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jkamler's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Alcohol
Moderate: Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, and Outing
Minor: Classism, Cancer, Drug use, Grief, and Death of parent
astoriareader's review
reflective
slow-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? Yes
3.0
SYNOPSIS:
- Rachel becomes best friends with James, a gay man. An older Rachel reflects & tells us their story living in Cork, Ireland, in their early twenties.
- We learn how their lives intertwine with Rachel’s professor, Dr. Byrnes, and Rachel’s first love, Carey.
MY THOUGHTS
- Coming-of-age story
- A little slow in some parts
- I didn’t connect to the main character
- I didn’t love this book. It was an okay read to me.
- James felt like stereotypical gay bestie, and there wasn’t much else added to his personality.
- Parts of the story are messy, which is fine. I get it. We all make mistakes. The story felt unnecessarily long & slow in telling them.
- I did enjoy the political & social commentary about women’s issues in Ireland.
- I liked the ending. I wish we spent more time learning about Rachel in present day. The bulk of the book focuses on the time period of finishing college & the few months after graduating.
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️i’m in the minority. this coming-of-age story was just an ok read for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Infidelity
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Infertility, and Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent
beatriks's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
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
I loved the book from beginning to end. It’s such a smart book with to-the-point observations.
Personal growth is possible, self-reflection is invaluable.
I especially liked the cork-side of the book, a city I visited 7 years ago, and the reverberations of the financial crisis on the life of people in Ireland.
Personal growth is possible, self-reflection is invaluable.
I especially liked the cork-side of the book, a city I visited 7 years ago, and the reverberations of the financial crisis on the life of people in Ireland.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Infertility, Alcohol, Abortion, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
maregred's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Moderate: Infertility and Classism
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, Drug use, and Homophobia
ambersbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
At one point, I started to feel like it was taking forever to get to the end and how was this even going to wrap up because the characters were stuck in a loop of shitty decisions. And then it felt like I was suddenly at the end. Despite the slight drag in the middle (I’m probably not going to be in the majority with that opinion), it was good. Couldn’t stop thinking about it and couldn’t turn pages fast enough - filled with all of the horrible decisions made by those in their early 20s striking out in the world trying to find their place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Drug use
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
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
5.0
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, Alcohol, and Medical content
Moderate: Homophobia, Drug use, Sexual content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abortion, Infertility, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Chronic illness and Vomit
caoimheisme's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Abortion
Minor: Infertility
reads_eats_explores's review
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.
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: Sexual content, Abortion, Infidelity, Homophobia, Alcohol, Infertility, Cancer, and Drug use
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