“To-Do List- February 14
Recognize scholarship planning binder
Study for Lit test
Remind Mom to email cop of insurance card to office
Remind dad of parent teacher conferences to make sure he puts it in his calendar
Send email to internship adviser
Exchange fits with Josh
Say ‘I love you’ to Josh!!!!!!!!!!!”
CAUTION!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Emilie Hornby has always been one to strive forward in an attempt to satisfy her nature of being perfect when it comes to her academics, boyfriend, and friendships. Outward appearances were always important in order to maintain her plan to get into the college of her dreams, stay with the boy she knows is perfect for her, and keep her separated afloat through her.
February 14 – The day in which Emilie prepared for, down to every second rolls around, and she isn’t ready for the catastrophic events that are to come her way. Her day begins with a collision on the road with none other than Nick Stark, her chemistry partner who showed no interest in speaking with her, or anyone else for that matter. When approaching the school, she is determined to make the best out of the day only to find out that her summer scholarship has been denied despite having been accepted originally due to a mistake. Even after, she still tries to correct the day by meeting with her boyfriend, only to find out the shattering reality that her boyfriend Josh was cheating on her. Upon arriving home, she finds that her father has been given a promotion and is set to move out of the state in a month or so, leaving her to decide which parent she wants to live with. The whole day comes crashing down on her and she leaves to stay with her grandmother for the night. After deep conversation and tears, she rests her head down and falls asleep.
The morning starts and Emilie is thunderstruck when she realizes she is no longer in her Grandmother’s house but back at home in her bed. Emilie was never one to believe in fate in the universe, but her first instinct when seeing how the date was still February 14 was a sign to correct the day. She stops and rushes over to create a new checklist for the day instead of the one she had initially.
“To Do List- February 14 (again)
Take a different route to school
Convince Mrs. Bowen that she must honor scholarship
Ensure that Josh and Macy cannot kiss
Convince Dad that he doesn’t want to move to Texas.”
Emilie ventures forward in order to correct the day in a series of February 14’s, whilst the continuous cycle of bad days pile on top of one another. Though she takes notice of the one constant these days, on how she always finds herself in Nick Stark’s presence even after redoing her steps each day.
When will these days stop? Is there any way to correct such a bad day? Why does Nick Stark keep appearing?
REVIEW
Lynn Painter is an author with a natural gift for writing romantic comedies that feel so very light, funny, and quickly paced. She has perfected her format when it comes to writing stories as such, and creates witty leading characters that makes the reader grow attached to their arch and their outcome.
So many novels tend to fall under trap when it comes to portraying their quirky – mainly female – characters as childlike and annoying. It’s fairly common to have a character with traits that emulate the playful nature that romantic comedies strive for, and so often do author’s not truly hit the mark. One might even make the argument that it’s harder to be funny than to be serious, and it is mostly apparent when a reader is mostly character oriented rather than plot focused. Lynn effortlessly creates her female characters as people that inhibit these unusual traits into something that is both charming and loveable. It is more apparent in her novels such as “Better Than the Movies” where she portrays characters like Liz, as someone who is quick witted though clumsy and unrealistic when it comes to her thoughts of love. Similarly, Emilie exhibits traits as such through her constant lists in order to make herself feel well oriented. It comes off as naturally spoken and makes her feel as real as a teenage girl could feel like.
The romantic plot in the novel is clearly focused on both Emilie and Nick Stark. It almost feels as if this time loop that Painter has written into the book was a challenge to see how to make a quickly burning book into one that could make one feel as romantically invested as a slow burn. Books that take place in the span of a day are restricted because the usage of time in a novel is very important when creating tension, build up, climax, and more. Though there is leverage with the repeating days giving more time to expand the novel, the moment when the day starts over the only character that is able to evolve is Emilie. It is up to the reader to decide if the time limit is enough to build up the romance as it. ‘The Do-Over’ is a wonderful attempt at this challenge, and executes the timeline in a way that keeps the reader attached to the main character’s arc rather than speak of the love story the whole time.
Though opinions might differ on the likeness of the novel, there is no question of how the novel is something that is sweet to pick up on Valentines day. It is something quick to consume and has enough angst and love to make it through the day of celebration of love.
