The Rebound: An absolutely hilarious romantic comedy set in Ireland

A good story in spite of it feeling a bit long at certain points.Liked Luke a lot and would have loved to hear his POV too! Abby started growing on me as I read further... The secondary characters - Louise, Tomasz, Beth and Jess were really good.Overall a good read.

"For the first time in years, I have no plans..."*Everything that can go wrong has went wrong in Abby Reynolds' life as she finds herself back on Irish soil once more but this time she's jobless, fiancéless and homeless. And to top things off she's missed the bus. But things start to look up when she's rescued by a handsome stranger, Luke, who offers to drive her to her childhood town of Clonard. Abby knows that Luke would be the perfect rebound to take her mind off of everything. That is until the next day when she realises he's no stranger but Luke Bailey, the boy next door, all grown up. The same boy who knew exactly who she was the entire time! The attraction continues to grow but in order to pursue Luke she needs to come clean to her family about everything else. Because the whole of Clonard still thinks she's a high-flying New Yorker. What's a girl to do?*"You have to live your life for you, not for anyone else..."*A refreshing and comforting read, The Rebound had me addicted from page one! I was laughing, crying and swooning from start to finish! I absolutely adored reading a story from an Irish main character's POV as I felt connected to the characters, their mannerisms and colloquialisms, because it's how I speak. It's not often you lift a book and feel that familiarity with the story from the first page but I loved the glimpses of our Irish culture that it provides both to people who have not been here before and those of us born and raised on the island. All conveyed in a beautiful little romance story. l loved Abby, and I think a lot of Irish people can relate to her need to get away at a young age. But in this book she not only falls for the guy but she also finds herself falling back in love with her country and finding her feet within her own family dynamic - her relationship with her sister Louise was so well developed.This book has something for everyone - great friendships, family reconciliations and a romance to sweep you off your feet! Perfect for Valentine's Day! Honestly, if Catherine Walsh wrote a menu I'd still read it and rate it five stars I love her storytelling that much!Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!*"Some families you’re born with and some you find..."

I had the incredible chance to read another ARC by Catherine and, honestly? Before I knew about the book, I knew I would love it. So it's no surprise when I tell you how much I loved the book. Instantly going into chapter 1, I was already so connected with the characters and by the time the book ended, I got so upset as if I was losing someone close to me. My favourite thing about the book was that not only does it focus on the characters, their development and their story, but it also talked about the place. I've never read a book that describes the scenes so perfectly that it makes me want to pack my bags and take a trip to an unknown place just so I can experience the book 10x better. And god, oh god, Abby has my heart. There is a way about the author writing her books, that I just instantly fall in love with a character that is not common for me. Where in ONO, I fell for Declan before I even loved Sarah? Abby felt too much like home to me that I knew after the first paragraph that she would be my girl and all I wanted to do was hug her. Moving away to a different country when I was 18, I could connect to this book in SO many senses. That might just be the reason that it was the first and only book this year that made me cry when it ended. Even writing this still makes me emotional and, oh how I wish I could get that first feeling I got when I opened my ARC. I'm so incredibly excited that this book will be out in the world before we know it but don't mind me for feeling smug that I had the chance to read it earlier because I'm in love with this one - just like the last one.

"You have to live your life for you, not for anyone else"Abby Reynolds’ life was absolutely sorted – until it wasn’t. Now she’s back home with no job, no fiancé and no real prospects. She’s a bit miserable, but when she meets the handsome Luke, sparks fly. But is Luke a for-real romance or simply a very hot rebound?Catherine Walsh is back with another romantic comedy, this time set in Ireland – and it is so much fun to read. It offers the same things that make a good romantic comedy sparkle – unconventional (but still tropey) romance, a cast of deeply charming characters and a clever sense of humour that’s got one foot in the arch.As with One Night Only, the real joy here is getting to know Walsh’s characters. I loved Abby, a protagonist with her life in pieces, refusing to give up or fall apart – she’s a Business Bitch with a huge heart, and though I have nothing in common with her (running? To feel better? Ain’t me) she felt like a friend by the end of the novel. And it’s impossible not to fall head over heels for Luke, a love interest who strikes the right balance between wholesome and sexy while still seeming realistic.The secondary relationship in this novel also deserves a shout out – that of Abby and her sister, Louise. I’ve read a lot of romantic comedies that seem to focus exclusively on the main couple but this relationship in all its complexity is given plenty of breathing room here. The relationship is a complex one – as many sisterly relationships are – filled with jealousy and insecurity but deep love, as well. As someone with a younger sister (and yes, I am the Louise of the situation – older, less successful and bossy as hell) I found the relationship to be sensitively and wonderfully drawn. Shockingly, I responded to Louise really well, and I’d read a novel about her and her excellent husband, as well as her crusade to save the whales, in an instant.Sometimes you just need to read a good love story - two people falling in love in the most unlikely circumstances, where nothing goes too horribly wrong, and things work out for the best. The Rebound ticks all these boxes, with enough heft to make you think and plenty of chemistry between the two romantic leads. I absolutely loved it.

Liked meeting Abby and Luke and how Abby's relationship get's better with her sister and brother in law and Luke and Abby's relationship which turned into love even though Abby was getting a new job after her last job made her redundant and her fiance dumped her he also came back into the picture but Abby didn't want him back and told him so. Abby got her job but it was in another country after a heart to heart with Luke he went with her. Abby's sister had a longed for baby and Abby came back with Luke for Christmas to see her baby Niece and her family. Will reread as it was a nice story

A nice book to read in the garden on a sunny day or take to the beach. Characters felt real and loved reading about everyday life in this small Irish seaside town. Described as a romantic comedy which is partly true but don’t expect the laugh out loud moments you get with Bridget Jones or a Suzy Quinn “Bad Mothers” novel as it isn’t like that. It’s more of a make you smile than make you laugh kind of novel so find the description “hilarious “ somewhat misleading. Nonetheless it provided me with a very pleasant afternoons read at the great value price of 99p so I certainly can’t complain.