When you get an advanced copy of a book written by a friend from social media, you want to dive right in. When you get to buddy read it and talk about how much you like the book, it makes the book even better.
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I was so happy to read The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch and am excited to tell you all to read it. I tend to go into most books blind these days and this was no exception. I was totally off on what I thought this book was about and I am so glad I was. What I got was a great second chance, believable romance with characters I really liked. It had sizzle and heart.
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When Frankie and Ezra broke up in college, it was not amicable, and they vowed to never speak to each other again. Never say never. Ten years later they see each other at a mutual friend’s wedding. Their independent lives are going great, they are adults and can avoid each other for the sake of the wedding, right? It works, until they wake up together the next morning with rings on their fingers and no memory of the night before.
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The rest of the story has the two piecing together the events of the previous night, while traipsing through the memories of ten years ago. Their attraction is palpable and I was cheering this relationship on from the start. I think you will be too.
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Thanks @BerkleyPub and @NetGalley for another advanced copy of a winner! This book came out this week and is ready to be one of your first holiday reads!

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This was a cute second chance romance that I enjoyed reading. It was quick and easy and I enjoyed the two main characters being drawn back to one another (even if they didn't quite enjoy the trip down memory lane or the pull towards each other). Overall, a good book to read if you enjoy romance.

I DNFed this book. I really didn't like the main characters and their relationship seemed toxic. I usually like 2nd chance romances, but I couldn't get into this one because the old relationship was not fun to read.

I love a second chance story, and The Rewind gives Frankie and Ezra plenty of time to rexamine what made them fall in love as college students and what's kept them apart for the last ten years, back on their college campus for the wedding of mutual friends on the heady day of December 31, 1999. It's wildly entertaining to read as they desperately piece together the night before to figure out what happened (there are definitely some hijinks) and yet there is a bittersweet tone as they deal with the hurts and misunderstandings they dealt out to each other. Lots of good 80s and 90s references that make the story feel of its time.

It took me a minute to warm to the characters and get used to this format, but Ezra and Frankie ultimately won my heart. The character development in this one was top notch as the two both discovered how they could have "been better" in the past. Even as these two exes "hated" each other, it was obvious to this reader that both were also very much still in love. I loved the 90s references although I think this story could have been told in the present timeline as well. I love how this author reinvents herself with each book and isn't afraid to take risks. This one was absolutely worth it.

This book definitely brought back some college memories! 

Frankie and Ezra had a pretty good thing going in college, but they wanted different things and probably weren't in the place to realize how much they wanted or needed the other person. I can relate to that; I know when I graduated from college, I wasn't the most mature when it came to relationships. But that is the great thing about time; you grow and learn how to succeed in all aspects of your life. It took Frankie and Ezra 10 years to realize that what they had in college might just be the real deal.

However, it takes trying to relive the previous night that neither can remember to piece together what happened. How did they both come to be wearing wedding rings? How did Frankie get that lump on her head? How did they end up in one of the dorms? All good questions and the answers take input from others to bring forth the memories of what really happened.

Frankie and Ezra both have their issues from their formative years. Frankie and her genius ability on the piano. Ezra dealing with his mother's cancer. I don't think their lives were what they needed to become until they forged out on their own. I found it interesting that Ezra created a computer program that he sold for a pile of money. This was pre-2000, before the great computer explosion. I remember having a computer in 1995 and learning how to operate it, but the computers were nothing like we have today.

It is obvious that Frankie and Ezra had issues with communication and the ability to share their true feelings with each other. I don't think they really knew each other until they reconnected at a friend's wedding. However, each learns something from this time at their old alma mater, and they just might come out ahead in the end.

If you enjoy second-chance romances, you might enjoy this one.

We give it 4 paws up.

Frankie and Ezra broke up a decade ago, and haven’t spoken since. Yet, they are forced to reunite when their mutual friends get married in their college town on New Year’s Eve. Both have moved on, Frankie as an agent to famous musicians in LA, and Ezra a tech prodigy in New York. Ezra can’t wait to propose to his girlfriend Mimi, but he can’t help but get caught up in Frankie’s presence and utterly chaotic aura. A drunken night turns into the pair rehashing their bad breakup, yet they can’t seem to stay away from one another.

This book was so nostalgic – Ezra and Frankie’s reminiscing about their college days brought me back to my own undergraduate memories. The dual timelines really worked for this novel, and I saw how both characters grew, yet their core characteristics remained the same. The last few chapters felt like a warm hug, and I loved how it ended. I was rooting for Ezra and Frankie, and felt invested on how their reunion would play out. The side characters of the novel were truly entertaining. I enjoyed this one, and look forward to reading more from Allison Winn Scotch!

It’s New Year’s Eve 1999, and college exes Frankie and Ezra wake up in their college dorm room with rings on their fingers and no memory of the night before. They were on campus for a mutual friend’s wedding, and now need to piece together the big mystery of what they did the night before. But in the process, the even bigger question becomes, what if they got it all wrong when they broke up 10 years ago?

I love a good dual timeline second chance romance, and especially enjoyed all of the nostalgia in this one. While Frankie and Ezra pieced together what happened in the current timeline, there were also flashbacks to their relationship ten years prior. More importantly, this book really focused on each of the characters. I loved the comparison to their college selves, because it really allowed the reader to see all of the growth each of them went through. I was really rooting for them each as individuals even more than I was rooting for them as a couple.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy. Thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for the buddy read!

Super slow moving, to the point of frustration. I honestly thought this concept could be nice but It just moved way to slow for me and I couldn't find anything likeable about Ezra or Frankie. They were both super annoying. I think this could have used a heavy handed edit and some more meaningful action. I was not hooked in the slightest until chapter 10 where we find out that Mimi's plane actually was not cancelled. But I couldn't bear with the story long enough to finish the book and find out what happened. I assume the walk down memory lane leads them to realize they were meant for each other all along. blah blah

This is a story that explores second chances and the “what could have beens.” Two exes wake up together with wedding bands on their fingers—and no idea how they got there. As they retrace their steps, we get flashbacks of what brought the two together and also glimpses of what tore them apart. It is an unconventional love story that will have your heart thoroughly invested in the outcome.

Cute story of second chance. Some characters weren’t like able but overall it was a fun read. Good for the holidays

This book is filled with 80s and 90s nostalgia for me. I too was in college in the late 80s and had that love of my life relationship that ended with a snap of my fingers. Although we did not reconnect years later and have a second chance. All the 80s and 90s pop culture references and song titles gave me the warm fuzzies.

Taking place at a New Years Eve wedding at a mini college reunion was a clever idea. I liked that it worked backwards to figure out what happened the night before. It reminded me of The Hangover. I am always a sucker for a second chance romance and while I liked the characters, I didn’t get a strong chemistry off of them. That would have moved me to five stars.

If you love second chance romances and want a trip down memory lane, you should curl up with this romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

I enjoy second chance romances a great deal, but this one did not do it for me.

First of all, the characters were not great. I couldn't really identify with any of them, not even the main characters. And this book engaged in one of my least favorite tropes: miscommunication.

They fought with each other to a point where it no longer felt genuine for them to be in a relationship. And the miscommunication was extremely pervasive to the point where I no longer enjoyed the story.

Not my cup of tea.

The Rewind is about Frankie and Ezra reuniting at a mutual friend's wedding after ten years apart. They've only spoken once since their breakup right before graduation and being in the same space again isn't something they're looking forward to. When they wake up in Ezra's old dorm room the morning after the rehearsal dinner, neither one has a clear picture of what happened the night before and they spend the day together trying to solve the mystery (begrudgingly) before Ezra's girlfriend arrives for the big day. It's a great story told in alternating timelines: the present day and ten years prior. The characters are smart and likeable and the dialogue is witty. A great read.

I really enjoyed the story of Frankie and Ezra, two college sweethearts who ended up with a bad breakup, now meet up at a wedding ten years later. Frankie was a child musical prodigy, rejecting music to go to college and find her freedom from the demands put on her. Ezra was the type to care about everyone, including his dying mother, puzzled by Frankie’s rejection of him. As the book progresses, it is obvious that Frankie and Ezra were immature and unable to read each other’s deep.feelings. I highly recommend this book from one of my favorite authors. Thanks to. NetGalley.

Frankie and Ezra had been sweethearts back in college, but they broke up. It wasn’t a pleasant break up and they haven’t spoken to each other in ten years. When Frankie is asked to be a bridesmaid for one of her friends from college, she feels obligated to accept the invitation. Her only fear is that she will run into Ezra and that would be more than a little awkward.

Of course, Ezra does attend the wedding and she can’t help but run into him after all these years. The good news is that he is planning to propose that night to his girlfriend. The bad news is that they are still attracted to each other.

The night after the wedding, Frankie and Ezra find themselves in a bed together with Frankie wearing Ezra’s engagement ring. Neither one remembers what happened, but they are scared they may have somehow married each other. They work together to find out what happened the previous night.

The premise of this book intrigued me. Two former lovers waking up next to each other with no memory and apparently married? Sounds like an interesting concept to me. Add to that the book takes place in1999 on New Year’s Eve. Remember Y2K? I felt very nostalgic reading this one.

The point of view of each chapter switches back and forth between Frankie and Ezra. This gives the reader a chance to learn what is going on in each of their heads. We are also given glimpses into the couple’s past which occurred ten years prior to this book.

There were times I wasn’t happy with the characters and their reactions. There were also some slow spots for me, but it didn’t hamper my reading. I was too curious to find out what was happening with these two.

This is a new-to-me author and I’d definitely be interested in reading more of her work.









FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

“The night she sidled up to him at the bar at Lemonhead, he’d told her that she was the easiest person to talk to he’d ever met; that she made him want to tell her his secrets. Frankie remembered being flattered: she had been called many things, but amiable and approachable had never been among them. And he was easy to talk to too; like someone she needed to know, like someone who made her like herself more than she realized she could. And so she decided that they were going to be great friends, and they had been.”
College sweethearts Frankie and Ezra’s messy difficult breakup right before graduation has them both vowing that they will never speak to each other again. Ten years later, they are reunited at a wedding where they wake up in bed with wedding rings on. Unable to recall anything from the previous night, they embark on a journey through their old haunts to uncover the answers to how they ended up together again.

Frankie Harriman is one of the most unlikeable heroines I have ever read in my life. She lacks any sense of empathy and is completely self-absorbed. I kept hoping for Ezra’s sake that she would convince me that she was redeemable and not as awful as the book kept making her out to be. That didn’t happen until the last ten percent when you finally got to see any real emotion from her. Ezra, on the other hand, was a saving grace to this book, and if it wasn’t for him then I would have just stopped reading all together. Ezra was sweet, kind, and romantic. He loved his big gestures. Any woman would be lucky to be with him, but sadly he was always pining for someone who didn’t see how great he was.

In the end, I really did struggle with this book both from the bad taste that Frankie left in my mouth to the jarring flashbacks in the middle of chapters with no warning. It’s going to be a book that will appeal to a specific type of reader, but unfortunately, that reader is not me.

Fans of books by Jen DeLuca and Ali Hazelwood might be interested in this one.

~ Michelle

Its 1999 and a New Year's wedding is fast approaching. Frankie has a successful career, but not many successful relationships. She is here, but she would most definitely rather be anywhere else and she definitely doesn't want to run into...him...

Ezra has a successful relationship, successful career, he is back in his college town for a friend's wedding and he wants to propose to his girlfriend Mimi with the best grand gesture. But when he locks eyes with Frankie, why does he have this sudden sense of panic that he hasn't felt in so long.

Frankie and Ezra finally start talking in a rather unconvincedly way. They are forced to rewind the previous night and figure out what happened. This book takes place in the span of around 24 hours. We find out so much about their past along the way, visiting spots and finding out what happed there in college. I also loved the alternating POVs because its so interesting how they remember scenes so differently.

Overall I think this was a great concept, loved going back to the 90's and the Y2K drama. I couldn't really get past Ezra kind of cheating on Mimi, even though she wasn't all she appeared. I also felt the ending was super rushed. I wish Ezra and Frankie had more time to talk instead of going instantly back to an "I love you" vibe.

I always like books by this author, and this is no different, however, I will say it's not one of my favorites. I loved the characters - I thought Mimi was horrible from the beginning, I loved the premise. It just felt like it took a little too long to get the end, which I was completely happy with. I don't always need a book to have a happy ending, but it should always have a good ending.

The book had all the great elements to keep me interested, for the most part. I laughed, I cried, I gasped in shock. But sometimes I just skimmed because of the circles Ezra and Frankie kept going around in. I wanted to knock their heads together and get the situation resolved. I thought I had the book figured out and going a totally different direction when Zoe was first introduced in the dorm room, but I was wrong.

So while I found it completely entertaining and a fun read, it's not my favorite book by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are mine and freely given.

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If you enjoy a good second chance romance or enemies to lovers romance, you’re going to want to check out The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch.

I loved this one! It follows two exes, Frankie and Ezra, who have basically avoided each other for the last ten years after their nasty breakup. They are forced to see each other again, and to return to their old college campus, when two of their best friends announce they’re getting married there and ask Frankie and Ezra to be in their wedding party. Frankie hates Ezra so much that she almost tells the bride no, but finally agrees, only to awkwardly bump into Ezra almost as soon as the gets into town.

The entire wedding party engages in some pre-wedding shenanigans at some of their favorite campus haunts, and flash forward a few hours later, and Frankie and Ezra wake up nearly naked, both wearing wedding bands, in a bed in Ezra’s old dorm room, and both with absolutely no memory of what happened to lead to this awkward situation.

The story wonderfully unfolds in a dual timeline, where one timeline takes us back 10 years to see young Ezra and Frankie as they are college students in love, while the other timeline focuses on present-day as Ezra and Frankie try to retrace the events of the previous night, sparks flying between them the entire time. I really loved the mix of angsty drama and humorous moments, as well as the mystery element of trying to find out what happened. The Rewind is one of those great reads that has a little something for everyone.