Catherine Ryan Howard | REWIND

Plot (via Goodreads):

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 onscreen, 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 Shanamore. 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
This is an 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...

Review:

Okay, so I loved Catherine Ryan Howard's debut, I was obsessed with her second novel, and let's just say that obsession trickled into a painful anticipated for book number three. I was not disappointed...not at all. With a rather terrifying and brutal opening that was reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock meets Karin Slaughter, I was chilled and ridiculously excited to keep going into this one. I loved how it was very much like a modern-day Psycho in the beginning and then kind of spun into its own murder mystery and was told in a brilliant format. Featuring Play, Pause, Rewind, and Fast-Forward, I haven't been this excited, confused, and immersed within a books format since Megan Miranda told a complete thriller backwards. Was I confused at times? Yes. But, the way that the story is told is not only a testament to the gigantic talent of Howard, but her storytelling capabilities soared because even if I was initially confused at times, I was able to pick up on little clues and where these characters are that would only make sense if I had been bouncing around a timeline of deception, lies, and obviously, murder.

I want to preface the rest of this review with a little backstory of my life last fall. I was feeling bogged down and wanted a general escape from everyday life, so I rented one of the Getaway Houses in New Hampshire. It was a great experience to unplug and be out in nature in this adorable and cozy cabin...until the sun went down. Once the sun went down, I had realized I was out in the middle of nowhere in the woods with a generous stack of thrillers. It was kind of scary, but exciting at the same time and I'll never forget the experience. This novel really brought on some of the feelings I had in that 24 hours in the sense of Natalie's storyline and how she's out in the middle of nowhere by herself.

Now, if you want a really creepy and atmospheric read that will kick-off your fall reading and made you a little hesitant on ever traveling alone in the middle of nowhere like I did, this is definitely the read for you. I loved how it played on social media and the whole dangers of being an influencer and what we all have to face when we trade our time for companies that we work with.

The characters in this novel were sensationally written and at times dangerous to read. Each kind of had their own pros and cons to their personalities and they were so enjoyable to read. Along with the plot and atmosphere, some made this novel even creepier with their presence. With each "timeline" within this story, a handful of new characters are introduced and at first you're wondering how they all tie in and by the end, I was blown away with what they brought to this story. I mean, the twists and turns in the last 100 pages were ones I never saw coming and different aspects from the earlier pages were dug up and in the front of the line when it came to this brutally harrowing and bone-chilling mystery. Solidifying my stance, REWIND is the novel that made Catherine Ryan Howard a go-to author for me and someone that I will always be eager to read.

Special thanks to Blackstone Publishing for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5