Well I absolutely adored this book. Three Irish friends on the cusp of turning 30, we learn all about their messy lives in such a heartwarming way. I rooted for every one of the characters, but had a particular soft spot for Roise. The writing is perfect and so so funny. I’m gutted that the book ended and I won’t get the chance to follow these characters further. A big hearty recommendation for this fab book.

Thank you to Picador for the access to an ARC of this book. I was really excited to read Thirst Trap and it did not disappoint.

This book has so much heart, integrity and personality. I think there are aspects that will be very relatable to many women in their 30’s. The pacing was brilliant and I absolutely loved the understated way in which the story was told. It felt true to life, without melodramatics but with all the messy confusion that being a human brings.

One thing I absolutely want to highlight: there were some absolutely stunning lines in there. Little nuggets of philosophy and heartfelt observations. These never felt clunky, out of places or forced and it’s a testament to the quality of the writing throughout the book.

I absolutely fell in love with Róise and thought she was so three dimensional and well developed. I feel more of this development could have happened with Harley and Maggie though, as it took a fair whack of the book to untangle which was which.

Altogether, this is a title I really recommend and o can see it making big waves on social media. It’s reminiscent of Blue Sisters, but grittier, working class and more relatable. Really well done!

Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'Hare is a poignant, bittersweet, and often painfully relatable exploration of friendship, grief, and the tumultuous years of one's twenties. The novel centres on three women—Maggie, Harley, and Róise—who share a crumbling houseshare in Belfast, a place where their shared memories of laughter, heartache, and growth are interwoven. What should have been the best years of their lives are now tinged with loss, emotional turmoil, and unspoken grief, as they grapple with the tragic death of their friend Lydia.

The dynamic between the three women is at the heart of the story. As they navigate the aftermath of Lydia’s death and the unresolved tensions from their last fight with her, the narrative delves into how friendships are tested in the face of tragedy. The ghost of Lydia looms large in their lives, not only through the untouched remnants of her room but through the lingering impact she had on each of them. O'Hare masterfully captures the complexity of grief, the way it can both tear people apart and bring them together in unexpected ways.

The beauty of Thirst Trap lies in its emotional depth and its authenticity. O'Hare’s writing is sharp, witty, and occasionally heartbreakingly tender. One moment, you’ll find yourself laughing out loud at the girls’ antics, only to be struck by the next moment's gut-wrenching sadness. It’s a novel that makes you feel seen—particularly if you’ve ever experienced the fragile and raw nature of friendship in your twenties, a time of immense personal change, reckless decisions, and the growing awareness of how precious life and relationships truly are.

Maggie, Harley, and Róise are each wonderfully crafted, fully realised characters. They are imperfect, flawed, and entirely human. Their pain, joy, and emotional struggles are presented in such a way that they feel like real friends, someone you could easily recognise in your own life. Lydia, though she no longer physically exists in the story, is ever-present—her absence shaping the actions and emotions of the other women in ways both heartbreaking and beautiful. Her legacy as a friend, the unresolved fight, and her tragic end serve as a powerful backdrop to the central theme of growth, acceptance, and the complicated nature of grief.

What makes Thirst Trap stand out is O'Hare’s ability to balance the humour and the sorrow. The humour comes naturally, from the camaraderie and banter among the women, and it’s often a welcome reprieve from the darker moments. Yet, it never feels forced or out of place, as the underlying sadness is always there, gently simmering just beneath the surface. It’s this delicate dance between light and dark that gives the story its heartbeat, making it not only emotionally moving but also unexpectedly uplifting in its portrayal of friendship and resilience.

This novel is one that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading. Maggie, Harley, and Róise feel like friends you’ve known your whole life, and their story is one of growth, learning to let go, and ultimately finding peace in the messiness of life and loss. Thirst Trap is an exploration of the friendships that define us, the ones that hold us together when everything else seems to fall apart.

For anyone who has navigated the ups and downs of friendship, especially in the pivotal years of their twenties, Thirst Trap offers a heartfelt and cathartic read that will leave you reflecting on the bonds that shape your own life. O'Hare’s novel is a true testament to the beauty, complexity, and power of lasting friendships.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

A lot of heartfelt moments in this book - it starts by implying they're just three messy girls going to nightclubs for longer than they should, but the grief they share brings a lot of poignancy. Really, it's about tragedy and growing up.

Funny, compelling and hopeful. I really enjoyed this story of three girls navigating the getting-back-to-normal stage of grief, over a year after their friend has died. The friendships described were believable, and the growth of the characters realistically stop-and-start. I enjoyed the author's criticism of books where the ending of stories like this are too satisfying and perfect, and thought the ends left lose were just enough to make it realistic without being frustrating. I would happily read something else by this author.

I loved this so much. Such a wonderful story about friendship and dealing with grief. It felt very honest and I really liked the different POVs of each characters life and how we learned about Lydia through them. Really enjoyed reading this, it made me smile, laugh and cry!

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!

A true reflection of managing womanhood, friendship and grief whilst fast approaching the big 30. O’Hare captures the experience of those struggling with the in between of ‘living your best life’ and adulthood, whilst managing the chaos of everyday life.

Harley, Róise and Maggie live in a rundown house in South Belfast, living life day-by-day without any true direction. Written from the perspective of all three girls, fans of Sally Rooney and dry humour will enjoy this one.

Drinking, drugs, sex and a house that’s falling apart. The writing provides a very real experience of those in their late 20’s, as the group struggles to adapt to managing their friendship after the unexpected loss of their friend Lydia. The topic of grief is heavy throughout, highlighting the different experiences of each friend, post-Lydia.

Thirst Trap isn’t plot heavy, but it is real. It provides emotion and that brilliant Irish humour. It was refreshing to have a multiple POV of a group of friends that aren’t all straight. Maggie brings another layer to the story as she navigates being gay in a town where she knows every face that appears on her dating app.

It's worth mentioning that you should check for trigger warnings before diving into this one. Drug abuse, death, eating disorders and the difficulty of abortions in Ireland are topics that are done well, but in a way that has you feeling for each character.

Releasing in June 2025, this is one to add to your TBR.

Thank you NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Picador for the arc in exchange for the honest review.

Thirst Trap is your typical slice-of-life story which follows three girls living around the one-year anniversary of their friend's death. They have to come to terms with the fact that they weren't on the best of terms with their friend and learn to live with any guilt they feel about the situation.

I don't typically love slice-of-life stories, but this one kept me interested straight away, albeit it dragged slightly closer to the end it got, but that is all, really. I enjoyed each girl's story throughout the book, and how they intertwined with one another.

This book epitomises being in your early 30s and not really having much direction in your life. I liked that the story was told from the perspective of the three women involved. It is a reflection of how friendships can change as you grow older, and how grief can be complex and not always linear. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and I thought she wrote complicated friendships well. It was quite a moving read.

I saw another review that compared this to the vibe of Sally Rooney's writing, but more wild. I haven't read Rooney... For the exact reason that creates that overlap. Yes we get to follow the characters and their stories but sheesh are they pretty normal experiences. I was SO bored halfway thru. I know some people do and will continue to absolutely love this one. And I did enjoy bits and pieces! I think it's at least partially a "me" thing. There just wasn't enough going on, or what was going on didn't feel unique enough, to keep my interest right now.

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Grainne O'Hare and Picador for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}

Wow! This was such an authentic narration of 3 friends in their late 20s/early 30s, all of them dealing with the grief of an unexpected death. O'Hare transitions between the three narrators seamlessly , like you're slipping in and out of each friends consciousness every few paragraphs.

The dialogue was so natural it felt like I was out on the sesh with them. O'Hare has captured a truly honest insight on female friendships -the wonderful intimate moments wrapped up with the insecure little thoughts we all have with our closest friends. This snapshots what it is like to be 30 in the 2020s, to feel stuck when many people around you are living a really different life from you. The topics are similar to many other "hot mess millennial" books out atm, but this felt so genuine and hopeful (even after I felt embarrassed and concerned on behalf of all of the girls) that I was thinking about this book long after I'd put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thirst Trap is a novel about three friends in Belfast turning thirty in the wake of their friend's death and facing up to the reality of their lives. Maggie, Harley, and Róise live together in a crumbling rented house, with one room still empty after their friend Lydia's death. They've all been coping in different ways, still clinging on to the drinking and nights out of their twenties, and not talking about the events before Lydia's death. As things start to unravel, they must see if their friendship can survive into the next decade.

Moving focus between all three of the friends, this book does very well to tell the story of their friendship at this moment and in the past, not making any of them seem like the protagonist. This energy stops the book from being similar to other 'young millennial women falling apart' novels that become a depressing spiral without saying much, because instead it can focus on friendship and grief and not very healthy relationships both with people and with drugs and alcohol, as seen through the lens of three different people. There's not a huge amount of plot in terms of dramatic events (other than some collapsing stairs), but the story follows them facing up to the fact that they might not all want the exact same thing at that moment, but are also united in their friendship. At times, you can hardly see why they are friends, but that is also what it is about: turning thirty and seeing how different people can be, but also who you still want to be close to regardless.

I liked that the characters weren't all straight and looking for a settled down relationship with a man, but instead didn't have much direction and were looking for the smaller things that would give them purpose (especially against the backdrop of people from school and uni all with babies). Maggie, who is a lesbian, gets a few elements of queer girl problems, like knowing most of the people on dating apps already, and these kinds of details made it feel more real, rather than about unrealistic young women as some of these books can be.

Overall, Thirst Trap is a sad and funny look at people who are on the brink of realising they need to grow up a bit, but also are trapped with each other and their shared grief. It feels like the sort of book people might say is for fans of Sally Rooney, but is actually for people who wish Sally Rooney's books were a bit more realistic and messy.

Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'Hare
4 stars

**please check the trigger warning before reading!! This is your only warning.

I was drawn in by the cover and title, and to say this is not what I was expecting from those, is an understatement. It was so different to where I thought this book was going, but it was a nice surprise and I actually ended up really enjoying it.

The thing I loved most about this book was the multiple POV. I know some people don’t get on with it, but for me its absolutely brilliant. There's no assumptions to what the other characters are thinking or feeling, you get to see it all first hand with their own POV. So that was a win for me.

The pain I felt for all 3 girls, when they lost one of their friend group. It was heartbreaking and I just wanted to cry for all of them. That grief they faced was just an absolute heartbreak. But to watch the three of them come together and tackle that grief, TOGETHER, was absolutely brilliant. They relied on each other and came together to grieve.

But on top of the three girls grieving, the amount of times I actually laughed out loud was insane. The way this author has with words is priceless and I was absolutely in fits of hysterics at some points. This book really has it all, one minute I'm crying because I'm sad the next I'm crying because its funny. I felt absolutely everything in this book and I wouldn’t change a thing.

This is one of the ARC’s that ends up as a trophy copy on my bookshelf. Brilliant. Loved it. 10/10

Following three friends living in Belfast, navigating their transitions into their thirties alongside the grief from having lost their fourth best friend, Thirst Trap is a fantastically written delayed coming of age story.
There were many genuine laugh out loud moments from this book for me, and the characters felt painfully real, raw and relatable.
Big fan of the multiple POVs, allowing the reader to see how Maggie, Harley and Róise each cope (or rather, don’t) with the upheavals and tribulations life has thrown at them over the past year. A perfect read for those wanting to explore themes of friendship, betrayal, love, loss and change written in a perfectly funny and of-the-moment novel.

I couldn’t not give this a 5 star review, when it had me so hooked from the beginning. I’m looking forward to more from Gráinne O’Hare and her brutally refreshing voice!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.75 ⭐️

“𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙣’𝙨 𝘽𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙨, 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙨𝙚. ‘𝙈𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧.’“

A bittersweet tale of grief, friendship and the fear of letting go and moving on in the darker side of your twenties. Thirst Trap tells the story of 3 friends living in a mouldy heap in the student area of Belfast, doing their best to navigate life after the death of one of their best friend/housemate.

Probably the most unhinged book I’ve read this year but in the best possible way. At times it was quite literally like reading someone’s intrusive thoughts and being like - yeah fairs; or catching up with an old friend on FaceTime. I was audibly laughing out loud multiple times whilst reading this despite the fact that the undertone of this book is very dark at times but the author is just too funny.

Dare I say, Thirst Trap is Belfast’s answer to Everything I Know About Love. Very similar vibes but made so much better by being able to relate to the characters’ experiences & know exactly what places are being mentioned and being “in” on the inside jokes and lore (special mention to the chapter named 𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙨 - giggled quite a lot at this one’s name)!

I don’t think I’ve ever highlighted as many quotes and honestly full on paragraphs as much as I did in this book, I can’t get over how funny and relatable it was. I would SO SO recommend this even if you aren’t a local to Belfast!!

P.S. the highlighted quote was just too funny not to include - so SO North Down ifykyk

Thirst Trap is out on the 12th June 2025!! Pre-order available now.

[thank you NetGalley & Pan Macmillan for this early access copy of the book in exchange for an honest review ahead of its publication date]

TW/CW: death, grief, friend loss, cheating, sex, recreational drug use, alcohol use, eating disorder (binge eating), mental health issues

A modern classic! A powerfully poignant and beautifully bittersweet novel about female friendship and life on the cusp of 30s - the love, loss and longing that comes in all its various brilliantly awful forms. Wonderful, I genuinely couldn't stop reading and, once I had, I missed Maggie, Harley and Róise just as a would a close friend.

✨ Book Review: Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'Hare✨

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

Thank you NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for providing me with this Arc.

Thirst Trap is a heartfelt, hilarious, and often painfully relatable story about the complexities of friendship, grief, and growing up. Set in a crumbling Belfast houseshare, we follow Maggie, Harley, and Róise as they navigate the aftermath of a tragedy and the growing cracks in their once-solid friendship.

What I loved most about this book was the perfect blend of humor and hard-hitting moments. O'Hare does an amazing job of tackling tough subjects—like grief and loss—while still keeping the narrative light and funny. The Irish cultural references were such a treat! From Cèilìs to Mrs. Doyle, it really felt like home and added such a cozy, authentic touch to the story.

It was an easy, captivating read that made me laugh, cringe, and feel all the emotions. If you're a fan of stories about friendship that feels real, this is definitely one to pick up! 💕

What a great read about three friends living together in a house share and each having their own battles to deal with. Humorous in parts, sad in others, I found myself really enjoying this because I am a Belfast Native.

A high bar set with G O’’H’s debut novel. I look forward to reading future works.

I really enjoyed this book! Set in Belfast, it explores three friends as they turn thirty a year after the death of their friend. They are all dealing (poorly) with the grief, struggling with substance abuse, eating disorders, sleeping around, and taking up running (lol). It captures being this age so well, how some experience a prolonged adolescence while people you went to school with have multiple kids and own houses.

The blurb doesn't mention it but it is sapphic, with one of the housemates being a lesbian and one bi/queer.

I enjoyed the writing style, but I will say the characters felt a bit same-y, the change in narration between them was abrupt and their voices as individuals didn't really stand out.

Reminded me a bit of Evenings and Weekends by Oisín McKenna which I also really enjoyed.

Overall a great debut and I'm excited to see what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

🚬𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸
Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hare

Róise, Harley, and Maggie are teetering on the edge of thirty, and their lives are an exhilarating chaos!

Still living in a crumbling house in South Belfast, where they’ve lingered since their university days, their once-ambitious dreams have faded into the background as they grapple with dead-end jobs that offer little fulfilment.

Instead, they’re desperately clinging to the vibrant party scene that ignites their spirits, even if it often leads them to the wrong kind of lovers.

Nights unfold like a wild adventure, filled with laughter and reckless abandon, yet the haunting memory of their late friend and housemate, Lydia, hangs over them. Her unexpected death a year ago has not only left them grappling with grief but also introduced a quirky new housemate (a tortoise named Barnaby) and deepened the rift between them.

As they navigate through their messy reality, the friends demonstrate a fierce resistance to the expectations of adulthood that loom over them. They revel in the hedonistic nights fueled by MDMA and music, embracing the thrill of the moment, even as the mornings that follow arrive cloaked in regret and the weight of their choices.

The story captures the essence of friendship and loss, evoking feelings of joy and sorrow. It unfolds against a backdrop of nineties nostalgia, richly infused with bitingly razor-sharp humour that brings each character to life. Maggie, Harley, and Róise will capture your heart.

I couldn’t get enough of this messy girl read, reminiscent of Acts of Desperation! It’s a gem that deserves all the love when it hits the shelves next June. 5⭐

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read via NetGalley. As always, this is an honest review.