REVIEW: The Rachel Incident

O'Donoghue masterfully captures the layered, messy emotions of early adulthood. The longing, the chaos, the mistakes we make when we're not yet sure of ourselves—it all felt deeply authentic. Rachel's internal experience was written with an unguarded honesty that resonated with me. The relationships she navigates, especially the ones she knows aren't right for her, are painfully honest. While the novel's first third (and even the first half) occasionally meandered, the latter part of the story grabbed my heart. Key moments, like Rachel learning James is moving to New York or reconnecting with Carey later on, hit me with surprising emotional weight. I paused to reflect on how much I'd come to care about these characters. One of my favorite aspects of the book was Rachel's character growth. Her development wasn't a dramatic transformation but a gradual process of small choices and realizations, which felt refreshingly realistic.

I also appreciated the subtle but powerful feminist messaging throughout the novel. The themes of abortion, class dynamics, and the ways women can hurt or support one another were thoughtfully integrated into the story without overshadowing Rachel's journey. Above all, this is a coming-of-age story about one young woman's life within a larger societal context.

By the end, I was surprised by how much this book moved me. While the pacing in the first third dragged a bit, and one part of the ending felt slightly off (Rachel's reconnection with Carey, though heartwarming, struck me as a bit too neat), these issues were minor compared to the novel's overall impact

Thank you, Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

This was not the book I expected it to be, and that was for the better. This was a wonderful and deeply engaging- and relatable- story of coming to adulthood in the recession, of passionate friendship and love. I adored this one.

Really great book about Irish university aged characters from the early 2010s and onward. It reminded me of Normal People by Sally Rooney, but what if the female lead character has a gay platonic soul mate as the male lead character.

Interesting topics but with an MC I failed to connect with. This is a coming of age story about Rachel, a mildly sheltered fresh college student that works in a book store and wants to get out into the world and seize it all. She's going for an English major in Ireland.

She has a lot of ups and downs ~ but the story is a very slow burn. It starts when Rachel is young and meanders around while she tries to find her way. Finally, around 70%, things got rolling and we finally had something really challenging her. But wow, I found Rachel really hard to like. She struggled to think of anyone else, still bringing her laundry to her parents until she was well into her 20's. Finally, her roommate saved her by teaching her to do it herself.

If you like character studies that slow burn, then this one is definitely for you!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I love a book about messy Irish queers and this was no exception. I will be recommending this to our customers!

This is the first book I have read by this author and I will be looking for more. I absolutely loved this book and read it in one day. I would definitely recommend this book.

Love a messy female protagonist trying to figure out life! The humor in this one was so good and I lowkey related to the character in too many ways. Looking forward to what O'Donoghue does next!

This lovely surprise of a novel is like a Sally Rooney book with more plot (and I like Sally Rooney books)! It's a starkly honest story of friendship, romantic love, the messiness of discovering oneself, the insidiousness of the patriarchy... or basically, of being a complicated human. It attempts what I think all great books attempt to do, bring us humans closer together by taking us deep into a singular flawed world.

The frame story is told by Rachel (now a married, pregnant adult journalist) who has just found out her old professor is ill; the man was once a defining force in her life.

She returns to her 20 year old self, to the year she connects with James Devlin, a gay closeted coworker at a bookstore. The two bond instantly and become roommates shortly after, sharing a cramped, cold hovel of an apartment. Rachel is finishing up college and has a crush on a professor. To lure him, James helps her put on a launch party for the prof's new boring book at the store, despite their boss's reluctance. The book is being published by his wife's pub company, and when Rachel meets the kind wife, she knows she won't go through with seducing the prof, who seems uninterested in her anyway. Then Rachel walks in on her new BFF James and the prof kissing.

The plot meanders along here as Rachel/James friendship is affected by James's illicit affair with the prof, who often visits their apartment. But this entanglement soon leads to bigger plot points with heavy consequences.

Highly recommend!

I was going to go two stars on this, but rounded up because I was semi-interested in keeping reading. Listening to Rachel was tiresome, in the way that any adult looking back at stupid decisions one made in their early 20s is tiresome. Rachel was a typical self-absorbed 20-something. She made bad decisions, only looked out for herself and generally was a crap friend and roommate.

But she is telling this story looking back at this time in her life (which was a strange narrative - who is she telling this to? And why?) and she is able to view it from the eyes of someone older who, in theory, can make better decisions.

There wasn't a ton that happened in this book. Rachel and her roommate James live the lives of youngsters in Ireland. They don't have a lot of money, they are looking for love, and they hurt people along the way.

I feel bad that I put this off for so long.

All these characters felt so unbelievably real. I adored Rachel and James + the band of characters they interact with along the way. While I had no idea what to expect from this, every new twist was so engaging. Plus the snapshot of 2010's Ireland was so intriguing. I'll definitely pick up more by Caroline O'Donoghue

A lot of the reviews of this book compare the story and plot to Normal People by Sally Rooney. The Rachel Incident follows a group of friends, but Rachel (our main character) fell extremely flat for me and was unlikable.

This book was requested by a previous Lesbrary reviewer who did not finish or review it. In order to keep my Netgalley feedback up to date, I am submitting this review marking it as a DNF, though it was another reviewer who requested this.

4.5 stars

Oh how my Sally-Rooney-loving heart adored "The Rachel Incident." And I don't really have much of anything critical to say about the book, so I'll keep my review short and sweet. Caroline O'Donoghue's novel is fresh, sharply observant as to matters of love and friendship, and an all around engrossing read. I loved Rachel and I loved James (most of the time), and I loved the ending Rachel found for herself.


My sincerest appreciation to Caroline O'Donoghue, Knopf, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All thoughts and opinions included herein are my own.

Caroline O'Donoghue's The Rachel Incident got me back into reading literary fiction. I was gripped to understand all of Rachel's life and how everything unwound around her in college and how she rebuilt her life after a scandal.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from this book, but I was delightfully surprised! The Rachel Incident had a Sally Rooney vibe and I loved it. I found myself wanting to shake Rachel at certain times, but I also loved the growth she had from the first page to the last. I could say so many great things about this book, the characters, the realness, friendship, second chance romance, all of these things lead to my deep love for this book!

***Thank you Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

The thing is, I will always be sat for Irish lit fic.
This one is for the readers that love a flawed characters.

a truly singular book. i know it’s cliché nowadays to pretend to be shocked when a book outgrows your expectations for it, but i had no idea how much this story would mean to me. one part campus novel, one part love story, one part coming of age. rachel and james meet while working in a bookstore together while rachel is still in college. they are fast — and fierce — friends, and their lives tilt on their axes when one begins a torrid love affair. they are the center of their own universes and for 300 pages i wholly believed they were the center of mine, too. cried like a little bitch for 40 pages toward the end. clutched it to my chest and wept some more when i finished. can’t wait to reread this one for the rest of my life.

I am mad I put this one off as long as I did. I ws ready for a sally rooney-esque story but it was its own story and I devoured it. Loved the whole thing and felt like it was super charming. The writing is beautiful and moving.

This book is about two young adults who meet at a bookstore and become friends and roommates. James works in the bookstore. Rachel is in college and has fallen in love with one of her married professors. Things quickly become complicated, because two of the main characters turn out not to be heterosexual. I thought the author did an excellent job in showing how painful and complex this time of life can be.

I received an e-arc from the publisher Knopf via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

The Rachel Incident promises an intriguing premise but ends up feeling more like a missed opportunity. The narrative starts with potential, but it meanders and struggles to find a clear direction. The characters are likable enough but lack the depth needed to really make you care about their journey. Some moments hit the mark, but others fall flat, leaving the plot feeling uneven. It’s an okay read if you’re looking for something light and don’t mind a bit of aimless wandering. However, if you’re after a story with a strong, cohesive impact, this one might not quite do the trick.