I didn't know what this book was about, but I knew I had heard many people on Goodreads talking about it. It is not a genre I read a lot, but the book was okay and was mostly about Rachel in her 20's which was cringy at times, but 20's angst generally is. The twists got me almost every time because I thought I knew what would happen and I was usually wrong which was a pleasant surprise. I can't say I loved this book, but it did make for an interesting read.

The Rachel Incident is an absolutely lovely look into the life of Rachel Murray and her James x2.

Rachel is a very complex character who still manages to be likable, even when doing or saying things that makes your head shake.

James Carey really grew on me. I wasn’t a big fan at first because of his slovenly tendencies, but he really turned things around.

James Devlin is like every bitchy friend I had while working at the mall in my early 20s, and damn did I get reminiscent. Those friends were just never a ride or die the way that James was for Rachel. Codependent, sure, but I loved their relationship. It felt achingly real. He was such a key factor in the “incident” and still garnered so much sympathy for his own related difficult situation. And while I know it was not her story to tell, I would absolutely love a book about James’s current life.

You root for Rachel throughout the book. She was placed in many unfair situations and continues becoming better (after a good pity party of course.) I would happily be friends with her.

The book also seamlessly touches upon some Irish politics that I knew nothing about. It’s amazing how sheltered we can be as Americans, and I’m happy I learned more about the always topical subject matter at hand.

I liked how the narration was Rachel reflecting on her past with some asides. It’s a gentle spoiler alert that she will be just fine after the turning point of her young adult life. Definitely check out this book and go on Rachel’s witty, sardonic, and ultimately life changing journey.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm still reeling trying to understand the premise of this book .Rachel and James are the main characters with Dr Byrne and his wife as secondaries and the way their lives got tangled and intertwined, the betrayals and the altogether unsavoriness of the encounters did not lend for a favorable outcome. I found it difficult to finish this book, hesitating at varying sections whether to continue on. Rachel was portrayed as such a weak person with easily swayed morals that I could not like her character at all. James fared no better, as he basically became a doormat to his heart and overlooked and dismissed all the red flags. Through no fault of the writer or the writing technique, I cannot honestly recommend this book, unless you are willing to suspend your beliefs and approach it with an open mind.

I really enjoyed the Rachel Incident! Now that I'm writing this, I was wondering all throughout the book why the title was there, and then it really came together! This book is mostly set in Cork, Ireland, and revolves around a university student who gets mixed up with a local friend, a professor and his wife, in addition to her new boyfriend. I don't want to spoil anything - there were some really fun surprises along the way. Everyone loves Sally Rooney - and I think Caroline O'Donoghue is better than her!

Dynamic storytelling, interesting characters, and several literary twists I didn’t foresee. What a great book!

I was pulled into Rachel’s life within the first few pages, purely because of how unique the tone of this book was. I enjoyed the fact that the author kept Rachel’s present day life in the background, only referencing it when absolutely necessary. This style kept me firmly rooted in Rachel’s past; in that block of time where her life went through critical changes and challenges. It would have been easy to jump to the present to give the reader some context or resolution about how events would play out, but that didn’t happen and I liked it. I think it did an excellent job of taking a small moment in time for someone, and expanding it to make it seem endless. Often times in life we feel as though our worst times are never ending and we can’t possibly make it to the other side; we saw that through Rachel. We also got to see her reach the other side by the end; it was extremely rewarding as the reader. I loved the authenticity of all of the characters, and highly recommend!

The Rachel Incident started a little slow for me, and then slowed down about 3/4 through, but overall I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed the friendship between the Rachel and James, and the side relationships development throughout the story.

The beginning started off a little slow for me. It seemed a bit silly but through the rest of the book, I really enjoyed the character arc. They both became more aware of themselves. I also loved the humor throughout.

Rachel is a college student in Ireland trying to figure out her life. Although there were some interesting moments in this book, I realize that I am just not that invested in women in their 20's making poor choices.

I LOVED this book! It was so charming and realistic and I dove right in and was hooked until the end.

The story was about a very relatable young woman named Rachel. It is a past and present story. We get glimpses of her present life throughout the retelling of her last year in college and the years leading up to her current life.

I loved her best friend James Devlin. I loved their relationship. I loved their relationship that survived even though their co-dependence didn’t.

This was a wonderful story. I hope someone out there reads this book because I have posted this review and loves it as much as I did!

Did I intend to stay up late reading this book? No. Do I regret staying up late reading this book? Not really. Did I like this book? Umm. I liked the fact that it was kind of like watching a disaster unfold. I wanted to look away but I was riveted and couldn't put the book down. I found all of the characters to be insufferable BUT the writing was so good that I could not stop until I knew what happened to everyone and how the story ended.

There were some parts I wish were a bit more developed (like the women Rachel met as a journalist that she kept in her phone) and I couldn't quite figure out what genre this was supposed to be ("women's" fiction, literary fiction, something else, both?). Overall, it was a compelling read and I am glad I read it even if I hated everyone in it.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, and Caroline O'Donoghue for an ARC of this book!**

Like many twentysomethings, Rachel doesn't quite know what life has in store for her. She knows she loves to read, and her new job at the bookstore has her excited. Even better, she meets James, a quirky and energetic guy who becomes her best friend. James is gay but hasn't quite come to terms with his identity yet...and subsequently hasn't told many of the people in his life this fact. Rachel lives in a bit of a dream world, and through their collective antics, James is all too willing to scheme alongside her.

When the married professor Dr. Fred Byrne happens upon their bookstore, it is in this moment that Rachel devises a plan to essentially begin an affair with him and make him fall in love with her. James thinks a reading of his new book at the bookstore is the perfect place to seduce him, and Fred DOES get seduced that evening...but it isn't by Rachel. Once this event takes place, Rachel's world becomes complicated--quickly--and the friendship she fosters with Byrne's wife Deenie only muddies the waters further. Once Rachel is forced to keep secret after secret, can she find a way to be true to herself, true to her friend....and to find love AND a path in life to call her own?

This book was apparently pitched as comparable to Rooney's Normal People...and in some ways, this is absolutely true. From the writer's style to the maddening decisions of these characters, the similarities were all there. Unfortunately...I was not a fan of Normal People....and I can't call myself a fan of this one, either. While at first Rachel's 'plan' to steal her professor seemed like it was destined to teach her some lessons, at the end of the day, the plot actually revolved around Rachel's ability to keep her mouth shut...and her inability to make a SINGLE good decision.

While I'd hoped to be enamored with the relationship between these two best friends, James is painted with a stereotypical brush: he's the gay best friend who sleeps around, says ridiculous things, and just tends to be over the top rather than a grounding force for Rachel, which is what she REALLY needed. (The one redeeming characteristic James had is that he was a huge fan of MY favorite show Frasier...but even that wasn't enough get me sold on him.) I also just got some creepy vibes from the professor and his wife, who at one point have Rachel over to drink and just sort of treat her like she's 10 to 15 years older than she actually is...and it just didn't feel realistic.

This is also yet another book described as having 'delicious, sparkling humor' that didn't make me smile...once. I have come to realize over time that this sort of humor is less about being actually funny and more about a particular style of banter between people that's supposed to come off as clever, but usually just reads 'boring' to me. Rachel was far from a detestable character, but she certainly had a bit of entitled naivete going on, and after a while, I was really hoping she'd LEARN a couple of life lessons and just grow up. To make matters more confusing, Rachel is looking back at these events, but we aren't clearly told when she's reminiscing or when we are watching her past play out in real time...and this is a book where a bit of a clearly defined break between the two would have been VERY welcome.

The one bright spot in this novel is that at least older Rachel had the wherewithal to acknowledge that her younger self had been kind of a goof, a bit reckless, and more than a bit unappreciative of the opportunities she DID have, despite what she lacked. O'Donoghue's writing is steady and serviceable, but at the end of the day, this novel had a world of opportunity to make an impact on me as a reader and instead left me feeling as apathetic as a teenager...and if there's anything this book DID remind me, it is that I'm happy to have left my teenage years AND all of the subsequent apathy far, FAR behind me.

3.5 stars

At first I was unsure whether I liked this book, but about halfway through I became more invested in the story and ended up enjoying it. I think what made me uncertain was how I felt put off by some of the things the protagonist, Rachel, thought and said. But I also think this was an artistic choice by the author to demonstrate how much Rachel grew from the beginning of the story when she was in her early twenties to the end when she was in her thirties. Ultimately I think this was an honest coming-of-age story that didn’t hold back from the mistakes we often make as young adults especially relating to the ideas we have and the values we hold. There is an interesting plot followed in this story but I think more of the intrigue came from reading about Rachel’s character growth, as well as the growth of those she loved. I enjoyed reading about her friendship with James, but found it a bit unhealthy as many close friendships can be. I do wish there was more about James towards the end of the book, but I think that also demonstrated how adult friendships can evolve and change as our lives do. This book is recommended for fans of Sally Rooney and I can see the similarities. The story jumps between timelines a bit and often unexpectedly so that took me a bit to get used to. Overall, I enjoyed the experience of reading this one.

CW: infidelity, miscarriage, abortion, homophobia, brief mention of infertility, toxic relationships, body shaming/dysphoria, classism, brief mention of past child abuse

3… maybe close to 4 ⭐️? I put this book down so many times wondering if I should just move on to something else, then stayed up late last night to finish it because I couldn’t put it down. Sometimes good books just have a slow start I guess.


Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ah this was such a good read!! This is my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I do have her YA 'Gifts' books on my TBR and I'm looking forward to them even more now.
I was completely hooked to this story of James and Rachel and their friendship. A better title would probably have been just that like they discuss in the book while James is screenwriting.
It did feel a bit weird at times to me to see and hear so much of James' personal life from Rachel but then Rachel *was* always there so...it's fair ig.
Highly recommended to Sally Rooney fans and people who like books about the messy (kinda toxic tbh) relationships and friendships!

This was the perfect blend of character driven and gossipy fun. The Rachel Incident is the story of two roommates in their early twenties from County Cork, Ireland, and the trials and tribulations that go along with that period of life. James and Rachel were certainly a messy pair, but their friendship was beautiful and so full of love for each other. I loved how the book was written from the perspective of “future Rachel,” looking back on her life in the early 2010s. I was definitely taken back to that time in my own life, especially being roughly the same age as Rachel. If you love slice of life type books with strong character development, this is one you won’t want to miss!

A realistic portrait of Rachel’s life as a student in Ireland, absolutely fantastic read. Funny at times, even through some awful turns for Rachel, I can’t recommend this enough.

I had to keep reminding myself whether this was a novel or a true story throughout my reading of it. The writing was so personal I felt like it could have been a true story…I would not be shocked if I later found out it was based on one. This book also did a great job of reminding me what it was like to be 21-ish and how hopeful and rosy and yet stressful and open everything can be all at once.

I was interested in this because it was based in Ireland. But I have to say it really wasn’t for me. Too much about sex, both gay and straight, and 20s angst. And it’s billed as funny, but I didn’t really find much humor in it. Just not for me I guess. Thanks for the chance to read it anyway.

This is a story about friendship, love, first jobs, school, mistakes, and the messiness of young adulthood. Reading it really took me back to what it was like to be in my twenties again - the uncertainty, all the "firsts" - jobs, boyfriends, roommates - and just trying to figure out how to navigate life and all that comes with growing up. The characters, the dialogue, the humor - this book really resonated with me, especially the ending. Highly recommend for fans who loved Sally Rooney's Conversation with Friends and The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. I heard it's already being adapted for television, and I cannot wait to watch this come to life on screen.