This is a difficult book for me to review. It was easy to read and it kept my attention. At the same, I don’t think there was much of a plot. The core of the story involves a friendship that seemed a little unhealthy to me, and that is connected to several other relationships. Again, I’m not sure those were particularly healthy relationships. I didn’t really like the characters. They did grow over the course of the book but I never felt invested in their lives. The “incident” referred to in the title was not that big a deal I thought. Despite all of this, I wasn’t bored while reading it but at the same time it won’t be a book I’ll remember for a long time.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed this book because it felt very real for someone trying to figure their sh** out in their twenties all the while being enamored by the people in their life that they find cooler. James was the most fascinating character to me and I as a reader kept going back and forth between thinking he deserved my sympathy or was a manipulative asshole.

While I do think it dragged which kept me from giving it a perfect rating, I still understand why the author wrote it this way because it defiantly felt like a stream of consciousness.

I feel so privileged to have gotten the chance to read “The Rachel Incident” before its publication. I feel like I have been let in on a secret, tipped off on the explosion that will take place when the novel is published. O’Donaghue’s novel is cozy yet sharp, deeply poignant while also bouncy. I am sad to be done with it but can’t wait to share this book with friends upon its publication.

i was expecting more from this book it wasnt good and it wasnt bad it was just mid i really wanted more

April 3, 2023
Thanks to netgalley and littlebrown for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this book.

I have been a fan of Caroline O'Donoghue's podcast since the first lockdown and have previously read all of her adult books. However previously I've found they are not quite the same level of wit and creativity she exudes on her socials. Im happy however to say that The Rachel Incident feels like O'donoghue at her best.

This novel feels similar to Dolly Alderton and Sally Rooney in ways whilst keeping O'donghues quirky voice at the forefront. I loved Rachel as a character and the novel itself felt the most well-balanced between plot and character that any of her books have.

The only reason I docked this book one star was I felt more could have been done with the friendship between James and Rachel. Even a few more scenes of them together on nights out or in the bookstore would've pushed this over the edge for me.

However, all in I can honestly say I really enjoyed this book and as always am very excited to see what's next for O'donogue as I believe she has finally found her voice in the adult fiction market.

Rachel graduates from college at what seems like the worst time, during the 2008 recession. She really didn’t have a clear plan regarding what she would do with her degree and what kind of a career she really wants to have. But when even her college bookstore job is impacted, and her parents (who are dentists), might not survive their financial downfall, at least she has James. He is her best friend and roommate, and will be the only James in her life.
The story is told from Rachel’s POV, mostly during the time she lived in Ireland and was attending university. We do get a glimpse into her future, and I don’t want to spoil anyone’s reading so that is all I will say about ‘future Rachel’.
Some heavy issues interspersed with the quirky actions of Rachel. I had a best friend in college, not named James, but we had a similar relationship, and I really like most of the choices he made( and the ones my friend made too). A page turner and a quick read that reminded me of my own happy and sad, fun and traumatic, college days.

I’m going to start with a disclaimer - I’m not a fan of modern “coming of age” books. Reading “The Rachel Incident” by Caroline O’Donoghue took me a while (about a quarter of the book) to get into. This book is not a triangle romance - far from it. There’s also a lot of present/past flipping and, at least in the version I had, it wasn’t always clear when the time period changed. However, once plot began rolling, around the half-way mark, the story moved along at a pretty steady clip and I became more interested in how the plot was unfolding. I do recommend that there be some trigger warnings, if those are something people look for in books. Let me also note - this is a bit of a heavy book. There are a number of topics discussed (thus the trigger warning suggestion) and Ms. O’Donoghue does a great job balancing the heaviness with some levity. In fact, a number of her aside comments were rather witty and appreciated. At times I did forget that this was a fictional book - the first person narrative made that easy to forget - and also how really real (especially toward the end) this book felt at times. A solid 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel, a college student, with a bit of a crush on her professor, struggles to navigate her way through a tangled set of situations. She interns for his wife while her best friend gets into a situationship with the professor. Adding to the drama in her life--job issues and a situationship of her own.

4.5 stars

I was really impressed by this novel. An Irish "new adult" novel, Rachel moves in with gay James, who she meets at her bookstore job, and soon she becomes embroiled in James's big secret. Rachel holds in the secret as she deals with those years as you transition from college to the "real world," a new internship, school, and a new boyfriend Carey. Carey isn't the best boyfriend in the world, as he's dirty and not motivated, but she's entranced with him - although in a different way than she's entranced with James.

Why did I love this book so much? I think we all have those memories from when we were "new adults," straddling still being impetuous teenagers with nosing into adulthood. This novel really captures that time so well.

I also like the characters. These are likeable, flawed people that you want happiness for.

I must confess that I'm not a fan of Sally Rooney's, and I was worried that this would be a Sally Rooney knockoff (Irish writer, new adult). I ended up liking this a lot more than Sally Rooney's books because this had a really good plot and was balanced with interesting characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an original coming of age story of a college age woman on the brink of adulthood during the recession of the 2000s. The form is intriguing. Written as a first-person narrative, it is a novel written like a memoir. This gives the reader an inside view of how this confused, vulnerable woman is navigating an off-the-charts life. The way she describes her feelings and self-reflection as she muddles through losses, gains, insurmountable embarrassment, and faulty decision-making is riveting and you can’t help but hope she’ll pull it together.

Rachel Murray is an English major, about to graduate to an economy with no jobs. Her parents who had given her a comfortable middle-class life up until now are in financial trouble and as she finishes college, she is without financial support. She gets a part time job in a bookstore and meets James Devlin, a closeted gay man, with whom she shares an apartment. Platonically in love, the two live a riotous life together, sharing every feeling and desire for the future.

The story hinges on her infatuation with one of her English professors who has a love affair with her roommate, James. It gets complicated when she gets an internship with the professor’s wife and falls in love with a man who is also trying to find himself. All roads lead to the titled INCIDENT.

It is a marvelous read. Although serious issues are threaded throughout and Rachel can be her own worst enemy, it is also very funny. All the characters are fully drawn, and we understand them. It is a mesmerizing trip as we journey with Rachel through her self- deprecation, wrong decisions, complicated relationships, and eventual road to adulthood.

I will look forward to other books by this writer.

Many thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Rachel Incident was a beautifully portrayed story of underdogs, in love and chaos, living through the early 2010's of Ireland's recession. There is no teen rom-com, random thrown in queer side character. Instead, there are diverse sexualities with their own main-character-esque plot and development of their own. Through Rachel, light is brought onto the political struggle of abortion rights and stigma of the time, which is even more relevant as of now. Women's right will always be a hot debate, and Rachel knew that. She never called herself a feminist, but set out with a passion of following her inner fire and love of journalism, to share stories of fellow women and help keep that relevancy driven in the media.

The political and economic front was nowhere near the whole plot of the novel, but shaped decisions and character growth for all. For being in her 20's, Rachel's story was one of a coming of age. She started out spiteful and on top of the world, feeling the freedom of being broke and in love. Her journey in the book ended with her still full of fight and on the top of her own little world, but with inner grounding and maturity, even when faced with people and events that circle back. Rachel was extremely relatable for me: the metaphors and crude humor used for coping, picking a man far from prince charming. I appreciate the raw writing style and the vulnerability we are truly shown within these characters. They were extremely fleshed out, making due with the choices and foresight they had, many misguided and blinded nonetheless.

I love how this book boggles me as to what categories it fits into. This book can't to squeezed into any just one box without breaking it down. It has romance but isn't a romance in the sense it starts and ends with love. It starts and ends with platonic love, the ebbing background type of love, splattering, gut wrenching love, searing tears of hateful love, and a love that can never truly be reclaimed.

I enjoyed how time was used in this novel. It could jump between paragraphs but not in a confusing way, but also not as foreshadowing. Information was given directly and clearly, but still sobering once addressed properly in due time. The plot and ending was fed from the beginning it seems, but when the future is written in past tense there's a hungered tug drawing the next page to be turned.

I highly recommend this book, I feel every reader will get something different out of this book, depending on what they needed when going into it.

This book came out of nowhere for me and I do not regret it one bit. The writing has a way of making you feel like you are friends with the charters and are going through the motions with them. I cried and laughed and swooned because I could see myself as a friend of Rachel and James. I think anyone in today’s society could relate to the struggles and sacrifices Rachel and James made in their life. If I could give this book 15 stars I would. The writing is heartbreakingly beautiful and relatable to a point where I was sad that it ended. Please do yourself a favor and read this book. You won’t regret it.

The book was considered daring about platonic friendship. I loved the way where the two main characters ended up.

A story about Rachel reminiscing about her time back then when she was twenty years old. The tendrils of life, divinely liberal, unselfish and quite self-obsessed who was living with James Devlin, a partially closeted gay friend who had a romance with a professor that she adored. Her world means nothing without James, her number-one person. He had a lot of charisma, funny and warm. I love how they turned out to be such great friends considering the spontaneity they had.

The Rachel Incident is a novel about heartbreak, career-changing, jealousy, and no self-control of an early twenties problem😅

I give 4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and @aaknopf for earc. Opinions are my own.

📚

#donereading #therachelincident by #carolineodonoghue #igbooks #igreads #kindlepaperwhite #goodreads #bookstagram #bookreview #emabaca #malaysiamembaca

It’s 2009 and in Cork as everywhere, the recession is biting hard. Rachel is at college doing her final year in English. From a fairly affluent family of dentists, money has never been a worry for her. However, her parents confide in her, their money has gone, and though her college fees for the year are paid, there’s no money left for Rachel’s living expenses. Ever resourceful, Rachel gets a job in a bookshop, where she meets James who swiftly becomes her BFF, and her life changes beyond recognition.

This is an attention grabber from the off. Witty, poignant, thoughtful, hopeful and with all the messy relationships imaginable, the full gamut of emotions are run through when reading this book.

So well written, perfect characters incredibly portrayed, an absolute joy to read, I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley.

LOVED this book! I so deeply enjoyed this story about a young woman coming of age in Cork and her complicated relationship with her queer best friend, an older professor and his wife and her own relationships and sense of self. Kind of like Sally Rooney, if Sally Rooney was funny and her characters felt the least bit real and fully-fledged out. This felt like a very real story and somehow, even though there's nothing groundbreaking in it, had a lot to say. I couldn't put it down!

Will definitely be posting about it on my Booktok!

I loved this book so much that I finished it in one sitting. The writing was incredible, every single character felt realistic and fleshed out, and the pacing really worked for me. I loved Rachel's point of view and how the story jumped around time every so often. It was heartwarming and tense, but nothing ever felt drawn out. It dealt with so many difficult topics in a way that felt real to every day life. I loved how messy everything was, how everyone made mistakes but it didn't make them villains, and I really liked how everything wrapped up in the end.

One of my absolute favorite reads of the year. 10/10 would recommend.

This book was messy in the best, most delicious way. I could not put this book down and would lose track of my stop while reading on the train home.

This book was written from Rachel's perspective years after "The Rachel Incident" of which the book is named. Having the dual perspective the Rachel in her year twenties experiencing the uncertainties of her life and the messes that unfollow alongside the adult Rachel that's had time to grow and heal made for such a rich story. And oh my god does Caroline O'Donoghue know how to write hooks! Each chapter ended with such a grab, I couldn't help but devour this book.

Rachel Murray is a twenty-one-year-old, tall (5'11, but to make it easier, she often says she's six foot) woman living in Cork, Ireland. She studies English and has a crush on her professor. Her roommate, James, a closeted gay who works with her at a quaint bookstore, tries to help her attract the professor's interest, but the plan works in an unexpected way.

This is 2010, and for Rachel, it's a challenging year. She is an outsider – at least, this is how I see her – with her height, unrequited love, and uncompromising openness to admit her feelings. In a few months, she "would be another unemployed graduate with an English degree," but for now, she's content watching "Frasier" with her roommate. Then another James comes into her life, bringing a passion almost impossible to control. She is also involved in an odd relationship, a mixture of mentoring and jealousy, with Fred, the professor, and his wife, Deenie.

It can be difficult for people to relate to their younger versions of themselves. When coming of age, our feelings are often intense and definite. The future may look extremely dark or, on the contrary, very bright. Rachel moves back and forth between naïve and over-trusting to pragmatic and resourceful. The story is written as a first-person narrative but with a certain distance as the novel's voice is that of Rachel over ten years later when her life significantly changed. Perhaps, reading this brilliant and witty book, we'll discover how much we can relate to Rachel's problems, regardless of age. I, for one, was indeed reminded of my youth and all its mistakes – but also of its victories.

The Rachel Incident feels like getting to know a friend. Caroline O’Donoghue perfectly encapsulates the millennial experience throughout the 2008 economic depression and the struggles that women in Ireland and throughout the world are still feeling today. She covers not only wanting to escape your familial box, and the struggles of adjusting your parental relationship as you navigate the difficult transition from teenager to college-graduated adult, but also the wide breadth of emotions and struggles that come with decisions both in and out of your control impacting the future you envision for yourself.

Getting to know Rachel throughout her story filled with loving many men named James, felt like reading your best friend’s journal or a snapshot of conversations shared over years of getting to know someone.

I was initially concerned that the read would feel too choppy jumping back and forth between Rachel’s present and 2008, but Caroline’s approach of writing as if Rachel is telling us the story hooked me, and all concern was quickly solved. This was the perfect first book for me to read from NetGalley and I am so glad that I requested it.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the Kindle ARC.

This is definitely a new favorite — I absolutely loved this book. The Rachel Incident is a coming of age story that covers a range of different issues, showcases a deep and beautiful friendship, and creates beautifully flawed and well-developed characters. O’Donoghue makes you really attached to the characters. Her writing is able to make you love them, hate them, feel so confused by them, etc., which is such an amazing gift. If you enjoy Dolly Alderton’s writing or Sally Rooney, I think you’ll really love The Rachel Incident. It’s an incredible character study and really draws you into the world she creates. 10/10 recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.