This book was so so good. As someone in my 20s this book spoke to me on so many levels.

It definitely reads like a fun sitcom but has a lot of heart and weight to it.

O’Donoghue captures a youthful energy so brilliantly, with incredible writing that had me laughing, crying and almost always smiling.

If you’re in your 20s read this book!

I liked the characters and the love triangle. This is witty and sad and relatable with a bit of quirk. Roomies who fall for the same professor and how there lives change ad a result of having certain people in their orbit. A fast and full year thoughtful read with a bookstore and some literary professions.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I really thought this book was going to be more about a student/teacher relationship and how one dealt with that. Turns out the teacher is just a small part of this story. This book is mainly about Rachel, her coming of age, fails/successes, and her friendship with James. If you like Sally Rooney, you will like this book. It is very witty and heartfelt. It reminded of me of Rooney in the sense that nothing is happening, yet things are also somewhat happening, and somehow you just feel comforted journeying along through the questionable shenanigans of the characters. IYKYK.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I give this book 3.5 stars.

Given the hype around the title and the description, I had high hopes. This is an entertaining look at a woman reflecting on a particularly formative time in her early 20s, with great local Irish color and humor.
The title is interesting in that Rachel is the main character but this phrase comes from her professor's wife, looking back on how briefly entwined in their lives she became for a period of time. At this part in her life, Rachel is very much identified by her peer group, and figuring out who she is in comparison with friends, lovers, mentors, crushes, etc.
The dialog and characters are very entertaining and witty, and it's a fun read.

Rachel is a college student and her best friend is James Devlin. When she meets another James, she tells him she already has a James in her life, so she calls him Carey (his last name). The story follows Rachel and her relationships with the 2 James. When Rachel falls for her married college professor, she is sad when he opts for her roommate instead. Rachel and Carey's relationship is good, but circumstances get in the way..The professor / roommate love affair leads to strange consequences in the life of Rachel - one she uses to her benefit (if you can call it that).
Rachel reflects on all of this a few years later, when she hears news of her professor and his situation - he is in a coma. She reflects on her life then, and her life now. She also became a journalist writing on feminist issues.
The book is a coming of age story of sorts, with a focus on sexuality and issues affecting sexuality. Several bursts of humor are interspersed with some serious issues.
I enjoyed it.

"The Rachel Incident" offers a unique yet relatable glimpse into the life of Rachel, a young woman navigating post-2008 recession Ireland. Her chance encounter with James ignites a captivating tale of love at first sight, leading to a transformative friendship that challenges societal norms. Amidst the backdrop of Cork city's bohemian chaos and impending financial crisis, the story delves into Rachel's journey of self-discovery and the complexities of loving others. Her passionate entanglement with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, unfolds with humor and heartache, revealing the intricate web of secrets and compromises that bind their fates. Aching with unrequited love, "The Rachel Incident" beautifully captures the essence of growing up, making it a triumphant exploration of love, self-identity, and resilience in the face of uncertainty.

I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than I thought I would. It took me a few chapters to really get into it but once I did, I really liked it. And I wouldn't consider it a humorous book as the blurb states. It was a just good story of love and friendship.

A great read about coming of age and navigating the new world of adulthood. Loved the complexity and realness of the characters and will definitely seek out this author in the future.

I was so excited when I opened up The Rachel Project and realized that it was by the same author of the All Our Hidden Gifts series. While I didn't grow up in Cork in 2010, I was the same age as Rachel then and enjoyed the specificity of being a post grad during that time. Ultimately this one kept me up late and I'm excited to keep reading more from Caroline O'Donoghue. Thanks NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, & Anchor, and the author for the ARC.

The Rachel Incident was my first book by Caroline O'Donoghue and it was wonderful. I am looking forward to reading more by this author. Happy reading!

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

I really wanted to like this one, but the characters and storyline just weren't for me. The writing was fine, it just wasn't my cuppa. This is why books are amazing, there are great fits for everyone out there and I'm sure other readers are enjoying The Rachel Incident.

As someone who was looking for a Sally Rooney fix, I was delighted by this novel. The characters were well-rounded and complicated, but you couldn't help but root for them. I do wish we got to see more of Rachel and James as adults because of the dual-timelines but that didn't stop me from loving this novel.

To be honest, it took me a little bit to get into The Rachel Incident, but I’m glad I stuck with it! The characters are funny and the writing is engaging. It gives “Will & Grace” vibes! It’s a great coming of age/transition to adulthood (and how tough that can be) novel!

I really enjoyed this book! I love books that take place in other countries, and I really enjoyed the characters. I found myself laughing often, and occasionally cringing. I could not put this book down. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for this ARC!

My fave RH rep put this in my hands and I loved it. Perfect summer read. I'm not sure it'll have super lasting lovability for me - but it hit the spot!

This was such a good read. I wasn't too sure what to expect since I went in blind and I am so glad I did.

The main protagonist is Rachel who is a bit of a loser who works in a bookstore with her BFF roommate, James, whilst attending University.

Rachel has a major crush on her professor. She ropes in James, and the two hatch a plan for her to seduce him in the bookstore. And that's when things go awry. Things don't go as planned and things get messy and complicated.

The author has done a fantastic job in writing such a beautifully flawed character.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book! It had me gasp and awww aloud, get a little teary but most of all, it made me LAUGH. So many giggles. I feel like this book was written for older millennials, I remember so well everything Rachel is grappling with—the highs and lows of new adulthood and university. The inappropriate crushes that don’t pan out or maybe do too well. Yikes. The feel of making instant connection best friends who fill your heart and get you in a way you hadn’t experienced up til then or since. Living in battered houses, underpaid, with no money but still going out—wild and free. Trying to love and fucking it up over and over. Just figuring things out like life, career, dreams, ambitions while all the while living off girl dinner and making so many horribly embarrassing stupid mistakes that were mostly only rumours because this was before social media really took over our lives and the internet was forever.

The Rachel Incident is about two such best friends—Rachel and James who find each other working at a bookstore and then, immediately close, move in together. It’s about how one of them starts an affair with a married prof and the short and long fall out from the impulsive choices we make and can’t back down from. It’s about love and loss and finding yourself. But above all it’s about friendship. The kind that grows with you, supports you, shores you up. The kind that last forever in whatever capacity you can give it. I loved the friendship at the core of this book, it was so familiar and loving to me. I could have read about them for all of their years. Never wanted it to end. The scandalous hook was also surprising and took some twists I didn’t expect. The Irish atmosphere of the novel was at my sweet spot and this is definitely going to be one of my favourite books of the year. *swoon*

There were parts of this that I loved and parts I couldn’t get into. I just couldn't connect or dive into this story. I think it would have been more enjoyable if I would have set aside blocks of time to be able to dive into the story longer.

"I was twenty and I needed two things: to be in love and to be taken seriously.”

The Rachel Incident is a beautiful written slice of life from the perspective of young twenty something. Their experiences and stories are viseral and the prose is entrancing. This book feel like catching up with a friend and ending with the punch of gratefulness and understanding that comes with growing up.

I really reccommend this read to those that love Sally Rooney and even those that don't. This is the book that is everything Sally Rooney isn't.

A giant thank you to our author, Netgalley and Knopf publishing for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book. This book is out now!

I am actually genuinely convinced that I read a different book than everyone else.

I have seen countless positive reviews for this book and I am just sitting here, scratching my head, wondering where I went wrong. I did not enjoy the dual timelines and the way in which they were written. Most of the time it felt unclear to me which timeline we were in. I pretty much hated Rachel the whole way through. She's very selfish and is deeply uninteresting. There really isn’t a plot. The whole book moves at a snail’s pace. Maybe i’m the problem here, but I just did not enjoy this one.