Ahhhhhhh OMG I came into this book completely misunderstanding the synopsis but it doesn’t matter because it was Fantastic and I flew through it!!! Luke and Abby while not together throughout the whole book still made you root for them even when things were being confused and they didn’t even know where they were standing. The sister dynamic was great I loved how you could see the shift and understand both of them and want them to make amends.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book for an honest review.

I adored The Rebound and I’m so excited this author already has another book out so I don’t have to stop reading her magical words!

In this beautiful story, our main character is Abby Reynolds, who was born and raised in Clonard, a tiny village in Ireland. As a teenager, she was driven and ambitious and dreamed about leaving home and seeing the world. Her older sister Louise, on the other hand, was worried about stuff like climate change and the preservation of the local ecosystem, meaning that their interests weren’t exactly aligned.

At eighteen, Abby moved out for college and never looked back. She ended up being hired at the New York branch of MacFarlane, a huge investment bank, where she worked and earned the big bucks for years.

Now, however, MacFarlane has gone under in a spectacular fashion, and its thousands of employees - including Abby - have been unceremoniously laid off all over the world. Abby, who’s about to be thirty, finds herself not only jobless, but penniless (all her money was tied up with the company) and homeless (since her fiancé dumped her three weeks before).

In a fit of desperation, Abby packs her things and goes back to her hometown under the pretense of visiting her sister before starting to look for another job. She doesn’t tell anyone about her living situation (or lack thereof) or her empty ring finger, for fear of looking like a failure after becoming something of a legend in Clonard.

The thing is, now Abby has to keep up the lie in front of Louise, with whom she can only seem to bicker, and her neighbor and childhood best friend, Luke, who grew up to be stupid hot and clearly has a crush on her.

Abby is interested in Luke from the moment they first see each other again – the question is: does she think of him as the real deal or just as a rebound?

I absolutely loved Luke and how deeply good he was to Abby and to everyone around him. I also loved Abby and Louise’s relationship and their journey to finding common ground and compromise.

This book is funny and sweet and so romantic and a definite page-turner. I loved every second!

“The Rebound” is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Walsh. I wanted to read this book for a “light easy fun romance” change from the thrillers I’ve been reading. On that front, this book did deliver. We follow Abby, who has just been laid off from her job from a worldwide financial institution (on par with 1995’s Barrings Bank closure). Not only has she lost her job, but she’s also lost her apartment and fiancé. She “meets cute” a stranger, Luke, who she discovers was her playmate and the literal boy next door during her childhood. From there, we follow Abby as she works out living with her sister (not a great relationship), living in a small village (where everyone seems to know everyone and everyone’s business), trying to resolve her feelings about Luke, and trying to find a job.

It was very difficult for me to warm up to Abby. In the beginning she keeps information away from people - admitting that she lies, especially when it came to telling her family about her broken engagement. I wondered if she was an unreliable narrator - and she’s not, but it took me a while to realize that she was just very insecure and telling the truth wasn’t always her forte. From the Author’s Note, Ms. Walsh mentioned that Abby’s sister, Louise, wasn’t originally in the story. Louise was one of my favourite characters and I enjoyed her relationship with her husband, Tomasz. This book does have some light humor that was enjoyable (I liked an exchange about Abby wondering if another character was writing about her and the wonderful reply) and the overall writing (and story) isn’t bad. I did wish that the character of Luke had been more developed - though all in all he seemed like a good general bloke (maybe a good general hot bloke …). There is some family dynamics discussed (how easily one can slip into family roles after being away for many years!) and, at the heart, family is what helps Abby tackle her issues and make her decisions in life. I could see this being a fun Hallmark feel good movie. For me, this book was about a 3.75 stars, rounded up to four stars.

This book is so goddamn adorable. One of my favorite tropes is childhood friends-to-strangers-to-lovers, and this book excellently delivered on it! I like seeing ambitious heroines, so while Abby's lying impulses made me want to reach into the book and shake her, she was the perfect main character. Oh, and don't even get me started on her and Luke's flirting and banter. Overall, this was a really cute, easy read and I'm so glad I picked it today.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Rebound! This is my first time reading anything from this author and I really enjoyed the writing style. I thought the banter between the characters was hilarious, the sister dynamics were realistic and the setting was so fun to read about.

Based on the cover I thought this story would mainly focus on the MC and her love interest. I almost found there was more time dedicated to the MC and her sister/friends than anything. I would’ve liked a little more development of the relationship and the love interest. I found that they had minimal interactions and every time they did something big happened and I just wanted more little moments and romance.

I really enjoyed the premise of the MC coming back to her hometown after losing her job/apartment/fiancé in New York. I thought it made the character development really interesting as she confronted her past and why she hadn’t returned to Ireland in so long. I felt really immersed into the small town and it’s charm.

I found it strange that her ex-fiancé came back and the chapter of their conversation was so long but when the MC and her love interest resolved their conflict at the end the conversation was so short. The ex-fiancé’s speech about his love for her was more profound than the love interest’s and I definitely thought it should’ve been the other way around.

Overall, I breezed through this book and was engaged the whole time. I thought there were some issues but overall I enjoyed it. A solid 3.5 stars and I would be interested in the authors’ other works!

This was my first book by the author and I loved it! I finished this in two-sittings and it's safe to say that it is one of my favorite reads this year :)

Abby, our protagonist had a great "upper-east side" kinda life in NYC before everything fell apart and she loses her job, fiancé, and her apartment. Now she's forced to return home to Ireland to live with her headstrong sister. She meets Luke, the absurdly handsome man who offers her a car ride home, and later turns out to be her childhood friend!

Abby is an opinionated woman with an ambition, which makes her a very strong and impressive character. I like how she never lost that drive. As the author herself put it, I really enjoyed reading Abby and her sister try to communicate and failing miserably! As much as he tried, Luke could not be the grumpy guy at all! He's the soft, sweet, forgiving man who would drop everything for his loved ones. Beth and Jess and literally all the other characters are precious beans and I adored them!!

This is a fun, relaxing and wholesome holiday romance with the most amazing character development I've seen in a character (Abby). Read this if you enjoy witty banter, small-town romance, loyal friends and newfound friendships, love an Irish accent, humorous, swoon-worthy men and humorous sibling relationship/rivalry.

Thank you so much NetGalley, author and bookouture for the ARC!
#TheRebound #NetGalley

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in Exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating: 2.5

Abby had a great life in New York city and when everything falls apart, she has to return to her hometown, a little village in Ireland. She ends up meeting Luke, who she thought was just a cute stranger, but it turns out he's actually the boy next door, whom she grew up with.

Well, I was expecting to enjoy this one way more than I did because I read One Night Only recently and thought it was very fun and cute, but this one was not as good for me.

It was difficult for me to connect to Abby - even though she was going through some very relatable problems, like losing her job and breaking off her engagement - but I didn't really root for her like I was supposed to. I felt a little indifferent to her whole situation.

Luke is a very cute guy, but I felt like the author could go deeper in his character development and I definitely didn't feel a great chemistry between them which was supposed to be one of the most important things in the book.

The writing is not bad - as I said, I enjoyed her previous book - and I felt there were some nice moments, but not enough to make me really like the book.

This was mediocre at best. It's more Abby's story than a romance and I wasn't Abby's biggest fan. She's back at home in a small town after being laid off from her hot shot job and the story follows the same beats you'd expect it to. The relationship she has with her sister was the most interesting to me but there's not enough of it to be the center of the story. The romance had potential but wasn't developed very well and felt rushed and unnatural. The third act conflict was pretty stupid and I didn't really care about them getting together anyway. Overall, it was a quick read, I might try more from this author because the writing was good but this particular story was not for me

Did I just read this book in one sitting? Yes! Do I have regrets? Absolutely not!

I loved this book! Not only was this such a cute romantic story but it was a story about going back home and finding yourself again! So heart warming and I loved the characters!

Very fun and quick read that has you hooked from the first page! Will definitely be recommending this book to my friends!

Read this if you:
☘️are Irish
☘️want to visit Ireland
☘️have ever had a crush on an Irish fellow
🍀knew what you wanted to do with your life when you were 7
☘️have an up and down relationship with a sibling

Abby is waiting for a bus back to her hometown in Ireland after her fiancé broke off the engagement AND she lost her fancy finance job. An attractive guy at the bus station offers her a ride home & they immediately click and start flirting. The next day, her sisters neighbors come over for lunch and the mysterious man who drove her back walks in. She didn’t realize that she knew him, but the prior night he knew exactly who she was.

I’ve lost track the number of romcoms I’ve read that take place in Ireland, but I am here for it. Swoon worthy men, a crazy ex-fiancé, and a strained relationship with her sister makes this book a gem.

Thank you NetGalley & Bookouture for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: Feb 14

She goes back home at Ireland after her fiance breaks up with her and she loses her work . The first person she meets at the bus station is a handsome man who offers to take her home . She accepts and she also flirts with him . The next day she comes face to face with that man and she discover he is her neighbor Luke with whom they grew up together . For the first weeks she is lying to her sister about her relationship and that she is also homeless . She spent time with Luke and feelings come along . She is looking to find a job away from Ireland but what will happen with the man she loves ? I loved the way the sister finally make up after all this years .
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fun for an evening’s read, but not super memorable. I felt similar about the author’s other book, One Night Only. I also think that the main character doesn’t really seem that upset about her breakup from the start, so the male lead is less of a rebound, and more of a new love interest from the beginning.

I voluntarily obtained a digital version of this book free from Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet, easy read perfect for the busy holiday season or a day on the beach. The plot could well be the basis of a Hallmark movie. Abby loses her high powered NYC job, her apartment and her fiancé dumps her. She crawls back home to Ireland to stay in her family home with her older sister with whom she has never gotten along with. Add in one old boyfriend, a few mixed signals and some small town life. The characters are likable and the romance closed door so this book should appeal to readers who like their romance on the cozy side.

The past few weeks, I’ve followed Catherine Walsh’s book two updates on Instagram and settled in for what I was sure would turn out to be a long promotional period before the book’s actual release.

And then she dropped the fact that ARCs of The Rebound is on NetGalley and I dropped my phone in a mad digital dash to request one.

What I love most about The Rebound—and about all of Walsh's writing, actually—is its depictions of Ireland. Walsh tells Abby's story through an indulgently annoyed lens on Ireland, rejecting the typical tourist perceptions of the county and introducing some more interesting ones. There's a fierce love of Ireland in Walsh's writing, one that endears even if the reader hasn't the faintest clue how to discern between the west and east coasts of the country. (Of course I've seen maps, leave me alone.)

The Rebound has a hilarious secondary cast, from Abby's high-strung older sister to Abby's ex-boyfriend's current wife, who is an absolute delight in her scenes. And, of course, Tomasz is fantastic character and deserves his own novel. A more-developed secondary cast of characters is exactly what I wanted from One Night Only​ (review here) and I'm thrilled that it was a main aspect of this novel.

Walsh also writes deftly when it comes to her characters' young age. Life passes quickly around Abby and Luke, and being stuck in their hometown doesn't help. There's a sense of millennial ennui in Walsh's writing that always manages to ground the novel and insist on the novel's deeper relevancy.

As always with Walsh's protagonists, Abby is a wonderfully three-dimensional character who is a lovable, much-too-good person. (I highlighted a quote at one point and annotated, "Ugh omg she's such a good personnnnnnn.") However, I wish her romance with Luke had been more developed—I felt that the pacing of the novel veered off track a little towards the end of the story. The constant back-and-forth between the two of them is just a bit over-played in the final act.

That being said, The Rebound is a perfect novel with which you can curl up during Valentine's Day, no matter if you're coupled or in a committed relationship with your own box of Ghiradelli. I am always eager to read Walsh's writing—just as any contemporary romance fan should be.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC :)
I requested this book mostly because it mentioned it'd be good for fans of Emily Henry, completely forgetting that I actually have read Catherine Walsh before (One Night Only, which I didn't particularly love nor hate). My feelings for The Rebound happen to be similar to those I had with One Night Only.

Walsh's writing is particularly easy to get through. It had a couple of heartwarming moments - mostly Abby's relationship with her sister and friends. I even happened to like those more than the moments with Luke, the love interest.

My main complaint is that I felt disconnected to the characters throughout the entire book, even when the plot was very well-developed (there's a lot going on yet it's not confusing,), it all felt very passive, unassertive. There was not enough tension, attraction between the leads. Like you're browsing channels and happen to catch an episode of a series you don't watch, and let it play leisurely; you know what's going on but you don't feel gripped, attached. It's entertaining but nothing that takes your breath away, nothing that leaves you anxious and at the edge of your seat.

Nonetheless, I think Catherine Walsh's books so far are good if you want a romantic story that doesn't drag itself too much. Something that isn't too complicated, and warms your heart. A lukewarm story.

What strikes me the most in The Rebound is how relatable the characters feel. The story is centered around Abby, who lost everything in New York - job, fiancé, apartment - and decides to move back home. She meets Luke, and immediately feels a spark of attraction to him. Luke was this sweet character - your down-to-earth, regular good guy.
I loved the relationship between Abby and her sister Louise, how it was rocky at first and got better with time, communication and a little bit of much-needed intervention from Tomasz (Louise's husband). Btw, I love that guy. There's this line from him that had me laughing, because it's funny, and annoyed because if someone told me that, I would be rolling my eyes <spoiler>“How’s your moping? [...] Going well? It looks like you’re really getting the hang of it.”</spoiler>
Jess and Beth (the bffs) were absolute sweethearts. The other secondary characters were great as well.
Abby's parents - the video calls, the mom wanting to leave everything at a moment's notice to be where her daughters are, the stoic dad trying not to show emotions. See, relatable!
The story was wholesome. I think I loved it as much as Catherine's first book, which was very, very much.
I think I said it for Catherine Walsh's first book, and it goes the same for this one as well - this book played like a movie in my head. It was easy to picture.
Overall, another hit from Walsh.
Question: at what point can we qualify an author as an auto-buy author? Because with these two hits under her writer belt, I have to say Catherine's now an auto-buy for me.
Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Rebound by Catherine Walsh is a great, contemporary romance that made me laugh, smile, and entertained me from beginning to end.

This is a fun, relaxing, and all around enjoyable romance. The author does a great job balancing humor, wit, and light moments with slightly more serious elements of searching for purpose and what one wants out of life.

I really liked Abby Reynolds Luke Bailey. I like the chemistry, the dynamics, the tongue-in-cheek moments and also how, without even knowing, they help one another along in answering their own respective inner questions.

I enjoyed the plot, the layers that allowed the characters to evolve and own up to, and I enjoyed the positive and satisfying ending.

Too cute.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Bookouture for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/14/22.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in one sitting on a rainy afternoon and it was absolutely delightful! The story was easy to follow, the MC’s personalities were sweet and the plot moved at a steady pace. I was seeking an oh so sweet romance read and this definitely lived up to the mark with so many adorable moments. There were moments where I stopped and wondered how a particular moment would look, translated on screen.

The only thing that threw me off a little was the blurb indicating that Abby may have some struggle admitting her feelings for Luke and feel torn with her love for her fiancé. However Abby is head over heels for Luke and no such obvious tension seems to brew.

Would definitely recommend this book for romance lovers, especially on a cold rainy afternoon with a cup of hot cocoa.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

4 stars! This book was everything I wanted it to be. It was super cute, swoon-worthy, and overall a great read.

After losing her fiance, home, and job, Abby Reynolds heads back to her hometown in Ireland where she bumps into her childhood friend, Luke. From there the book takes us on a journey of Abby mending ties with her estranged sister, making new friends, and her relationship with Luke.

The characters were likeable, the plot was easy to follow, and it was easy to root for Abby and Luke to end up together. Luke was really the sweetest and such a loveable hero. I really liked Jess as a side character and her personality really shined through even though we didn't see too much of her. There are quite a few of those "smiling a lot your face starts to hurt" moments in the book so be warned you may look like a squirrel while reading, but it's worth it.

However, I would say that this book isn't so much a "started as a rebound then turned into something more" as the title suggests. Before anything happens between her and Luke she already appears over her ex-fiance and isn't too hung up over him.

If you're looking for a lighthearted rom-com that you can binge, this is the book for you!

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 14, 2022

Additional Information:
Spice? Little to non (brief and vague descriptions)
Cheating? No
OW/OM? No
HEA? Yes