4.5 stars!!! It’s so refreshing to find books that surprise me!!

The Rebound is the story of a girl who loses her job, her fiancé and her home in NY, and has to go back to the small town in Ireland where she’s from to pick up the pieces.

Here’s why I loved it:
- The female characters: They were amazing. Complex. Their dynamics and friendships were incredible. Specially Louise and Abby, they were the stars.
- The humor: there’s something so special about European-like romcoms. That quick fire banter that feels crazy and sharp and just makes you laugh out of the blue.
- The romance: This was very particular. I loved how the characters both were going through an “I’m stuck” phase of their own and how they slowly figured it out. Their ending felt just right.
- The human emotion: It’s so rare authors can evoke feelings as well as this author did. The writing helped to feel as though we were inside Abby’s brain, experiencing her heartaches and confusion.
- The resolution. No spoilers here, but it was so satisfying to see what the characters chose for themselves. Felt mature and very in-character. They grew but they stayed true to themselves.

This was so sweet and wholesome. Has the vibes from Two Oruguitas (Encanto, my latest obsession). Fans of Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez, this book is just for you. ❤️

You know what? I really liked this.

It's a super-breezy summery kind of read (took me ~2.5 hours). Nothing about it can be considered heavy, but it does give a fair amount of depth to the characters compared to other contemporary books in its genre.

I'll keep an eye out for Catherine Walsh! I like the way she reads and formats her sentences, makes the story very accessible. The dialogue between characters is very natural and witty.

This was a lovely, feel good read set in Ireland. Abby has just lost her job, home and fiance so she decided to return home to piece her life back together. In some ways this is a typical happily-ever-after novel but to me the highlight was the relationship with her sister Louise.

The Rebound by Catherine Walsh

From the beginning, I loved Abbys character. She was an independent, determined, ambitious woman who had lost everything and was starting at the bottom again. It was very refreshing reading from her point of view, compared to what I’m used to reading.

And Luke was a sweetheart of course. No complaints from my end as he’s the perfect example of the boy next door, charming, kind complex.

The writing and its flow was perfect. It wasn’t overwhelming amounts of description and nothing felt forced. All the characters whether major or minor were original and developed beautifully to the last detail which I loved.

There were cute scenes in the book between Abby and Luke, but my favourite part of the whole book was watching Abby’s character development which was phenomenal. From losing everything to gaining things you never knew you needed was definitely a journey.
Watching Abby fox her relationship with Louise, take initiative and learn to branch out to discover more about herself was written perfectly.

The reason why I haven’t rated it higher is because I felt as if the book fell kind of flat in a way? I would have loved to see more passion in individual personalities and between the characters and the chemistry definitely could have been improved between Luke and Abby.

It’s definitely an interesting, fun read which I would recommend to anyone looking for an easy relaxing book. I will definitely be purchasing when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing this eARC!

The Rebound is a quick and easy read with likable characters and a great ending! I enjoyed this way more than expected.

Abby Reynolds is newly single with no job or place to live. She has no choice but to take a break from her NYC life and head back home to Ireland’s countryside. A trip initially just planning to be a few weeks turns into much more as Abby reconnects with her sister after years of not getting along, runs into her former childhood best friend who is not the nerdy, lanky 12 year boy old anymore, and has time to think about what she wants in life.

I loved how the book not only focuses on romantic relationships but also relationships with siblings and friends. The characters were really easy to fall in love with and relate to.

I do have to say that I did find the way Abby approached some of her relationships in the beginning a bit immature/ annoying, especially because she was lying to so many people and hiding her feelings. Also just a me thing, but I hate it when couples get interrupted by others during important conversations and then avoid the topic at hand.

Read if you like:
🍀Ireland
💕Childhood friends to lovers
🏘Small town romance
👩🏼‍💻Women in finance
👯‍♀️Sibling rivalry—> friendship
🐣Easter/ holidays

Thanks Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC. Pub date 2/14/22

alright here’s the thing i know what i want from a romance book and none of them have been able to give it to me
what’s the thing i want? no miscommunication trope
what’s the thing i get? miscommunication trope
also there’s 0 chemistry between the two leads - i felt absolutely nothing with luke and he wasn’t even there half the time
they were “childhood friends” but it felt like they had never known each other
i liked the dynamic with abby’s sister louise and i felt that their conflict was more interesting than the actual romance
the first half of the book felt fine and then the second half felt entirely unnecessary and way too drawn out
i was getting way too much “i’m not gonna tell him this thing and just ruin the relationship!” from abby and i was over it

This was cute read! A romcom in all the best ways. It was light and fun. A great read for when you want something easy and nothing too serious to help pass the time.

I really enjoyed the main character, Abby, and following along with her journey as she returns home to Ireland jobless, homeless, and fiance-less. This is my first book by the author and I'm pleased see she has another one already out because I thought she tells a story well and I'm looking forward to reading more by her.

TW: infertility

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

I was insanely drawn to this book from the synopsis and the actual content did not disappoint. It’s a fun rom com with fun characters that can be, at times, frustrating. I found it an extremely slow burn which is not my favorite but may work for some people. I did enjoy the chemistry between the two and it had a good ending. I don’t think it’s particularly memorable but it was definitely enjoyable enough.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Catherine Walsh for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very easy read. I finished all I one day. I really like the relationship between Luke and Abby and how they interact together. Tomasz is my absolute favorite. This book takes place in a pretty unique location, I haven’t read many books that take place in Ireland (usually they take place in the UK). I do feel that a bit of this story did feel a bit generic.

Such a cute read.. there were parts that I skimmed but for the most part it was a solid read!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange
for an honest review.

This was a very predictable book but I still enjoyed it. I liked that she did recognize Luke right away and I liked the relationship with her sister. But overall it was a very predictable romantic comedy.

Sweet and romantic, this book was like cotton candy. Abby loses everything--her job, her apartment, and her fiance, after her employer goes belly up a-la-Enron. But moving back home to Ireland proves to be the adventure she never knew she needed, as she reconnects with high school crush, Luke. This was a really cute romance, without any smut or super steamy scenes. I'd rate it PG on the romance novel scale. An easy read, I think Catherine Walsh will prove to be a fantastic new romance writer.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback

The Rebound is a cute and funny rom-com following the life of Abby who has recently lost everything and looks to start over. When she lands in Ireland she is met by an unexpected person from the past and the rest is history. This was definitely a slow burn for me but I did end up enjoying it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

*** e-ARC obtained through NetGalley ***

What do you do when your life falls apart? Move back home and reconnect with your (now hot) childhood friend.

This felt like a pretty standard romance novel. The main character is a high achieving business woman who just lost her job and fiance. So she moves from bustling New York City to the much more quiet and quaint Clonard, Ireland and it's a rough transition. Abby is not on the best of terms with her sister and she is struggling to find another job. But it's not ALL bad. Abby hits it off with her old pal Luke and it's honestly pretty cute.

But there were some communication issues that made no sense and was only there to create fake tension. I was not buying it and it was super annoying. Like when Abby and Luke first kiss and she freaks out mid make-out session because she was "betraying" a friend of hers who also had a crush on Luke. Like girl, you already kissed him... finish kissing him!

I have heard of the trend of romance books ending with a sex scene or a baby. I have a strong preference for a spicy ending but this book gave me too much baby stuff. It had a decent start and middle, but ended up not really being for me and that's okay.

What if after loosing everything (job, place to live, fiancé) you realize, that the one thing you really need is what you have known or had for most of your life?

Abby goes back to her hometown in Ireland, a place she couldn't wait to escape once upon a time. While back home, relationships are mended and a new love is found.

I truly loved Abby's character ARC, the inner journey and transformation she goes through and everything that comes out of it.

This was an easy read but beautiful story that I will definitely recommend.

This was another fun read from Catherine Walsh! After reading One Night Only last summer, I couldn't wait to read more from her. The Rebound is about Abby, who returns to her hometown in rural Ireland after losing her job, apartment, and fiancé in New York. She conveniently runs into Luke, her childhood friend and boy next door, who gives her a ride home when she is stranded. We are then brought to Luke and Abby's charming hometown of Clonard, which I think Catherine Walsh did a fabulous job of creating. As someone from Connecticut I hate comparing things to Gilmore Girls, but Clonard really did feel like an Irish Stars Hollow and Andrew, the town mayor, was an Irish Taylor Doose.

Like I already stated this book was fun enough and I am still a fan of Catherine Walsh's writing style. However, I definitely didn't vibe with this one quite as much as I did with her first novel. What I loved so much about One Night Only was our two main characters and how connected I felt to both of them. Despite sharing a name with our main character in The Rebound, I didn't feel all that connected to her. I think one of the main reasons is because I have no idea why she would've agreed to marry her former fiancé anyway. I don't think she was poorly written, but she just wasn't a character I was going to see myself in, which is okay! I liked Luke well enough, but I didn't feel as if I got to know him all that well. We're given bits and pieces of him, but never really a whole picture. Together, the two of them definitely have chemistry, but in the end when they officially become a couple it felt a little rushed and like some more things needed to be flushed out.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in the little Irish town of Clonard and I can't wait to read what Catherine Walsh writes next!

I really enjoyed this book. I read it over the Christmas period as it's the perfect time for a romance read.

It was a quick book to burn through, albeit slightly predictable (but all the best romance reads are because you're rooting for that outcome!)

The characters were loveable, I enjoyed watching them battle with their dreams/desires whilst trying to balance compromise with following their dreams. I loved the little bits of drama added in along the way too.

A perfect read for any time of year.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book.

This book was not at all what I was expecting from the synopsis. I was 60% through the book before any sort of real relationship started between Abby and Luke. I just don't understand the whole "rebound" thing. This was more of a slow burn. A rebound should be something that is jumped into quickly and that was not what was portrayed in this book. Luke was also extremely unlikable. Bratty, even. Abby was so busy getting close with her sister or forming a friendship with Beth and Rory that there was little to no room for an actual relationship to develop between Abby and Luke.

Now don't get me wrong, this is a good book. I liked the character driven storylines, world building and plot but this could hardly be called a romance book, which is what I was expecting when I read the synopsis. I'm disappointed that there wasn't as much romance as I was expecting, but this was a good, easy read. If you're looking for that, then this is a good book for you. But if you're looking for a full on romance, you won't find it here.

I really liked Louise and Tomasz, they were probably my favorite aspect of the book and I found that I was more interested in their relationship and fertility issues than I was interested in Abby and her barely there romance with Luke. I'd love to read a book about them, actually.

Overall, this is a good book with a very misleading synopsis but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Cute story of Abby going back to her roots of Ireland. You never know what returning home will do for you. Quick read that has you rooting for the characters.

Thank you to @netgalley @bookouture and @catwalshwriter for this eARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

Abby Reynolds has just lost her home, her fiancé, and her job. All within the last few weeks. Now she’s headed back to her hometown in rural Ireland to visit her sister. Her sister with whom she doesn’t get along and who doesn’t exactly know about half of her losses.

She finds herself stuck waiting for a bus that’s never going to come when she meets Luke. He offers to take her the rest of the way and she can’t help but flirt with the handsome stranger. He’d be the perfect rebound. Until she realizes the next day that Luke is non-other than THE Luke Bailey, her childhood neighbor. Cue the embarrassment.

I liked this book for quite a few reasons. One being that a large part of this book is about Abby’s journey, and not the romance. She is a completely career and accomplishment driven woman, who believes that nothing in this small town is for her. Least of all a relationship with her sister. It’s the story of her journey as she finds herself, develops a bond with her sister, and realizes the kind of relationship she wants and deserves. This book is full of quirky and unique characters and relationships and will have you smiling the entire time.

This one gets 4⭐️‘s from me!