Aspiring artist Neale Delacroix should be on top of the world. She’s landed a spot in an exclusive art program that’s sure to be her ticket to success, but then her best shot at stardom goes up in flames—literally. When her relationship follows suit, Neale finds herself a stone’s throw from rock bottom.

Her heart broken and her dream deferred, Neale decides to work a soul-crushing nine-to-five job until the heat dies down. However, that’s not exactly what happens when she meets Anthony, a sizzling coworker with a perfect smile.

Convinced that she breaks everything she touches, Neale’s sworn off art and men. Yet her creative spirit still beckons, and she can’t get Anthony out of her head. She’s caught in that familiar space between daydreams and responsibilities, desperate to find a new way forward. With her future hanging in the balance, Neale must decide if she is down and out…or ready to bounce back.
A great book

Honestly this didn't end up being what I expected from the description and I really struggled through it. I spent the first hundred page waiting for it to get going before I realised that it wasn't really going to do much more than tick along.

By the end I was glad it wasn't a DNF for me. But it was just a fairly passive story about Neale, an artist who's floundering and figuring out what she wants to do next. I didn't quite feel the growth the author was clearly trying to portray and I didn't like Neale any more by the end. It's a shame because there was a kernal of something there. Ok for a travel companion I'd say but not one I'd recommend for your next proper read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'm really sorry, and don't like to give less than 3 stars, but I found this story lacking any real depth. In all aspects of her life Neale didn't seem to have any passion... for any of it. It felt like she only did art due to her family. I suppose it's also my fault as I struggled to visualise the art she was producing.
The romance side of things was pretty lukewarm too.
Sorry. I won't be posting to other sites.

When Neale's performance art goes awry and she's kicked out of the collective, It makes the start of a cascade of events that pushes her into, let's face it, adulthood. Her parents make her move out, her boyfriend (of sorts) ditches her and she has to get a job. Luckily, she's got a sister willing to help her find a place and what turns out to be a career at a greeting card company, Oh and Anthony. This isn't really a rom com and honestly, Neale is remarkably annoying in spots but it's got a good spirit and it's very diverse. Thank to netgalley for the ARC. A quick read.

DNF!!
As a romance mood reader, blurbs reflecting the plot correctly is important! This was advertised as a rom-Com and that combined with the fun cover had me expecting something very different from what I got! This book would be better suited in the Women's Fiction section where it can get the recognition it may deserve. Can't say for sure since I'm not going to finish.

First, romance readers don't like to be misled. This is (women's) fiction, not romance. Secondly, kudos to the author for a lot of representation and diversity with main and supporting characters.

Neale Delacroix is 27, the daughter and sister of famous artists and an inspiring artist herself. When her latest multi media art installation burns her career down her family forcers her to grow up. She gets her first regular job, leaves her parents house, gets an apartment and a roommate. She swears off art and men. But her job includes handsome co-worker Anthony and her sister comes to town and invites her to be part of her art show.

Neale is a mess of a character. I think the author almost goes too far with her immaturity because it runs the rest of alienating the reader instead of cheering for her. I like how Neale tries to buckle down at her job but updating the greeting card company seems a stretch. I think my favorite parts were the interactions between her and her two sisters. But even then there is a lot of misunderstanding and hurt feelings. Thank you to NetGalley and the Montlake for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

While I liked the book overall, I feel like it shouldn't have been marketed as a rom com. It was pretty heavy and I felt like the beginning was slow/hard to get into. The characters were well developed though, so I'll read from this author in the future.

I liked a lot about this book, but there was more I didn't like.

What stopped me from enjoying it was the fact that it was so slow and heavy. There was just too much information about Neale's job and less about her relationships with people. She also came across as a bit ungrateful and childish, which really started to annoy me as I got through the book. I really wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it was <i>hard</i>.

<i>Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the advance copy.</i>

I struggled to get into the book. The main character, Neale, reads as really immature and I didn't like her at all. I also wasn't engaged with the storyline, even though the premise seemed really cute. This was a DNF for me after 30%, so I am rating it as a 2/5.

to be completely honest, i was a little bit disappointed with how this book turned out. i requested this arc with the idea that it would be a rom com as it was marketed that way, and while there were romantic themes in this book, i would have considered it to be women’s fiction, rather than romance.

there was nothing wrong with the book itself, it just wasn’t what i was looking to read at the time. what i did really like was the inclusion of gender, race and lgbtq+

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

this book is so fantastic! please pick it up as soon as possible! this is so good and so cute and so wonderful and all the great and beautiful things. for realz.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher, & author for providing me with an advanced copy of #TheBounceBack in exchange for my honest review.

Addie Woolridge really created a lovable mess in heroine, Neale. From page one, I cringed with second-hand embarrassment for her spectacular career ending flop and moved swiftly into righteous indignation as everyone who should have been in her corner seemingly couldn’t wait to kick her while she was down. I admit, I spent most of the book irritated by her family’s attitude toward black-sheep Neale, even though there was a definite kernel of truth in it.

I got excited as Neale began to grow more confident in her Happy Hearts greeting card job and who wouldn’t? Anthony embodied everything that Neale deserved but had never gotten from a love interest.

Even while cheering Neale on as she found her stride at Happy Hearts, I could feel the impending doom approaching. She was so convinced that she had to be someone new that she couldn’t detach from her rigid idea of Old Neale (bad) vs. New Neale (good).

Finally, after some decidedly brutal (and mean) communication with her siblings and Anthony, Neale makes the final leap of faith to fully blend Old & New Neale to find a life she can thrive in and be proud of.

I really enjoyed the book and devoured it in one sitting. I think most young adult women can identify with the imposter syndrome that Neale feels throughout the plot; the insecurity and anxiety were really spot on and relatable without making the atmosphere too somber. The hard topics are treated with a dose of good old- fashioned self-deprication and humor whenever possible.

Finally, I really enjoyed the diversity of the characters in the book. Addie Woolridge was able to introduce a cast of characters from diverse backgrounds, sexualities, and gender identities without making them feel tokenistic or two-dimensional. I value that kind of representation in what I read, so big kudos for that in addition to an engaging and enjoyable plot line.

I highly recommend #TheBounceBack by Addie Woolridge and definitely encourage you to read it once it’s published in October 2021.

Thank you to the Author and to NetGalley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review!


I was disappointed in this book. From the summary I was expecting a fun story with romance. Instead I got to follow Neale who just tanked her artist career. Instead of trying again, she decides to turn her back to the art world and find her first ‘real’ job. My biggest disappointment with the book were that Neale seemed to be acting as a teenager and not like a 28 year old (the same age as me). It seemed that she always expected others to help and support her, but she only gave half back. In addition, at first she remarked, that people that have full time jobs, cannot be artists, and some of my friends would definitely have issues with this statement. I must admit that no character made an impact for me and barely managed to finish the book. On the plus side, this book has lots of representation!

2 stars

The Bounce Back by Addie Woolridge a bounceable four-star read. This wasn’t what I was expecting, I was thinking fun rom com with different characters, and it had different characters and that’s why I gave it four stars, if I was going on story or the main character, I would hate to say it but it would struggle to get a three. I haven’t read the checklist so I don’t know if it added something to this story, but I don’t know if I will be going back to check it out.

From other reviews, I gather that there is at least one more book about these sisters.Perhaps I should have read that one first because in the first part of the book, I had no idea what it was about (Neale's art) and any description did not really add to my understanding. The book did improve and Neale comes to some self understanding towards the end. Parts of the book were a good read and the romance was nicely portrayed and felt realistic. I also liked the conversations with the sisters and room mates. THe concepts of the arts were too abstract for me ....
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved the synopsis of this book and was really looking forward to reading it. However, it fell very flat for me. The writing felt like it was written by middle schooler. None of the characters had any depth and I struggled to connect with them. This is also advertised as a rom-com but definitely fell more into women’s fiction. The romance was lacking and I didn’t find any of it humorous. This books focus was on the mc’s family relationships and struggling to get her life together. Maybe her character was meant to be quirky or endearing but she came across more pathetic and immature. This one just wasn’t for me.

*arc received in exchange for honest review

An amusing book overall, this book reminded me a little of Bridget Jones' Diary. Neale had a really bad art exhibit, after which she found out that her parents were concerned because she wasn't really focused. For someone in her late 20s, perhaps this is a reflection of Generation Z (or is it Y?) but I have to admit that as a character centric reader, I wasn't a fan of Neale. She was very flighty and even though I appreciate quirky characters, I felt like she wasn't a very compelling character. It could have been a function of aiming for humor and as I noted, there were moments when I was amused. I thought her growth, which felt like the main focus of this story, came too late in the story. That's a personal preference though and in that vein, Neale missed the mark a little here, especially since this book was told from Neale's perspective.

The romance was with her and Anthony, one of the people who was at her "boring job" (her description) at a greeting card company I found him sweet and respectful and enjoyed their interplay overall although the push pull from Neale again was difficult to appreciate. I liked the supportive characters, like Neale and Anthony's boss, Rich, and her roommate, Corinne, as they added color to the world. Overall, the story progressed along well but I just wish I liked the main character a bit more than I did. I give this book 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this advanced read.

Book: The Bounce Back
Author: Addie Woolridge
Star Rating: Three Stars
Publication Date: 26th October 2021

I was pretty disappointed as I was looking forward to reading a fun romantic comedy as advertised but this was a. women's fiction through and through.

The Bounce Back is all about how the lead character is trying to get her life back on track but a complicated relationship with her family isn't helping anything.

The novel is full of humour and it was written in a very lighthearted manner which is an element that I really did enjoy.

Maybe if I had read Woolridge's previous book 'The Checklist' I would have enjoyed this one more as 'The Bounce Back" is based on a minor character from that previous novel I believe.

Overall, I found this book a slow burn and tough to get through as I think I delved into it with the wrong mindset. I might give it another go after I read 'The Checklist'.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I have not read The Checklist so I found out this was part of a series after starting. I enjoyed the writing style and sense of humor, as well as the light-heartedness of the storytelling. There were serious themes but the positivity and lightness of Neale's personality always shone through. Most of all, I loved the writing around the quiet, slow burn of a crush becoming something more. It was treated sweetly, realistically, and humorously. May we all have someone with the steadfast sureness of Anthony who gives space and understanding to personal growth. It's a winner in my eyes!

This was an enjoyable read. However, you need to be warned this is not a rom rom, it is a women’s fiction book. If you go into it thinking it is a rom com you're going to be disappointed. What you need to know is that this book is about a messy protagonist trying to get her life together with a complicated relationship with her family; also, the writing was nice.