The Bounce Back

by Addie Woolridge

Overview

In this delightfully fiery rom-com from The Checklist author Addie Woolridge, even the worst situations have a silver lining.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781542030342
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	10/26/2021
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Born and raised outside Seattle, Washington, Addie Woolridge is a classically trained opera singer with a degree in music from the University of Southern California. She also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Indiana University. Her well-developed characters are a result of her love for diverse people, cultures, and experiences.

Woolridge currently lives in Northern California. When she isn’t writing or singing, she can be found baking, training for her sixth race in the Seven Continents Marathon Challenge, or taking advantage of the region’s signature beverage: wine.

Editorial Reviews

Woolridge’s introspective narrative tackles the limiting behaviors that stem from comparison and failure. Focusing first on the growth of the characters, Woolridge makes every connection feel genuine and the romance well-deserved for both Neale and the audience.” —Publishers Weekly

“A light and undemanding coming-of-age story.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Woolridge’s romance has a diverse cast of characters, some laugh-out-loud moments, and a nice change of pace with its art world setting.” —Library Journal

From the Publisher

2021-09-01
A disaster-prone artist has almost given up on her career when a dreary 9-to-5 job and a dreamy co-worker catalyze unexpected revelations.

Neale Delacroix aspires to follow in the footsteps of her family and blaze a trail through the art world, but her first major event turns out to be a literal baptism of fire: She sets herself aflame by accident. In the wake of her spectacular failure, Neale is kicked out of a prestigious artists’ collective and unceremoniously dumped by her “nonlinear life partner,” Darin. Heartbroken and humiliated, Neale finally decides to strike out on her own. She lands a boring but safe job to support herself, but she's unable to leave her artistic—and scatterbrained—self firmly behind: Not only does she find herself dangerously attracted to her co-worker Anthony, a brilliant artist in his own right, but her sister, Billie, is also determined to tug her back into the art world. But Neale must polish more than just her skills if she is to truly shine as an artist. The relentlessness of Neale’s clumsy blundering becomes achingly repetitive, but a diverse and entertaining cast of secondary characters—including many who featured in Woolridge’s The Checklist (2021)—adds both sense and sensibility to Neale’s aimless wandering. Woolridge is consistently witty, often dropping insightful nuggets related to the vagaries of art and the eccentricities of artists. But as Neale negotiates with family, makes friends, and finds her professional feet, her story reads more like women’s fiction than romance. Woolridge misses the opportunity to lead Neale to a deeper understanding of herself through her negotiation with the beautifully steady and warmly generous Anthony.

A light and undemanding coming-of-age story.

Kirkus Reviews