Today’s review is of author Catherine Walsh’s latest romantic-comedy, The Rebound. It’s set to be released this Valentine’s Day, and thanks to Netgalley I was able to get an ARC e-copy to review. Heads up that this review will be short, but that’s only because I was so invested in reading it that I didn’t take any notes! (Gasp! Me, with no notes?)
Abby Reynolds has just returned to her hometown in Ireland after her fiancé called off the wedding, and the company she worked for in New York filed for bankruptcy. Abby is dreading having to stay with her sister and her brother-in-law–after all, they’ve never gotten along, so why would this help? But with no other place to live and no job, this was her only option, so back to Ireland she went. In comes her childhood friend and neighbor, Luke Bailey . . . only she doesn’t exactly recognize him, because, well, he’s grown up. Luke is nothing she expected and everything she wanted, and he’s pretty into her as well, only, you know, he actually did recognize her. It all started on a rainy morning when she got the bus schedule wrong, and he happened to be there to offer a ride. . .
Well, that’s my small and probably ineffective take on a synopsis–could you tell I rarely if ever write them? Moving on to what I’m actually good at–discussing the actual contents of a book!
Abby Reynolds, while at first she was just kind of there for me, reminds me of a few people. Firstly, of me, because I can relate to some of the things she says, thinks, and feels. She also reminded me a bit of my friend (and fellow book blogger), Kaiemi, maybe because she works with numbers for a living, but still. She also reminded me of my mother, because she likes doing things like hiking and looking at mountains. Well, I guess she was a perfect blend of fiction and reality, and reminded me of a lot of people.
Luke Bailey, right away the attractive sort of male lead you want in a good romance novel–described as attractive, of course, but not only attractive in appearance. No, Luke Bailey is a good man with a good heart, loves his parents, is respectful and considerate, does his best to help everyone he cares about while being brave enough to let go of fear and do what he wants to do for his own life, while encouraging others to do the same as well. Honestly y’all, this is another Book Boyfriend for the list. To say he’s without his flaws is a little unrealistic, which makes him that much more perfect–after all, everyone has their flaws, right? Maybe that’s what made him and Abby so believable–they were a great mix of perfect and imperfect, to make incredible, well-rounded characters.
The subtle comedy had me laughing out loud at times, the mistakes and trials were written in a way that made you feel interested to know more, the sexy scenes were written in a tasteful way (in a way that’s good and romantic and yet still PG enough to allow anyone to read them), and the characters really carried this story through. This is definitely a book that is driven by characters rather than plot, and this time, it was done in just the right way. It took me almost a month to finally get to it (as usual, on a whim), but then? I read it in two nights, of about two hours each, and as soon as I finished the last page, I powered up my laptop and began writing this review, with no notes and no idea where I was going with this.
I’m someone who usually can’t get very invested in novels set outside of the US–maybe because it isn’t my normal, in the sense that it isn’t a place I could recognize or the slang used isn’t the same terms I’d hear around me, making it seem less realistic for my own life (because even the best of fantasy books have a sense of reality in them). Knowing that, I went into this book not expecting a whole lot, thinking maybe I’d put it down in a few chapters (but after the last book I’d given up on, which was truly ridiculous, I also went into it knowing I had to get at least halfway through). Well, page one made it pretty clear I wasn’t only going to finish the book, but finish it quickly, and enjoy it a whole lot while I was at it. The setting was done beautifully, the characters were written incredibly, the comedy was just right and the romance was fantastic. Oh, and Abby’s sister, Louise? Activist for nature and the environment, something a few of you know I’m interested in. Louise’s husband, Thomasz, and Luke’s friend, Beth (who runs the cool but pretty much bankrupt coffee shop) are a great addition that helped to keep the book moving as well.
Maybe this won’t be my typical run-down of a book, discussing the pros and cons the way I normally do, but hopefully this convinces at least some of you to pick up this book, because trust me, it deserves to be read (not just bought and displayed on a shelf, something us book bloggers are rather notorious for). Nine of ten stars for Ms. Catherine Walsh, and a big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me read the advanced copy.
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