In "The Do-Over" by Phoebe MacLeod, I appreciated several aspects, particularly the strong themes of friendship, rebuilding family ties, and the protagonist's determination to pursue a life she truly desires. However, I felt the story could have been more profound, and the book's first quarter left me uncertain about its direction. Thea, the female main character (FMC), is a groundbreaking figure as the youngest woman to become a partner at a prestigious London law firm. Yet, she soon realizes that her life revolves solely around the relentless demands of her career. Following a pivotal incident at work, she leaves her old life behind and escapes to the countryside. While I would have liked to see the romance develop more thoroughly, the book delivered a lighthearted and enjoyable reading experience. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The Do-Over follows Thea Rogers, a corporate lawyer who’s dedicated her life to her career, aiming to become the youngest partner at her firm. But when a senior colleague dies and she sees how few truly care, Thea starts questioning her own life choices. Faced with a stark realization about her lack of close relationships, she decides to reassess her priorities and take a new path, searching for a life filled with meaning, family, and genuine connections. This leads her to wonder if she can really change—and if the life she’s always wanted is still within reach.

The book offers a relatable journey of self-discovery for Thea, a successful lawyer who begins to question her life’s priorities. While the setup starts slowly, it picks up as Thea re-evaluates her choices and seeks deeper connections beyond work. Her transformation feels a bit abrupt at times, moving too quickly from her career-driven life to a more balanced one, which could have been explored more gradually.

The story’s strength lies in Thea's internal struggles and her reconnection with family, which brings a warm, realistic touch. However, readers hoping for a strong romance may find it lacking, as the book leans more toward personal growth and rediscovery. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read with an inspiring message about finding what truly matters in life, even if it’s not the smoothest transition.

I enjoyed this book- I think it started brilliantly and I was quickly invested in Thea and in awe of what she had achieved, even if it was leaving her life somewhat empty. I know a lot of lawyers and it was scarily accurate! Her damascene moment at the funeral obviously led to her reassessing her life choices and I enjoyed where it took her. The diversion with George, the mill, all thoroughly entertaining and I enjoyed the ending too. I’ve read other books by Phoebe and know she is great for an entertaining and diverting read- thank you!

There were things I really liked about 'The Do-Over' by Phoebe MacLeod, the strong sense of friendships, the rebuilding of family relationships, and the steps the FMC took to pursue a life that she truly wanted, I just wanted it to feel deeper. The first 25% of the book I wasn't sure where the book was going. Thea, our FMC, is the youngest ever female to make partner at a high powered London law firm, except she realizes she has NO life outside the 24/7 buzz of law firm life. After an 'incident' at work she decides to leave it all behind and head (literally) for the country. I would have loved to have seen the romance develop more, but overall this was an easy feel good and enjoyable read. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The story in this book takes a rather unexpected turn. It is about Thea, a very successful, career-driven corporate law lawyer. She’s worked very hard to get where she is and finally all the hard work payed off because she’s made partner. Then a colleague dies and she abruptly decides to quit everything; her job, the partnership, and decides to sell her newly done house, in order to move back with her parents and buy a house with her next door neighbor to renovate. It was all a bit too radical for my taste; moving in with your folks together with a new girl friend while simultaneously renovating an old mill property, which I know is a LOT of work and not something you can easily calculate when you’re not a professional.
Anyway, I gave the whole renovation project a chance. There were some twists and turns and I didn’t know if I quite liked it or not. While reading this I wasn’t sure who was supposed to be the male main character either. I liked Alasdair’s “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess called Thea” story a lot. It summed up my assessment of Thea quite well. But in the end everything wrapped up satisfactorily. I think Alasdair was the best character in the book. He’s funny, loyal and a very good friend. The lawyer scenes and the renovation scenes were very well rehearsed, although I doubt that a lawyer can spot a good renovation project after watching some reno TV. I liked the guy Thea ended up with, so I finished the book feeling good about that.
Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for inviting me to review this book. I was happy to read and reviewed it; all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Loved every minute of this book! Phoebe MacLeod's The Do-Over is a delightful romantic comedy that will leave you smiling. Thea Rogers, a dedicated corporate lawyer, finds herself at a crossroads, questioning the path she's chosen. As she contemplates a drastic change, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and rediscovery.

MacLeod's witty writing style and relatable characters make this book an absolute joy to read. Thea's transformation is both inspiring and heartwarming, and her budding romance with a charmingly flawed love interest adds an extra layer of sweetness to the story.

If you're looking for a feel-good novel that will make you laugh, cry, and swoon, The Do-Over is the perfect choice.

Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. I think this is a one-off since I have generally really liked this author.

I do not like either lead AT ALL. Both were immature, juvenile, selfish, unbearable, and severely unlikable. Also, this is not a romance. This book is about the character growth of the FMC, which was needed, but even by the end, she wasn't very likable. The MMC is basically a character never fleshed out but a paper-thin character who didn't show much of anything at all. The chemistry is also off between the leads; it just doesn't feel like they are functioning as friends, let alone as romantic partners.

The writing is strong in other areas, though, and the pacing is mostly good (except for the last 10%, when the romance is shoehorned in).

Overall, it is not the author's strongest novel, but her other works have been fabulous.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an e-book for review.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me review this book in advance. Sadly. I did not care for it.
I found all the main characters unbearable, was not my cup of tea.

3 stars! This was a fun, and quick read for me. I read it in just a few hours, and I enjoyed it. I really liked the FMC, Thea, and was proud of her for pushing herself out of her comfort zone in several ways throughout the book. I wanted her to find happiness and was rooting for her and her enemy-turned-bff Rebecca the whole time.

I will say I was left wanting a bit more romance, but I did enjoy the romantic parts of the story and I’m happy with how it ended. I just felt like the development of the relationship could have been a bigger part of the story and I would’ve liked it even more!

Overall, this was an enjoyable second chance/new beginning romance book and I would recommend!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thea has achieved her professional dreams ahead of schedule and believes she’s pretty happy in her life. The sudden death of a colleague leaves Thea reeling and wondering if she’s living her life to the fullest. She then makes some pretty extreme and abrupt changes.
This was certainly a different premise for a romance novel. It was mostly about Thea examining her life, repairing and/or forming relationships with family/new friends and learning what makes her truly happy.. Honestly, I felt pretty ambivalent about Thea, but I really liked Alasdair and wanted him to be a larger part of the story. Their relationship was fun and they had decent banter, but Thea on her own was a little flat. I was grateful for the side characters in this one. They made Thea’s story far more interesting.
I’ll give this one 3 stars.

Love, self-discovery, and second chances are all explored in this endearing romantic comedy. There are many funny moments, endearing connections, and oddball characters on the protagonist's journey back to her hometown. Because of Macleod's conversational and captivating writing, it's simple to get completely engrossed. This heartwarming book serves as a reminder that life is full of surprises and second chances. Ideal for romantic comedy fans! Deeper themes like relationships, personal development, and discovering one's true path are all addressed in the story.

Rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars

Phoebe MacLeod takes us on a journey to self discovery and self love through Thea Rogers, a corporate lawyer at a high powered London law firm. Thea is dead set on being the youngest female partner at the firm and once she accomplishes this she can’t help but notice that all she wants to do to celebrate is work. She then gets a rude awakening when a despised senior partner passes away suddenly and everyone at the funeral is just there out of necessity. Is this where she’s headed? With no one to miss her when she’s gone and no one to like her while she’s alive. Is she just destined to be a worker bee forever? Is that what she really wants? After she resigns from the firm she’s left with another all important question, what now?

The Do Over would be a good book for someone looking to read a closed door, reinvention, second chance type of story. Very wholesome in nature and with a strong and authentic FMC. This book is more about finding and loving yourself before you can be open to loving another.

Overall, I thought it was fine and definitely a fast read, albeit different than the spicy romance I’m used to.

Thank you to NetGalley and BoldwoodBooks for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I mostly enjoyed this book, with two qualms.

One, this isn’t a romance novel. This is general fiction that happens to end with the main character in a relationship, but said relationship develops in the final 10% after a nine month stint of almost zero mention of the other character (and his previous characterization wasn’t encouraging).

Two, the focus of the book is Thea rediscovering herself after a toxic career, and the first third of the book where we really only see her, drags. Had this been a book I randomly picked off a library shelf, I don’t think I would have stuck it out - I kept asking myself, why am I 20% in and haven’t met her love interest? Why at 30% is the tone this way?

The fumbling nature of Thea’s evolution leaves room for great dialogue or tension with other characters, but that just doesn’t happen. George comes and goes, Thea caves at every whim Rebecca has despite logic pointing entirely otherwise, and even her relationship with her parents and sister is magically resolved without any kind of confrontation. All of that leads to a frankly unmemorable final product.

One of my absolute favourite books so far this year. It was in-put-down able and I read it in 24 hours. What a gem of a story.!
Loved Thea’s character and the relationships she had with Rebecca and Alasdair. Not your typical ‘girl meets boy’ story thank heavens.
Cosy up and enjoy. 5 star recommendation from me.

It was so cute. Definitely a good book to read when you are in the mood for a fun and cute book. It was also quite easy to read.

The Do-Over" stole my heart! Phoebe Macleod's charming romantic comedy explores second chances, self-discovery, and love. The protagonist's journey back to her hometown is filled with quirky characters, hilarious moments, and heartwarming connections. Macleod's writing is conversational and engaging, making it easy to become fully invested. This feel-good novel reminds us that life is full of unexpected turns and second chances. Perfect for fans of romantic comedies! The story tackles deeper themes like personal growth, relationships, and finding one's true path.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

1. Overview:
Thea Rogers is climbing up the ladder in her Law Firm at Morton Lansdowne faster than expected. She is becoming the youngest female Junior Partner at the firm. But after the death of one of the Senior partners she is confronted with the imbalance of her work and social life. Charles Darwin’s quote haunts her “A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth”. She should be ecstatic but after only six months she realizes she took the wrong career path and is no longer excited to throw all of herself into her work. And then there is Alasdair, friend or friend with benefits, or something more...

2. What did I like:
- The novel is well written.
- In the end, the plot does come together however I only started to enjoy the novel in the last section three quarters in.

3. What I did not like:
- The plot is flat, predictable, and unfortunately very very slow.
- Too little humor for the book to even be considered as “Humor & Satire”
- Contains blasphemy – so unnecessary.

4. Ratings and Final Thoughts:
If this book had been made into a movie, I would have categorised it as a Drama. I would rate The Do-Over by Phoebe MacLeod 2 out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up. This was the first book was the first book I was invited to read! I was very excited, I started so fast. Light, entertaining, enjoyed the main characters and the storyline. Also a little bit educational as I learned quite a few things I didn’t know about mills, with a very fitting ending that wrapped up the story really well.
Alasdair’s character made me laugh and enjoyed the main character’s unexpected budding friendship.

I must say, I quite enjoyed this book! It's a fun, light, easy read and did the job of "transporting" me to another world!

Thea is a corporate lawyer who's accomplished in her career, but doesn't have much else going for her. She's given up friendships and relationships in the name of moving up in her career. After becoming the youngest female partner at her firm, she starts questioning her path.

After leaving her career and all that she had been working towards, she and her new friend Rebecca decide to venture into a completely new world as real estate developers (essentially).

My absolute favorite thing about this book is the relationship between Thea and Rebecca. It felt so real and so natural. They both progressed so much as characters throughout the novel, but in a way that felt completely real. I loved the scenes between them and if anything, I would've been completely happy on a book that focused on that rather than tying in the "romance" aspect.

To that point, I loved the banter between Thea and her "happy ending" partner (no spoilers!) but I wish we would've either had more of it throughout the book, or just didn't have it at all. The romantic ending for Thea felt rushed to me and I wish there was more of a "build up" to it that we, the reader, saw.

My only other critique of the book is that the "pivot" in plans for the plot of land that Thea and Rebecca bought felt sort of rushed and out of nowhere to me too. I still greatly enjoyed it and thought it was cute and the end tied everything together nicely. But even a small moment of SOMETHING in the book that could've referenced or foreshadowed what they would eventually do with the land would've made it feel way less random and out of nowhere.

All in all, I did greatly enjoy the book! It's a fun, light read and I love any book about female friendships and growth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a mix for me. The first half was strong, and then it started to dwindle for me, where I lost interest, but I finished the book. We follow Thea, who is becoming her firm's youngest female junior partner. It started strong and exciting; however, as the book continued, it felt like I was reading a whole other book and was just a little lost and confused. Although this book is advertised as a romance, I would have categorized it as a female empowerment/self-improvement book.