Title: The Do-Over
Author: Phoebe MacLeod
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆
Source: Rachel’s Random Resources/Netgalley
Blurb: Thea Rogers has dedicated her life to her career in corporate law. Apart from her colleague and long-time friend-with-benefits Alasdair, she’s forgone friendships and relationships, and now she’s on track to become her firm’s youngest ever female partner. She should be ecstatic. But when a senior partner dies unexpectedly, Thea realises the people at his funeral are only there out of duty. Suddenly, Thea can’t shake the question: if she disappeared tomorrow, would anyone care?
As the life choices she’s made suddenly make less and less sense, Thea is forced to make a decision. Stick with the original plan or take a completely different path.
Thea has a chance to do it right this time, and fill her world with the things that matter. But can people really change? And once life starts looking up, why does it feel like there’s something… or someone she can’t seem to replace?

Review: Pitched as a romantic comedy, The Do-Over is definitely not, but in a good way – there is a dry humour to the prose and the story is definitely better for not being laugh-out-loud. This is a story that follows career-obsessed Thea who, after a co-worker dies unexpectedly, realises that she’s very little life outside of work.
I’ve read Phoebe MacLeod before and knew not to expect a lot of romance. Her books ought to be pitched as women’s fiction. This isn’t a dig as they are really good women’s fiction, but it remains a little disappointing to read something labelled as romantic comedy when it isn’t. However, this is on the publisher and not the author.
Who writes a fabulous mid-life crisis here, with Thea undergoing a change in how she approaches life. There is a love triangle, so be warned if that isn’t your thing. Thea having a string-free relationship makes sense in terms of her emotional background and development, but I am aware two love interests can be a no-no.
Neither love interest gets much page time, to be honest, with Thea getting the lion’s share and side characters moving the plot along. They are also where most of the story’s humour comes from. This makes the story more fun, but was still a struggle at times and I’m not sure I can pin down why. The prose is good, the characters are likeable, but there’s just something missing. Perhaps the comedy in the muddle that Thea’s life becomes? It’s not quite as light-hearted as I’d have liked, which is why I’ve given it four stars.
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