A review by dlrosebyh
Rewind It Back by Liz Tomforde

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

“No one else draws their hearts like this, so every time I see one, I know it’s you. That’s why I like them so much.”

hey...so! I'm unwell!

this was the first book I read from the series simply because I had no interest in hockey, straight romances, and well...just romance in general. if you know me for a decent amount of time, you know that the only romance tropes i enjoy are grumpy/sunshine (but only when the girls are grumpy) and second chance. heavy on second chance. god forbid a girl wants her angst!!! and from the title itself, it's obvious that rewind it back *is* a second chance romance.

still, i was hesitant to read it. i did not have the best history when it comes to reading hockey romances. in all honesty, i think this was the only one i enjoyed.

rewind it back follows rio & hallie. rio plays for a hockey team in chicago, and hallie is an intern for her dream job in chicago. fate intertwined in their hands, they crossed paths as hallie was assigned to be the interior designer of rio's new house. just like any other romance, sparks flew, tension arised, and eventually rio & hallie found comfort in each other's company like they used to. if chicago by louis tomlinson were a book, it would be this book. and that alone makes me emotional.

as i've mentioned, this is the only book i've read in the series so far; which is ironic as this is the last installment in the series. what i can tell from what i have read so far is that tomforde LOVES her characters. she knows how to write them. tomforde's pen was on fire writing this book. when people told me that she knew how to write yearners, they were true. these characters, even for a first-time reader felt like home. no wonder people who read the whole series were crying & sobbing over the epilogue...because i almost did.

the plot was cliché, but the story was full of elements that made riohallie's stories their own: from cassette tapes, to their birthdays being the exact opposite of each other, and to rooftops. this book serves as a reminder that clichés are not inherently bad. you just need to personalize them a bit, and obviously add flavor.

that being said, the only reason why i didn't rate this book higher is that i found the pacing a little bit off. not a huge deal, just a preference of mine for it to keep ongoing. after the 20% mark, in my opinion, the book became more consistent, thus making me enjoy more. i won't comment on other plot devices as i did not know how the series started. from this book alone, i have a lot of questions but i surmised that these questions are answered from the past installments of the series. i feel like tomforde wrote this for the readers who actually read the previous installments so this book came off very straightforward and me being slightly confused as there are no really "previously on disney channel" moments, you know? but again, that's on me. i may reread this if i ever want to read the other books, but that's where i am right now (& also, i found the beginning too straight for my liking, but again. that's on me).

overall, rewind it back is your perfect palette cleanser. it gives you what you expect it (& maybe even more), so i'd recommend it.