Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Rachel Incident

Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

58 reviews

jammy_sam's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

One-sentence synopsis:
30-something woman reflects on the messy chaos of experiencing her 20s during a financial crisis in Ireland.

Who this book is for:

folks who absolutely luuuuurve a character-focused story (and can handle very little plot)
those who enjoy flawed characters
millenials
probably also 20-somethings
readers who enjoy a reflective first person POV narration

My Thoughts:
Honestly, I love a good character story. I sometimes found this book almost uncomfortably relatable, though for the most part my 20s looked absolutely nothing like Rachel and James's (and I am okay with this)! The chaos was pretty delicious though definitely emotional at times when you look outside of the near-absurdity of the scenarios our main gal finds herself in.

The big "Rachel Incident" happens quite late into the story, and it is the most plot we ever see - and I loved that! I loved all the time we got to spend getting to know our characters first before watching them navigate an unimaginable situation.

The Rachel Incident is a story about the deepest of friendships, love, and growing up. We get to touch on some deeply emotional and important topics including queerness, infidelity, and reproductive rights.

The narration honestly kept me reading non-stop. I struggled to look away as the reflective nature of the storytelling just made it feel like Rachel was my bestie and she was telling me the story of her young adulthood over some tea.

It was just delightful and made me feel so many different things. I feel like my 30-year-old self picked this up at the perfect time.

Content Warnings

bookblaster's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

bella_cavicchi's review

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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

4.0

I can't believe I thought I had tired of books starring young women falling apart and falling in love in their anxious, messy, horny 20s.

This was a joy in every sense of the word.

Content Warnings

eliseelk's review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

meganclark's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

rallythealli's review

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

americattt's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

“When something good happens to you at that age, you can’t settle with the notion that it’s a one-off. You want it to be the beginning of a tradition. That’s how I felt about that night: I wanted it already to be a memory, a foundational one, a first evening of many similar evenings. I wanted future nostalgia, a rear-view, years-old fondness for something that had literally just happened.”

Content Warnings

sineadisreadingagain's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

Content Warnings

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!!

Content Warnings

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

Content Warnings

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