Review: The Do-Over by Jennifer Honeybourn

 

The Do-Over by Jennifer Honeybourn

Hardcover, 211 pages

Published July 14th 2020 by Swoon Reads

A teenage girl gets the chance to redo her past in this smart and charming YA novel by the author of When Life Gives You Demons.

Emilia has always wanted to fit in with the A crowd. So, when Ben, the hottest guy in school, asks her out, she chooses him over Alistair, her best friend—even after he confesses his feelings to her.

Six months later, Emilia wonders how her life would have been different if she'd chosen Alistair instead. Haunted by her mistake, she finds a magical solution that promises to rectify the past. As a result, everything in her life is different. What happens if her second chance is her only chance to make things right?

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The Do-Over is a book that I could see myself liking or hating, depending on my mood. Luckily, the mood I was in allowed me to like it. 

The Do-Over is a very quick read. Since I was in the mood for something short and sweet, this was okay with me. However, I could see the length being an issue for some people, because the story and character development do suffer a bit.

Was it original? Well, no. The "do-over" story has been done about a billion times, of course. I mean, it's right there in the name, so I don't think this book is trying to be something it's not. It's a short and quirky teen rom-com, and if you're in the mood for that kind of thing, it does the trick!

Review: The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne

The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne
Hardcover: 400 pages
Published: February 4th 2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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Engagement season is in the air. Eighteen-year-old Princess Leonie “Leo” Kolburg, heir to a faded European spaceship, only has one thing on her mind: which lucky bachelor can save her family from financial ruin?

But when Leo’s childhood friend and first love Elliot returns as the captain of a successful whiskey ship, everything changes. Elliot was the one that got away, the boy Leo’s family deemed to be unsuitable for marriage. Now, he’s the biggest catch of the season and he seems determined to make Leo’s life miserable. But old habits die hard, and as Leo navigates the glittering balls of the Valg Season, she finds herself falling for her first love in a game of love, lies, and past regrets.

HOLY COVER LUST.

How a person feels about The Stars We Steal will likely depend entirely on what they expect going into it.

Sci-fi? Yes...but not heavy. Very light, actually. Just enough that it plays a role, but not enough to really make it FEEL like sci-fi.

Romance? Yes...but not heavy. Again, very light. The romance is the central theme of the story, but in a lot of ways it is a bit fluffy. Given the fact that it is ultimately the focus of the story - not the sci-fi aspects, not the politics, but the romance - I would personally prefer it be a bit more fleshed out.

Character driven? Yes. A rich group of main characters that you can't help but love...and hate. However I do feel the secondary characters fell a bit flat and could have used a bit more development, given the massive role they play in the outcome of the story.

Ultimately, I enjoyed The Stars We Steal. I think elements of it could have used more attention, but at the end of the day it was a quick and cute read that I would recommend...as long as you don't go in expecting anything heavy.

Cover: 5 | Characters: 3 | Plot: 3 | Pace: 3 | Creativity: 3