
Member Reviews

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Loved this book! The characters are flawed and interesting and the story takes place in Ireland, London and New York. Everyone has problems and the dark humor in this story highlights the attempts to solve them. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy the day-to-day experiences of the single unemployed and underemployed as they try to fulfill their dreams.

Rather typical coming of age story about a studious, quiet girl who falls in love with an older man and how it affects her and those around her.
It's nothing new but this is so well written that it felt almost like a diary.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in advance.

We meet Rachel, who’s a young Irish girl living near Cork and just finishing her senior year in college with a major in literature. Low on funds, she decides to share an apartment with James, with whom she works part-time at a local bookstore. Even though she has a crush on her middle aged teacher, it turns out that he’s actually attracted to James. Rachel eventually meets another James, but there’s a lot of drama until the resolution. Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC.

i can't even say i wish i was exaggerating when i say im rating this six stars because i don't wish i was exaggerating. this book was that good. it deserves it. for all the people that have ever picked up a sally rooney book and just felt let down when they finished it - this is the book for you.
rachel was one of the best unreliable narrators ive ever read, made so much better by the occasional inputs of her older self reflecting on the situations that she found herself in in 2010.
the love that her and james had for each other was so strong but so codependent and toxic towards the end of their time at shandon street. it really was the focal point of this story. i think james's queerness worked so well in this story - the way that he had to go about relationships and love completely differently to her in a way that rachel almost failed to realise until the end, and how that completely shaped the central conflict of the story.
fred and deenie as well. wow. fred was so deeply selfish, trying to have it all at once, and deenie i found to be almost wilfully ignorant but also trying so hard to keep her life together under all the pressures that life brings. rachel's half glorification half hatred of both of them felt so realistic as a young 20 year old trying desperately to project stability on people older than you to give you hope, even though they don't have their lives together either and are trying desperately themselves to project the image that they do.
and carey!!! carey my love my sweet who tries and tries and tries. rachel's narration worked so well to highlight the way that she experienced this relationship and how different it was to the way he did, and the closure that comes back at the end and the dual reflection so that they both understood each others perspectives was divine.
there are some really deep and complex issues in this book as well, covering reproductive rights, what it would have been like to be gay in ireland in 2010, the overwhelming pressure of dealing with money and finances in your early 20s especially with the backdrop of a recession, and just how to find direction in your life for the first time. all of them were handled with care, even if care didn't always mean delicately. they all felt realistic, with realistic and messy conflicts built in, and i loved that.
for the first time in years i actually physically cried when i read the last 100 pages of this book. it was so palpably human the way that everyone was desperate for closure and unsure how to get there but doing their best to try anyway. deenie and fred ending up as mirrors of each other, and <spoiler> rachel getting the perfect end to her character arc by finally removing herself from a situation and letting people handle it without her, finally untangling herself from james. </spoiler>
i highly recommend this one. ive already recommended it to like four people with live videos of me crying my eyes out and then saying you should read this book, which im not sure is the most effective strategy, but its the one we're going with.

"Exciting romantic life! When I couldn’t even make Carey shag me in a bread shop."
I looooooooove a coming of age story and I love literary fiction. Once the story and characters came together, I was eating The Rachel Incident up. I was ONE with James and Rachel. I love how the author writes about Rachel’s inner thoughts. We’ve all had these thoughts before and where our mind leads, but you don’t realize it until you’re reading this story and I was just in awe of it. It’s a surprising kind of writing. Privey to someone's private thoughts that you just wouldn't think to read and I loved it. You're also watching Rachel grow up in her early 20s. Sometimes what she says and thinks she knows is wrong, but she can't help saying or thinking it anyway. It's a fine line between loving the characters and hating them. Reading this was like a lovely and entertaining lucid dream and I think it is a specific type of humor, but it was the dry-wit for me. I laughed so much and just gasped in surprise.
I did learn a lot about Ireland, specifically Cork in 2010 and the recession. But also about friendship and love. That one friend you are so solely comfortable with and discover yourself with too. The Rachel Incident was both vulnerable and a surprising twist of events for a plot, I won't spoil much but I do recommend going in completely blind. If you are AT ALL triggered by triggers, please check the trigger warnings for this book. Otherwise, I won't say the triggers here because I do think it will spoil a little bit of a plot.
You're in for a TREAT with The Rachel Incident! It was a 4.5 star for me. I can't wait to talk to more people about this one and will definitely be picking up more from Caroline O'Donoghue. Some quotes below that are neither here nor there...
“Do you think Ryanair makes all their money from abortions?” I said limply. “It’s a pretty amazing business model, when you think about it."
"I had always assumed that I loved kooky people but maybe now I hated them."
"I feel like someone who has been on death row for years, and am experiencing a strange release at finally having my number called."
"He has a huge friend group in New York, and is as dedicated to each of them as he is to me." - Me aspiring to be James to everyone.

This book is beautiful and original. It’s the kind of story where you sigh like “the struggle is real”—for real, and coming from all around; family, friends, persons of interest, finances, and even health. To be in love with two men, none of whom you can have, I felt it, really. The writing is brilliant and heartfelt. I loved it.

i am surprised by how much I really liked this book. i couldn't put it down. the drama sucked me in and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
the author is able to weave in topics like infidelity, sexuality, abortion, economic stability, and career aspirations with such ease. i loved the friendship between rachel and james. even though they would unintentionally hurt each other, they were always able to forgive and be there for each other.
if you're a fan of sally rooneys, you will like this book. reminded me of My Last Innocent Year but with a twist.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a book! The story of Rachel and James living together and figuring out life together. I enjoyed the friendship and the relationships in this book so much!
I received an advanced copy of this through Netgalley, but all opinions are my own.

The Rachel Incident takes readers to a particular time and place--Ireland, during the depression of the 1980s, before the referendum that made abortion legal. And it's about the messiness of being in your 20s, underemployed, and trying out adult relationships. The start was a bit slow for me, but the central kernel of the love triangle (... or quadrangle?) is a wowza moment.

The story follows Rachel, a woman in her early 20s, navigating codependent friendship, unstable love, insecurity, and transitioning into adulthood with uncertainty. This perfectly captures what it’s like to be young and unsure of your place in the world. There’s also a storyline from a later point in her life. As she’s reflecting, she makes little remarks about her 20 year old self’s actions. These were some of my favorite moments.
I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. Coming-of-age stories are very hit or miss for me, but this book delivered. It felt genuine and honest, like someone was telling me this story directly. It read almost like a memoir, which goes to show how realistic it seemed. The writing is very straightforward, but makes sense given the characters. This is very much a slice of life novel. There’s a definite plot, but it heavily focuses on the characters and their relationships. Lots of inner monologues as well. I’ll definitely be purchasing a hard copy of this.
Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and the author for an ARC of this book. Opinions are my own and freely given. To be published June 27th, 2023.

This book is an absolute hit, and I will be disappointed if it doesn’t get picked up by a network for a limited series adaption. This tale stars Rachel, a university student coming up on her last year of schooling. She instantly connects with her new best friend James and after moving together, they create a scheme to seduce Rachel’s beloved professor, Dr. Fred Byrne. Safe to say things don’t go as planned. This extremely enticing novel is a coming of age tale mixed in with secret affairs, complicated love and intense surprises. I devoured this story in days and still remain obsessed. The only negative feeling I have is that the book wasn’t longer. Well done.

The Rachel Incident is a perfectly enjoyable coming of age story, one where you might think it’s going down the route of a young student conducting an affair with her older college professor, but it swerves just before it reaches that and becomes something different. Instead of being a participant in the affair, she is merely witness to all sides of it, as it turns out.
It seems like a disservice to call this book like Sally Rooney’s, although it’s probably the kind of book big fans of Sally Rooney will get along with, albeit with fewer political interludes. It’s a book with that kind of literary college new-adult-ish age cast. Plotwise, at times, it reminds me a lot of Conversations With Friends, although perhaps a little subverted, since the main character is about the only person not having an affair.
It’s a very character-driven book so it’s a good thing the characters are likeable or, if not entirely likeable, then sympathetic enough. Compelling, primarily. You want to keep reading about them, you want things to turn out okay. But also part of the compellingness comes from the fact that they’re kind of a mess, Rachel, James and later Carey. It’s never quite like rubbernecking but it’s near enough. You know the affair isn’t going to end well, but you can’t help watching.
Most of the book covers the years that Rachel is at university, working at a bookshop and sharing a house with James. This is when the bulk of the events take place, seen through present Rachel’s eyes as she reminisces, having heard that Dr. Byrne, the subject of this affair, is now in a coma. Towards the end, however, it speedruns us up to the present day and I think this is where the pacing kind of let the book down. Just a little. After spending 280 pages or so on late 00s/early 10s Rachel, suddenly we find ourselves with 8 years having passed in the blink of an eye, and then another eight to get us to the end (although this as a timeskip seemed to make more sense). There was a reason for that first stop at 8 years, but I do feel it might have been better integrated, pacing-wise.
Overall, though, this was a book I enjoyed reading. And that’s all I ask for when it comes down to it.

Gorgeous slice-of-life 2010s Ireland. This is about a young woman- Rachel- in Cork Ireland as she finishes college and makes her way in the world alongside her best friend and housemate James. I love stories like this that are such a vivid picture of time and place. I will see these characters in my head long after I’ve finished reading The Rachel Incident. 5 stars

I was looking for a book that was refreshing, entertaining and thought provoking and that is exactly what The Rachel Incident gave me. What appeared as a simple coming of age book with a young woman sharing a flat with her best friend who is also gay turned out to be a thoughtful book about the challenges of being a young woman, sexuality and the challenges of relationships. Set in Cork Ireland for most of the story Rachel Murray is trying to find her way through employment and men and getting a better sense of herself. It was a quick read for me because I wanted to know what would happen next. O’ Donoghue crafts a good story ! Thank you #NetGalley and #Knopf for providing me an ARC of #TheRachelIncident.

I LOVED this novel; quite literally devoured it in 48 hours. The title and pretty cover may have piqued my interest, but the story is one that I could relate to and enjoy. This is a coming-of-age story in a time of uncertainty and economic recession in Ireland.
The story begins with Rachel reminiscing about her most formative year living with her gay best friend James, on Shandon Street. In her younger years, Rachel feels as if she had been launched into the world not fully formed. She is incredibly naïve, shy, and unprepared for life not at her childhood home. James, on the other hand, is literally fabulous. His boisterous fully formed opinions open up Rachel’s personality and are a source of great hilarity while reading. Their relationship is interrupted by the secret crush Rachel has on her professor, Dr. Byrne.
After a turn of events, Dr Byrne becomes and incredibly large and toxic part of her life with James. As the story progresses, the three of the them, Carey is an extra add to the trio, form an unhealthy dependency upon one another. There is no way for this scenario to end, but badly. However, this year shapes Rachel and James into the successful people they will become.
I laughed, got angry, and fully enjoyed this story. The history and references to Ireland and their abortion laws that existed until 2018 were very enlightening. There is also a great support for James, his coming out as a gay man, and the LGBTQ community.

I had zero expectations going in and now this is probably one of my favorite books I'll read all year with characters I'm going to be thinking about for a long time. O'Donoghue is writing in a genre that sometimes places more value on flowery words than it does plot, but the twists in this kept me up needing to know what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this book. Somehow, every book I read that is compared to Sally Rooney is actually about ten times better than Sally Rooney.
This book takes place in early 2010s Ireland and centers around Rachel, a young woman finishing college and her relationship with her gay best friend/roommate, James. We learn about their varying jobs, disastrous love affairs and plans for the future. The book is a little sad but also laugh out loud funny. A really great coming of age tale.

I absolutely loved this book! like catching up with an old friend for a late-night gossip session, The Rachel Incident is a stunning tale with so much charm. Rachel is the perfect narrator - flawed, naive, but so so likeable. The hijinks that ensue had me laughing out loud, gasping, and desperate to find out what happens next. I felt like I was a part of Rachel and James' inner circle, being privy to the most salacious scandals. This book made me feel so nostalgic for my early 20s, with all the social, professional and financial insecurity. I want to go live in a run down cottage in Cork now, browse the bookshops and eavesdrop on conversations in the pubs.
A stunning book, pure entertainment and soul, and definitely not to be missed.

Rachel is a 21 year old college student, living with her bookstore coworker, James, in a flat on Shandon Street. Rachel becomes infatuated with her English professor, Dr. Byrne, but she may not be the only one. In their year of living together, Rachel and James become more entrenched in the life of Dr. Byrne and his wife, Deenie, with secrets and tension mounting among the group.
Rachel was not always likable. Some of her behavior was quite cringey and definitely questionable, yet I couldn’t look away. At the end of the day, like many people, she sought happiness, a sense of purpose, and belonging. The question is, does she get all of it?
I saw The Rachel Incident described as a book for fans of Sally Rooney, and as a fan of Sally Rooney’s, I can see this comparison. Interestingly enough, even though the plot is different, TRI also reminded me in some ways of Fleishman Is In Trouble, a book I struggled to enjoy – I know there are some hot takes about this one! Regardless, I really enjoyed reading TRI, not exactly sure where it was headed, but curious to see how things played out.

Overall very unlikeable characters and storylines. I found Rachel, James D. & James C. to be immature, selfish, self-absorbed, lacking in self esteem and devoid of common sense. It was truly scary to find that she would become a parent in the plot. The best part of this book and the one positive, however, was Rachel's steadfast loyalty and the strength of her friendship with James D. through thick and thin. While this book turned out to not be my 'cup of tea', it did provide me with some insight into the mindsets of Rachel's generation. Thank you to NetGalley for the read.