*** four and half shiny stars

A stylistic love-child of sorts, Joanna Trollope meets Marian Keyes, rich with vulnerable, mildly self-informed people, seeking a way forward in lives that feel filled with hardships. That aren’t necessarily so. If one could just shift perspective, ever so slightly.

The story is written in the voice of Rachel Murray, our first person POV narrator, who narrates the present from her current position in the future. Describing the years of her youth - her traumas, heart aches and oh-so-complicated world as she navigates her “Uni” days, in Cork, Ireland, where figuring out who in her circle of “friends” is the adult, and who has not yet reached that point, is a trial in and of itself.

Rachel, in this time period, is comfortable describing herself, with her typical dry wit, as a “pretty cheerful person by nature. Emotionally dependable, Iike a good horse.” Unreliable narrator aside, in the eyes of this reader, Rachel is anything but cheerful and reliable. Emotionally fragile, longing for love and acceptance, and desperately afraid of abandonment - Rachel is an abundantly typical twenty-year old. And one who will need sometime to get to know herself, and the truth represented by her cohorts (most of which you will find named “James”).

Brimming with sweetness, this is a coming of age story that will likely resonate - whatever your age, and ground traveled, in your own heartfelt journey.

I loved this book, and couldn’t help but cheer for poor, misguided Rachel,her dramas, and her clumsy naïveté. A not-so-forgotten reminder for each of us, from where we came, and where we now see ourselves going.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

Note: This book will be published by Knopf on June 27, 2023.

As a huge fan of Caroline O’Donoghue’s work- her two adult novels, her YA series and her fantastic podcasts- I was so excited to hear she had written another novel.

The aptly titled ‘The Rachel Incident’ is a memoir style reflection from the protagonists, Rachel, about an incident that occurred in her youth in Ireland. Rachel is an English student, who meets her best friend James working in a bookstore after the Irish banking crisis. They move in together, and create a bohemian life while trying to navigate their own struggles, and those foisted on them by a conservative society. What follows is a caring exploration of class, sexuality, reproductive rights, friendship and fidelity. I’m proffering even less than the back of the book would, because I honestly think the story should be allowed to unfurl before you.

The plot pulses along, much like life. This is so well done that it doesn’t feel like a book- it feels like a friend telling you a story. There isn’t a single dull moment. Scattered throughout are O’Donoghue’s completely unique and incisive observations about life (seriously, why don’t Subway put crisps in their sandwiches?). Every character has depth and texture and an extraordinary sense of place. It is funny, smart, and incredibly heartfelt. Everything about this book feels integral, but effortless.

I really liked this book!!

the narrative gave me sally rooney vibes in the way that it was matter of fact and quite colloquial.

the pace was quite slow but it wasn't boring as it gave time for the plot to develop and the realtionships to deepen and become intertwined.

i also love how the book described the diffrent relationships formed.

i love how it wrapped up the characters and their endings. although i do wish that the characters had been more developed, i found myself really rooting for them and their happiness at the end.

Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. It's funny, witty, and reminded me a bit of Dolly Alderton, in the best possible way. It was very reminiscent of my own days at UCC during the months I lived in Cork myself.

The Rachel incident is definitely a book I would recommend to friends/people who are looking for a read that's both entertaining and thought provoking, with characters that feel real and have recognisable and universal experiences.

I'm so glad I was invited to read an advance copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I thoroughly enjoyed the book despite being sure I'm not the target audience. The author did a great job immersing the reader into life in Cork, Ireland, for broke young people around 2010. The characters are quirky, but many of their life experiences are universal and relatable. There is a lot of humor in the book as well as many serious issues. I was pleasantly surprised to get completely absorbed in the story, and I flew through the book. I loved the characters and unique scenario. I highly recommend this book.

Rachel, our neighbourhood Irish girl, moves into Cork with her bookshop-coworker James while being a uni student. Our girl also has a crush on her professor, but what happens when Rachel, James and a band of multiple other people are entwined?

It has been quite a lot of time since a book continuately made me laugh. Ms. O' Donoghue has a great sense of humor and it made me feel a little lighter. Nonetheless, the book dealt with some serious issues, such as the ban of abortions on Ireland and the social affect it had on 2008, making it completely humane, stating for example its monetary expenses due to the fact that people with uterus during that time had to go to England, they also had to take some leave off work, what they were doing was considered illegal in their state etc.

Another issue was growing up and leaving alone (or in Rachel and James' case with a roomate) for the first time. Adulthood sucks, but it gets a bit easier if you have friends. And I loved these two so much, I wish I could meet them. I loved their relationship and the fact even though they fought some times, and some wounds do not heal easily, they made it work. Especially, on the professional aspect, their goals weren't common and at times they could endager their friendship but they pushed through it. In reality, their relationship made me emotional at times.

I loved Rachel. She had such an emotional and personal development, seeing her until her 30s, starting working, becoming all the more mature on her relationships whether it be with her family or her partners. She has become one of my favorite fictional characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! The book is out on th 27th of June, be on the lookout!

It felt very stream-of-consciousness memoir which isn’t really my thing. Stopped at 4%. I think this story will resonate best with new adults. Our patrons’ demographic isn’t quite right for this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.

This is the story of Rachel, a young woman in Ireland, who is finding her way in college and in life. She meets James when they work together at a book store and he quickly becomes her best friend. Rachel has a crush on her professor, and ends up working for his wife as an assistant. Things between Rachel, James and the professor do not go as you would expect, and things escalate. The book goes between the early days and years later, when misunderstandings are revealed. Great story to follow, enjoyed reading this. Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC! #therachelincident #carolineodonoghue #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #comingofage #irishnovel #advancedreaderscopy

Like the protagonist, I am woman who graduated with a not particularly high 2:1 degree in English Literature into the middle of a recession and the culture of the early 2010s. I found this novel simultaneously unbearable in its nostalgia and revelatory in its validation of the experience.

Well written, thought-provoking literary story of a young woman, Rachel, who is living her life in search of friendship, career opportunities, and love. And she finds them in places least expected. Subject matter is heavy at times, dealing with LGBT and prejudices, along with abortion in (or rather not in) Ireland, but Caroline O'Donoghue deals with them in a respectful, caring way.

I enjoyed the flow of the story, and surprises at key moments in the book. I loved the setting in Ireland, and learned a little more about the culture of our friends "across the pond."

I would recommend this book, compassion, heartbreak, and a little bit of laughter are medicine for the soul, and The Rachel Incident has plenty.

Thank you to Caroline O'Donoghue, Virago, and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow..this book from start to finish stole my breath.

Set in the backdrop of an Irish economic downturn, the book tells the story between two best friends Rachel and James as they navigate the ups and downs of their early adulthood, from struggling to keep themselves financially float to having tumultuous love affairs with the chaotic men in their lives.

Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, this book is the ultimate coming-of-age story that explores the depth and complexity of best friendship in such an emotionally evoking way that it will take you down the memory lane back to your days of youth. I don’t say this often about books but I loved all the characters equally and was deeply invested in their respective journeys and was beyond happy to see them grow into the person they wanted to be by the end of the novel. The characters were rich, the dialogues were witty and insightful and the book is extremely nuanced and brilliantly tackled various sensitive issues such as sexuality and abortion.
Overall, I LOVED this book and can’t wait to pick up a paper copy of this in store once it is officially released!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been a big fan of O’Donoghue since The Pool, I’ve read her YA novels and adult novels. Her debut novel is one my favourites of any writer. I struggled with this book because it’s the weakest of her works so far. I took the notes for most of this review at the nadir of this book, the 50% mark, but the last third is much better. In the last third, it commits to a more contemporary fiction feel and less memoir, and many of the flourishes I detail below fell away.

O’Donoghue always has a voice that you want to spend time with; she is witty and warm and conversational in the best ways. There is a dash of Nora Ephron in her work. But this one floundered for me. That voice couldn’t make up for what feels like self-indulgence and lack of editing in places.

Perhaps it is the ecstatic, gushing letter from the publisher foreword in my ARC that set my expectations too high. Perhaps it’s me. The novel is a narrative told to the reader by the titular Rachel, a fictionalised version of O’Donoghue. This isn’t my preferred narrative form. It allows O’Donoghue to work in a majority of internalised prose with less action - less plot, less character development. If this was a straight up memoir, perhaps that would work better, but for me, as a novel, it’s lacking. There’s also a repeated affectation of pausing the story at points where a queer character has said something so the narrator can lecture the reader about what she has learnt “in the years since” about “queer people”. This world weary hetero preaching these grand queer universal truths ten years after the events of the book didn’t work for me.

There are a lot of places where the author is very keen to crowbar in as many metaphors as possible - including a confusion metaphor about crying on a plane followed two paragraphs later by a much more effective one referencing funerals. Just stick to the good ones and cut the less effective ones, the inclusion of these constant chained metaphors serve to weaken the good ones and, by the half way point, set readers’ eyes rolling.

Similarly, O’Donoghue is so into the sound of her narrative voice that she eschews showing almost entirely in favour of telling. Her dialogue is realistic and natural, it doesn’t require an explainer for the audience of what the subtext is but O’Donoghue can’t help herself. It ends up feeling repetitive - yes, we know this character has Peter Pan tendencies, it does not bear repeating throughout the book. Yes, we know these characters are best friends who have only known each other a short time, the whole book is about that. In the latter example, what O’Donoghue fumbles is the chance to get past the superficiality of that statement and consider the insecurity inherent in it. Presumably the invulnerable James feels that insecurity and fear too, but O’Donoghue isn’t interested in mining those depths.

Having said all this, the novel IS compelling and pacy and you do want to keep reading. O’Donoghue is genuinely very talented and great at keeping her audience held rapt. It’s just not at the same level as her previous work.

I’ve read that this started as something the author wrote for her own enjoyment over the pandemic and that’s understandable. It feels like there were two other books underneath it - one a memoir and one a stab at contemporary fiction - but the author didn’t want to reshape it and commit to either, which is a real shame.

3 stars - easy to read, enjoyable voice, good last third, entertaining and compulsive throughout.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue is auto fiction in the best possible way, written by a writer who is willing and able to interrogate the reasoning behind some very big (now-fictionalized) mistakes, while still giving grace to the young version of herself who made them.

Set in Cork, Ireland in 2010 (with some present-day London sprinkled throughout), we meet Rachel - a tall, somewhat awkward university student, working at a bookshop to support herself now that her parents' dental business has taken a hit during the recession. She's mistaken for another worker at the bookstore by her coworker James Devlin, and such is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. James is bold and brash and proud of his working-class roots; he's also deeply closeted - even with his new friend and roommate Rachel. When the two decide to coordinate a book signing for Rachel's Professor Fred Bryne (as a misguided attempt to help her seduce him), the truth about James' sexuality comes out and leads them down a path that forever changes the trajectory of their lives.

This book is at times laugh out loud funny, while also being deeply moving and emotional. My heart broke for Rachel, in moments when she couldn't quite see how to get out of her own way; even when I was furious with her for making the wrong choice, I could see exactly how every moment led her there. And while Rachel (in the novel) may have written this as an ode to James Devlin, it is James Carey who has burrowed himself into my heart and fully earned his happy ending.

Four and a half stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the ARC.

I loved the setting in Ireland but the whole story plot kept going on and on. I was bored with all the gay drama between the men. Some parts of the book were good while other parts were lacking.

The Rachel Incident is a coming of age story following Rachel moving out of home and surviving in the ‘real world’. We get inside her head as she navigates school, work, friendships and finding love. She lives with her closeted best friend as they navigate the world.

There are some really heavy issues covered in this book - the book is set in conservative Ireland with strict abortion laws and views against homosexuality. These issues were handled perfectly.

This book was clever, fun and funny. The characters are flawed in the best way and we see them all grow and come into themselves. I really rooted for James and Rachel throughout, I adore them.

Highly recommend this book




Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

If you asked anyone who was in the orbit of the English department at Cork in 2009 what Rachel was up to then, they could tell you—she was having an affair with her professor. Depending on how you look at it, that is or isn't that story, but it's Rachel's to tell...so this is her story.

If I'm honest, I read this for the cover and because, having read Sally Rooney's books, I perk up at the thought of another Irish writer. (I'm bright enough to be aware of this, and to know better, but not so bright that I don't still fall for it every time.) By about the second page I could tell that I'd be reading this for its own merits, because it's stylistically very different—more overtly funny, grittier, less precise.

We've all known a Rachel. She's messy, and aware of it, and has opted to own the messiness and sink into it rather than trying to pull it together. Her decision to nurse a crush on a professor is less because of the professor himself than because it seems like an exciting thing to do, and that's her attitude for much of the book: if something seems of a mood that appeals to Rachel, or seems like it will make her interesting, it's something she'll try on and wear around for a while, even if it doesn't fit. (Cripes, we've all *been* a Rachel.)

Rachel does have her romance in the book, but the real relationship of the story is her friendship with James, who goes from colleague to flatmate to best friend in very short order. Theirs is the sort of friendship that is only possible at a certain age—unselfconscious about wanting a platonic *everything* from each other, just about fused at the hip, an all-encompassing flame of a relationship that they know but don't acknowledge can't continue indefinitely without new fuel. The story takes its time, but gradually builds a complicated knot of relationships that swirl around them in Rachel's last months at college...as Rachel slowly, finally, starts to grow into the sort of person she wants to be.

Side note: Only after reading the book did I realize that O'Donoghue hosts the podcast "Sentimental Garbage," which is one of the very, very few podcasts that I have listened to. Small world—but hey, listening to an episode or two will give you a sense of her voice and put it in your head while you read.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free review copy via NetGalley.

""Any recommendations?" he asked politely, which is something people always ask if you work in a bookshop. I could never remember the title of a single book."

I picked up this novel for very shallow reasons ("hey, my name is Rachel and I worked in a bookstore, too!") but ended up loving it. Of course, it's always fun to start reading something on a whim and find so much in common with a protagonist, down to minor details like loving Simon & Garfunkel to bigger ones like having a useless English literature degree.

I rarely find books funny that are "supposed" to be funny, but O'Donoghue is FUNNY. In a dirty, slightly naughty way (after charming her professor crush with her wit, Rachel thinks, "F**k me and I'll say more things!") Her metaphors are clever and actually conjure the image they're meant to conjure ("Every week, fifteen badly groomed children sat around in near silence while their odour suggested they were being pickled from within." was a favorite, followed by "The geyser was beautiful, and it splashed everyone, and the splash was so happily received that it felt like a version of Sea World for people who read the New York Times on their phone.").

The characters were full and beautifully flawed, and the relationships rich and complex, as relationships are. People mean well but misunderstand even those closest to them, become selfish when their own lives are too much to handle, and find a way back to each other if they're meant to.

SPOILER ALERT

I read this book concurrently with another--the latter taking place in early 18th century Scotland, while The Rachel Incident takes place from 2010 to the present in Ireland. Both involve the abortion debate. Two hundred years later, and women are still fighting for the right to their own bodily autonomy. It's disappointing that the discussion is as relevant as ever.

A heartwarming, harrowing coming of age story that follows Rachel as she navigates her early twenties in Ireland. The novel explores themes of friendship, love, class, sexuality and abortion. The author grapples with some big themes but does so in a sensitive yet light-hearted way.

The main focus of the novel is the relationship between our titular character and her best friend, James, as they negotiate jobs, lovers, and personal struggles. Their dynamic is both loving and tumultuous; they have fun, they party, they fall out, they fall back together but in the end they would do anything for one another. Both characters go through their own journey of self-acceptance, supporting one another through out.

Both funny and shocking, I really enjoyed this book. It is one I’d come back to, to revisit the characters I grew to adore.

Quirky, compelling read set with empathetic characters. Recommended for fans of Sally Rooney and coming out/coming of age stories. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I adored this book. I have followed O’Donoghue’s writing for years, from her time at the now-defunct The Pool in the UK, and I think this marks a major step up for her in terms of both style and sophistication. Rachel is a fascinating character, funny and smart and sometimes “unlikeable” but never in a way that is alienating or not understandable. I find her writing to be deeply empathetic, even when her characters are behaving poorly or she’s writing about someone who’s not a main character, and I really appreciated that. It felt like she had deeply considered all sides of the story. The tangled web involving Rachel, James, Deenie, Dr. Byrne, and Carey kept me gripped as I read this book in two days, and her it ultimately managed to surprise me with where it all ended up. Cork is painted so vividly, as is this portrait of a young person coming of age during a recession - it is deeply specific and yet also somehow universal. I really enjoyed and admired this book.