Review: The Big Rewind by Libby Cudmore

Jett Bennett lives in her grandmother's apartment, right in the middle of a quirky hipster neighborhood where vintage, either original or fabricated, is the rage again.  When Jett receives a mix tape in the mail meant for her neighbor, Jet is quick to return it.  Jet appreciates the implication and importance of a mix tape; she has a box full from old boyfriends that she keeps in her apartment.

Yet when she finds KitKat dead in her apartment, Jett is horrified.  She can't imagine anyone who would want her neighbor dead.  When Kit's boyfriend, Bronco, is arrested for her murder, it becomes Jett's personal mission to track down her neighbor's killer.  Finding the creator of the mix tape is of utmost importance; somehow it is linked to KitKat's death. Yet the more she discovers about that mix tape, the deeper it takes her into her own past, riddled with old boyfriends and lost love.

Never before have I read a book so difficult to categorize.  Is it a love story? Quirky whodunit?  Likely all of the above!

Growing up in the 80s, I’m quite familiar with mix tapes. So many hours spent cultivating the perfect tape.  It wasn’t as easy as adding a song to a playlist; this sort of thing took time and dedication. As the cover of this title implies, mix tapes and the power of the songs on them play a key role in this story.  I completely adored this, although I wonder how much of this will be lost on a generation unfamiliar with tape players (and vinyl!).  It is a substantial part of the story, hopefully not overlooked!

There is a lot going on in this book, surprising given it’s relatively short length.  Jet’s a great character with a warm heart, yet confused outlook on love.  She’d love to be involved in music journalism, yet finds herself working a temp job. She keeps a box of mix tapes from past boyfriends; a motley box of plastic memories of lost love. She’s in love with her best friend, Sid, who thinks he’s in love with a stripper.  This journey to find KitKat’s killer takes her back to her own lost loves and she even reunites with a few.  The closer she gets to identifying KitKat’s killer, the clearer her outlook is on her own life and love. Though the actual “whodunit” portion is probably the weakest part of this book, the journey to the end result is quite worth it.

A truly quirky read, I can’t wait to see what younger generations think of this book. I quite enjoyed it; it certainly took me back in time!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to review this title!