44 pages • 1 hour read
Lynn PainterThe Do-Over
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 11-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary
By the time Emilie arrives at school, she has a missed text from her father demanding she call him. When Emilie is called to the office where she loses her fellowship, she passes Josh talking to Macy. He smiles at her in an adoring way, which makes Emilie angry for the first time rather than sad. In her meeting with Mrs. Bowen, Emilie forcefully explains that she needs the fellowship for scholarship and college applications and refuses to let them take it from her. After exiting the office, she decides to use the school intercom to publicly break up with Josh. Nick, who is seated in the office, finds the ordeal hilarious.
In chemistry class, Emilie decides to openly ogle Nick whom she finds quite attractive. When called out by the teacher for being distracted, Emilie publicly asks Nick out and invites him to skip school with her. Nick accepts her offer, and they walk out of the classroom mid-lecture. In his truck, Nick allows Emilie to wear the coat from his back seat. They drive downtown where they grab coffees and get to know each other. They learn about each others’ pets, discuss their favorite movies, and Emilie admits to Nick that her parents tend to not care much about what she does. In return, Nick becomes defensive when Emilie asks about his family—specifically his siblings.
Chapter 12 Summary
Emilie drags Nick to the First Bank Building where people used to make appointments to use the 40th-floor balcony for marriage proposals. It is where Emilie’s father proposed to her mother. Though the floor is closed off and no information exists about it online, Emilie wants to see the rumored balcony. Emilie and Nick sneak inside and climb the stairs as high as they can manage. When they eventually give up, they decide it’s worth the risk to enter the main offices and find an elevator. When a man approaches them and asks if they need help, Nick pretends they’re in the building for an internship orientation but got lost. They receive permission to take the elevator up to the 39th floor and take the last flight of stairs up.
On the 40th floor, they realize the intended balcony they planned to visit is attached to a private office. Though Emilie resigns herself to giving up the quest and returning to ground level, Nick speaks privately with the man who works in the office and obtains permission to access the balcony. When Emilie and Nick are on the balcony, she realizes they’ve drawn quite the crowd of onlookers who work in the office. Nick admits that he lied and said he was planning an epic proposal. Forced to fake a proposal due to their audience, Nick plays the cupid shuffle from his phone speakers and does an over-the-top dance to the song before faux asking her to the prom.
Chapter 13 Summary
While Emilie and Nick grab lunch, Emilie asks Nick about his perspective on love. She believes in true love but thinks it “requires work and logic, as opposed to fate” (176). Nick believes that is still oversimplified; to him, love is like believing in Santa—“it sounds too good to be true” (176). Emilie is shocked to learn that unlike her, Nick doesn’t have a goal in life to be happy. While Emilie believes happiness is the default of life, Nick believes the default is merely existence. He thinks happiness is a fluid thing that is impossible to hold onto permanently. For the first time, Emilie recognizes true sadness in Nick’s eyes when he speaks.
Chapter 14 Summary
Nick brings Emilie to the tattoo shop where he works. She gets a tattoo on her forearm which says, “I had a marvelous time ruining everything” (185). The tattoo artist, Dante, charges Emilie for the tattoo at the front desk while Nick talks to another coworker by the front door. Dante expresses happiness at seeing Nick having fun for the first time since the accident. Emilie learns that Nick’s brother, Eric, was in an accident, and Valentine’s Day is the first anniversary of his death.
Chapter 15 Summary
Nick and Emilie buy coffees and climb a ladder to the roof of a nearby building so they can see the Old Market from above. Nick admits it is his favorite spot in the city. His brother used to live in the building, and they always hung out on the rooftop. When Emilie asks about his brother, Nick reveals that an ATV accident took Eric’s life. Nick admits how the Day of No Consequences is a welcome relief from the grief he feels on the anniversary of his brother’s death. Emilie feels compelled to tell Nick of her complicated relationship with her parents and the strain in her family. Confiding in him about her feelings of loneliness allows Nick to feel less lonely.
Emilie tells Nick about the secret box of lifetime confessions she keeps hidden in her room. She tells him a story of how she wanted a purple unicorn cake for her ninth birthday, but her recently split parents assumed the other was grabbing the cake so when it came time for cake at Emilie’s birthday party, there was no unicorn cake to be found. In return, Nick begins sharing stories about his brother. Emilie suggests they pay tribute to Eric by revisiting some of the activities Nick and Eric used to do together around the city. Nick agrees to the idea.
Chapters 11-15 Analysis
This section reflects the most significant change in Emilie’s character. After achieving the most optimistic version of her Valentine’s Day that fits her original plan as much as possible, she still doesn’t escape the time loop. With all options exhausted, Emilie fully commits to her grandma’s and Nick’s advice. For the first time since entering the time loop, Emilie realizes that she can do whatever she wants and not face the fallout; thus, she uses Nick’s words “fuck ‘em” as her mantra for the Day of No Consequences (120). Through Painter’s changing characterization of Emilie, she marks a discernable shift in the thematic exploration of The Importance of Authenticity.
Emilie stands her ground by refusing to give up her shower for her younger brother. This decision goes entirely against Emilie’s usual behavior, which involves making a “huge effort—all the time—to make [her] dad and Lisa forget how much tidier their new life would be if it were just the four of them” (122). Instead of taking her car, Emilie takes the Porsche to school without her dad’s permission. The backstory on the Porsche reveals that her father rescued it and fixed it up with the intent of allowing Emilie to drive it one day but that never happened. Emilie’s decision to take the car anyway symbolizes her taking her life into her own hands. This event leads up to the bigger decision where Emilie will confront both her parents about the way she’s feeling about their relationship with her and the upcoming move.
Emilie’s public break-up with Josh using the school intercom marks a significant turning point in the romantic plot of the novel. This act is impulsive and unplanned, a sharp departure from her usual, meticulously planned behavior. Emilie’s growing realization that life cannot be perfectly controlled and it is necessary to experience spontaneity is a crucial step in her character growth and further evidences the themes of The Futility of Excessive Planning and The Reality of Imperfection. The tattoo Emilie gets at the shop, “I had a marvelous time ruining everything” (185), is a testament to Emilie’s growing acceptance of imperfection and spontaneity in her life.
Throughout the Day of No Consequences, Painter depicts a more in-depth glimpse of Nick’s character and his compatibility with Emilie. Emilie has officially realized her relationship with Josh is unsatisfying and unsalvageable. This realization does not sadden her but rather frees her to explore other options, including Nick, and drives the romantic plot of the novel forward. Emilie’s interactions with Nick after they ditch school for a No Consequences adventure reveal a contrasting perspective on life and love. Nick’s belief that happiness is fleeting and not the default state of existence directly challenges Emilie’s convictions. Their discussions, particularly in Chapter 13, highlight the futility of chasing unattainable ideals. Within just one day, Emilie comes to fully grasp that her obsession with perfection has blinded her to the value of imperfection and the joy found in moments of genuine connection.
Painter continues to explore The Importance of Authenticity throughout these chapters, particularly in Emilie’s evolving relationship with Nick. Unlike Josh, who represents the checklist of ideal traits Emilie thought she wanted, Nick embodies authenticity and equally draws the same authenticity out of Emilie. Nick’s openness about his struggles, especially regarding his brother’s death, contrasts sharply with Josh whose personality the narrative shows exudes superficial charm.
Nick and Josh are foil characters who directly contrast each other to highlight their differences. They represent two vastly different paths for Emilie. Josh, with his polished exterior and seemingly perfect alignment with Emilie’s planned future, is ultimately a poor match for her. His lack of genuine understanding and emotional depth becomes increasingly apparent and prompts Emilie to break up with him. Painter then presents Nick as a better romantic option for Emilie. He embodies authenticity, depth of character, and willingness to share his vulnerabilities which offer Emilie the connection she needs in a partner. His candidness about his grief and more laid-back approach to life provides Emilie with refreshing perspectives that help her realize that happiness and love are not about meeting specific criteria but about being real and present in the moment.
These chapters are freeing for Emilie. She’s embracing greater impulsivity and authenticity because she believes she won’t have to face the consequences tomorrow. However, the possibility that she will have to face those consequences if the time-loop ends will be the true test of Emilie’s character growth.
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By Lynn Painter
