https://bonnevivantetr.wordpress.com/2022/02/03/the-rebound-by-catherine-walsh%EF%BF%BC/

An associate of a multinational corporation; a very successful, ambitious New Yorker and soon-to-be wife of a health-obsessed, tall, rich man: Abby Reynolds has it all. What could go wrong? Except the answer is “everything”. And when everything goes wrong, Abby returns home to Ireland next to her sister Louise where she unintentionally feels the safest, she just doesn't know that yet.
When she goes back home, she meets Luke Bailey: a tall, dark-haired, green-eyed (also very kind) “stranger”. Except that he is anyone but a stranger, he’s actually one of Abby’s childhood friends who’s had a little crush on her for years and whom she fails to recognize at first glance. There are sparkles between them yet she’s still reluctant to tell her family and Luke that the company she worked for was bankrupted, that her fiancé had broken up with her, that she has lost all her savings along with her job and that she no longer has a house. Thus it’s not a big surprise when all these lies stand between Abby and Luke and kill the little chances they had. Will Abby be able to get over her past life and her past failures / mistakes or will she be going back to her big-city life and her ex?
To find out, you’ll have to get your hands on the newest novel of Catherine Walsh, “The Rebound”. I really liked this one and I’m sure you will too! It was
What surprised me the most was the fact that this book was written in such a manner that I was able to picture every scene in my head almost in a cinematic way. Needless to say, it was also full of likable characters with a considerable amount of character growth. I especially liked the ending though, it was a very satisfying end-note for such a gleeful and hopeful novel. So if you’re looking for a light-hearted romantic comedy with picturesque paragraphs and an inspiring ending, “The Rebound” by Catherine Walsh will be your cup of tea.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

The Rebound by Catherine Walsh is a charming little rom-com. I enjoyed the storyline and most of the characters in the book. Unfortunately for me, I found the live interest Luke to be a bit flat and I just couldn't buy into his chemistry with Abby.

I thought this was a cute premise, but did I love it? No. I really didn’t care for Abby at all, I just found her character to be super unlikable. I didn’t care for how she treated her sister Louise or Luke at all. Also, justice for Luke. Poor guy has had crush on her since they were children and now because he hit puberty and got hot, she is like oh hey… “Nope, don’t like that”-Michael Scott

In general, I thought this was a cute premise/idea. I wish we got more from Beth & Jess because I enjoyed their characters.

Also, anyone who read this did Andrew give you Taylor Doose vibes from Gilmore Girls?

Thank you so much NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was just the right read for me to round out my year of reading! Absolutely hilarious and the most wholesome content, I adored the journey we were taken on with these wonderful characters.

It might sound like a cliche book but a borderline quarter life crisis that sends you back to your hometown where you rekindle your weird relationship with your sister and start an epic slow-burn romance with your childhood best friend made this book so so fun to read and I enjoyed every minute of it.

We had the perfect amount of tension and conflict between our two main characters, watching them dance around each other and their chemistry took this book to another level and with the humor and ridiculous but so relatable scenarios it was just such an easy and fun read. I think that's one of the things I love most about romance books like this, when they are super relatable. I'm not always a huge fan of the friends to lovers trope and the miscommunication that hits at some point in a relationship, but i think that it was done so well here, it only added to the over all story and helped move along other relationships to where they needed to be.

Alongside the giggles, the other relationships in this book were beautiful. I think my favorite aside from Luke, was watching Abby and Louise repair their relationship as sisters. As two that were never close, the beautiful development throughout left a lasting impact and I loved that about this. As well as this, the wonderful friendship between Abby and Beth. Beth is literally the most wholesome person ever and I just want to hug her.

This book had such lovable characters, even the ones you're not sure about at first will grow on you. Its the sweetest romance, with humour and awkwardness and a cinnamon roll of a man falling on love with his small town turned city gal girl. Its cute, its fun, its hilariously funny, you'll be giggling your way through, so if you're looking for a new romance go give this one a shot. I'm so ready to read anything else written by Catherine Walsh!

DNF @ 18%. The miscommunication storyline in this is just too strong for me, especially since the heroine is straight-up asked (no lies of omission anymore) and she lies about being engaged, even to the hero. Around the point where it ended, she was being rude to a woman who was kindly considering her for a job and also trying to help her out.

This quote from earlier in the book did resonate with me, though. I’m sure challenging yourself and participating in races is a fun and great thing for many, but it’s also something to think about whether we have anything in our lives — making things without needing to monetize that hobby; writing without publishing; being active in ways that we find fun — that are just for ourselves.

“I ran every morning in New York. Or at least every morning when I wasn’t called in early. I’d loop around Central Park, under the towering buildings and thick canopy of trees. I never entered races, I never did marathons, I never timed myself or tried to go farther than I wanted to. I just did what I felt like, content simply with the steady beat on the ground, the delicious stretch in my legs.”

Review of The Rebound by Catherine Walsh

Totally loved this book. It was very well written and an engaging story. Also, lets face it who doesn't love a good romance story, with humour thrown in for good measure. Got to love a book that has you laughing out loud. Totally recommended, grab a copy today, you won't be disappointing.

I absolutely adored this one. Predictable? Yes, absolutely. But it is such a charming fun read and the characters are very relatable.

I got this arc inexchange for an honest review.

Cute little rom com! Abby loses everything: her man, her job, her apartment, literally all she knows. Her only option is to go home and live with her sister in her home town until she can get back on her feet. While there she encounters her old neighbor who may now be more than just a neighbor to her. She has to figure out if he is a rebound or something more. I enjoyed it, quick read!

A perfect winters day escape!
Abby finds herself starting over when her fiancé breaks off the engagement and her company goes under and she loses her job & apartment all within the matter of weeks. Her only option, it seems, is to tuck her tail and go back abs live with her sister in their childhood home in the countryside of Ireland. She doesn’t really get along with her sister and she didn’t leave on the best of terms but now she’s back and bumps into her neighbor, who used to be her friend and nothing more but now he’s had a glow up and the sparks are flying. Is he just a rebound or is he the future that she’s been looking for all this time?
Super sweet, not super cheesy. No steam. Just a fun, light read that was a great escape to the Irish countryside.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my review.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review!! **

I hate to do this, but I think I’m going to have to DNF this one. I’m honestly surprised, since I was enjoying this so much at the start. This story follows our heroine Abby who, after watching her seemingly perfect New York life fall apart in the blink of an eye, is forced to temporarily move back to her Irish hometown to seemingly get back on her feet and figure out her next steps. Shortly after touching back down in Ireland, she unconventionally crosses path with her old next door neighbor, the once gangly turned stud Luke Bailey. In an act of desperation, she chooses to not disclose the full truth of her situation to anyone, specifically her failed engagement and lack of living arrangements. Some of the people she chooses to keep in the dark include her estranged sister Louise (who she’s currently staying with) and her hunky former neighbor Luke. What follows is advertised as “the perfect feel-good romantic comedy that will make you laugh until you cry and fall completely in love”.

Yeah…I’m sorry, this really didn’t work for me. I just couldn’t take the heroine Abby seriously. She was supposed to be this big professional businesswoman, but she just came off as incredibly immature to me. The troubles and turmoil she was going through at the beginning was relatable and I can totally understand how that would be a difficult situation for anyone, but I couldn’t find it in me to root for her or be able to rationalize why she was acting the way she was in the aftermath of it all. Had I been able to make it further along, I’m hopefully that there could have been some type of character redemption or maturation, but I’ll be honest I wasn’t willing to stick around that long.

I will say, I was absolutely loving the hero Luke. He was so flirty and fun, and I loved the way their initial little meet cute played out. Unfortunately though, my love for the hero couldn’t out weight my overall frustration with the heroine.

I would tentatively call this a soft DNF though, especially because I loved the hero and the initial set up so much. Excluding Abby’s characterization, I also really enjoyed the author’s writing style and really want to make sure I give it a fair shot!

Despite not finishing this, for the sake of this review I’ll rate it 2 stars. This may have worsened or improved the further I went along, but it seems like a fair rating for the parts I did get through.

I absolutely loved this book! The connection of the two main character was so fun and sweet to read. I love how there story unfolded. Finished this book quickly because it was so easy to connected with! Can’t wait to read more by this author!

After losing her job, apartment and fiancé, Abby decides that the best thing to do is get out of New York. Her only option is to head home to Ireland and stay with her sister. After waiting for a bus that only comes on Wednesday’s, she meets a handsome stranger, Luke, who is willing to give her a ride into town. Little to Abby’s knowledge Luke is actually someone she has known for a very long time.

I liked this slow burn romance, but was not crazy about the “miscommunication” that spanned most of it. I felt it could have been easily resolved by a simple conversation, but I enjoyed the story overall. It was cute with well thought out characters and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a small town closed door rom-com.

I want to thank NetGalley, Catherine Walsh and Bookouture for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

The Rebound by Catherine Walsh is a super quick, fun read that is overall a charming story/premise. Abby has run into a bit of bad luck, losing her fiance, job, and home all within weeks of each other. She decides to head home to Ireland (where she hasn’t visited in over 5 years) to metaphorically lick her wounds. By chance, she runs into a handsome “stranger” Luke, who she doesn’t recognize as the boy next door that she grew up with. With a little mix-up, and Abby wanting to keep up pretenses that everything with her life back in New York is fine, Abby continues on with the charade that she’s only “visiting” and still happily engaged. Eventually, as is known to happen, the truth comes out and leads to a bit of self-discovery for Abby and what she truly wants out of life for herself, and find her own HEA.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it if you're looking for a light, fun, easy read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

The Rebound by Catherin Walsh
4 stars

Abby is having a bad month. She lost her job, her fiance and her apartment and as a last resort decides to return to her small hometown in Ireland to lick her wounds and get back on her feet. Stuck at the train station late at night she accepts a ride from Luke, a handsome stranger that she doesn’t recognize as her childhood friend and neighbor. After a series of miscommunications, they spend a good chunk of time apart but trying to find their way back to each other.

This book was romantic and sweet with a great cast of side characters and a charming setting. I loved the small town vibes and Abby’s journey of self discovery. The witty banter between Abby and Luke was hilarious and the slow burn was worth it when these two finally got together. This was a fun, light hearted rom-com that I would recommend to anyone who loves a small town romance and a story with a complicated family situation. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-arc to read and review. The Rebound is out on 2/14/22.

Set in Ireland, this romance had me swooning and left me wanting more! It’s your typical small town girl returns to her home after living in the big city and falls in love with a small town guy. But I was obsessed!

Abby’s life has been turned completely upside down after her fiance broke off their engagement and the big company she worked for in New York went bankrupt a few weeks later. With no money, no apartment and no other option, Abby returns to her home town in Ireland. Whilst waiting at the airport for a bus that no longer runs every day, she bumps into a handsome guy called Luke, who offers to give her a lift home as he’s also heading there. She doesn’t realise it’s the boy next door from her childhood until he comes over for lunch with his parents the following day. And to make matters worse, he knew exactly who she was the whole time and was aware of her shameless flirting.

‘How I’m supposed to do anything when I’ve been falling in love with him ever since he picked me up on that cold March night and did his best to make me smile.’

There is a little bit of miscommunication between the characters as Abby hasn’t worked up the courage to tell her sister and parents that she is no longer engaged. As she extends her stay more and more, it becomes obvious that something isn’t quite right back in New York. Whilst staying in her hometown, Abby befriends Beth, a newish resident who has just opened a new cafe. It just so happens that Luke is the landlord of the cafe.

‘But from the moment I picked you up in that parking lot, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.’

Abby has never had a good relationship with her sister, and it was nice to see a sibling relationship where both characters had to work to get to a good place. It illustrated that good relationships need to be worked on to maintain them. After finding out Abby is still engaged, Luke becomes frosty towards her, which created some great scenes where you could almost feel the tension between the two. This is a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance, with so many cute flirty moments. There were many times that I found myself grinning at these characters and their blossoming relationship.

‘And whatever this is between us, I’m all in.’

I could not put this down and read it in one day. It was a swoon-worthy romance and I may have found a new book boyfriend! I loved this one and couldn’t recommend it more.

Did I love it? No. Did I enjoy it? Mostly yes. It was an easy read, but I didn’t connect with the characters. I felt for Abby and her string of bad luck, but the twist was too predictable and the storyline resolved too easily. Again, it wasn’t bad, but I didn’t relate to the characters. It could’ve been better if I got Luke’s point of view.

This book will be published on February 14, 2022.

(DNF at 55%)

This is my first DNF in 6 years and I’m so frustrated! I really had high hopes for this book since the description captivated me. The plot was a WOW but the execution was.. not for me. The introduction part of the book went well, especially the part when the two protagonists met again after years of not seeing each other (It was awkward, cute, and well-executed!). Unfortunately, the succeeding parts kind of fell flat. Maybe because I didn’t quite feel any connection with the characters nor did I feel any chemistry between Abby and Luke. I was also frustrated because it took sooo long for me not knowing where her sister's attitude was coming from. In short, It was a bit hard for me to read and  understand the other characters and their personalities, feelings, and stories.


This book made me realize that I’m not fond of the miscommunication trope. I also didn’t enjoy reading Abby’s consequences in life when I’m fully aware that she INTENTIONALLY did not tell the appropriate people about her situation. It's like I'm fully aware and intentionally giving myself stress just by reading. I mean I TRIED to understand her situation where she feels so much pressure but being so stubborn and refusing help of any kind made me nuts! I also think that it was pointed out multiple times how she lost everything and has nothing (I mean I got that by the first 15%!) and waited soooo long for me to know If she’s genuinely done anything about it.


Maybe I'll give this book another chance someday but for now, I'll DNF it. I honestly tried pushing through for the past few days but I just lost interest in what was going to happen in the second half that I kinda went into a reading slump. Still, I commend the book cover and the plot!


I'm also very grateful to the publisher, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the ARC! ♡

I tried to like this book, really did. But i can't do it anymore. I lost it at her parents. I hate the miscommunication, i hate when a character is lying to everyone, including herself. It may be a good book, but it's just not for me. I don't want to give a low rating, so i won't continue reading it. I will give a 3 stars, but that's all.

The main character is already a little annoying, but i don't like her family. She doesn't have any kind of support from anyone, and i feel sad for her. So yeah, it may be a good book, but i'll say pass.

Over all incredibly cute story. Super well written and I loved the character development over the course of the story. I thought the pace was really good which seems to be hard at times to find

The Rebound by Catherine Walsh

Published: February 14, 2022
Bookouture
Pages: 334
Genre: Humorous Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Catherine Walsh was born and raised in Ireland. She lived in London for a few years before returning to Dublin, where she now lives between the mountains and the sea. When not writing, she is trying and failing to not kill her houseplants.

“There’s something about recording my tasks in writing, with pen and paper and the occasional coffee stain, that helps cement things.”

Abby’s world has completely flipped upside down. The company she worked so hard for has gone under. Her fiancé of three years broke up with her. She lost her apartment- so Abby packs her bags and goes home. To Ireland.

This was such a sweet story. I loved meeting Abby, Louise, Luke, and Tomasz.

The descriptions in this novel are so lovely, and I could almost feel the chilly air on my cheeks. I loved reading about how Abby felt going home. It was nostalgic in the perfect way.

This is so much more than a romantic comedy, and it’s a coming into your own and finding your voice, and being true to your gut story.

This was the kind of story that sucks you in and holds you tight, it’s so difficult to put down. I found the plot endearing, and relevant to a challenge that many young adults deal with.

The main characters were all relatable in some way, and I think readers will find a bit of themselves in Abby.