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Review: Rewind

Rewind Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Take one measure of what could be a predictable domestic thriller, add in a splash of creepy voyeurism, and mix well with a wildly split timeline. Serve over a quaint backdrip of the Irish countryside, a look at clickbait journalism, and the world of Instagram influencers. That's what you're getting with Rewind.

The driving force (the murder mentioned in the plot synopsis) starts immediately. From there, the books jumps around in time so many times that you would this Tarantino had a hand in the writing. That's not a slight against the book; it proves to make it far more satisfying.

My only minor gripe was that I had a hard time trying to figure out how the chapter titles fit within the realm of the overall timeline, but eventually just realized that thinking of events as relative to each other was best.

Beyond the fractured timeline, the writing is excellent. There are a ton of characters and the vast majority have their own minor side plots. However, I think all are handled well and not too over or under detailed - the rare Goldilocks of sub plotting. All plots (including the twisty main narrative) are fleshed out in their entirety by the end, which is also unheard of in this day and age of franchise bait.

This is the third or fourth book in a row I got from NetGalley that I have absolutely loved. I've got one more before I clear out my To Read shelf, and the bar has been set extremely high. Be sure to check this one out.

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