The Do-Over

Rating: 2.25 stars.I honestly can’t tell if I enjoyed this book or if I just dragged myself across the finish line out of pure stubbornness. Because here’s the thing, I loved the story, I loved the characters, and the pacing was actually doing its job. Everything was lining up so nicely… except the romance. Absolutely not. What kind of alternate-universe emotional logic was this operating on? There is no world where I fall in love with a man in one day and then turn into a clingy, devastated mess the very next day because he rejected me. That’s not romantic, that’s just painful and embarrassing. It completely yanked me out of the story and made everything feel wildly unrealistic, like this universe runs on emotional fast-forward and I simply do not exist there.And the worst part? This was so close to being a 4.5, maybe even a full 5 stars. So close. Then one scene happened and I completely lost it. Like genuinely stunned. How is this written by the same woman who gave us Nothing Like the Movies? I’m still flabbergasted. It felt like pure whiplash, everything was working, everything was clicking, and suddenly I’m staring at the page like, excuse me? That single moment knocked the rating right out of my hands and left me questioning reality.── .✦This might genuinely be the best 'fun' and worst book I’ve ever read, and I hate that both statements are true at the same time. Because why would you build a relationship like that? The way their dynamic developed was straight-up miserable to sit through. I was irritated more often than not, and I’m not even going to pretend otherwise. Yes, I was giggling and having a good time at the very beginning, those first moments? Cute, fun, full of potential. But the second the story hit around the 20% mark, everything started going downhill fast.The charm that initially drew me in just… evaporated. The characters slowly turned into versions of themselves that I didn’t recognize and definitely didn’t enjoy anymore. What started as something light and promising became frustrating and exhausting, and instead of rooting for them, I found myself annoyed, confused, and honestly disappointed. It hurts more because the potential was right there, but the execution completely fumbled it.── .✦Okay, now let’s talk about the characters, because this is where my patience truly snapped. I have so many thoughts, and none of them are peaceful.First of all… why would you make the FMC emotionally attached to someone for the entire first part of the book, only to flip a switch and have her fall in love with someone else in the span of one single day? I’m genuinely asking. How did that make sense in the author’s head? Because for me, it was just confusion stacked on frustration stacked on straight-up disgust. It felt rushed, sloppy, and emotionally whiplash-inducing.°˖➴ Emilie:Let’s start with Emilie. At first, I actually liked her. She’s kind, soft, a people-pleaser, the kind of FMC we usually connect with easily. And I did connect with her. She was patient, loyal, quietly devoted, especially with Josh. She was obsessed with him, yes, but she never complained, never pushed, just existed in this sad little emotional corner that honestly made me feel for her.And then… everything changed. Out of nowhere. Suddenly, a man she barely knows turns into her “prince,” and I’m sitting there like ??? Excuse me??? The sudden shift in her feelings made no emotional sense. I wouldn’t have even minded her growth or change if it had been gradual, but this was instant, and it completely ruined her character for me. That switch alone lit a fire in my veins.°˖➴ Nick:Now let’s talk about Nick.At first? Oh, I was gone. Kicking my feet, giggling, smiling like an idiot. I loved the enemies-to-lovers energy. He reminded me so much of Wess from Nothing Like the Movies, and I had such high hopes. I really thought, okay, this is it.And then he ruined it. Completely.He went from charming and caring to someone I would absolutely slap if I saw him in real life. Yes, he had sweet moments. Yes, he cared about her. But why, in the name of everything,would you refuse to be with someone because of your brother’s accident, only to emotionally string her along anyway? I understand grief. I understand trauma. I understand that kind of pain never truly leaves you. But the way he handled it? The way he treated her? It felt wrong. Off. Like the character suddenly forgot who he was supposed to be.── .✦In the end, both of them just got on my nerves. A lot. What could’ve been a compelling, emotionally satisfying dynamic turned into frustration after frustration. I wasn’t rooting for them anymore, I was just annoyed, tired, and wondering how something with so much potential managed to derail this badly.>>> ──────── .✦⋆｡‧˚ʚ

Empecemos este es un libro que sin duda me costó mucho tiempo enfatizar con la historia, me tardé en leer pero por fin pude terminar y fue como que guau por qué no lo terminé antes. Sí abandoné este libro como tres veces y por eso le di tres estrellas me costó conectar con la protagonista, al principio no entendía y creo que eso siempre me pasa con las protagonistas de esta autora, me gustan sus historias pero enfatizar con ella. Es muy difícil porque pienso diferente, pero al final termino empatizando con ella en ciertas situaciones, bueno ese libro fue una sorpresa porque yo esperaba que Dios no me gustara porque yo iba con las expectativas bajísimas, me terminó gustando fue bueno sí, pero yo esperaba más si hubiera durado, no sé unas 50 páginas más Habría sido mi Top cinco de la autora no ha leído mucho de ella tampoco, pero habría entrado dentro de porque tengo en lista leer varios de ella. Entonces quiero seguir leyéndola. Obviamente me gusta su toque de comedia romántica de los 2000 adoro eso, pero sus protagonistas no me terminan de convencer el protagonista masculino si hace las cosas bien, pero tampoco me termina de convencer sus historias, son muy buenas, plantea cosas muy reales en adolescentes, me gusta ese toque de Volver a los días de San Valentín, fue mi parte favorita porque realmente me reí mucho por todas esas casualidades y los planes que se hacían en su cabecita, era tan increíble porque está Emily es como que la termine amando al final porque me moría de la risa y Nick fue un m buen personaje, me gustó mucho su personalidad misteriosa, ufff amamos y ella ella también es muy muy linda y me daba mucha ternura como reaccionaba ante todo jeje me divertí leyendo en fin me sacó muchas risas, mucha sonrisas y se queda como una historia que le voy a tener un buen recuerdo y grato final, porque creo que al final fue necesario y justo lo que yo esperaba

i hate how long that took me to read, it only gets the extra star for the taylor swift mentions and comparing nick stark to jess mariano my beloved