The confessions hint at what a terrible driver she is which is extra hilarious since she rams into Nick so many times. These are hilarious and add humor to the story. He has secrets that slowly unfold and I loved watching him and Emilie grow closer each day.Įach chapter starts with hilarious confessions from Emilie of things she has done and written down in case something happens to her so people will know she wasn’t the perfect goody-two-shoes they thought. Each day, we get to know Nick a little more. There are leather pants, a fast car, dancing, piggy back rides and much, much more. They throw caution to the wind and have a day full of adventures.

Then she and Nick have an epic skip day that they call the Day of No Consequences (DONC).

I found myself cheering Emilie on as she quit trying to make everyone happy and learns to stand up for herself, both at school and at home.Įmilie begins rebelling by eating the last piece of chocolate pie in her house for breakfast. Even when she has the accident with the van, neither parent answers her call or even calls her back. Both her parents divorced and are wrapped up in their new lives, each in new relationships, and they both seem to forget about her unless she’s standing right in front of them. I loved it when she decides to be a rebel and do whatever she wants without having to worry about the fallout.Įmilie is a people pleaser who has always believed it’s easier to just say what people want to hear. As she does so, she keeps running into Nick and hanging out with him begins to change the way Emilie approaches her life and her goals. We follow Emilie every day as she tries changing things to get out of the time loop. I was wary of the time loop but it didn’t feel repetitive. Even worse, when she wakes up the next day, it’s Valentine’s Day all over again and she has to relive her terrible, really bad day. She catches her boyfriend kissing another girl, her spot in a summer journalism program is canceled, and her father makes a big announcement that has her reeling. The day goes downhill from there–disasters keep coming. She’s on her way to school when her van slides on ice and runs into Nick Stark’s truck. She is a meticulous planner and decided today is the day she will tell Josh she loves him. It reminded me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Offmixed with a little Groundhog Day and I was quickly swept into the story.Įmilie wakes up excited for her first Valentine’s day with a perfect boyfriend, Josh. I’ve been excited for The Do-Over, Painter’s new YA novel ever since I read and loved Better Than the Movies (2021) and I’m happy to share The Do-Over was just as good, if not better.

The do over lynn painter reviews