Rachel, in her 30s now, is the narrator. A chance meeting in a bar with someone who reminds her of a class they had together in college and their professor and it invites her to look back on that time in her life.
This was an interesting story. I really got sucked in to Rachel and her friendship with James. I loved the rapport and relationship they had. It is definitely one of those stories where the plot is minimal. It's about that time in our lives... Early 20s, trying to figure out life and career and relationships and balance it all with the partying you want to do. Rachel is definitely a flawed main character/narrator, but that makes her perspective so refreshing because she also knows this about herself. Rachel, looking back at that time can give a candid explanation of what really happened and also how things felt to her at the time.
This book feels like a Sally Rooney novel, but better. (I must admit, Normal People and Conversations with Friends were not my jam)

*The Rachel Incident* is a captivating and complex exploration of friendship, love, and self-discovery. Full of sharp observations and emotional depth.

File this one under "books that surprised me."

I think I was fooled by the colorful almost cartoonish cover, because I was not expecting THE RACHEL INCIDENT to be the messy, funny, dark, sexy ride that it was.

I loved the friendship between Rachel and James so much. Having the story told from an older Rachel's POV helped bring some balance to the unhinged 20-something who was being described. The stance on women's rights was not only relevant but relatable.

If you're into lit fic with a dose of humor and real life, definitely pick up THE RACHEL INCIDENT.

*Thank you to the publisher, Knopf, Penguin Random House, for the gifted copy.

Loved looking into the life of a young woman in Ireland. Her choices, her thoughts...they all resonated with a younger version of me. We all make bad choices sometimes but, at times, it seems like Rachel's life is nothing but! This book reminded me a bit of Queenie...if you liked that one, you'll likely enjoy this one too! Rachel's encounters are like bad train wrecks...you don't want to watch but you can't look away. It gave me all the feelings and I really appreciate the author's ability to take me back to a life 30 years ago! 4.25 stars

A thoroughly entertaining read about friends, lovers and a chaotic Ireland through which the main protagonist, Rachel, navigates., setting, and storyline compelling. Although it can be a bit slow at times, it still a worthwhile read. Thank you to Netgalley, Knopf, and Caroline O'Donoghue for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed this coming-of-age story and following Rachel and James. Really appreciated the Irish setting and the differences and similarities of when I was a young adult in the US figuring things out. Would read more from this author.

This was not my favorite book of the past year. It is a set of flashbacks looking at Rachel and James where Rachel wants to seduce her married professor, ick...I tried reading this one but couldn't get into it and grabbed an audio copy from the library and made my way through that. The audio was much better.

2.5 stars // While this book was good, it didn't strike me personally. There were some funny moments and many lines that made me stop to think with how profound they were. A good story about young adulthood, friendship, and finding your way in the world.

I enjoy listening to Caroline O'Donoghue's podcast, Sentimental Garbage, so I came to this novel with great anticipation. It didn't disappoint.

Rather than a romance, The Rachel Incident depicts a close male/female friendship in young adulthood and the plot unfolds in interesting and unexpected ways. I particularly appreciated the ways in which the tensions and rivalries in this relationship were examined against the challenges of the wider backdrop of an Ireland in recession. The way in which vulnerability and power dynamics are explored is especially engaging.

The novel is highly readable with witty, humorous writing, with a highly relatable protagonist. I devoured it quickly and went out to look for more of O'Donoghue's work.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance copy of The Rachel Incident in exchange for an honest review.

The description of The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue states that the book is "shot through with delicious sparkling humor." I find the book more sad than humorous. The book jumps between two timelines often with no warning making the story challenging to follow. I want to invest in the friendship between Rachel and James. However, some of the characterization unfortunately follows stereotypes, and the rest gets lost in the complications of the "incident."

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/12/the-rachel-incident.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

REVIEW: The Rachel Incident

O'Donoghue masterfully captures the layered, messy emotions of early adulthood. The longing, the chaos, the mistakes we make when we're not yet sure of ourselves—it all felt deeply authentic. Rachel's internal experience was written with an unguarded honesty that resonated with me. The relationships she navigates, especially the ones she knows aren't right for her, are painfully honest. While the novel's first third (and even the first half) occasionally meandered, the latter part of the story grabbed my heart. Key moments, like Rachel learning James is moving to New York or reconnecting with Carey later on, hit me with surprising emotional weight. I paused to reflect on how much I'd come to care about these characters. One of my favorite aspects of the book was Rachel's character growth. Her development wasn't a dramatic transformation but a gradual process of small choices and realizations, which felt refreshingly realistic.

I also appreciated the subtle but powerful feminist messaging throughout the novel. The themes of abortion, class dynamics, and the ways women can hurt or support one another were thoughtfully integrated into the story without overshadowing Rachel's journey. Above all, this is a coming-of-age story about one young woman's life within a larger societal context.

By the end, I was surprised by how much this book moved me. While the pacing in the first third dragged a bit, and one part of the ending felt slightly off (Rachel's reconnection with Carey, though heartwarming, struck me as a bit too neat), these issues were minor compared to the novel's overall impact

Thank you, Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

This was not the book I expected it to be, and that was for the better. This was a wonderful and deeply engaging- and relatable- story of coming to adulthood in the recession, of passionate friendship and love. I adored this one.

Really great book about Irish university aged characters from the early 2010s and onward. It reminded me of Normal People by Sally Rooney, but what if the female lead character has a gay platonic soul mate as the male lead character.

Interesting topics but with an MC I failed to connect with. This is a coming of age story about Rachel, a mildly sheltered fresh college student that works in a book store and wants to get out into the world and seize it all. She's going for an English major in Ireland.

She has a lot of ups and downs ~ but the story is a very slow burn. It starts when Rachel is young and meanders around while she tries to find her way. Finally, around 70%, things got rolling and we finally had something really challenging her. But wow, I found Rachel really hard to like. She struggled to think of anyone else, still bringing her laundry to her parents until she was well into her 20's. Finally, her roommate saved her by teaching her to do it herself.

If you like character studies that slow burn, then this one is definitely for you!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I love a book about messy Irish queers and this was no exception. I will be recommending this to our customers!

This is the first book I have read by this author and I will be looking for more. I absolutely loved this book and read it in one day. I would definitely recommend this book.

Love a messy female protagonist trying to figure out life! The humor in this one was so good and I lowkey related to the character in too many ways. Looking forward to what O'Donoghue does next!

This lovely surprise of a novel is like a Sally Rooney book with more plot (and I like Sally Rooney books)! It's a starkly honest story of friendship, romantic love, the messiness of discovering oneself, the insidiousness of the patriarchy... or basically, of being a complicated human. It attempts what I think all great books attempt to do, bring us humans closer together by taking us deep into a singular flawed world.

The frame story is told by Rachel (now a married, pregnant adult journalist) who has just found out her old professor is ill; the man was once a defining force in her life.

She returns to her 20 year old self, to the year she connects with James Devlin, a gay closeted coworker at a bookstore. The two bond instantly and become roommates shortly after, sharing a cramped, cold hovel of an apartment. Rachel is finishing up college and has a crush on a professor. To lure him, James helps her put on a launch party for the prof's new boring book at the store, despite their boss's reluctance. The book is being published by his wife's pub company, and when Rachel meets the kind wife, she knows she won't go through with seducing the prof, who seems uninterested in her anyway. Then Rachel walks in on her new BFF James and the prof kissing.

The plot meanders along here as Rachel/James friendship is affected by James's illicit affair with the prof, who often visits their apartment. But this entanglement soon leads to bigger plot points with heavy consequences.

Highly recommend!

I was going to go two stars on this, but rounded up because I was semi-interested in keeping reading. Listening to Rachel was tiresome, in the way that any adult looking back at stupid decisions one made in their early 20s is tiresome. Rachel was a typical self-absorbed 20-something. She made bad decisions, only looked out for herself and generally was a crap friend and roommate.

But she is telling this story looking back at this time in her life (which was a strange narrative - who is she telling this to? And why?) and she is able to view it from the eyes of someone older who, in theory, can make better decisions.

There wasn't a ton that happened in this book. Rachel and her roommate James live the lives of youngsters in Ireland. They don't have a lot of money, they are looking for love, and they hurt people along the way.

I feel bad that I put this off for so long.

All these characters felt so unbelievably real. I adored Rachel and James + the band of characters they interact with along the way. While I had no idea what to expect from this, every new twist was so engaging. Plus the snapshot of 2010's Ireland was so intriguing. I'll definitely pick up more by Caroline O'Donoghue