I had the pleasure of listening to Georgia Beer’s The Do Over via a friend’s recommendation- thanks Holst!
Here’s the premise-
Two women who went to high school together meet again over a decade and a half later. Easton Evans was a popular, but also closeted, cheerleader who now works as an account manager for some business in the sales department. Bella Hunt was a geeky, poor girl in high school who was bullied by Easton and her friends, and is now a therapist teaching a conflict resolution class which Easton is required to attend for work. Though Bella recognizes Easton immediately, after all she was crushing hard on this girl for two years, Easton has no idea who Bella is. Apparently Bella was a late bloomer; she’s also overcome a lot of personal adversity and has evolved into a more confident human being- this often times warrants a new physical appearance so it’s not a surprise that Easton doesn’t recognize her. Besides, the bully’s experience often isn’t as memorable as the bullied. Though it was Easton’s friend who did a majority of the bullying, Easton was in no way blameless. Remembering this, Bella doesn’t intend to befriend Easton but a connection is formed pretty quickly that has both women entranced. Easton, having just ended her marriage with high school boyfriend- turned husband- turned ex, is ready to experience what she’s been denying herself for all of these years (though this wasn’t highlighted a lot in the novel) and keeps inviting Bella to coffee, to dinner, to her house. Bella doesn’t want to ruin things with the truth, and there’s still pain attached to the past, but eventually their shared history is exposed.
Overall this book was entertaining and sweet. I felt like it was a little slow going until about chapter 10, but then it picked up and kept me captivated until the end. I thought the flashback scenes were really effective in showing why Bella was avoiding the conversation about her past with Easton and they also made you sympathize with her character.
There were plenty of relatable elements – like painful past school experiences and coming to terms with your sexuality (I used to get those dreams too, but they ceased after I stopped suppressing myself). I really liked how the side characters had their own voices and even a little side plot, it added dimension to the story. I especially liked Amy- her lines were humorous.
One thing that I felt was a little overlooked was the fact that Easton had a kid so a relationship with her also meant a relationship with her daughter. I understand that the main focus was on the past and moving on, but this whole fact was completely glossed over.
I really liked the juxtaposition of the two ice cream scenes- the one from 2003 in which Bella is being bullied compared to the one in the present where her and Easton are eating ice cream together. In the 2003 scene Bella was serving Easton and her friends while working at the ice cream stand, and in the present, Easton brought her a sundae as a surprise, not yet realizing the relevance of her actions, but it plays towards some redemption that the narrative pushes along to make you want them both to be together despite the past.
If modern contemporary romances with a dash of angst is your thing, then you might enjoy The Do Over https://www.amazon.com/Do-Over
Follow Georgia Beers on Twitter: @GeorgiaLBeers and Instagram: @georgiabeers