I certainly agree with other reviewers that this was not at all what I expected, but definitely still worth the time. This feels like the antithesis to Moshfegh-esque unhinged girlie protagnoists; The Rachel Incident to me falls in with other millennial disaster female protagonists that are messy but sincere, trying to find their place.

This was more of a 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed the path of the friendship of Rachel and James. I did find the last third of the story to be rushed in a way that was not present earlier in the book.

sometimes you read a synopsis and just know the book is going to resonate with you and it still manages to exceed your expectations. i'm having a hard time capturing what exactly about the Rachel Incident makes it so magical. it's sharp but approachable. it captures 2010 so well but I think it's still easy to relate to. I think if you've ever felt lost, if you've ever loved a friend so consumingly, if you've ever been selfish, if you've ever started over, if you've ever realized you've grown into yourself, you'll find at least part of yourself in these pages.

Not what I expected so this one missed the mark for me (or vice versa.) Described as "brilliantly funny," The Rachel Incident did not tickle my funny bone. Again, a matter of taste or perhaps I just don't fall in the demographics for this type of banter. There were some elements - such as the bookstore environment - which drew me in initially but not enough to sustain interest in the somewhat stereotypical characters or relationships.

FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Rachel Incident, is a wonderful story about friendship, love, and everything that falls in between of growing up. It’s books like this that remind me what it was like to be in my twenties again, and learning the way of the world.

This book transport you back to that time of self discovery. I felt that I was actually living in Rachel’s world, experiencing every growth and trauma that was thrown at her.

Thanks to NetGalley for a lm advanced copy of this book! I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, and the setting in Ireland!

This book was not for me. The writing and storytelling were good, but the story itself I found very boring. There is something about the lives of heterosexual women that feels like self-sabotage, and this book pretty clearly lays that out. Rachel is young and dumb, sure. But the way she makes decisions about who to sleep with, what to do with her life, her relationships with her friends, and even just how she internally thinks about who to sleep with, is so chaotic and horrible to me in a way I'll never be able to relate to.

Rachel has a gay best friend, and their relationship is pulled straight out of Will & Grace. It's so painfully white and fag-hag-y, that it bordered between grating and insufferable the entire novel. At best, it was boring. At worst, I wanted to skip over paragraphs of their quirky little adventures

It is also confusingly written at times because it begins with an older Rachel retelling stories about her youth, but there is no clear distinction between her past and present. I often forgot that this was basically her reminiscing, and moments where we see present Rachel were jolting.

I got this book as an ARC from NetGalley, and having to write this review is the only reason I finished it.

I've been wanting to read more Irish authors outside of Sally Rooney, and I'm so glad I did! THE RACHEL INCIDENT is a beautifully written, heartfelt novel, that explores the moral complications of growing into the person you want to be. I found it quite funny at times, and really enjoyed the setting. Will certainly be reading more from this author!

The Rachel Incident took me by complete surprise. It has been compared to Sally Rooney and that was a turn-off to me. But, The Rachel Incident stands on its own and captures a slice of young 20s life. “I thought what I always do when I’m in a small room with a man I’m not related to, which is: Are we gonna fuck?
Anyway Rachel is living on her own in Cork, Ireland with her best friend, James, working at a bookstore and just living. Then comes along Dr. Byrne…….

The Rachel Incident is a very readable and engaging coming of age story. It reminded me a bit of Sally Rooney, particularly Conversations with Friends. Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the ARC.

Comparisons to Sally Rooney will be imminent with this gripping piece of romantic literary fiction. Rachel and James are in love as much with themselves as their idea of living a bohemian lifestyle. This is a laugh out loud novel that is sure to take the world by storm.

I love when you know a book will stay in your mind even before you finish reading it.

The characters are well written, the story is interesting and it is FUNNY. Like actual laugh out loud funny. This book is ridiculously easy to love and connect to.

Caroline O’Donoghue has entered the chat! Chat of stories of Irish millennials trying to find their way around the world. Sally Rooney started this chat and it is ever growing! Finally us thirty somethings are getting enough attention to our bit boring, bit troubling, bit mundane lives.

Rachel wanted to write. She wanted to work in publishing. But she wouldn’t be able to do it in Cork. She had a good professor at the university who could opened the doors for her. She fell for him a bit, but she was in for a surprise. Her beloved friend, James, had something for her. Something that was going to make her somewhat miserable life a good deal miserable.

While it has somewhat “and they lived happily ever after” ending, I liked how this could be the lives of two random people. It was relatable and realistic. And in this story, life for women who need basic medical care in form of abortion was also hard. Surprised? No!

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I got bogged down in the middle of this and almost didn't finish but it gets such good reviews that I finished. I have to say that this was mediocre for me. I enjoyed the start of the book but the middle was just boring for me and the ending felt too easy. 2.5 stars that I'll round up to 3.

This book transitioned easily through past and present time lines. It was easy to follow and at the end everything was buttoned up nicely. I was not expecting the ending and reveal of Rachel’s husband.

People are loving this and for good reason! What a fabulous read. I'm so grateful to get this ARC. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for sending, in exchange for my honest review.

It’s always easier to write reviews for books that weren’t for me because then I can critique them. Or books I think were amazing ‘cause then I can shout them praise.

I always have trouble with books I like, but don’t lean one way or the other. This novel was very well written, the characters were messy, and the story was messy, but that makes everything very real.

It’s about growing up and then growing apart. The characters struggle to figure out who they are and what they should be doing. Rachel and James are best friends, but co-dependent on each other until they reach a point in their lives where it’s time to separate and move on. They were there for each other until they outgrew each other, like friendships sometimes do.

In addition to their friendship there’s also their relationships. James’ secret affair with Rachel’s teacher, and Rachel’s messy relationship with Carey.

Rachel goes through a LOT in this book, and it was nice to see everything work out for her in the end.

Overall, I thought this was a good read. The author does a good job at making some big dramatic moments sort of quiet? If that makes sense? This book has a quiet powerfulness to it.

Some content warnings to be aware of: miscarriage, abortion, infertility

Thank you @netgalley and @aaknopf for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Unexpected gem. Loved it. People draw comparisons to Sally Rooney and, fair enough, but to me much funnier, sharper, and with a bit of Phoebe Waller-Bridge mixed in.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Caroline O'Donoghue once said, "I wrote this book, and it's a banger." And let me tell you -- she wasn't lying.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from The Rachel Incident. The cover and title, alone, were compelling enough for me. And yet, what I got instead was an incredibly nuanced story about friendship, sexuality, and coming-of-age.

Rachel is a young woman in college who develops a very minor crush on her professor, Dr. Byrne. However, it's not her that Dr. Byrne takes an interest in; it's her gay best friend and housemate, James. The amount of overlap that occurs between these three characters, alongside Rachel's actual love interest, Carey, and Dr. Byrne's wife, Deenie, makes for a compulsively readable tale.

While this feels adjacent to the currently popular sub-genre of sad girl lit fic, it's also unlike anything else I've ever read. As I was explaining the plot of this to my husband, he said something along the lines of, "Wow, so you really can't feel bad for any of the characters, can you?" But the truth of it is... I actually sympathized with every single one of them. Every character - Rachel included - says or does something that might feel potentially irredeemable. And yet, I credit the author for contextualizing this story well enough that I felt an investment in each of these characters. They were thoroughly humanized, making it very easy to forgive each of them for the wrongs they committed.

I don't want to be that person that says "if you like Sally Rooney, you'll like this one too," just because both Rooney and this author happen to be Irish women. But, I really did feel like the intricate web woven between these characters was reminiscent of Conversations with Friends, while still coming through as something uniquely its own.

All in all? This one really worked for me. And I'll be happily going back and reading whatever else Caroline O'Donoghue has written (all of which are probably also bangers).

This is one of those stories, where just from the synopsis, I think I know what I'm getting into. This book was different than I thought it was going to be and it was better than I thought it was going to be too. The character dynamics were so interesting and I found myself wanting to learn more about each of them.