Thirst Trap in a nutshell is about three friends who have unfortunately experienced the passing of one of their cohort after a falling out between them occurring, and are navigating their lives as best as they can in the circumstances afterwards.

The fabulous front cover of this book is what drew me to this story immediately, which instantly gave me the impression that this would have a humorous side. This is what I loved most about the book; the wit comes across so naturally, and at no point did it feel forced or corny, which can be the case in these types of books.

I would say that the story isn’t to my personal taste, it did drag a little and nothing major really happened within the events of the book. That being said, there is something charming about a book that feels extremely realistic and relatable (I dare say most people could relate to times in their life where they have had similar antics these characters have gotten up to) however I did love the depiction of three friends nearing/in their thirties still living like students and the physical writing itself was of very high quality.

As a late-twenty something woman who is also on the brink of ‘triumph, catastrophe, or maybe just finally growing up’ (let’s be honest, it’s probably all three) this was something I absolutely needed to read.

The book follows three friends- Maggie, Harley and Róise- trying to figure out what to do with their lives and living situation after the death of their friend Lydia. No one can move on- they’re not even sure if they want to- and we get front row seats to them trying to figure out how to fix their messy lives.

‘Thirst Trap’ is such an accurate portrayal of managing friendships in your late twenties and the characters all feel like real people- they’re funny, broken, and at times horrible, and I loved them all regardless. The mix of humour and grief is balanced perfectly and I don't think I've ever read something more relatable. One of the easiest 5 stars I've ever given a book and I can't wait to see what else Gráinne O'Hare comes up with!

Thank you to Pan Macmillan | Picador and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC. This review can be viewed on my Goodreads page at the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7573480788

Thirst Trap is a slice of life following three friends in their late 20s/early 30s figuring things out and navigating life after the loss of someone close. Grief isn’t the main focus but it’s a quiet presence that subtly influences their decisions and actions, which felt incredibly realistic, raw and chaotic. The girls truly felt like people I could actually know in real life.

I’d recommend this to anyone in their 20s, it captures this stage of life and its struggles with sincerity and some humor! 3.75 ⭐️

read almost all of this debut from grainne o'hare yesterday and thought it was a complete banger! it's about 3 friends who are dealing, 1 year later, with the death of their other friend and housemate who they'd dramatically fallen out with just before she died. it's a lively, funny and affectionate portrait of three women trying in vain and in earnest to get their lives together and work on how to move on and move out of a crumbling house full of ghosts. recommend!

*arc received from netgalley in exchange for review, out 12/06!*

Really enjoyed reading about the three main characters in this book. Set in Belfast in the year that they are all turning 30 whilst also being one year since the death of the fourth member of their little group. Obviously there is a big theme of grief and loss, not just of their friend (and the complex feelings around the circumstances of when she died) but also of their twenties, relationships, friendships, family, where they live, etc. It’s more character driven than plot, and questionable decisions are made, but it’s got a hopeful outlook and is a reminder that everyone is just trying to make the best of where they’re at in life, even if that doesn’t follow the ‘traditional’ milestones.

Thank you to Picador and NetGalley for the ARC!

Maggie, Harley and Róise are best friends living together in a crumbling Belfast apartment, but the three girls are still grieving the tragic death of their friend, Lydia; their last big fight hangs heavy over their heads, and they are all beginning to unravel.

Incredibly heartwarming, raw, messy portrayal of friendship and womanhood. All tree girls are so unique, and each is beautifully (and frustratingly) flawed. They feel so real, and it's so easy to care for them. There is lots of humour, which works great to balance out the heavier themes of the story. The writing is so sharp, and it flows beautifully, making this such an easy to read, unputdownable book, without needing anything spectacular to happen, as it definitely is more of a character-based story. I truly loved this one, but the ending feels a little rushed and, while I enjoyed seeing all of the girls in a better place, I do wish there was a little more development throughout rather than crammed all in there.

A really gorgeous exploration of friendship and loss. Funny at times, but overwhelmingly emotional and powerful.

A story about complicated female friendships, growing up and grief.

Maggie, Harley and Róise are in their late 20s, living in a Belfast houseshare that is falling apart - like their friendship. They’re grieving the loss of their friend and housemate Lydia, who died a year ago. Their grief is complicated by the fact they had fallen out with her just before her death. We follow the characters trying to deal with all this in different ways.

Thirst Trap is filled with drunken nights out, questionable decisions and lots of love. Bittersweet, messy and immensely readable, WHEN is this coming to Netflix?

What an absolutely fantastic debut novel!!!!!! As soon as I saw the cover for this one I knew it’d be right up my street, but I was still blown away by it.

Róise, Harley and Maggie are all on the cusp of turning 30, and are living together in a falling-down house in Belfast, drinking their weekends away and trying to come to terms with the loss of their friend Lydia, who died before the novel's beginning. What Happened To Lydia looms large over the narrative, and O'Hare drip-feeds us information about the tragedy, and the impact it has had on her protagonists. As well as grappling with a complicated kind of grief, Róise, Harley and Maggie each have their own tribulations. What follows is a beautiful, messy, hilarious and at times profound exploration of the mess grief can make of a life, and what it takes to build yourself back up again.

I loved this, which makes sense as I am 100% the target audience for a Derry-Girls-Turning-30 novel. I loved the Belfast setting (I always do) and it’s easy to fall in love with the trio of protagonists; O’Hare pulls off a wonderful trick of character where the gals are so close that often the narrative feels like a hive mind, their thoughts and emotions bleeding into one another, but they all still felt like vibrant, alive characters in their own right. They’re all about to turn 30, but they aren’t quite adults yet - like many Millenials, they’re stuck in limbo, unable to become “proper adults”. I feel you, girlies. I will say that at times their behaviour felt closer to 25 year olds than 29 year olds, but maybe I am simply a bit boring!

O’Hare’s writing style is sophisticated and clever - she's not afraid to be liberal with her jokes or to make the reader feel complex and tough emotions. The girls have a really complicated friendship, too. They've seen one another through horrible times, but those times have left scars. This results in a story that wrestles with some tough questions about friendship and growing up. But there are also so many jokes - and such good ones! Thirst Trap pulls off that magic trick making you chuckle and then sob, often within one of the short, punchy chapters.
If you liked Roisín Lanigan’s I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There, or Oisín McKenna’s Evenings and Weekends, Thirst Trap will be right up your alley. A messy, character-driven romp with loads of heart.

Thirst Trap is a poignant and humorous exploration of friendship, loss, and the transition into adulthood, capturing the essence of contemporary life in Belfast.

Focusing fairly equally between the 3 friends, Thirst Trap follows Róise, Maggie and Harley as they enter their 30s a year after losing the 4th member of their friendship group in a car accident.

There isn't much in the way of storyline, it's more of a character study. The quick tie up at the end attempts to show an inkling of character growth but mostly the friends are caught up in their own dramas and don't seem to have much capacity beyond that for thinking about others. To me, it felt like the loss of their friend just didn't matter that much and the main recurring mention was that they'd fallen out with her shortly beforehand. This made it quite hard for me to empathise with any of the 3 characters and in fact I felt they mostly acted like a bunch of first-year students.

I had high expectations for this novel but it didn't end up hitting the mark for me.

I laughed and cried with Maggie Roise and Harley. Three girls living together, reeling from a recent-ish tragedy that has shook them all in different ways.

We follow them as they navigate the world after the tragedy.

Oh it was such a rollercoaster, but it wasn't of you see what I mean! It is a slice of life but the emotions had me all over the place. A really enjoyable read!

I adored this one. Easy reading, Irish lit about 4 friends who live together and the trials and tribulations of navigating work, social lives and love lives.

It’s light hearted but not silly, it’s realistic and relatable and just really really enjoyable. There is nothing not to like and I will definitely be recommending it to all
my friends in need of a fun summer holiday read.

Gráinne O’Hare’s Thirst Trap is a raw, vibrant, and emotionally tangled portrayal of friendship, grief, and growing up — set against the backdrop of a crumbling house share in Belfast, endless hangovers, and unresolved heartache.
Following three women — Róise, Maggie, and Harley — as they navigate their chaotic entrance into their thirties, this novel captures that tricky moment when youthful recklessness collides with the quiet realisation that life can’t always stay suspended in a student-era limbo.
The trio’s world is messy and loud: their shared home is falling apart, their love lives are more disaster than delight, and the absence of Lydia, their fourth housemate who died in a sudden accident, hangs heavily over everything. Each character’s personal struggles — Róise’s emotionally guarded romance with her boss, Maggie’s all-consuming and toxic entanglement with Cate, and Harley’s impulsive drug-fuelled escapades — are handled with empathy and unflinching honesty. The novel doesn’t shy away from difficult topics like grief, abortion, substance use, and anxiety-driven disordered eating, but balances them with moments of humour, warmth, and genuine affection.

O’Hare’s writing style is fluid and compulsively readable, capturing both the fizzy energy of nights out and the quiet ache of unspoken regret. There’s a deep authenticity in how she portrays the intensity of female friendship — its intimacy, pettiness, loyalty, and volatility. It’s a story that feels especially resonant for readers entering or living through their own messy thirties, particularly those familiar with Irish culture, though the themes are universally recognisable.

While the novel leans more into character than plot, that feels deliberate — it’s less about where these women end up and more about the emotional knots they untangle (or don’t) along the way. If there’s one drawback, it’s that the character development feels a bit rushed in the final chapter, but there’s still satisfaction in seeing them inch toward something resembling stability and self-awareness.

Thirst Trap is unflinchingly honest, often hilarious, and sometimes uncomfortable — but that’s exactly what makes it so compelling.
Ideal for fans of Caroline O'Donoghue or Dolly Alderton, this is a portrait of female friendship and grief that’s both brash and tender, reminding us that sometimes the mess is the point.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIRST TRAP!!

I think this is honestly the quickest I've read any book in a long long time. I whizzed through the pages in what felt like no time at all, and when I realised I was nearly done I tried to force myself to slow down so it wouldn't be over so soon, but I couldn't wait!

I'm sure many of us can relate to aspects of Roise, Maggie, and Harleys lives at one point or another. One minute you're young, living with friends and getting a job that will 'do' for now, but before you know it you're supposed to be a fully fledged adult whilst still feeling like your 21-year-old self, questioning if you've outgrown those childhood friends you've had forever.

I loved how authentic and raw each of the character felt (which is something I often find in Irish lit). The three girls were messy without feeling too try hard, none of them shied away from their faults but were also unapologetically themselves just trying to navigate an already very fragile time in their lives (turning 30) on top of dealing with grief and trauma.

Ohares writing is so easy to read and perfectly weaves real life into the story, whether that be using local references (shout out Barra Best) or pop culture (I'm more of a rep girlie too) making this feel like this is a story that could have actually happened

Ultimately Thirst Trap is a story about the complexities of female friendship, growing up, and dealing with grief and regrets. I read this as a Netgalley but I have since preordered myself a copy to sit proudly on my shelf of favourites.

This book was very relatable and very much gave me Dolly Alderton mixed with Sally Rooney vibes. I did enjoy it but it felt quite slow and pretty boring in places. I think if you grew up in Ireland, this would resonate with you even more. Overall an enjoyable read but I did find myself forcing my way through it.

3.5✨

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this arc.

The second I saw this book I was desperate to read it. I absolutely judged a book by its cover and I LOVED said cover.

That being said, it took me a hot second to get into this book. It felt like a lot of characters and information thrown at you all at once and I was over 50% of the way through before I really knew who was who. But that could just be my issue!

It’s a fabulous story about female friendships and the trials and tribulations of loss, life and love. It made me wish I had spent proper time living with my girlfriends and genuinely made me appreciate them all the more.

I feel like if you’re in your 20s/in your college and uni days you will absolutely love this book. Or even if you’re just wanting to reminisce.

'Thirst Trap' by Gráinne O'Hare tells the story of three friends and a turtle living in a shared house in Belfast. Harley, Róise and Maggie are now approaching their 30th birthdays and are still coming to terms with the sudden death of their friend and housemate Lydia a year ago. They navigate their nights out, jobs, a house which is falling apart and their love lives with all the messy ups and downs. This is a refreshingly humorous and heartwrenching novel which will keep you engaged.
Highly recommended, a great book to pack for your summer holidays.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Picador for the opportunity to read the ARC.

I enjoyed this book about three girls mourning their dead friend and living their chaotic lives – I don't think it will particularly stick in my memory and I don't know that it really did anything new, but the relationships and the dialogue and the Belfast setting all felt very authentic and I liked reading it. I'm always pleasantly surprised by books where the characters are sad but not necessarily self-destructive (although their lives did feel a bit run-down compared to most people I know of the same age). 3.75 🌟 to be very specific

"Thirst Trap" is a rare book that has successfully captured what it is to navigate friendship through your twenties, with all of the growing pains, the love, the tragedy and the fraughtness of what it is to finally grow up. The story follows the lives of three closer than close friends who have to navigate their relationships in the aftermath of losing their fourth to tragedy. The book is a very real and very human exploration of grief, of what it means to have things unsaid and then abruptly end with no resolution. O'Hare deftly balances humour and gut punching grief and anger without ever dropping the ball. The book feels like we are watching these young women's lives unfold before us in all of their messy glory, pulling us into every feeling and every decision they made. It is chaotic in the way that lives are at that age, where everything feels high-stakes and ludicrous all at the same time.

Honestly a fantastic read that I hope flourishes. I couldn't put it down as I was so invested in it.