The rebound was a super cute story about a girl from Ireland coming back home from NY and seeing her next door neighbor for the first time since they were children. Think boy next door who used to be a dorky scrawny nerd, is now a brawn handsome man. The book kept me hooked from the get go, as i loved abby and lukes characters as well as the growth of the sister relationship between abby and louise.

Imagine losing your fiancé, job and apartment all at the same time…well that is what happened to Abby in The Rebound by Catherine Walsh! On top of that she had to move from New York and leave the life she loved and head home to Ireland. Once in Ireland Abby needed to stay with her sister Louise and her husband. Abby and Louise are not exactly close so that just added one more thing to Abby’s list of struggles. This adorable rom com tells how Abby rebuilds her life and along the way learns what is really important and what type of life she really wants. I loved the characters who played a role in Abby’s self discovery and found myself cheering for all of them! The Rebound does not disappoint.

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📚Book review📚

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the arc in exchange for a review!

The Rebound was a cute rom-com about Abby, who moves back home to her small town in Ireland after losing her job and breaking up with her fiance.
It’s a frustratingly pleasant romcom if you can believe it. You won’t want to put it down. I would declare a certified page turner.

I gave it 3 and a half stars.

Set a book in Ireland and I am immediately intrigued. While I think the synopsis is definitely less than accurate, the book was as cute as I hoped for. I like how realistic, down to earth, and relatable the main character Abby is. She doesn’t ever come across as over dramatic or whiny but suitably upset about her situation. She doesn’t move back to her small town and everything falls into place. Instead, she still has struggles and time is spent reacquainting herself with the town, family and old friends. I wasn’t sure about the sister’s relationship at first but if anything, it is realistic. Not everyone is best friends with their siblings. I also really appreciated showing that choices are different for everyone but that doesn’t make any of them wrong. Some people are content to settle down in their hometown and some feel the need to get out and explore. One is not better than the other, it should just be about what is right for each individual. It was also refreshing that the plot wasn’t as cliché as I was expecting. There were parts that were predictable of course, but the way things played out before the end were more novel than previous books I’ve read. This could have been another Hallmark-esque story, but thankfully it stayed more true to real life. I wasn’t positive what decision Abby would make until I read the words and truly, she didn’t take the easy “tie it up with a bow” path.

I love this book is coming out on Valentine’s Day. It’s a perfect gift for a girlfriend, partner or yourself. Grab it for spring break or as an entertaining, light read in the dreariness of February. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader copy.

Fun. Flirty. Complex. Exciting. Challenging. The Rebound is pretty much everything you could want from a rom com! It’s. A great option for a vacation read, or even just a stay at home cozy read. Navigating both Abby’s familial and romantic relationships was thoroughly enjoyable. And quite honestly, if something happens….I’ll willingly jump a flight to Ireland to meet Luke!

"Maybe we were together because it was the easiest thing to do, because neither of us thought we had to pay attention to the other and maybe...maybe that used to work for me before but for now."

To be fair, I have not read Marian Kyes, Sophie Kinsella, or Emily Henry before as this book has been compared to in the blurb; I solely picked up The Rebound for the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope (because I may be experiencing the same in my life right now xD) and some Irish sceneries. Albeit the book didn't fail to deliver in these aspects, I expected it to be a bit more satisfying.

The premise of Abby returning to her hometown after losing her job and fiancé is constructed well. While her chemistry with Luke starts off slow, it develops as the novel moves ahead and was pretty much the only thing that kept me reading. This, and Abby's relationship with her sister were two aspects I found were well-written and made up for the underwhelming presence of Irish sceneries and the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope.

I also loved Louise as an environmentalist. and that one scene when Luke awaits Abby after she gets back from the job interview. There was something about the latter which was very warm!

The writing was alright and it was pretty much a general, cute, romance read you can pick up for some light reading in between heavy stuff.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed Abby's story of picking herself back up and moving on after her entire life falls apart and she returns home to Ireland.

Every character had a distinct voice and characterisation that I could easily picture in my head, and the problems Abby had through the story all made sense.

I look forward to trying other books by Catherine Walsh.

This was such a good book, I read it in one sitting and couldn't put i down. And Luke was such an interesting love interest fell in love with him, in the first chapter, when he offered the car ride. And the love only grew.

Rating: 4,5/5

After her life has fallen down in New York, Abby goes back to her hometown in Ireland. On the first night, she is helped by a gorgeous man who gives her a lift.
But the next morning she finds out he was not a stranger. He is Luke Bailey, her next door neighbor. The one she used to play with. The one she used to take baths with.
Little by little, Abby remembers what being at home feels like and she starts to think about Luke all the time. But being with him would be a terrible idea, right? At the end of the day, her life is in New York...
I liked this book. It's sweet, easy to read and perfect for this time of the year. I also liked the descriptions of the Irish landscape. They helped me to created my own images in my mind.

This was a quick cute rom-com. Abby moves back to Ireland after going through somethings. I felt like the chemistry between Abby and Luke wasn’t as strong. I also didn’t like how Abby wasn’t as honest with Luke. I felt like conflict could’ve been resolved if they talked it out . I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope hence the three star rating.

The Rebound was a cute rom-com about Abby, who moves back home to her small town in Ireland after losing her job and breaking up with her fiance.

I loved the setting and loved Luke, although I would have liked to learn a bit more about him. My favorite part was how Abby rekindled her relationship with her sister Louise, and how she learned to love her town again. Her new best friend Beth was also a great side character!

However, the whole plot could’ve been resolved with a few honest conversations. I didn’t understand why Abby would hide that she had broken up with her fiance, especially when it hurt Luke. This type of plot is always frustrating to me. I just want the main characters to be grownups and talk to each other!

Read this book for a lighthearted escape to small-town Ireland, but if you get irked by plots that could be resolved by a simple conversation I’d give this one a pass.

OMG this book was just what I needed. A fun light-hearted rom-com that kept me turning the pages and reading late into the night.

Now for me, a lover of all things thriller-ish with some historical fiction thrown in, that’s saying something 😊 I really did love this one. It was just so easy to read, and I absolutely loved Abby, she was so much fun.

Abby’s world is turned upside down. Not only does she lose her job at a leading financial firm in New York when it collapses and goes under, taking her life savings with it, but her fiancé breaks up with her. So now she is left with no job, no partner and no home. Desperate to escape for a while she boards a plane and heads home to Ireland to spend time with her sister Louise.

Tired, cranky, and feeling like she’s landed in the middle of nowhere, Abby realises she’s stranded with no way of making it from the airport to her sister’s house. Suddenly, it feels like things might be turning around for her when she meets the seriously gorgeous stranger Luke who her offers to drive her to Clonard, after all he’s heading that way anyway.

After some harmless flirting, Abby arrives at her sister’s safe and sound, wondering if she will ever see the handsome stranger again.

Fast forward to the next day, a lunch with the neighbours, and who should arrive on the doorstep…..Luke. Turns out Luke isn’t a handsome stranger after all. He’s her old next-door neighbour. No longer the awkward scrawny kid next door, he’s all grown up and with chiseled looks to prove it, and he knew who Abby was all along.

What unfolds is a fun upbeat look at lives and relationships. It was like drinking a great big warm mug of hot chocolate, I just loved it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this one.

A bit predictive at times, but sometimes (and especially in this genre) it's just what I need. The main characters, Luke and Abby, were quiet enjoyable. Their chemistry wasn't as strong as the other couples I've read from the genre, but they still worked pretty well together. The only detriment that kept me from fully enjoying the story was the miscommunication between them. I dislike this trope, and it was used a lot here. Apart from that, the atmosphere of this book is quaint, thanks to the beauty of the described Irish countryside. If you need a cute, light, palate-cleanser in between heavy books, then this is the book for you.

Solid 3-3.5 stars for me. For romances I now pretty much expect at least one trope and a few stereotypes and while this book did have some of these, it also discussed family dynamics and learning to grow as a family unit. It was a cute, easy read that I read very quick! I thought Abby as a main character was likeable yet wasn't perfect or "quirky" in the annoying way that some romance novels tend to make their leads. Overall would recommend for a light, easy read with some fun Irish details. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a fun and uplifting rom com about finding your true home. I loved the relatable and complicated family dynamics between Abby and her sister. Sometimes we see ourselves as a victim when we've been ignoring what was around us all along. Abby has lost her fiance and job all at once and is forced to confront her past after she moves back home. This story has all of the classic laugh out loud moments you would expect from a small town homecoming. And of course, there is an undeniable chemistry between Abby and the "boy" next door she had long forgotten.
This is a wonderful feel good story that i would recommend to any of my romance reading patrons.

This book was such a quick and easy read!! Loved the easter day creativity and that it took place in Ireland. It was super cute and fun and i’m glad I got the chance to get an ARC through Netgallery!! I enjoyed connecting to the characters and watching Luke and Abby reunite and Abby and Louise slowly acting as sisters.!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review!

After Abby faces the downfall of her company and a break-up with her Fiancé, she flees home to Ireland to face her family for the first time in years. She isn’t sure what she wants or where to go and the fear of disappointment from her parents paired with her sister she doesn’t get along with is a bit overwhelming.

I absolutely loved this book. A slow-burn romance filled with diverse family dynamics and finding your way. Sometimes not knowing your next step is the best way to break free and discover what really makes you happy. Catherine Walsh does a wonderful job at creating characters you fall in love with and want to cry, celebrate, and mourn with.

this is a very cute and lighthearted romcom! however, i would go into it knowing that the romance isn’t the entire plot and that there’s a lot of found-family aspects to it. which is very good and i love her sister and brother-in-law and her friends!!! it’s just not romance-heavy and leans more towards women’s fiction/self-discovery type story. it would be a perfect light read for a beach or on the plane. i would be all for a beth and jessica book, though, anyone else?? 🥺

this book depicts the story of Abby, who, after losing everything, reluctantly goes home to live with her sister until she can get back on her feet. Abby understands that returning home isn't all awful as she reconnects with old friends and meets new ones. And it's possible that the family she despised will be the one to put her back together.
To me, this felt like a conventional rom-com. It was unquestionably pleasurable. The plot is somewhat predictable, which I appreciate on occasion, especially when I just want to read a cute, pleasant novel.

This is a very fun, lighthearted story that follows Abby's journey home and back to herself, with the help of her family and some old and new friends. Abby is a down on her luck and begrudgingly returns home to pick up the pieces after she loses her job, her fiancé and her home. I found it strange that she headed to her sister, with whom she had a horrible relationship, and her hometown, which she was so happy to escape and never visited. Eventually they mend their strained relationship but it took a beat too long. Luke is charming and selfless and I thought Beth was a great sidekick. It was an easy, enjoyable read.