Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of The Rebound in exchange for my honest opinion. I previously read and reviewed the author's One Night Only last summer and I think this one is even better!
I spent Valentine's evening cuddled up with my cat reading The Rebound. This is a sweet romance that explores both childhood friends to lovers and sibling dynamics after the main character Abby is forced to return to her small hometown in Ireland. I enjoyed that it was a quick read with realistic characters, but the collapse of Abby's entire life in NYC due to her employer's scandal was a bit terrifying! I can only hope nothing like that happens to anyone I know!

I really loved One Night Only by Catherine Walsh, so I was excited to see how The Rebound would be. In a way, I suppose you could say that The Rebound is the perfect follow up to the first book, even though they aren’t in any way related.
There are some similar situations, however. Girl from America heads to Ireland to nurse a broken heart, meets cute guy, stuff happens…pretty much a typical RomCom drill.
Except, as noted in the blurb, the cute guy is someone she didn’t know she knew until after the stuff happens.
I apologize if that sounds cryptic, but it is in the promo material. And I am not going to give away any more plot than that.
This author’s strength lies in the character development…of the background characters. I know that sounds weird. But I got a stronger feeling for the secondary characters and quirky townfolk than I did for the featured couple.
I had a particularly difficult time with Abby. She suffers from a chronic case of misunderstanding and reluctance to talk things out. A little of this is fine, but in this case, there are times that I feel it featured too much “not talking.”
Honestly? A few passages read like a bad episode of Three’s Company where people all have ideas about what is happening, and none of them are accurate. But nobody talks to anyone else to sort it all out.
In spite of Luke’s hunkiness, I also don’t think his character is as developed as it could be. I get the relationship, but I think it could have been more fun if he had more of a background.
That being said, The Rebound is still a lovely RomCom, and a great choice for a quick, sweet, clean read.

A fun romance.

Abby has returned home from New York to rural Ireland after losing her job and her fiancé. The first person she meets when she arrives? A handsome stranger. A very handsome stranger who turns out to be her childhood friend, the boy-next-door, Luke.

I love a good romance and The Rebound hit all the good spots for me. There’s the will they/won’t they moments, the sexy moments, the awkward moments, and the heartfelt moments. It’s also just really fun.

And Catherine writes characters that you fall in love with instantly. I was rooting for Abby from the start. And Luke is that perfect mix of smart, sensitive and funny that you want in a romantic lead.

I also loved how Catherine explored Abby returning home to somewhere that’s different but also the same. Her sister is still there but she starts to realise that she doesn’t really know her as an adult at all. Her old school friends are still around but they’re married and have beach parties, and love living near home. Something Abby has up to now not really understood. Also – when did her town get a trendy café?

Sometimes all you need in February is to read a few romances and completely immerse yourself in someone else’s love story. This was The Rebound for me and I loved it. I even had Catherine on All About Books to discuss the book in more detail.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for providing this book for an honest review.

This was a cute straight forward romance. Abby's whole life is falling apart around her. She looses her fiance, her apartment, and her job all at the same time. With losing everything she runs back to her childhood home in rural Ireland to stay with her estranged sister. Once there, she reunites with her childhood neighbor Luke, who she ends up falling for. Abby is trying to reconstruct her life and just take a breather from the person she was back in New York.

I think there could have been more in the romance department. Abby and Luke seem to go back and forth a lot in the will they or won't they have a relationship, which was a little frustrating. I felt like their relationship just needed to pick up a little more.

It is a cute romcom, set in Ireland is a bonus. Beth and Jess were adorable and I would love to see a book about them. It's a quick little read and perfect if you are looking for a book on the lighter side.

The Rebound is the perfect book for a month about Love. I mean look at that cover! Author Catherine Walsh gives you all the feels but what I loved most was the characters and their irresistible banter. I could tell reading the book that Catherine has a good personality and it came out perfectly in her writing. My husband and I are always joking around and giving each other a hard time, so it made me smile watching Abby and Luke build their relationship. Don’t let this rom-com cover fool you, this book has it all…getting dumped, job-less, home-less, fights with family, meeting the new hot guy, falling for said hot guy, making up, new job, new opportunities….see, everything you need!
Abby is on a roll with losing. She lost her fiancé which means she also lost her home, and the cherry on top is when she lost her job. She has no money and really no pride, so off to Ireland to stay with her sister who she doesn’t like. The feeling is very mutual so staying in her childhood home needs to be temporary. Right off the plane Abby can’t get anything right, but luckily a green eyed hunk of a man offers to help. Later Abby learns this stud muffin Luke was her childhood friend all grown up. Best way to get over someone is to…..get under someone.
Even though Abby is still getting over being dumped she finds herself with all those amazing heart-fluttering feelings when she’s around Luke. As the days go by Abby starts to work out the issues with her sister, realize her plan for her life that she thought she wanted is not what she wants anymore, and get the confidence to go after her dream job.
It won’t be easy, in fact it will be hard, but Abby has a lot of growing up to do. In the end she’ll be happy for everything she lost because now she has everything she never knew she needed in the end.
Funny, heartwarming, and did I mention funny?

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Rebound' by Catherine Walsh.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Catherine Walsh, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 14th February 2022.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read her debut novel 'One Night Only' and would highly recommend it!!

I was originally drawn to this book by its colourful cover and intriguing, hilarious sounding synopsis and title. I am also a huge fan of Catherine Walsh after falling in love with her book 'One Night Only' so if this book is half as good as that one was it is bound to be an amazing read!!! The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Emily Henry, Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes won’t be able to put this down!'.  I am a huge fan of Sophie so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 31 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Ireland 🇮🇪 ,UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited and holidayed in Ireland on many occasions so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.

This book is written in first person perspective and the protagonist is Abby Reynolds. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.

'The Rebound' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Catherine discusses/includes sexual scenes.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!!!A HUGE WELL DONE CATHERINE ON YET ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC BOOK ♥!!!

This is a fantastically written book that has vivid descriptions which will make you feel that you are breathing the Irish air, hearing the sea clash and looking over the beach with the wind in my hair. It takes you on a journey from New York to Ireland to Canada and I was gutted when I had to pack my case to come back home. The title, synopsis and cover suit the storyline perfectly.

The storyline itself is romantically charged and filled with love, family, comedy, romance, sex, friendship and fun. It definitely reminded me of Bridget Jones during some parts!! I absolutely loved watching Abby come from a huge city where she is anonymous and back to her homeland where people remembered her for the good and the bad. The atmosphere was gorgeous and I was completely swept away!! This had me in stitches on several occasions and at other times left me shouting at Abby wondering what she was doing. There was plenty going on and I had a fun time "taking part" in the Easter Egg hunt, smiling with joy in the bathtub, relaxing with a cappuccino in Coffee and watching Abby grow in confidence throughout.

There were so many large and unique personalities in this book!! I love how Abby decided she would take control of her relationships, life and her job. I loved that she was a kick a## woman, however at times she did make me want to scream at her in her blindness and stubborness. I loved watching her relationship with Louise evolve throughout the book and how they both came to realise that alot of what happened was down to seeing things through the wrong points of view. The scene at the beach was fantastic and I loved seeing it all come alive in front of me. I absolutely adored Tomasz, he was sarcastic, funny and a fantastic friend and husband. My kind of guy right there!!! I really enjoyed watching his and Abby's friendship develop and change throughout. Luke was absolutely gorgeous, I can still hear his sexy Irish accent now!!! He was funny, gorgeous, witty and sounded very good in certain places and of course he is Irish!!! What more could you want in a man?!!? Luke's family were also a massive hit for me and I absolutely adored them, I also think his dad was very sweet and I really did enjoy watching all the seperate relationships develop and change and you can definitely see his soft spot for Abby. I absolutely adored Beth and her say it as it is way of life. I found her absolutely adorable and I'm so glad she found her much deserved happiness. Her friendship with Abby was beautiful to watch grow and develop. Jess was another larger than life personality who I really enjoyed meeting and I'm so glad things went the way it did. Catherine definitely portrayed village life perfectly. I thought Tyler was a bit of a douche, I didn't like him when I met him but by the end he kind of redeemed himself. A lovely range of characters and I also loved the community spirit in Ireland, it definitely makes me want to go back as I know that is what it is really like. These characters are definitely the type who will stay with me for a long time!! I would love to read more about them again. This would make an absolutely perfect movie!!

DO NOT START THIS UNTIL YOU CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULES AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!!!

Yet another stunning read by Catherine!! If you are looking for that perfect read to loft your spirits and make you laugh then what are you waiting for?? I

Well done Catherine on a successful first novel and for making me laugh, scream and smile!!! I'm looking forward to your next success!!!

Overall an absolutely gorgeous, hilarious, feel good, page turning novel filled with friendships, sex, love and family that will keep you up late at night.


Genres covered in this book include Romance Novel, Humorous Fiction and Contemporary Romance amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of the 50 shades series, Bridget Jones diaries, Kristen Bailey, Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes. Anyone who is looking for a lift me up page turner that you can read curled up by the fire or the beach!!


334 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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The rebound is about Abby coming back to hometown after her life in New York falls apart. From her fiance breaking up with her to losing her job and being homeless. She was never a fan of getting back home but she never knew her life in her hometown wasnt that bad as she expected. I like how she slowly starts to realize how precious the place she once called home. And I like how the author tries to deliver the insecurities of an adult. But somehow I wish for the former to be more enticing and dramatic in the story.
Since it is a romance genre, the romantic encounter is okay, its fine and can be likeable. The first encounter was good but the progress of their live doesn't really makes me flutter. For me it just a nice and pure romantic.

Such a cute read around this time of year! Really enjoyed it, perfect amount of cheesiness for me and fast paced. Thankyou for the free arc! Recommend for romance lovers!

Abby has returned to her hometown in Ireland. She had been an excellent student in school and ended up landing a job in New York with a top bank. There, she worked hard, made good money, had lots of friends and even a fiancé. But it all came to a screeching halt when the bank went under taking her job, her income invested in the bank and even the apartment she lived in provided by the bank. On top of it all, her fiancé broke off their engagement. She’s come back to Ireland to lick her wounds and decide where to go from here.

Abby is staying with her sister, Louise, and husband. Louise never left their hometown and doesn’t show much interest or affection toward Abby. So, bunking in with them is difficult.

Abby runs into old friends and one guy, Luke, used to live next door to her and they grew up together. With no jobs in town and no way for her to make money, she is at a stand still, but finds herself attracted to Luke. Luke is studying to be a physiotherapist.

As Abby becomes used to her own hometown and friends she’s known, life slows down and she learns to appreciate the things about her town that make it unique. Along the way, she makes new friends and finds herself wanting to be with Luke. If she can’t find a job here, can she leave Luke and her family to job hunt elsewhere?

This is a clever story but Abby is so conflicted about her future and Luke that made me want to scream. You have to made big decisions in life. Is your job or your love life more important? The relationship between Abby and Louise grated at first but finally became more tolerable. In general, an OK story so I’m going to round it up to four stars.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5 Stars

Abby feels as if she has lost everything. Her fiance dumped her, and shortly there after she lost her job and apartment. So she decides to leave New York City and head back to her hometown in Ireland. Clonard seems to be out in the middle of nowhere and she really doesn't want to go back but feels she has no choice. When she arrives, she learns the ride was expecting from the airport is no longer running.. To her luck a handsome stranger offers her a ride home.. Little does she know that the man named Luke, is her childhood friend!

The characters are very likeable and relatable and this was such a fun light read. If you are looking for a cute book about starting over, reconnection with family and friends set in beautiful Ireland then this is for you. There were several laugh out loud moments that kept me wanting to read more. Thanks to #NetGalley for the advance read copy.

The book actually has a lot of hallmark-movies ingredients, but it has one thing that made me speed-read through this story: a strong and ambitious woman that knows exactly what she wants and is not apologetic about it. It felt refreshing reading about a woman who has her goals set and is not afraid to reach them. And the ending is a little corny, but we all need some corniness in our lives.
Also, Walsh said that the main character's sister was not planned to be in the book, however, she was "tapping her foot in the back of the author's head" and I am so glad Louise was loud enough because we get to see a serious grumpy girl with her sunshine husband. Their dynamic was so fun to read and I love them both to death.

Abby is back in Ireland, after losing her fiance and job in New York. When she accepts a lift from the airport from Luke, she doesn't realise he is her old next door neighbour. The more time she spends with him the more she falls for him, but will he just be a rebound, and she is still planning on returning to New York, so do they have a future anyway?

Great read.

Romances set in beautiful Ireland seem to be all the rage lately - not that I'm complaining, I've been right there grabbing up stories with an Ireland setting as well. That's what led me to The Rebound. Well, that and this is a Catherine Walsh book, and I was in desperate need of a feel-good romance I could get lost in. Abby and Luke did the trick. The story is a slow-burn romance that I suppose could be summed up as charming. Yeah, that's a word I'd associate with this one. The humor ranges from a chuckle to laughing out loud, so it's my kind of romantic comedy. Walsh keeps the pacing steady, and the romance is great for curling up in your favorite chair for a couple of lazy afternoons. It was nice to be transported to a small town in Ireland for a clean, engaging romance with characters that are easy to root for. Catherine Walsh is quickly becoming a go-to author for me when I need to escape for a while.

Who says you can never go home again?

Abby Reynolds has lost it all - her job, her apartment, her fiancé. So, she leaves New York City and heads back to her hometown in rural Ireland. Just her luck, when she arrives, she learns the ride she was counting on is not running. When a handsome stranger offers her a ride home, she throws caution to the wind and accepts the ride. Little does she know that the man named Luke, is the same Luke Bailey who lived next door!

This was a fun light book about starting over, reconnecting, family, friendship and taking chances. The characters are likeable and while at first, I was skeptical, her sister grew on me. The relationships feel real as they deal with real life issues.

This was a nice light romance which kept me engaged and wanting to know how things would work their way out.

It's all about the journey and this was an enjoyable one!

3.5 stars


Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

They say when it rains it pours and boy does it seem like Abby is in the middle of storm lately. She's recently been dumped by her fiancé and then her company (McFarlane) has now gone under, leaving her both single, unemployed and homeless. With no other option she leaves the states and returns back to Ireland to stay with her sister Louise and in doing so reconnects with the boy from next door Luke. She's not quite ready to give up the life she left behind and not quite ready to face what coming to Ireland means for the life she had in the states and the life she has going forward. Lies begin to spread and explode almost immediately and friendships/relationships get on a roller coaster of chaos.

I absolutely ADORED this book overall and recommend it for anyone who loves a cute and easy read. Abby absolutely made me so mad with some of her decisions but also is going through the WORST time of her life so it's absolutely understandable. She has so much growth throughout the book and the relationships she builds are the most memorable. I LOVED LUKE. He was a precious soul who would do anything for anyone and just was a pawn in some of the story. He's the best and deserves the world.

This book does not have a lot of spice so if you are looking for a romance with some cutesy and laughable moments but not a lot of the spicy moments this one is for you. Overall, 3.75/5 I just wish it had a tiny bit more of spice but I still really enjoyed the story!

The Rebound is a story of Abby finding herself. following and engagement breakup and the loss of her job, she returns home to Ireland the figure out what’s next.

This a cute, easy, fast, predictable read. I only gave it 3.25 stars because it felt shallow and like different aspects could have been explored more. I am so thoroughly over MC’s issues being completely solved if they had just used clear communication, so I guess I could just be a personal preference thing.

However I feel like this book has the great misfortune of having the same release date of One Night on the Island which also takes place in Ireland, but is a much more deeply developed story of self discovery.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture, and Catherine Walsh for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

(3.5). Ok, this book was really cute. It was actually my first time reading something by Catherine Walsh, but I can confidently say that it won't be my last! Also, it's set in freaking IRELAND which I absolutely loved. Fun settings always enhance a good story. I feel like Abby and Luke had a decent amount of chemistry, and Abby in particular experienced a lot of personal growth (which is one of my favorite things to see in book)! Some parts of the plot felt a little flat and boring, but never to such an level that I wanted to stop reading.

After losing her job and her fiancé breaking off their engagement, Abby goes back to her child home in Ireland to regroup and figure out what to do next. With her plans of only staying a few weeks, a child hood friend changes everything for her.

I’m such a sucker for a good rom-com! Loved this one and the childhood friend, enemies to lovers trope. It was super fun and easy to read. Definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a light read.

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. I read Catherine’s first book One Night Only last summer and really enjoyed it. When I saw Catherine had another book with another Irish male lead well I just had to read it.

Abby has lost everything she has been working for. Her employer went under. She was living in one of their apartments and entire savings were invested in the company. I like Abby because she is a fighter. She will stand up for herself and she won't give up.

Luke Bailey is literally the boy next door. Said boy has grown up into a real hottie. I was swooning the minute we met Luke and as the book progressed he did not disappoint!

This book was mainly set in Ireland which I really enjoyed. I have, sadly, only visited Dublin but I want to explore more of the beautiful Emerald Isle. Clonard sounds like a beautiful village. I love the way Catherine describes Ireland. It just makes me want to hop on a plane or ferry and get myself to Ireland!

This is a story about not giving up and believing that tomorrow will be better. You may stumble and you may fall but you will get up again and be stronger and better than before.

This is my first Catherine Walsh book and when I read the premise about an Irish small town setting with a lot of family drama thrown in, I signed up in a heartbeat.

Abby Reynolds, our protagonist, had left Clonard, Ireland to pursue a successful career in Manhattan. However, her career fell apart and she moves back to her hometown.

This isn't a simple 'she moves back and everything falls into place' plot. Abby's transition from a successful settled life to living with her sister and finding a footing from scratch is all too real. And also relatable for so many of us.

He next door neighbour, Luke, who used to be her childhood buddy, is now a dreamboat who is not only smart but also a kind soul.
The romance was slow burn and at times steamy.
Abbu's relationship with her sister Louise was never ideal but how it evolves (some instances not too pleasant) under the circumstances was sweet.

I flew through this book and am so glad to have started February with it. Most of you know how biased I am when it comes to stories based in UK but this book deserves it.
Pick it up if you love a good slow burn, small town romcom and like me, will root for an adaptation. I can picture a nice Christmas movie in the works! 🎬