I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book is both witty and captivating, with sharp dialogues that dives into the complexities of relationships and power dynamics of a pair of bestfriend. The characters are well- written and relatable.

Rachel really took me back to the past. 2010 seems like another lifetime, not a decade ago. This book is funny and exasperating. Rachel is exasperating. But I think Rachel is all of us while in college. I see myself in Rachel. on many levels. We made completely different choices But Rachel is the unreliable narrator who doesn't think she's unreliable. She's telling her story her way but she doesn't understand she's leaving out everyone else's story or point of view. She's very black and white about the events and how they occur. Not until she has the luxury of growing and maturing and running back into Carey can she see other people's point of view. Especially how enthralled she was with James. I really enjoyed this book, I think she is being compared to Sally Rooney but Caroline deserves her own column. I will have to read her other two books.

DNF. The cover and the title of The Rachel Incident drew me in. This is exactly the type of cover that grabs my attention. I read the plot synopsis and it sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, when I started reading it, I couldn't get into it. At all. I think the beginning was just too slow moving or maybe I was in a funk when I tried to read it. It's one of those it's not you, it's me situations.

I LOVED The Rachel Incident! This was a perfect distraction. It centered friendship, it was a great visit to the early aughts, and I really like the exploration of the inconsistencies in the Irish abortion situation.

I really loved this, the characters were dynamic and funny, the writing is engaging, heart-warming yet sometimes quite dark at times. I found the exploration of unique topics really interesting such as, gay men in 90's Ireland and the difference between being closeted and not, abortion and the trials following this but also more light-hearted ones such as relationship dynamics between friends and partners and what occurs during this. To be honest I cant recommend enough, it's generally just a really enjoyable read and absorbs you into the characters lives which shows how amazing and beautiful the writing is.

This storyline kept me engaged the entire time. I was familiar with the author’s young adult series and thoroughly enjoyed her adult book as well.

This is a fun, crass, sentimental and heartwarming story about the realities of growing up and pretending to be "grown up". Comparisons to Sally Rooney and Dolly Alderton are fitting, although Caroline O'Donoghue has a distinct voice which is just so enjoyable to read, and so, so funny. She interweaves big issues like as reproductive rights seamlessly with the ridiculous and relatable self-centeredness of twenty-somethings realising that they are not the main character in everyone else's lives. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I've never been to Ireland, and it's been a long time since I was in my twenties, but this book carried me to both that place and that time. I've never had a best friend who's a gay man, nor have I ever been in love with one of my professors, but I experienced both of those things while living within these pages. The process of coming of age is hard enough in itself, but to do it in a small town in the middle of a small country that is experiencing a recession increases the difficulty tenfold. Rachel struggles with figuring out her path, but she eventually succeeds, in an up-and-down, barely surviving way. And yet she prevails. This book will remind you of the hardest times in your own life and how there was joy, even then.

Irish youths figuring out their lives with a touch of infidelity, messiness, and introspection just drips Sally Rooney vibes from out the pages. And The Rachel Incident could very quickly be compared to Conversations with Friends mixed with a dash of Normal People. But I think that’s a bit lazy because Caroline O’Donoghue does something totally unique and in a lane of its own. own.

The Rachel Incident hooked me from the first page and had me rushing home to see what happened next. It reads so effortlessly and it has been a moment since a book made me cry, feel on edge, and laugh (out freaking loud). But I think the best way I can sell it to you is to be a bit lazy and lean back on Rooney for a moment.

If you love Sally Rooney, you will adore this. If you didn’t understand the appeal of her work, you will adore this.

I would be sincerely surprised and mildly disappointed if this weren’t on many end-of-the-year lists celebrating favorites. It’s truly such an honest look at being in your 20s without making caricatures out of everyone (or feeling too removed from that period of life). These characters felt so true and grounded to me, taking a trope we have seen a lot and flipping it on its head to make it fresh.

Pre-order, pre-order, pre-order, and then talk to me immediately when you finish on June 27th!

To be honest, I picked this book because the title had my name in it.
Initially, I was not liking the book. It was slow building the characters and they were selfish and somewhat unlikable. Fortunately, at about the half way point, the story turned and became a wonderful coming of age story.
I think if you were in your early 20s in Ireland/England in the early 2010s, there will be so much to relate to in this story. It was a little out of my point of reference and I think that may be why I initially was not a fan.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book. This was a slow-burn coming of age book that made me finish it in one sitting after the 65% point. Rachel reminds me so much of myself when I was younger and I think a lot of early 20 year old women will relate. I feel like this book has some resemblance to Queenie, Yinka Where is Your Husband and even Maame, except set in Ireland. There are some TW and this is not meant for sensitive readers, but it is a worthwhile read. Rachel and the James will stick with me for a while.

The Rachel Incident is the most authentic, coming-of-age story I've read in a long time. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Knoph, for the advanced reader copy. Not going to lie, I first wanted to read this book because of the title. My name is Rachael and just thought it was a fitting book to read at the time. I am a huge Sally Rooney fan, and often find nothing compares to Rooney's books, but this book is right up there and so much more. For those of you that are put off by Rooney's "no quotes" writing style, this book does have quotation marks! Love this book!! It hits shelves on June 27, 2023.

And hulu, please turn this into a mini-series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for my ARC.

After reading the synopsis of The Rachel Incident I felt it was a book I would enjoy. After all, it had humour, romance and was set in Ireland: one of my fav places!
Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It took me a while to become immersed in the story of Rachel and James, roommates but not lovers. Some events of their relationship seemed to be irrelevant to the plot. Enter another James, who disappears a lot and you have the story. Perhaps I’m too old to read about young romances that are messy and have a few partners, straight and otherwise.
I skimmed my way through the middle of the book and thankfully, the last 75 pages or so, turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable. Loved the ending!
Recommend to readers who love young love, young platonic relationships and all their glories. Just wasn’t for me. Enjoy!!

I devoured this book in a day! What a masterfully written coming-of-age story that is like having a conversation with a long-lost friend. Instantly relatable, I couldn’t help but to think back to the trials and tribulations of my graduate school days in the late 90s.

This story is about love and friendship, figuring out who you are and finding your place in the world. It also touches upon the toll that economic downturns have on our life-trajectories…and the (STILL) timely subjects of access to abortion and sexual orientation.

O'Donoghue manages to write humorously and honestly about these weighty topics, as well as the importance of considering context on issues of morality. Adding her previous works to my TBR stack right now!

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the ARC!

Oh what a sheer delight of a book. I want to wrap myself in it and read it over and over again -- is there anything better than the story of some besties who love each other more than anything, sometimes at the cost of their other relationships? Such lovely, clever inversions of well-trod tropes in this novel, and the very particularly Millennial voice of Rachel -- delicious. I shrieked, I wept, I laughed. This one is going on the re-read stack for sure!

Reading this book felt like sitting down with a cup of coffee and catching up with a good friend while she tells you (in great detail, and dramatically) what's been going on in her life over the past decade or so and how she arrived there. The main character Rachel has a very casual and descriptive tone to her voice, and makes the reader feel deeply connected to her and her story.

I enjoyed the friendship dynamic between Rachel and James Devlin--their story felt authentic and believable. At the beginning of the novel, Rachel is quite young (20-21), but she seems much older. I had a difficult time seeing her in my mind as a woman that young, and if I hadn't been told her age, would've assumed she was at least 5-7 years older. As a former English major, it was fun to follow Rachel's story as she figures out what to do with her own English degree.

This book reminded me a little of Sally Rooney's writing. I'd recommend this novel to readers who enjoy stories that deal with platonic male/female friendship and finding oneself in their early 20's.

The only thing that didn't work for me was the lack of "showing vs. telling". The novel is basically the character of Rachel telling you a story about her life, which is sometimes a bit too much "and this happened, and then this happened..."

This was a quick read for me, and the story kept my interest. The characters felt real to me and multi-faceted. The cover art works well for setting the tone for the novel and should draw in the target audience.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

a coming of age novel, cleverly narrated by our main character, rachel, retelling her early 20s from 10 or so years later. a very easy read, i flew through it pretty quickly. it’s very funny but also deals with more serious topics well too. my favourite thing about the book being the platonic love between rachel and her best friend james, their friendship is truly what drives this book.

3.5 out of 5. thank you NetGalley for providing the advanced copy.

When I started reading the book, I felt a little confused, but I understood it. The story tells of friendships, secrets and connections. There’s even the main character falling in love with a married college professor. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book in order to do a review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sending and allowing me to read this book.
This is a pretty good book, although it took me a couple of tries to get into I still enjoyed it. I was a bit confused at first but after awhile i started getting into it.

It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on fertility, abortions, financial insecurity, psychological distress, & others.

Rachel Murray is a girl on the brink. She meets the reader while sitting at a pub with other members of the Irish diaspora as they celebrate the Christmas traditions that bind them, even all the many miles from home. The trajectory of this story flies the reader through memories & recollections, pausing only to transition the timeline back to the present in the hopes of offering us some reprieve. Perhaps, this time around, the past will not be so painful. Perhaps, now that the occurrences are simple reflections of a time passed, they might offer Rachel their long-kept secrets.

At the core of this story, there is Rachel. She is perpetually uncomfortable in her own skin, a bit lost in her own desires, all while trying to simply get by. There are ample aspects of Rachel’s character not to like. She was raised in a family who had ample means of protecting her from the world & yet we meet her after she had spent a lifetime becoming accustomed to the cruelties of reality. This is not her fault & I feel that it would be unfair to fault her for something that she was unaware she would need to be prepared for. Regardless of this, it was sometimes difficult to master the art of patience toward Rachel & her many antics.

While Rachel was young, she decided that it was a good decision to dive head-first into the world. Cork was not a place that would cushion her plunge—something she knew—but, she jumped anyways. Perhaps, it was because the people around her were becoming intimately acquainted with the real world that Rachel felt herself drifting apart from the experiences that would lead her to become the person she hoped she could be. Perhaps, she saw the opportunity to live with James as a shot at pretending to be an independent person, for the sake of giving it a fair shot. Either way, Rachel was wholly unprepared for the life that awaited her outside of her parents’ home.

When James is introduced to the reader it was tricky to get a real grasp of who he was. His character is presented through recollections into the past, via events that took place over a decade prior. One cannot expect Rachel to have been able to provide a detailed perspective on his person; she was rarely around for the events that caused him the most distress. Her memories of him are, at their core, stilted by her own emotional ties. She wanted him to be kind & thoughtful & caring yet, we rarely read about his involvement with anyone other than Rachel to be able to make a clear deduction on this case.

Due to his phantom presence throughout the story, his character became something of an enigma. He was at once the person who understood what was needed of him to succeed in life. He grasped the difficulties that exist in a world where secrets are meant to be kept & the darkness of the heart, is intended for the night. Yet, he roamed in the day with the awareness that he contributed to the pain that other people felt, & he felt nothing. This is perhaps unfair. I cannot say for certain what James felt because this is not a story written from James’ perspective.

What if we had been given an earnest view of James? How would the reader have felt towards him as the story drew to a close? He was obviously present & supportive of Rachel in many an endeavour but, I cannot say for certain that this was an innate quality to his person rather, it seemed to me that he appreciated one person at a time, & that was enough for him. This critique teeters on the brink of asking difficult questions. I do not think that it is my responsibility to raise the elephant in the room on stilts to ask readers to name the beast they see.

In many countries around the world, women’s rights have been highly politicized topics of conversation, often led by people who are not women. As this story takes place in Ireland, the focus of the narrative remains settled; how were Irish girls meant to maintain agency over their bodies if this was made an impossible feat for them to ascertain? I appreciated the approach that O’Donoghue took toward incorporating a very real & debilitating aspect of reality, into the life of a girl who wasn’t always easy to like. I say this specifically because it ultimately doesn’t matter what I think of Rachel—as a reflection of all women, across the world. It does not matter if someone is nice or if they are mean; they each deserve accessible health care. I was hopeful, beyond reason, that something would work out for Rachel & that she might not be irrevocably harmed in the process.

In the midst of this, Rachel graduates from college, she lives with James for one year down a road that does not have the most sturdy of builds; she scrounges for jobs, she tries to find her path in life, & she learns of the difficulties that exist in being a grownup in a world that adults have been inhabiting as she watched with child-like eyes. It is difficult for me to rationalize the actions that saw Rachel lie so easily to Deenie. There must have been a part of her that understood that Deenie was hurting & that she herself had the ability to help guide her via the truth. Yet, this was not her responsibility.

Are we meant to find James’ voyage to New York pleasing? Am I meant to be glad that he got what he wanted, after everything that he did? Dr. Byrne will be brain-damaged for the remainder of his life after spending months trying to heal from a parasite that attacked his brain & subsequently lying comatose for weeks. Deenie spent years of her marriage thinking that she wasn’t enough because she couldn’t provide what is expected of a woman. Rachel stands alone thinking of herself while everyone else’s lives pass her by.

Once again, I cannot fault her for that. Rachel is meant to keep secret the fact that James & Fred Byrne were having intimate relations, all the while struggling to breach a field that is historically welcoming only to its own kind. I cannot imagine having to maneuver myself through a situation for which I was deeply unprepared. I wonder how James felt towards Rachel, truly, after she told him everything that happened at the diner party or how he felt knowing she was shunned by the community of Cork at large. I wonder if he ever vocalized how important her friendship was in ensuring that he was not ostracized for his decisions.

Even with the serious subject matter that was covered throughout this story, I found myself eager to revisit the pages. I read until my eyes fell asleep while my brain remained engaged in the follies of the two young protagonists. I excitedly picked up the story where I had left off, every day, hoping to learn more behind the shock of the announcement that Dr. Byrne was in a coma. I was so glad to have come across this story because it presented me with a story from a friend. As I saw Rachel grow into her own; rooting for her from the sidelines of the margins; I became comforted by her narration.

Who would have guessed that through all of their struggles, each of the characters would somehow find themselves at places in their lives where they could feel at peace? Perhaps each reader might regard this transition through time & be reminded that, certainly, there will come a time when they have moved past the impossible mountain that they face, to rest easy in fields of green.

Overall, this was simply a wonderful story to behold. The love that moulded & grew between Rachel & Carey was soft & soothing. Certainly, their disagreements & struggles were no small thing. However, I was hopeful that each of them would get to a point in life where they might look back on those situations & find some way to grow forward. Their conversations also acted as something of a backdrop for the entire story. Every single group of people was hiding something. In certain cases, such as Rachel not telling Carey that she was pregnant with his child, the secrets were big. In other cases, people kept their sadness locked into themselves or they pondered the parameters of their sexuality without discussion.

Though the story focuses on the friendship that Rachel had with James, her romantic relationship with Carey allowed the story the forward movement that it needed. Without Carey, Rachel became a character that walked the same neighbourhood every day without noticing anything about the area; she simply rounded in on herself. She learnt to properly maintain her laundry because Carey wanted to live an adult life. Rachel wanted to be responsible & save money because she knew that she would reach Carey’s age at some point & that life would not be kind to her if she made no efforts to grow.

There are certainly no limits on personal growth. As Rachel meets Carey again in her later years we understand that the small insecurities she harboured remained cloistered in her soul. The same goes for both Rachel & Deenie; their conversations are disconcerted & worried by the plausible turn of events that might find them hurt once more. Because of this—because this story was so innately earnest in its humanity, however gruesome & uncomfortable that was, I loved it.

O’Donoghue found a way to welcome readers into the life of a person we will never really know. Rachel will remain who she is. In between our time together she will have done all her musing behind closed doors; we may never understand why she lives where she does or what part of her job brings her joy. Suffice it for us to know that those are the decisions she has made & it is an act of vulnerable intimacy to have her share parts of herself with us. I hope we get to meet again.

The approach to recording memories in something of a long transcript was unique in that Rachel never really knew why she was writing, just as we sometimes pick up a book for reasons that we cannot quite pin down at the moment. I would like to think that there was closure in everything that transpired; that the wounds in everyone’s soul were mended. Life has a funny way of moving us around until we understand the role that we play in our own existence. I hope that Rachel experienced reprieve at having finally relinquished the burden of holding on to a love that wasn’t hers to carry. Though, I suppose that was an act of love, in & of itself.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday, & Caroline O'Donoghue for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!