The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue is a great story of friendship and reaching adulthood in the early 2000s in Ireland.

The Rachel Incident follows Rachel and her friend James as their friendship grows, they fall in love and be come adults. The story tackles so deeper topics like coming out in the era of Will and Grace.

While I loved the story, I thought O’Donoghue’s writing was the best part. She captivated me, made me laugh out loud and even stop to read portions of the story to whomever was next to me!

I think The Rachel Incident stuck with me as I was about the same age as Rachel when the story took place and while I did not grow up in Ireland, there were a lot of similarities and I could relate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rachel Murray is living a most ordinary life. As a small-town, Irish student working in a bookstore searching for meaning between late shifts and paychecks, Rachel doesn't quite know what she wants out of life--she just knows she wants more. Enter James Devlin: he's unapologetically brazen, almost criminally-extroverted, and sexually-ambiguous And it's evidently a James Devlin-sized void that's been the ache in Rachel's life.

Soon, the two are inseparable and living together in Cork. James is in love with the unpredictability of life; Rachel is in love with her literature professor, Dr. Fred Byrnes. When a chance encounter at their bookstore sends Dr. Byrnes into not only Rachel's orbit, but James', their lives are interwoven--and irrevocably changed--overnight.

A poignant, endearing, deeply-human coming-of-age story, "The Rachel Incident" is sure to please fans of "Normal People" and "Frankenstein and Cleopatra." At their core, Rachel and James (and yes, the other James, too) are achingly-plausible; I rooted for them, rolled my eyes at them, pleaded with them, and ached for them. They aren't perfect characters, and there were a few moments throughout the story where I wished they were a tad more nuanced, a tad more complete. And while "The Rachel Incident" doesn't necessarily boast anything that hasn't been done before in a character-driven story, its voice is certainly refreshing and charming enough to tether readers to Rachel and James, especially readers asking themselves the same questions: "Who am I?" "Where am I headed?"

One of the more surprising standouts of the season for me, "The Rachel Incident" left a Rachel (and especially James)-sized imprint on my heart. Just lovely.

I've been on a bit of a thriller/mystery kick lately (aka all the time) and after digging through my to-be read pile, The Rachel Incident jumped out at me. It is easy to label this story as a coming of age tale but I think it is so much more. The story centers around Rachel Murray, a young woman entering into her last year at University as Ireland is on the brink of a recession. Rachel, a young woman that appears to never quite know who she is, especially in relation to those around her, finds herself drawn to her co-worker, James, at a local bookstore. Quickly, Rachel and James become inseparable, eventually moving in together. Their platonic relationship is the center of the Rachel Incident, a driving force behind Rachel's developing sense of self.

Rachel finds herself in a convoluted love triangle (love square?) between herself, James, her professor Dr. Brynes, and Dr. Byrnes' wife. I can confidently say the unraveling story and the relationships between these characters is not something I predicted, making the story that much more enjoyable. Ultimately, this is a story about friendship and how those in our lives help to structure who we are capable of becoming. By the end of the story, Rachel Murray has developed a stronger sense of self which is something she struggled to find at the beginning of the novel.

The only reason I deducted a star from my final review is because I found myself wanting more from Rachel. While I accept and appreciate her growth, and the strong relationships she is able to develop without sacrificing herself, I still feel like we lost out on some of that growth. Too much is left unsaid with the time jumps to present day (2018) London.

Thank you to the publisher, Caroline O'Donoghue, and to NetGalley for my copy of The Rachel Incident in exchange for my honest review.

4⭐️

Rachel Murray has only every had one fight with her best friend James and that happened shortly after they met at the bookstore they both worked at. But that one fight cemented a life long slightly codependent friendship. They moved into a slightly questionable flat on Shandon Street spend all of their time together. James is a closeted gay man and Rachel is the only one who knows. Rachel is attracted to her college English professor, Dr. Byrne, and James is the only one who knows.

James helps Rachel plan a book reading for Dr. Byrne's new book at their job with the hope that Rachel will be able to make her move. That night is the starting point of James and Rachel's whirlwind relationship with Dr. Byrne and his beautiful wife, Deenie. A relationship that ends in a misunderstanding but completely changes Rachel's life forever.

Did I request this book because my name is Rachel? Maybe. Did I actually enjoy this book even though I had no expectations? Yes, yes I did. This was a nice break from my normal Thriller. I really enjoyed reading about platonic soulmates and the lengths they were willing to go to protect each other. I liked seeing what Rachel was willing to sacrifice for James when he needed her most and vice-versa. I also liked how all of Rachel's future relationships have to live up to the relationship she has with James, which I think is very relatable.

I also liked how much of the pro-choice movement in Ireland this book went into. The book went into aspects of obtaining an abortion when you live in an area where they weren't available at all, including travel logistics and requirements and costs. It was a really eye-opening breakdown and is even more depressing when thinking that that is where the US is going.

Thanks Netgalley for providing this ARC to me!

The Rachel Incident is a coming of age story about Rachel Murray, her best friend James, and their tumultuous lives. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but I didn't really get anything out of it. Rachel is a 21 year old trying to navigate her life through college, relationships, and working. James seems to be a couple years older, gay, and that's about all I really know. The story is told in a disjointed way - as an older Rachel reflecting mainly on the year she and James lived together in 2009-2010 before they parted ways. Overall, the novel was just fine - nothing great or new about it in my opinion. I did enjoy (probably the wrong word but hopefully you understand when I mean) learning about the experience of Irish females and their reproductive rights. The fight to get the ability to choose to have a child or not is something that is a big topic today. This work shows that it is not new and will be an ongoing battle. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ultimately this comes down to a story of friendship and coming of age. I loved the pop culture references. Rachel likens her bookstore job to an Empire Records situation which completely made me chuckle since I love that movie and there were additional unacknowledged tie-ins along the way. Rachel and James worry they are becoming Will & Grace, among other many references that I may or may not have understood. In this way, the story speaks to a broad range of ages. While not considered a romance, there are several romantic interests and relationships throughout the book. But while I am not a fan of romance, I was able to enjoy the interactions without feeling like I was reading a romance because the romance was secondary to how Rachel and James interact with each other and with those around them based on their own relationship.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue is an on-point homage to young adulthood and the everlasting friendships that are forged through sheer naivety and youth. This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I felt so invested in all of the characters. They were so relatable and dealt with life in the most real way. Sometimes when you are young and you feel like the world is shitting on you and it will never get better...this book is here to tell you that if you hold on tight to what matters most and keep forging ahead, life will indeed get better. This was a beautiful story of humanity.

Such an engaging, original story -- made even more so by the Ireland setting. Rachel, a student who works in a bookstore, is wondering when her "real life" will begin when she meets James, soon to be her bff, then develops a crush on her married professor. James tries to help Rachel get together with the professor, and it all goes completely, entirely, and very humorously wrong. I look forward to recommending this title.

I read this in one day, drawn in from the first page! I really enjoyed the multi layered aspect of this book, telling the story of Rachel, and the education about the rights of women in Ireland at the time of the story. The time of the story, college years into adulthood, I think most can find an aspect to relate to, maybe not to the extremes of the book, but that is what makes reading so fun. Great characters, great writing and story arc, I enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

The Rachel Incident
Sometimes I love to read contemporary books set in the UK and I’ve never really been able to explain why, but if you are the same way, this book is great! I enjoyed the explanations of what it’s like to grow up in a small Irish town and try to make it without ending up at the same call center as everyone else you know.
The Rachel Incident was a story about a girl named Rachel, her best friend James, and their life together as they tried to become adults in Ireland. They made plans to move to London for a change of pace, but economic times were making it hard to find jobs that would pay well.
I loved the story and the characters, even when all of them were decidedly unlikable. I felt a raw realness to it and it was messy. If coming of age books are your thing, I definitely recommend this one.

To me, the Rachel Incident is a good representation of the mess and insecurities that exist when you leave your parents house and come crashing into the realization that you are considered an adult now and that your actions can have a far-reaching impact.

I think every person wishes they had a best friend they were as close with as Rachel was with James. A friend for the good, the bad and the ugly, and a friend you can still be friends with even after living with each other. The writing was really well done and I have added more [author:Caroline O'Donoghue|17126758] books to my TBR.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book, Rachel was so relatable and the full circle nature of the story made it so fun to read. It was raw, real and brutally honest in all the best ways. Rachel gets tangled up in the lies of her best friend and the story follows their friendship as they navigate their way through. It was full of nostalgia of growing up in the mid-2000's and the circle of characters was just so chaotic! I loved the way the "Rachel Incident" revealed itself at the end and found it so enjoyable to read.
Read if you love: Cleopatra and Frankenstein, Everything I know about love, Careering, Normal People

Thank you netgalley for this ARC. This was so messy, and I loved every second of it. The characters were so interesting, raw, and full of depth. So much happened in this story, very chaotic, which made it feel so realistic. I love a good well-written litfic. They never fail to impress.

Thank you, Caroline O'Donoghue, Virago Press Ltd, and Netgalley for the gifted eARC.

Rachael is a college student who works in a bookstore. It's there that she meets James. They become fast friends and roommates.  When Rachael develops a crush on her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James comes up with a plan. Invite Dr. Byrne to the bookstore to sign his new book. After the signing, Rachael plans to seduce her professor. But her professor has his sights set on someone else. After that night, the lives of Rachel, James, Fred, and Fred's wife become forever entangled by secrets kept between them.

In The Rachael Incident, Rachael is telling the story of her last year in undergrad where a close friendship with James and a small series of events lead to a major incident that makes a huge impact on her life. Rachael and James start out as co-workers and end up forming a close bond in a short time. So close that they will do anything for each other. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but this book is one of friendship, secrets, deceit, and heartbreak. It's about mistakes made, lessons learned, and growing up. Rachael is such a great main character because she's smart, fun, messy, and loyal. Rachael has such a great character arc, and it was sometimes hard to remember this was a book of fiction. Trigger Warnings: mention of sexual abuse as child, abortion, and miscarriage.

This was a wildly relatable slow burn of a book. I felt all of Rachel's emotions with her. I have been the 21 year old girl, too insecure and immature, lost in a new friendship. I have obsessed over my decisions from certain time periods and given myself punishments for treating people poorly. I was a Rachel.

And now that I have my own children and marriage and even a few of the same friendships, I am also the Rachel that matured and found out the type of person she truly was and wanted to be.

Overall, very witty and good read.

Loved this book. Told first person in the present by Rachel, in the style of a 30-something new mom friend you've recently made who now trusts you enough to unload the wild, funny, and heartbreaking adventures of her early 20s. Stories that will have you peeing your pants with laughter and then just as quickly weeping with sadness. I did not want this book to end, but appreciate that the author ended it as she did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for this honest review.

First and foremost I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC version of this novel. Thank you!

Rachel is struggling to manage friendships, ever changing careers and the economic struggle in Ireland.

The only consistent man in Rachel’s life is James, who she falls madly in love with but is struck with sudden heartbreak; James is gay.

This coming to age story follows these two as they struggle to find their own identities. Though distance, time, relationships and careers are always changing; their friendship never stalls.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story was heartbreaking and lovely, and I especially felt the friendship between James and Rachel- it was so beautifully written!

I had the absolute pleasure of reviewing The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue ahead of its release. This memoir-style piece of fiction is the perfect read for Dolly Alderton and Daisy Buchanan fans. I was not surprised to see Dolly Alderton in the acknowledgements for this one!

As someone navigating the horrific growing pains that come with being in your twenties, I found The Rachel Incident to be laugh-out-loud funny, relatable and heartwarming. The characters are flawed - you sometimes won't want to root for them, but you know you're probably equally as obnoxious and self-centered at times so you can't help it. Wanting the best for them is wanting the best for yourself. The fast friendship between Rachel and James is something we've all experienced - the jealousy and deep desire of wanting your completely platonic friend crush to find you cool and to care as much as you do. Putting forth your best quips and jokes in the desperate hope they'll choose you as their best friend. It's something I rarely see portrayed in adult books, but perhaps the age where it happens most frequently.

It hits the nail on the head portraying the melancholy of wishing a period of time, a moment, could last forever. That college house you never thought you'd move out of, those amazing friendships you make working at a cafe, bar or bookstore, only to have them fade slowly over time as everyone diverges on their own path. It explores the bittersweetness of aging with a playful narration that leaves you optimistic for the future instead of bogged down. Most importantly, friendship is the heart of this book. Everything centers around Rachel and James' bond that lasts well into adulthood, and reminds you that these friendships will teach you the most valuable lessons in your life. I found this book impossible to put down, escaping the one-trick-pony that is the glorification of the Sad Girl In Her Twenties trope. Instead, The Rachel Incident is a breath of fresh air, one that'll leave you feeling your best years are still to come, and hopeful that your friendships in your most formative years have given you the stilts (albeit wobbly) to make it through your 30s and beyond.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this novel. I'm excited to see this one take off.

This was so good. It was rich with twists and turns, evocative of a specific theme, timely, and really interesting. Marvelous characters, flawed, and real. Thoroughly entertaining and bittersweet at times, I whole heartedly recommend this!