Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard is an addictive page-turner from the outset, beginning with the murder of Irish Instagram star Natalie O'Connor. In order to discover what led to Natalie's demise, we must 'rewind' to the beginning.

Natalie, seeking answers outside of the realm of social media, finds herself at Shanamore Cottages. The property manager, Andrew, has placed a camera in one of the cottages so that he can spy on unsuspecting guests, which immediately brings to mind the proclivities of one Norman Bates. But when he witnesses a murder in cottage #6, Andrew is terrified that his voyeuristic tendencies will be revealed. But if he is not responsible for Natalie's death, then who is the shadowy and murderous presence in cabin #6?

This is a twisty tale that was fully successful in holding my interest throughout. The break between 'chapters' to delineate past, present, and future events was most effective and pertinent to the advancement of the plot. Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC.

“REWIND” by Catherine Ryan Howard was such a good read! The story begins with the ending and we must “rewind” to unravel the layers which bring us back to that fateful and shocking end.

To begin, we have Natalie, a married instagram “celebrity” who has gone missing, Audrey who is a reporter assigned to look into her disappearance and write a story as well as Andrew, a “Norman Bates” type peeping Tom and caretaker of cottages.

I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book, their individual stories and how everything came together in the end. Good mix of thriller/suspense and the creeps.

You had me at Psycho meets Fatal Attraction as I'm a huge Hitchcock fan! Then I realized I'd read Distress Signals and The Liar's Girl and loved them both so here we go! The premise was interesting as well; start at the end and "rewind" to find out who is stalking Natalie and who killed her at the cottage where she escaped to unravel the mystery of where her husband had been. Because Natalie is an Instagram Influencer, of course it is likely she will have followers who go a little manic, but how does one ever know who is a real friend and who wants to get closer to you believing everything online is not just posed for added fandom? Many suspects including the creepy handyman and Andrew, the manager (who I swear I heard as Norman Bates as I was reading)! Great mystery that sucks you in!

Hmmm... This story begins with a horrific murder.

Natalie, is an online "celebrity" on Instagram. Her life is fading after moving house and she is curious about her husband's behavior. Natalie travels to Shanamore Cottages for a "time out" and to quell her curiosity about her husband...

Meanwhile, Audrey, a tabloid reporter who is on the lowest rung of the paper, has nowhere to go but up. Her manager, Joel, gives her a story to pursue. Natalie O'Connor has been missing for a week and her husband just now called the police. Audrey checks Natalie out online and gives Natalie's husband, Mike, a call. He agrees to an interview - this turns out to be more of a coup for her than she imagined.

Rewind; In Shanamore, Natalie meets both Andrew, the cottage's manager, and Richard - a handyman? All of the cottages are deserted. She has to be in cottage #6 - and she is led there by Andrew! Most of the cottages are glass and some mirrors. Strange...

Through a series of rewinds, pauses, and a few fast forwards, spins a riveting tale that is sure to be an enjoyable read for all thriller/suspense book lovers!

Just when you think you have everything all figured out, a twist is in sight !

Many Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for a thrilling ride!

Based on the synopsis, this book promised to be a fast-paced thriller. However, the broad foreshadowing slowed the pace of the plot and lent to an underdeveloped story line. The characters held enigmatic qualities but their development ended there. It felt as if the surface was being scratched in a genre that begs the readers to jump into with both feet. 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #Rewind

Rewind is a psychological thriller with a twist. The story, chapters, are structured like playback features on a DVD. Play, fast forward, rewind, etc. These features transfer you back and forth in time and to different characters. It's like smaller stories within a larger story. It doesn't begin at the beginning. The plot is intriguing and suspenseful and unpredictable at every turn. I'm reminded again of the ever present yet often overlooked dangers of social media platforms like Instagram. And, characters making bad decisions that lead to worse things. The story moves well, and it's a little confusing at times. Overall, I did enjoy reading this story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the author's previous novels, so was looking forward to read this new title.

This is a gripping mystery thriller with secrets, murder, and even a stalker.
A couple moves to a new home and all of a sudden the heroine feels she is being watched, then she believes her husband is cheating.
When she tries to track her husband down things go from bad to worse.

My only quibble was the pace which was a little slow for my taste, yet I was entertained enough to finish the book. Also, the format of the ARC made it confusing to know whose POV was being told.

Thanks Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to review this book.

The manager of Shanamore Holiday Cottages has a dirty secret, he has a camera hidden in his guest room. He wanted an eyeful and he got one when he saw his guest murdered. He’s not sure who the killer is or if he’s aware he was on candid camera. This creepy story is a little bit Psycho and a little bit Scream. 100% riveting

Predictable. Pacing is very slow and characters are not fleshed out enough to make me care about them.

PLAY

Andrew, the manager of Shanamore Holiday Cottages, watches his only guest via a hidden camera in her room. One night the unthinkable happens: a shadowy figure emerges on-screen, kills her, and 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’d stayed at home as soon as she arrives in the wintry isolation of Shana more. There’s something creepy about the manager. She wants to leave, but she can’t—not until she’s found what she’s looking for …

REWIND

Psycho meets Fatal Attraction in this explosive story about a murder caught on camera. You’ve already missed the start. To get the full picture you must rewind the tape and play it through to the end, no matter how shocking …

WOW. Rewind kept me reading all night. turning the pages at some trance-like speed. right through to the shocking end. This was a crazy read Filled with .jealousy, guilt, misguided chivalry. Mind games. I enjoyed the book and sometimes my mind would overload the whole thing. Very well written.

Thanks for the advance copy of the book Rewind NetGalley.

Damn.

This was an addictive and thrilling read from Catherine Ryan Howard. I’m turning into such a huge fan of hers. The Liar’s Girl was really lovely, and Distress Signals hooked me in with the cruise ship premise (anything on a boat, people!) but this book. Wow. I stayed up till after midnight to finish (could not put it down, and I mean that sincerely – it was so difficult to lift my eyes from my Kindle – the pacing was perfect).

Tense, elegantly written and superbly plotted, Rewind takes place in the Instagram-era, when everything we do is curated on screen, for audiences large and small. The novel is told from varying points of view, and shifts both perspective and time in a way that would have been dizzying in the hands of a less accomplished author.

In one part of the tale, a woman is murdered on camera, and the owner of a series of holiday homes watches from the secrecy of his living room, unable to help, horrified when the killer then smashes the lens. How did he know the camera was there?

Natalie O’Connor, Instagram influencer, visits the holiday homes, intent on discovering the key to a mystery she’s trying to solve in her own life – and she disappears.

Desperate to escape the drudgery of click-bait reporting, an Irish journalist traces Natalie’s footsteps into the dark.

In a run-down guest house in Dublin, a woman plots to be with the man she loves – whatever the cost.

Play. Rewind. Fast Forward. Pause. The book swings back and forth, giving small windows into the picture, letting colours bleed through, frames splice together, static recede, until it’s all there, on the big screen, like a crescendo of sound and light – the final, horrifying truth. What it all meant. What it was all for.

Simply ingenious plotting, with a startling twist at the end, and characters I truly empathized with – like I said before, damn. This is a masterful thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate it!

"You've already missed the start. To get to the full picture you must rewind the tape and play it through to the end, no matter how shocking..."
Once I read the books description I knew I had to read this as soon as possible and that's exactly what I did. The opening scene planted a seed of underwear and thrill in me that stayed with me throughout the book. I loved the way the chapters were captured with rewind, pause, play and fast forward, taking you from past to present. As for the plot, I thought it was very original and it really was a mix of Psycho and Fatal Attraction in the best ways possible. It was engaged, fast paced and thrilling. I honestly never knew what was going to happen when I turned the page. I found the characters very dynamite and interesting in their own way. I also loved how their relationships slowly began to entertwine as the book progressed. The ending was one not to be believed. I was on the edge of my seat for the last fifty pages. It was a climax that I could not have predicted in a million years and that is what made this book one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever read. This was extremely well done.