Charming, delightful, and heartfelt! Perci has always felt like she’s not enough—not thin enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not good enough. When her boyfriend breaks up with her on the radio because she’s not fun/interesting/exciting enough, at first she’s heartbroken, but that hurt becomes a catalyst for bigger and better things. I loved Perci’s transformation, which didn’t come without its own set of pain and challenges, but her quest to be true to herself is uplifting and hopeful. I laughed out loud; the dialogue and her own inner-dialogue are witty, and there are some scenes that are just so funny. But there is always a touch of poignancy that never failed to touch my heart. There is also a not-handsome-but-actually-quite-good-looking neighbor, who has a quirky daughter, and I loved Nate and Lilah as much as I loved Perci. Lots of great characters, but the star is Perci, and I was always on her side, crying and applauding and laughing and loving along with her. Congratulations to this talented author on this fantastic debut!

I really enjoyed this book! It was a sweet and charming read! I loved watching Perci’s growth and finding her own strength. Her relationship with Nate was so adorable. The only part I didn’t care for, were with Perci’s mother. Overall, I really liked this book and would definitely recommend! The perfect summer read!


Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this arc!

Perci has been a doormat all of her life. She lets people dictate how she should behave, talk and even dress. However, when her boyfriend dumps her on the radio, enough is enough. She enlists her best friend's help to change and to take back the reins of her life. And maybe, but maybe, find love with her next-door neighbour Nate and his kid.

I loved Percy's journey of self-discovery. She wasn't a strong by any means, but she found the strength and the willpower to change and become who she likes without considering the outside pressure. She became an unapologetically Perci. And I cannot stress enough how much I loved this.

“The Do-Over” is a contemporary romance book by Sharon M. Peterson. I liked the engaging writing style, though must admit that Mimi’s over-the-topness made me think that knowing someone like Mimi is always a good thing. In fact, a number of the supporting characters I found rather entertaining and enjoyable. The main males (Dad, ex-boyfriend, and ex-fiance) I never felt connected to and rather wished that while they were fleshed out a bit, they’d had a bit more depth (Dad started having more depth, but then he didn’t - difficult to explain). I also felt the romance, while sweet in its way, felt a bit - something lacking. I liked him and his backstory (and, of course, wonderfully bird talented Lilah!) but the conflict seemed lackluster to me. I am also curious to know what the title has to do with the overall story - it’s not a do-over to be quite honest. And Mimi’s sayings for each chapter - that’s a Southern grandmother right there. Enjoyable book with a pretty interesting cast of characters.

Perci is a woman who is uncomfortable in her own skin. Her boyfriend breaks up with her in a humiliating, unkind, and very public manner. If that wasn’t enough, her mom is overly critical of everything about Perci- from her appearance to her job. Trying to save face, Perci is caught in a lie about dating her moody neighbor, Nate. To her surprise, Nate seems only too eager to play along with her fake dating scheme. The question is, can Perci find love as well as find herself?

I really enjoyed this debut novel from Sharon M. Peterson. It was cute and funny, and Perci makes a very relatable main character. There are some important lessons imbedded in the story about what’s really important in life. I also loved Perci’s grandmother- she was quite a character! Each chapter begins with a funny quote from her grandmother, which was a fun touch! I’d recommend to fans of fake dating and rom coms.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I. Loved. This. Book!
The Do-Over follows Persephone (Perci), a New Yorker who is unhappy with virtually every aspect of her life. She's dating a guy who she doesn't love, she has a job she hates, and her mom is constantly telling her she's not good enough. She makes a New Year's Resolution to stop trying to be who everyone wants her to be and to start living her life for herself.
Throughout the book, Perci's one ally is her grandmother (and my favorite character), MiMi. Each chapter begins with a saying from MiMi, known as a "Mimi-ism," and it starts the chapters with such a fun feeling. I appreciated the author showing the different relationships in the book as well. A toxic mom, a workaholic, pushover dad, a take no nonsense grandmother, and 2 daughters who just want the approval from their mother at any cost.
I also loved the character progression for each person. It's always a breath of fresh air for characters to realize their flaws and work to correct them.
My only critique is that I wish the title and cover was different. While I do love both, I feel like it didn't capture the entire feel of the book. While there was a super cute romantic atmosphere between Perci and her neighbor, Nate, I felt like the cover emphasis should have been more on Perci as a person. Overall, I cannot wait for this book to come out! I think it will become a new favorite RomCom for many people!!

The biggest thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Persephone "Perci" Mayfield is living a life for everyone except herself. She feels unfulfilled in her job, with her boyfriend, in her relationships with her family, even in the clothing she wears. When her (horrible) boyfriend breaks up with her via radio show - Perci and her best friend Mattias decide to make some un-resolutions for the new year.

She quits her job at the family mortgage company and starts working at a local daycare. There she meets Nate and his kid, Lilah - who actually live in the apartment next to hers. When she tells her mother she's dating her neighbor to get her off her back, Nate agrees to play along. And as all fake dating gambits go, they end up dating.

Truly, this is a book about Perci. You get to see her learn and grow and how that helps her relationships with Nate and her family change for the better.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book after it picked up just a bit. It was sweet, witty, and romantic and hooked me after the first few chapters.

Ok let me get this out there first: I LOVED this book. The Do-Over was a charming read with great character development and delightful writing.

Perci Mayfield’s new year started off horribly. Her boyfriend broke up with her over the radio, she’s trapped in a job she hates at the family business and her mother is constantly making remarks about her size and calorie intake. She needs a change. While wallowing with jalapeño poppers and booze, her best friend Mathias creates her a resolution list for the year. Or rather, her anti-resolution list. And after reading it Perci scoffs and yet she unknowingly embarks on a year of self-discovery and change. And romance, with a certain neighbour named Nate.

Perci is a plus sized woman who, at the beginning of the book, was definitely unhappy with where her life had taken her. She would wear the clothes her mom told her to, style her hair like she wanted her to and basically deferred to her mother, even if it made her unhappy. After the breakup and anti-resolution list is created, we see Perci start to change and grow. It was honestly such a joy to see her come out of her shell and shine. Perci is charming, a little awkward and infinitely lovable. I found I was cheering for her as the book went on. She had her faults, and there were stumbles along the way, but the difference between Old Perci and New Perci was so good. Nate, her neighbour and love interest, seemed like a good man as well. He didn’t rush her feelings and didn’t belittle her like so many others in her life. And the little one, Lilah, was a delight!

Her one constant ally was Mimi, her grandmother. Every chapter would begin with a Mimi-ism and I absolutely loved it. Mimi is a character and I wish she was real and accepting granddaughter applications, because I would so apply. Perci’s mother was pushy, overly involved and her brand of love was smothering. She definitely had a ‘mother knows best’ mentality and while it was hard to see her interactions with Perci at times, it also provided an opportunity for growth for everyone.

The writing was so charming and easy to read. Perci’s thought processes were interesting to see and her way of talking is fun. I loved the interactions between her and Mimi as well as her and Nate. Oh and Sal, the fish. There is zero spice in this book, but honestly? It wasn’t needed. This book was lovely without it.

The Do-Over is a perfect story about changing your outlook on life, not letting yourself be molded into a shape you don’t want and standing up for yourself to people you love. It’s a great read for anyone and there’s some great lessons to be learned along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this very much but I’m still not sure why the book is called The Do-Over. I feel it would do much better with a more relevant title, maybe one referencing Perci’s list of non-resolutions. Perci’s mom was absolutely cringingly uncomfortable., as we’re both Brent and Joel. The rest of the characters were fun and kept the story interesting.

After getting dumped, the main character establishes anti-new year resolutions. Loved this one, great body positivity message throughout the story and I love how the main character developed. Side characters helped to add in a bunch of humor to help keep things light and the pace was very quick which made it an easy read. Perfect for if you like friends to more, and characters trying to crack out of their old habits. I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Pub date 8/1/2022.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.
I loved this book! Such a fun read and can't recommend enough. Left me dreaming of a vacation

Fantastic debut novel!

Perci may be unlucky in love (I mean seriously, who breaks up with their girlfriend over the radio to win concert tickets?!) and unlucky in the mother department (0/5 stars… I would NOT recommend her mother), but she hit the jackpot with friends, her new job, her volunteer work… and her new neighbors.

It was sometime hard to get through her conversations with her mother because she is so critical. Like, can we figure out a way to reach into a book and slap a fictional character, please?

However, I really enjoyed how her relationship with Nate developed, as well as her relationship with his daughter. And I loved that gained more confidence and stood up for herself more.

I couldn't put this book down and the heroine Perci was a big reason why. Her insecurities were relatable and I cheered when she finally decided that she had had enough of her mom's meddling. I loved that she had a ride or die guy best friend. The secondary characters were just as great. Mimi was a hoot and I loved Lilah and her bird knowledge. The only place I felt like something was missing was Perci's relationship with Nate. I wanted more of their relationship outside of being around and about Lilah. Fans of Emily Henry and Sarah Adams would love this book. I look forward to any future Sharon M Peterson releases.
Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you are a fan of Emily Henry or Kerry Winfrey I think you will like this closed door romance! I loved Perci and she is the reason I kept turning the pages so quickly! She is fun and quirky and didn’t take herself too seriously the way some main characters in rom-come tend to do. I also felt the author did a great job with most of the supporting characters! I also loved that Perci had a male best friend who was totally platonic and it wasn’t an issue! The only thing I thought the story lacked was more character development in the love interest and more of a conflict than the story line offered. Over all I really like this quick, fun read and can’t wait to read more from Sharon M. Peterson!

An enjoyable chicklit read that if you don’t take on holiday will have you dreaming of a holiday in Antigua with it’s beautiful beaches

This is a really sweet, romantic book. I loved Perci and it was fun to read about her coming into her own and stepping outside her comfort zone. I really enjoyed the messy family dynamics- and perci’s grandmother in particular was a treat. The romance was my favourite part - sweet, gentle and full of delicious tension.

Perci Mayfield is going through it. Getting dumped on New Years Eve is bad enough, but her boyfriend dumped her over the radio, and to add insult to injury, he did it for concert tickets. And Perci's overbearing, controlling mother won't be a source of loving support... she's usually too busy making sure Perci knows she's a disappointment. Our girl's just about had it with feeling like a failure, so her best friend Mathias gives her a makeover of the soul via some booze-inspired New Year's Anti-Resolutions: stop dating, stop trying to lose weight, stop doing too much at work, stop trying to be perfect. As Perci starts really honoring these anti-resolutions, changes start arriving in her life that activate her mother's meddling instincts. Perci has to tell a little white lie to keep Meddling Mama at bay, but of course this lie spirals out of control and suddenly Perci's fake-dating her extremely hot neighbor... and maybe falling in love for real?

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. Perci is such a genuine, real character -- I loved watching her blossom into her true self over the course of the story as she learned to let go of all the negative programming she'd received throughout her life and try living in ways that nourished her soul. I loved that she had such supportive relationships with her grandmother Mimi and her sister Phee, as well as her best friend Mathias. Her relationships with her neighbor Nate and his daughter Lilah unfolded in such sweet ways. Her mother made my teeth itch because in her I absolutely recognize people from my own life; her baggage, and the negativity she brings to her relationship with Perci are very real and believable. I felt so seen by this book, and the resolution of this story brought me such joy. I can't wait to read more from this debut author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book!

Perci Perkins boyfriend Brent broke up with her live on radio with millions of listeners turning in while she was sat in the dentist chair saying she’s boring and a people pleaser humiliating her so Perci decides her life needs a do over and focus on herself for once but Perci’s overbearing mum is still dreaming about her marrying her awful ex Brent to she makes up an imaginary boyfriend but in a moment of panic Perci accidentally blurted out her not so imaginary neighbours name Nate what could possibly go wrong
Really enjoyable read I totally enjoyed
Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture
I just reviewed The Do-Over by Sharon M. Peterson. #TheDoOver #NetGalley