Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

50 reviews

jareadforfilth's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

I loved this book so much, the writing just sucks you in and Rachel is such a magnetic character, through all of her flaws and insecurities there is such a heart there. This story is mostly a retrospective which I think is perfect because of the amount of strain and stress that comes through, letting us know that in the end Rachel is more or less ok from the beginning. I also love what an amazing ally she was to her roommate and think the queerness in this story is beautifully represented, visceral, and authentic. I could see bits of myself in James throughout and the sentiments he experienced in his identity. The great drama at the crux of this story is so ruthless, and the perseverance displayed is aspirational. Through so much hardship, beauty emerged and it just makes me sooooo hopeful and inspired. This book is exceptional!!
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kaddictwithapen's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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danajoy's review against another edition

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emotional reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.25

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bethantg's review

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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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lexim's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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brynpemery's review against another edition

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

5.0

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sharu901's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.5

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nnennaya_'s review

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

5.0

very proud of how good this book is—bring back real literary fiction 
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kirstenw13's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

So good, so sweet. There were twists, there were turns. There were besties and their woes. A great book about friendship, what love can mean, the publishing industry and abortion access in Ireland in the early 2010s. 
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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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