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emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was pleasantly surprised by The Rachel Incident. It's another sad girl litfic/disaster girl novel with all the things you can expect from those: character-driven, slower paced, nuanced and detailed, all with characters who make questionable decisions. In the end, though, I loved these characters and I loved this story.
The Rachel Incident follows Rachel Murray in her last semester of college in 2010 and then a bit afterward, occasionally jumping to her present-day life. We see her move in with a co-worker from the bookstore she works at, James, who is a closeted gay man. They immediately hit it off, and in his plot to get Rachel to hook up with the English professor she has a crush on, he ends up hooking up with the professor instead. After Rachel graduates, she interns for the professor's wife, who works in publishing, and a myriad of chaos ensues all alongside Rachel trying to figure out life and find stable work during the 2010 economic crisis.
I really related to Rachel in a lot of ways. I felt like the general topics of finding friendship, making any kind of connection, searching for a career, and trying to find a place in the world after college were all very relatable. It made me laugh out loud at times. I loved the overall arc of the story, and the journeys these characters took from start to finish. I enjoyed the writing style and the ways in which the author caught the essence of scene-building with her words. I pictured everything vividly. I felt every emotion. And, unlike some disaster girl novels, I enjoyed watching Rachel grow into a person with merit.
The Rachel Incident follows Rachel Murray in her last semester of college in 2010 and then a bit afterward, occasionally jumping to her present-day life. We see her move in with a co-worker from the bookstore she works at, James, who is a closeted gay man. They immediately hit it off, and in his plot to get Rachel to hook up with the English professor she has a crush on, he ends up hooking up with the professor instead. After Rachel graduates, she interns for the professor's wife, who works in publishing, and a myriad of chaos ensues all alongside Rachel trying to figure out life and find stable work during the 2010 economic crisis.
I really related to Rachel in a lot of ways. I felt like the general topics of finding friendship, making any kind of connection, searching for a career, and trying to find a place in the world after college were all very relatable. It made me laugh out loud at times. I loved the overall arc of the story, and the journeys these characters took from start to finish. I enjoyed the writing style and the ways in which the author caught the essence of scene-building with her words. I pictured everything vividly. I felt every emotion. And, unlike some disaster girl novels, I enjoyed watching Rachel grow into a person with merit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Abortion
Moderate: Infertility, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Terminal illness, Death of parent
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is primarily set in 2008-2011 Cork, Ireland. The economy is in a terrible recession and Rachel is graduating with an English degree and no job lined up. I was immediately hooked by the writing and deeply invested in Rachel’s love life and the tangled web that her and her best friend James were weaving in the lives of others. The book covers many heavy topics (homophobia, abortion) while also having an amused or amusing tone at times. I’m not totally sure to explain it but I really enjoyed reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Abortion, Pregnancy
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Alcohol
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.
I’m deciding to give this book 4.25 stars.
My favorite sorts of books are those that capture societal dynamics and boil them down to show how they manifest into interpersonal dynamics, and this did that. Gay rights and reproductive rights in the Irish context are explored effortlessly well here.
The premise is a little predictable given the description, but the author still builds tension really well. The pacing is like a 6/10—there’s sort of a split timelines element, and the part where those are reconciled in the middle/end is by far the weakest point—the pacing is really thrown off, and a lot of character growth (which I do think is necessary and important) is crammed into a small amount of pages, so it’s tough to buy in to that arc. Still, I liked the book’s conclusion.
I see the comparisons between Sally Rooney and this book, beyond just being Irish. If you enjoyed Conversations with Friends, you will likely enjoy this a lot. If you liked The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne, this has similar themes. I’d recommend this to fans of Phoebe Bridgers and Lorde as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I couldn’t think of anything I anted differently from this book and I really enjoyed reading it so 5 stars!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Pregnancy
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Classism
challenging
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Rachel Incident. I rolled my eyes at the title at first, but once I’d read the climactic scene, it suddenly became a perfect fit. This is the hilarious and heartfelt story of platonic soulmates, and the writing is so fast-paced and witty that I never wanted to put it down. With undeniable humor leading the way, O’Donoghue joins the intricate character relationships of Sally Rooney with the harsh realities of late aughts/early 2010s Ireland—recession, barriers to reproductive care, homophobia. This book is so good it makes me want to squeal and do a little dance and also read everything else Caroline O’Donoghue has written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Medical content, Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Infertility, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Chronic illness, Vomit
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Alcohol
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“The Rachel Incident is an all-consuming love story. But it's not the one you're expecting. It's unconventional and messy. It's young and foolish. It's about losing and finding yourself. But it is always about love.”
I knew as soon as I saw The Rachel Incident advertised that I would be reading it. I am only delighted I made that decision as I, captivated from page 1, devoured the book in a day.
Primarily set in Cork against the backdrop of the recession, this story charts the story of Rachel Murray and James Devlin, who share a damp, dilapidated house in Shandon.
Rachel and James meet at the bookstore where they work; they are inseparable from the get go but have very different backgrounds. She’s a student, the child of middle-class parents hit hard by the financial crash, himself reared in poverty. When he spots her crush on her married professor, Dr Byrne, James sets about helping her to act on it, but things take a different turn from the one Rachel hoped, putting their friendship at risk.
Rachel is our narrator, a girl in her early 20s battling to find independence and her place in the world. Rachel’s voice is wonderfully rich and full of sarcasm. She is funny and self-deprecating and so relatable, realistic and raw that it almost feels like she is writing a memoir.
Interlaced through the book, we also hear from the older Rachel, a journalist in London, as she reflects on her current life and back on her previous self, the decisions she made, and why.
The Rachel Incident is written beautifully, it covers some deep, hard-hitting subjects, but they’re covered with great sensitivity and plenty of humour. I cried for the characters, but I also cried laughing.
I am weak for The Rachel Incident; it deserves all the love 5 ⭐️
Caroline O’Donoghue, you have me very homesick now girl, … I'm off to look at flight availability.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this advance copy in return for an honest review.
I knew as soon as I saw The Rachel Incident advertised that I would be reading it. I am only delighted I made that decision as I, captivated from page 1, devoured the book in a day.
Primarily set in Cork against the backdrop of the recession, this story charts the story of Rachel Murray and James Devlin, who share a damp, dilapidated house in Shandon.
Rachel and James meet at the bookstore where they work; they are inseparable from the get go but have very different backgrounds. She’s a student, the child of middle-class parents hit hard by the financial crash, himself reared in poverty. When he spots her crush on her married professor, Dr Byrne, James sets about helping her to act on it, but things take a different turn from the one Rachel hoped, putting their friendship at risk.
Rachel is our narrator, a girl in her early 20s battling to find independence and her place in the world. Rachel’s voice is wonderfully rich and full of sarcasm. She is funny and self-deprecating and so relatable, realistic and raw that it almost feels like she is writing a memoir.
Interlaced through the book, we also hear from the older Rachel, a journalist in London, as she reflects on her current life and back on her previous self, the decisions she made, and why.
The Rachel Incident is written beautifully, it covers some deep, hard-hitting subjects, but they’re covered with great sensitivity and plenty of humour. I cried for the characters, but I also cried laughing.
I am weak for The Rachel Incident; it deserves all the love 5 ⭐️
Caroline O’Donoghue, you have me very homesick now girl, … I'm off to look at flight availability.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this advance copy in return for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Drug use, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Abortion, Alcohol