This book was so great! Normally I wouldn't read a book like this as I would classify it closer to women's lit than a romcom but I was so entranced from the first line. Perci felt like an extension of at times myself, she goes through a beautiful journey of self discovery and gave me a good laugh while doing it. Mimi was the best part of this book and having her be the hallmark of the book, the chapters and the family was perfect. I will be thinking about several of her quotes for the rest of my life. Like I said the romance in the book isn’t a huge focus, the characters barely interact in the first half of the book and once they get together it still feels like one of the less focused on plot points in the book. Either way a great debut novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc!

Official rating: 3.75 stars. It was so close to 4 stars, and honestly when I started it I thought it had the chance to be a 5 star read; this book started STRONG and I loved it. Mimi and her personality had me hooked from the beginning, and I was so excited to see how she played into Perci's story (love that name by the way). However, I realized a couple chapters in that this was less romance and more contemporary fiction with a dash of romance on the side. In the synopsis the romance is the main plot point, but the pacing just doesn't fit that. It's being marketed as a book for fans of Love Hypothesis, The Unhoneymooners, and Sarah Adams, and as a strong fan of all of the above...this book was a massive letdown.

Say what you will about romance books -- the pacing is predictable. Heck, for all books, the pacing follows a pattern. Around 20-25% you'll have your first point of conflict that leads into the rising action that makes up the middle part of the book. In a romance, you expect that to be, well, the romance beginning. The two love interests getting thrown together in a meet cute. In a fake dating romance, you expect that to be when they start fake dating.

The main issue I had with this book was there was just too much going on. Perci got broken up with. Perci quit her job (as she should've). Perci needed a new job. Perci wanted to change her life. Perci's bets friend was in love with her sister (they get an entire plot point that should've just been it's own book). Perci gets a new job. Perci also gets a new volunteer role. Somewhere in there, we meet the love interest Noah. But we don't really get Noah as an *actual* love interest until almost the 50% mark. The fake dating doesn't kick off until halfway through the book, mostly because as previously stated, this book has too much going on.

Now, it makes a great contemporary fiction story about a woman's journey to find herself and let go of other's expectations of her. If that's what it'd been marketed as, and what I would have gone in expecting, I would've probably loved it. But I went in expecting romance, and based on the amount of baggage that both Noah and Perci needed to unpack in order to form a healthy and convincing relationship...50% just wasn't going to cut it. They needed their own story, and it got lost amidst all the other plot points. It's not even a slow burn romance (in which case the pacing would fit); it's simply...not really a romance.

It's still a good book, and if you're looking for a good contemporary fiction (albeit a slightly cluttered one), I'd recommend this one still. I just wouldn't recommend it for anyone looking for a book where romance is the central plot.

I loved this book from start to finish!!
The FMC was a relatable plus sized people pleasing character who was on cruise control through life until she was forced to do something about it.
I love the journey she took towards self love and forgiveness.
I love the relatable sister bond throughout the book and that everything isn’t always sunshine, roses, and being best friends.
I loved her New Year’s Resolutions.
I especially loved Mimi and all her Mimi-isms at the start of each chapter.

Fake dating, self love, amazing FMC, well thought out side characters, great and unexpected friendships, and sweet relationships throughout.

My only drawback was how many times it was mentioned that Nate was “un-handsome” or “not handsome”- just let him live! LOL

The Do-Over is a funny and relatable book that’s about Perci, a girl who goes with the flow, does what her mom says, and tries to blend in with others. But her grandma Mimi is just the opposite, filled with funny sayings “mimiisms” that blend humor with advice. One of which is that life is full of moments either good or bad that will define your life and change the course of it, you may not know it’s a moment until later, but it’ll be one that sticks out in your mind. Perci’s first defining moment: being publicly dumped on the radio by her boyfriend. After living through a tragic event Perci’s friend Mathias develops Perci’s New Year Anti-Resolutions to be filled with things that Perci can’t possibly fail at. This changes the course of Perci’s life as she works to stand out and stand up for herself. In addition to all the change she’s making she comes across the sight of her un handsome neighbor that catches her attention…and possibly her heart.

This book was very easy to read and the reader grows to fall in love with Perci and her various relationships with her neighbor, toxic mom, and best friend as she goes on a journey to learn to love herself. I rate this book 4/5 stars and recommend it to anyone that loves humor and romance mixed together. This book covers body positivity, fake dating, and getting out of toxic situations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance readers copy!

The Do-Over follows Perci, a late-twenty-something who finds herself publicly dumped and her life spiralling out of control. With a toxic mother, a seemingly perfect sister and a father who'd rather support his daughter's ex-boyfriend more than his eldest, Perci seeks a new beginning.

I enjoyed this book and seeing Perci come into her own, with the help of her best friend, Mathias, and several unexpected curveballs along the way. I found myself laughing, rooting for Perci and even shedding a couple of tears in parts. It was really lovely to see the relationship between Perci and her grandma, Mimi, and I feel a lot of people will be able to relate to that kind of connection between grandparent and grandchild.

My only issue with the writing style was that sometimes the descriptive text sometimes felt longwinded and unnecessary. I did find on a couple of occasions that the text, whilst in a first-person narrative, seemed lazy and peculiar, such as the use of 'WWII' instead of 'World War Two' when Perci was observing a building and describing it in her thoughts. Some language seemed to lack feminism too, but I can excuse this a little more given the genre of the book. Some characters, such as Mathias, gave a fresh perspective on what could have easily been a stereotype and I really respected the stylistic choices made there.

This book is for you if you're looking for a feel-good, easy read.

If you're looking for a funny heartfelt story than you might shed a few tears look no further that The Do-Over. The characters are real, they have flaws and can draw you into the story. From the overly critical mother to the brash grandmother there is such a strong dynamic you won't be disappointed. Perci is finding her authentic self and taking no prisoners on her way. After dealing with her mother's criticism for years she's decided to take her life into her own hands and damn the consequences. And the handsome but not neighbor Nate is making a new start. Both going through changes in their lives for different reasons, but everyone needs friends, even if it might end up more.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The book follows the oldest of two girls Perci who struggles with feelings of inadequacy and this only changes when she is dumped by her boyfriend over the radio . In the journey of healing she discovers who she is and what makes her unique. This book is for everyone that has ever felt inadequate and in loved. I absolutely love it. Everyone should read this romance book.

I FLEW through this book! I read it in just a few hours, it was so easy to read and flowed so well. Some of the language made me roll my eyes just a little - the main character's feminism could use a little work, but I loved her anyway. I loved the characters! This story was a very good at really diving deep into the complexities of mother-daughter relationships and generational trauma. At the end of the day, this book had romantic elements, but it was really about Perci, our main character, falling in love with herself. Amazing work.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I sadly went into this book with just good expectations. Fortunately, this book exceeded them! I couldn't stop reading and I really enjoyed Perci's voice. Can't wait to read other books by this author!

I can't tell how much I adored reading this book. Percis story was equal amount entertaining, cute, hilarious and romantic. This book gives you so much to think about too, that how to be a better person inside and out. It was definitely a gread light hearted heartwarming read. Can't wait for more books from the author. ❤️

I'll say this. Go get this book ASAP if you're a women's fiction and a romance lover!!!!

"Know your worth.
Then add tax."

If a book starts like that, you sit down and read until you finish the book. And that's what I did. Ant there it was, fiest chapter was so good. So I knew maybe I wasn't going to do ANYTHING else the rest of the day.

And when second chapter started like this...
"When life gives you lemons, give them back and ask for grapes. You can make wine with grapes."
I knew I was already loving this book.

Loved the relationship between Perci and her grandma Mimi. I mean Mimi is awesome. And I felt identified with Perci's mom toxic controlling bossy !!!!! Just ugh. There's so much going on and so many personalities, I loved that!!!!!!

Found myself reading non-stop and craving for more when I actually needed to stop reading and do things. I loved how much it made me love Perci and how much I was also laughing. It has a good mix of hard subjects and sweetness and fun and I loved that!!! It was such an enjoyable read and totally what I wanted in my life.

"Being beautiful doesn't mean you're perfect"

This is one of my favorite books now!!! I loved everything about it!!!!!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Sharon M Peterson’s The Do Over is a light, easy-to-read romantic comedy. I am a swift reader and I read the whole book in an afternoon, so if you are looking for something sweet, sexy and fun, this could be the book for you.
Peri, in the second half of her twenties, is finding that life is somehow escaping her. She’s under her mother’s thumb, unhappy with the way she feels about herself, with the wrong man… But she has her fish, her good friend Mathias, a firecracker grandmother and a hot-as-hell new neighbour.
I enjoyed this story of how Peri finds herself, I laughed, smiled a lot, and I would recommend it with a solid four stars.

The Do-Over was a fun read. I didn't want the story to end. The characters were relatable and I enjoyed their story. That is for the advance reader copy!

Book Review
The-Do Over by Sharon M. Peterson 4/5

I requested this book from Netgalley because of the synopsis and cover!

The Do Over follows Perci, the eldest, chubby, just getting by daughter who is publicly dumped over the radio while listening in at the dentist. After the public humiliation, Perci and her best friend Mathias decide that they are going to have anit-resolutions for the upcoming new year, no dating, no weight loss goals, no being a pushover, etc. While being grilled about what she's doing in her life, Perci tells her family all about her new job and new boyfriend, roping in her bad-boy neighbor Nate.

This book was so cute and fun to read, but also hurt me in the best way possible, haha. I went into this thinking it was going be a super cute romance book, which it was, but I definitely felt like it was a book more about Perci's road to self growth. Perci goes through so much change in throughout the book, it was so refreshing to see her come into herself. The romance is definitely a subplot, but that didn't make me love Nate any-less. Not only was he so good to Perci, he was so good to his daughter as well.  Mathias was truly the best friend that anyone could ask for. The way he pushed Perci out of her comfort zone is what every person needs in their life.

Perci's family stressed me out to no one. All the comments that her mom made of her from her weight to what she's doing with her life was super relatable. And Mimi? Truly stole the show. All the Mimi-isms killed me and made me laugh out loud

What it's got:
Body Positivity
Self Growth and acceptance
Single Parent
Fake Dating
Neighbors

This book comes out next week on August 1, so please check it out once its released.

Thank you @netgalley for this arc.

It's been a long time since I enjoyed a book with only one point of view. But Perci really was amazing, she and her grandmother Mimi are the stars of the book for me
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It reminded me so much of Julie Murphy's Dumplin', with her mom and sister at they beauty pageants, her awesome best friend, and all that sparkling energy from her grandma Mimi
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Persephone, Perci just broke up with her boyfriend through a very popular radio show. Having to face humiliation at the end of the year, she decides to stay at home with her best friend Mathias who has the brilliant idea of ​​making a list of resolutions with goals that are very far from what anyone would set
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Resolutions that, like new rules of life, help her break old patterns and come out of her shell
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Along the way, many funny things happen to her, situations that she cannot avoid, many in front of her neighbor and his little daughter.
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She find a new direction and love but I really enjoy the road a lot. It's one of those books you can't stop thinking about without smiling
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As a reader you can expect lots of laughs, some tears at the corner of your eyes, adorable situations and a beautiful closed-doors romance that I would like to keep reading about
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Is a excellent book and I hope to continue reading more books by her
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Thanks to Sharon M Peterson and Bookouture for give me a copy of this amazing book in exchange of my honest opinion

I really enjoyed this! I liked seeing Perci realize her self-worth - she was extremely relatable and likable, even if she could be a bit cringy sometimes. There were a lot of clichés, but I didn't mind them. Nor did I mind the un-handsome male love interest. I wish there was a bit more romance, but I wouldn't call this a romance book anyway. The focus was on Perci and her family, and the author did a great job of making me become invested in all of them. This book was honestly quite the entertaining journey.

Wow. I am so happy I was able to read this ARC. I loved this story so much. I also really enjoyed all of the characters.

Perci Mimi and Matthias had me laughing out loud in many parts and the love story of Nate and perci was so cute I wanted more and more. You just want to jump into the story and join the mayfield family.

I loved this book and I look forward to reading more books by Sharon on the future. Thank you to netgalley and bookouture for this ARC. Go get your copy today!

The Do-Over is the story of Perci, who starts the book being very publically, very humiliatingly dumped by her good-for-nothing boyfriend, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There is a bunch of issues, from self-image to the complicate dynamics in her family, that Percy will tackle with the help of her powerhouse of a grandmother Mimi, Mathias - her best friend and creator of a list of anti New Year's Resolutions (worry not, reader, this is not a case of best friends who have never had feelings for each other but fall in love for no reason but the sake of the plot and it's established early enough), her goldfish Sal and an unexpected ally in her mysterious neighbour Nate.

Let me be clear: The Do-Over is not a novel. It's a ray of sunshine. It's a sweet, endearing, empowering tale that keeps a smile on your face and a bit of a grip on your heart from beginning to end. You cannot help but root for Perci because we have all been a bit of a Perci at some point in life. It's a joy to follow her journey and this book was EXACTLY what I was looking for.

If you are into straight-up romance, this might not be for you, but if your thing is feel-good, likeable characters, focus on the protagonist's ups and downs, and a love story that flows paralel to the narrative, interacting with it when it matters instead of being the sole focus of the novel, you absolutely need to give The Do-Over a go.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Sharon M. Peterson for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Do-Over is a hilarious rom-com that had me hooked from the first chapter. Had a lot of fun reading this book.

I wish a writer a very successful debut.

“Always choose kindness. Unless the other person’s a jackass. Then all bets are off.” -Mimi

It has been some time since I could really relate to a main character. Perci goes through a rather humiliating break-up and this jump starts a journey to stop pleasing people and really figuring out who she is and what she wants and I loved every second of it! I absolutely loved her best friend, Mathias, and her grandmother Mimi and the chapters starting with little Mimi sayings was a sweet touch. This was a really fun, quick read- I read it in one day! Definitely great if you're looking for a pick me up or to get out of a reading slump!

4.3 stars!

Thank you @netgalley and @Bookouture for the early copy. Go grab yours out 8/1!