I read The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue for book club. Rachel works at a bookshop in Ireland, where she meets her best friend, James, who is closeted. They become intertwined with her married professor and his wife and enmeshed in their lives, though not in the way Rachel hopes.

This book is full of mess and friendship. The story is told from Rachel’s point of view. She is a flawed character but not a bad person. She does unkind things, but she regrets when others are hurt, and she does grow over the course of the book.

I enjoyed this one. I think the sense of tension was a little up and down, so it didn’t fully capture me the entire time, but I did like the nostalgia, friendship, and plight of your early 20s. I don’t think it quite compares to the magic of Sally Rooney, but if you’re a Rooney fan, you might also enjoy this one.