The Do Over by Suzanne Park

 

If you had to go back to your college or high school to complete courses, would you, do it?  It would definitely be different now going back so long afterwards.  I’m sure I would love taking classes and meeting new people, but it wouldn’t be the same with the friends from my original college run not there.  With a job, husband, and kids, I wouldn’t be able to go back right now realistically!

Lily Lee has written a book and is making a success of her career.  She is about to start her dream job when she discovers she can’t be hired because she never actually graduated from college due to a technicality.  She returns to her alma mater determined to finish her degree with as little fuss as possible.  When she gets there, she discovers that her TA for her computer science class is her ex-boyfriend from college, Jake Cho.  How can this be?  Luckily her best friend Mia does not abandon her and visits a lot.  Will she be able to finish her degree, figure out her love life, and write her next book?  Lily has a lot on her plate.

I really enjoyed Lily’s journey in this book.  I really liked the honest look the book took at mental health and the expectations that our families place on us.  In Lily’s case, her parents’ expectations caused worsening anxiety to develop over time.  It also had an interesting discussion of how mental health is not often discussed in South Korean families. 

This novel had an overall theme of female empowerment that I enjoyed.  Lily has an arch enemy couple of rich siblings who seem to be ripping off her book series idea and are writing their own self help book in the same vein as hers.  It is hilarious as the brother that is part of the team mansplains at events what it is like in the working world for women and seems to not see the problem with doing this. 

I liked the second chance romance storyline with Jake.  The book flashed back to show what ended their relationship ten years previously.  The romance didn’t seem to be as well developed as it seemed to be a secondary storyline in this novel, and I was okay with it. 

Overall, I really enjoyed The Do-Over.  I loved Lily and her journey.

Book Source: Review Copy from NetGalley and Avon Books.   Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.