Member Reviews
The Do-Over hooked me with the plot summary.
At first I was a little worried because WOW Perci’s mom sucks and the focus on food was a little overwhelming. But by the end I could see that Perci’s fixation on food was kind of a reflection on how she felt about herself, and it changed as the book went on.
I adored Nate, and I wish he had been a little more fleshed out. But he really was a sweetheart.
I would say if you’re really triggered by food and body image issues, you should keep that in mind with this book. It was just the tiniest bit cringey and I felt like it could have been handled much better (hard to say why without spoilers). Overall, it was a pretty cute book though.
*Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Perci is a young women in her twenties who isn't fully happy with her life. Her boyfriend just broke up with her over the radio. Can it get any worse? Her best friend gives her new year resolutions to stick to. She decides to quit her job and do what makes her happy. She wants to become a better version of herself. This isn't always easy. Especially when you promised not to date anyone and you meet your new hot neighbor...
I totally loved this book. I liked all of the characters. They suit the story so well. They are developing so well during the story. This includes also the side characters! I liked every life lesson of Mimi at the beginning of every chapter. I also think a lot of people will recognize Perci's struggles in their daily life. All of this in combination with the short, fun chapters makes this a very cute and quick romcom!
Sharon M. Peterson, I'm very impressed of your debut novel. I'm looking forward to your future work!
The Do-Over is Sharon M. Peterson’s debut novel and already I am excited for more. This was such a fun book. Yes, it does border slightly more on the women’s fiction side than romance, but there are still so many great romantic moments that I love.
One of my favourite parts of a book is the character development. Perci goes through so much in this book and comes out on top and better than when she started. She was able to grow her confidence and her independence.
If you asked me to pick my favourite characters it would definitely be Mimi and Lilah. Who doesn’t love a sassy grandmother and a precocious child?
This is a fantastic book. Nothing explicit but still so many sparks and heaps of romance. You definitely don’t want to miss this book.
We've all had resolutions we've (almost never) fulfilled. But what about writing a list of anti-resolutions? A list of things you will NOT try to do, improve, or change. What could go wrong?
Nothing, it seems, as Perci finds out. After a devastating breakup from her mild, boring boyfriend, Perci sets some anti-resolutions that she would not try to be better, lose weight, be better at her job, or be a better daughter.
The result? A lot of personal and professional growth, finding yourself, becoming true to yourself in the best way.
I loved Nate and Lilah, they were amazing, so fun, and adorable. Nate was practically perfect and it seemed so easy for Perci to be happy, but I would've loved to hear more about his personality, background, or see any growth. But the book is not a rom-com, though, it's more about becoming yourself, with the PG-13 rated romance taking a smaller role. It was well-written, though.
I loved there was semi-growth on the other side characters, too, especially the mom at the end. Prior to that, she had been pretty awful.
Thank you Netgalley for providing a free arc in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this book was great. The characters were vivid, and Perci’s transformation from old to new made me so proud of her! Standing up against the bullies in your life is not an easy thing to do, so it was great to see her come into her own. I also love the fact that Nate is written as “not handsome.” I thought that was a nice break from the typical male lead in a rom com, so bravo to that!
Funny and sad and romantic, but mainly, very funny! Such a cast of characters - complete with the interfering mum, the pageant queen sister and the sexy neighbour. Not a saccharine romance but a real read of crappy things happening but actually people surviving and gritting their teeth and going out and looking to get what they want from their corner of the world. A sexy man in a tuxedo never hurts either.
I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel.
The Do-Over is the first novel by Sharon Peterson, and I enjoyed reading every minute of it. Even if I sometimes also wanted to punch a wall.
The pacing of the novel is very fast-paced, funny, and sometimes a little sad.
Perci is a flawed, wonderfully written character who I equal parts felt bad for and often related to. Peterson did a good job of writing the intricacies of being in a family with a bossy mother and a nearly perfect sibling who you're constantly compared to. It was sometimes hard to read the things that her mother said to her, so I am happy that these little needling statements are addressed in the book.
I think that the self-esteem issues and lack of confidence that Perci starts the novel with are incredibly relatable to a lot of readers, and I loved that a lot of the novel was about her coming to terms with her own baggage and how and why she carried it.
I wish there was a little more of Nate in the novel overall, but I love that their romance was one based on slowly getting to know each other, and didn't just go 0-100 in 10 pages. Slow burn in novels is vastly superior to romance that doesn't have a foundation to survive on.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of "The Do-Over' by Sharon M. Peterson, scheduled to release on August 1st, 2022.
Overall, I rated this novel a 4.5/5 stars!
This book was downright phenomenal for a first-time debuting author! It was hilarious, had some emotional components thrown in, but wasn't too over-the-top. It also involved a meddling mother, which is something that I personally deal with in my everyday life, so it made the storyline quite relatable for me as well! Also, the grandmother in this novel (and her sage words of advice at the beginning of each chapter) are quite comical.
The story centers around Perci, who unexpectedly falls for her next-door neighbor Nate (and his daughter) Lilah after being dumped over a radio station for a chance to win concert tickets. She also quits her job because her ex-boyfriend is the VP of the family-owned company that she worked for. Her sister is also marrying a guy whom Perci believes is an absolute tool.
This was a lovely debut novel by Sharon M. Peterson and a book I will recommend to folks looking for a light, easy read.
The story is comical and uplifting. We get to follow Perci through life changes while she struggles to find her footing in work and family life. Of course, there is a hot neighbor who helps in many ways while simultaneously adding a new layer of struggle. I thought it had the right blend of romantic love interest and following Perci through her own journey independent of a new man.
Overall, this book was cute, straightforward, and entertaining. It wasn't terribly deep but great for a beachy summer read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
A genuinely hilarious rom-com that had me hooked from the first chapter and found tough to put down at all since I just needed to find out what would happen next! So many rom-coms forget all about the comedy, but this truly had me smiling all the way through with all of Perci's relatably awkward moments, her cringey ex-boyfriend, and not to mention the spanx-throwing scene was an absolute classic. All the characters were so unique and memorable - Lilah was adorable, and I wouldn't mind Mimi being my third grandma. I became so invested in the family dynamics and really appreciated that these relationships were explored so thoughtfully yet with real humour.
I ended the book wanting more, but unfortunately seems like there probably won't be a sequel - maybe a spin-off? I still can't believe this was the author's debut and cannot wait to read more - this was delightfully funny, wholesome, heartwarming and I'm so glad I got to read it!
I thought that this was a very cute read. The mother/daughter/grandmother dynamic was incredibly relatable, as was Perci being so quirky and lovable.
The Do Over is full of positive vibes and feel-good, heartwarming humor. Perci is in her late twenties but not comfortablein her own skin (something i related to); she works at her dad’s company and allows her mom to pick out her clothes, meals and boyfriends. However, after a series of rather unfortunate events triggered by her pathetic, mom-approved boyfriend breaking up with her (on the radio!!!), she decides to stop trying to please everyone around her and start living her own life. Her journey of self-discovery is full of mishaps and awkward moments that had me laughing out loud more than once. I wish we all had a grandma Mimi in our lives. I loved every single thing she said..they were definite highlights! Also, Nate is perfect for her and so sweet. I loved it so much, I will get my own copy of it.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and reviewed it voluntarily. All opinions are my own
This was a delightful story. It had plenty of humor and a touch of romance, but the heart of the story was Perci learning to love herself. Everyone's family can be dysfunctional, but Perci's family takes it a step farther when her boyfriend, who also works with her at her parent's business, breaks up with her over the radio for concert tickets and no one seems to support Perci, making her feel like a failure at everything she does. This event serves as a catalyst to make changes in her life, not to improve herself but to stand up for herself and decide for herself what she wants. She works where she wants, she starts wearing what she wants, and over the course of a year her life changes, sometimes for the better though she does make some mistakes.
I enjoyed reading about Perci's mostly humorous journey of self discovery and acceptance that no one is perfect. The secondary characters were all well done, even the horrible ones, and I loved Sal, her emotional support beta fish.
There is romance in this story, but it's not the focus, and most of the story revolves around Perci becoming the person she wants to be and finding love and finally acceptance along the way.
For a debut novel, this was absolutely FANTASTIC.
I had zero expectations before going into it but I am delighted to say that this one was GREAT.
I adored Mathias, Phee, Perci, Nate, Mimi, and the rest. (Bobbie Jo, not so much. And I HATED BRENT THAT BITCH AND JOEL THAT BASTARD ASSHOLE.)
I loved how Mimi didn't die at the end and the fact that her 'resolutions' list wasn't a problem for Nate and Perci. My favorite part about the book was how it focused more on self-acceptance and growth and a bit less on romance.
It was extremely well written but I wish we'd seen what exact nationality they were?? Cause honestly, sometimes I got a very obvious and distinct Asian family vibe from them and sometimes a very clear white family vibe. I kinda didn't like that part cause it kept confusing me but other than that, I enjoyed it.
There should've been a few trigger warnings about it, that's all.
Anyway, that's about it but it was very enjoyable, if a bit slow to get into.
Perci is AMAZING!!! I absolutely loved watching her character grow and grow with each chapter along the way. The women who she turns out to be in the end of the book is an amazing young women! Her Mimi is my spirit animal and I loved that she has her to lean on during her difficult moments. I needed more rom-com moments or just steam!
Such a sweet sweet book. Who doesn’t want a do-over. I really enjoy Lee it. Not my usual genre and I thought it veered towards full on chick lit but then it just turned into a fun relaxed well written novel.
This was incredibly charming, delightful and witty read. An absolute fantastic debut novel.
I couldn’t stop reading because I found Perci so relatable. Like so many she just felt like so many - not pretty enough, not thin enough, not good enough or smart enough. After getting dumped she drafts an anti-new years list that sets off a whole new journey for bigger and better things. I adored every step of her transformation, her witty inner-dialogue, the self-doubt that started to shine into confidence and the realness of it all because it came after going through various sets of disappointments, pain and heartache.
The writing style was incredible and I wholly recommend this to anyone who loves Emily Henry. My romance needs were met with some hot next door neighbor fluffy plot line, but I love that the main focus was solidly on Perci.
This was golden! I absolutely recommend this times a million.
What a darling book! I was cheering for Perci the entire time. I loved her spirit and spunk and not to mention her grit. She got knocked down quite a bit, but kept getting back up. From being dumped on air to her exasperating, overbearing mother, Perci can’t seem to get anything right.
I loved it when she pushed back and found her own way. One scene had me in stitches. I wanted to drop her mother into the closest well for a good part of the story.
My two faves were Mimi and Lilah. One was old and the other was young, but both accepted who they were and didn’t care about others’ opinions.
If you miss reading this book, you will need a reset.
This was a funny, well written feel good book! There were a lot of emotional and inspirational moments throughout the book that had me smiling and crying. From the first chapter it’s hard not to root for Perci to find love and find herself. I could definitely see a lot of myself in Perci and it was heart warming to see her journey of self love and acceptance in addition to her romantic journey. The romance was definitely more of a subplot in this novel but I didn’t mind at all. Between Perci’s journey, her emotional support fish, and the family dynamic I found a lot to be captivated by.
Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I thought that this book was very very funny, but those who have issues with counting calories should definitely avoid this book. The main character Perci is fat and her mother is constantly trying to tell her the calories in items of foods and tell her to lose weight. Apart from being funny, the book is very self-aware, in the book Perci does something really horrible and as I was thinking that she was a B, she called herself one. The romance, while there, does not start really until like 50% of the book which was a little annoying to me and the beginning dragged. I also wish that we got more from Mathias' character because he felt a little 2D. Once Lilah and Nate were introduced it was really easy to like those characters. They were funny and wholesome. Overall, I just feel like the pacing in the book was very off and the main character was somewhat hypocritical and unlikeable. I am rating this book 3.5 stars. Thank you to Bookouture for a free ARC of this book for an honest review.