Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Love the title and I love the format of the book. The story is told on rewind, but also fast forward, play etc.

Its another cautious tale on technology and social media. I always enjoy when the books start off with the murder and then the story plays backwards (hence the title!)

I've always enjoyed Catherine Ryan Howard's books and this one is no exception!

Hitchcock like thriller! Excellent story told from several points of view. Moves back and forth in time centering around a horrific event that is at the center of this book. Relentlessly creepy story of an Instagram influencer, a voyeur, and a town full of nosy locals and how their paths cross. Fantastic book that is impossible to put down.

I received a free ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Great story, but it is hard to figure out just what is going on for the first few chapters. You feel like you are jumping around, and the backstory doesn't come out right away. However the plot, characters, and story is very intriguing and captivating. Really enjoyed the overall plot.

Four let’s PLAY to read moving story reminds us so much the movie “Bad Times at the El Royale”, a creepy hotel located out of nowhere, a suspicious, gives you chills kind of WTH is wrong with the hotel manager, rooms designed for BIG BROTHERS’ stalking desires and PAUSE we have a live video of murder at one of these hotel rooms and REWIND: let’s find out who did it STARS!!!

PROS ABOUT THIS book:

-Moving back and forth between past and present and sometimes we stop to take some restroom breaks. Okay kidding, we’re paused because we need to create a small bridge which connects past and present on our minds to understand more about the murder and solve the mystery. If you keen on mind bending, head hurting stories, you gotta put all pieces together to make sense of the story like Memento starts with its ending and Pulp Fiction ends in the first half of the movie when Bruce Willis rode his bike and says his memorable line: “Zed is dead baby!”, this book is a gem for you! Just concentrate, keep attention alive, it’s totally worth it!

- Creepy Andrew gives us Norman Bates vibes (small spoil his BFF is not his momma), Natalie acted like Janet Leigh, because she’s hiding something. She’s an Instagram star, at first we don’t know the reason why she chose to stay this place! But then somebody breaks into her room. And …nope she didn’t get stabbed in the shower when the eerie music was blaring to bleed our ears. But it still gives you shivers!
-
Multiple times to be PLAYED PAUSED REWOUND might be exhausting experience but don’t worry, it’s a whodunit book. There are not many surprises or unexpected twists, mouth gaping, shocking revelations at the end! I know it’s also a “cons” for a cynical a septic kind of reader like me. But at least it saves you from more burning cells and smoke coming out from your head.

CONS:
There are so similarities with Bad Times At Royal but we didn’t see Chris Hemsworth dancing performance with Deep Purple’s Hush kind of entertaining sequences which would be more encouraging for the readers to stick to the story. At some parts you may catch some lazy writing which make you lose interest about what’s going on! (I used those parts as my PAUSE PARTS and took my coffee breaks)

SUMMARY:
Writing technique is good, smart, attention catcher.

The characters are a little dull. At some parts pacing gets slower and the ending is mediocre.

But the references to my favorite movies, the beginning of the story and the balanced usage of mystery elements are satisfying.

I read better thrillers but I mostly liked this one because of trying something different based on great references.

Thanks to Corvus and Netgalley to send me ARC COPY of this great book in exchange my honest review.

Rewind

An intriguing but creepy story about a murder caught on camera and a woman’s quest to be with the man she loves.

⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Play: Andrew, the manager of Shanamore Holiday Cottages, watches his only guest, Natalie via a hidden camera in her room, she is a well known internet influencer. One night as Andrew is watching the video, a shadowy figure emerges onscreen with a knife, stabs Natalie multiple times and then destroys the camera. But who is the murderer how did they know about the camera? And how will Andrew live with himself...

Pause: Natalie wishes she had stayed home as soon as she arrives at the wintery isolation of Shanamore. There is something creepy about Andrew, the manager. She wants to leave but she can’t, not until she’s found what she’s looking for, evidence of her husband’s infidelity.

Rewind: The murder was caught on camera, but you’ve already missed the start of the story. To get the full picture you must rewind the tape and play it through to the end no matter how shocking.

REVIEW
REWIND was a difficult read for me. The story was intentional perhaps, chaotic and jumpy, but as a result I had difficulty staying focused. The story was intriguing but execution could have been better. The setting was appropriately cold, dark, depressing and creepy and the characters were plentiful, but none were really interesting or developed enough to keep my head in the book.

While the labeling of the chapters Rewind, Pause, Fast Forward was a cute idea, it didn’t work in helping with understanding the story line. Author Catherine Ryan Howard is from Cork Ireland and is the author of several other novels including The Liar’s Girl (2018) and Distress Signals (2017)

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Blackstone Publishing
Published September 3, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I received this ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I didn't get very far because it was too graphic and too confusing.

Rewind is a crazy thriller that will keep readers needing to read until they find out the truth or fiction.

The murder mystery jumps around in time as well as person to person but is able to keep readers focused on what is happening keeping them from getting lost. The author is able to keep readers hooked even while jumping time lines as well as person to person. The story jumps off the pages as did the did the movies Bad Times at the El Royaled did for movie goes. The story is a amazing story to that has this readers wanting more from Catherine Ryan Howard.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Corvus for the advance copy of Catherine Ryan Howard Rewind.

Meh. the story was overblown and the characters predictable but it provided an entertaining read on the plane.

In Rewind, a creepy inn proprietor in a desolate seaside resort town has been recording his guests, while an Instagram star has begun to suspect her husband of cheating on her at that very inn. When she spontaneously drives there to collect evidence, she steps into the cross hairs of a killer, exposing secrets of the town's residents along the way.
This book moved along nicely, I loved the Irish seaside setting, and the ending was satisfying without being too out there.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Ms. Catherine Ryan Howard for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "Rewind"

Publishing September 3, 2019
🌟🌟🌟🌟

A pulse pounding story that you can't put down.

Irish Instagram star "Natalie" is missing. Last seen staying at Shanamore Cottages.

Her husband "Mike" is appealing to the public for help in finding his beloved wife.

Audrey, young Irish journalist who is hot for her own bi-line, investigates Natalie's disappearance.

In an age of social media and instant gratification, everyone is weighing in on where Natalie might be.

This is the Natalie's story told through numerous windows of time by characters who are dysfunctional, self absorbed and seriously creepy.

Play: Natalie rents a cottage in the Irish Countryside

Pause: It's a creepy place and Natalie definitely regrets going here but she needs to know. She has to know.

Rewind: Mind games, half truths and jealousy...Wait, what just happened?

Fast Forward: More lies, horrible choices and explosive hatred...
Oh! Didn't see that coming!

Plot twisting from "play", this is one psychological thriller not to be missed.

Well Played Ms. Catherine Ryan Howard!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

I received an advanced digital galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read and review!

REWIND by Catherine Ryan Howard begins with a gripping scene, a woman is seen sleeping unaware that there is someone looming over her in the dark. As the reader we witness her murder and apparantly so does someone else because the opening concludes with the killer destroying a camera recording the whole thing. From here, REWIND takes the reader on a journey, rewinding to prior events and fast forwarding to events yet to play out . There are no typical chapter numbers, but instead each jump in the story is marked with your typical symbols for rewind, fast-forward, pause, etc. along with time stamps.

There's Andrew, the manager of the Shanamore Holiday Cottages in Ireland where this event has taken place. He's the guy watching behind the camera, but he's clueless as to who the masked figure is and how they knew the camera was even there. There's Natalie, an Instagram influencer who's used to living in the spotlight but now trying to fly under the radar. There's Audrey, a reporter who doesn't typically follow the real news, but she senses there's a story behind Natalie's Instagram hiatus.

I hadn't read anything by Catherine Ryan Howard, but she has received a lot of acclaim, including a Edgar Award nomination for Best Novel on her last book, THE LIAR'S GIRL. The premise and the author made me very excited to pick this one up and I was not disappointed! The opening of the book immediately had me hooked and I couldn't tear myself away from the story to determine what exactly happened!

I would say that the jumps in time caught me a little off guard in the beginning. I wasn't sure how much attention I needed to be paying to the timestamps given (i.e., Fast-Forward 0:00:44 vs. Rewind 0:00:17), but I realized that if I just paid attention to the story, it was easy enough to get into the pace. I would say that if you are a reader that wants things to happen sequentially and do not enjoy time jumps, this likely isn't the book for you!

Overall, I found the mystery compelling and the story very engaging. Some things I saw coming (I mean, you do get the murder in the first couple of pages), but there were little elements of the story that the author dropped in that kept me guessing on how the different timelines would all meet up!

You will want to check out REWIND when it releases on 9/3/2019! For me, I will be adding Catherine Ryan Howard's prior novels to my TBR!

WOW! The story is an unusual setting for a murder that sets a fast pace in the first chapter and carries through to the last one. It combines so many differing "views" of the crime that you'll have to pay close attention to keep track of who is watching who. The premise of a murder caught on film where you can view it over and over to see all the small details is very unique. The way the video is shared is startling. I'd love to know how Catherine Ryan Howard got the idea for this book. It really is an unexpected thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book!

4 STARS!!

This is my second novel by Catherine Ryan Howard and it did not disappoint! I love how all the characters had their own POV but everything was intertwined so neatly! This is one rollercoaster ride of a “whodunit” thriller!!

I would definitely recommend this novel to thrill seekers and suspense lovers!

2.5 stars

Having absolutely loved The Liar’s Girl, I was extremely excited for Rewind - unfortunately, I found Rewind hard to follow (chapters split the timeline into rewind - past, fast forward - future, and pause - present) and think the story definitely would have benefitted from being told in a linear format. Additionally, there were a lot of characters to keep track of, none of which were all too likable and an ending that was none too shocking. All in all, not a win for me.

I consider Rewind (Catherine Ryan Howard) a 3 and 1/2 star book, since that's impossible jumping it up to 4 stars. Rewind had an excellent story line but there was too much back and forth between too many characters. It took awhile to be able to keep the main characters straight, and actually be able to follow the story. I was given an early copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read an ARC or Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard.

Rewind grabbed my attention for the beginning and never let go. This book was written in an unique way and it worked! It had me guessing how it was going to end the whole way through. This was my first book by Catherine Ryan Howard and I can't wait to read another one.

What a unique, twisted, dark and captivating book I just finished! I love the "Movie" aspect of Rewind, but I honestly did not want to hit "stop". A true page turning thriller.

We start the book with what seems to be a very brutal murder caught on camera, but what follows is the "rewind", "pause", and "fast forward" of the story that introduces us to all the players involved, past and present. And you can't get enough of the small town characters and the crime that took place. Trust me. From the husband, to the IG influencer to the cottage manager to the reporter and everyone in between, everyone is a crucial part of the story and you are going to want to pay close attention if you want to figure out the outcome. A bit Fatal Attraction with a side of Psycho? .... I was hooked!

Even though I figured out (or had a good idea of) the culprit early on, I was still fully invested in the story and the connections between each character. Because those connections weren't laid out for us until the last 20% or so. And some of them were crazy threads connecting each person to each other. Some of the "rewind" and "pause" numbers on the "tape" (chapters) left me a little confused, but I bet if I were to have written them down, it may have made a little more sense. But that did NOT hinder how much I enjoyed the small town thriller and the way this story played out.
It was a perfect blend of a character driven story with a setting that seemed almost tangible. Some parts were uncomfortable to read, but tantalizing at the same time. This would be an entertaining book to see on the big screen....if you like thrillers.

3.5 stars. I didn't love this as much as a lot of reviewers did, but I did like it. It's a creepy story of murder, obsession, and social media. The book opens with a shocking murder, caught on tape, and then jumps around in time both before and after the murder. There are multiple perspectives, various people connected in some way to missing Instagram influencer Natalie O'Connor, as well as Natalie herself.

The most tense and engaging parts of the story for me was Natalie's time at Shanamore Cottages before she disappeared. There was a serious creep factor, and Natalie's fear was palpable. I also really enjoyed plucky, down-on-her-luck reporter Audrey Coughlan, who after being assigned a short entertainment feature on Natalie's disappearance, sets out (against her boss's orders) to do some real journalism and find out what happened to Natalie.

The way the story was told felt jumbled to me at times though, and jumping back and forth in time served to reduce the tension I felt while reading. In the end the story felt somewhat more plodding and less juicy than it should have. I liked it, but the innovative narrative structure didn't totally work for me.

I had high hopes for this book after the great reviews. But it just didn't do anything for me. I couldn't finish this one.

I finished this book yesterday and I wanted to write the review as soon as possible..... But I also wanted to put it off, because I feel like when this review is done then I am officially done with the book. And I loved the book and don't want to move on so soon. Haha. Which really tells me, and I believe you as well, something about this book. I absolutely LIVE for books like this. The ones that leave you in a book hangover, where you need time to really process everything you've read and what you've found out in this book, and Rewind was definitely one of those books.



This is my second novel by Catherine Ryan Howard (the first was Distress Signals, which you can read my review of HERE) and I loved her first one I read, so I was really excited when I got the opportunity to read Rewind. This book did not disappoint at all. It had the same suspense/thriller arc as the last novel of hers I read, which I loved. Catherine Ryan Howard does suspense so well, and I hope she never stops because I have really fallen in love with her books and how she writes. This book was so different, and I enjoyed how it jumped not only to different POVs but also different places at different times, and it didn't bring everything together until the very end. At first I had a pretty good idea of what had happened, but then that changed about midway through, and then at the end I was left with my jaw on the ground realizing that even when I knew, I didn't know. Such a great roller coaster ride, and I wish I could go on it again for the first time.