This story starts with Frankie and Ezra waking up together with no memory of what happened the night before. The reader is along for the ride as they rediscover all of the things they hated and loved about each other. Truthfully, there were more things that they loved about each other but the fallout from their breakup was so great that they spent a long time griping about having to spend time with each other that it took me a long time to figure out why they had even been in love previously. They were both pretty awful and unlikable. But, as the story went on we learned the back stories of both characters, as well as their love story and understood them a bit better. The way the novel was written, the reader is left unsure if these two characters would end the weekend as friends, their language was that tempestuous. Despite that uncertainty I still enjoyed the story and wanted to see where it led me.

The second chance trope has never been one of my favorites, but the author really let us get to know our two main characters and understand why what happened in their past affected their lives so much. They were two people who truly understood each other in their young adulthood and have kind of lost their way. Even though they aren’t happy to see each other, their understanding of each other came through and the reader wanted them to get past the angst and pain and give each other a chance again. Of course, there was a lot standing in their way and that journey towards understanding their future didn’t come without pain. This was a really well told story that I would’ve liked a little bit more if there wasn’t so much snark, but I loved the ending. That ending made it all worth it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

Ezra and Frankie are attending their friends' wedding at their alma mater. The same university where they fell in love, the same place where their relationship imploded. And now, back where it all started, both hungover and missing memories of their evening together, they've got just a few hours before Frankie has to perform her bridesmaid duties, and Ezra has to collect his girlfriend-soon-to-be-fiancee to put aside their anger and figure out how and why they woke up together.

This is a brilliant story of two people who were too young to really know what they wanted, who were so busy trying to escape their past that they couldn't define their futures. Loved every word.

I love all the 1990s nostalgia that is going on right now. Dr Martens are making a come back (glad I kept my pair from high school!), the Boo Pails are back at McDonalds, flare jeans and baby doll dresses with a white tee are back with a vengeance! YEAH flare jeans! My 1990s kid heart is so happy and I am just loving it! I love seeing remakes of some of my favorite 1990s films—the remakes aren’t great (looking at you Baywatch!) but it’s fun to see people trying to introduce them to as new audience! And I have seen a number of books thick with 1990s nostalgia and I am absolutely here for it!

That was the number one reason I wanted to read this book—-1990s nostalgia. Well that and it had romance so you know I am all over that! I am not a fan of second chance romances though so I was a little hesitant to read this one based on the fact that the characters already had a complex history, but the promise of a Y2K filled book of nostalgia, I couldn’t pass it up!

This book is definitely not the fluffy romance I was expecting, but it was a lot of fun to read and I love discovering new to me authors. I am excited to read more books by Allison Winn Scotch. I haven’t read anything else by her but after reading this one I am excited to read some of her others. As we start to get into the holiday season, this book might be a great option as it has a strong holiday influence so keep that in mind as you are lining up your holiday reading. If you are a 1990s kid, you will find a lot to enjoy in this one!

Summary

Two exes wake up together with wedding bands on their fingers–and no idea how they got there. They have just one New Year’s Eve at the end of 1999 to figure it out in this big-hearted and nostalgic rom-com from New York Timesbestselling author Allison Winn Scotch.

When college sweethearts Frankie and Ezra broke up before graduation, they vowed to never speak to each other again. Ten years later, on the eve of the new millennium, they find themselves back on their snowy, picturesque New England campus together for the first time for the wedding of mutual friends. Frankie’s on the rise as a music manager for the hottest bands of the late ’90s, and Ezra’s ready to propose to his girlfriend after the wedding. Everything is going to plan–they just have to avoid the chasm of emotions brought up when they inevitably come face to face.

But when they wake up in bed next to each other the following morning with Ezra’s grandmother’s diamond on Frankie’s finger, they have zero memory of how they got there–or about any of the events that transpired the night before. Now Frankie and Ezra have to put aside old grievances in order to figure out what happened, what didn’t happen…and to ask themselves the most troubling question of all: what if they both got it wrong the first time around? (summary from Goodreads)

Review

The nostalgia in this one is so on point. I can vividly remember where I was no New Years Eve 1999 and I just love how the author really brought in all the elements of the 1990s and NYE 1999 to this book. While the 1990s music and vibes are a big theme in this book, it’s not the only focus. The bulk of this story is about Ezra and Frankie’s love story. If you are looking for relaxing fluff to read, you might want to pass on this. This romance was more emotional than I was expecting but it was so worth it and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and exploring what went wrong in 1999 and what went right going forward. This romance really had a bit of everything but the thing that stands out for me is the emotion.

The characters, Ezra and Frankie, really embodied the whole angst that has become the 1990s trademark. They are each flawed characters with their own set of baggage and issues. Very characteristic of the time period but now with the gift of time and age, they are able to grow as characters both individually and together in this book. This book has just so much heart and I love watching the characters come alive under the author’s pen. Their relationship is multilayered and nuanced and I think reads will really enjoy the exploration and growth that the characters go through. I did struggle a bit with the POV, it’s in the third person so there was a weird detachment for me as a reader and I think the story would have been stronger if we got to explore the characters through their own eyes, but overall it wasn’t a deal breaker for me. I still felt like the characters grew and evolved throughout the story and I felt empathy for them so overall it was fine.

This book will especially appeal to those readers who have grown up in the 1990s (the 40s demographic). I mean the 1990s nostalgia angle is really the reason I read this book, but I know that fans of modern romances will find a lot to enjoy in this one as well. I am so glad I read this one, it was such a treat to walk down memory lane within the story but to also explore interesting characters and a romance that I felt had chemistry and promise. If you have seen this one around the blog-o-sphere, I think it’s certainly worth a read! I really enjoyed my time with this one!

Book Info and Rating

Format: 368 pages, paperback

Publication: November 1st 2022 by Berkley Books

ISBN: 0593546539

Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: contempo lit, women’s fiction, romance, chick lit

This book was really fun and unexpected. Between a second chance romance + the cover vibes I was expecting something more in line with Every Summer After/Love in Other Words. It was much more of a rom com meets The Hangover with the couple trying to piece together the night before. It did get a little more emotional towards the end when you learn more about their breakup, but this was not a heavy read by any means. I definitely think it needs a different cover to go with the story. I would recommend this one, the nods to 1999 were a fun touch

🥰really like || 💗low steam
🤟nostalgic, second chance, Y2K
📚Sophie Cousens

Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook.

What would you do if you woke up with your ex, in a dorm room of the college you both attend, with wedding bands on your finger even though you broke up right before graduation and haven’t spoke since? You fight, of course! Then you retrace your steps to figure out what happened. This is where Frankie and Ezra find themselves New Years Eve of 1999. The night that Ezra planned to propose to his girlfriend. I equate it to a RomCom version of The Hangover.

This was a fun book with a bunch of nostalgic references to Y2K and the 90s. There is a lot of introspection as Frankie and Ezra try to figure out what happened and what they really want out of their lives. The book was entertaining but not overly memorable. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a nostalgic read with some romance.

3.5 stars – Rounding to 4 for Goodreads

This is a fun book for anyone looking for a rom-com with lots of nostalgia. It took me a little while to get into the characters, but once the action picked up I found myself unable to put it down. I especially enjoyed all of the 80s and 90s pop culture and music references.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch was a fun ride through the early nineties and then a decade later on the eve of Y2K. That evening happens to be when Frankie and Ezra, our main protagonists, separately attend a wedding, after a brutal breakup upon graduation. There were so many amazing flashbacks to music, dress, and college life that it took me back to my own college years, although those were in the eighties.

The story focuses on a mysterious night, one in which neither can remember how or why they woke up in Ezra’s dorm room bed, followed by the shocker of shocks – they both were adorning wedding rings. At first, I thought this was going to be some sort of Freaky Friday or magical realism sort of book, but soon realized no magic was needed – this was just a romp through circumstance and memory while the exes tried to recall what happened.

As they trek the snowy landscape of their college campus, the familiar buildings and bars bring back long-lost memories as well as laugh out loud moments while they try to unravel the night before. Scotch has a good sense of creating witty and realistic humor. As they spend time together and apart, they both begin to realize what roles they played in their breakup and why it happened in the first place.

This book says a lot about introspection, finding what you really want to do with your life, learning what makes you happy, music, gambling, friendship, and motherhood. Already nodded for a Netflix film, I think this may be the author’s best book to date.

Quotes I liked:
The questions are bullshit, the matchmaking is bullshit. It’s all just an algorithm. We just want people to sign up and maybe some of them will have a few decent dates and get laid. Who am I to say who will be a perfect match, who will live happily ever after? It’s all just fiction.”

Thanks for the free book @berkleyromance and thank you @PRHAudio for the free audiobook.

The Rewind was a really fun book. It’s basically like a romcom version of The Hangover. Two exes wake up together with wedding bands on their fingers and as they try to piece together the night before, they also reflect back on their past relationship and break up. The present story takes place on NYE in 1999 (anyone else remember Y2K?) so there’s lots of 90s and 80s pop culture references. I really enjoyed this story and the anticipation of discovering how things happened as the characters slowly figure out pieces of their night they can’t remember. It’s a little bit of a mystery but of course with an exciting second-chance romance story.

A fun holiday romance about Frankie and Ezra, ex college lovers who reunite ten years later on-campus for their college friends’ wedding. In spite of the obvious disdain these two exes have for one another, after a day of pre-wedding activities, they wake up in Ezra’s dorm room and Frankie is sporting the engagement ring that Ezra was going to give to his girlfriend. How did they end up in this predicament? The book explores this question along with the hope of rewriting their path together. Some cute, swoon-worthy moments balance out one too many flashbacks and some far-fetched gaps in both of their memories. Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

This is a Second-Chance Romance/Women's Fiction. I found this book to be cute and fun, and the characters were perfect for this story. I found the storyline to be fun and there was a little bit of mystery mixed into it. This book was filled with drama and characters thinking about the past and where they are now. I was pulled into the story right away, and I did not want to put the book down. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Berkley Books) or author (Allison Winn Scotch) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

🌟: 4.5/5
I enjoyed the holiday season vibes of this book. While Ezra and Frankie's true animosity for each other was a bit of a challenge to deal with at times, it also allowed for the characters to experience extreme character development. Watching the pair mature and come to take accountability for their college breakup was part of what made the story so enjoyable. I also loved the way in which the book was structured. The reader experiences Frankie and Ezra's true confusion over what happened the night before New Year's Eve, which sucked me in to the story as I was excited to see what twists and turns would be unraveled as the pair try to fill in their missing time. I loved seeing Frankie and Ezra come back towards each other as a couple as well, but for me the most important part of the story felt less like the romance, and more about each character's individual and internal journey. If you're looking for an emotional holiday romance with wonderful character development, then this one is for you.

Sadly I didn't love this. I found the characters super unlikeable so it made me have a hard time connect with them. I also didn't love the writing style as well.

2.5/5

I struggled with this one so I’ll just keep this fairly brief. I went into it thinking it was gonna be this fun nostalgic romance and really it was more fiction, not a lot of romance and missing the nostalgia I was hoping for. I found both Frankie and Ezra to be frustrating and frankly, annoying characters so I wasn’t able to connect to them or care about them. The story also dragged for me and it felt like it was an endless cycle of trying to piece together the night before and I just didn’t care eventually. I have enjoyed the authors past books but this was just a miss for me.

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch.

Unfortunately this book was a little too underwhelming for me. I was bored reading it, and I really didn't care about either of the characters. I DNFd this book around 40%

I absolutely loved this romance! When I was describing the premise to my husband, he said “sounds like The Hangover,” referring to the 2009 Bradley Cooper movie. While there are some parallels there, this book is the sentimental, sweet version. Frankie and Ezra are a cute but flawed duo, with believable, non-annoying quirks. I loved the 1989 and 1999 settings for the two timelines of the book, and the throwback felt accurate without being too cheesy. I loved that there was great emotional depth to all of the characters along with plenty of page-turning conflict. I would highly recommend this one!

On the eve of a new millennium two exes wake up in their old college dorm room with wedding rings on their fingers and no recollection of what happened.
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Frankie is a successful band manager and Ezra is about to propose to his girlfriend as we enter 2000. Frankie and Ezra haven’t talked to each other in ten years since their epic breakup but when they meet up again at a mutual college friend’s wedding their life goes awry.
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I loved the nostalgia factor in this one and the use of music and how important certain songs are to them, especially With or Without you by U2, which is a complete jam. I physically read this and listened because the queen of audio, Julia Whelan is one of the narrators!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads @prhaudio and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t your typical long-lost lovers reunite and its instant chemistry. No, this is more I hate you and you hate me in the beginning, but the journey has them realizing a lot of things about themselves that affect their relationship. It all happens in 24 hours too!

I keep saying I am going to stop reading all of these fluff romance books that can never seem to snag me. Yet, here I went and read another.

I don't know what it is with today's contemporary romance authors. They're nothing like the authors that have come before them. That should be good. No one should be like any other. However, these newer contemporary romance authors are trying too hard. Trying too hard to impress. Trying too hard to be revelant. Just trying too hard overall.

This book practically put me to sleep. The blurb sounded fun. Yet, I just rolled my eyes over and over again throughout this book. The characters had the maturity of teenagers, not adults. This seems to be the theme in many romances lately. If your character is a certain age, they need to reflect that age. Or are people in their mid twenties to early thrities really that immature?

Overall, another book that wasn't for me. I am sure this book will find its place with readers though. There are many that like the things I don't like.

This book was unlike anything I was expecting! I was expecting an emotional second chance romance - but this was totally the opposite! It was such a fun adventure romcom, with laugh out loud moments, A1 banter, and so much sexual tension! I absolutely ADORED the last 60 pages and flew right through the ending! Overall a really cute book and premise! Fun bingeable story :)

CW- miscarriage, cancer, death of a parent, cheating

Thank you PRH audio for my #gifted copy! This has been one of my most anticipated books this year and it didn’t disappoint! The narration was fantastic (Julia Whelan is one of my favorites!)

I really liked the dual pov of Frankie and Ezra. I really liked seeing their relationship from 10+ years ago and then the wild situations they got themselves into in the present. I was not in college in the 90s but this still had some nostalgia- Blockbuster mentions, Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas is you (released in the 90s!)

I wasn’t sure I was going to like how it wrapped up, but it was well done and wasn’t an over the top HEA. I’m a big fan of Scotch’s and I can’t wait to read what she writes next!