Pitched as a romantic comedy, The Do-Over is definitely not, but in a good way – there is a dry humour to the prose and the story is definitely better for not being laugh-out-loud. This is a story that follows career-obsessed Thea who, after a co-worker dies unexpectedly, realises that she’s very little life outside of work.

I’ve read Phoebe MacLeod before and knew not to expect a lot of romance. Her books ought to be pitched as women’s fiction. This isn’t a dig as they are really good women’s fiction, but it remains a little disappointing to read something labelled as romantic comedy when it isn’t. However, this is on the publisher and not the author.

Who writes a fabulous mid-life crisis here, with Thea undergoing a change in how she approaches life. There is a love triangle, so be warned if that isn’t your thing. Thea having a string-free relationship makes sense in terms of her emotional background and development, but I am aware two love interests can be a no-no.

Neither love interest gets much page time, to be honest, with Thea getting the lion’s share and side characters moving the plot along. They are also where most of the story’s humour comes from. This makes the story more fun, but was still a struggle at times and I’m not sure I can pin down why. The prose is good, the characters are likeable, but there’s just something missing. Perhaps the comedy in the muddle that Thea’s life becomes? It’s not quite as light-hearted as I’d have liked, which is why I’ve given it four stars.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a funny and cute romcom that I would read again. Phoebe MacLeod did an amazing job with the characters and story line. I was hooked from the beginning, and I couldn't put it down. I definitely recommend this book to the romance readers out there. You won't be disappointed. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you Net Galley ARC, Boldwood Books, and Phoebe MacLeod

Unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me.

I get what Macleod was going for, with Thea quitting her high rise job and becoming a better person in the process, but it just didn’t hit the stop I needed or wanted it to.

In The Do-Over, Thea Rogers appears to have it all—London’s youngest female partner at a prestigious law firm. But when success leaves her feeling empty, a wake-up call sends her spiraling into a bold reinvention of her life. This heartwarming story of self-discovery is packed with charm, wit, and a sprinkle of romance that focuses on personal growth over grand gestures.

Thea is a powerhouse protagonist whose determination and wit shine as she trades corporate boardrooms for small-town entrepreneurship. Her journey is inspiring, especially as she builds a new path on her terms. The romance—while subtle—features a love interest who earns her affection, flipping typical genre expectations.

Though some plot points wrap up conveniently, The Do-Over more than makes up for it with humor, heart, and relatable life lessons. Perfect for fans of empowering, feel-good reads about finding happiness where you least expect it.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

In Phoebe MacLeod’s latest rom-com, readers follow hotshot corporate lawyer Thea Rogers as she prepares to become the firm’s youngest female partner (having forgone all relationships except the one with her coworker and friend-with-benefits Alastair), but she does not feel excited. When a senior partner dies unexpectedly, the funeral reveals some uncomfortable truths and her life choices make less sense. Forced to make a decision regarding her career, Thea must decide if she wants to live a life that matters or keep climbing the corporate ladder, but even her life and its positive changes feel incomplete. As readers follow her on this crazy lifestyle change, they will relate to similar thoughts and struggles with settling into the workplace (if not necessarily the crazy corporate law system Thea loves so much). Thea is a complex and interesting protagonist, and her isolation save for professional relationships really adds to the internal struggles she deals with in this novel, which are really intriguing to uncover and follow. As for her dynamics with other characters as they appear in the novel, MacLeod does a brilliant job adding new faces and using them to further Thea’s storyline and contrast with her professional and personal mindsets as this well-written and emotionally complex novel progresses.

a sweet and fun book

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this work!

This was such a lovely book. I really enjoyed following Thea’s journey throughout the novel and felt so happy for her by the end. I thought it was lovely to have romance as a sort of side plot rather than the main focus and it was wonderful to see Thea rebuild a life for herself that she was happy with. There were many ‘Yes Thea!!’ moments throughout the book and I was inspired by her strength and determination and certainty. Such a lovely story filled with so many loveable characters. Some parts did seem a little far fetched however on the world of literacy anything can happen so it didn’t bother me too much!!

Funny, thought-provoking and feel-good, The Do-Over is an uplifting romantic comedy by Phoebe Macleod readers will love.

Thea’s life revolves around corporate law. She has put plenty of blood, sweat and tears into her career and made sacrifice after sacrifice for the sake of her job. Having eschewed relationships and friendships – except for colleague and frequent bedfellow Alasdair – nobody is going to distract Thea from her goal to become the firm’s youngest ever partner. Thea thought that she was perfectly happy with her life – until a senior partner dies unexpectedly and she takes a long hard look at the people who have shown up for the funeral and realises that they are all there out of obligation. If Thea continues on this path, will this be her future? If she were to suddenly disappear off the face of the earth, would anyone miss her or care?

Having come to a crossroads in her life, Thea decides to take stock of where her future is going. Does she want to keep sacrificing her personal life because of her job? Are her career goals going to end up costing her dear? Or might she find a way to have the best of both worlds? As she begins to make changes and starts taking time to smell the roses, will Thea find the joy that has thus far eluded her? Or is she overlooking something – and someone – who could make her truly happy?

Deliciously readable, wonderfully emotional and absolutely hilarious, The Do-Over is a warm and witty romantic comedy by Phoebe Macleod that will make readers laugh out loud as they cheer Thea on her quest to lead a rich and fulfilling life. Heartfelt, compelling and hard to resist, The Do-Over is a must-read for romantic comedy fans!

This was an okay read. I liked the idea of it but it didn’t really grip me. I found it was quite predictable and there wasn’t really much happening which made me not want to reach for it.

Firat off i love groundhogs day the movie so I was so excited by the premise and it did not disappoint- it have not read alot of YA and unknowingly the other one i read was not like the movies by the same author (enjoyed that as well) - Emilie gets her heartbroken on valentines day and then only wants the day overwhen she goes to bed to only find out it's thr same day over and over and over - she's trying to get it right and nothing is working but maybe she's looking at it all wrong! Perfect for the upcoming valentine holiday!
Thank you netgalley for the copy for my honest review

I was invited to read and review this book via Netgalley. While I enjoyed the story, I did feel like i had read similar story lines in other books. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this book, because I did! I thought Thea was relatable and going through similar feelings that other 30-somethings do in this day and age.
Overall i enjoyed this book, and hope to read more books by Phoebe MacLeod.

Thea has worked so hard in her career to finally make partner in her law firm. However when she realises it doesn’t make her as happy as she thought it would, she does what any other rational adult does. And quits. With no back up plan in sight.

The company immediately put her on a 9 month gardening leave? Which means she can’t even talk to her best friend with benefits Alasdair. But when her new friend Rebecca suggests that they buy an old watermill, do it up and sell it, Thea definitely didn’t see this as the new lifestyle she would begin living.

I really loved the focus on friendships in this book, and how Thea’s outgoing personally just pulls everyone in to her. And I loved the relationship that Thea and Rebecca build on empowering each other and pushing each other.

Now this wouldn’t be a romance novel without a relationship thrown in nearly three quarters (or nine months…) through the book. Did I see it coming? Maybe. Did I enjoy it? Yes!

I would 100% recommend this to anyone who loves a good friends to lovers romance.

Thank you Netgalley, Phoebe MacLeod and Boldwood books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Do-Over follows Thea Rogers, on track to become her law firm's youngest female partner. While advancing her law career, Thea has cut herself off from family, friends, or any romantic entanglements. She reevaluates her life, however, following the unexpected death of one of the current senior partners.

This is truly a story of self-discovery. I feel for Thea. Working hard at the expense of having a life leads to nothing but burn-out and loneliness. The Do-Over is less a romantic comedy and more women's fiction about self-realization, new journeys, and attaining what you truly want in life, including the importance of having female friends.

I enjoyed The Do-Over. The book kept me interested and engaged with colorful characters, a smidge of romance, and watching a woman take charge of her life. The setting was great and I loved watching Thea take care of business - by making herself the priority.

Thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and the author for the chance to read this book.

This book was quick to read, and I was easily drawn into the story. Thea has strived to be the best her whole life, and when she reaches the top, an unexpected event causes her to question her choices. This is a second chance type story about making choices that will leave you fulfilled and happy and not just rich.
Another thoroughly enjoyable Phoebe Macleod book.

Thea Rogers has dedicated her life to her career in corporate law. Apart from her colleague and long-time friend-with-benefits Alasdair, she’s forgone friendships and relationships, and now she’s on track to become her firm’s youngest ever female partner. However, things for Thea change whenever a senior partner suddenly dies.

I really like Rebecca as a character as well. The difference from when she's first introduced to when her and Thea actually become friends is really interesting to me. The friendship between her and Thea felt real as there no feelings of jealousy, which can happen a lot in female friendships, and while yes, they were different, I felt that this added to being a realistic part of the storyline.
I absolutely flew through the pages of this book! From the get-go though, nothing about this book felt romance-y at all. To me, it felt more along the lines of female empowerment as well as self-reflection and personal growth. Throwing a random "romance" part more than halfway through the book was realllllly odd to me. Not everything has to be a romance, or even NEEDS to have romance added in to it, but it felt that the pressure of that led to the blah romance part towards the end of the book. I also didn't enjoy the time jumps. Sometimes it's a great addition to books and other times its not. Unfortunately for me and this book, it was not.

I did feel like it had a happy ending though and I was very pleased with how it wrapped up!

Tropes include:
❤️Friends with Benefits
❌Midlife Crisis
👩🏼‍💼 Lawyer

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my review and my honest opinions!

this is oddly advertised as a romance and yet no romance at all happens until the last quarter - the story was seriously more about home renovation and a friendship, which is okay and something I'd read but because of the last quarter it was very disjointed!

The Do-Over by Phoebe MacLeod is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that readers cannot help but love. Thea Rodgers was a corporate lawyer who had been focused on her goals of success for a very long time, but realized all that she had to show for it was her house, her job, and a friends with benefits relationship. When she decided to make changes in her life, one of them is a close female friendship. While definitely a romance, I think that the more significant story was that of the friendship that Thea found with Rebecca as well as reestablishing a closer relationship with her family. When she rejected everything from her former life, there was just one piece she couldn’t seem to completely leave behind. I loved all the main characters in this novel and there were secondary characters that evoked a great number of the funnest moments. Of all the characters in the book, I think I liked Alasdair the best. He was so delightfully irreverent and unwaveringly supportive of Thea in all of her incarnations. If you enjoy romcoms with a strong story in which the romance plays only a part of the whole, then this one is for you. I give this book 4.5⭐️ rounded to 5⭐️ on Goodreads and retail sites.

I would like to thank Rachel’s Random Resources, Netgalley, and Boldwood Books for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fairly decent read but Thea was pretty annoying throughout. Always whining if something didn’t go her preferred way. Including even taking it out on her supposed friends. I found the plot with Alisdair quite unbelievable and it seemed like a farce at times. Also her obsession with poor George was scary. Not to mention being rude to basically everyone that she meets.

The Do-Over by Phoebe MacLeod was an okay read. It had some entertaining, comical moments, but I felt it lacked romanticism. I felt it needed more banter, attraction, and sizzle. I wasn't convinced the two main characters were really it; I thought this read more like a primary female lead story than a rom-com book, which is unfortunate because I've heard nothing but positive things about this author's work. I'm not going to let this book taint my opinion of this author. I'll pick up another of her books and give it another try. I usually prefer to give an author another chance when I've read one of their novels that hasn't worked well with me since sometimes it's simply the book or even me, and you never know; their next book could be fantastic.


⚠️I was gifted an ARC courtesy of The Bold Book Club and Netgalley and this is my honest review.