The Do-Over

October 10, 2022
Sixteen-year-old Emilie Hornby must relive a disastrous Valentine’s Day over and over in this laugh-out-loud Groundhog Day–inspired rom-com by Painter (Better Than the Movies). Type-A Emilie might have a plan for everything, but nothing could’ve prepared her for what she feels is the worst Valentine’s Day ever: first, she rear-ends her cantankerous chemistry partner Nick’s truck. Then she discovers that the prestigious journalism scholarship she won was in fact wrongly awarded, jeopardizing her Northwestern University dreams. And finally, she catches her “perfect” boyfriend Josh kissing his ex-girlfriend. After Emilie retreats home to lick her wounds, her father springs unwelcome news: he and her stepmother plan to leave Omaha for Texas, further splintering her previously comfortable stability. But her troubles have only just begun. When she wakes up the next morning, she discovers that it’s still Valentine’s Day. Seemingly fated to repeat that awful day, Emilie turns to Nick, the only person she believes might be able to help. Throughout, Emilie struggles to navigate her parents’ acrimonious divorce, and the resulting financial precarity and blow to her self-worth. By combining these personal trials with a lighthearted love story, Painter delivers a thoughtfully elevated romantic jaunt. Most characters present as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds Literary.