Reviews with content warning for Cancer - The Rachel Incident

Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

16 reviews

bethantg's review

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Definitely has friendship and relationships at its heart, with some interesting discussions about the grey areas of these relationships. My favourite aspect of this was the focus on how different people express their care for one another in unconventional ways, or how their struggle to show it at all. But for a character-focused book, the protagonist is massively lacking. She is only really defined by her actions, which she’s often unhappy with, but offers no introspection into these actions other than “I did a bad thing and I feel bad about it.” She also does nothing to rectify these mistakes or grow from them — if they’re resolved, it’s a matter of chance or another character’s decision.

(Carey for the former and Deenie for the latter.)

Her older self is not a character at all, more of a vessel that the story happens to.
Despite this gripe, this is well-written and an interesting coming-of-age story that just unfortunately didn’t really resonate with me on many points.

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katewhite77's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The kind of book you just want to hug.

This is a book about how hard it is to be a human being sometimes. Especially those early years of adulthood when you haven't quite found yourself yet.

The strange thing is that none of the characters are likeable, but neither are they unlikeable. This is firstly a reflection of all of us all, as I aluded to earlier, but also a reflection of how good the writing is because I felt I knew each of the main players intermety.

I would suggest going into this fairly blind plot wise and letting the story unravel itself before you. However, one important theme is women's reproductive health/rights.

If you like a twisy, turny book about messy relationships, which aren't always romantic, then this one is far you.

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jourdanicus's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow.

I don't remember where I heard this book recommended but I know I kept pushing back my library hold for it, and I'm glad I finally listened to it. So good!

I love a story told from the first person perspective of a woman main character, so that immediately put this book up my alley. Topics of abortion, feminism, friendship, complicated love are all catnip to me too.

The primary plot twist was so perfectly timed. I was so invested in the outcomes for the characters the entire time.

Just a perfect book for me personally, and my first 5⭐ read of 2024.

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bootsmom3's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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elderwoodreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is fully and completely worth the hype. Rachel as a character really resonated with me and I loved her narration. The only criticism I have is

the cheap "twist" of Carey being the husband. I wish that had been upfront because it makes a lot of the early book narration awkward. The journey of them getting together would have still been fully worth it without a looming "husband" figure

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shelbygibbs's review

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challenging emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

So enjoyed this! I’m in love with Carey as a character and I think everyone is so well written. Each chapter I said id pause there and was forced to keep reading by how good it was…

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annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-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

4.75

the bridge of "You're On Your Own, Kid" by Taylor Swift, excerpted here for your reading pleasure:

The jokes weren't funny, I took the money
My friends from home don't know what to say
I looked around in a blood-soaked gown
And I saw something they can't take away
'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned
Everything you lose is a step you take
So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it
You've got no reason to be afraid
[…]
You're on your own, kid
You always have been

i'm not sure if i didn't like the ending or if i just didn't want it to end.

i'm also conflicted on the narrative structure of being told through memory with reflections and commentary peppered in. it obviously allows for deeper, more mature insight, as well as effective foreshadowing, but oftentimes it was along the lines of "i was so stupid then" which like, show don't tell, and we're definitely sufficiently shown. which i don't think is a bad thing! but i know for others it is, and so this setup feels like a concession to the crowd that can't stand, for example, Sally Rooney novels because her twenty-something young women characters are annoying or self-involved or clueless (for example, from a review of Conversations with Friends: "One of the most pretentious and self absorbed gen-z/millenial 'I am a suffering artist who is better than anyone else' main characters. Something about the damaged female writer character that is really trying my patience these days"). i am a strong advocate for allowing women characters to be annoying and self-involved and clueless. that's not to say you have to enjoy reading about them, but i don't like media catered to people who believe otherwise; just count them out of your intended audience. so the narration winds up feeling to me like a lampshading cop-out.

big thought out of the way, yeah i loved this, a truly funny in-depth character study showing significant growth and change. i fell in love with Rachel and James (Devlin; Carey is fine). storygraph was spot-on with this recommendation, thanks babe <3

miscellaneous: i was happy to see Rachel become friends with other women by the end. being surrounded almost exclusively by men for that long cannot be good for one's mental health

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