Rewind it Back (Author Edition) (Windy City, 5)

I have given every book in this series five stars, and Rio’s book is no exception. I loved every single second of it. I have been looking forward to this book for so long that it could have easily fallen short with how high my expectations were, but it was absolutely perfect!We first met our main character Rio in Mile High, the first book in the series. And he was such a lovable character that I immediately fell in love with him, and couldn’t wait to see him get his happily ever after. And all he wanted was to find his person too, but Liz wasn’t just going to hand us his happy ending so easily. Rio got to watch all of his friends fall in love before it was finally his turn in this last book. And in the end, the wait was worth it because it made it all that much sweeter.I loved his and Callie’s story too! Their history was unexpected for Rio’s character but soon made sense. Their flahback moments were so cute! The road back to each other was beautiful too. It also helped reveal this extra depth to Rio, and what was under that goofy, playful, and somewhat hopeless guy was actually a broken hearted man who was desperate to find the kind of love he’d already had and couldn’t move on from. And I loved how as we got to know Callie, so much about Rio made sense. She was his missing piece 🥰 I loved her character and it was sweet how well she fit into the group!This was the perfect ending to the Windy City Series! We got little tidbits from all the characters and couples. The friendships between the characters were also highlighted so well, one of the best found families in a series. It was bittersweet at times and the nostalgia definitely got to me. And the best part was that because Rio was a witness to every couple’s story he was able to take us back to all of their beginnings in the most beautiful way! I was a teary mess by the time I finished the last page, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.So there’s nothing more to say than a big thank you to Liz Tomforde for bringing us with her to the windy city and making us fall in love with these characters for five books. This is now my absolute favorite romance series of all time and it is the standard by which I will measure them all from now on 💜

Rewind It Back is the 5th and Final book in the Windy City Series. I completed an immersive read of this new release - reading the text while listening to the audiobook.I just have to say wow. I’m rarely left speechless after I finish a book.I’m rarely left with tears still streaming down my face upon reading/listening to the final line in the story, and yet, that is what happened as I read the words “The End”.The emotional journey that this book took the reader on was unmatched for me this year. This wasn’t just a finale for this couple of main characters, but it was a goodbye to all the characters and couples I fell in love with while reading this series.Every step of this book was a beautiful journey that explained the complicated relationship of the lovable hockey player, Rio Deluca and his childhood best friend turned stranger, Hallie Hart. And while we learned about their past and how that fit into the people they are today, we still saw plenty of glimpses of the beloved characters and couples of the prior books in the series.Rio and Hallie were both characters you wanted to root for and side with even when they were fighting with each other. The complications of their past were heartbreaking and I may have cried (sobbed) at so many points in this book, but there were plenty of lovable, silly, humorous and steamy moments throughout.If you love audiobooks like I do, you need to listen to this one on audio. This is a duet style narration by Connor Crais and Megan Wicks. Their voices and performances added the perfect amount of vulnerability and emotion at all the perfect times. All while bringing up the heat during the more intimate scenes. After listening to it, I could not imagine any other narrators bringing these complex characters to life.Overall while this could be classified as an enemies to lovers story based on how things look in the beginning, it is a second chance romance at the heart.If you have read and loved the Windy City Series. This is truly a love letter to us fans and readers. I may have highlighted the last 2 full pages in my book because the epilogue was that perfect.If you haven’t read the series yet, you will not regret reading this series and falling in love with these characters and visiting Chicago for these 5 books.There are literally not enough stars in the sky to rate this book with enough love.♾️⭐️ This book was perfection on page.

Rio and Hallie were each other's first and only loves. Next door neighbors from the time she was 11 and he was 12, they shared everything until something happens to destroy their families and relationship when Rio is 20 and Hallie is 19. Their story resumes 6 years later when the pair find themselves living next door to each other once again. Rio is a professional hockey player and Hallie is working as an intern at a design firm. He needs help renovating his home and she's assigned to the project.The story alternates present day action with flashbacks showing the couple's first years together and the events leading to their separation. What happened to break them is a mystery that's played out throughout the book. (You don't get the complete story until the last 50 pages. The book is almost 500 pages and I got impatient with the slow reveal at times.)Both characters were likable and sympathetic. Ultimately, it's a story of forgiveness and understanding and doing the work to earn a second chance at love.The title references the playlists that Hallie would curate each year to remember the important things that happened. She and Rio relive the big moments by rewinding the songs back and starting over.