Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sending and allowing me to read this book.
This is a pretty good book, although it took me a couple of tries to get into I still enjoyed it. I was a bit confused at first but after awhile i started getting into it.

It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on fertility, abortions, financial insecurity, psychological distress, & others.

Rachel Murray is a girl on the brink. She meets the reader while sitting at a pub with other members of the Irish diaspora as they celebrate the Christmas traditions that bind them, even all the many miles from home. The trajectory of this story flies the reader through memories & recollections, pausing only to transition the timeline back to the present in the hopes of offering us some reprieve. Perhaps, this time around, the past will not be so painful. Perhaps, now that the occurrences are simple reflections of a time passed, they might offer Rachel their long-kept secrets.

At the core of this story, there is Rachel. She is perpetually uncomfortable in her own skin, a bit lost in her own desires, all while trying to simply get by. There are ample aspects of Rachel’s character not to like. She was raised in a family who had ample means of protecting her from the world & yet we meet her after she had spent a lifetime becoming accustomed to the cruelties of reality. This is not her fault & I feel that it would be unfair to fault her for something that she was unaware she would need to be prepared for. Regardless of this, it was sometimes difficult to master the art of patience toward Rachel & her many antics.

While Rachel was young, she decided that it was a good decision to dive head-first into the world. Cork was not a place that would cushion her plunge—something she knew—but, she jumped anyways. Perhaps, it was because the people around her were becoming intimately acquainted with the real world that Rachel felt herself drifting apart from the experiences that would lead her to become the person she hoped she could be. Perhaps, she saw the opportunity to live with James as a shot at pretending to be an independent person, for the sake of giving it a fair shot. Either way, Rachel was wholly unprepared for the life that awaited her outside of her parents’ home.

When James is introduced to the reader it was tricky to get a real grasp of who he was. His character is presented through recollections into the past, via events that took place over a decade prior. One cannot expect Rachel to have been able to provide a detailed perspective on his person; she was rarely around for the events that caused him the most distress. Her memories of him are, at their core, stilted by her own emotional ties. She wanted him to be kind & thoughtful & caring yet, we rarely read about his involvement with anyone other than Rachel to be able to make a clear deduction on this case.

Due to his phantom presence throughout the story, his character became something of an enigma. He was at once the person who understood what was needed of him to succeed in life. He grasped the difficulties that exist in a world where secrets are meant to be kept & the darkness of the heart, is intended for the night. Yet, he roamed in the day with the awareness that he contributed to the pain that other people felt, & he felt nothing. This is perhaps unfair. I cannot say for certain what James felt because this is not a story written from James’ perspective.

What if we had been given an earnest view of James? How would the reader have felt towards him as the story drew to a close? He was obviously present & supportive of Rachel in many an endeavour but, I cannot say for certain that this was an innate quality to his person rather, it seemed to me that he appreciated one person at a time, & that was enough for him. This critique teeters on the brink of asking difficult questions. I do not think that it is my responsibility to raise the elephant in the room on stilts to ask readers to name the beast they see.

In many countries around the world, women’s rights have been highly politicized topics of conversation, often led by people who are not women. As this story takes place in Ireland, the focus of the narrative remains settled; how were Irish girls meant to maintain agency over their bodies if this was made an impossible feat for them to ascertain? I appreciated the approach that O’Donoghue took toward incorporating a very real & debilitating aspect of reality, into the life of a girl who wasn’t always easy to like. I say this specifically because it ultimately doesn’t matter what I think of Rachel—as a reflection of all women, across the world. It does not matter if someone is nice or if they are mean; they each deserve accessible health care. I was hopeful, beyond reason, that something would work out for Rachel & that she might not be irrevocably harmed in the process.

In the midst of this, Rachel graduates from college, she lives with James for one year down a road that does not have the most sturdy of builds; she scrounges for jobs, she tries to find her path in life, & she learns of the difficulties that exist in being a grownup in a world that adults have been inhabiting as she watched with child-like eyes. It is difficult for me to rationalize the actions that saw Rachel lie so easily to Deenie. There must have been a part of her that understood that Deenie was hurting & that she herself had the ability to help guide her via the truth. Yet, this was not her responsibility.

Are we meant to find James’ voyage to New York pleasing? Am I meant to be glad that he got what he wanted, after everything that he did? Dr. Byrne will be brain-damaged for the remainder of his life after spending months trying to heal from a parasite that attacked his brain & subsequently lying comatose for weeks. Deenie spent years of her marriage thinking that she wasn’t enough because she couldn’t provide what is expected of a woman. Rachel stands alone thinking of herself while everyone else’s lives pass her by.

Once again, I cannot fault her for that. Rachel is meant to keep secret the fact that James & Fred Byrne were having intimate relations, all the while struggling to breach a field that is historically welcoming only to its own kind. I cannot imagine having to maneuver myself through a situation for which I was deeply unprepared. I wonder how James felt towards Rachel, truly, after she told him everything that happened at the diner party or how he felt knowing she was shunned by the community of Cork at large. I wonder if he ever vocalized how important her friendship was in ensuring that he was not ostracized for his decisions.

Even with the serious subject matter that was covered throughout this story, I found myself eager to revisit the pages. I read until my eyes fell asleep while my brain remained engaged in the follies of the two young protagonists. I excitedly picked up the story where I had left off, every day, hoping to learn more behind the shock of the announcement that Dr. Byrne was in a coma. I was so glad to have come across this story because it presented me with a story from a friend. As I saw Rachel grow into her own; rooting for her from the sidelines of the margins; I became comforted by her narration.

Who would have guessed that through all of their struggles, each of the characters would somehow find themselves at places in their lives where they could feel at peace? Perhaps each reader might regard this transition through time & be reminded that, certainly, there will come a time when they have moved past the impossible mountain that they face, to rest easy in fields of green.

Overall, this was simply a wonderful story to behold. The love that moulded & grew between Rachel & Carey was soft & soothing. Certainly, their disagreements & struggles were no small thing. However, I was hopeful that each of them would get to a point in life where they might look back on those situations & find some way to grow forward. Their conversations also acted as something of a backdrop for the entire story. Every single group of people was hiding something. In certain cases, such as Rachel not telling Carey that she was pregnant with his child, the secrets were big. In other cases, people kept their sadness locked into themselves or they pondered the parameters of their sexuality without discussion.

Though the story focuses on the friendship that Rachel had with James, her romantic relationship with Carey allowed the story the forward movement that it needed. Without Carey, Rachel became a character that walked the same neighbourhood every day without noticing anything about the area; she simply rounded in on herself. She learnt to properly maintain her laundry because Carey wanted to live an adult life. Rachel wanted to be responsible & save money because she knew that she would reach Carey’s age at some point & that life would not be kind to her if she made no efforts to grow.

There are certainly no limits on personal growth. As Rachel meets Carey again in her later years we understand that the small insecurities she harboured remained cloistered in her soul. The same goes for both Rachel & Deenie; their conversations are disconcerted & worried by the plausible turn of events that might find them hurt once more. Because of this—because this story was so innately earnest in its humanity, however gruesome & uncomfortable that was, I loved it.

O’Donoghue found a way to welcome readers into the life of a person we will never really know. Rachel will remain who she is. In between our time together she will have done all her musing behind closed doors; we may never understand why she lives where she does or what part of her job brings her joy. Suffice it for us to know that those are the decisions she has made & it is an act of vulnerable intimacy to have her share parts of herself with us. I hope we get to meet again.

The approach to recording memories in something of a long transcript was unique in that Rachel never really knew why she was writing, just as we sometimes pick up a book for reasons that we cannot quite pin down at the moment. I would like to think that there was closure in everything that transpired; that the wounds in everyone’s soul were mended. Life has a funny way of moving us around until we understand the role that we play in our own existence. I hope that Rachel experienced reprieve at having finally relinquished the burden of holding on to a love that wasn’t hers to carry. Though, I suppose that was an act of love, in & of itself.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday, & Caroline O'Donoghue for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Even though this was the first book I've read by this author, I'll happily be checking out their other work soon because this was definitely one of my favorite general fiction reads so far this year. It was a dark, funny and hard to put down. It tackled some heavy subjects in an honest and effortless way. I loved Rachel and both of her James'. The character development and relationship building (between ALL of the couples) was perfection. Damn, now that it's over, I'm realizing I really didn't want it to end and I feel like I could go into a bit of a book slump after this. Also, I wish I could read another novel about James Devlin. He was my favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for this early read! I wasn't quite sure what I was in for when I started and it took me a bit of time to grasp where the story was going. Once I got used to the back and forth in the timeline and a better understanding of the characters, I couldn't put the book down!

Knowing this was also based on a real experience, it read more like a fictional story which lent to the speed in which I felt like I could read, almost like I was able to suspend reality and not be so annoyed sometimes with the antics of early 20-somethings just getting out of school. I was one of them once before so I can't judge too harshly.

I loved how the story came full circle to the present day, how life has a way of showing us eventually why we go through certain conflicts to become the people we are today. Worth the read!

Loved it, a great read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

The Rachel Incident was a slow burn. I really liked it. The relationships and characters were easy to connect with. Rachel is floundering. She grew up in an upper class home, but her parents have fallen on hard times. Now, Rachel is struggling to find her place as she nears college graduation--how will she learn to navigate the world? Then, she meets James Devlin. James is obviously queer, but closeted, and Rachel is immediately enamored of him. The two quickly become codependent, but in the way of the very best of friends. Rachel and James work and live together, but never tire of one another. Their bond is wonderful to read about, even if it teeters on unhealthy.

Things get complicated when an affair starts with Rachel's college professor. Rachel and James get ever-more-involved in the lives of the professor and his wife, which becomes a focal point of the story. Another focus: Rachel's unplanned pregnancy and abortion access in Ireland pre-2018 legalization. Last focus: the love story between Rachel and James Carey.

Overall, this book felt meaningful and thought-provoking. While it moved slowly, I was never bored. Highly recommend.

Favorite quotes:
"'Your clothes,' a fashion editor once told me, 'have a sense of humor, don't they?'"

"He was hospitalised, and we were stuck in South Carolina for weeks, and we thought he was going to die, and being sick in America is like staying at the Ritz Carlton and ordering everything on room service every night, money wise."

Hilarious, bittersweet, and full of heart. Perfectly captures the delicious and terrifying angst, uncertainty, passion, and reckless stupidity of youth. I devoured it and enjoyed every minute.

I noticed a lot of people loved this book, i and I read it up to 49%, but I unfortunately just couldn’t get into it and had to dnf it. I thoroughly appreciate the author for giving me the chance to read and review the book. I just didn’t like any of the characters, I especially found Rachel a bit too…rough around the edges for my taste. I thought she might grow on me, but I often was just frustrated with the things she said and/or did. I did very much feel bad for her at times, but I ultimately just couldn’t connect with her the way a lot of others have. I also couldn’t get into the storyline. It just wasn’t my thing, but I think a lot of people will love this book based on other reviews I have read.

Rachel Murray is a university student in her hometown of Cork, Ireland. She likes her bookstore job but is otherwise bored and cynical in the way that 21-year-olds often are. And then she meets James, who immediately becomes her new best friend. The two move in together, sharing a shoddy house on Shandon Street. The next year of their lives is a lot. The two become entwined in the lives of Rachel’s English professor, Dr. Byrne, and his wife Deenie. There are secrets, of course, and they come out in the worst possible way.

There’s more to this story, too: there’s first love and loss, and Rachel and James do a lot of dreaming and growing up. While the events with the Byrnes were pivotal to the story and change the lives of Rachel and James, these other glimpses into their lives were my favorite parts of the book. When James and Rachel would sit together and talk about their future, I got a major hit of nostalgia. Mostly, this is a story of best friendship and it’s beautiful.

I kind of feel like my feelings about The Rachel Incident mirror much of the state of mind of the self titled protagonist. In the story a slightly older and wiser Rachel is reflecting back on a defining and somewhat morally hazy period of her life. Not surprisingly, this was when she was in uni, figuring out who she wants to be, while forming deep relationships with the charismatic James and the irresistible James (henceforth known by his last name of Carey, because there’s too many deep relationships with people of the same first name). When the book starts, Rachel has the unsurprising crush on her married English professor, Dr. Fred Byrnes. Her attempt to appeal to him (seduce doesn’t quite seem to be the right word) leads him into a collision course with James, who is also her roommate. When the two begin a closeted affair it sets the stage for the dynamics between James and Rachel, and Fred and his wife Deenie, and ultimately the spazzy Carey as well. It may also lead the reader to question why they should care about people who make bad choices. A misunderstanding between the group eventually leads everyone upon different paths, some happier or more fulfilling than others. The story definitely reminded me of how that first taste of freedom for young people can be all consuming as well as self destructive. It is in this story, and while you as the reader may want to bang your head against a wall for some of the things that Rachel and James do, you (I’m presuming you’re a self-respecting adult) have to wonder why in the world Fred wants to get in the middle of that train wreck? He may feel trapped in his life, but getting involved with James is not ultimately a good alternative. When Rachel finds herself in a difficult situation she capitalizes on this, and the reader is forced to contemplate the fact that this is about the only way she can fix the situation she’s in. A lot of this book drove me crazy because I wanted to grab Rachel, shake her, and tell her to make better choices. But ultimately I really enjoyed how the book ended, when she begins to grow up some and begins making said better choices. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story transported me back to my own days of undergrad when I was struggling to find who I was and what it meant to be a woman within the world. I loved every word O'Donoghue put forth in Rachel's journey. I highly recommend this book for all young women.

Capturing the days of university life where friendships are strong, emotions are deep, and money is tight, Caroline O'Donoghue has written a wonderful novel in The Rachel Incident. Rachel and James meet while working at a bookshop in Cork and decide to hold a book release event for Rachel's professor, with hopes that it will lead to a little fling. Never in their wildest dreams do they predict the relationships that will happen and how they become entangled in the lives of the professor and his wife, Deenie. Ten or so years later, a pregnant Rachel reflects on this time on her life and how it led her to where she is now.

This coming-of-age story took me a bit to get into as I didn't initially connect to the characters, but as I continued to read I enjoyed the dynamic between Rachel and James as it is a realistic portrayal of friendship and finding your identity and place in the world. I will check out others books written by this author. Thank you netgalley for this ARC.

Rachel is an Irish girl finishing up her English degree and living with her best friend James, a closeted gay man. She isn't living her best life yet, and isn't sure when it will begin. When Ireland falls into economic depression in 20008, she is even more desperate for change. Without giving too much away, I will say that this is a book that will capture your heart. I loved Rachel and Jame's. relationship and never tired of the stories. O'Donoghue has a way with words that take you back to your own nostalgic "Uni" days, while still including the very real issues of abortion, homesexulatily and women's freedom in general in Catholic Ireland. If you remember your college years fondly, if you miss your best friend you ever had, or you just want to read a fun novel that is realistic and memorable, The Rachel Incident is for you! #TheRachelIncident #CarolineODonoghue #Knopf #Panthoen

I'd had a streak of disappointing books in the last two weeks, most of which I was barely able to make it through
- so thank you to Caroline O'Donoghue and her editor for breaking my run of bad luck with this belter, which has been attached to my hand all day.

Tall Rachel Murray and short James Devlin meet while working in a bookshop and decide to live together in a run-down student house on Shandon Street, in the aftermath of the Irish economy's collapse. Rachel wants to do something in publishing, and James wants to go to America and be a famous comedy writer, but as a working-class Irish gay man with no connections, the odds are stacked against him. When they fall for the same man, it brings them closer together as well as exposing the gaps between them and their relative advantages and disadvantages in terms of gender and class privilege, as well as how these would be viewed differently by both James and Rachel in 2010 vs. 2023.

Sounds heavy, but with a light touch and some passionate references to Barbara Trapido (whose first novel Brother of the More Famous Jack this is a bit of a nod to, I think) South Park, Maeve Binchy and Will and Grace, this to me is far stronger than O'Donoghue's own first novel and will go to the top of my 'gifts for others' list for 2023.

this book was hilarious, heartwarming, incredibly relatable, and just all the good things books like this should be.

This was my first time reading Caroline O'Donoghue, and although this isn't the type of story I normally read, I'm still thankful I gave it a chance. There are some political hot topics in this book, namely homosexuality/sexual identity, so if you don't have an open mind, then I don't recommend it. The best way I know to describe this book is to say it's a coming of age story. Remember the dumb things you did in your early 20's and what a confusing time it was? Well...welcome to Rachel's world! It's a bumpy ride but worth it.

This was a brilliant coming-of-age story! THE RACHEL INCIDENT centers around Irish university student Rachel, who is finishing up her undergrad in Cork and nursing a secret crush on her (married) English professor, Dr. Byrne, when she meets James, who becomes her best friend and housemate. Soon, Rachel and James’s lives intersect with those of Dr. Byrne and his seemingly-perfect wife, Deenie, in unexpected ways.

I absolutely loved the writing style of this book—it was so witty and just compulsively readable! It handled some important topics with a thoughtful yet light touch. I really enjoy stories where the narrator is telling the story as an older, wiser version of themself and flashing back in time/recounting those events with the benefit of knowledge and maturity. As such, I thought it was a great choice to have Rachel sharing everything retrospectively. I think the friendship between Rachel and James was the highlight of the book for me, but everything was very well-done. This was my first book by Caroline O’Donoghue, and I can’t wait to read more of her writing! Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.

I feel like this novel shouldn't work as well as it does, because a few of the plot beats feel inorganic or contrived enough to threaten to sink it, but in some ways those flaws are also what make it such a pageturner and nearly impossible to put down. It somewhat annoyed me when chapters ended with cliffhanger plot revelations (especially when it happened multiple chapters in a row), but I can't say it didn't work. Beyond all that, though, O'Donaghue's writing style is so effortlessly witty and allows the character of Rachel to become a rich and well-examined one. It's not an especially long read, just a hair over 300 pages (ostensibly-- I read it digitally), but it feels like quite the journey. The first portion of the novel, outlining a devious bookstore-related plan to court a professor, feels like a good, lighthearted trial run for what the rest of the novel would be, which was a lot of reading through parted fingers due to awkwardness or spiraling decisions.

I find it a little funny that the cover to this book looks considerably like a reversal of the cover of My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin (a book I loved, and to be honest I think the main reason I requested this one was due to the cover similarity sparking recognition in me) both featuring a painted girl but one facing forward and the other backwards. In a way, that's fitting, because My Last Innocent Year is about a college student having an affair with her professor and this one is, well, to avoid spoilers, I'll just say it's like multiple reversals of that concept.

I loved this book! The author also wrote the book Promising Young Woman. If you're familiar with that you'll get a sense of her writing. It's dark humor and a gritty but very believable story. I really loved all of these characters even with their flaws. I struggled at the end of this book because I didn't want to say goodbye. This is my favorite book so far this year!

Thanks a million to NetGalley and Knopf for sending me a copy of this ebook!