The Do-Over

By: Georgia Beers

Narrated by: Lori Prince

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Fifteen years is a long time. Long enough to forget the past, forge ahead, and create a terrific life. Bella Hunt has done exactly that, complete with a successful career, a gaggle of close friends, and a home she loves. Life is good.

Or it was, until her teenage nightmare and the bane of her high school existence shows up for Bella’s class on conflict resolution. 

Easton Evans, in all her pretty, blonde, my-parents-are-surgeons glory, throws Bella into an existential tailspin as her unpleasant memories from her past come screeching back. Easton doesn’t even recognize Bella, and what’s worse, Easton is...different somehow. Softer, kinder. And still unfairly attractive. 

None of it computes in Bella’s head. She’s hated Easton for 15 years, done her best to scrub the past away. But now here it is. The past. Sitting in her classroom and waiting for Bella to teach her how to resolve a conflict of the heart.

©2019 Georgia Beers (P)2019 Bold Strokes Books Inc

Sweet story of reconnection

In this story, Bella Hunt is reunited with her high school crush, the girl who used to tease her, though not as much as the school bully. Bella has reinvented herself, and the two women hit it off. The snag here is that Easton doesn't remember Bella from high school at all, and that is the main obstacle to overcome in this book.

The stakes feel personal, yes, but also low. It's almost like making a mountain out of a molehill. When they finally do talk about things, it becomes more than just hiding the information in the present. It becomes a reminder of hurts from the past. That's why they need a do-over, as the title tells.

If you're wondering about heat levels in this story, there is kissing and a short sex scene. The book doesn't focus on this, and for me, the story holds up. If you need that to enjoy your romances, you may need to look elsewhere.

As a reader, I get some of the best enjoyment from interesting side characters. Easton's bestie is hilarious as are Bella's friends Heather and Amy. I would enjoy if the author ever put the two sets of side characters together. Hilarity would definitely ensue from that.

I listened to this as an audio performance from Lori Prince, who consistently does good work. In most of the books I have heard from her, she is narrating people in their 20s. I wasn't sure she could do older characters, but she's fine in this. Her voice doesn't sound too young or unbelievable.

One of the greatest compliments I can give Prince as a performer is that she makes me enjoy the Southie accent. She has Pat in TB Markinson's Chosen One series and Amy here. They sound different from each other, yet clearly Southie. Because she performs the characters so well, I hear them as characters instead of an accent with no substance.

Recommended for readers of lesfic who want a low drama romance.

Full disclosure: I voluntarily received a review copy of the audiobook.

Touching

Ostensibly this is just another Georgia Beers love story; however underlying this story is a powerful, (sorta) touching look at teen bullying and the effect on everyone involved. Bella was the victim of high school bullying, Easton was, for the most part a bystander, one of those kids who watches one classmate bully another and does nothing. Thus the bullying at best, continues at the same level, and at the worst escalates. It is also a portrait about the shadow that such treatment creates and the way it echoes through the life on those bullied for years, even decades afterwards. This is the Second Georgia Beers audible selection that I've given five stars, in both cases it was due as much to the subject matter as it is to that particular book.

Not for me

This is a typical Georgia beers story. Cutsey, lighthearted, not very much depth in this at all. It left me frustrated because of having to wait until the end when they Easton realizes who Bella is, seems so unnecessary to create this fake angst then. The book was very bland I found myself skipping through some of the dialogue just to get to the parts I was waiting for.

Sweet Romance

Thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry between Easton and Bella and their relationships with their respective BFFs was quite believable and helped flesh out their relationship and also Bella and Easton's characters. I didn't understand the need for the Olivia arc in the book and how Easton was made out to be a victim and not one of the very willing and wrong perps but the book's resolution is definitely good enough to pretend that little arc never existed. Sweet romance with a great ending. Lori Prince did a great job with the narration and I hope she narrates the rest of her Beers' books.

Speechless 😱

Wow! OMG! This book is amazing and so romantic. I wish I could erase my memory of the book, so that I can read it over again😍🤗.

The ending was beautiful, prefect.💯💯💯

Excellent!

She does it again! What a sweet story about cruelty, kindness and forgiveness. Very true to life.

Bad narration

The plot was different and at times hard to follow. I was not impressed with narrator.

Great if you're looking for a feel good book

Bella Hunt is a succesful therapist who has her life together, she has two dogs and some wonderful friend. What else could she want? Not to teach a conflict resolution class to her high school bully/ crush, Easton Evans

Easton has just been through a divorce, her seven year old daughter, Emma, who is developing more and more attitude, on top of that her job isn't going well. The last thing she is looking for is love, but maybe it has found her anyway

Will Bella have the courage to tell Easton about their shared past?

Ok, this one was just good guys. Both our leading ladies get a perspective - which I always like - the secondary characters were lovable. You could totally feel the connection these two had. I just think the reveal came much too late, and I think there could have also been more resolution on that front


I think Lori Price narrates very well, she has a good pace, does inflections very well, and makes the characters very distinct

love this

mein I hope that tera chick fall in a ditch somewhere and die from sewer water... da ish

Not much happens

The most interesting characters are heroine B's 2 friends, Amy and Heather. Lori Prince is a able narrator, but doesn't have much to work with. The whole drama centers around the fact that Heroine A, Easton, has memories of highschool disparate from Heroine B, Bella. What is odd is that the character forcing the issue, if it can be called that, is Easton, who was a party to bullying Bella in highschool and Bella the victim. Make sense? Not to me. Otherwise the characters are rather thin and there is no action to move a plot forward at all. Ms. Beers has done other good work. Chalk this up to a bad day.

Lori Prince’s narration is brilliant

Bittersweet story, well written (as you would expect from Ms. Beers) and of course beautifully narrated.

fantastic

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline and character's were funny engaging and very much lovable. This author never disappoints. A trully lovely sweet romance.

2nd time around

Like this story by Georgia Beers a good backstory to go with the romance and an HEA.

My 2nd listen which with Lori Prince narrating was a joy.

The importance of truth and the power of second chances!

The Do Over explores how our past shapes our present, but doesn’t have to define us. As always, Georgia Beers’ writing is sensitive and evocative. The characters are believable and likeable. The character of Bella is beautifully drawn, combining both vulnerability and strength. The exploration of the impact of bullying is well handled as are the high school flashbacks. The narration by Lori Prince is excellent with moments of heartfelt emotion and fragility making this a wonderful listen. The plot is reassuringly predictable, and the end felt a little rushed - but I still loved it!

Loved it

Really enjoyed this book only down side I can’t draw from it is that it ended far to soon for my liking

Never get disappointed by Author or Narrator

This book was fantastic; I never get disappointed by any of Georgia Beers books, as for the narration Lori Prince always does a fantastic job with the voices.

The only thing that was slightly disappointing is there was no epilogue at the end, as I would have liked to know more about what happens to the characters, although the ending that was given from this book it could be used to continue the story with a book 2.