The Do Over
Lynn Painter
Simon & Schuster BYR
2023, 304p
Read via my local library
Blurb {from the publisher/Goodreads.com}: After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another horrendous V-Day.
Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into—sometimes literally—in unfortunate ways.
How many times can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the universe stops doling out do-overs?
Recently I was at a family event and a family member who works for a bookshop recommended a Lynn Painter novel to me when I said that I was traumatised by a recent read and in need of lighter, fluffier, more feel good reads. I have actually read one of her books before, Mr Wrong Number which was okay but I was told I definitely needed to try her YA novels. I requested both this one and Better Than The Movies from my local library and this one was the first one to become available. I think I’m the first person to have read it – it was pristine when I picked it up.
This is a very cute story about Emilie, who lives through quite a nightmare Valentine’s Day – she crashes her car into Nick Stark’s truck, a guy from her chemistry class who doesn’t even seem to recognise her. She is told that she’s missed out on a valuable summer fellowship. She witnesses her boyfriend Josh in a very intimate moment with his ex. Her father blows up her life when she gets home and from there, all Emilie wants to do is get away and forget about the day. Unfortunately when she wakes up the next day, it’s February 14th again….and again….and again….
Each time, Emilie tries to do something different to break the cycle – she takes a different car or a different route to school. She tries to change where she meets Josh, her boyfriend and intercept him before he meets with his ex. She tries different methods about the fellowship and the news her father gives her, with varying success. But almost always, the same things happen. She needs to figure out how to break the cycle.
Finally, Emilie loses it and decides on the DONC – the Day Of No Consequences. If she’s going to be forced to live this day over and over, she’s going to let loose and do what she wants to, because tomorrow none of it will matter and she’ll just have reset…..right?
I enjoyed this. I thought that there was a good mix of Emilie’s frustration about the day repeating and some comedy as well, from the things she chooses to do differently each time. One of the constants though, are her interactions with Nick. Generally she crashes into him, no matter how much she tries to change that but there are a few other days where she doesn’t and they somehow still end up interacting. Over each of these days, the more time she spends with Nick, the more she begins to glimpse what he is really like behind the quiet facade that is presented in the class they have together. Nick doesn’t remember their interactions obviously, so sometimes Emilie accidentally lets things slip that he doesn’t know he’s told her. Josh is the perfect boyfriend on paper…..but sometimes, it’s not about who seems perfect for you. Even when there aren’t still complications with their exes!
As well as showing Emilie living the same day over and over, the author also manages to give the reader the background on her, the ways in which her life has been complicated by what seems to be quite an acrimonious divorce by her parents when she was young and how now, at both houses, she can sometimes feel the odd one out. Her father has remarried and has twin boys who are quite a bit younger than Emilie, I think they’re around 3 or 4. And her mother has also remarried again but has no other children and it seems that Emilie often feels like she’s intruding no matter which house she’s in but both of them are adamant on ‘their days’. The story she tells about the birthday cake is kind of heartbreaking.
This did exactly what I was hoping for – it was an overall feel good, sweet read with plenty of cute moments, but with also an underlying good story. I sort of don’t really know why the Groundhog Day style thing happened but…..eh. Sometimes things just happen and there’s no explanation.
7/10
Book #52 of 2023
All The Books I Can Read 
I didn’t really think about there not being a reason for the Groundhog Day scenario, but you’re right! She never answered that. Oh well. I still enjoyed it. Great review.