Cute love story. Quick, what I call a beach read story. I connected with the story and characters and read it quickly all things I look for in a love story.

I discover Jessie L Star many years ago and have eagerly awaited her move to publication. Her novels are well paced with great characterisation and enough twists to keep you guessing and questioning. I highly recommend all of her titles!

This book totally took me by surprise. I found that I didn't want to put it down and was couldn't wait to get back to it. It's the first by Jessie Star that I've read so I had no idea about her writing. It's simply wonderful and another example of a very smart YA read. The characters are engaging and the story line is well crafted.

Lara and Fletch are complex characters and their relationship and history even more so. Lara's "do good" activities are driven by her need to atone for a sin perceived as nearly unforgivable. She takes heat from her co-eds and does little to dispel the myth. Fletcher is at the heart of it all and their relationship ( or lack thereof) is very contentious.

Star creates a powerful plot line that puts these characters through the wringer, all to get them to a resolution. While they care greatly for each other, they try hard not to act like it, and both make assumptions that put them at odds. I love their chemistry and once they start face up to their fears and begin telling each other the whole story, things get fun. The banter between them is fabulous and the secondary characters, her best friend Merry and his roommate Daz, influence the course of their future. The Do-Gooder is a thoughtful YA/Coming of age 5 Star read and I offer my highest recommendation! I'm thrilled to find a new to me author who writes strong characters, great dialogue and thought-provoking story lines.

Pocket Star and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Do-Gooder. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Lara Montgomery tries to make up for prior bad acts by doing a good deed for anyone who requests assistance. Her zeal to help others as an act of atonement stems from the night her brother Donny died and she was otherwise occupied with his best friend Fletcher. Bound to see each other on their small college campus, the run-ins between the two only seem to fuel that which lingers below the surface. Will they ever be able to move past their issues with each other and find some common ground?

This NA romance was good, but no part of it really stood out. The reason for Lara's blue book was hardly mentioned, as her brother was barely a footnote in the novel. The Do-Gooder wrapped up too neatly and did not reflect the realities of real life, with all of its messiness and struggles. All that being said, The Do-Gooder was a quick read and a good way to pass an afternoon.

Originally I thought the premise of this story sounded pretty good--could be cute, definitely showed promise. I started the book, and initially wasn't terribly crazy about Lara's character. She's just so darn prickly and jaded, it felt like an effort to get to know her. Fletch showed some promise, though, so I kept reading.

I'm not even sure what point I was at--30%? 40%?--when I suddenly realized that I really did care an awful lot about both Fletch and Lara. The more she revealed herself to the reader, the more sympathetic Lara became, and soon it started to feel like my life was going to be negatively affected if those two crazy kids couldn't manage to end up together in the end. Seriously, there were multiple parts in that last 20% that nearly had me in tears.

I'm not sure how much of that all was in the original version, but I can absolutely say that I recommend the rewrite! I'm putting Ms. Star on my list of authors to watch :)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Review on Goodreads and other retailers on release week.

Thanks for allowing me to read. A fantastic read.

Note: I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this one and gave up about half way through. I was intrigued by the premise and liked it at first. I enjoyed Lara. She was a smart, tough, take no BS heroine. But I was not feeling the romance between her and Fletch. Their chemistry did not come across well on the page. The story ended up dragging and couldn't hold my interest. I ultimately didn't end up finishing it because I grew bored about half way through.

I had a hard time finding a groove with this book. I was expecting to be able to follow along pretty fast but some of the writing in the beginning was a bit disjointed in my opinion. The writing got better as the book progressed but as that happened I realized that I didn't really like the characters. Overall, not my favorite book but it was fun.

4.5 Stars

This book was so different from most of the books that I've read. The thing that stood out the most for me was that it was written in both first person and third person. The heroines POV is written in first person and alternates chapters with the heroes POV, which was written in third person. I don't ever remember reading a book written this way and I realize that a lot of people won't love it but it worked for me.

Lara and Fletch have a complicated history, one that Fletch doesn't want to forget and one that Lara can't let go of. Three years ago they both had one night where they got everything they desired but afterwards, when everything fell apart, so did they.

Lara spends her free time trying to make up for, what she perceives as, the bad karma she created that night by doing good deeds for anyone who asks. Fletch just wants her to realize that the harder she works at making up for that night, the more attention she brings to it. Can either of them really move on and forget what happened that one night, when really all they both want is more?

This book was a slow-burn, but in the best way, because you could feel the tension between Lara and Fletch but that slow burn was also the reason I found myself annoyed at both characters. It was both frustrating and heartbreaking to watch as Lara based her whole worth on her good deeds. It was equally frustrating that Fletch let himself get so angry with her about her deeds instead of showing her that he understood her need to do them but how she was worth more than what she did for other people. The fact that they couldn't communicate these things to each other in any other way than with contempt made for a lot of back and forth, which also contributed to the tension, which was important to their journey.

Underneath all of the pain and contempt they showed for each other there was deep, pure love waiting to burst to the surface. It was the journey to that burst that made this story so good.

This was my first read from Jessie L. Star but based on how much I enjoyed it, it won't be my last.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

The Do-Gooder intrigued me from the moment I saw the title, and after reading the synopsis, I couldn't wait to read it! The love/hate/fighting relationship is one of my favorite tropes and I'm always down for reading one. And Ms. Star definitely delivered - it was excellent and I enjoyed reading The Do-Gooder! 

I can honestly say that in all the books I've read, with all the heroines I've met, I've never met one like Lara - she is without a doubt one of a kind. Lara is confident, driven, determined, and she tries to always be cool, calm, and collected. She's the type to hate irrationality (we bonded over that), she can be cold at times and push people away and while I didn't love that, I understood where she was coming from. Lara is prickly and sarcastic, but in a way that grows on you. I can't tell you for sure that I loved her, but I absolutely did like her - she's a good apple. 

I loved Fletch - he's a really great guy! Even though he rags on Lara about her choice of doing all these good deeds, he's still there for her whenever she needs him. He's completely in love with her and despite the fact that she drives him crazy and visa versa, he, well, both of them can't stay away. Fletch doesn't need much explanation - he's warm, protective, and he will make you fall for him. 

The Do-Gooder is humorous but serious, heartbreaking but heartwarming, and sweet and passionate. You can feel Fletch and Lara's desire leap from the pages and the sexual tension can be a little intense sometimes. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and every last bit of this story had me cheering for our hero and heroine to get their happy ending. I loved The Do-Gooder and I'm excited to see more of Ms. Star! 

The Do-Gooder is a standalone, it's told from Fletch and Lara's POV, and they do get their happy ending. 

~ A Hopeless Romantic's Booklandia, 4 Stars

Half of my problem with this book is totally on me. I didn't realize this was written by an Australian author and set in Australia. I find the language very distracting, and ends up taking me out of the story. The length was another issue, although again, it may have been in part because I was not 100% into the story. The middle especially felt interminably long. Beyond that I liked the idea of the book, but the stubbornness and self righteousness of the h/H drove me nuts. I needed,to be able to connect with them more.

I have to say this book was a surprising one for me. I guess I did not expect the level of heated anticipation and in-depth love/hate relationship between the two main characters.

Lara is an angry, sarcastic person that has the weight of the world on her shoulders. The only way she knows how to amend herself is by doing good deeds, for which she catches a lot of flak from Fletch. The only problem with that is the burning desire and heat between the two of them that has lasted for years.

Fletch is a sweet-hearted, amazing guy that has had a huge crush on Lara for years. He cannot help but protect her and yet try to stay out of her way. The only problem with that is he just can't do either.

With some amazingly hot scenes and bursts of flames igniting, these two strike a compromise that is sort of working... until its not.

This author tells an engrossing story loaded with emotion, pain, trust, love, and understanding. Plus, some awesome and deep friendships that comes out of all of the surrounding issues.

A deep, passionate, and thoughtful read that reminds you that everyone has hidden ghosts and pain somewhere in their lives. Some things cannot be buried and a great love connection is one of them,

an ok read

A college girl tries to make up for her bad karma by doing one good deed for anyone willing to ask—a witty, sweet romance perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Abbi Glines.

Lara Montgomery is no good. Having been scorned by her classmates since high school, she’s used to it. From where she’s sitting, the one with more notches on the bedpost has more fun anyway. At least, that’s what she tells herself.

Really, a small part of her hopes that her massive amounts of bad karma can be neutralized by wearing her Do-Gooder hat—that thing she does where she’ll complete one good deed for anyone who asks. And she does an amazing job at it, if she does say so herself. Still, there’s one thing she knows she can’t make better, no matter how many problems she solves for other people: on the night her brother died, she was off hooking up with his not-so-single best friend, Fletch.

It’s been three years since that night, and Fletch just wants her to let it go. To him, her persistence with the good deeds only serves to remind everyone in their small university town about what they did. As it is, they can’t help but get into a heated argument every time they run into each other on campus. And yet, neither of them can seem to stop that pesky electricity that runs between them whenever they get too close….

So I went into this book thinking I wouldn't like the heroine but I actually liked her. I thought she was misunderstood. I know that that's a really weird thing to say being a woman but I think she was. The hero on the other hand...I didn't like. I really tried but I just didn't like him. I liked the gay guy in the book instead...I was kind of hoping he'd become straight!! It was the fact that Fletcher didn't out and out stand up for the heroine to any of his friends that bothered me the most. His friend Daz is a total tool to her and he doesn't call him on it. That bothers me. During his point of view (because it's told in dual point of view) he feels bad but he doesn't do anything about it. He jumps to conclusions all the time and thinks the worst of Lara immediately. They both made mistakes and it's almost like she's atoning for the both of them. I just felt sorry for her and didn't feel like she should have had to do all the work because she didn't have anything to be sorry for. It was immaturity.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

This is my first time reading this author and its also a different genre than I usually read. Its very high schoolish. Yes, it has lots of sexual-ness, yet not much sexual acts. Also slut is sued a lot and penis' etc.But still it has a very high school feel to the characters. Even though it was at college it felt more high school. It also takes place in Australia.

Also I want to warn readers, if bullying is not your thing, meaning name calling, shaming is not something you want to read then avoid this book because you will hate it. People are very mean to the heroine, Lara and hile it does not hurt her, you read a lot of it in this story. And not just her but her friends too. It seems to be very out there in day to dayness of this story.

Now about what I liked in this story, I LOVED Merry and Stephano. They are absolutely wonderful to Lara and well I almost want to steal them as best friends from Lara. They bring humor and love to this story as they truly have Lara's back and are good friends to her, even is she has a hard time letting anyone get close.

Now about the premise of the story. Lara and Fletch had sex one night 3 years before at a party his then girlfriend attended. It was kinda gross too not hot.. Fletch has a thing for Lara but he didn't face his atrraction because he was best friends with her cancer stricken brother Donny. So he is all hot and heavy trying to forget Lara at the party. Then Lara decides she wants him and they get it on at the same party. To me the whole thing was really gross. They are in high school so I understood that him cheating wasn't the huge deal but one girl after another, while the other hears - it was well very icky. I would have understood more a drunk one night stand even if he had a girlfriend but while she is there, thats gross.

The other premise of the story is that after tehy are done, Lara's brother Donny dies from Cancer. It was not sudden, in fact Fletcher was sad because he visited Donny that day at the hospital and he was not doing great. So him dying with just his mother was not wonderful but not shocking. What was weird was that Fletch, his best friend and his sister, Lara attend a party while they are worried about him. They should have been at his bedside if was snot doing well. The sex was not the issue, the party was in relation to Donny.

So now its three years later and Lara atones for this by granting college students wishes. To me it was not really a doo gooder. It was more of a fairy godmother thing where she grants wishes. Yes she helps, but a do gooder helps more of a larger group and this was individuals.Fletcher hates that she does it because it will never make up what they did and just reminds him.

Things start to change for them both when Lara finds that Sassy (she had a weird name like Sashika) is in trouble. She is in high school and her mom took off and she is Fletchers little sister and she has a bad news boyfriend whose into drugs. Lara goes all out to save her and while doing that she starts coming to Fletch which he loves.

During all this Fletchers friends HATE Lara and they bully her a lot. SLUT is written on her door alot and Lara is a victim of a lot of bullying. I hated this aspect of the story and to be honest I felt it really was unneeded. Lara didn't care and Fletch did and it rather turned my stomache. It also wasn't just Lara but also her gay/boyfriend.

All in all I enjoyed the story. The writing was good. It just really was not my kid of book.