Always like to start off a review saying that I'm a fan of the author. I've probably read most, if not all, of the books that Beers writes. I just like her style...

That being said, here is my specific review for this book. I enjoyed the concept of Bella knowing Easton, but Easton not remembering her. The flashbacks had a differentness to them as well, because they are pretty standard from Easton's perspective, but really hard to read from Bella's because Easton is such a jerk back in high school. Since that's the struggle that Bella is also facing, in trying to view Easton now instead of back then, it's nice that you are going through that as the reader with her.

I also have to give props that Easton's ex didn't just pop up all of a sudden, like a lot of plot points in this genre. This will probably make more sense once you've read the book. I don't mean her ex-husband...

I found it a bit odd that there are more dog interactions with Bella than child interactions. I would have liked Easton's daughter being a little more present.

This book also isn't as sexy as a lot of Georgia Beers books are. Just a heads up that it's definetly not focused on that part of their relationship.

Overall, pretty formulaic in the best sense of the word. Well done!

I was really looking forward to reading this one by Beers. I loved the description and was hoping this would be a 5 star read for me. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. With that said, I still thought it was good, just not on the same level as Blend (for me). As I read this book, I found myself really just going with the flow. There wasn't a point in the book where I just couldn't wait to get to the end because I wanted to see what was going to happen. Sure there was chemistry between the MC's and I did like the story line. I guess I just wanted more. More sparkle, more magic, more something else that I didn't get. You know how when you read a book and you connect with the MC's? Maybe that was my issue. I didn't connect with them the way I wanted.

Oh well, like I said before, I still thought it was a good read.

3.75

And there it is! This is what I expect when I read a Beers novel and the last couple have left me a little disappointed, but not this one. Easton Evans is having a little trouble with the staff she’s in charge of when her company takes over theirs. In an effort to smooth over the transition all of the new managers are required to take a six-week conflict resolution class. The first thing Easton notices about the facilitator is how very pretty she is. Unfortunately for Bella Hunt, she has never forgotten the beauty of her high school crush and tormentor.

I’m not really sure what it is that makes the difference between this and her last novel but I really loved this. Maybe it’s the trope; I am a fan of high school crush revisited. The confusion of both characters’ pasts defines their adult selves but in a way that has made them both stronger rather than bitter. Their dialogue is dynamic and ranges from informative to flirtatious. The tension of the past is sustained throughout. There are flashbacks (which I really don’t mind) but there are few enough of them to not detract from the present. The BFFs were different from the usual secondary characters.

And the ending: perfect! This is an easy four and half stars rounded up.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

This is the first book that I've read by Georgia Beers and I can see why she is one of the renowned authors of lesbian fiction. She knows how to write emotional scenes and how to construct the backstory to make those scenes very realistic. That is the case in the The Do-Over with the high school back story that she creates for Bella, the poorer unpopular high school student who is questioning her sexuality, and Easton, the blond cheerleader dating the high school quarterback and who appears to have it all. This book explores what harm can be imparted on a teenager's psyche when bullied by classmates. I'd recommend this book to other readers, but would have like to see a few more intimate scenes between Bella and Easton than the two written toward the latter stages of the book.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

Georgia Beers....my "Goddess of Emotion". If you have never read her books..get them now. I call her my "Goddess of Emotion" because her stories are amazingly FULL of emotion. This story starts out sweet and cute and then takes a very dark turn to expose all our embarrassing moments in high school when kids were sometimes heartless and emotional. I was soooo moved by her description of Izzy's devastating verbal abuse in high school. I felt every moment. And I know how kids can change. Georgia did an amazing job at expressing the feelings of both the abused and the abuser.
Don't let me scare you off this story. It is very warm and very sexy. The characters and dialog are very rich and clever. But there is a strong message in this wonderful love story and I enjoyed it immensely. Georgia knows how to touch all your emotions.

I ARC received via NetGalley and in exchange for an honest review.

Bella is a transfer student she was mocked and bullied by Tara Easton and her boyfriend Connor. Bella couldn't wait to leave high school when she did she became a successful woman.

Easton is newly divorced mother of a 7 year old daughter she finally admit to herself she a lesbian.

When Easton company requires all management to take a conflict resolution class Bella is shock to see one of her bully in her class as Bella and Easton get to know each other Bella realize Easton doesn't know who she is as she keeps Easton at arm lengths she start to see Easton is not the same person she was fifteen years ago.

I like the chemistry between the main characters and how both characters grow to be e great human being. I like how Bella was hesiant to reveal thier past connection and how it was force to come out and the way they deal with it was great.

I love this book how they deal with bully how overcome that and grow and sometimes you need to confront the matter and find resolution. Georgia Beers did wonderful job incorporated the flashbacks with the present because some writers doesn't do it well.

Loved it! This book had the perfect amount of everything, it reminded me of some of her older work like Too Close to Touch and Turning the Page.
I feel like this one deserves more than 5 stars. I’m thinking maybe 7 or 8. This is now my favorite Georgia Beers novel.

I recently read a very good contemporary book about high school bullying. I just finished reading another book about high school bullying that occurred 15 years in the past. Seasoned author Georgia Beers’s latest book, The Do-Over, gave the reader a glimpse into the adult lives of teenagers who were bullied and those that took part in tormenting others-either by their actions or silent gestures.

As a transfer student, it was difficult enough for Bella when she entered a high school where cliques and friendships have already been established, but added to that, was the constant scrutiny placed upon her as the new girl. Unfortunately, Bella soon became the target of the high school bully, Tara, and her cohorts, which consisted of Easton and her boyfriend Connor. Bella couldn’t wait to leave those tormenting years behind her, and she successfully did. Then fifteen years later she came face to face, with not only her tormentor, but love fantasy, Easton, who did not remember Bella at all. Even though Bella liked this new version of Easton, she was hesitant to reveal their past connections until it became a forced issue.

The characters dealt with these issues in a mature realistic manner. I especially liked how Ms. Beers allowed Easton to experience a gut wrenching reaction when she realized how she hurt and tormented Bella in high school. The secondary characters were also likable and supportive with a nice mix of humor added to their interactions.

Georgia Beers wrote an entertaining story on how people can overcome their past-with a good support system-and find happiness with those they least expected to be in a relationship with.

Another great romance from Georgia Beers. All around the Do-Over is wonderful. I was also a huge fan of Lucy and Ethel but also of this book. I didn't want to finish as fast as I did but I must say what a way to end had me smiling from ear to ear.

I have a soft spot for Georgia Beers' books. She just managed to get to me with her romance, like few other authors do. I loved this book, I really did! Both Izzy (Bella) and Easton are very likable characters, their chemistry is great, and the whole plot was not unknown, but Beers managed to give it some fresh twist.

What if the girl you were crushing on in high school reappears in you live a decade and a half later? What if the erstwhile mean girl cheerleader is interested in you now without knowing who you are? What if you have a chance for wish-fulfilment?

Isabella’s school shuts down in her senior year and she is transferred to another school. The cheerleader-football jockey clique of beautiful people has one Easton Evans on whom a sexually-confused Izzy develops the biggest crush. While not the meanest of the group, Easton wasn’t particularly nice to Izzy either, mocking her with winks and flirtatious kisses blown in her direction.

Fifteen years later, Easton has a seven year old daughter and ha just finalised her divorce. An amicable divorce since Easton is finally embracing her Sapphic side. Izzy, now Bella, reappears in her life as a trainer for a work-related mandatory training. Easton is immediately attracted to the now-completely-unrecognisable Bella and tentatively strikes up a relationship. Bella is unable to tell Easton about their shared history until too much time passes.

This is a low-angst book. The MCs are normal, really nice women. Their attraction is palpable. Everything about the book is smooth and easy making it a decent enough read.

4.5 stars I really liked this classic Georgia Beers book. She is an author you can't count on to write lovely romantic stories that sometimes include uncomfortable issues with grace and feeling. I love pets in books because they add another dimension to the story and this book has some loveable dogs. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the concept behind this book. I really loved how this story unfolded the flash backs and the interactions between Bella and Easton in the now were perfect. The pain and realness of the flash backs just broke your heart for Bella but loved how Beers was able to make me feel for Easton on how she would feel on reflection of how she treated Bella back in high school, the pain of truly being able to understand the pain inflicted on Bella one that as a teenager she just didn't get because she was going through her own stuff.

The slow build up of the romance was well balanced and prefect in my mind. I loved Bella's strength to be able to let Easton in as quickly as she did as she could understand people change and grow up. Easton was sweet as an adult and thought that balanced with the flashbacks.

As always with Beers books I am always a little sad as to how quickly the endings end. In this book I didn't find it as quick to end as some of her books but would always love a epilogue which I appreciate is my own personal preference.

I just loved this book!! Both Bella and Easton were wonderful main characters that were so likable. I loved how Georgia Beers wove the past in with the present. Bella had every reason to hate Easton for how she was treated in high school but there was always that part of Bella that longed for Easton. While Bella regretted not telling Easton exactly who she was when they met, it was totally understandable. Easton’s realization of how her actions in high school effected someone so deeply was handled really well. Overall this was a well written and fantastic read. Thank you Georgia Beers for another amazing read!!

This book has been for the most part quite sweet but with a touch of sadness caused mainly by the bad experience of one of the protagonists in her school years, Izzy, now Bella.

Easton, for me, has been a bit difficult to like, I don't know if it was because at the beginning of the book she appears as a little cold and haughty in front of her new employees, or so I thought. Or maybe because of the role she played in Izzy / Bella's bullying. Even Bella's first reaction to recognizing Easton hasn’t helped me feel sympathy for her either, it seemed as if she still had some power to hurt Bella after the years. But also because the flashbacks are introduced little by little, without us having the complete vision of the past events, in the end you can understand and accept the attitude that Easton had in school, although it is reprehensible in any way.

As in most of Mrs. Beers's books, there are animals, dogs in this case, with their peculiarities and usual charm.

In this book, in addition, there is a seven yer old child, Easton's daughter, and some relatives and friends of the protagonists, who in no case have a very relevant role in the story.

My complaint, little one, the intimacy between the two protagonists appears very late in the book, even the first kiss. And the two intimate encounters are scarce. This story deserved a little more.

But nevertheless, all considering, I really liked the book.

Second chances are a common theme in romance but The Do-Over raises the bar in originality and execution. The shock and subsequent horror is visceral when Bella comes face-to-face with a her high school crush and bully after 15 years. Throughout the story, we are privy to snippets of Easton’s appalling behavior through Bella’s memories that are just so raw and truly awful that it becomes apparent that Bella’s resilience and rebirth as an adult is simply stunning. And Easton is fully aware how stunning Bella is as they gradually get to know each other (again) despite not recognizing who Bella was in relation to their past. Easton gets her own chance at a renaissance and the collision of their past with their present was a spectacular and moving experience with an added suspense I wasn’t expecting. Oh my, this is such a good story that calling it “just a romance” seems inadequate for a story with so many layers and so much emotion.

Georgia Beers is one of my favorites. She has a beautiful writing style that captures both the imagination and the heart. You can count on Beers to give you a quality well-paced book each and every time. Pretty amazing, right?

Easton Evans is coming off a divorce. Not a messy one, but one of mutual respect, positive interactions and co-parenting their seven year-old daughter. Easton married her high-school sweetheart and after years of marriage finally admitted to herself, her husband and close friends that she was a lesbian. When we meet Easton she is working through her guilt of a failed marriage, parenting an unruly adolescent and grappling with a corporate merger that has left her the bad guy to her new sales staff. When the company bigwigs ask her and the other managers to attend conflict resolution, Easton has no choice but to attend.

Bella Hunt is the therapist that will be running the six-week course that Easton and her co-workers will attend. Bella knows Easton from high-school and is dreading working with her former classmate. Bella had a nightmare experience in school and struggled to endure and escape that time period. The memories of the bullying she faced are more than enough. While Bella is a well-rounded accomplished adult, you cannot help but notice that her youth left a few forever scars. When Bella realizes that Easton doesn’t remember her she decides to keep their past a secret. Why go back through those emotions is she can just endure a six-week class? One major problem, she cannot help be drawn to grown-up Easton Evans.

From the beginning, the story has flashbacks of the characters when they were in high school. You become invested in their past as much as their present. You ache for the young girls that were dealing with insecurities, one in the popular crowd, the other the object of their bullying. The chemistry The Do-Over is absolutely amazing and the high school flashbacks are perfectly written so as not to distract or confuse but to add to the plot. They brought depth to the story and gave you more insight into the present day leading ladies. This is another fabulous book from Georgia Beers.