now 10 years after graduation she has to go back to college to relive her senior year of college... and when attending her first class... her T.A. turns out to be her college ex that broke her heart and left her an emotional mess... Jake Cho. Now she has to deal with the stress of keeping her going back to college a secret so that people don’t think she’s a fraud, the stress of losing her dream job and her book deal, and the stress of constantly seeing her ex. Lily has to face her anxiety of why she constantly feels the need to prove herself and her accomplishments, the family drama of what happened when her parents chose to pay for her sister’s college while forcing Lily to graduate early... and the emotional stress that is Jake Cho. Jake and Lily were a great couple.. until they weren’t... until the day in which he abandoned her and never checked up on her or looked back and now he is here telling her that he has changed and he has his priorities straight and that he’s sorry and wants a second chance. This story was not really what I expected, and the romance was very light in the background but I found that it just didn’t work for me. Lily and Jake just don’t work for me, I think they would have been better off if they both grew, especially from each other. Seriously, I found myself just screaming “ DON’T BACKSLIDE” the entire time. Lily’s own journey with going back to college and dealing with her anxiety was okay, I didn’t particularly get attached to it and honestly didn’t connect to it that much. As someone who graduated college early and had to deal with an academic advisor who also screwed them over, it somehow didn’t really connect with me at all. Overall, while this one didn’t work for me maybe it’ll work for you, this definitely is more women’s fiction than second chance romance, just a note before going into it.

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Well, this is not much my cup of almond milk vanilla latte! As soon as I read back to school plotline, I knew it was a little forced and unreliable! Even at Rebel Wilson’s cheerleader girl who is coming out of coma movie storyline was easier to buy for me! But I still wanted to give a chance this concept because I love Suzanne Park’s genuine, lighthearted novels and I cannot say no to second chances romance!

I have disappointments about the entire premise. Firstly this is not a second chance romance that I expected! It is women’s fiction centers on the self growth, empowerment of Lily Lee. It was still fine with me as soon as the girl power and a woman’s journey to explore her purpose would be well reflected! Women friendship was the best thing about the book but romance subplot and book boyfriend failed me. I didn’t see any chemistry and I didn’t see anything interesting about Leo. He was okay but that was it. No extra charm or individual characteristics!

So I stick with my three mediocre stars! I loved the author’s previous works a little more. And I wish the romance part of the story would be the main plot. But I’m still looking forward to read her upcoming works. Unfortunately this book didn’t pique my interest!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Lily Lee has finally made it. She's a best-selling author and she's interviewing for her dream job at her dream company. However, during her background check, she finds out that she never actually graduated from college. Desperate to fix things before the news breaks and potentially ruins her life, Lily returns to Carlthorpe to take the last few classes she needs for her degree. She doesn't expect to run into the college boyfriend who tore her heart to pieces, Leo,, who is the TA for one of her classes. As Lily completes her degree she makes new friends and finds new passions, causing her to question her previous ideas about success.

This is a sweet second chance romance full of emotional growth for both Lily and Leo. Lily's friends Mia and Beth are fun and supportive secondary characters. The Do-Over really shines in its empathetic portrayal of anxiety and having to start over in life.

This is a fun second chance romance novel with characters who reunite 10 years down the road. I liked the college setting and loved Lily's friends.

Irony begs for attention, so I'm sharing: As I read this book about a woman who was a few credits shy of her degree and needed to go back to college to complete it ten years later, my friend who is in HR was telling me a candidate horror story. A university was withholding a degree because the former student never paid any of their campus fees. Other times candidates use false dates for degrees, so the background check process is real. That's why I like this book - Suzanne Park forces her protagonist, Lily Lee, to be real. And that means coming clean, owning up to past trauma, admitting your feelings, and doing the hard things - pushing pause on your dream to tie up lose ends. The PR machine and entitlement and imposter syndrome - Suzanne Park throws those labels into the mix and they are necessary because they seem like practiced ways society hides character flaws.

Yes, there is a love story, and Jake seems like he had to go find himself, post-college as well. Which is fantastic because it isn't so much that Lily and Jake have a second chance at love, it is like they were forced to grow up. If they had stayed together, neither would have found their full potential. It was a story of being forced to put yourself first and seeing how that sets up the board for fate to find you.

Good story all around. Lots of solid career advice and life advice mixed in with a second chance at love story.

Lily, a best selling author and ready to start a new dream job, finds out after a background check snafu that she's a few credits short of her degree. Heading back to school in Suzanne Park's latest novel, what was meant to be a second chance rom com, was more about Lily working through doubts and leaning into self empowerment. She has an awesome support system in Mia, Beth and her class project team, longing glances with her former lover turned class TA, Jake. Hoping to fly under the radar while finishing up her degree, when the truth gets leaked, how will she end up addressing the missing education she built her platform on? And, what will happen to her and Jake?

Things I loved about this story - Lily's vice of ruffles and lipton French onion dip 😋, it was a brief mention at the beginning but this is one of my favorite things as well. Try it if you haven't! The flashback glimpses, I feel like there was more chemistry in the flash backs with Jake than in the present day moments. Lily's friendships with Mia and Beth, they really turned into such an amazing trio! Their interactions reminded me a bit of the movie Sydney White and I'm here for it!

I did cringe a little bit at watching a 30 something try to re-fit in to the college atmosphere, I mean the frat party part?? 😬 the romance didn't even get mentioned until about 50%, so I was a little disappointed there. I wanted more of Jake and Lily - this was presented as a romcom but it was more women's fiction comedy with a tiny bit of romance sprinkled in. It also felt like there was a lack of depth in the flashbacks/relationship backstory.

All in all a cute quick closed door read (more butterflies, no steam) that has you reminiscing of some of those college days!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Didn't quite manage to get into this one, unfortunately.

I was hoping for a cute, light-hearted second chance rom com, but what I got was a women's fiction story about self-learning and empowerment instead. Not a bad message by any means, but it just wasn't what I was expecting.

The romance is a sub plot, not the mention the love interest is a total dud. Like zero personality. So the reasons I wanted to read this ended up not being a highlight. I do think Lily bonding with her friend and roommate is super cute! And while I wasn't interested in Lily's job, I can appreciate what her struggle represented.

So some good messages, but just not quite the book I was hoping for when I picked this up.

This is a warm and cozy second-chance at life and romance story that also depicts mental health and imposter syndrome in a realistic and caring way.

As Suzanne Park's self-appointed hype woman, it pains me to say this, but I think her latest book needs a do-over.

I know a read an early copy and things can change, but it just feels like it needs a lot of work. In The Do-Over, Lily Lee is forced to return to school after discovering she was a few college credits short and never actually graduated with a degree. The premise wasn't the most convincing, and I feel like that just kind of set the tone for the rest book. I'm not really sure what Park was trying to accomplish with the Do-Over, and I'm not really convinced she or her team did either. Lily spends a lot of the story trying to "find herself," and we're right there with her trying to follow the plot.

The Do-Over is a little bit of everything: a second-chance romance, a story about self-discovery, and a stab at taking down the patriarchy one rich white boy at a time. The problem is that none of the subplots ever really come together, so instead of a cohesive story tying in each tread, we end up with a tepid romance and a bunch of loose ends. This might be a personal thing, but I just never really bought in to the story. The "oh no, I have to go back to college" thing felt clunky and forced (not to mention the utter level of cringe that comes with watching a thirty-something-year-old try to "re-do" her college experience--frat parties included.) The stakes just never felt believable to me, and I just couldn't find any aspect of the story to get invested in.

So We Meet Again is one of my favorite contemporary romances, so I was especially disappointed with the love story in The Do-Over. It's bland and boring and not very interesting. There's no spark or chemistry, and Leo is such a generic love interest I'd honestly forgotten his name and had to go back and look it up for this review. We don't get any of the fun awkward angst that comes with a second-chance romance. No pining, no regret, no reluctantly rekindling flames. Instead, we get a pseudo re-meet cute where no one recognizes each other, a love triangle-ish, and a lot of "now you see us together, now you don't." My biggest issue with the romance is all the yo-yoing back and forth. Whether it's the kind of love triangle or the general trajectory of Lily and Leo's relationship, it's a frustrating dance of one step forward, two steps back. Do they recognize each other immediately or don't they? Is there a love triangle or not? Will they, won't they? It's like Park either can't decide or doesn't want to commit to one side or the other and just gives us an incredibly frustrating and muddled version of both. I also have to say that there's a huge build-up to the big reveal of the Reason for the Break-up that does not deliver. I can't decide if the break-up is melodramatic or if it just didn't strike the emotional chord (or if it's me, I'm the problem, it's me,) but I just didn't buy it.

As a fan of both Suzanne Park and the second-chance trope, I have to say that The Do-Over was a huge let-down. Whether it was the romance, the premise, or the characters in general, I never quite connected with the story which felt like a lot of disparate parts that never really came together.

I received an early galley from Avon Books in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a breath of fresh air that gave me all warm and fuzzy feelings despite the weather conditions outside. I loved the love between the main characters, and simply loved and enjoyed how easily they hold love, respect for each other and finally gets to cherish it too.

I thought this was a great concept for a contemporary romance, but its definitely more female focused fiction. I don't think the concept was very well executed, but greatly appreciate the representation and imposter syndrome showcase

I was really excited to read this book based on the synopsis but it ended up not being what I expected. The best part of this book was the friendship between Lily, Beth, and Mia. I never really warmed up to Jake and felt like their relationship could have been done better. It was okay, just not what I was hoping for.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this but found the romance and dialogue to be hard to follow. I could not connect with the characters. Ended up skimming. Thank you to net galley!

Lily Lee is set to start her dream job but a hiccup with HR changes all her plans. The background check reveals that Lily never officially graduated from college and she has to take a few credits to officially finish her degree. Lily re-enrolls at Calthorpe College and signs up for classes to complete her degree requirements. Much to her surprise, her ex-boyfriend Jacob Cho is a TA in her computer science course and is looking better than ever.

This book is categorized as a romance, but it is mostly about Lily's journey to gain confidence in her professional and emotional life. Lily addresses her anxiety, explores her Korean heritage, and tries to re-live her original college experience by trying new things. The romance with Jake definitely takes a back seat, and I just didn't feel much chemistry between the characters. I think a classification as women's fiction would be much more appropriate for this novel.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! You can count on Suzanne Park for smart, funny books that also highlight the realities women and POC face. This story was lots of fun and I highly recommend it.

This was just ok. I have read previous Suzanne Park books and this had a similar vibe. It was a fun storyline, but I wouldn’t classify it as a romance. It seemed more like a women's fiction book.

characters were fine but i didn’t really feel a connection to any of them. more women’s fiction than strictly romance; i wanted more of lily and jake but honestly didn’t care for him as a hero. a slow read by my standards that has its moments but overall was mid for me.

#netgalley

I liked seeing how a young but seasoned professional and a published author at that, would handle going back to college for a semester, to finish up a college degree she thought she had earned but had not, because of some glitches in the pass/fail grade of her final course work and the bad advice of her academic advisor.

Lily Lee takes this situation in stride and happens to re-meet her ex-college boyfriend, Jake, who is a TA in one of her classes. Not surprisingly, she learns from this return to school including how to swim, in a required PT class, and how to live with undergrads, while trying to keep her professional life and career alive. .

An entertaining read, a rom com, and women's fiction.