Romance isn’t usually my go to genre, but this book was just what I needed! It was a lighthearted, easy read and I found myself routing for the main character, Abby. The characters were lovable and I was so invested in the story. A beautiful read for romance fans!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed this book. Abby was born and raised in Ireland, that has recently gone through a breakup. The way she handled it was better than I ever would have lol. Luke is swoony, and I wish he was real. I wanted more of this story, it just wasn't enough.

I read the author’s first novel, One Night Only and was very excited when I got approved of her second.

The setting for this one was dreamy. I definitely wanted to visit the small town Clonard in Ireland. I liked how Abby wanted to leave and she did, but she knew she’d feel safe back in her hometown.

I had no idea this would be a sort of second chance romance! I loved the fact that Abby and Luke were best friends who just grew apart as they got older.

I also thought the ending was super realistic. I feel like in a lot of these kind of books they end up staying in their hometown and trying something new in life. But Abby already liked what she did, she just needed more work/life balance.

I loved so many things about this book:
- Abby as a protagonist was great to read from
- Luke, the love interest, was definitely swoon worthy
- The setting was really nice, I always enjoy books set in cute little villages
- Childhood friends to lovers
- Lots of funny moments and also lots of really cute moments too

I really enjoyed this one, it’s the second book I’ve read by Catherine Walsh and I will definitely be picking up anything she releases in the future!

Cute, fun, summer read perfect for that beach holiday. Abby returns home to her little country town in Ireland jobless and fiancé-less.
Stuck in a small town with too many memories, I’m her sisters house that she doesn’t get along with. Abby finds some new and old friends along the way.
A little twist to the ending which is satisfying and not too expected which is nice. Great read, highly recommend.
Thanks #netgalley for the advanced copy.

It had some promise, but ultimately it was not the book for me. I couldn’t connect with the main character, Abby, at all. She honestly kind of drove me nuts and that’s a first for me. I honestly didn’t really feel a connected between her and the love interest at all.

Even though it wasn’t for me, you may like it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have this ARC for an honest review. It will be out on Valentine’s Day if you wanna give it a go!

The Rebound was one of those books I enjoyed reading. It wasn’t a “page turner” as much as it was a good friend I wanted to sit up all night with and have a few laughs. I took my time reading this book simply because I didn’t want it to end.

Successful New York finance professional, Abby, finds herself suddenly unemployed, single, and back home in Ireland on her sister’s doorstep.

After the company she was working for closes its doors unexpectedly, her fiancé breaks off their engagement, and Abby has no other option than to return home to Clonard, an idyllic village on Irish east coast.

I don’t like giving too much plot detail in my reviews because I don’t want to give anything away to potential readers. But what I can say is I loved this story. I loved everything about it.

I loved the characters:

While Abby was ballsy and often unapologetic, she wasn’t written in a way that was too much; she was still relatable and likeable which is not easy to pull off for an author. So many times a strong woman is arrogant and unbelievable. Not Abby. Abby is the kind of gal you want to meet up with a wine and a chin wag.

I loved Louise, Abby’s impossible sister. At times you want to slap Louise as she certainly isn’t backward in coming forward, but the relationship between the sisters is scarily accurate. I think those of us with sisters will absolutely be able to relate to these two in more than a few instances written in the story.

Luke. Oh, Luke. I love me a swoony book boyfriend. And the chemistry between Luke and Abby is believable and realistic. And HILARIOUS.

I loved Clonard. As an Australian who has never been to Ireland, I love these types of books because you really do get to escape.

I loved the background characters. Andrew, the self-appointed Mayor of Clonard, is a standout for me. Loved his little snippets.

This book was funny. And when I say ‘funny’ I mean FUNNY! The way Catherine Walsh writes dialogue is just so free-flowing and effortlessly hilarious; more than a few times I found myself laughing out loud. But it was more than funny; it was touching and relatable, and the ending, whilst undoubtedly a HEA, wasn’t corny or forced like so many romance stories out there.

This was an undeniable 5/5 for me.

I can’t wait for the next instalment from Cat. I hear it’s a Christmas book, and I’m all about it.

Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and Catherine Walsh for allowing me the chance to review The Rebound.

Abby lost her job, fiancé , savings when her job fell apart in the states. She felt like she had no choice but to return home to Ireland and live with her sister temporarily. The first person she sees is Luke, who gives her a ride home from the bus stop. What Abby doesn’t realize is Luke was one of her childhood friends and his parents still live next door to where she’s staying. The story follows Abby as she tries to find herself and goes through restarting her life. I did enjoy this story however I didn’t feel like there was much of a story behind it but I would definitely recommend for a quick romantic read ❤️

Read if you like: slow burning romance & small town stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Rebound follows Abby Reynolds as she returns to her childhood home in rural Ireland after she’s suddenly unemployed, homeless, and single. Abby swore she would never return but when her fiancé calls things off and her employer in New York goes bankrupt – she finds herself with no choice but going back home to see her sister, who she left behind many years ago. Things are looking up when the first person she meets is handsome Luke who offers her a lift home from the bus station. He is the perfect distraction until Abby realises, he is actually the boy next door, her childhood neighbour. The village, including Luke and her sister, think she is a high flying New yorker, getting married next year. Can she admit that she has lost everything? To get what she wants, she might have to!

A huge thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this one. I was very excited when I saw it was available because I love a heart-warming romance and find them a great way to start the year. This was a beautiful story. It was very cute, uplifting, and quick to read. I loved that Abby and Luke met straight away at the beginning of the book, it took me straight into the story.

It was heartening to follow Abby on her journey throughout the story. Life doesn’t always go to plan, and it was those challenges and hurdles that Abby had to face to realise what she actually wanted. I enjoyed seeing the strained relationship between Abby and her sister develop over the chapters as well as her relationship with Luke.
Overall, a feel good funny contemporary romance!

My first experience with the author's books, The rebound is a light and compelling love story set in the beautiful Ireland as a background. That kind romantic comedy that lifts your mood in the bad day. Such an interesting reading.

A fun, lighthearted read that was so cute!

Wow! This one had me laughing and smiling. I loved Abby's character development throughout the book, and enjoyed seeing her find herself again.

I loved Luke! Our small town hottie with a heart of gold. Luke Bailey definitely gave me Luke Danes vibes 😍

I loved all the witty banter and sassy back and forths between the characters. This book Kelly me on my toes and I felt like u was sitting on a room with friends!

Read if you enjoy: slow burn romance, city girl/small town guy & childhood friends.

❤️ 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮 @Bookouture for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is Catherine Walsh's second novel, and the second one I have read by her! I really enjoyed The Rebound and found Abby, the main character, perfect in her imperfectness.

Luke was an amazing character who was a kind person, who just cared for the people in his life in a way we all deserve to be cared for. I loved the banter between Abby and Luke and found them caring for each other so sweet. I also loved the exploration of Abby and Louise's relationship in the book and how complicated and realistic this relationship is for many. Sometimes in books, I feel that the author makes everything wrap up perfectly, but Walsh does an excellent job of relationships developing, but not being perfect. This made all the characters in the book more relatable.

Walsh does an excellent job of painting the small Irish town that Abby retreats too and I could picture myself there in the town, in the café, in the pub and even in her childhood home. She also doesn't write typical stereotypes that I often find in novels based in Ireland, which was a nice change. The town and people in it felt real, and that made the book feel more relatable.

I did find some of this book to be a bit of a typical rom-com, but that also made it a quick read. This books was a fun and sweet read and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good, not spicy, romance. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book in advance!
This story got me hooked from the beggining. Love the way Abby and Luke met each other, without her realizing it, and things progressed.
There were some obstacles but they fought through it. Other characters like Beth, Louise and Tomasz was also interesting ones. Loved the banter between Abby and Luke but the constant fights (when it was clear they liked each other) annoyed me a bit.
After all, it was a good read.

Unfortunately this story just did not work for me. I found the main character's motivations for her secrecy to be a little overdone and not very believable. I think her anger towards the male main character to be silly and unwarranted considering he was being an upstanding guy.

This is a slice of life, character driven story and unfortunately there just wasn't enough plot to keep me interested. I don't, however, think this book is inherently bad, I just think my reading preferences don't align with this author's writing style. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to someone who reads similar books.

Adored this book. Just so much fun and such a welcome distraction when you need one. Really well done - looking fwd to reading everything Catherine writes.

It would be an understatement to say I was SO excited to stumble across another book by Catherine Walsh on NetGalley!! One Night Only (Catherines debut novel) quickly became one of my favourite reads of 2021 so of course I jumped at the chance to read The Rebound, which was just as good!

The Rebound centers around our MC Abby, who has just lost her job/career, her savings, her home, and her fiancé. Stuck and feeling like she has no other options, she returns to her hometown in Ireland to crash with her older sister and brother-in-law. Abby is such a relatable and inspirational character, and even though I haven’t been through the kind of ‘crash’ Abby’s gone through, I found her story so relatable, compelling and heartwarming.

4.5 stars rounded up! 💗

I absolutely adored this book and couldn't stop smiling the entire time I was reading.

Abby was a likeable and relatable character who was funny, authentic, ambitious and a real friend to those she cared about. I loved that she wasn't someone who lived for drama and craved attention. The love interest Luke was absolutely perfect too and it was so refreshing to have a male character who was mature and didn't flounce off in a huff whenever he was annoyed or didn't get his way - he actually talked things out and acknowledged when it was time to give someone space.

The story was well written and wasn't cheesy or full of Irish stereotypes or clichés (thank god) - it just felt real. It was about average, relatable people in their average, relatable lives with some sweet, flirty moments sprinkled on top to completely melt your heart.

Honestly? I loved every single page of it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Abby loses her job, her fiance and her savings, and comes home to a small place in Ireland, to stay with her sister Louise (with whom she's always had a difficult relationship) and her husband Tomasz (who everyone calls that - no Tom-ming in sight). She also runs into her childhood pal, now grown into an attractive physiotherapist in training. While in Ireland, she finds perspective, and more. Also, there's some whale and beach-saving.

A fluffy chicklit novel whose strength is somewhat spoilery: I liked what the novel did at the end, how it chose to deal with the homecoming / potentially retreatist-seeming scenario. I also appreciated that the Polish immigrant character got to speak actual English and not a mangled version thereof.

There are some funny and touching moments, the latter primarily related to the relationship between the protagonist and her sister - in fact, the sister is clearly the standout character, and I can't help feeling I would have enjoyed being in her head more than being in Abby's.

What I didn't enjoy was the way in which protagonist was introduced at the beginning - it made her seem unnecessarily mean-spirited in a way that was very internalised-sexist. And in general, I wouldn't have minded her being drawn a little more decisively - if she's meant to be spike-y and occasionally mean, let her be properly and enjoyably mean, and if she's meant to be relatable, maybe some of her thoughts were a little too self-centred (like that reaction she had around her sister in one of the first scenes).

Overall, I think the book understands the assignment, but at the same time, despite some good moments, it just didn't stand out enough. It's a pleasant enough beach read but not something I'd keep on my shelf after reading once. Other readers may, of course, find something that'll stay with them more.

I adored this book. Abby and Luke are so freaking cute and I loved getting to read their story. I also really enjoyed Abby’s journey with her familial relationships and her associations with Clonard. If I could have more of anything in this book, I’d say more childhood stories. It’s frequently mentioned that they were super close friends as kids but we don’t actually get much reminiscing. I’d have loved to hear Luke gush about his childhood crush on Abby. Also, I didn't love Louise but I very much approve of her activism. I would certainly recommend this to anyone that likes contemporary romance with easy readability.

The Rebound was a cute and funny romance about a woman named Abby who had to return to her small hometown in Ireland after the company she worked for in New York went under.

She meets a mysterious and hunky man named Luke one late night at the bus stop, later finding out that he was her childhood friend and next door neighbour.

It’s light-hearted, friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance vibes. The writing was great and I loved the relationship between Abby and her sister Louise.

I also really loved the small-town charm of the book. Beth, the local cafe owner that befriends Abby was another highlight character for me.

Favourite parts of the book: Abby and Luke meeting, the egg hunt, Abby and Tomasz talking about Louise & Abby’s relationship, the epilogue

Overall a really great romance book with lots of charm and heart. I’d read it again!

Overall rating: 3.75 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️✨
Spice: 0.5/5 🌶

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.