If there is one thing this year hasn’t been for me, that’s a year of love. Mid-March I received a phone call I had been dreading: My long distance boyfriend had hit the sack with someone else. But I had my own not-so-little secret. The boy I’d had a major crush on all semester had finally kissed me…and considered me his girlfriend.

Three months later, the initial googly-eyed crush phase has passed and I find myself asking a question that could be detrimental to my new love: Am I in a rebound relationship? How soon is too soon to become involved with someone new after a breakup? Did I give myself enough time to move on – and will my new relationship work if I didn’t?

Rebounds are common, but what actually constitutes a rebound? Is it okay or not okay? And which is worse – finding out you’re being used as a way for your lover to get over their ex or realizing you’re using your new beau to get over your ex?