"The Do-Over"

Jennifer Honeybourn is a fan of British accents, Broadway musicals, and epic, happily-ever-after love stories. If she could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, she’d have high tea with Walt Disney, JK Rowling, and her nana. She lives in Stratford, Ontario with her husband, daughter and cat in a house filled with books.

Honeybourn applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, The Do-Over, and reported the following:

From page 69:

“I guess it’s better then hanging out by myself in my room,” Violet says.

“It’s definitely better than that.” He gives her a quick hug. “I’d better get back to stocking aisle three. Those boxes of floor polish aren’t going to unpack themselves.”

He walks away, whistling. But then he stops and turns back around, pushes his mop of dark hair out of his eyes. “Look, I know you think she was the one, but I don’t,” he says. “Now, I think you’re just remembering the good stuff. Next time you look back, I really think you should look again.”

“Huh?” Violet says.

“It’s from Five Hundred Days of Summer.” I smile. One of Alistair’s favorite movies.

Violet rolls her eyes. “Of course it is,” she says, but she’s smiling too.

I think the test worked! In this scene, Alistair is letting his heartbroken friend Violet know that he doesn’t think Avery, her ex-girlfriend, was the one for her, and that fits with the essence of the book. In The Do-Over, Emelia makes a choice between two potential love interests — Alistair, her friend, and Ben, the popular guy. She chooses Ben, but ultimately realizes he isn’t the one for her, so she finds a magical solution to go back in time and choose Alistair instead. The quote from Five Hundred Days of Summer — “I know you think she was the one, but I don’t” — reflects that choice Emelia made, especially because Alistair said almost the same thing to her when she chose Ben over him.

Visit Jennifer Honeybourn's website.

My Book, The Movie: Just My Luck.

The Page 69 Test: Just My Luck.

My Book, The Movie: The Do-Over.

--Marshal Zeringue