Loved this contemporary novel of friendship and the angst of entering the adult world. Great characters and subtle humor made this a totally enjoyable read. Would definitely recommend.
Thanks to Net Galley for an advance read.

The story focuses on the relationship between two twenty something besties, Rachel and James. It was an engaging, if not frustrating read. Frustrating due to their poor life decisions which sometimes provides humour and light relief on the backdrop of economically struggling Ireland, but at times is also groan out loud painful.
Thanks to Net Galley and Knopf for the opportunity to review.

Normally I do not put a review on a DNF but I want to clarify why this is a DNF.

This book is a fine book but at a quarter of the way through I was utterly bored with the story and did not care one bit about the characters. The writing was fine, the story was just not for me.

The Rachel Incident was my book club's January book. It was the first book I finished in 2024. It will probably end up being my favorite book of 2024. Every few years, I read a book that is both lovely and brilliant, but I also connect to it so deeply that it blows up my standard five star rating system, and I give it six stars out of five. The Rachel Incident is a six-star read for me. It's a coming of age novel of the titular Rachel, chronicling her college years in Cork, Ireland. But we meet the Rachel of today. She lives in London and is recounting this story with both the benefit and generosity of a perspective ten years later. As such, the emotions of college Rachel are present and valued, but there's also the reinterpretation of them at this stage in her life. I loved this novel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I tried multiple times to get into this book, but, unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. The writing was really straightforward, which I appreciated, but the story didn't grab me. I believe that other people would love it though.

The Rachel Incident shares the story of two friends, secrets, dating and love. Ms. O’Donoghue threw in some humour and you have an enjoyable read.

If you like Irish settings, humour, dating lives and books you will enjoy this book.

I received a copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

When you fall in love, and you’re very young, you can find yourself in a wild chase but have no idea what to do when the chase is over. Rachel and James, her live-in best friend, work together to help Rachel with her desire for her college professor, who, of course, is married.

Their plotting and planning make for a very interesting tale. Rachel’s interaction with her professor and his wife is worth a novel unto itself. But that is only part of the story by Caroline O’Donoghue. This tale is filled with humor and strong and believable characters. I recommend this book to lovers of all ages, especially those of us with our own tales of love.

This was an enjoyable, quiet sort of book about the life of a girl growing up in Cork, Ireland and just trying to get to the next thing despite stacked odds and a secret she's keeping for her best friend at the cost of many relationships around her. It was quiet, in that there's not much in the way of explosions, but various things happen that implode Rachel's life at various points. Somehow she just keeps on keeping on.

A slow burning, character driven tribute to that hazy late-college/early 20s phase of life

🃏 Fun fact: The editor who bought this book for Knopf is also the author of “Pineapple Street,” and if that book was your vibe, you’ll also like this one.

I feel like the best way to experience “The Rachel Incident” is to go in blind, knowing only what I’ve read above. But even the official synopsis — the one on the PRH website — doesn’t come close to covering the breadth of this book, which is a good thing. This is a deliciously told story that really comes full circle. I remember the angst of that era — even though mine looked nothing like Rachel’s — 🎶 all too well 🎶 I am sure some readers will find themselves frustrated with Rachel, but I was here for her journey.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s more of a 3.5 stars. All … well most… characters I thoroughly enjoyed. The different aspects of the leads life and her relationships and their ensuing dynamics made for a really interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf For an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun story about best friends and the trials and tribulations they experience before they find their happy endings.

This book is an enjoyable read which starts off set in Ireland but then moves to the UK. I have seen this book compared to those of Sally Rooney as it focuses mainly on the relationships of the characters and the incidents that occur due to these relationships. For me, after reading Sally Rooney, I left with feelings of sadness and frustration at the missed opportunities and things that could have been. This book was the complete opposite experience, with me leaving feeling hopeful and positive. Yes, things do go wrong, especially when you are young and inexperienced but actually I was overwhelmed with the message “everything will work out in the end”. Highly recommended read.

A beautiful, quiet story about love and friendship during that New Adult period of time when every decision has so much significance. All the firsts, all the struggles, that become formative to who we are. Funny and endearing, you'll find yourself surprised at how invested you become in the characters, as I was when one character drops a bomb by saying they are leaving Ireland.

For fans of Gabrielle Zevin and Sally Rooney

I really loved it. It made me so nostalgic for the college experience I had and the college experience I didn't have. Especially being set in Cork, it was a very special read

What a smartly written book full of full-formed, messy characters that you cannot help but love! Rachel is on the cusp of graduating from university in Ireland and is an absolute mess. She lives with her best friend, James, who she also works with at a local bookstore. Rachel's dream is to land herself in the world of publishing and thinks she may have found her in with her professor's wife. Meanwhile, her professor is doing deliciously naughty things with James, Rachel is falling in love with an unreliable man, and James is hiding his homosexuality from everyone.

I laughed and cried through this book. It is so quintessentially Irish. The writing is super witty and the setting of Cork is perfection. I loved how real Rachel felt. She is trying to find her way and making a mess of it as we often do. She has grit, though, which is super admirable. She and James had a dry humor that had me cracking up with their banter. There are many twists and turns as these two figure things out that lead to true character growth. The ending captured my heart and simply made me love the book more than I already did.

This was my first read by this author. She now has a superfan in me. I loved the edginess of this book, the LGTBQIA rep, the romance, the coming-of-age aspect the friendship, and all the different kinds of love we can find in life. A solid 5 stars!

Wow! Did I enjoy The Rachel Incident ? Why yes, yes I did. There was so much to enjoy with its engaging characters, fascination setting, and entertaining storytelling.

Rachel is a student when we first meet her. She's earning her degree in English and working in a bookstore in Cork. It's ~ 2010 and the Irish economy is suffereing as it was everywhere at that time. When she meets her new co-worker, James, she's immediately smitten despite the fact James sets off her gaydar. James, however, insists he's straight and they soon become roommates and the best of friends.

The story is told in two timelines - the present, where Rachel is married, pregnant, and working as a writer, and the past, where she, James, Dr. Byrne (Rachel's professtor), along with a few others, and they're just trying to find their way, their place in the world.

Rachel was smart but kinda stuck in life. Watching as she pinballed through all that transpired was gripping, especially when she has to deal with a politically charged topic. Seeing her grow and figure out her path kept me flying through the pages.

James was funny, brash, and I understood exactly why Rachel was so enamored with him. He was a bright spot in the crappy world of Cork. Carey (AKA James #2) made me smile and laugh and wonder at how a person could live as he did - pure bohemian. I appreciated how CO'Donoghue converyed his character growth. Then there was Deenie and Dr. Byrne and the whole incident that occurred over the course of a year, changing the course of the lives of everyone involved.

The Rachel Incident was charming and well written. CO'Donoghue is an author to watch!

My favorite read of 2023 for real! 💯💯💯

What I loved
1. The title and cover alone is amazing—immediately interested.
2. Rachel and James are seriously some of the realest characters I have come across. I felt so immersed in their friendship and the messiness and love between them.
3. Speaking of messy—I loved every second of the dynamics with Fred and his wife and how everyone’s stories were connected.
4. I absolutely LOVED the ending of this book and going from past/present story telling.

I need this to be a TV show immediately. 5 stars! ✨ A must read author!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC❤️

The ending of this book is what really won me over. I enjoyed the slow pace of the book, but the tidy ending was wonderful. I would recommend it for that alone.

I really loved this book and how O’Donoghue immersed you in the world of Rachel and small-town Ireland in 2010’s. It is funny, thoughtful, and sad and worth a read in my opinion.

This book was everything I have wanted Sally Rooney books to be. They are very similar in so many ways, but Caroline O'Donoghue writes characters you actually care about, and plots you want to see resolved. The story was messy in a way that felt real, not manufactured. Very enjoyable.