Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

The Rachel Incident is about the titular character named Rachel, who, for the majority of the story (told in flashbacks) is living with her gay but not out best friend James. She's also dating another guy named James, but calls him Carey to avoid confusion. James is having a secret tryst with Rachel's professor, who she intended to seduce, by the way.

This book mentions Will & Grace a lot (down to the &) and I couldn't tell if it was trying to to be like the show or not. I think not but by the amount it's compared, who knows.

There are many funny parts, and it's an entertaining read, but not my favorite.

This was a book that got better as it went on with plot twists that I was not expecting. And I’m usually pretty good at that kind of thing. While it started it out to me as young 20-something chick lit-ish it evolved into a fascinating story about power dynamics. And abortion freedom and access. To say more, would give the story away. And I absolutely loved where the present day story went and would have loved more time with all these characters as they are now. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC. The book is now available.

TL;DR: I devoured Caroline O’Donaghue’s THE RACHEL INCIDENT on my plane ride home this weekend, and can’t recommend it enough. It’s part NORMAL PEOPLE, part VLADIMIR, centered around the relationship dynamics between 20-something Rachel and her gay best friend James, love interest Carey, and Rachel’s college professor, the catalyst for much of the drama that takes place in the book. It’s darkly funny and sexy and uncomfortably relatable (that dinner party scene!), and it’s a book that left me miserably reminiscing about my own cringe-worthy journey of self-discovery after I graduated from college.

Rachel Murray is a mid-thirties Irish journalist living in London. As she is settling into her new domestic life, she receives startling news. Her college English professor, Dr. Byrne, is in a coma, which stirs up memories from her past. The story shifts back to Rachel in her senior year of college, living with her best friend James. They are barely scraping by with no real job prospects, as the economy is in shambles. Rachel then gets involved with Dr. Byrne, yet things don’t go as planned. Soon she is entangled in a web of deceit that threatens to uproot her life in unexpected ways.

Author Caroline O’Donoghue offers witty dialogue, questionable life choices, and palpable drama in The Rachel Incident. Although it was quite character-driven, I found myself absorbed in the story. Rachel is insufferable at times and lacks maturity throughout the book. Rachel struggles to connect with others, which I sympathized with. The friendship between Rachel and James Devlin was codependent, yet sweet. This book is different than anything I’ve read. The tone was often irreverent, and some of the Irish references flew past me, yet it kept my interest throughout. I look forward to more from this author!

A truly lovely contemporary fiction. The friendships, the setting, the angst, the relationships.... so good. This book was rightfully picked up by Aardvark and has been getting all the hype. I hope everyone finds time to read it!

This was a really sweet coming of age story about a young Irish woman, Rachel who is struggling through university after learning that her parents can no longer afford to help her with expenses. She meets a young man, James and ends up moving in with him and developing a wonderful friendship. Their relationship endures through enormous personal evolutions and hardships and is the heart of the plot.

I have never lived in Ireland so some of the references to modern events in Ireland went right over my head but I wouldn't say it detracted from the whole reading experience. I loved the character development of both Rachel and James and the other supporting characters in the story as well. Rachel and James both felt so relatable to me and their friendship is of a rare type that few are blessed to find in real life (in my opinion). I enjoyed this one a lot and found it a rather quick read too. While I do think it is on the lighter side, it does discuss a few heavier topics such as infidelity and abortion. And I really enjoyed the ending as it showcased just how much personal growth the main character had achieved.

Read this one if you like:
- Books set in Ireland
-Epic friendships
-Coming of age stories
-Books about books (Rachel works in a bookshop)

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue was so relatable and sucked me in right away. The story was heartfelt, emotional and funny. The transition into womanhood is not easy and O’Donoghue captures that while also creating a totally unique personality for Rachel. I loved this.

4.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.. I loved the way the book started as it gives just enough info to make my brain ask all sorts of question and want to know more. After the short intro paragraph in the present, we go back to when Rachel was at university, working at a bookshop and wanting to move out of her parents' house. She meets James Devlin who calls her by the wrong name and they eventually become best friends Rachel also has a crush on her professor, Dr. Fred Byrne. Dr. Byrne comes into the bookshop and asks about a book, which happens to be his which is to be published. Rachel and James decide they should have a book event for him and that evening something happens which will change the course of their lives. The first chapter had me and I couldn't put it down as I wanted to know more. The writing was beautifully descriptive as I could envision the characters, Cork city and the apartment, etc. I highly recommend this book!

This a novel about friendship and how far one is willing to go for a friend. In Rachel's case, that may be too far. While her devotion and loyalty to her friend are admirable, maybe it is taking things too far when it starts to have an extremely negative affect on her life.

This is a book full of complex characters with complicatedly intertwined lives. They do not always make the right choice, and they are not always likable. The story is refreshingly original and unique, however, which keeps it interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for a review!

I had a lot of fun reading this book and really enjoyed myself! I can't help but compare it to Sally Rooney's books, except this was actually good and enjoyable. This novel is more character driven than plot driven, and usually I find books like that tedious to get through and usually it feels like they drag on, but I flew through this book!

The story starts with thirty-three-year-old Rachel on public transportation and a man gives her his seat because she is pregnant. He asks her about someone she knows, she doesn't hear the name he says due to the noise of the environment she's in and assumes he is asking about her friend James. The man clarifies that he is talking about an old professor of hers that they shared and tells her that he's in a coma. Then it flashes back to twenty-year-old Rachel meeting her best friend James and this is where we spend most of the novel.

I found Rachel a relatable character, particularly her relationships with other people and she felt about herself in relation to them. Even the aspects of her that I couldn't specifically relate to, I still liked learning about her and reading about her and found myself rooting for her throughout the story.

All of the characters were three dimensional and felt very realistic, which I found refreshing. In the beginning when Rachel was describing James, I was thinking about how I have known people like him. I like this author's writing style as well and the story moved along at a good pace. However, in the last chapter there is a big time jump where the author is just info dumping and listing things that have happened, which I felt didn't fit the rest of the book.

I'm glad that I got the opportunity to read this book, I had a lot of fun!

Told mainly via flashback, we learn about Rachel’s life while she was 20 in Cork, Ireland around 2010. She tells the story from the vantage point of a married, pregnant woman in her 30s in London.

Rachel’s parents have fallen on hard times due to the economic collapse and she has to work a lot while going to university locally. She meets her future best friend, James, while working in a bookstore. James is gay but hasn’t fully accepted that fact yet. Rachel has a crush on her English professor, Dr. Byrne, and arranges to hold a book launch for him at the bookstore where she works (in spite of it being a nonfiction book with a misleading title). That night a life-changing affair begins, but not one with Rachel. Life gets very complicated for Rachel, with lots of secrets to keep.

Some of the “suspense” (this is definitely not a mystery or thriller!) is spoiled by the fact that we know that Rachel eventually figures out her life, but it was interesting to see how she got there.

While I received the eARC from NetGalley, since I was late to it, I wound up mostly listening to the published audiobook by Random House Audio. The narrator, Tara Flynn, did an excellent job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I read a few chapters and just couldn't get into it.... the voice wasn't quite right. I didn't find myself particularly invested, but I think I'm in the minority! I've seen so many others who loved this one, so I think give it a try if it sounds intriguing to you!

The morning after I finished The Rachel Incident, I received an email from a bookseller that described the book as follows: "hilariously relatable novel of turbulent friendships, the hardships of youth and a girl who falls in love with her married professor." Only one part of that statement is true. Caroline O'Donoghue's novel about a student's first foray into independence is full of angst and regret. Rachel does fall in love, but not with the professor that she crushes on early in the book. In fact, she experiences two great loves within this tale. O'Donoghue recreates the feeling of being an early twentyish female right after the housing collapse and bank failures of 2009. Set in Cork, Ireland, the universal truths of striving for independence from family is displayed as Rachel goes to school, works, and learns how to be a human on her own. This coming of age story appeals to this reader as I remember my own strive for autonomy.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
A warm and melancholic tale of coming of age in Ireland, 2010. Rachel and James meet at the bookshop where they are both trying to earn enough to live on. Alone, they can’t but their fabulous chemistry lets them believe they can do it together. They move into a flat on Shandon Street and they discover the most important relationship in their lives to date…best friends.
Rachel has always known that James is gay, but he starts the journey well in the closet (though everyone who knows him, know!). Rachel is finishing her English degree and both of them are ready for love to find them. The twists and turns and complications – and betrayals—that lead them to their next phase are shattering… for both of them and their friendship.
Importantly, access, or lack thereof to reproductive healthcare in Ireland at the time, and the rest of the world now, is a central theme in this book. The journey of those most personal of decisions is traced both for the characters and the law.
The book deals with serious subjects in a respectful and often humorous way. A very good read—Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Knopf, for providing the review copy. The book was released on June 27, 2023 and is available now.

Oh my goodness! I was not expecting to love this book the way I did. It’s a coming of age-ish story about Rachel, an Irish girl living in Cork with her best friend James. It’s full of Irish humour, drama, and shenanigans. I deeply related to Rachel, and found her to be just perfectly flawed. I’d say this is my favourite book of the year!

If you love Derry Girls or Irish storytelling I’d say go for this for sure!

I finished this book in 2 days, completely immersed in the feeling of familiarity of the friendship she had/has with James, Carey and Fred and Deenie. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially in knowing so many of the “Irish” terminologies and sites. Kind of If you know, you know.

My thoughts



Narrative and Plot


I went into this book almost blind and did not know what to expect. I read the blurb a while ago when I requested it from NetGalley, but I honestly didn't remember much when I started it. Still, this one pulled me into this world of Rachel and her Jameses. It is a heartwarming coming-of-age story.

Even though I know little about Irish culture or history, the characters and their motivations are quite relatable. Recently, I read the book Bunny which had a strong friendship but eventually the plot went all over the place. Here, however, I enjoyed the ebb and flow of the relationships. It was messy and flawed and all the very real for it.




Characters and Conflicts








Books like this make me wonder how authors can infuse an inherent tone of humor while discussing a serious topic. I still remember being stunned by Arundathi Roy's "Sophie Mol - Coffin cartwheeler". It won't be fair to compare these two books. But, I guess the point I am trying to make is that there is an inherent light-heartedness in the way Rachel sees the world. Despite the whirlwind that was her life, this makes her character endearing till the end.



Carey and James were both equally brilliantly written realistic characters. Carey, in particular because he was as flawed and messed up as Rachel too. They complemented each other and despite the many differences and issues; I was rooting for them.

Now coming to the friendship between James and Rachel. It is the soul of this story. Their relationship carried the whole book as it was intended. It almost feels like I have read someone's memoir instead of a fictional story. I loved how the book didn't bother to create characters that were aspirational. Instead, it portrayed realistic characters and showed us that despite the many flaws, everyone deserves their own version of truth and happiness in life.








Conclusion



In short, I would say go for it. I might not end up re-reading this, but I would want as many people reading this because it is, as the author described in the acknowledgment - a cinematic version of the smaller things in life.

If someone were to ask me to describe this book in a few words, "a beautiful coming of age" novel would be apt. But, I think it offers much more than that.

THE RACHEL INCIDENT starts slow and seemingly random, but once it gets going, the pieces fall into place and leave the reader with a thoughtful, introspective debut from O'Donoghue.

This book was a very enticing and powerful story of friendship and platonic relationships and the struggles of being a young woman in Ireland in the early 2000s. I have never been an Irish woman in the early 2000s, so I wasn't really expecting to relate to Rachel, so I was taken aback by how well I think Caroline O'Donoghue captured the female experience as a whole rather than so specifically.

I'm a huge fan of O'Donoghue's previous works as well as her podcast, so I was very excited to read this book, and it definitely did not disappoint. I found the story itself as well as the different types of relationships portrayed so moving and touching; I wasn't expecting to cry while reading this book, but I did (and I finished it on a plane, so it was slightly embarrassing LOL).

I especially found the ending of the book to be my favorite part, when SPOILER ALERT, she ends the book with a conversation between Rachel and Deenie. It felt so full circle and so important for the book to end with these two characters. I was a huge fan of Rachel and of The Rachel Incident as a book.

Recommended for fans of Sally Rooney and fans of books about womanhood in your early 20s!

Dear The Rachel Incident,
I am not sure what I thought you were going to be about, but I really enjoyed your story. Honestly, I listened to you in a day. I was so intrigued by James and Rachel that I just wanted to lose myself in their small world, on Shandon Street in 2011. I think my favorite part of your whole story was the fact that you highlighted the fact that we are rarely who we think we are in other people's lives. Rachel and Kerry's relationship and James and Richard's relationship were such perfect demonstrations of the knots we tie ourselves into in our early 20's and then spend years figuring that out who we are from that point. You were written with so much heart and depth.