I absolutely LOVED this book. The messy characters, the struggle of being a young person in an unforgiving world, the humor. There were so many lines and passages that resonated with me deeply. This one will definitely be on my year-end favorites list.

This novel that's been compared to Sally Rooney (which I kind of see, but Rooney is much darker) is a singular book for me that I don't have a great read-alike for (I actually love when this happens!)...and, it will be one of my favorite books of 2023! Set in Cork, Ireland during the 2010 recession, this story is about the platonic, but somewhat obsessive friendship between Rachel, a University student who works at a bookshop, and her co-worker, James. Rachel develops a crush on her married professor, Dr. Byrne, and very complicated relationships evolve from all of this. Rachel and James are magnetic together and I could've been a fly on the wall of their relationship forever. This book is incredibly voice-y in a low-key quirky, smart, and funny way. There are some character twists that I did not see coming, but once they happened, I thought, “of course, that’s perfect.” The story also deals with quarter life and figuring out your direction amid a recession...plus, a bookstore / publishing backdrop as a cherry on top. One of the rare 2023 books that has felt fresh to me!

Have you ever read one of those books where you feel like you are actually in the story with the characters? Like your own reality just drops off every time you open the book (or turn on your Kindle, in my case). I can't even tell you how many times I would be reading this book and then get up to get a glass of water and remember I am not on Shandon Street in Cork city in 2010 but am actually in my house in Indiana in 2023. 😅 This is a testament to the fantastic and immersive writing and rich character development by @czaronline , in my humble opinion. 🥰

This story takes place a bit in the present but mostly in 2010, capturing the life of Rachel Murray during the end of her college experience and beginning of her life in the "real world", right when the recession was at its worst. As the reader, we get to be with Rachel as she experiences the struggles and freedoms of being in your early twenties and independent and broke and figuring out who you want to be. We get to see her make mistakes and grow and learn to love herself.

We also get to be with her as she meets two different men named James. One James is her love interest, the person she pines for, the person she desires, and the person that causes her the most emotional heartache (and is also referred to as Carey throughout most of the book). And the other James is her soul mate, her best friend, her confidant, her security blanket, her home.

This story takes us through the adventures of Rachel and James (her gay best friend), as they struggle to be young and broke and make it through a very hard time in Cork, Ireland. Along the way, we see their love interests (which end up being the same person at times), their heartache, their unwavering devotion to one another, and eventually their coming-of-age triumphs.

Please read this one! I am already sad it is over! Thank you so much to @netgalley for this free egalley!
#netgalley #carolineodonoghue #therachelincident #comingofage #bookstagram #summer2023 #summerreading #Kindle

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “The Rachel Incident” in exchange for an honest review. My only complaint about this book is that it ended at all. I loved this story, its characters, and setting. It was subtle and unexpected in the best ways. Highly recommend.

This is the cutest! Normally not a romance reader, but this is an adorable little meet-cute book. I recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read!

The Rachel Incident was fantastic! The characters felt so genuine, and the story felt so intimate, that I forgot the book was a work of fiction rather than a biography. I'd heard of author Caroline O'Donoghue before but had never read any of her previous work - that will undoubtedly change now that I've finished this one. I enjoyed her writing so much that I intend to devour every other book she has written.

My only little gripe is that the book's synopsis causes a potential reader to believe that it is humorous, and while the writing style can be light and witty, and there are moments of joy and celebration, The Rachel Incident is not a funny novel. Nonetheless, it is well worth your time and you should put it on your reading list today!

Life in Ireland is hard enough with the recession, but Rachel has made some decisions that make her life 10 times harder.

Rachel and James met while working in a bookstore. Rachel is still in school and has fallen in love with her Professor. James helps her put together a launch party for her professor, Fred Byrne, so that she can impress and seduce him. This is where all of the trouble begins.

Secrets and lies take over the lives of Rachel and James putting a strain on all of their relationships.

This was described as a funny novel and while their were plenty of hilarious situations, I feel like this novel dealt with some pretty serious situations and how decisions you make or even decisions made by other people can throw your life into a tale spin.

I really enjoyed the banter between Rachel and James. I felt like it was a great story and showed the intricacies of relationships of every kind.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Stories that involve the complexity of relationships whether they are family or romantic can be difficult to be relatable. The dynamic between Rachel and her co-worker turned roommate, James, goes beyond mere friendship, they are very close and are each other’s shoulder to lean on when their romantic relationships don’’t go as planned. When they fall for the same guy, Rachel’s professor Dr. Byrne, things get very complicated and their lives will change forever when James’ affair with Dr. Byrne is suspected by his wife. But some relationships are stronger than a person’s weakest moment. The story deals with more complicated subject matter that women face when alternatives are not available to them due to their financial situation or ability to travel to get the care that they need. It isn’t as gritty as it might have been and provides closure in an optimistic way.

I certainly agree with other reviewers that this was not at all what I expected, but definitely still worth the time. This feels like the antithesis to Moshfegh-esque unhinged girlie protagnoists; The Rachel Incident to me falls in with other millennial disaster female protagonists that are messy but sincere, trying to find their place.

This was more of a 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed the path of the friendship of Rachel and James. I did find the last third of the story to be rushed in a way that was not present earlier in the book.

sometimes you read a synopsis and just know the book is going to resonate with you and it still manages to exceed your expectations. i'm having a hard time capturing what exactly about the Rachel Incident makes it so magical. it's sharp but approachable. it captures 2010 so well but I think it's still easy to relate to. I think if you've ever felt lost, if you've ever loved a friend so consumingly, if you've ever been selfish, if you've ever started over, if you've ever realized you've grown into yourself, you'll find at least part of yourself in these pages.

Not what I expected so this one missed the mark for me (or vice versa.) Described as "brilliantly funny," The Rachel Incident did not tickle my funny bone. Again, a matter of taste or perhaps I just don't fall in the demographics for this type of banter. There were some elements - such as the bookstore environment - which drew me in initially but not enough to sustain interest in the somewhat stereotypical characters or relationships.

FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Rachel Incident, is a wonderful story about friendship, love, and everything that falls in between of growing up. It’s books like this that remind me what it was like to be in my twenties again, and learning the way of the world.

This book transport you back to that time of self discovery. I felt that I was actually living in Rachel’s world, experiencing every growth and trauma that was thrown at her.

Thanks to NetGalley for a lm advanced copy of this book! I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, and the setting in Ireland!

This book was not for me. The writing and storytelling were good, but the story itself I found very boring. There is something about the lives of heterosexual women that feels like self-sabotage, and this book pretty clearly lays that out. Rachel is young and dumb, sure. But the way she makes decisions about who to sleep with, what to do with her life, her relationships with her friends, and even just how she internally thinks about who to sleep with, is so chaotic and horrible to me in a way I'll never be able to relate to.

Rachel has a gay best friend, and their relationship is pulled straight out of Will & Grace. It's so painfully white and fag-hag-y, that it bordered between grating and insufferable the entire novel. At best, it was boring. At worst, I wanted to skip over paragraphs of their quirky little adventures

It is also confusingly written at times because it begins with an older Rachel retelling stories about her youth, but there is no clear distinction between her past and present. I often forgot that this was basically her reminiscing, and moments where we see present Rachel were jolting.

I got this book as an ARC from NetGalley, and having to write this review is the only reason I finished it.

I've been wanting to read more Irish authors outside of Sally Rooney, and I'm so glad I did! THE RACHEL INCIDENT is a beautifully written, heartfelt novel, that explores the moral complications of growing into the person you want to be. I found it quite funny at times, and really enjoyed the setting. Will certainly be reading more from this author!

The Rachel Incident took me by complete surprise. It has been compared to Sally Rooney and that was a turn-off to me. But, The Rachel Incident stands on its own and captures a slice of young 20s life. “I thought what I always do when I’m in a small room with a man I’m not related to, which is: Are we gonna fuck?
Anyway Rachel is living on her own in Cork, Ireland with her best friend, James, working at a bookstore and just living. Then comes along Dr. Byrne…….

The Rachel Incident is a very readable and engaging coming of age story. It reminded me a bit of Sally Rooney, particularly Conversations with Friends. Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the ARC.

Comparisons to Sally Rooney will be imminent with this gripping piece of romantic literary fiction. Rachel and James are in love as much with themselves as their idea of living a bohemian lifestyle. This is a laugh out loud novel that is sure to take the world by storm.

I love when you know a book will stay in your mind even before you finish reading it.

The characters are well written, the story is interesting and it is FUNNY. Like actual laugh out loud funny. This book is ridiculously easy to love and connect to.