This is a well-told story about young woman Rachel of Cork, Ireland told in 2 timelines. It starts while she's in university in 2010, but gives glimpses into present-day, while the story fills the gaps in between. There's so much to love about this story. As a reader, I felt the angst and confusion in 20-year-old Rachel while she tries to make her way in the world. It touches upon themes that resonate with most: relationships, friendship, unrequited love, cringe-worthy decisions made at the spur of the moment, etc. As a result, I think this book will appeal to lots of different readers. I love Caroline O'Donogue's writing style and voice and look forward to what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with the ARC

This is a wonderful read - likeable characters navigating the complexities of life on the cusp of adulthood. The setting is reminiscent of the work of Sally Rooney's first books but this book is much more readable and the characters easier to empathise with. The story arc is unpredictable in a pleasantly surprising way and the shifting time lines were expertly handled. Looking forward to O'Donoghue's next work already

Highly recommended.

Could not connect with the characters or the story-line. This story was not for me. I have seen some positive reviews so this is probably a case of the one story that I don't really care for.

DNF

The Rachel Incident is an impressive adult contemporary fiction debut, filled with strong and immediately engaging writing and a compelling MC with Rachel. The development of her story and the secondary characters is done seamlessly, as though you truly are walking through Rachel's daily life, musings, and her specific view of the world, how she perceives relationships and events/moments from a quirky, funny, and self aware voice.

What really stood out was the honest, and funny, moments of insight from Rachel, how the author dropped in moments of very specific, relatable, and poignantly honest thoughts and insights. In another author's hands Rachel might have come off as painfully immature or unlikable but here she is at times wonderfully aware of her naivete but growing up and into herself step by step, as most 20somethings do.

This is for me what I want a Sally Rooney book to be (I respect her work but it does not land for me) as here we get characters her are complicated in an enmeshed way but in a way that is not ostentatious or unlikable; these characters pull me into their world and are written with some loving restraint that allows them to shine despite their missteps.

A story that is new and classic at the same time. The story of friendships, unrequited loves and coming of age.
I loved the characters and the storytelling
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

4.5⭐️ I loved this book! What a master piece! It’s beautifully written and is an unforgettable story…

Summer 2010, Ireland - Rachel Murray is on the cusp of adulthood. Studying literature at university. Working part time at a bookstore. Set on seducing her married professor (even though he’s shown absolutely no interest in her), she enlists her best friend James to help her in this quest. James, however, manages to do what she can’t and she becomes a bystander in his illicit affair with her married professor. Rachel is desperately trying to keep it all together - navigating expectations, friendships, relationships, love & being forced to make impossible choices. This was a critical year for her & it was many years ago. A chance encounter on the streets with an acquaintance a decade later brings it all back to her…

Thank you for giving me an ARC of The Rachel Incident to read. It was an absolutely pleasure to read & a privilege to get copy to read before release.

I have a confession: The main reasons I was initially excited to read The Rachel Incident are that I have a sister named Rachel and she lives in Ireland (though not in Cork). My Rachel isn’t anything like the Rachel depicted in this book’s summary, but the tenuous connection was made and I was irreversibly hooked. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, and the official summary is a bit misleading in my opinion, but I swiftly fell in love with this novel.

The Rachel Incident is written from Rachel’s perspective in the 2020s, now a successful journalist, married, and pregnant. She’s telling us readers about the one eventful year, from late 2009 through the end of 2010, when her whole life changed. Her tone is loose and candid, transporting us into a time when your school years are ending and you’re just truly entering adulthood. The timeline within the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash is also one I can fully identify with. I’d be only two years younger than Rachel and, like her, wondering where my English degree would actually get me.

I don’t know how to explain it, but I loved The Rachel Incident. It feels so real, like Rachel is a person I could have known in college. She has funny, often relatable observations. (Though not 100% of the time! She’s kind of weird on occasion!) She’s struggling financially, despite her middle class background. She’s just learning about the real world, from money to feminism to sexuality, and is not always good at navigating tricky scenarios.

Case in point: the entire situation with her roommate James Devlin, her boyfriend James Carey, her professor Fred Byrne, and his wife Deenie. Romantic entanglements, academic and professional entanglements, financial entanglements… it’s a mess, and not always handled well. I won’t divulge what exactly happens, but suffice it to say that it has major repercussions on Rachel’s life.

The Rachel Incident is mundane and melodramatic in the best way. It’s the kind of literary fiction that sucks you in and makes you fall in love with it. It weaves in thoughtful themes, exposes misconceptions you may have of your younger self, and shows what it’s like to be young and naive and directionless and yet full of a whole life ahead of you.

Somehow both simple and climatic, I loved The Rachel Incident from beginning to end. I’ll make my real-life Rachel read it and recommend it far and wide, regardless of the recipient’s name. This is a book that will stick with me, and I intend to read more from Caroline O’Donoghue soon.

Remember back when you just graduated from college or university and suddenly the world is at your feet, and anything can happen, and relationships develop and you’re thrust out in the world trying to navigate life and love and jobs and rent and roommates? I don’t remember any of this since that was so long ago it’s now calcified like dino remains, but:
a) many of you out there absolutely remember those moments and
b) Lucky for me, and you Caroline O’Donohue wonderfully relives those times in her terribly smart, periodically cringey and oh-so-real adventures of Rachel Murray.
I found the book measured at the beginning, its story slowly revealing itself as a relationship developed between Rachel and her bookstore co-worker James. Soon, what begins as a campus novel slowly picks up speed and complexity (much like real life) and becomes something much bigger, all of this seen through the backward lens of a now adult Rachel spinning out her story and dropping breadcrumbs along the way of imminent drama.
Adding to the charm is the book's setting of Cork Ireland which gave me the same feelings as all those Working Title films like ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral ‘and ‘Notting Hill’ that I absolutely love, and by the way still totally hold up!
Some have compared this to Sally Rooney and I can see that a bit, but for me, it runs closer to the comedic heartache of ‘Fleabag’ and if you liked that show this is definitely one to pick up. Thanks to @knopf for the advance reading copy. #TheRachelIncident comes out tomorrow!

I was provided a free advance copy from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This is a coming of age story for the early/late twenties. When one begins to live on their own and figure out what they will do with their life. In these struggles we follow Rachel and multiple James(es?). She moves in with her best friend James, and they try to navigate jobs, lovers, making rent, and some of the difficulties life throws at you! It all culminates in one huge event that shapes all of their lives for a while.
It was a pretty interesting story. I think it dragged for me in the middle. Although it ultimately ended well.
This is a story of finding yourself, friendships, and love.
It is scheduled to be published Tuesday, so check it out!
#NetGalley #TheRachelIncident

As a woman named Rachel, I have to admit that I first requested The Rachel Incident for the title. Imagine my delight, then, when I couldn't stop thinking about this book.

The Rachel Incident is a coming-of-age story centered on the fast and deep friendship between Rachel and James during the recession in Ireland. Sharply observed, this novel is at times laugh-out-loud funny and sometimes devastating. Nothing seems to pass by Caroline O'Donoghue without consideration, and that brings this novel to life.

In addition to the rich character stories, which made everyone involved their own subtle universe, the unsparing look at Ireland's abortion access circa 2010 was sobering and very timely as an American reader.

Essentially, whatever you anticipate reading this book, I suspect that The Rachel Incident will give you a richer and deeper experience. I recommend it.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for an advance review copy of The Rachel Incident. All opinions are my own.

Genre: Literary Fiction

Format: Audio/Physical

Pub Date: June 27th, 2023

5🌟 - I loved it!

You know when you look at a cover and know you’re going to love a book? This one was totally that for me! @czaronline this is such a nuanced, character-driven, and such a lovely coming-of-age with a unique twist on dark academia themes.

I loved the friendship between Rachel and James 💘, learning about Ireland during the 2010s, the atmospheric nature of the novel, and the twist!

Fans of Dolly Alderton, Coco Mellors, and Sally Rooney will really vibe with this one! Lit fic girlies add this one immediately to your TBR ✍🏼!! Also this was fantastic on audio 🎧.

The Rachel incident is a quirky, non-traditional coming-of-age story. The story follows Rachel and her gay best friend James as they navigate relationships, sexuality, academia, the recession, and growing into adulthood. The story begins as a humorous tale but takes a more serious turn about half way through the book as Rachel finds herself inadvertently and wrongly implicated in an affair with her married professor, protecting her friend James in the process.

The book is insanely readable and Rachel and james are flawed characters in whom readers will become invested. The plot is at times both humorous and tragic much like life. Definitely a recommended read!

4 1/2

The first scenes of The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue occur in 2022 but much of the novel takes place around ten years earlier as Rachel is finishing up her English degree and wondering what she’s going to do with it while the economy around her is floundering. She is working in a bookstore that she absolutely loves when her new co-worker, James Devlin, confuses her with Sabrina, another co-worker, despite the fact that Rachel is 5’11” and Sabrina is a tiny little thing.

At first, Rachel doesn’t know what to make of James. He seems gay, but insists he’s not, and has enough charisma for five. Somehow they become the best of friends and then roommates and are inseparable.

It’s with James’ help that Rachel puts together a book reading for her favorite English professor, Fred Byrne, at the bookstore, certain that it will also allow her to shag him in the stockroom. But the more she works on the reading, the more she realizes that her crush really isn’t meant to be, which is reinforced when Fred does corner someone in the stockroom and it’s most definitely not her. It’s her supposedly-not gay flatmate, James.

As James and Fred become a couple on the sly since Fred is married to Deenie Harrington, a publishing editor, Rachel gets into a relationship with James Carey, who she calls Carey because the James spot is already taken. And, with a little unintentional blackmail of Fred, Rachel gets an internship with Deenie. Everything seems to be coming together. Until it all falls apart, of course.

The turning point in The Rachel Incident is sad, astonishing, and anger-inducing in quick order. Although we readers know what’s going to happen at this point, we still react to the injustice as everything seems to fall apart for Rachel.

While I wasn’t always a fan of Rachel’s actions, my reactions may be more because O’Donoghue created a very realistic character in Rachel, a girl-woman straddling the line of becoming an adult, self-aware enough to recognize that she hadn’t outgrown her school-girl giggles, didn’t want a boyfriend, wanted intimacy, but didn’t want to be “ruined.” She is a complex character in a novel of layers and complexities. She recognizes her moments of pettiness for what they are and sometimes doesn’t see completely who she is.

O’Donoghue has a wry way of viewing the world, which comes across in her writing. She doesn’t hedge; she simply tells it as it is. Except for the Ipod classic, which, I’m sorry was not old before its time and holds the moniker “classic” for a reason. ( 😉 ).

While this may be O’Donoghue’s first adult novel, I hope it is the first of many to come.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it! Love when a novel has the setting as almost another character - in this case, Cork, Ireland. This is about a young woman graduating college, working in a bookstore during a Recession. She meets James and they become roommates - it’s beautifully written. My heart repeatedly soared and sank while reading - all on between lots of laughs at the great writing. At one point, she describes the meat she’s eating as the “consistency of scabs”. Haha! Thanks to Knopf for the copy. Go read this one. Everyone will love it.

3 Stars
One Liner: A mixed read for me

The older Rachel hears about professor Dr. Fred Byrne from her undergrad days and shares her story of the past days. A 20-year-old young Rachel has lived in Cork all her life. She is an art student working part-time in a bookstore. She meets her colleague, James, and soon they decide to become housemates. He is her best friend and a partner in crime.
What starts as Rachel’s crush on him leads to some surprising developments. Soon, the lives of Rachel, James, Dr. Bryne, his wife, and a few other characters are entangled with the economic recession and women’s rights in Ireland.
The story comes from Rachel’s first-person POV.
The book is much more than the blurb (especially the GR version, so don’t be disappointed that it doesn’t play the central role in the plot).

My Thoughts:
How much you like the book will depend on how well you take to Rachel. As you can see, it’s a fairly mixed read for me. I like it in bits and pieces, but as a whole, the book reminds me why I’m so wary of this style of storytelling.
The writing has a charm. It presents the MC very well, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Still, it’s the kind of writing you can sink into, even if the narrator isn’t appealing or interesting.
We’ve been 20 at some point in our lives and might relate to Rachel in one or another or none at all. Yet, the age is where we’d usually make at least one stupid decision, big or small. So, I was curious to see how Rachel’s life would grow and change as she navigated through a vulnerable age range. However, after finishing the book, I’m not really sure about the changes. Oh, there’s potential, alright!
Having an older Rachel talk about her past with the nostalgia and wisdom (?) of a grownup is an interesting concept. Though, here most of it comes as foreshadowing. ‘I didn’t see it that way…’ ‘That wasn’t how it was, I know that now.’ These work only to an extent as somehow the adult version doesn’t feel much different from the younger version.
While I enjoyed the dynamics between Rachel and James (her gay best friend and housemate), it was stereotypical, which soon went into the toxic co-dependency category. That’s fine since the point here is about the mess and not perfection. However, we don’t really know James except what Rachel thinks he is. This does him a grave injustice as he is slotted into a category and pretty much works within its boundaries. I’m sure I’d have liked the book more if it came from his POV. He would be so much more than ‘the gay bestie I can’t live without’.
It’s not until the actual Rachel Incident happens that things pick up pace. That’s when we see the characters being something other than passive about their own lives. But it’s too late, as this doesn’t occur until after the halfway mark. What could have possibly been the central premise begins too late. I was bored with the whole thing by then.
Even the main side characters, Carey, Dr. Byrne, and Dennie, are neatly slotted into their respective roles. Only one of them gets another chance, which I saw coming. After all, the plot was already following a tried and tested approach by then. The events after the Rachel Incident are plot-driven, a sudden shift from being character-driven, but I was more than happy to go with the flow.
The book deals with a few difficult topics (check out the TW at the end). Yet, in moments where I should have had my heart broken for the characters, I ended up feeling very little for them. The story doesn’t linger when it should. It moves on to other events and a couple of time jumps. The point where Rachel actually learns to let go of her dependency on men and focuses on her life moves at 4x speed. This makes it even harder to see the new version of Rachel as we get too much of the older one.
I don’t give a damn about what stupid things Rachel does. Even though she acts like a sulking petulant child at times, she gets cornered when she’s not really at fault. She does what she has to do, which may or may not be right. However, I do wish the plot didn’t take a predictable turn after that. As much as I hate to say it, a certain traumatic incident is simply a convenient plot development.
I’m not Irish, but I’m not new to Irish fiction (though I haven’t read Sally Rooney). I don’t come from a small town, but I fit the age range perfectly. My having nothing in common with Rachel isn’t a problem, as I rarely relate to any of the MCs in the books I read. My issue is that inconsequential things get a lot of space while important issues are breezed through in comparison.

To summarize, The Rachel Incident should have been a book I loved, but it is something I could like only in parts. All my GR friends (until now) have loved the book, so check out their reviews before you decide.
Thank you, NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheRachelIncident

***
TW: Infidelity, talk of abortion rights, miscarriage.

THE RACHEL INCIDENT grabs you immediately with its charm. There’s something about this main character that just sucked me in immediately. Is it the fact that I see part of myself in her?

Perhaps.

The writing just drew me in, having me say “I’ll stop after this chapter” only to read another, not due to twists and turns, just because. There’s something about Caroline O'Donoghue’s writing style that just worked so well for me.

This was a fast paced story that I found hard to put down, especially after the 50% mark. Watching Rachel and James grow as people was wonderful.

While this is mostly about Rachel’s past, when she met James and their whirlwind of a friendship, there are some present time pieces. This mostly worked well, but there were a few times where I found myself confused on when we were.

I loved this book. It made me laugh, cry, become angry at parts. I need more from this author. Character driven, beautiful, and intimate, I know I’ll be thinking about this book for a while.

This is a book of friends who remain in your life, with more to the story as it unfolds!
The main characters, Rachel and James, are living their best lives, learning about the world and themselves!
I struggled at times with the storyline, moving from good to uncertain, it made me stop and reset. There are consequences to our actions, relationships change and choices are inevitable!
An emotionally charged book at times, I needed to keep on top of events and people and the story was confusing at times.
This book has issues to consider, a bit hit and miss for me.

Thank you to Knopf, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was instantly drawn to the cover of this book, and the coming of age premise seemed promising. Unfortunately for me I just couldn't get invested in the story itself as it seemed to drag on a bit. I liked Rachel and James' instant friendship, but I feel like the rest of it just fell a little bit short so I wasn't able to finish it. I might try and pick it back up at some point, but for now I'll leave this with a 3 star review.

I finished reading this book roughly a week and a half ago, but I was not, and still am not, able to adequately put into words how much I loved it. There is something so nostalgic, and devastating, and raw and real about this story. James and Rachel are such a hot mess, but their friendship is incredible. I feel like I got to watch to watch them make mistakes, be sloppy, and grow up as if I was in the same room as them. I chose this book because I thought the cover was cute, and now sometimes judging a book by its cover works... 😌

I really tried to get into this book, but it just isn't for me. I made it one third of the way and it felt like forever so I just stopped. I don't know where it is going, but it is taking forever and hasn't made me think that continuing is going to get any better.

Rachel and James and Dr Byrne, her professor and his editor wife are the main characters. Rachel meets James while working at a bookstore with him, becomes his roommate, falls in love with Dr B, but he has no interest in her, only in James. Both Rachel and James are carrying on afternoon delights on different afternoons with different men.

That's it; after a third of the book, that's all I see that is happening. The first couple of pages tell us that down the road Rachel will marry and James will be famous, but it's not worth reading for many hours more how it will get to that point. None of the characters make me care about what will be for them. Reviews that call this book hilarious must be talking about some part I never got to.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.