Thirst Trap is a winner from page 1! From the moment I met Maggie, Harley, and Róise, trying to get a succulent into the coat check at a Belfast night club, trying to drown out their grief in pints and loud music, turning 30 and still feeling 23, I loved them.
O'Hare's capture of each of the women's voices is flawless, each of the 3 distinct while still clearly shaped by the others. Belfast, too, is laid out on the page deliberately yet seamlessly. I grew up far from Ireland, but something about Irish coming-of-age stories has always resonated with me, and I was absolutely transported to this city of misty rain and late nights.
I'm always drawn to narratives about grief and the nuances of female friendship, and Thirst Trap is a gorgeous addition to that canon. As O'Hare peels back the layers of conflict and love between the four (now three) women, you get more and more drawn in by her observant, natural prose and the nuances of her three main characters. Meanwhile, Lydia's haunting of the narrative is so graceful, her shadow floating over each of her friends without obscuring them. It's so difficult to close out a story about grieving on a note that rings true, satisfying, inevitable – but O'Hare pulls it off here.
Thirst Trap is a truly stunning debut! Perfect for fans of Coco Mellors, Dolly Alderton, Elena Ferrante, Jessica Andrews, and Fleabag.

I really enjoyed this funny, moving and voicey debut novel about grief and friendship with some great characterisation and memorable moments

Thirst Trap was a great opportunity for me to remember what it felt like to be in my late 20s, surrounded by great friends and enjoying the 'nothingness' of life. From jobs that paid for drinks, to boys who broke our hearts, you will immediately link in with Harley, Roise and Maggie as they navigate grief and betrayal, and you may well be able to imagine their share house as one you might have lived in!

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and I felt that I got to know the characters well. I could hear the music of the clubs and taste the tequila shots.

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3

’It is not only that something is ending, it is also the knowledge that things will continue to end, that in the future there will be other, greater moves away and apart, and that they will never be the same four girls and a turtle living together again’

Wow. Just… wow. Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hare is a stunning look at the lives of three women - Harley, Maggie, and Róise - as they navigate their friendships, romantic relationships, jobs, housing situation and grief over the death of their friend Lydia, all in the year where they turn 30.

I was utterly blown away by just how much I adored this book. It was raw and honest and captured just how chaotic your 20s can be. O’Hare developed each woman’s personality in such a unique way, and I found myself desperate to meet them and become their friend. They were so human, so flawed but likeable, made mistakes and didn’t always work through them, but were always trying to better themselves in small ways. If you had told me that Thirst Trap was a memoir recounting the lives of real people, I would have believed you. The writing was just superb, and dialogue some of the best and most realistic I’ve seen in a long time. I honestly couldn’t put this one down.

I am astounded that this is a debut, as O’Hare was masterful in her representation of the messiness of friendships as you get older. Thirst Trap was comforting in showing that it is okay not have everything together. It’s okay not to live the ‘ideal life’ (whatever that is), and it’s okay to go at your own pace. But most importantly, it’s never okay to cut your own fringe!

Overall, Thirst Trap gets 5/5 stars. A wonderful book, with an awesome cover, and a fantastic title.

I really enjoyed Gráinne O’Hare’s debut Thirst Trap (thanks @picadorbooks via @netgalley for the review copy). A highly anticipated novel about three friends - Maggie, Harley and Róise - who live in a crumbling rental in Belfast as the cracks begin to appear, both metaphorically but also literally, in the aftermath of a close friend’s death. O’Hare has a brilliant sense of humour and I felt such tenderness for the characters as they mess up and grapple with the tragedy in their own individual ways. It felt very real and raw and I can’t wait to see what else O’Hare writes in the future.

3.5 stars.

First off, a big thank you to NetGalley, Picador, and Gráinne O’Hare for this ARC!

Before diving in, I want to mention that I’m not Irish — I’ve actually never been to Ireland — so there were quite a few words, phrases, and bits of humor I didn’t fully get. I imagine if you’re from there, especially the Belfast area, that cultural context would add a lot to the experience!

This was such an unexpected but perfect way to kick off Pride Month! I had no idea it was a queer book going in! I was immediately drawn in by the eye-catching cover and intriguing blurb. As a woman in her late 20s, there were definitely parts I found super relatable. But I’ll be honest, I did find myself getting a little bored at times. It’s light on plot and very much a character-driven story. That said, the girls felt incredibly real, if that makes sense.

It’s a beautiful and honest portrayal of friendship in your twenties, and how those bonds evolve as life changes and you get older. It touches on love, career struggles, the fear of turning 30, and the uncertainty of knowing when (or if) you should move on from certain phases of life. It also shows just how powerful female friendships are, even when they’re messy.

One thing this book does really well is explore grief. It’s complicated, it ebbs and flows, and sometimes, people pass before things are resolved. When I tell you I audibly gasped when I found out why they weren’t on speaking terms before Lydia passed! The way the characters continue living in the house after losing one of them was… kind of tragic, to be honest. It felt like they were still living with Lydia’s ghost, clinging to the memories they shared in that space.

On the other hand, I couldn’t personally relate to their very chaotic lifestyle — the partying, drugs, and one-night stands every weekend just aren’t my thing — but that’s definitely more of a “me” thing than a fault of the book. I did absolutely love the Taylor Swift references, though. Big win, haha.

Final thoughts (sorry, this was a little all over the place!): I enjoyed this book. The writing is sharp and heartfelt. But something was just... missing for me. It didn’t fully click.

Still, it feels like Everything I Know About Love crossed with Blue Sisters, so if you enjoyed those, you’ll probably love this one too! I’d recommend it!

One of the most nuanced looks at grief I’ve read in recent memory. Grief is at the heart of the story, but the characters rarely express their sadness about losing their friend. Rather, they use humour to deflect, and drinking and drugs to forget entirely. The narration from all the women almost sidesteps the death of Lydia, treating it in an offhand manner. Thus, Thirst Trap is both lighthearted and funny, but morbid and heartbreaking in a way that really works.

The voices in this are so strong and distinct from one another. The house binding them together but barely holding itself in one piece is a wonderful metaphor. Some great coming of age anecdotes and good old millennial humour.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, and will be recommending to others!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This is a good read, the characters are well drawn, relatable and easily distinguishable and I enjoyed this slice of life book.

I was engaged with all the women and I wanted things to go well for them. They are all goodhearted, lively, amusing women who are not living their best lives.

The book is vividly written and is very funny in places - i particularly liked the description of someone in a rush as being like a pensioner running late for mass - it's funny because it's true!

I also think that the book paints quite a realistic picture of the lives of many young woman today.. As an older woman I am sad however, that these young women's lives seem rather empty and meaningless. All the women seem to do is work in jobs they don't enjoy, have lots of casual sex and take lots of drugs. That is all very well, surely, when you are in your early twenties but these women are 30 and are throwing away their lives. Worst of all, they don't even seem to be enjoying themselves that much!

Having said that, I enjoyed sharing their experiences for the duration of the book and a lot of it took me back to my early 20s. I think this would be a good book for a book club as there could be a lot to discuss about the opportunities available to women and they choices they make,

Look I LOVED this, like a weird, huge amount. It's so messy and funny and devastating, a perfect summary of that awful time when your friends all get married and you're wondering what drugs you can mix with your drinks. I thought it would be much more earnest, because of the subject matter, but I genuinely laughed out loud reading this. One of the most convincing depictions of friendship I've read in a long time.

Thirst Trap
By Grainne O'Hare

Three friends sharing a house in Belfast, living from sesh to sesh, in low paid jobs and no serious romance on the horizon. Their fourth house mate died last year and her anniversary highlights how stuck in a rut they are.

Told in alternating narratives, this opens strongly with some witty dialogue and potentially interesting voices. With short chapters I thought I was going to fly through this one, but by the time each character was on their second chapter they began to grow less distinct and I found myself getting confused with who was supposed to be who.

As they fall in and out with each other, it's hard to root for their friendship, because their dynamic isn't demonstrated on the page, other than some wisecracking, the mentions of their previous shared lifestyle and their parallel efforts to procure drugs. It could have been comedic if it weren't so sad.

This might suit millennials more, especially if you can do a decent Belfast accent in your head. As someone who clung to aimless singledom a bit longer than necessary I thought this might resonate, but the cultural references mostly went over my head.

I really wanted to like this debut, and while the narrative arc and character behaviour weren't too my taste, I can see strong writing and interesting language technique. I will certainly read her next book.


Publication Date: 12th June 2025
Thanks to #Netgalley and #panmacmillan for providing an eGalley for review purposes.

Thirst Trap is a raw exploration of grief, friendship and adulthood. It was a candid look at the lives of the three women we follow.
The house they is falling apart and a great metaphor for the characters feelings. I absolutely loved the Belfast setting and was transported there. The writing is full of sharp wit and emotive making for a captivating experience. Tender moments are broken up with fun scenes, like taking a cactus to a club on a night out. I loved the depiction of grief in all its messy forms. If you want a book that’s deeply relatable then this is for you. An amazing debut and I will be reading more from this author. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Thirst Trap is a sharp, witty, and emotionally resonant exploration of friendship, grief, and the often messy transition into adulthood. Set in a crumbling house in South Belfast, the story follows three women—Maggie, Harley, and Róise as they navigate life a year after the sudden death of their friend Lydia. The novel delves into their attempts to hold onto the past while confronting the inevitable changes that come with turning thirty.

The writing is both humorous and poignant, capturing the complexities of female friendships in an authentic way that feels believable to the reader. The alternating perspectives of the three protagonists offer readers a deep dive into their individual experiences which I really enjoyed.

The novel’s strength lies in its ability to balance humor with emotional depth. The characters’ flaws and vulnerabilities are depicted with empathy, making them relatable and human. This book felt like reading about people I knew in my 20's, and I think it would be relatable to a lot of people out there. The narrative doesn’t shy away from difficult topics such as substance abuse, eating disorders, and the complexities of grief, yet it handles these themes with sensitivity and nuance.

Thirst Trap is a compelling read that offers a candid look at the trials and tribulations of friendship and personal growth. O’Hare’s debut marks her as a promising voice in contemporary fiction, and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

The fact that I’m far from the target audience for the debut novel from this Northern Irish born Newcastle resident was emphasised by me having to look up the meaning of the title which would probably be self-explanatory to a younger, female audience, and I’m still not entirely convinced I’ve got the definition sorted in my head.
We are in Belfast in 2019 and three friends, Roise, Maggie and Harley are celebrating Roise’s 30th birthday and trying to get a cactus plant into a nightclub that she’d been given earlier on that evening. All three are due to hit this milestone birthday with likely large amounts of alcohol and drugs. The three live together in a run-down but well-loved rented property clinging on to when there used to be four of them, but Lydia is no longer around.
These three are great characters, even if it took me a while to sort one from the other. Roise is still smarting from a break-up with Brendan, Maggie has a frustratingly spontaneous relationship with Cate and Harley, probably the most out of control of the three is fuelled by nights out, casual sex and drink and drug hangovers.
Grainne O’Hare has written about these young women and their lives candidly and with great warmth. Theirs is a friendship which has stood the test of time but what will happen when those around them are buying their own places, making impactful life choices and settling down? This is very often laugh-out-loud funny, the girls’ interactions with each other and characters they encounter are great. Full of good intentions, but regularly sideswiped by the prospect of a great night out, even though they are all aware that time could be running out on their lifestyle.
This is an extremely enjoyable novel, highly memorable characters facing events that you often want to read about whilst covering your eyes with your hands and peeping through the gaps. It is raw, touching, emotional and feels totally real. It’s blessed with a striking front cover and should end up selling a lot of copies.

Thirst Trap is published by Picador on 12th June 2025. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

I adored this book. It felt like reading a season of Lena Dunham’s show Girls.

It’s about being a woman in your late twenties — growing into adulthood and navigating everyday life with friends, family, romantic relationships, and more. I loved how each character’s flaws and insecurities were woven into the story. Being an adult isn’t easy!

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC!

Thank you so much for access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review!! A few of my booksta friends who are actually from Belfast backed me up on this point- this book is so full of local anecdotes and quirks that it'll feel like a warm hug for anyone local. Our three main girls are flawed but painfully real, so that its easy to imagine ourselves in their shoes. The writing was so relaxed but still flowed beautifully- it kind of read like a diary?
Special mention to the cover too- it's going to look gorgeous on any shelf and I already know my local bookstore will have it in central display.

Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'Hare is an incredible emotional ride with three resilient Belfast women who have been through a lot but are not ready to settle down to a quiet life just yet.

Following the loss of their friend, Roise, Harley and Maggie remain together sharing the house they rent from Frankie who is well-connected and provides other "products" when requested.

The girls experience a range of highs and lows as they come to terms with the events of a year ago; each dealing with relationships and loss in their own chosen way.

The characters in Thirst Trap are wonderfully real, their predicaments are tragic and hilarious. I really enjoyed reading this down to earth not-quite "becoming-of-adulthood" story.

This is my most anticipated release of 2025. As soon as I saw the cover, I wanted this book. Then I read the premise and knew I needed this one.

Set in Belfast, we meet our three protagonists a year after Lydia has died. Harley, Maggie, and Róise still live in the same house share. The fourth bedroom door remains closed.

The days are filled with day jobs and hangovers. The evenings full of coke, cheap wine, and complicated sex.

Lydia is rarely spoken about. The girls weren't speaking when she died. Her death has left everything unresolved and messy.

This has me laughing out loud. The banter here is very witty and very funny. But also, it's so incredibly sad. I really loved the portrayal of female friendships in your late twenties, the clashing of loyalty and jealousy, along with the representation of grief, unspoken, hidden, until it's erupting

This is a really decent debut. The Irish are known for their storytelling, and this author doesn't disappoint.

Thirst Trap* was a brilliant exploration into friendships that carry us through our 20’s, what we do with feelings of jealousy, resentment and hurt as well as that that sometimes toxic closeness that causes us to think we know best for our friends’ choices.

absolutely tore through this, it was so much fun. outrageously funny but also very heartfelt! loved loved loved

Thought it was about time I got back to reading some of my neglected @netgalley titles so picked up this debut novel by Irish author @spacedolphin_ . No credits for the picture which is from @picadorbooks page as my proof copy doesn’t have a cover to show you. Anyway, the book focuses on four friends (three living, one deceased) who all share a house in Belfast. All three are pretty much single, in their thirties and still living life as twenty-somethings getting drunk, having zero responsibility and taking lots of drugs. The books focuses mainly on their relationships with each other and the circle of people they regularly mix with as well as their current f**k buddies. I liked the book but I didn’t love it and I think that’s principally due to the way I feel now as a 50-something. I think if I were still living my life this way I’d have had more connection to the characters but unfortunately I didn’t. Thanks to the publisher for the proof copy which is published next month.

“Sometimes friends hold you together.
Sometimes they’re why you’re falling apart.
Maggie, Harley and Róise are friends on the brink: of triumph, catastrophe, or maybe just finally growing up. Their crumbling Belfast houseshare has been witness to their roaring twenties, filled with questionable one-night stands and ruthless hangovers. But now fault-lines are beginning to show.
The three girls are still grieving the tragic death of their friend, Lydia, whose room remains untouched. Their last big fight hangs heavy over their heads, unspoken since the accident. And now they are all beginning to unravel.“