The Do Over by Suzanne Park
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Lili is going back to college to finish her degree after graduating ten years ago. Turns out she was short a few credits, so now she is in a rush to finish before her book publisher finds out. When she gets to her first class her TA is Jake Cho, her Ex who broke her heart.
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This book was good but not great for me. I liked the story and the characters just fine but I didn’t love it. I think I wanted Jake’s character to be more, somehow. He felt a little bland? I can’t think of a better word for it. I wanted more from him.

I loved the scene in the last 10% where the Oharas are interviewing Lily and she gives a great public speech about being proud of all she’s accomplished and not talking herself down. I was internally cheering for that.

The most emotional scene was the phone conversation that Lily has with her parents at the end. My eyes burned a little.

But I wanted to feel more emotion for the scenes with Lily and Jake, it just felt more like friends to me between them.

My absolute favorite part of the book though was when Lily purposefully called Cameron, Chad. 🤣🤣 What a tool that guy was.
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3⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lily Lee, a successful best-selling author, is primed and ready to start a new motivational book AND accept a new corporate job that will up her bank account way more than she was hoping for. Until that is, she discovers horrendous news.... she's a few credits short of her diploma from college even though she walked and was told she had enough credits.

Lily puts her life on hold to go back and correct the mistake, but then another plot twist...her ex-boyfriend (Jake Cho) is now her TA and damn, he's hotter now. As the semester unfolds so does Lily and Jake's past. Lily is determined to get back to her life and maybe expand her horizons thanks to her new STEM class, but past feelings for Jake are starting to arise.

The one thing she has to bear in mind is, do-overs are never as simple as they look.

Man, Suzanne Park has a gift of bringing her books into my life when I need them. She has such a talent for showing the reality of her characters and their emotional turmoil that speaks to the soul.

Second chance lovers are actually of my favorite tropes because when done correctly it shows the characters growth and willingness to change for the ones they love. Park slam dunks it. The redemption is beautiful.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, for this wonderful romance ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise here was fun and quirky. And there were a lot of parts that I really enjoyed, but it didn't come together in the way I wished it would have. Specifically, some of the reveals at the end would have been much better earlier on - I would have been more invested in Lily's career trajectory, and her relationships with a better understanding of her history.

I also just struggle with romances that seem too far fetched - and a 30something author and career woman immediately befriending a college senior/new roommate - among other things, just cheapend a lot of the rest of the story for me. Some of the dialogue felt a bit juvenile. And some of the decisions Lily made just didn't make sense to me.

The Do-Over
by Suzanna Park
3.5 stars

Lily Lee is loving her life until she found out she never graduated college. With her best friend helping her along the way Lily goes on a journey to finish college by taking the few courses she needs. Lily realizes it's never too late to go back and she has a lot of ups and downs along the way.

I was excited when I read that this was a rom-com but to me it's not, I got too excited over a book that just didn't click with me. I didn't care for the romance that was trying to blossom between Lily and Jake. I enjoyed the friendship that was happening with Lily, Mia, and Beth way more, it's what every girl wants friends you can go and pig out on food and get drunk. Too many miss for me personally but did enjoy the woman empowerment the book gave.

Thank you, Net Galley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the eARC for an honest review.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Super funny plot and I enjoyed reading it! I'm normally not a fan of second chance romance but I did like this one.

This book was heartfelt and funny and a testament to how it’s okay for life to not go your way, the first or even second time around. Also, it was oddly inspiring to go for something new, especially when it’s challenging.

Lily was a funny and real character and I enjoyed her journey from confident, but not to powerhouse in this novel. Jake (or Jacob) also was entertaining to read about, but I do wish we’d gotten some more moments between them. More crackling tension and whatnot. So, do be warned that this book is not romance heavy, it’s more of a strong women narrative with some romance sprinkled in there, which is also ver needed.

I loved the secondary characters and I need Beth to bake me a cake asap, thank you very much.

Do pick this book up if you love stories about strong women and the struggles, both internal and external and the mix of both, that we face in the workplace and if you love a good second-chance everything.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I honestly feel a little misled. The Do-Over was marketed as a second-chance romantic comedy but ended up being more of a women's fiction novel. While that's not neccessarily a bad thing, it wasn't what I signed up for.

I enjoyed the back-to-school storyline and thought the relationships between Lily and her friends were sweet and fun to read. Female friendships are always a delight to read and this was no exception! The romance was definitely a sub-plot and the connection between Lily and Jake was lacking and I didn't find him to be very likeable.

I'm giving this three stars because I enjoyed the writing and some aspects of the story, but was ultimately disappointed that the romance was more of a footnote than advertised.

I read this book as an ARC from Netgally, thank you!

I liked this book and the characters and the growth of said characters. I really liked the relationships Lily had, especially with her bffs. The book was written well and I really loved how Lily grew throughout the book.

My one negative is that the entire plot of this book is my worst nightmare. I literally have nightmares that my life is exactly like Lily’s whole predicament in this book. So while I enjoyed the book and writing, it was really hard not to cringe and want to put the book down at pretty much every turn and event that happened to her. So beware if you are like me and have the sympathy anxiety that accompanied the reading of this. I faced my fears and finished this book and you should to!

Cute and lighthearted, but sometimes i found myself thinking how unrealistic this would be - although I liked the characters and female friendships i just kept going back to "no one would actually return to campus for 2 credits, especially not an established writer" so with that in mind it was hard to get into at times. But like i said i enjoyed the relationship between the 3 female friends, i could have done without the romantic relationship.

”Did everyone our age feel like they weren’t quite where they were supposed to be? I could definitely relate.”

The Do-Over is the sixth novel from one of my favorite authors, Suzanne Park. She has a way with romcoms so that they are sarcastic and sweet in perfect proportions.

This novel is about a woman who finds out she actually didn’t have enough units to graduate ten years after she got her diploma. Unfortunately she finds out because she’s offered a dream job that will now probably not come to fruition after her background check uncovered she is without a college degree.

I knew someone from my college who hadn’t actually graduated, discovered by our employer after we had been coworkers for a few months. So this concept never felt like a stretch to me.

“I will always show up for you.”

Back at school, Lily decides to take classes that weren’t available a decade ago, including a computer science class where she is a standout—and where her ex-boyfriend is the hot TA. She has an odd but amazing roommate and her best friend visits frequently.

I really liked that this book made room for a topic that will likely appeal to most readers. High functioning anxiety (sufferer) feels like an apt way to describe half my friends. In the acknowledgment section, Park discusses how her whole career thus far, six books in, seems to have been conducted during the pandemic. This was good news for me because I didn’t realize there were books from her back catalog I hadn’t yet read. But it was also sobering given that Covid seems to have put so many of us into a heightened state of anxiety that we may never shake.

Thank you to the author for telling this story in a way that felt authentic to this HFAer. I would’ve loved the book regardless but it just made the plot that much better.

Lovely Asian-American story of second chances and overcoming mental health stigmas. This book was a delight and really shifted my perspective on a few different things. More of a women’s fiction book with light romance, which was okay for me. I really enjoyed this book!

3.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I’ve more than learned my lesson that, contrary to branding, Suzanne Park isn’t really writing romcoms, but women’s fiction with romcom branding, so I went into The Do-Over with somewhat measured expectations, while leaning toward optimistic because I liked the premise. And on that front, it mostly delivered.

Suzanne Park does great in establishing Lily as a career woman who is well-established in her field, only to find a setback when researching her next project that she doesn’t technically have a college degree. This does require some suspension of disbelief, as you’d think any error of the type that is used in the story would have been caught at the time, especially if the system was at least somewhat digital (Lily is her thirties, as am I, and I definitely had a digital system for course enrollment, withdrawal, and credit checking in my college days). However, I was nonetheless able to roll with it. It was fun to see Lily reacquainting herself with college life, as well as finding herself. She also has some solid friendships with other women, which is always a plus.

However, while I expected the romance to be more of a subplot, it wasn’t particularly interesting. I’d say the most compelling part of her relationship with Jake was the potential power dynamics, with him being a TA in one of her classes, and wish there had been more to emphasize the complications of that, even though they are the same age. And even though there’s a lot of emphasis put on them supposedly having this history, I found their relationship generally tepid at best.

This book was fine, even if it somewhat missed the mark in places. If you enjoy women’s fiction with romantic elements, you may enjoy this somewhat more than I did.

I came into The Do-Over with high hopes. I’d heard good things about Suzanne Park and the description sounded fun.

Unfortunately it ended up being not my cup of tea. I didn’t feel any real tension or chemistry between Lily and her love interest. A lot of the drama surrounding her going back to school and the competition with the Co-authors felt forced. It was just difficult to get through and not what I was expecting.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

**3.5 STARS**

I thought the synopsis of this story was interesting an alum having to go back to college because they didn’t officially graduate? I sometimes have that nightmare where I didn’t graduate college and it’s an anxiety dream so I can totally relate and wanted to see what happens. Here is what I thought:

+ I like Lily as our main character. She is in her early thirties, has some success but trying again and realized she didn’t actually get her BA degree. Mistakes happen right? I like that we get to delve into her history with her family. She is Korean American and as an Asian American myself I can understand the family pressures. I like that no matter when things went south for her, she did something about it or at least tried and never gave up.

+ Lily and her best friend, Mia, have an amazing bond. I love Mia and their new friend, Beth who is Lily’s new college roommate. I loved the friendship aspect of this book – it is probably my favorite part.

+ I thought the book had a lot of messages going on but I did appreciate the fact Lily stood up for herself when her younger self wouldn’t. I like that we see her growth and how her journey inspires others around her.

~ I don’t think the romance worked for me which is a bummer! I like the whole second chance romance, I just wanted more chemistry between them. There is no steam in this one…maybe I wanted a little steam.

~ I thought it was funny when Lily always mentioned her creaking knees at 32…I’m 13 years older than Lily and I kept thinking while reading, yikes, try being 45! 😅 I admire anyone who can go to college after their 20’s. I don’t think I can do it (I say that, but I probably could…but would I WANT to? lol…I don’t know.

~ If you want a rom-com, this is not it. The friendship part is funny but everything else is more women’s fiction and Lily’s career and mental health journey.



Tropes: found family, second chance romance

Why you should read it:
*the friendship between Mia and Lily is great, and then add in newcomer Beth
*it touches on issues like anxiety and being raised with high expectations in an Asian American household
*Lily’s journey

Why you might not want to read it:
*the romance part didn’t wow me, this is not a rom-com

My Thoughts:

I was intrigued by the synopsis and I can say even though the romance part disappointed me, I read this in one sitting. Also I fell in love with Lily and her friendship with Mia and Beth so even though the romance between her and Jake wasn’t amazing, at least her friendships were! I also liked how the story touched on Lily’s upbringing and her anxiety because I could relate so much to her on that level. Overall, I enjoyed the story and was invested in Lily’s change in career path and how everything was going to fall into place.

The Do-Over is my nightmare personified.

You're at the top of your game. You've written a best-selling career advice series and you're *this* close to landing a lucrative job you're perfect for when the recruiters run an extensive background check and discover you technically never completed your degree. (Shout-out to the apathetic academic advisor who incorrectly said taking a pass/fail course your final semester would still count towards your remaining college credits.) Mortified and anxious you've derailed your career, you quietly re-enroll at your alma mater. Why are you sweating so aggressively now? Oh, right, that computer science course that'll fulfill your last few credits - your ex is the TA. Remember him? Nerdy, awkward and directionless but still the love of your life who shattered your heart and literally left the country when you needed him the most. But now he's a charming, fine-as-hell grad student who seems to have his shit together because of course. Of course it would happen like this.

If I wasn't allergic to alcohol, now is about the time I would pound back a few drinks.

Luckily, The Do-Over isn't a nightmare to read. It's quite pleasant, actually.

My personal highlight in this book: the mental health representation in a POC. Lily struggles with a serious anxiety disorder, depression, and imposter syndrome - the latter of which I'm very happy was discussed at length. Her Korean-American family regularly disregards mental health issues and insists the best medicine is working harder. All of this makes me feel so seen. Lily is the ultimate MC for me - a deeply relatable human that's just trying her best despite all the shitty curveballs being thrown her way.

It's a near perfect read for me. I just didn't feel the chemistry between the MC's and my attention waned at some points. But it's a nice light read with fantastic POC and mental health rep. Totally recommend!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyage and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Pub date: April 4, 2023

This was such a pleasant quick read. Like the rest of Suzanne Parks books, the characters are quirky, make you laugh, and have a Star Wars reference or two to share. This book was lighter on the romance but was refreshingly balanced. We got to learn a lot about our heroine, Lily, and really saw her grow over the course of the book. Lily has a wonderful friend group that I absolutely adore. I could read a book dedicated just to them about how they completely support one another. I especially appreciate that there was an age gap in the friend group. It’s not something we see too much in fiction but that is a common occurrence in real life. While lighthearted, the book does bring up how everyone’s adulting experience is different and that it’s never too late to change the course of your career. This book flew by while I was reading it and I will definitely be recommending it to others.

The premise of this was so incredibly original, fun, enjoyable and just SO SWEET.
I loved it.
Thats all you need to know.

The Do-Over was very entertaining! I don’t think I would have been as gracious as Lily in the return to college - I would have not have had a good attitude about it. Thankfully, Lily has a great support system and tackles the last bit of college the second time around. There’s a good amount of growth and development throughout the book, and I admire Lily for her perseverance. I’m glad I picked this one up. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!

3.5, rounded up. Would recommend.

I read this book a while ago, but just realized I never reviewed it!

While I don't remember a ton of details about The Do-Over, it's not from a lack of enjoyment but rather a less-than-stellar memory and an excessive reading habit that has me plowing through multiple books a week. From what I can remember, the relationship between the two main characters was relatable and fun. These sorts of second chance books can be extremely cliche, and it's hard to inject anything new into them because there are so many authors attempting them, but I thought Suzanne Park did a solid job in creating likable characters. No, there's not much reinventing of the wheel going on here, and it's not the kind of book that stays with you (clearly), but it was an enjoyable read.

I have enjoyed some of Suzanne Park's previous books, but I really struggled with The Do-Over. Lily Lee is rising in her career, but then she finds out she didn't actually graduate college a decade ago because she had a few incomplete credits, so she goes back to college and reconnects with her ex, Jake, who is the TA for one of her classes.

I can appreciate the mental health and minority representation and the portrayal of female friendships, but so many other things were incongruous with this plot and characterizations. Lily is presented as being an author, consultant, and overall industry leader, except she's actually quite immature and does not make very good decisions. This book was categorized as a romance, but the "romance" is not at all romantic and mostly an afterthought in the plot. Also, why would the nation's hottest tech company recruit from an intro-level class!? These are just a few examples of things that made no sense and made this book a fail for me.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for gifting me with an ARC to review. Sadly, this was not the book for me.