I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for much of this book, but the slow burn led its way to a great ending.

What I loved about this book was the character depth. I hated to love these flawed characters, but I found myself rooting for them and their weird/toxic personality traits. Rachel and James are best friends, soulmates, roommates, coworkers, and (take this with a grain of salt because I'm not a psychiatrist) impossibly co-dependent on each other. They waste away with each other and shut out everyone else when they're together. Other people are just noise in the imaginary world they've built together. Serious main character energy -- except Rachel is not the main character even in her own book.

And that becomes clear pretty early on. Some major conflict happens, then more conflict happens, and by the end of the book, you're like "do I even want them to continue being friends??"

If you like reading about damaged 20-somethings bumbling their way through life, you'll love this one.

I personally think I've outgrown that genre. But again, the ending was good and the writing was beautiful. Think Sally Rooney.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for gifting me an early copy!

This book was so clever and heartfelt. I was hooked from page one and did not want it to end. I loved it so much.

Such an enjoyable read. I had high expectations from having read Caroline’s previous two books and this one did not disappoint.

I flew through this and found myself picking it up again and again whenever I had a few minutes. I think this speaks for how the plot stays with you after you put the book down. I kept wondering about what would happen next with each character.

I immediately liked Rachel and her friendship with James. While I found myself invested in each character, which is unusual for me, my top 3 had to be Rachel, Carey and James. All characters were well developed, with a good balance to their positive and negative traits in a well rounded way that made it easier to empathise when they made terrible decisions. I also think the narration from ‘future Rachel’ made for an interesting perspective on recalling events of her youth from the benefit of hindsight, which made questionable actions less frustrating and provided a satisfying sense of closure.

Serious issues were covered but sprinkled with humour and light hearted moments that made them all the more engaging but not too heavy.

Another aspect I personally enjoyed was the Cork references, having studied in UCC myself.

The ending happened a little suddenly but also in a fitting way that echoed the sentiment of the ending, in that the next step was not her story to tell.

I received a copy of the book by NetGalley but the opinions in this review are my own.

I wanted to read The Rachel Incident right off the bat because it was set in Cork which has been my home for the past six years. I was quite pleased actually with this read, although I did spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out where on Shandon Street the protagonists were living.

The story is that of Rachel, a UCC student working at a bookstore. There she meets James who soon becomes her best friend and roommate. The novel is really a coming-of-age story, following the two friends as they explore sexuality, love, friendship, career prospects,

Eventhough there are some very big themes being explored the story never feels heavy which makes for an easy read.

The Rachel Incident was completely unexpected. I didn’t realize how funny and well-written it would be. Yet, the story was also quite serious which kept me engaged in the book. It made me reflect back to my years in college and how little I knew about life at 21 years old. I could totally relate to Rachel, and I enjoyed reading about her coming of age. The other characters were also interesting and contributed to Rachel’s growing up. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read The Rachel Incident.

This book was a weird one for me. A young woman in Ireland lives with her closeted best friend, has a crush on her married professor, and has an aloof boyfriend. The story took some time to find its footing, and I found myself continuing to read even though I found the book a bit odd. I don’t want to give anything away, because the story is interesting.

I really enjoyed the ending. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Rachel Incident
by Caroline o"Donoghue
Pub Date: June 27, 2023
Knopf
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I loved this novel and its theme of authenticity.
When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred’s glamorous, well-connected, bourgeois wife. Aching with unrequited love, shot through with delicious, sparkling humor, The Rachel Incident is a triumph. I recommend it!
4 stars

Simultaneously somber and sharp, this coming-of-age novel is sure to join the “hot girl books” genre.

The Rachel Incident is a dual-timeline story, mostly taking place in the 2000s—a decade before we meet the narrator. Set against the backdrop of the Irish political struggle over abortion rights, the experiences of our protagonists in their early 20s reflect the larger landscape of a country at unrest.

When Rachel and James meet, they become each other’s worlds instantaneously. However, their friendship is quickly shaken by an affair with a married man, which threatens to shatter both of their lives.

With rich characters but a plot thats’s lacking, this work is bound to be compared to Sally Rooney’s novels—and I would say rightly so. The nuanced observations of social behavior, the codependent characters, the grappling with what it means to be in love in your 20s, the commentary on sex and sexuality, and the sense that everyone is at least a little bit lost all create a tone similar to Rooney.

Yet, I struggled with the perspective. In some ways, Rachel is the Nick Carraway of the story. She has her own experiences, yes, but much of her story is observing the lives and relationships of others, only sometimes intersecting with their plot lines. Given the privilege within her identities, it sometimes feels voyeuristic in the way she speaks of others’ lives. Perhaps, this is purposefully done to boost the effect of James on not only the characters in the story, but also the readers. For me, though, I think it will be a story I’m quicker to forget.

Thank you to Knopf for providing me with an arc of The Rachel Incident. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.

A fresh voiced narrator that I loved named Rachel who tells the complex and riveting story of one year in her life, her last year in college. She and her best friend, a gay man named James, live together in Ireland and both get involved with her professor and his wife in ways that are fun to discover along the way. She tells the story in retrospect as a married and pregnant woman who learns that the professor is in a coma. Really enjoyed watching this story unfold and all of the everyday details of her life. Other characters such as the "other James" are quite memorable too! Very happy to get this advanced copy from Net Galley and truly enjoyed!

Did I request this book because my name is Rachel? Yes. It sounded nothing like I typically read, yet the synopsis and mention of Ireland made me thoroughly, thoroughly intrigued. I was hesitant going into it, but once I realized that the writing style similar to that of Sally Rooney or Dolly Alderton, then you couldn't have pried this book from my hands.

This novel was astoundingly well-written and I was hooked fairly quickly. As a character driven book, I was impressed by how fleshed out the characters were, especially Rachel, and felt extremely appreciative of how the author chose to explore love, forgiveness, and sexuality.

I would absolutely recommend this knock-out book to any interested reader.

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.