THE ROMANCE REWIND

Zadie is sure that she and Jason are meant to be together forever.

When Jason, “the king of Sterlingwood High,” abruptly ends the relationship on their one-year anniversary, Zadie is stunned. But before she can come to terms with her situation, they get into a car crash. Zadie might have a concussion, but Jason is in a coma. Not willing to admit to being dumped, Zadie pretends that the breakup never happened. Not only that, she tells everyone that Jason gave her a promise ring. No one must discover the truth. Unfortunately for Zadie, Marcus, Jason’s cousin, overheard her revealing everything to her friend Monique in a voice note. As Zadie figures out how to escape her lies, she suddenly finds herself magically transported into one of her favorite memories of Jason. Much to her displeasure, Marcus is also there. Over the course of the story, the unlikely pair travel through the previous year’s memories. Zadie is determined to figure out where her seemingly perfect partnership with Jason went sour so she can fix things. But as Zadie and Marcus spend more time together in the dreams, they grow close. This bittersweet and fantastical story would have benefited from more character development, but this is, ultimately, a satisfying, well-written romance. A shocking major twist works well, and Everett absolutely nails the landing. Zadie and Monique are Black, and Jason and Marcus are white.

A delightful slow-burn romance with a touch of sentimental magic.