Really excellent writing. I loved the male/female friendship. I was completely shocked by the "incident" - not at all what I thought it was going to be! (Maybe needs more trigger warnings?) This book reminded me a lot of Sally Rooney - in a good way. :)

Such a fun take on unrequited love! I’m always a sucker for an unrequited love story and this story surprised me and hit all the points in a book i want. I empathized with the heroine and loved her character so much! Must read!!

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

I think you will love this book if you are in the mood for a drama with a female narrator and a coming-of-age vibe. This book did a great job of leaning into the feeling of being a young woman trying to grow into a new version of who they are and will be: navigating relationships and uncertainty and identity. There were points that were funny and parts that felt nostalgic, and most of all, moments that felt very self-aware.

I read this very quickly and did enjoy it. I rated this book three and a half stars.

This review was posted on my instagram page (@reading_with_deb) on 6/8/2023.

The Rachel Incident develops the complexity of coming of age, infidelity, friendship, love, and a spiraling economy without being trite or superficial. All of the characters are deeply flawed, but not so much that we despise them. Instead, we are left thinking critically about how they respond to what's put in front of them. My favorite aspect overall was getting to experience how Carey and Rachel misunderstood each other so fundamentally--both assumed the other's distance was because of lack of interest. It feels like a modern Irish retelling of the show friends. Thank you netgalley for an eARC!

Caroline O’Donoghue has perfected the formula for a meandering novel about the messiness of one’s early twenties. From the very start of The Rachel Incident, I felt a sort of melancholy nostalgia for those years of my life - when everything felt exciting and terrifying all wrapped up in one.

By telling those story through adult Rachel’s lens, we’re able to see how these years unfolded while also getting a note of reflection. I mostly enjoyed this, although at times the time jump from past to present felt a little jarring.

The friendship between Rachel and James was really captivating. While toxic in some ways, their love for each other really makes this novel stand out. Again, O’Donoghue is masterful in the way she shows the bittersweet moments of friendship as one grows up. I truly felt for the two of them as they navigated the depressing reality of the recession, while also living through some extremely messy and complex relationships.

This is a beautiful story about messy people trying to make their way. There are a few things that didn’t work perfectly for me, but overall I loved this book and will absolutely seek out this author’s work in the future.

Oh, how I adored The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue. This was one of my favorite books of 2023. I loved the friendship between Rachel and James, the setting of Cork, the literary themes, and even the cliche older professor love triangle. This one is made for book clubs.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

the one of the funniest—AND FUN—reads i’ve had in a looong time. This book is just a hoot and a half

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