Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

16 reviews

bxcvi's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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13eyond's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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merrynthomas's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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lilalhreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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kimmykelly's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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reads_eats_explores's review

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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

5.0

“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.

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