A Love Story I’d Rewind Every Time 🎨

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A Love Story I’d Rewind Every Time 🎨

Rewind It Back (Windy City #5)
by Liz Tomforde

⭐ My Rating: 5 stars (but honestly… 6 if I were allowed)
☕ Vibe: Emotional, nostalgic, second-chance perfection
📍 My first book of February & my FAVORITE in the series

Hallie Hart and Rio DeLuca’s story didn’t start with a meet-cute.

                                .... It started next door.



They grew up together. Childhood crushes turned into teenage love, and teenage love turned into heartbreak that neither of them ever truly moved on from. At nineteen, everything fell apart—and for six years, they stayed apart too.
And the renovation project that could make or break her career?

 He’s never stopped loving the girl next door. He’s just been rewinding the memories in silence… waiting for a second chance he never thought he’d get.

Now Hallie is chasing her dream internship with a high-profile interior designer in Chicago… which just so happens to be the city Rio plays professional hockey in.

Chicago should be big enough to avoid your ex, right?

Wrong.

Because Hallie unknowingly moves in next door to him.

It’s his house.

Forced proximity, unresolved feelings, and years of unspoken hurt collide as Hallie is tasked with turning Rio’s bachelor pad into a family home—while pretending her heart isn’t already halfway there.

And Rio?

Review time:

I LOVED this book. Like, capital L, highlight-every-page, clutch-my-chest LOVED.

Rio DeLuca is officially one of my favorite MMCs in the entire Windy City series—soft, emotional, loyal, and completely undone by the girl he’s loved since he was twelve. The fact that he’s been holding onto Hallie all these years?? Criminally romantic.

And Hallie… she is everything. Strong, driven, guarded in the most understandable way, and still so full of heart. Watching her balance her career dreams while slowly letting herself feel again was so satisfying.

The banter? Elite.
The childhood flashbacks? Absolutely wrecked me.
The second-chance romance? Perfection.

Liz Tomforde truly saved the emotional depth for last with this one. The history between Hallie and Rio makes every interaction heavier, softer, and more meaningful. You feel every look, every argument, every moment they almost say the things they’ve been holding in for years.

This didn’t just feel like the end of a series—it felt like a love letter to it.

Coffee Pairing ☕🤍

Since this was my first book of February, I needed something cozy but indulgent:

Honey Vanilla Latte
Warm, comforting, slightly sweet—perfect for a story filled with nostalgia, late-night memories, and love that never really left.

(Tea option: a vanilla chai with oat milk for the same soft, emotional vibe.)

Final Thoughts

Rewind It Back was everything I wanted from the final Windy City book and more. If you love:

  • second-chance romance

  • childhood friends to lovers

  • forced proximity

  • emotional MMCs who have always loved one girl

This one will absolutely own your heart.

And while I’m not ready to say goodbye to this world just yet… I am very excited for what’s next 👀


Liz Tomforde’s upcoming spinoff, In Her Own League, is set to release on March 3, 2026, and if it gives us even a fraction of the heart Windy City did? I’ll be there, coffee in hand, ready to fall all over again.

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