REVIEW: The Do-Over by Suzanne Park

The Do-Over by Suzanne Park: Lily Lee thought everything was going perfectly to plan in her life, after all with a bestselling novel and another one on the way what more could a girl really ask for? However things take an abrupt turn when a background check for her dream job turns up that Lily never actually finished graduating! Now Lily is faced with going back to college to complete a few remaining courses if she wants to get her degree and secure the position at her dream job! Being back at her alma mater ten years after supposedly graduating is like slipping into a well loved pair of jeans for Lily especially when a blast from her past starts to become a very real part of her present. But will Lily be able to strike the perfect balance in all aspects of her life?

Okay, I’m going to start off by saying that I just love this cover! Not only is the colour scheme just dreamy but I loved the concept of having their story overlaid in their silhouette. As far as the actual story went, well I wouldn’t say that this was a romance novel, rather more of a second chance at self discovery. There was a bit of romance but nothing majorly wow worthy, however in saying this I did actually enjoy reading The Do Over.

I loved the Asian representation in this book and how easy it was to get invested in Lily’s journey. We really got to experience this entire second chance to find herself with her. I loved getting to see how life back in college as adult turned out for Lily, I think Park did a great job with expressing the fears, excitement, anxiety and love that come with being in this setting and seeing it through the lens of a thirty year old was a nice fresh take on this. I really enjoyed getting to see Lily really changing up her life and kind of branching out, this really was a chance to reinvent herself and I loved that most about this book.

As far as the romance goes this book was a bit of a miss for me. Not only was it a closed door read but I just felt like the relationship between Lily and Jake was very jumpy. They did not have a great rhythm to their connection and I couldn’t help but keep wondering what was actually going on with them. In saying this I do have to say that I did like Jake. He was an interesting addition to the book and I liked the bit that he contributed. But he really wasn’t the main focus.

The Do Over was an interesting read, with a strong message that it is never to late to reinvent yourself and you are never too old to be a student! This was an empowering women’s fiction read!

Book Info:

Publication: April 4, 2023 | Avon US |

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.