This book was just absolutely amazing. The Rachel Incident is a must read for anyone that wants to learn more about relationships, romantic or otherwise. The writing is quick and witty and the plot will keep you turning the pages even if apparently there's not that much happening. Poignant, smart and hilarious.

I love what the author set out to do here - a coming-of-age story about a young woman's messy dating life and the lessons she learned along the way. In reality, I felt like the story moved much too slowly and I didn't connect with any of the characters.

I can officially confirm - I will read anything O’Donoghue writes! And I truly anticipate The Rachel Incident being one that will stick with me for a while.

Rachel’s story is a quintessential coming of age and immediately brought me back to my twenties. A time I was desperate for validation from the crew I surrounded myself with. “Someone! Please! Tell me who I am!” It’s as cringe-inducing as it is universal, in my experience. Every character was intentional in their role and they each popped off the page for reasons pure and nefarious.

My in-person bookclub read The Rachel Incident for our April pick, and while every single one of us rated it highly, we each took something unique from the story. The way the book highlights the importance of reproductive healthcare was done in an honest way and fostered thoughtful discussion.

I will certainly keep an eye out for what the author does next and will enthusiastically recommend this book to literary or Irish fiction lovers!

One of my top books of 2023! The storytelling was funny and captivating, striking just the right balance and as soon as I was invested in Rachel and James' friendship, I was flying through the book. This book is the definitely of being a girl's girl because I was always, always rooting for Rachel even when she was making some questionable choices, and honestly, I was always rooting for James as well. The layers of the story, with the commentary, and all of the heart Caroline O'Donoghue poured into it made it an incredible read and one I will be thinking back to for years to come. I can't wait to recommend this to all of my friends!

The Rachel Incident is Caroline O'Donoghue's literary fiction following our main character Rachel as she navigates her twenties and her relationships with two men, James, and a professor named Fred. It is a great culmination of messy dynamics and an honest depiction of what it means to grow and to fall in love, with others and yourselves. It is a thoughtful contemplation of what it means to be human and to make mistakes, while also, growing.

Thank you to the publishers for the arc.

The Rachel Incident filled the Sally-Rooney-sized hole in my heart and I am hooked on Caroline O’Donoghue.

Rachel is an early-twenties college student pining after her professor and living with her gay best friend. The story follows Rachel and the people around her over the course of a year as she struggles with career prospects, relationships and finding her path. Rachel’s life takes unexpected turns and seems to take 2 steps back for each step forward and all she can do is tread water. This is a poignant coming of age novel with a painfully relatable main character. The narration is reflective and feels incredibly personal to the reader. I highly recommend this to women who are or at some point felt like they couldn’t catch a break. I look forward to reading more from this author!

This is one of those books that caught me a bit by surprise. I generally prefer a book with more of a plot, but I think just the woman in her 20s just trying to figure out life is a specific subset that I will still enjoy without a heavy plot focus. I love just following around this young woman as she tries to find her place in the world amongst all of the messy, chaos, and sometimes ugly that life throws at us. I feel like Rachel is a character that grows on you in that she is incredibly relatable. Overall, I really enjoyed this one but know going into it that it’s very character based and the plot falls to the wayside.

I'm sad that this book isn't for me. I enjoyed reading it but I have trouble remembering the book in its entirety. Hopefully, the author's other books works for me.

This was a really interesting novel, but I especially loved the audiobook! It dealt with themes of friendship, growing up, pregnancy, and abortion. I loved seeing the main character grow up, and I especially identified with seeing her wild side as a teen/young person in her 20s. The book read more like a biography rather than a novel, which I found to be an interesting and compelling way to tell a story. Overall pretty enjoyable, but didn’t quite draw me in enough to get that extra star.

🌈Queer rep: secondary gay male character, in MM relationships

this was such a wild lesson in perspective and it made me feel a whole lot. the little that feels big, the big that feels bigger, and a little frasier to get one through their 20s. and that’s it, that is the review, read it

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for this wonderful eARC.

Caroline O'Donoghue's "The Rachel Incident" is a novel that captures the essence of youthful exuberance and the complexities of love and friendship against the backdrop of a tumultuous Ireland. The story follows Rachel, a bookstore employee and student, as she navigates the chaotic waters of her life, love interests, and the looming financial crisis.

O'Donoghue's writing is sharp and witty, with a humor that resonates deeply with the Irish spirit. The characters are vividly drawn, particularly Rachel, whose first-person narrative is both endearing and relatable. Her escapades with James, her effervescent and "insistently heterosexual" roommate, are the heart of the novel, providing a dynamic that is both hilarious and touching.

The novel is a comedy that delves into deeper themes such as unrequited love, the desire for connection, and the search for identity. The setting of Cork city during the financial crash adds a layer of urgency and realism to the narrative, grounding the characters' experiences in a specific time and place that many readers will find familiar.

"The Rachel Incident" is a triumph of contemporary fiction, blending the light-hearted with the profound, and presenting a story that is as much about finding oneself as it is about finding laughter in the chaos of life. O'Donoghue's first novel for adults published in the United States is a sensational new entry in the millennial-novel genre, and it is sure to leave a lasting impression on its readers.

In summary, Caroline O'Donoghue's "The Rachel Incident" is a brilliantly funny and deeply moving novel that perfectly encapsulates the trials and tribulations of young adulthood. With its sparkling humor and poignant moments, it is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good story well told.

Five stars from this enthusiastic reader! 🌹❤️

If you like Irish novels this book is for you. The Rachel Incident is what I would consider a campus novel that includes and illicit love affair. The writing is strong and I loved Rachel's best friend and side kick.

This is the story of 2 best friends in their twenties growing up in Cork and figuring out the complexities of life. Although Rachel is a bit of a shit show at times (aren't we all?) the characters were relatable and likable.

This book was seriously so good! I enjoyed every page of it, and while Rachel made a lot of questionable choices, I felt like I could empathize with the bad choices she was making.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*

This was a great read and will definitely recommend!! The cover is also so cute. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a review. I wanted to love this book and I know a lot of people who do but it just didn’t do it for me. It took me a bit to get through it and it was fine. I struggled a bit to relate to the characters though I really wanted to. Am I glad I read it? Yes. Is it the best book I have read lately? No.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I absolutely loved this book so much and can't wait to tell all my friends to get their hands on a copy ASAP! This book has all the feels of starting out and growing up in your 20's and made me think of my younger self. Great read and I can't wait to read more by this author in the future.

I'm a sucker for Irish contemporary, and though it's easy to say young woman/older professor is an overused trope, it always works for me. Fantastic, scratched the literary/contemporary (dare I say Sally Rooney-esque) itch.

This book has stuck with me like glue. Rachel and James navigating early adulthood is heart wrenching yet their love story was magnetic.


If you like books featuring…
Platonic love stories
Nineties Irish politics
Coming of age stories

Great for fans of…
The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel
Happy Couple by Naiose Dolan
You’re the Worst (FX)

I had a hard time connecting with this book. I enjoyed the overall story but this was more of a me issue on what I didn’t enjoy I think. I think if you are a big fan of literary fiction this will be a great read, it was just a bit slow for me.