I’ve been excited for The Do-Over, Painter’s new YA novel ever since I read and loved her YA, Better Than the Movies (2021) and I’m happy to share The Do-Over was just as good, if not better.  It reminded me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off mixed with a little Groundhog Day and I was quickly swept into the story.

Emilie wakes up excited for her first Valentine’s day with a perfect boyfriend, Josh. She is a meticulous planner and decided today is the day she will tell Josh she loves him. She’s on her way to school when her van slides on ice and runs into Nick Stark’s truck, Nick is her her gruff Chemistry lab partner.  The day goes downhill from there—disasters keep coming. She catches her boyfriend kissing another girl, her spot in a summer journalism program is canceled and her father makes a big announcement that has her reeling. Even worse, when she wakes up the next day, it’s Valentine’s Day all over again and she has to relive her terrible, really bad day.

I was wary of the time loop but it didn’t feel repetitive. We follow Emilie every day as she tries changing things to get out of the time loop. As she she does so, she keeps running into Nick and hanging out with him begins to change the way Emilie approaches her life and her goals. I loved it when she decides to be a rebel and do whatever she wants without having to worry about the fallout.

Emilie was a people pleaser who has always believed it’s easier to just say what people want to hear. Both her parents divorced and are wrapped up in their new lives, each in new relationships and they both seem to forget about her unless she’s standing right in front of them. Even when she had the accident with the van, neither parent answered her call or even called back. I found myself cheering Emilie on as she quit trying to make everyone happy and learned to stand up for herself, both at school and at home.

Emilie begins rebelling by eating the last piece of chocolate pie in her house for breakfast. Then she and Nick have an epic skip day that they call the Day of No Consequences (DONC). They throw caution to the wind and have a day full of adventures. There were leather pants, a fast car, dancing, piggy back rides and much, much more. Each day, we get to know Nick a little more. He has secrets that slowly unfold and I loved watching him and Emilie grow closer each day.

Each chapter started with hilarious confessions from Emilie of things she has done and written down in case something happened to her so people would know she wasn’t the perfect goody-two-shoes they thought. These were hilarious and added humor to the story. The confessions hint at what a terrible driver she was which is extra hilarious since she rammed into Nick so many times. Also, there are mentions of Taylor Swift songs and lyrics along with a playlist in the back of the book so if you’re a Swiftie, this book might be for you.

Nick is a dream and he and Emilie are perfect for each other. When she runs into his truck he is grumpy and pretends not to know her but he gives her a warm coat to wear. They tease each other about their favorite music and his sarcastic, quick comebacks made me laugh. At school, he is mysterious and keeps to himself. Everyone knows he got a tattoo Sophomore year which makes him even more edgy. He lets Emilie drag him out of school for their epic day, and shares his favorite place with her. He even admitted he might be a little obsessed with her. I loved seeing how they support each other and share what’s going on in their lives.

This is an easy, fast read but also has a lot of depth with challenging topics like divorce, and grief. Check it out to find out how Emilie gets out of the time loop and what happens once she does. I really loved this book and keep thinking about it. I recommend this heartwarming story.