17 April 2025

Rewind is one of those twisty thrillers that grabs you from the opening scene and doesn’t let go until the final frame—pun very much intended. Told through a unique “Play, Pause, Rewind” format, the story weaves timelines and perspectives together in a way that constantly keeps you guessing. It’s unsettling, clever, and just the right amount of creepy.

The premise immediately hooked me. A hidden camera. A remote holiday cottage. A murder caught on film—well, partially. From there, the plot unravels like a tangled cassette tape, and I mean that in the best way. We’re given different pieces of the puzzle through multiple viewpoints, including Andrew (the deeply unsettling manager of Shanamore Cottages), Natalie (a determined social media influencer turned amateur sleuth), and Audrey (a journalist trying to uncover the truth). Watching their timelines intersect felt like a slow-burn detective story mixed with a psychological thriller.

Catherine Ryan Howard has a talent for tension. The remote setting gave off serious The Shining vibes—icy, desolate, and claustrophobic—and Andrew? Absolutely gave me the chills. But what I appreciated most was how the book played with the idea of digital voyeurism and blurred boundaries between privacy and obsession. It’s unsettling because it feels scarily plausible.

I’m giving it four stars instead of five simply because the timeline jumps—while clever—occasionally made things a bit hard to follow. I had to flip back a few times to piece everything together. But honestly, that’s part of what makes this book such a satisfying read. You want to rewind and catch the clues you missed the first time.

If you’re into dark, modern thrillers with an unconventional structure and a disturbing edge, Rewind is definitely worth hitting play on.