I've read all of Suzanne Park's books and this one holds up to the rest. As someone with a Korean mother, I really relate to her characters, and The Do Over is no exception. I also love that more and more Asian American writers like Park are including mental health as a topic in their books because there's still such a stigma in our communities.

Overall, The Do Over is a fun romp through what it would be like to go back to college 10 years later, from frat parties to midterm exams. Lily's vulnerability makes her so endearing, and I love the frenetic energy of her friends (roomies!) Mia and Beth. And of course, there's the love interest, Jacob Cho, who's gotten a glow up since they went through a bad breakup 10 years ago.

I laughed out loud, felt Lily's anxiety, and enjoyed the warmth of her loving friends. Thank you for the advanced copy!

This was a solid, cute romance! I enjoyed the cover and the overall themes in this book. Could see it for many book clubs!

3.5/5 ☆

Unexpectedly enjoyed this more than I thought I was going to!

Lily Lee is 32 year old in need of a career change. When she finds out she didn’t actually finish her degree, she heads back to undergrad to finish out her remaining units. There, she is reunited with her ex-boyfriend Jake Cho, who coincidentally is the TA for the computer science class she’s registered to take. Trying to balance school, author-life, and nosy parents - Lily finds herself overwhelmed navigating it all.

This definitely isn’t a romance. I agree with most reviews that this more women’s fiction with a romance sub plot. That was probably the least interesting part of the whole book. Don’t go into this book expecting an amazing, second chance love story. It wasn’t one.

I was more interested in Lily going back to school, her friendships with her new roommate and best friend, and how she planned to live this “double life” as a student and author. I love the message of the story and how empowering it was - it’s never too late to go back to school and learn something new. Very big fan coming from someone who works in the higher ed industry! Her relationship with her parents also hit home for me. I could relate to a lot of what Lily felt when I was in college, trying to meet my own parents’ expectations. Very thoughtful and accurate.

This was my first book by Suzanne Park and I enjoyed it! Hope to read more of her backlist soon.

This book started so strong and quickly petered out for me. This book was really a mixed bag.

I really enjoyed the plot set up- Lily is getting her dream job when she find out through a background check she didn’t actually graduate and has to go back to college to finish a class. However, I felt it quickly got cliched and outlandish.

I did enjoy the descriptions of food throughout the book- especially the Korean food! I also enjoyed the themes of self love and the portrayal of anxiety and mental health.

Some of the characters like Cameron were too over the top for me- just very surface level with no depth to their character. I did enjoy a few of the side characters like Mia and Ethan. Overall, I felt the character development could have been better- especially with Lily and Jake. I also felt they had a lack of chemistry and I didn’t feel invested in their love story. The reason for their breakup was stupid and annoyed me too. A lot of aspects of this book just didn’t seem realistic.

This book had potential but it just missed the mark.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

As Lily is a rising author in her early 30s she finds out, while interviewing for her dream job, that she did not actually graduate from college. She needs a few more credits to complete her degree, so decides to put her life in Manhattan on hold and go back to her college. To her surprise, her college boyfriend is also at the school completing grad school.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and started to get a little frustrated as it went on. Lily not being upfront with people made me anxious - I felt like they would surely find out and it would all be so much worse! The secondhand embarrassment made it hard for me, and I felt like Lily just kept making questionable choices.

I did love all the supporting characters - Mia, Beth, and Ethan were so great and added a lot of depth to the story. All the descriptions of food were so great, and made me so hungry and craving sweets the whole time.

I also really loved the honest discussion of anxiety and coping methods, including therapy. Lily talks a lot about the pressures she felt - both from her parents and from herself and society, and all of that was incredibly authentic and important to have represented.

I was rooting for Lily and Jake and did enjoy the end, even if it was a little too neat and tidy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I’ve read other books from this author that I loved which was why I had to read this one. 32 year old Lily found out that she had to go back to college to get her dream job and to finish her second book. She realized through their background check that she didn't graduate 😳. Even though she thought she did, she missed it by a few credits. As a 32 year old senior year in college she finds that her ex college boyfriend was now her TA.

What I found cringewirthy was going back to school and parties with 22 year olds. Goals are different for 30 years olds versus 20s year olds. The boyfriend/love interest was dull as wallpaper. Best friend Mia was a bit annoying. The storyline was somewhat predictable but I liked it. Overall, I was rooting for Lily because she was so likeable. I wanted her to win in life!! The ending was adorable.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Suzanne Park has a way with her words and I am obsessed. I loved this book and I want to scream about it from the top of the highest mountain! I found this to be a cute and easy read, very much what I needed!

2.5 rounded up.

I went into this expecting it to be a second-chance romance, with some light-hearted fun and cute romantic scenes of winning each other back.

What I got instead was more of a women's literary fiction, revolving around self-empowerment and learning to love yourself. Which is fine, don't get me wrong I love those kind of stories when I'm in the mood to read them. But this was marketed as a romance, and I was definitely looking for a romance and unfortunately I didn't quite get that.

The Do-Over is set to be published on April 4, 2023. Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I appreciated the real world twist on this romance read: topics of anxiety, and women in the workplace. The story was well paced but I struggled to get very invested. I think it’s a matter of personal taste where it was too similar to real life for me, but altogether a sweet read. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book but will be withholding my thoughts at this time. This is in solidarity with the HarperCollins Union. Hoping to share my review soon.

When I say I was excited to read Suzanne Park's latest book The Do-Over, that is an understatement! I loved So We Meet Again and was thrilled to dive back into another book. The description itself immediately pulled me in - going back to college 10 years later? Sign me up! I really liked Lily & her journey throughout the book. (side note: I cannot imagine even entertaining the idea of going to a frat party again...)

While this was more women's fiction than romance, with Park's writing and ability to tie everything together so seamlessly, I didn't mind at all! Can't wait for whatever she writes next!!

I'm going to be honest and say that I went into this book with the mindset that it reads more like a Women's Fiction novel than a Romance. I'm glad I saw previous reviewers mention that. I feel like it really set my expectations and enjoyed this book because of that.

As an Asian American, I always enjoy reading Park's books, which always include topics of inclusivity, the vastness, and uniqueness, of the (Asian) diaspora. This book in particular also includes topics like mental health (high functioning anxiety), and also dealing with imposter syndrome.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Lily's journey–going back to college, learning and growing through her imposter syndrome, making new friends, prioritizing her mental health, and of course, her second chance romance with Jake.

I really want to write a glowing review of this book because it felt so promising and the author so eloquently addressed some mental health struggles, but I'm kind of let down by it.

Some positives: I love the female friendships, the themes of overcoming challenges, and the back-to-college-in-your-30s trope.

However, this is partially billed as a romance, but the romantic factor is almost non-existent. Jake came off as incredibly dull, he and Lily lacked any chemistry or reason to get together, and their reason for breaking up years before didn't really make sense.

I don't regret reading this book, but I think all of the components could have been much stronger and combined to make a more impactful story.

Lilly needs to go back to college for a big deal job she wants. When she gets to college, her ex boyfriend is there, as a teacher. I didn’t really care to see her reliving college student days 10 years later. Also, the romance comes second to her finding herself. I think it’s a cute story overall, but different than what I expected.

I love a second chance romance! The characters are well developed and the story flowed well. It's a cute concept but the plot is thoughtful. I've liked Suzanne Park's other books, so it's no surprise that I really enjoyed this one too!

Thank you NetGalley and Suzanne Park!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
3 lukewarm stars
Women's fiction? Yes. Rom-com as advertised? Nope. Is there a guy? Yes, but he's awful and there is absolutely no chemistry between them. The "romance" if you can call it that doesn't happen until quite a ways into the book. This is more about female empowerment and friendships, which is fine but not at all what I was expecting. I wish the plot was more detailed about her college experience at 30 (except I could have done without her going to a frat party - I mean....) or even more background on how she got to where she is. Not sorry I read this but wouldn't recommend it.

Suzanne Park’s latest Novel The Do-Over is a fun and light-hearted read. I’ve read her past books and like the others, this one was a win for me!

Imagine being in your 30’s with not enough college credits for the job you wanted and having to go back. Getting to Do-Over your college years. But also with that journey, finding love.

This was an easy read in one sitting book for me. I was invested in Lily’s story and the only thing that would’ve made this better would’ve been if it had been heavier on the romance. That’s just my preference as it’s marketed as a second-chance romance novel.

I would absolutely recommend this story just like any of Suzanne Park’s previous novels. If you love romance and a feel-good story, pick this one up! You won’t regret it!

Thank you with all my heart to NetGalley and The Publisher, Harper Collins for choosing me to read and review this ARC

I continue to read this author but she is always a mixed bag for me. I have enjoyed a couple and didn’t like others. I think it is time I admit defeat and throw in the towel.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Lily Lee. She is headed back to college after ten years of being out. I thought this was a very interesting plot in theory and I’m sure it would work for some, but I just didn’t find myself enjoying the “funny” moments that come with it.

Lily is very sure of herself. She knows what her next career move is and will do anything to get to that point. She also holds a grudge and becomes surprised when her ex-boyfriend is now her TA. I’m not sure how I would deal with a situation like that. It would be very awkward, especially having to explain why you are back in a college setting and not in a teaching way. Lily was a pretty likeable character. Lily’s friend and roommate were good characters as well. I wouldn’t say I ever fully connected with the characters but they weren’t bad in any way. You know what I mean?

As a 31 year-old I can’t say I would try to relive my college years with 20 year-olds. I feel like my goals wouldn’t align with theirs and it would just be weird to party with people much younger than me. I think this also correlates with the whole “funny” moments thing.

Overall, this missed the mark but I can see the potential for others to love this one.

4.0

Thanks so much HarperCollins and Netgalley for an ARC of this title! I had so much fun reading The Do-Over, a book about getting a redo of one of life’s greatest milestones (college) after a mishap. I’m among the many that believe having to redo college, even partially, sounds like an R.L. Stein plot but Lily’s story was quite charming and captivating. The book read more like a women’s fiction contemporary novel about empowerment and mental health than a second-chance romance novel about exes that reunite on campus. I think the book would have benefited from this labeling, as the romance felt minimal and at times I found myself more interested in Lily’s college journey and the people she met rather than her relationship status with Jake. All in all, this is another slam dunk for Suzanne Park and I’m greatly looking forward to what she puts out in the future.

4/5⭐️

Lily Lee is an early-30s author who is trying to land a job position at a top firm. She fails the employer’s background check and finds she is short college credits — therefore never have completed her degree.

She goes back to college to finish out her senior year and discovers that her ex boyfriend, Jacob Cho, is actually a teaching assistant for one of her classes.

This was such a quick read but much more than just a “second-chance” trope. It was truly a second chance at life & It was so cutely done! I loved the overall plot and the character development. It was nice seeing mental health representation represented so well.

I would’ve loved a longer Epilogue but overall the story was incredibly heartwarming with fantastic growth from the MC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.