Catherine Ryan Howard intrigued me with her concept and synopsis. I love a story that kicks off with a heinous violent crime (a fictional story anyway). Rewind is a classic who-done-it.

The concept and execution may be lost on the younger generation. Rewind read like a cassette tape…fast forward to this…pause here…rewind to get the back details. I’ve never read a book where the author deliberately replicates a different medium. This was a definite success!

In order for any story to hit the next level, the author must create a connection between myself and their characters. Unfortunately, this necessary relationship never fully developed for me. I felt a lack of focus on any one individual…who was I supposed to connect with? I don’t know…was I meant to feel sympathy for the victim? I didn’t.

The story itself was good, the web woven by Howard was new and intriguing, but as the story went on, I was easily able to see around all of the corners. I want a mystery / thriller that maintains the mystery until it thrills me at the climax.

In the end, Rewind was a good story that simply lacked the finer details that I have come to look for in an exciting story. I appreciate Howard’s efforts in concept, it just left me wanting more or perhaps she gave me too much, too soon.

*3.5 Stars

2 stars! ⭐️⭐️

Play. Pause. Rewind. Fast-Forward. NO!

Sigh. Looks like I’m in the minority on this one, my friends.

This book was all over the place for me. I didn’t like how it constantly jumped around. Normally, I’m a big fan of the alternating POV‘s. This one was just too much.

I think this book is best read in one sitting because whenever I took a break from it and tried to start it up again I was clueless as to what was going on. I found myself having to rewind and re-read parts just to keep up. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Maybe that’s the reason behind the title?! LOL 😜

This book is pretty creepy though. The setting is dark and dreary and it is chock-full of unlikable kooks as characters. The storyline was predictable and slow. I was hoping for a shocker of an ending, but the book didn’t deliver. This is my first time reading a Catherine Ryan Howard book and I was super excited when I received my advanced copy. I guess I expected more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Catherine Ryan Howard for my copy to read and review.

I tried to read this book and just couldn't get interested in it. Mysteries are my favorite type of books, so I was disappointed that the main character wasn't more interesting and the storyline was vague.

I was really disappointed in this one as I had enjoyed the authors previous books. I don't have much to say and won't be reviewing elsewhere but I really didn't like this one at all.

such an intriguing story! What is Andrew going to do? Put himself in the spotlight that he is doing something illegal or hide what he’s witnessed?? There are a lot of characters so a lot to keep up with. I was interested in the story behind Andrew and what made him who he became. Even tho there were many characters they were well developed and I love how each chapter revealed a little more. Great read.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

Rewind is a reliable and interesting murder mystery.
I tread cautiously around amateur sleuth stories, thinking they can go either way, but I especially appreciated the three things that made this one a unique experience for me. I love multiple perspectives and nonlinear narratives. I also romanticize Ireland and Irish settings and I am happy to see social media influencers portrayed in various types of media.
I was slightly disappointed that Natalie's Influencer job didn't ultimately affect the plot and would have loved to see the story hinge on that fact about her. I feel similarly to the video feed of Natalie's murder as well. I think it could have had played a bigger role considering the was the inspiration behind the novel's structure.
Rewind was an entertaining read, told in an interesting way.

This is one of many books I have read from this author and I am never disappointed. When Natalie believes that her husband Mike is having an affair after many different items disappear and appear at her home, she takes off to Shanamore Holiday Cottage to find out if she is imagining things. She finds proof there, yet it disappears. At the same time, the undertaker Andrew is affiliated with an associate that has him place video cameras in each of the cottages. Natalie goes missing and is found my a drifter and the tape from what happened in Natalie's cabin disappears. There were so many different pieces of the puzzle that came together as the book is told by many different points of view. I really enjoyed this one and loved the creativity. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

This was an interesting mystery and I really enjoyed reading it. The premise of "rewinding" and "fast-forwarding" the tape through time really worked well in the telling of the story, and in holding the interest of the reader. I had a hard time putting the book down and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys mysteries and suspense.

I received a free e-copy of Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard from NetGalley for my honest review.

Wow, wow, wow!!! This book is a pulse pounding and thrilling read that is straight up addicting.

Natalie, a young and famous social media influencer is missing. Audrey, a journalist is researching and looking for the truth in what happened to her. Audrey follows up on a tip of Natalie going to Shanamore in County Cork. Why would Natalie go to this very creepy cottage? Then there is Mike, Natalie's husband and the secrets he is hiding while at the same time pleading to the public to help find his fine.

Then there is Andrew, the very creepy manager of the Shanamore Holiday Cottages, who has witnessed his only guest get murdered through his spy camera.

I don't want to give anything else away but you absolutely need to read this book. It is amazing, it's clever and well just bloody brilliant!

I loved how Natalie's story is told through all the different characters in this book. Some very creepy characters at that.

I was very excited to receive a copy of this book by Netgalley to read and review because it sounded really good. Unfortunately, I was less than thrilled with the book. The story starts off really well and grabbed my attention right away, but the rest of the story, not so much. I didn't like the characters and the jumping around within the timeframe was choppy and disjointed. Just wasn't for me.

This book had me captivated from the blurb. This was a shockingly well written book that makes you never want to stay somewhere again. The characters and plot made me read this book in one night. The way the author built up the suspense and the twists held me until the end. This will not be the last book that I read by this author, she is added to my one click list. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

This was quite an interesting way of writing a murder mystery, where the chapters had play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward as its headings.

Instagram influencer Natalie seemed to have everything, yet she walked away from all of her happy life to stay at Shanamore Holiday Cottage which had a creepy manager. He was a voyeur with hidden cameras where he witnessed a figure killing the woman.
A reporter Audrey wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery of the Natalie's disappearance. She headed to these cottages to find out the truth.

Author Catharine Howard has written a thrilling book which shocked me not only in its innovative format but also the way the story unfolded. The suspense was intense where the creepiness took me by a surprise. I loved the way the author had connected the different jigsaw pieces to make a creepy picture. That made me keep tapping at my kindle till the very end...

This book didn't really grip me. I found myself putting it down to do other things and then forgetting about it.

I felt like I was reading a high schoolers writing. Not that interested in this, it didn’t suck me in at all.

First off, I found the writing style confusing. Instead of "past", "present", and "future" chapters, there were "rewind", "pause", "play" and "fast forward". Did the times in the chapter even mean anything? If so, I never figured it out. Maybe I'm just old but the whole millennial characters turned me off. You have an Instagram "influencer" gone missing after letting her followers know she was taking a break. Then you have a 30ish yr old wanna-be journalist working at a TMZ-like online website. Andrew's story was a surprise to me but other than that, I thought the story was slow and predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy of Catherine Ryan Howard's "Rewind" in exchange of an honest review.

This book was an interesting murder mystery where chapters rewind, fast forward etc jumping to different points before and after a murder to explain the story. I enjoyed this way of story telling and I was always curious of the characters and figuring out how they would all intertwine. What went wrong for me was the lack of intrigue at the end. I knew who the killer was bc it was pretty obvious so I was hoping there would be a twist or something at the end to reveal it wasn’t that person but that wasn’t the case. I also felt that the book ended poorly like I honestly didn’t even know it was over bc it ended at such an odd place where it felt like a chapter was missing between the last 2 chapters. Overall I would give it a 3.5 and it would have been a 4 if the ending was more solid.

Fast-paced thriller set in Ireland, told in multiple perspectives. A popular influencer on Instagram disappears from her home, seemingly without a clue. An online gossip writer-turned-investigator starts a case that will change her career. Timelines jump around, settings include Dublin and a small ocean-side town. Plenty of creepy characters lead to multiple suspects and scenarios. Where did she go? Is she alive? Did someone murder her? A stalker, a pedophile and a bank robber make for some interesting theories. A quick and entertaining read.
***I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review of this book***

I think that the description comparing this book as Psycho meets Fatal Attraction is spot on! This book has a "Bates Motel" vibe to it that I just loved. Andrew is very much a Norman Bates type character. The author has written this thriller in quite a unique manner instead of just going back and forth in the past and the future its written as Rewind, Fast Forward, pause etc. The story actually begins with a gruesome murder - then you have to go back in time (Rewind) and Forward in time (Fast Forward) to find out what is going on. Overall this was an intriguing read for me although I did get just a bit confused in parts and had to reread sections. My first book by this author and i will look forward to reading her again.

Instagram influencer Natalie O'Connor has a beautiful house in Dublin, a seemingly happy marriage to Mike Kerr, and a lifestyle she loves.
So why does she walk away from it all to stay at Shanamore Holiday Cottages, a remote off-season tourist retreat?
Andrew Gallagher is the creepy manager at the cottages. A voyeur with hidden cameras set up in the rooms. As he watches, a dark figure enters the room and attacks the sleeping woman. The murder is bloody and savage.
Then the killer goes directly to the hidden camera and destroys it!
Audrey Coughlan, a wanna-be reporter is consumed with Natalie's disappearance. After interviewing Mike, she heads off to the cottages to investigate.
The story is told in a unique viewpoint with chapters of PLAY, PAUSE, FAST-FORWARD and REWIND, going forward and backward in time.
A menacing atmosphere with eerie characters and a chilling narrative about the pitfalls of social media.
This twisty thriller will keep you guessing!
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the e-ARC via NetGalley.