4.5 stars

I was really impressed by this novel. An Irish "new adult" novel, Rachel moves in with gay James, who she meets at her bookstore job, and soon she becomes embroiled in James's big secret. Rachel holds in the secret as she deals with those years as you transition from college to the "real world," a new internship, school, and a new boyfriend Carey. Carey isn't the best boyfriend in the world, as he's dirty and not motivated, but she's entranced with him - although in a different way than she's entranced with James.

Why did I love this book so much? I think we all have those memories from when we were "new adults," straddling still being impetuous teenagers with nosing into adulthood. This novel really captures that time so well.

I also like the characters. These are likeable, flawed people that you want happiness for.

I must confess that I'm not a fan of Sally Rooney's, and I was worried that this would be a Sally Rooney knockoff (Irish writer, new adult). I ended up liking this a lot more than Sally Rooney's books because this had a really good plot and was balanced with interesting characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an original coming of age story of a college age woman on the brink of adulthood during the recession of the 2000s. The form is intriguing. Written as a first-person narrative, it is a novel written like a memoir. This gives the reader an inside view of how this confused, vulnerable woman is navigating an off-the-charts life. The way she describes her feelings and self-reflection as she muddles through losses, gains, insurmountable embarrassment, and faulty decision-making is riveting and you can’t help but hope she’ll pull it together.

Rachel Murray is an English major, about to graduate to an economy with no jobs. Her parents who had given her a comfortable middle-class life up until now are in financial trouble and as she finishes college, she is without financial support. She gets a part time job in a bookstore and meets James Devlin, a closeted gay man, with whom she shares an apartment. Platonically in love, the two live a riotous life together, sharing every feeling and desire for the future.

The story hinges on her infatuation with one of her English professors who has a love affair with her roommate, James. It gets complicated when she gets an internship with the professor’s wife and falls in love with a man who is also trying to find himself. All roads lead to the titled INCIDENT.

It is a marvelous read. Although serious issues are threaded throughout and Rachel can be her own worst enemy, it is also very funny. All the characters are fully drawn, and we understand them. It is a mesmerizing trip as we journey with Rachel through her self- deprecation, wrong decisions, complicated relationships, and eventual road to adulthood.

I will look forward to other books by this writer.

Many thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Rachel Incident was a beautifully portrayed story of underdogs, in love and chaos, living through the early 2010's of Ireland's recession. There is no teen rom-com, random thrown in queer side character. Instead, there are diverse sexualities with their own main-character-esque plot and development of their own. Through Rachel, light is brought onto the political struggle of abortion rights and stigma of the time, which is even more relevant as of now. Women's right will always be a hot debate, and Rachel knew that. She never called herself a feminist, but set out with a passion of following her inner fire and love of journalism, to share stories of fellow women and help keep that relevancy driven in the media.

The political and economic front was nowhere near the whole plot of the novel, but shaped decisions and character growth for all. For being in her 20's, Rachel's story was one of a coming of age. She started out spiteful and on top of the world, feeling the freedom of being broke and in love. Her journey in the book ended with her still full of fight and on the top of her own little world, but with inner grounding and maturity, even when faced with people and events that circle back. Rachel was extremely relatable for me: the metaphors and crude humor used for coping, picking a man far from prince charming. I appreciate the raw writing style and the vulnerability we are truly shown within these characters. They were extremely fleshed out, making due with the choices and foresight they had, many misguided and blinded nonetheless.

I love how this book boggles me as to what categories it fits into. This book can't to squeezed into any just one box without breaking it down. It has romance but isn't a romance in the sense it starts and ends with love. It starts and ends with platonic love, the ebbing background type of love, splattering, gut wrenching love, searing tears of hateful love, and a love that can never truly be reclaimed.

I enjoyed how time was used in this novel. It could jump between paragraphs but not in a confusing way, but also not as foreshadowing. Information was given directly and clearly, but still sobering once addressed properly in due time. The plot and ending was fed from the beginning it seems, but when the future is written in past tense there's a hungered tug drawing the next page to be turned.

I highly recommend this book, I feel every reader will get something different out of this book, depending on what they needed when going into it.

This book came out of nowhere for me and I do not regret it one bit. The writing has a way of making you feel like you are friends with the charters and are going through the motions with them. I cried and laughed and swooned because I could see myself as a friend of Rachel and James. I think anyone in today’s society could relate to the struggles and sacrifices Rachel and James made in their life. If I could give this book 15 stars I would. The writing is heartbreakingly beautiful and relatable to a point where I was sad that it ended. Please do yourself a favor and read this book. You won’t regret it.

The book was considered daring about platonic friendship. I loved the way where the two main characters ended up.

A story about Rachel reminiscing about her time back then when she was twenty years old. The tendrils of life, divinely liberal, unselfish and quite self-obsessed who was living with James Devlin, a partially closeted gay friend who had a romance with a professor that she adored. Her world means nothing without James, her number-one person. He had a lot of charisma, funny and warm. I love how they turned out to be such great friends considering the spontaneity they had.

The Rachel Incident is a novel about heartbreak, career-changing, jealousy, and no self-control of an early twenties problem😅

I give 4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and @aaknopf for earc. Opinions are my own.

📚

#donereading #therachelincident by #carolineodonoghue #igbooks #igreads #kindlepaperwhite #goodreads #bookstagram #bookreview #emabaca #malaysiamembaca

It’s 2009 and in Cork as everywhere, the recession is biting hard. Rachel is at college doing her final year in English. From a fairly affluent family of dentists, money has never been a worry for her. However, her parents confide in her, their money has gone, and though her college fees for the year are paid, there’s no money left for Rachel’s living expenses. Ever resourceful, Rachel gets a job in a bookshop, where she meets James who swiftly becomes her BFF, and her life changes beyond recognition.

This is an attention grabber from the off. Witty, poignant, thoughtful, hopeful and with all the messy relationships imaginable, the full gamut of emotions are run through when reading this book.

So well written, perfect characters incredibly portrayed, an absolute joy to read, I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley.

LOVED this book! I so deeply enjoyed this story about a young woman coming of age in Cork and her complicated relationship with her queer best friend, an older professor and his wife and her own relationships and sense of self. Kind of like Sally Rooney, if Sally Rooney was funny and her characters felt the least bit real and fully-fledged out. This felt like a very real story and somehow, even though there's nothing groundbreaking in it, had a lot to say. I couldn't put it down!

Will definitely be posting about it on my Booktok!

I loved this book so much that I finished it in one sitting. The writing was incredible, every single character felt realistic and fleshed out, and the pacing really worked for me. I loved Rachel's point of view and how the story jumped around time every so often. It was heartwarming and tense, but nothing ever felt drawn out. It dealt with so many difficult topics in a way that felt real to every day life. I loved how messy everything was, how everyone made mistakes but it didn't make them villains, and I really liked how everything wrapped up in the end.

One of my absolute favorite reads of the year. 10/10 would recommend.

This book was messy in the best, most delicious way. I could not put this book down and would lose track of my stop while reading on the train home.

This book was written from Rachel's perspective years after "The Rachel Incident" of which the book is named. Having the dual perspective the Rachel in her year twenties experiencing the uncertainties of her life and the messes that unfollow alongside the adult Rachel that's had time to grow and heal made for such a rich story. And oh my god does Caroline O'Donoghue know how to write hooks! Each chapter ended with such a grab, I couldn't help but devour this book.

Rachel Murray is a twenty-one-year-old, tall (5'11, but to make it easier, she often says she's six foot) woman living in Cork, Ireland. She studies English and has a crush on her professor. Her roommate, James, a closeted gay who works with her at a quaint bookstore, tries to help her attract the professor's interest, but the plan works in an unexpected way.

This is 2010, and for Rachel, it's a challenging year. She is an outsider – at least, this is how I see her – with her height, unrequited love, and uncompromising openness to admit her feelings. In a few months, she "would be another unemployed graduate with an English degree," but for now, she's content watching "Frasier" with her roommate. Then another James comes into her life, bringing a passion almost impossible to control. She is also involved in an odd relationship, a mixture of mentoring and jealousy, with Fred, the professor, and his wife, Deenie.

It can be difficult for people to relate to their younger versions of themselves. When coming of age, our feelings are often intense and definite. The future may look extremely dark or, on the contrary, very bright. Rachel moves back and forth between naïve and over-trusting to pragmatic and resourceful. The story is written as a first-person narrative but with a certain distance as the novel's voice is that of Rachel over ten years later when her life significantly changed. Perhaps, reading this brilliant and witty book, we'll discover how much we can relate to Rachel's problems, regardless of age. I, for one, was indeed reminded of my youth and all its mistakes – but also of its victories.

The Rachel Incident feels like getting to know a friend. Caroline O’Donoghue perfectly encapsulates the millennial experience throughout the 2008 economic depression and the struggles that women in Ireland and throughout the world are still feeling today. She covers not only wanting to escape your familial box, and the struggles of adjusting your parental relationship as you navigate the difficult transition from teenager to college-graduated adult, but also the wide breadth of emotions and struggles that come with decisions both in and out of your control impacting the future you envision for yourself.

Getting to know Rachel throughout her story filled with loving many men named James, felt like reading your best friend’s journal or a snapshot of conversations shared over years of getting to know someone.

I was initially concerned that the read would feel too choppy jumping back and forth between Rachel’s present and 2008, but Caroline’s approach of writing as if Rachel is telling us the story hooked me, and all concern was quickly solved. This was the perfect first book for me to read from NetGalley and I am so glad that I requested it.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the Kindle ARC.

This is definitely a new favorite — I absolutely loved this book. The Rachel Incident is a coming of age story that covers a range of different issues, showcases a deep and beautiful friendship, and creates beautifully flawed and well-developed characters. O’Donoghue makes you really attached to the characters. Her writing is able to make you love them, hate them, feel so confused by them, etc., which is such an amazing gift. If you enjoy Dolly Alderton’s writing or Sally Rooney, I think you’ll really love The Rachel Incident. It’s an incredible character study and really draws you into the world she creates. 10/10 recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for much of this book, but the slow burn led its way to a great ending.

What I loved about this book was the character depth. I hated to love these flawed characters, but I found myself rooting for them and their weird/toxic personality traits. Rachel and James are best friends, soulmates, roommates, coworkers, and (take this with a grain of salt because I'm not a psychiatrist) impossibly co-dependent on each other. They waste away with each other and shut out everyone else when they're together. Other people are just noise in the imaginary world they've built together. Serious main character energy -- except Rachel is not the main character even in her own book.

And that becomes clear pretty early on. Some major conflict happens, then more conflict happens, and by the end of the book, you're like "do I even want them to continue being friends??"

If you like reading about damaged 20-somethings bumbling their way through life, you'll love this one.

I personally think I've outgrown that genre. But again, the ending was good and the writing was beautiful. Think Sally Rooney.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for gifting me an early copy!

This book was so clever and heartfelt. I was hooked from page one and did not want it to end. I loved it so much.

Such an enjoyable read. I had high expectations from having read Caroline’s previous two books and this one did not disappoint.

I flew through this and found myself picking it up again and again whenever I had a few minutes. I think this speaks for how the plot stays with you after you put the book down. I kept wondering about what would happen next with each character.

I immediately liked Rachel and her friendship with James. While I found myself invested in each character, which is unusual for me, my top 3 had to be Rachel, Carey and James. All characters were well developed, with a good balance to their positive and negative traits in a well rounded way that made it easier to empathise when they made terrible decisions. I also think the narration from ‘future Rachel’ made for an interesting perspective on recalling events of her youth from the benefit of hindsight, which made questionable actions less frustrating and provided a satisfying sense of closure.

Serious issues were covered but sprinkled with humour and light hearted moments that made them all the more engaging but not too heavy.

Another aspect I personally enjoyed was the Cork references, having studied in UCC myself.

The ending happened a little suddenly but also in a fitting way that echoed the sentiment of the ending, in that the next step was not her story to tell.

I received a copy of the book by NetGalley but the opinions in this review are my own.

I wanted to read The Rachel Incident right off the bat because it was set in Cork which has been my home for the past six years. I was quite pleased actually with this read, although I did spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out where on Shandon Street the protagonists were living.

The story is that of Rachel, a UCC student working at a bookstore. There she meets James who soon becomes her best friend and roommate. The novel is really a coming-of-age story, following the two friends as they explore sexuality, love, friendship, career prospects,

Eventhough there are some very big themes being explored the story never feels heavy which makes for an easy read.

The Rachel Incident was completely unexpected. I didn’t realize how funny and well-written it would be. Yet, the story was also quite serious which kept me engaged in the book. It made me reflect back to my years in college and how little I knew about life at 21 years old. I could totally relate to Rachel, and I enjoyed reading about her coming of age. The other characters were also interesting and contributed to Rachel’s growing up. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read The Rachel Incident.

This book was a weird one for me. A young woman in Ireland lives with her closeted best friend, has a crush on her married professor, and has an aloof boyfriend. The story took some time to find its footing, and I found myself continuing to read even though I found the book a bit odd. I don’t want to give anything away, because the story is interesting.

I really enjoyed the ending. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Rachel Incident
by Caroline o"Donoghue
Pub Date: June 27, 2023
Knopf
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I loved this novel and its theme of authenticity.
When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred’s glamorous, well-connected, bourgeois wife. Aching with unrequited love, shot through with delicious, sparkling humor, The Rachel Incident is a triumph. I recommend it!
4 stars

Simultaneously somber and sharp, this coming-of-age novel is sure to join the “hot girl books” genre.

The Rachel Incident is a dual-timeline story, mostly taking place in the 2000s—a decade before we meet the narrator. Set against the backdrop of the Irish political struggle over abortion rights, the experiences of our protagonists in their early 20s reflect the larger landscape of a country at unrest.

When Rachel and James meet, they become each other’s worlds instantaneously. However, their friendship is quickly shaken by an affair with a married man, which threatens to shatter both of their lives.

With rich characters but a plot thats’s lacking, this work is bound to be compared to Sally Rooney’s novels—and I would say rightly so. The nuanced observations of social behavior, the codependent characters, the grappling with what it means to be in love in your 20s, the commentary on sex and sexuality, and the sense that everyone is at least a little bit lost all create a tone similar to Rooney.

Yet, I struggled with the perspective. In some ways, Rachel is the Nick Carraway of the story. She has her own experiences, yes, but much of her story is observing the lives and relationships of others, only sometimes intersecting with their plot lines. Given the privilege within her identities, it sometimes feels voyeuristic in the way she speaks of others’ lives. Perhaps, this is purposefully done to boost the effect of James on not only the characters in the story, but also the readers. For me, though, I think it will be a story I’m quicker to forget.

Thank you to Knopf for providing me with an arc of The Rachel Incident. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.