{"product_id":"the-rachel-incident-9780349013558","title":"The Rachel Incident","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe international bestseller: a hilarious, heartfelt story of all-consuming and unexpected love\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''I loved it'' \u003cb\u003eCOCO MELLORS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''If you''ve ever been young, you will love \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e like I did'' \u003cb\u003eGABRIELLE ZEVIN\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Funny, nostalgic, sexy'' \u003cb\u003eMONICA HEISEY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Hilarious, wise and wonderfully written'' \u003cb\u003eGRAHAM NORTON\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Easily 13\/10 . . . Funny, lovely, romantic'' \u003cb\u003eMARIAN KEYES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''I loved it ... had me reading with my hand over my heart'' \u003cb\u003eTAFFY BRODESSER-AKNER\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e____________________________________________________________________________\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEveryone in Cork remembers the Rachel Incident. But what really happened? It''s simple. It''s complicated. It''s about love, sex and friendship. It''s definitely about betrayal. And, above all, it''s the story of Rachel and James, two twenty-somethings who met at a bookshop, became best friends, and spent one unforgettable year screwing up and growing up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e____________________________________________________________________________\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eShortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and a TikTok Book Award - \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eBook of the Year (UK \u0026amp; Ireland)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Reading it is like hearing your funniest, sexiest friend tell you the best story they know'' \u003cb\u003eKATHERINE RUNDELL\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Sharply witty, warm-hearted and wise'' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''\u003c\/i\u003eO''Donoghue captures all the intensity of messy young love'' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMAIL ON SUNDAY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''A book full of love, and it is extremely easy to love reading it'' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eVOGUE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Chaos at its finest'' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSTYLIST\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e was a #2 bestseller in Ireland in June 2023\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's funny and nostalgic and the sex scenes are actually sexy ... \u003cb\u003eit's everything I want from a summer book\u003c\/b\u003e * Monica Heisey (bestselling author of REALLY GOOD, ACTUALLY), Elle Summer Reads *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFunny, fond and wittily observed\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA book full of love, and it is extremely easy to love reading it\u003c\/b\u003e * Vogue *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChaos at its finest\u003c\/b\u003e * Stylist *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA headlong read about being young and hopelessly in lust ... Funny, fond and wittily observed\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Times, Best Summer Reads *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSo intimately warm and witty that reading it is like hearing your funniest, sexiest friend tell you the best story they know. It's about being a young idiot, and the glorious intensity of friendship in your early twenties\u003c\/b\u003e * Katherine Rundell *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDeeply relatable and extremely \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003efunny\u003c\/b\u003e, and features a dinner party scene so awkward I had to put the book down and do a bit of breathing before I continued * Eva Wiseman, Observer *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSometimes the most passionate love stories are platonic\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eAs sharply witty as it is warm-hearted and wise\u003c\/b\u003e, this coming-of-age story about an Irish graduate and her gay best friend captures the intensity of friendship, the brittle craziness of youth and the desperation of gunning for an arts job in a recession * Guardian, Best Summer Reads *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEvery so often, a novel comes around that makes you excited about reading again. For me, this year that is Caroline O'Donoghue's gripping, moving \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e, which looks like it could be branded the book of the summer \u003c\/b\u003e... The book is full of witty insights that get you right to the heart of the character ... \u003cb\u003eO'Donoghue is a funny, smart, fearless voice who strikes the perfect balance of realism and romance, and \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident \u003c\/i\u003eis a stormer of a novel\u003c\/b\u003e * Emily Bootle, i news *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA deliciously complicated and very real romance with some refreshing twists. O'Donoghue captures all the intensity of messy young love, burnishing it with nostalgia and pointed wit\u003c\/b\u003e * Hephzibah Anderson, Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003eCaroline O'Donoghue\u003cb\u003e perfectly captures the intensity and high and lows of first love\u003c\/b\u003e, and while \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e is steeped in nostalgia and heartache, it's also \u003cb\u003every, very funny\u003c\/b\u003e * Red Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eAn unconventional love story \u003cb\u003efilled \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ewith heart and humour \u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003eYou'll gobble up \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident \u003c\/i\u003ein one bite and be left hungry for more\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Express *\u003cbr\u003eThe story feels slick and refined like a HBO series, but what gives it heart is O'Donoghue's raucous humour slathered on top. It's \u003cb\u003ea deeply satisfying novel about friendship, love and the uncertain Ireland of 2010\u003c\/b\u003e * Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003eCaroline O'Donoghue's best work yet, \u003cb\u003ea rich and nuanced read which is endlessly entertaining\u003c\/b\u003e * Irish Independent *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWill make you laugh and wince with its depiction of 20-something life\u003c\/b\u003e * Independent - Best Romantic Summer Reads *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooks by Irish women writers are hot these days, and this novel is on fire.... O'Donoghue deepens the familiar coming-of-age premise with riveting moral complications\u003c\/b\u003e * People Magazine, Book of the Week *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eO'Donoghue has a sharp eye for the tumultuous life of a young woman struggling to figure out who she is \u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003eprofoundly satisfying \u003c\/b\u003e... O'Donoghue has found a way to tell this story in scenes both \u003cb\u003eheartbreaking and funny\u003c\/b\u003e * Ron Charles, Washington Post *\u003cbr\u003eCapturing the problems and intensity of early 20-something life, with the added complications of the restrictions of Catholic Ireland, this bittersweet story is at times\u003cb\u003e laugh-out-loud funny\u003c\/b\u003e * Best Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHilarious, messy, and all the things being young and infatuated can often be\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003ecreates a world so\u003cb\u003e vivid\u003c\/b\u003e you feel it wrap around you ... \u003cb\u003eThis book won't leave you willingly, nor will you want it to\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e * Independent *\u003cbr\u003eAn nostalgia-drenched story about intense, 20-something love - with our friends * Grazia *\u003cbr\u003eThe stage is set for\u003cb\u003e a deliciously complicated and very real romance with some refreshing twists . . . \u003c\/b\u003eall the intensity of messy young love, burnishing it with nostalgia and pointed wit * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA compulsive, all-consuming story about love, friendship and the messiness of being young\u003c\/b\u003e * The i, Best New Books out in June *\u003cbr\u003eThe kind of \u003cb\u003ewarm-hearted and genuinely funny \u003c\/b\u003enovel that's the perfect antidote to a bad news day * Sunday Business Post *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eExuberant\u003c\/b\u003e, bitingly satirical....\u003cb\u003eRecalls the fiction of both Sally Rooney and Anne Tyler \u003c\/b\u003eas the author interrogates the dynamics of power, from academia to publishing houses to bedrooms....O'Donoghue steers us toward reckonings large and small, her hand steady on the tiller....A gratifying, accomplished novel * New York Times *\u003cbr\u003eIf you've ever had a literary internship that didn't really pay you; if you've ever contemplated writing a screenplay with a friend; if you've ever been unsure what to do with your degree in English; if you've ever wondered when the rug-buying part of your life will start; if you've ever avoided going home or run out of things to say to your parents; if you've ever built your life and your personality around a friend; if you've ever loved the wrong person, or the right person at the wrong time... In short,\u003cb\u003e if you've ever been young, you will love \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident \u003c\/i\u003elike I did\u003c\/b\u003e -- Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow\u003cbr\u003eMade me realise I'd never properly understood the word 'whipsmart' till now. \u003cb\u003eHilarious, wise and wonderfully written\u003c\/b\u003e * Graham Norton *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGorgeous, bittersweet and true\u003c\/b\u003e * Jenny Colgan *\u003cbr\u003eThe QFJ Index is HIGH (Queasy from Jealousy) on \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003eeasily 13\/10\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eFunny, LOVELY, romantic, DRENCHED in nostalgia, it made me extremely happy \u003c\/b\u003e(apart from the jealousy). I sense it'll be a BIG success * Marian Keyes *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDelightful! So funny and smart\u003c\/b\u003e * Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful *\u003cbr\u003eNavigates a young Irishwoman's chaotic early 20s with a cozy warmth that \u003cb\u003ehad me laughing out loud throughout\u003c\/b\u003e. This is \u003cb\u003eone of those catch-yourself-smiling-without-realizing-it books\u003c\/b\u003e * NPR *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCaroline O'Donoghue, where have you been all my life? \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e is a transportive joy, a superhighway to young friendship. \u003cb\u003eBig-hearted, witty and expertly crafted\u003c\/b\u003e - I want to live inside this book -- Sloane Crosley, author of Cult Classic\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eStarkly funny and heartbreaking\u003c\/b\u003e * Time Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI haven't enjoyed a book as much as \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident \u003c\/i\u003ein a long time \u003c\/b\u003e- \u003cb\u003eso, so sharp, funny and painfully relatable\u003c\/b\u003e. These characters defy tropes and stereotypes, they come alive on the page. I adored them * Laura Kay, author of Tell Me Everything *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI really loved this book.\u003c\/b\u003e It was gentle yet compelling and I was truly rooting for each character, even the ones I didn't like. \u003cb\u003eCaroline has a talent for writing complex characters with humour and tact.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e kept me guessing while feeling deeply comforted the whole way through -- Emer McLysaght, author of Oh My God What a Complete Aisling\u003cbr\u003eA book I took to my heart. . . A truly lovely read; complex in its emotional range, \u003cb\u003efunny\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003epoignant\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eheart-breaking,\u003c\/b\u003e beautifully plotted, with clever, pacey dialogue, vivid characters and a shocking plot twist that left me gasping in horror -- Barbara Trapido, author of Brother of the More Famous Jack\u003cbr\u003eI didn't know books could be this \u003cb\u003ehilarious\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003eso warm and comforting\u003c\/b\u003e, and the characters so real. I can't believe Rachel and James aren't people that I know -- I care about them so deeply! -- Annie Lord, author of Notes on Heartbreak\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI just had such a blast reading this book\u003c\/b\u003e, honestly - it was \u003cb\u003esharp and romantic\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003ehorribly funny\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003eso wise about love and youth\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eGlorious\u003c\/b\u003e * Eva Wiseman *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA gripping story, \u003c\/b\u003ebeautifully written, with an expertly woven plot, packed with charm and suspense that sneaks up on you and leaves you rooting for the characters and gasping for more. \u003cb\u003eA masterful, mesmerising tale\u003c\/b\u003e of the joy of obsessive and consuming friendship, the secrets that bind us, and the damage we can't help but inflict on the ones we love the most -- Justin Myers, author of The Fake-Up\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e worked its way under my skin and into my heart and has stayed there for months. It's such \u003cb\u003ea beautifully observed, open-hearted, clever, horny, desperately funny, joy of a book\u003c\/b\u003e. It captures, with unique eloquence, those years in our early twenties when every feeling reveals an exposed nerve, when every small event is tragedy or ecstasy, when we're trying to shape, and reshape (and reshape again), who it is we want to become.\u003cb\u003e I adored it\u003c\/b\u003e -- Kate Young, author of Experienced\u003cbr\u003eBy turns hilarious and heartfelt, breezy and bittersweet, \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ea full-throated, big-hearted romp\u003c\/b\u003e through early adulthood -- Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCaroline O'Donoghue writes characters that just sort of melt from the page and into your life - they are so relatable, so likeable, so beautifully messy\u003c\/b\u003e. Her story of twenty-somethings stumbling through life, trying to find themselves but usually finding awful rented accommodation and crappy jobs instead is instantly relatable. There is a dinner party scene so brilliantly staged and so exquisitely uncomfortable, I had to read it through my fingers, like watching some sort of horror movie. \u003cb\u003eBooks so rarely capture the sheer chaos, heartache, misery and euphoria of our twenties, effectively the internship stage of adulthood in so many ways, but this one does it effortlessly\u003c\/b\u003e. A \u003cb\u003etruly charming, moving, funny and sad \u003c\/b\u003enovel * Keith Stuart, author of The Boy Made of Blocks *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHas engaging central characters and relevant things to say \u003c\/b\u003eabout ghosting, student dog years, reproductive healthcare and the destructiveness of small-town gossip * Independent *\u003cbr\u003eCaroline O'Donoghue shines a laser beam on young adulthood, particularly the crazy intensity of those messy, beautiful friendships forged in the fires of romantic crisis. \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Incident\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003emade me nostalgic for my early twenties\u003c\/b\u003e. But even more than that, it made me wish I could go back and hug the person I was back then and tell her she'll be okay -- Lauren Fox, author of Send For Me\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI can't explain the sheer unadulterated glee of reading this\u003c\/b\u003e. It's \u003cb\u003eso good and absorbing and funny and honest and horny\u003c\/b\u003e. And \u003cb\u003ewhen I finished, I was bereft \u003c\/b\u003e... O'Donoghue's observant, incredibly smart writing and character work and story are just the peak of modern fiction for me right now * Lizzie Huxley-Jones, author of Make You Mine This Christmas *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn absolute pleasure \u003c\/b\u003eis the only way I can describe the sensation of losing myself in this \u003cb\u003eceaselessly charming, vulnerable, atmospheric story of human connection and self-discovery.\u003c\/b\u003e Fans of Sally Rooney and Coco Mellors will delight in the cozy Irish vibes and glimmering voice of Caroline O'Donoghue. -- Amanda Montell, author of Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language and Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism\u003cbr\u003eCapturing the madness and intensity of early 20-something life, with the added complications of the restrictions of Catholic Ireland, this \u003cb\u003ejoyful, passionate \u003c\/b\u003estory from the author of \u003ci\u003ePromising Young Women \u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003eat times spit-out-your-tea funny - and always a bittersweet delight\u003c\/b\u003e * Bookseller, Editor's Choice *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCompletely engrossing, intensely intimate, full of wry wit and hard-learned insights about finding friends and holding on to love. I'm struggling to think of a single person I know who wouldn't love this book\u003c\/b\u003e * Matthew Parker, author of One Fine Day *\u003cbr\u003eAn amusing coming-of-age saga -- Ones to Watch * Sunday Independent *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003esensational \u003c\/b\u003enew entry in the burgeoning millennial-novel genre * Kirkus Reviews (starred) *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWry, charming and fun\u003c\/b\u003e, O'Donoghue \u003cb\u003eknocks it out of the park \u003c\/b\u003ewith her third adult novel * RTE Guide *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ebrilliantly entertaining\u003c\/b\u003e, poignant novel about sex, friendship, and both losing and finding yourself\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e * Irish Country Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSharp, wryly original ... quirky, eminently readable, funny\u003c\/b\u003e * RTE, The best Irish books of 2023 *","brand":"Little, Brown Book Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48733641343319,"sku":"9780349013558","price":15.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780349013558.jpg?v=1720000979","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-rachel-incident-9780349013558","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}