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theeclecticreview's review
4.0
From Emelia's experience, don't mess with your life's trajectory and just accept what happens. Otherwise, your life may be even more complicated than before.
Em is your typical nerdy teenager who wants to try something new without thinking of the consequences. Unfortunately, she loses sight of what is important and wants a do-over. Luckily, she is able to get that, but then the butterfly effect occurs. I have been in Em's shoes and only wish I could have done things differently in high school, but then I wouldn't be where I am today. I was happy by how Em grew from the changes in her life and how everything worked out in the end. As for the supporting characters, Em's best friend Alistair is a great character and reminds me of Ducky in Pretty in Pink. When you read the book, you will understand why. Also, Violet is also a fun character who is gutsy and creative with her grand gesture towards her crush at work.
Overall, I found this to be a unique and fun YA novel with a paranormal twist that makes one think carefully about the choices one makes in life.
Thank you to Ms. Honeybourn for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Em is your typical nerdy teenager who wants to try something new without thinking of the consequences. Unfortunately, she loses sight of what is important and wants a do-over. Luckily, she is able to get that, but then the butterfly effect occurs. I have been in Em's shoes and only wish I could have done things differently in high school, but then I wouldn't be where I am today. I was happy by how Em grew from the changes in her life and how everything worked out in the end. As for the supporting characters, Em's best friend Alistair is a great character and reminds me of Ducky in Pretty in Pink. When you read the book, you will understand why. Also, Violet is also a fun character who is gutsy and creative with her grand gesture towards her crush at work.
Overall, I found this to be a unique and fun YA novel with a paranormal twist that makes one think carefully about the choices one makes in life.
Thank you to Ms. Honeybourn for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
kdahlo's review
4.0
A tiny, sweet YA book with a fun premise. I read it in a flash. I wouldn't have minded one more twist, but then again it was pretty short and sweet. Reading it as a parent of a teen, I think the writer does a great job capturing the way that teens can both be very perceptive and sensitive, and yet still occasionally act in a self-centered or insensitive way. The struggles of the main character to do the right thing while resisting social pressure and her own selfish desires struck me as very accurate to my own experience, and what I see my teenager dealing with. While the book does focus on romance, it also shows how important friendships are, and throws out a lot of good ideas about healthy relationships and healthy breakups that I was glad to see represented.
alongreader's review
3.0
This is a fairly light and breezy treatment of the Many Worlds theory; how does a teenage girl's life differ depending on which boyfriend she chooses? Apparently, it...leads to her parents splitting up in one reality for reasons that are never explained, despite them seeming far more likely to split up in the other version.
I liked that in the second reality, Emelia had branched out and found some more friends. Pretty good friends, it seemed, too. But since we never see any of the missing six months, we never find out how it happened. We never find out about her parents, either, despite her telling us that she texts about everything with Alistair and Marisol. Apparently not about life changing events like her parents' divorce.
I liked the moral; that instead of worrying about and wishing to change past events, we should be concentrating on the time we're in right now. It's something a lot of people could stand to learn, I think.
Spoiler:
Oh, and if you need a fake boyfriend, don't ask Alistair. He'll say yes, but then never do anything even remotely boyfriendy with you, and he'll be very intense with other people.
Show/Hide
I liked this overall; it's light, fluffy and a quick read. I just wish there was more explanation on some of the mysteries. I almost feel like the story of how Emeline pieced together her missing months might be a better story than the story of how she hunted down the tarot reader. But the tarot and stones used in here were very accurate! I did like that. And I did enjoy the read, don't get me wrong. It's just - good, not great.
I liked that in the second reality, Emelia had branched out and found some more friends. Pretty good friends, it seemed, too. But since we never see any of the missing six months, we never find out how it happened. We never find out about her parents, either, despite her telling us that she texts about everything with Alistair and Marisol. Apparently not about life changing events like her parents' divorce.
I liked the moral; that instead of worrying about and wishing to change past events, we should be concentrating on the time we're in right now. It's something a lot of people could stand to learn, I think.
Spoiler:
Oh, and if you need a fake boyfriend, don't ask Alistair. He'll say yes, but then never do anything even remotely boyfriendy with you, and he'll be very intense with other people.
Show/Hide
I liked this overall; it's light, fluffy and a quick read. I just wish there was more explanation on some of the mysteries. I almost feel like the story of how Emeline pieced together her missing months might be a better story than the story of how she hunted down the tarot reader. But the tarot and stones used in here were very accurate! I did like that. And I did enjoy the read, don't get me wrong. It's just - good, not great.
zbrarian's review
4.0
If you had a chance for a second change, a “re-do”, would you take it, knowing there’s a chance it will change everything? That’s exactly what happens to Emelia. She realizes she made the wrong choice in not choosing Allistair. What she doesn’t realize is that she not only changes her life, she changes the lives of everyone around her and has to adjust to this new world. A quick read, done in one sitting that made me appreciate what I have, not wanting to ever take a chance at changing just one thing.
lostinafairytale's review
2.0
The premise of this book sounded so interesting...then I got to page three where the main love interest guy pulls out a candy cigarette and pretends to smoke it and I knew we were screwed. If you're looking for something with a similar premise done better, I recommend A Week of Mondays.
msvenner's review
3.0
This is a cute and fluffy teen romance. The plot line is a little overdone but it is a fast read for someone looking for a light romance.
msbandthebooks's review
4.0
This book was very cute! It was one of those books that you fly through because you are so invested in the story.
The Do-Over follows Emelia. She has great friends, Alistair and Marisol. However, she desperately wants to be part of the cool crowd. So, she drags them to a party thrown by Ben, a popular athlete at their school. She is trying to convince herself that she is into Ben in order to ignore her feelings for Alistair, because she worries that revealing her true feelings would ruin their friendship. Emelia gets her wish and ends up with Ben, only to realize too late that he is not the right person for her. He doesn’t treat her with respect and because of her choice, has lost both Alistair and Marisol as friends. Feeling regretful, Emelia purchases a stone at their local night market. According to the woman that sold it to her, the stone will give her an opportunity to make things right. However, what Emelia doesn’t realize is that one choice can have a ripple effect and change everything. It’s only the next day when she wakes up that she realizes she has made a mistake. Everything is wrong and nothing is what she thought it would be. In order to change things back, Emelia searches for the woman that sold her the stone. When she finally sees her again, the woman insists that what has happened is for the best and that it’s her chance to be better. In the end, Emelia has to deal with her new reality and figure out how to make the best of things, despite challenges that she feels she is facing.
This book explores the thought all of us have had at one point or another. The one of what could have happened if we made a different choice. Would we be happier? Would things be different if we went left versus right? And how would that change things?
Overall, I highly recommend this book and thought it was a very cute story.
The Do-Over follows Emelia. She has great friends, Alistair and Marisol. However, she desperately wants to be part of the cool crowd. So, she drags them to a party thrown by Ben, a popular athlete at their school. She is trying to convince herself that she is into Ben in order to ignore her feelings for Alistair, because she worries that revealing her true feelings would ruin their friendship. Emelia gets her wish and ends up with Ben, only to realize too late that he is not the right person for her. He doesn’t treat her with respect and because of her choice, has lost both Alistair and Marisol as friends. Feeling regretful, Emelia purchases a stone at their local night market. According to the woman that sold it to her, the stone will give her an opportunity to make things right. However, what Emelia doesn’t realize is that one choice can have a ripple effect and change everything. It’s only the next day when she wakes up that she realizes she has made a mistake. Everything is wrong and nothing is what she thought it would be. In order to change things back, Emelia searches for the woman that sold her the stone. When she finally sees her again, the woman insists that what has happened is for the best and that it’s her chance to be better. In the end, Emelia has to deal with her new reality and figure out how to make the best of things, despite challenges that she feels she is facing.
This book explores the thought all of us have had at one point or another. The one of what could have happened if we made a different choice. Would we be happier? Would things be different if we went left versus right? And how would that change things?
Overall, I highly recommend this book and thought it was a very cute story.
alyssa_ruffo's review
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75