Hilarious and heartfelt, this was a great piece of contemporary fiction. I enjoyed every moment from start to finish.

A story of a twenty-something girl trying to figure out her place in the world. Very relatable as she struggles with romantic relationships, communicating with friends and parents, trying to make money, and everything all at once.

I ended up really liking this one - the writing style really reminded me of Sally Rooney and I'm obsessed with her, so I ended up enjoying this. I loved the dark academia vibes throughout, and I thought this was a beautifully written coming of age story. Caroline O'Donoghue's writing really pulled me in, and I also found I learned a lot about Ireland while reading which was a fun bonus!

Thank you for this ARC!

tough to summarize the plot without spoilers. both good plot and great character development.
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characters include Rachel, her gay best friend James, their professor and his wife, & Rachel’s romantic interest. I find the protagonist/narrator Rachel to be likable & sympathetic. the story is really about friendship, but also about young adulthood: how relationships change and hopefully life improves.
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most of the story takes place in 2010. But I especially loved the whole ending, the last hour and a half or so of the audiobook: more than worth it.
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I didn’t intentionally finish the Irish lit on St. Patrick’s Day- just lucky I guess.
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content warnings for abortion, homophobia, & miscarriage

I loved this book so much! It felt fresh and funny, and I cared about many of the characters and was rooting for them all the way through. Even if they were a mess at times, it felt authentic to their generation and that time of life.

achel is just a girl making ends meet while finishing her degree. I loved following Rachel when she meets forbidden love and the decisions she is forced to make. Fortunately, she has her roommate, James as support. They run freely in the streets of Cork, the best of friends until that bond is tested with crushing results.

An entertaining read with the Irish political state lending a feeling of chaos along with Rachel's frenzied young adult life. A satisfying read. 3.5 rating

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf.

The titular Rachel is in uni in Ireland and working in a bookshop. There she meets James and they become fast friends and eventually roommates. Rachel has a crush on her professor and James helps her to hatch a plan to hold a reading at their bookstore -- a ruse to get closer to the man. Things do not work out exactly as Rachel expects and a long and complicated relationship ensues. A great read. I am grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy.

Very fast read. Story of 2 friends with an intense relationship (as seems to only happen in your 20's) and how it effects the rest of their life. Makes you look at your own past through different eyes. Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy.

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.