US pub date: 6/27/23
Genre: contemporary fiction, coming of age
Quick summary: Rachel and James become best friends while working at a bookstore - but can their friendship survive James' affair with married professor Fred Byrne, who Rachel is also in love with?

I love books with strong friendships, and the friendship between Rachel and BFF James was so well-written. I loved how the story of their time towards the end of Rachel's university studies unfolded, and how their interactions with Rachel's professor impacted both their lives. It's an exploration of twenty-something life in Ireland, which may make you think of Sally Rooney, but Rooney is a bit hit or miss for me. I actually found these characters and their romantic entanglements more compelling. The ending gave me all the feels, and I think fans of character-driven novels will enjoy it.

Thank you to Knopf for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The author told an excellent tale a s delivered a meaningful message which is important to me. The setting is Ireland with London toward the end of the book. We see how the young 20s live in a small university town live, work, study. We follow a young man/boy and girl/woman who are.best friends (he’s gay) through multiple experiences. In the end they grow to be truly adults living their ‘dream’. It’s the inbetween that makes this book not only a good read but also significant.

This book turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I started it a couple times and just couldn't vibe with it, but after I got past the first couple chapters, I started to settle into the story and ended up really enjoying it. I loved the way the characters were portrayed, warts and all, and these characters are extremely flawed. Their lives were so messy and it was fun to escape into the drama. However, this book was also kind of sad in places. Even though there was a lot of humor, the best bits for me were the serious parts. My only complaint about the book was the ending. To be clear, it wasn't what happened (I actually liked that part), it was more about who initiated it. I won't give any spoilers, but I will just say that I personally didn't think it was Rachel's place to do what she did. Other than that, this was a solid book for me.

Special thanks to NetGally and Knopf for providing me with an advanced copy

I love that Irish authors are having their spotlight! This was a great, funny and powerful debut that I really enjoyed. The characters are so well-rounded and the relationship between Rachel and all her friends is palpable and believable.

Wow wow wow! I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I had heard lots about it and it definitely is an amazing read!

Thank you NetGalley and Caroline O'Donoghue!

On one hand, this is an excellent book about growing up, focusing on the university years, that is heartfelt and relatable. However, I also found the main character immature and irresponsible, which made it hard for me to truly connect with her.

This is definitely more a personal issue for me because this book is well-written and a story I feel others will love.

This was pitched to me on the basis of its similarity in vibes to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, which I love deeply. But many of the reviews ALSO compared it to Sally Rooney which... I hate her books. Luckily this fell into the former and not the latter category.

O'Donoghue is a gifted writer -- the prose is vivid and engaging and the story draws you in and doesn't let go. The characters are messy and flawed and wildly compelling. I couldn't put this down once I picked it up.

“We’ve all had our hearts broken, and we’ve all had someone cut us some slack because of it”

I enjoyed this so much. I don’t have any complaints so ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!

I went into this with no context and think this book is best to know as little as possible. It grabbed my attention from the first chapter and had me invested until the end. I love coming-of-age stories mixed with romance so if you do too, I highly recommend picking this up.

‘The Rachel Incident’ takes place in Ireland and we meet present-day Rachel as she finds out horrible news about her college professor. She then takes us back in time as she retells us the story about her 20s and her connection to this professor (prepare for a great plot twist because it's not what you think 🤭)

An easy read that is funny, thoughtful, and well-written. There are relationships that define you, friendship and romantic and this story covers both. We see the financial troubles Ireland is facing and Caroline smartly ties in reproductive healthcare and class politics.

One of my favorite aspects which made it unique was her retelling. Witnessing young people finding their way can be frustrating (while also relatable lol). But since Rachel is speaking from the present day, she acknowledges moments of ignorance or bad decision-making. As a reader, this was satisfying because as long we both know this is a bad decision, carry on!

This is worth all the praise! I loved the ending. Thank you @aaknopf @czaronline for the copy! One of my favorite reads of the year 🥹💕

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A very good book. Our heroine remembers her time as a young woman finding herself. As we all know, there are a lot of terrible ideas when we are young. Many mistakes of the heart. But one constant in the heroine's life is her best friend.
Excellent writer who managed to wrangle some difficult characters into an engaging story.

This is a journey of self discovery, mistakes and missteps and exactly what finding yourself should be about! I would love to see this as a tv series.

Thank you #knopf and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Very entertaining read about a woman trying to adult amid friendships, partying, and paying the rent. Great laugh out loud moments and very satisfying ending.

The Rachel Incident focuses on Rachel, both as a uni student in the past and her older self in the present, as well as her best friend James and the two's relationship with Rachel's professor, Dr. Byrne.

I don't think I really knew what to expect when I read The Rachel Incident. While the synopsis is accurate and the events listed do happen, I guess I expected it to be more plot driven. But The Rachel Incident is much more character driven, almost memoir-like in its writing style. All in all, I think it was really well written and I enjoy the story very much, but it took me a little white to fully connect with the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

This one was slow and intimate in it's exploration of what happened between Rachel, her roommate and her professor. I absolutely couldn't put it down. The spot the author put Rachel in was so deliciously uncomfortable.

Perfect for fans of Rooney and sad girl lit fic, The Rachel Incident will be a top 10 read of the year. What separates it from some of its contemporaries is the heart it carries throughout.

I couldn't get into this one unfortunately. I'm thinking Irish litfic might just not be my genre. There was nothing inherently wrong with this book, it just didn't captivate me!

It is hard not to compare this book to Sally Rooney’s novels. On the surface, they have much in common – young Irish protagonist living the literary life. I think Rooney’s books are a little less focused on plot and more philosophical. I enjoyed listening to this novel that centers on an abortion and how it effects the lives of five people.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue has been on my TBR since it released this past summer, but I kept putting it off for some strange reason. When one of my very favorite authors, J. Courtney Sullivan raved about it on her instagram page recently, I immediately made it a priority, and started reading it the very next day. This book was everything that I was hoping it would be. It’s dark, edgy, gritty, cheeky, snarky, hilarious, and wildly entertaining. It follows Rachel and James, two wonderfully flawed characters who work at the same bookstore together in Ireland. They become fast friends, and then roommates. The trouble these two get into, and the chaos that they create is equally comical and jaw-dropping. They will make you bust a gut. I rolled my eyes multiple times at Rachel, tsk-tsked, and shook my head at her idiotic decisions and impulses. But then I kept reminding myself of her age, and I remembered all of the impossible situations that I got myself into as a university student. Yikes. How did I survive my early twenties? The pacing is somewhat on the slower side, but the little twists and surprises along the way more than make up for it. I sucked my breath in more than once when multiple chapters ended in a shocking cliffhanger. This book is damn juicy! The drama is endless, and had me tap, tap, tapping my kindle screen well into the night! 4.5/5 stars for The Rachel Incident! It’s a super solid read!