This one started off slow and seemed to drag on quite a bit. Premise was initially interesting but I did get quite confused with the timeline and didn't care very much for any of the characters. Honestly - IMHO - it was overly descriptive in parts and meandered in others. I admit to reading it piece-meal and perhaps that was my undoing as when I picked it up again I'd lost the thread as to who was who and where they were . This is the first book of Howard's that I've read so I'm going to refrain from any further comment until I read her next. Overall I wasn't too invested in it and was kind of glad when the book finally reached it's conclusion. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I found this book to be very confusing. I couldn't follow the replay/pause/ rewind style and gave up. Sorry, this ones not for me

Once I’d got used to the play/pause/rewind/fastforward element of this novel (which I’m still not entirely sure I followed the concept of, but that says more about me than it does the story), I loved this book - not least because it was set in Ireland (for some reason I really enjoy stories set there, even though I have never been!), this story is a truly thrilling whodunnit. After Instagram sensation Natalie goes missing, it seems to fall at the feet of journalist Audrey to investigate what has happened - but there are other characters with their own dark secrets who know far, far more than they are saying. I particularly enjoyed how the story ends, as everything is properly tied up for the reader - something that is not always the case for every thriller.

It's always good to discover a new author and as soon as I've finished writing this review I'll be going onto Amazon to see what other books of Catherine Howard's I can download. This is a genuinely creepy psychological thriller about a social influencer Natalie who disappears. It involves child sex abuse, pornography, blackmail and hidden cameras recording in holiday homes and hotels. Horrible! The structure is a little odd following Pause, record and rewind just as you would on a video recording and while I understand the relevance of this I did find it a little contrived and unnecessary but it didn't detract from my enjoyment. The characters (apart from the hideous 'baddies') were sympathetic and Audrey the would be journalist was particularly well drawn.

All in all, a good psychological thriller. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This is a real page turner of a book with a really unusual plot. It starts with a description of a really brutal murder that has been filmed by a hidden camera. Problem is, the murderer knew it was there but was not the person responsible for placing the camera. The person who did hide the camera now can't disclose the murder to police because he will be implicated in other crimes. Add to this the disappearance of an instagram influencer, mysterious credit card bill which indicates her husband has been unfaithful and other characters that are all downright creepy!!

The style of the book is one I'm not always keen on - we go back and forward in time with the different characters until we have an overall picture of what happened.... bit by bit the full picture is revealed. Although I sometimes struggle to keep track of this type of storytelling, there is a relatively small number of characters that made it easy to follow.

There are some huge issues tackled in this book - child sex offenders, pornography, infidelity, marital problems, lies, secrets, gaslighting.... it's all in here. Despite this, it's not as far fetched as you might think and has left me with a bit of uncomfortable feelings about holiday accommodation and social media!!

Intriguing storyline and great characterisation throughout. Timeline could get a little confusing but didn’t detract from enjoyment of the novel.

Rewind is fantastic! I’ve never seen non linear narrative used so effectively! I feel it would be difficult to review this properly without giving a lot away so just read it, you won’t regret it!

A claustrophobic and gripping thriller from Catherine Ryan Howard. I read it on holiday in two sittings and absolutely loved it, but had to check my hotel room thoroughly afterward... Catherine is an amazing thriller writer and she has RUINED sleeping anywhere except my own home!

Like all of Catherine Ryan Howard's books before, I couldn't put this thriller down! Flashing between the past and present, Rewind keeps the reader guessing just what exactly has happened in that remote cottage in Cork, who is to blame, and what exactly is going on. While I saw a few of the twists and turns ahead of time, it didn't spoil my enjoyment of this book at all. Would highly recommend this for anyone who loves a good mystery!

I never repeat the blurb. Persisted with this as long as I could but after about 40% I just didn't care...about the story of any of the characters. Sorry. Not my thing.

I found this sliding doors type book to be confusing, as each chapter switches constantly between past, present and future. The numbering/time system to explain this was unfathomable to me; it appeared to have no reason.

There’s a good mix however of suspense, twists, and shady characters to keep you guessing. But if you choose it as a read I’d advise you to read it in one go more or less so you can keep track of the different timelines! Unfortunately I read it during a busy period in my life which didn’t help my confusion with the timeline and plot

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy in exchange for my review.

Wowwwwweeeeee !!! What a absolute stunner of a read and it’s so damn cleverly plotted it took my breath away. The chapters are done like a dvd with play, rewind, fast forward, pause and this made the book totally unique, sinister and compulsive also some of these characters are creepy to say the least !!
I can honestly say I haven’t read a book quite like this that is written in such a way that you need to keep your wits about you as there are many hints and clues and it’s this that makes the storyline very satisfying. Lots of suspense going on here also and I really could keep raving about the book as it’s going to be one of my favourites of the year so far I just loved it and it’s a 5 star read for me and a big thank you to Catherine Ryan Howard for an exceptional read.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Atlantic Books / Corvus for giving me the chance to read the Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rewind fast forward, play…..the features on a video at the centre of this book. The story doesn’t start at the beginning but rather in the middle but then goes back and forth…..you are going to need that pause button at some point as this book messes with your head.

The premise and plotting are good but the structure left me feeling a bit lost to be honest. As if the tape machine got jammed and the tape spooled out (maybe that’s just showing my age though ha!)

There’s a lot of unpredictability in this novel, people making bad decisions, sharing everything and anything on line. The dawn of social media leaves a lot to be desired. When it replaces good old common sense, then you really know you’re in trouble.

I did love the Irish setting but think I would have personally turned around as soon as I’d arrived at Shanamore! That rural Irish setting increased the creep factor as in the middle of nowhere, no one can hear you scream.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview this gripping read.

It's an unusual thriller, where the chapters are split between: Play / Rewind / Pause and this is a great idea, although, it does make for a rather confusing read at times.

It's got the lot though; murder, obsession, social media and overall, it's a good read.

Solid 3*

Well I had absolutely no idea who the murderer was until it was revealed. I also spent a fair part of the book mildly confused about the time frame of everything.

I got that the the time was jumping about as though you were watching a video, but with chapter headings that were in minutes... and then some of the earlier sections being years before everything else. while reading on kindle which admitted makes flicking back and forth a bit harder to try to understand - I was muddled on the time span, time frames.

That being said once I focused on the words I was incredibly interested in the murder, and all of the motives which is what I couldn't work out.

There was a focus on many unsavoury characters, and small snippets of info coming out at regular intervals to really keep you on your toes, and make you continually re-evaluate your own guesses.

I've certainly not read anything like it which is both a big positive, its different, its unique, but equally as thi isn't the genre I read the most of, perhaps I didn't fully appreciate just how it was present.

The story though is great, the writing certainly had me gripped, and Catherine Ryan Howard has had me hooked in places, and the premise behind the book was fabulous.

Certainly a book that I feel works best if you are tempted by it, to read for yourself without too much known about the plot. There are a large number of characters and to even try to describe them, I may give out hints that I would rather not, for fear of spoils

Thank you to Corvus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Overall I really enjoyed this book.

The twisty plot and cast of dodgy characters is right up my street.

I thought the start was little shaky but it didn't take long to heat up. The pacing is perfect and the ending was spot on.

The jumping about in time took a little bit of getting used to, but once I the characters had been cemented in my head I really enjoyed it and it definitely added something good to the mix.

I loved the characters, everyone of them was really well written with distinct voices and motivations.

I didn't get the numbers though, they felt like an meaningless and unnecessary distraction.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes a good thriller.

Rewind Catherine Ryan Howard

The front cover of the book has the words Play. Pause. Run. REWIND. Not just words, 4 words that conjure up a lot of possibilities in the world of crime fiction, but the more you read the book the more significant they become, not just in the story as it unfolds, but also in the way the story is narrated.

When Dublin Instagram Influencer Natalie disappears nobody is really worried. After all she had posted that she was going off line for a few days, but why did her husband, Mike, not report her missing until she had been gone for a week?

Audrey is a wannabe journalist. Actually she’s already a journalist on an online newspaper, but to her dissatisfaction she is an entertainment journalist working on the “sidebar-of-shame” looking for clickbait stories.

Her ambition is to move upstairs and work with the serious journalists on real news. So when her boss offers her a job, a bit of a crossover story, she doesn’t hesitate. The rumours of Natalie’s disappearance have started to circulate, and reports are reaching the news desk that her husband has reported her missing. Audrey is given the job of looking to see if there is more to the story than an Insta-celeb going off in a huff or looking for publicity.

What she doesn’t realise is that she is about to start a journalistic investigation which is always half a step in front of the Police. It’s just that neither, she, or the Police, know exactly what they are investigating.

Play, pause, run, REWIND is exactly how this story is narrated.

It is no spoiler to say that a murder has taken place and that somebody has caught it on a webcam, but who has been murdered, by who, and why? All these usual questions asked in a crime thriller, are laid out in the ways of the command on a video recording

Having set the scene of the murder the story rewinds to before it to set the scene, runs ahead of the murder to look at Audrey’s investigation, and pauses at all points in between.

Each chapter is set either before, during, or after the murder and is written in such a way that the end of most chapters are cliff hangers that don’t get resolved until the story returns to that piece of the timeline. There is so much suspense in this book that it is impossible to put down.

Catherine Ryan Howard is a new author to me but looking at Amazon I can see she has written two previous books, and if they are as good as this one, I have no idea how she has been off my radar.

Usually a book that jumps backwards and forwards chronologically would have me giving up on it within the first 50 or 60 pages; but REWIND had me hooked within the first 20 and kept me there all the way till the end.

2019 is turning into a stela-year for crime fiction. So far this year I have read some of the best books to be published for years. This one is right up there with the best of them.

Pages: 300
Publishers: Corvus

Thank you so much for sending me the ARC of this brilliant new thriller , I absolutely loved it!.

This story has a few central characters who the narrative switches between , doing so in stylish and slick time frame changes so you get the full picture of what each person's been up to and when. It brilliantly then stitches all the pieces together and gives you the big picture which is so cleverly done it leaves you amazed.

This tense and twist filled thriller is such a delicious treat!! , I adore a book that can keep me guessing , keep me on the edge of my seat and then completely floor me with it's reveals and turns.

From the dramatic and fast paced opening I was hooked and it didn't let me go until the very end. All of the characters are so well written and their individual plots so flawlessly interwoven , I was desperate to know what each one was going to do next and how their story would end.

I really enjoyed the format , the way the time frames and different narratives of the characters were written was just flawless! And made for a really exciting reading experience.

I also loved the whole atmosphere, and for me , someone who hasn't even been to Ireland I feel as if I know it purely down to the wonderful way the surroundings were described in this book.

This is my first book by this author that I have read but I am now very much looking forward to reading her others too!

Thank you again for this amazing story!

Thank you to Atlantic Books, Netgalley & the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a little disappointed in this book to be honest. It was slow paced and didn't really grip me. I did not particularly like/connect with any of the characters and although the storyline was interesting and cleverly written it just didn't deliver for me! It was quite predictable and didn't have the "sting in the tail" or shock moment that I was expecting.