3.5 rounded up to 4.

Dixie keeps her lives separate. The one she lives with her parents in New York, and the one she gets to have every summer with her aunt, in the town where they used to live, where she gets to watch movies, have friends, and even a crush. Afraid of how those two would crash, she lost the big chance of concretizing those feelings for Sawyer, and now she's going to use her family's secret ability: rewind. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance and she's got four days to make sure undoing all those experiences is really what she wants.

The lore about their family and the rewind experiences were fun, but I'll be honest, it shouldn't be the trope that leads you here. Yes, you do get to see how it happens, hear many stories of what went right and what wrong, even if Dixie's is saved for the climax and most of the story is in those four days she has to decide if she'll really go for it. In other words, this isn't a story about magical realism, but about regret.

Although I'm not a big fan of Dixie, and some of the excuses for what she's done felt shallow, so they didn't help it, I didn't really felt anything negative about either. Also, this story is written so you get to know the characters better as you read. Yes, most stories are like that, but this one has that as a trademark, I'd say. This made so the development never went where you expected. And I really liked being surprised. I guess you could call them plot twists, but this fun in reading didn't came from how marvelous de plot twists were but from the doors of possibilities they opened. I must also add they don't derail from the main point. In the end it is a second-chance romance. It just doesn't follow the path that's open for it in the beginning.

It's a fun book. There was a point around the second quarter I thought it started dragging, but it soon picks up speed again and I ended up reading the last half in one sitting (this has become super rare for me). I can't wait for Molly Morris's next works!

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Main Characters:
-- Dixie Mulligan – lives in New York, recently graduated high school with plans to study film at NYU in the fall along with her best friend Sawyer; spends her summers in Cielo Springs, California, with her aunt and cousin working in her aunt’s movie theater, The Triple Star (The Trip)
-- Sawyer Cook – lives in Cielo Springs, he and Dixie met four years ago through her cousin and have been best friends ever since, also works at The Trip, plans to study at NYU
-- Kate Mulligan – Dixie’s aunt who owns The Trip, mom to Bunny
-- Bunny Mulligan – his real name is Benjamin, Kate’s son and Dixie’s cousin, also works at The Trip, a year behind Dixie in school even though their birthdays are only a few months apart, she gave him his nickname because everyone called him Benny
-- Claire – goes to school with Bunny and Sawyer; works at The Trip; Dixie and Sawyer would always joke about how she went to Los Angeles for the Cats movie premiere, but Dixie thinks she’s nauseatingly sweet and perfect
-- Harvey – Dixie’s dad’s assistant for the summer, painfully shy and awkward around Dixie
-- Charlie and Mich Roman – married film stars who fell in love on the set of Dixie and Sawyer’s favorite film The Middle, Charlie wrote and directed the movie which Mich starred in, Dixie and Sawyer feel they have sold out to the streaming industry, recently signed an exclusive deal with a streaming company and said “the movie theater is dead”

I spend a lot of time reading adult fiction. (I am an adult, after all.) But there are times when I just want a fun, sweet read, and young adult fiction almost always delivers. I had not read Molly Morris before Rewind to Us, but she’ll definitely be added to my list of young adult authors. This story brings a little bit of romance, a little bit of magic, and a lot of teenage angst.

Dixie comes from the long line of the Mulligan clan, and their family’s secret history is based on the idea most of us would recognize as a golf term for “taking a mulligan”—an extra stroke that doesn’t count against your score. Everyone in the Mulligan family is eligible to take a single mulligan, which they call a Rewind.

“The fundamental rule of Rewinds is that each member of the Mulligan family gets only one. The purpose of allowing just a single chance to redo a moment from the last 365 days is meant to encourage careful consideration, though some argue it’s down to stinginess.”

There are additional rules for the Rewinds. Only members of the family who hold the last name Mulligan are eligible. A Mulligan must submit an application for their Rewind, which can only include a moment they were directly involved in. They must view a video of the outcome of their Rewind, but it only shows their point of view. Any Mulligan family member impacted by someone’s Rewind is delivered an Impact Report the day before the Rewind takes place. The Rewind automatically occurs four days after the video unless the original applicant cancels the request.

There’s enormous pressure to use your Rewind wisely. A Rewind will change the course of anything that happened after the moment of the Rewind. The Mulligans themselves may retain faint memories of the world as it was before the Rewind, but non-Mulligans have no recollection of a different reality. Talk about a butterfly effect!

Each chapter of the book starts with a short excerpt from the Mulligan family history, which is an effective way of introducing the power and impact of the Rewind. The story is told from Dixie’s first-person point of view, and she has a lot going on this last summer before college.

She and Sawyer haven’t spoken since she ghosted him in April, while he was in New York for a Spring Break trip. She had a huge blow-up with her parents before she left for Cielo Springs. There was a fire at The Trip, so everyone is going to spend the summer fixing things up so that Kate can re-open before Sawyer and Dixie head off to college. Oh…and Dixie has decided that she is finally going to tell Sawyer that she loves him.

Obviously there will be (at least) one Rewind. What could possibly go wrong?

There are quite a few surprises in this story, and I don’t want to give any of them away. I love the relationships between Dixie and Sawyer, Dixie and Bunny. Even Dixie and Kate have a few nice heart-to-hearts. There’s lots of movie talk since Dixie and Sawyer both love movies and Kate owns a movie theater, even though there’s a lot of disagreement about what to watch on movie nights.

At one point, Kate suggests going fully cliche, bad nineties or a musical. This is where the author shows off her talent with dialog.

“If you say Grease, I’m leaving right now,” I say.
My aunt knows every single word to that kitschy monstrosity, and has gone as Olivia Newton-John in her hot-girl phase for Halloween more times than I care to admit.
Kate gives me a look, “You know I’m gonna say Grease.”
“Barf,” Bunny, Sawyer, and I groan in unison.
“What’s wrong with Grease?” Kate huffs.
“Everything,” Sawyer says. “The songs suck, everybody looks like they’re forty, and the characters have the most basic, two-D personalities ever. One girl’s personality is just food. Literally. The only thing we know about her is she likes to eat.”
“Yeah, but it’s fun,” Kate says. “Can’t something just be about joy?”

I mean…none of them are wrong. 🤣

This story delves into family relationships, personal relationships, and even understanding yourself…how you view the world and how the world views you. Overlapped onto all of it is the idea of what someone would do if they could take one thing back. We’ve all had those moments, and it would be amazing to have that option. But if you only get one, how do you know if you’re choosing the right one?

It will make you smile. It will make you think. And it’s a really nice way to spend a few hours of your time. Pick this one up.

I would like to thank St.Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this as an ARC. This is now being described as a YA novel. That is the correct description, however, in earlier adveetising , it was put forth as more of a fantasy romance. I generally like fantasy /romance, and read very few YA. Anyway, this is the story of Dixie Mulligan. Dixie is going to spend the summer with her Aunt in California. She does this every year. Her best friend Sawyer also lives here. Dixie wants to tell Sawyer that she loves him. Before she gets the chance, however, she seems him kissing someone else. However, Dixie's family has a secret ability. They can do a rewind. They can go back and change something that they said or did, so it will go away and things will be better. All Dixie has to do is go online, fill out some forms, and figure out just when and what went wrong. How hard can it be? Anyway, this book is just not my type of book. It may appeal to some, but not to me. The one thing I did enjoy, however, was that the name of the family, Mulligan , is a term for a do over:). I wish the rest of the book had been that clever.

Definitely an interesting concept with the rewind. A little long in some spots and then the epilogue seems to fly by, would love better pacing throughout the book. I really liked Sawyer and wanted better for him lol but whatever

Review also posted on goodreads

Rewind to Us is a very cute YA read. It’s a romance with some strong family elements explored and lots of funny moments and secrets along the way. The book was overall fast paced and very entertaining.

The concept of a family having the ability to rewind time had promise and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved the plot twists and drama that comes with being a teenager with famous parents and a family with magical abilities. I enjoyed this book as a whole but particularly loved the second half and the ending.

PLEASE my heart! I am such a sucker for a time loop and this made me smile, cry, and everything in between. I was rooting for Dixie so hard and I loved her and Sawyer so much. Paired with all the family drama, this is absolutely the perfect book.

It was very wordy, and had barely delved into the plot at 30%. If a book hasn't even touched the barest parts of the plot by 15%, I'm usually done. I powered through because this is an ARC, but with each page I turned, I just kept waiting for something to happen. Not only that, but the plot was kind of... silly. It sounded good, but was executed horribly. What do you mean one family has the ability to change the fabric of time once per person? It's just so absurd, and the world building was too complicated for me to really enjoy it.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Rewind to Us is a creative twist on the classic best-friends-to-lovers trope, with time travel, family drama, and a whole lot of emotional chaos.

Dixie is determined to confess her feelings to her best friend Sawyer during her family’s annual California trip… except there’s one major problem: they haven’t spoken since spring break, and he’s very much moved on (ouch). Cue “the Rewind”, a magical family gift that lets her redo the moment that messed everything up.

I really liked the concept. The idea of getting to “rewind” a bad moment is something I feel like we all wish we could do sometimes, and it made for some cool emotional moments. Dixie’s voice felt authentic and like a real teen, she was awkward, impulsive, and heartfelt. Her connection with Sawyer had that soft, aching kind of tension that works so well in second-chance romances.

That said, the pacing was uneven. It took a while to actually get to the Rewind, and by the time it did, the ending felt rushed. Also, the amount of family secrets and drama packed in kind of distracted from the romance, which was what I wanted more of.

Overall, it’s a solid read with a unique premise, but it didn’t completely land for me. Still, if you like emotional coming-of-age stories with a little magical realism and a lot of heart, it’s definitely worth picking up.

I think this would be a great alternative for any ya readers in your life that show interest in the seven year slip but maybe aren’t ready for the little bit of spice in it.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC

Rewind to Us was a decent read overall. I liked the characters and thought the emotional moments hit pretty well, but I just wasn’t left with that “wow” feeling by the end. The story had potential and some sweet moments, but it didn’t totally stick with me after I finished. Still, a solid book if you're looking for a light YA romance with a bit of drama and a couple of twists i didnt see coming,

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was pretty skeptical of this book going in and up until about 50% through.
After the 50% twist, I was SOLD!

Dixie's family is able to 'rewind' one event in their lives and redo it. Dixie desperately wants to redo a moment with her friend Sawyer.
Dixie's family does some meddling and let's just say, some twists come into play that I did not see coming.

This was wilding entertaining and kept me guessing and engaged throughout the whole book. I liked the character growth and realizations that came into play that really elevated the story for me.
Will definitely be checking this author out in the future!

I just had a hard time connecting to the characters of the book and just could not keep myself hooked to it.

This book? Pure magic. Like a mixtape from your teenage self—equal parts heartache, hope, and awkward charm. Rewind to Us had me laughing one minute and clutching the book to my chest the next, whispering, “Oh no, you didn’t just go there!”

It’s time travel meets second chances with characters you want to hug, high-five, and occasionally shake some sense into. Molly Morris perfectly captures the chaos of being young and not having it all figured out—because really, who does?

If I could hop in a time machine, I’d go back just to experience this story again for the first time. Absolute feel-good gem. Hit me right in the retro feels 💾❤️

Each member of the Mulligan family is gifted with one rewind that they can use to undo any one life event. When Dixie Mulligan finds she has irrevocably ruined her relationship, and chance of romance, with her best friend Sawyer she decides to use her rewind to undo the damage caused. However, complications within her family threaten to upend all of her plans.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and netgalley for an e-arc.

I really enjoyed this story and was immediately drawn to the premise as I married my best friend from sixth grade 19 years after our friendship began. (I’m so glad Dixie realized her feelings and took action much sooner.) It took me a little bit to get into it but once I did it was quite lovely. It’s a lighthearted read and I loved how the FMC grows and learns over the course of the novel. I love how family is central and found the surprise twist to be just the kick the story needed. The parallels to other multimedia drawn throughout the story give so much context and depth to the situation each of the characters go through. It was refreshing to see that an entire cast of characters were equally as important to the MC as well as to the plot.

I am excited to check out other stories from this author as well!!

Dixie's family is allowed to have one do-over in their lives where they can go back in time. This is a friends-to-lovers story. Dixie wants to fix what happened between her and her best friend Sawyer who is now estranged. There was a surprising twist in this book that I enjoyed.

This book was a young adult romance filled with teen age nostalgia with a magical element and a surprising twist. I enjoyed every moment of reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for this arc copy in exchange for my review!

Light hearted feel good Ya romance. Perfect for fans of Better Then the Movies. Rewind it back has teen age nostalgia with a magical element and a surprising twist. I enjoyed every moment of reading this book.

Mini review:
I ended up enjoying this book! The character development I saw at the end (from multiple characters) was sweet and I enjoyed seeing how the characters interacted with each other and how close friends and family were or became in this. Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun and interesting way of going back in time and I enjoyed my time reading this. I personally had some challenges connecting with the characters. I enjoyed the quirkiness but without the connection, I didn't _love_ it. But all in all, a fun read.

⭐⭐⭐

✨I don’t think I could ever be over you, not when everything I love makes me think of you✨

📖

Story follows Dixie, who uses a rewind to fix a mistake she believes ruined her relationship with her best friend sawyer, only to discover more complexities and family secrets.

My Thoughts:

This was cute! Too much unnecessary language for me and at the end it kind of dragged on especially for a YA. I guessed the plot twists though! Also felt like some elements of the story had no correlation, don’t get me wrong I loved Dixie’s and Sawyers dynamic it was adorable, but it wasn’t strong enough for me to overlook the other elements and it fell flat. Bunny and her aunt were funny though I liked their relationship towards each other. Overall it was a fun read in the beginning but towards the end you lost me.

-1st POV

- YA magical realism

-heavy language

- slow-burn

- second-chance romance

- m/m relation mentioned (side character)

- rocky relationship with parents

As always thank you to Net galley and and Molly Morris for the ARC review stay Blessed everyone 😊