Welcome to Litsy!

I really enjoyed this! #readyourkindle @CBee

At times it gave me Bridget Jones vibes. It‘s not my usual genre and honestly, I only read it because it was set in my home city, Cork Ireland. Tara Flynn‘s narration was perfect. It truly felt like I was home again. Had the right balance of humor and drama. Five🌟

Final quarterfinal and it‘s a doozy! Shocking your hosts a bit, The Rachel Incident takes the final battle. They were tied going into the final two votes we received, which both went for Rachel. Are you surprised by this result like we were? #LitsyToB24

Now it‘s time to vote in the semifinals, and soon we will announce and bring back the zombies, too! 🧟‍♀️ Who are you hoping to see return? Link to vote: https://forms.gle/Hh3Tr8UNQbrsMmH1A

I really enjoyed this coming-of-age story. I loved all the characters, the Cork setting, the humour and the unexpected twists. However, I do have to say that there were other #LitsyToB24 picks I found more interesting and thought-provoking, if less enjjoyable. @squirrelbrain @Megabooks @BarbaraBB

#gottacatchemall @PuddleJumper (prompt 20, Karrablast: Instant connection)
#52bookclub24 (prompt 38, Published by Hachette)

Been saving this book set in Cork in the 2010s for St Patrick‘s day weekend. So far it‘s an apt look at being in your early 20‘s.

This one wasn‘t for me. Told in a meandering way between the present and the past, when a person from her past is brought up in conversation, Rachel remembers her formative years in her early 20s. I found Rachel to be insufferable. The decisions she made, the lack of any personal responsibility for her own situation, her deception…it was all too over the top. I kept listening to see how it would all end, and that was unsatisfying, too. ⭐️⭐️/5 ❤️📚

Our final first round bracket for #LitsyToB24, and The Rachel Incident wins, with a 60/40 split. Both of these books were looking back at your younger self - did you identify with either / both of them?

Thank you for all your comments on the first round - now is the time to vote for the quarterfinals! Here‘s the link - please vote this weekend and Meg will take over on Monday with the next round‘s results.

https://forms.gle/BnGAYebiyBjwiGuGA

Started this on audio today. Not sure how I feel about it yet. I‘m about 30% in, and I don‘t really like any of the characters. 🤷‍♀️ I am going to keep going because I don‘t hate it, but I already know this one won‘t be a 4⭐️ or 5⭐️ read. ❤️📚

This fell somewhere in the middle for me. A bit of an adult coming-of-age story, I didn‘t particularly like or dislike any character. I felt largely that nothing happened and it dragged in some areas, but I also wanted to know what would happened between the affair and the friendships. #litsyTOB24

I enjoyed this warm, witty, big-hearted novel about Rachel & her best friend James, & how rooted it is in time & place (Cork truly comes alive). The characters are so well-drawn, & the relationships & fuck-ups that happen during the early-20s are realistic while being entertaining enough to power a whole novel that I didn't want to stop turning the pages. Many of the lines made me laugh out loud, especially in the first half. The writing is fab.

I loved everything about this book. It is so much more than the book jacket blurb. It's about friendship, coming of age, stories we tell ourselves in our head, being gay and not being able to come out, reproductive rights, humor, complicated families, socioeconomic issues.

#LitsyTOB #TBRTarot #Bookspin

My early twenties were a long time ago but I really connected with Rachel‘s story in many ways. 4.5 🌟

@rmaclean4 @kwmg40 @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @RebelReader @jlhammar @Addison_Reads @Ruthiella @sarahbarnes @ImperfectCJ @Well-ReadNeck

Today brings you a tale of 2 #toblonglist titles because for both I found the MC to be extremely relatable… but for the tagged, this meant the 20-something self-involvedness & resulting life implosion was cringe but i rooted for her; & yet the American Mermaid mc is making me want to hide in shared shame and bail... Weird how that shared characteristic is affecting me so differently. Does AM get more fun, all yall who've read it for #tob2024?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Coming of age/young adulthood story of an Irish woman and, her gay roommate/BFF and and a unique set of circumstances they (mis)manage leading to the “incident”. I‘ve seen this compared to Sally Rooney‘s books, but I found these characters more sympathetic and the situations more interesting and morally ambiguous. I enjoyed it! #LitsyToB24

I ultimately quite liked this one, although there were definitely times when it was iffy. A little bit to read and relatable perhaps?

This book was quite lovely. Coming of age story set in Ireland in 2010 dealing with friendship, love and finding your place in the world. It brought back memories of my own youth. All the characters felt so real. They were all flawed in their own ways, but totally relatable. The writing style is compelling and kept me reading late into the night. I did not want to put it down after I started reading. Will definitely read more from this author.

#Two4Tuesday

1. Chocolate or jewelry

2. They‘re a little dysfunctional but I would say Rachel and James in the tagged book are a good example.

Thanks @TheSpineView for the tag. I hadn‘t done one of these in a while!

This book is about the intersecting lives of several young Irish adults and a professor and his wife. The young Irish adults are so tiresome, but believable in a way because we‘ve all been there. We‘ve all been 20 something and trying to figure out who we are. This is the second book in a row I‘ve read that got better, the further into the story. Plus a good ending!

I struggled with this one as it‘s about 2 young, early ‘20‘s”, people in Ireland, 2010. I had no patience with the “stupidity” of youth. But the second half of the book was much better as they grew up to adulthood. And it took a while to get to the incident.I loved the ending.

#LitsyToB24 @Megabooks @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain

#LitsyToB24 I listened to the audio version and the narrator had a lovely Irish lilt. I think that‘s why I listened for as long as I did. But I felt like I‘d already spent more time than I ought on a book that just didn‘t interest me. I hope other people are getting more from reading this than I could.

When most of your library holds come in at the same time…😩
#Litsytob24

The problem with genuine memories is that you know too much. It ruins everything 📚🍷🇮🇪

Finally getting started on my #LitsyToB24 reading list, and what an excellent start it was! I really loved this book! And I don‘t know that I would have picked it up without the ToB. So thank you ladies! I loved these characters and the whole story. It just had so much heart, and was still a whole lot of fun!

Two college aged friends, broke and unsure about their futures, stumble through bad decisions, relationships, and bad decisions about relationships. This was charming and relatable and even as I cringed a bit I also saw parts of myself in my twenties in Rachel. A winner from the #litsytob24 list.

#12DaysOfChristmas #12BooksOf2023

In November I started reading the #ToB longlist which is every year a huge source of inspiration. I have discovered so many fantastic books and authors this way. This year The Rachel Incident is such a discovery and, cliffhanger 😉😂, my final book tomorrow, will be a ToB- longlisted book as well!

My pick for July is this excellent story about the messiness of young adulthood. It was a perfect summer read!
#12daysof2023
@Andrew65

This was a very anticipated book for me because I‘d heard great things. I stayed up really late to finish it in one day, so it definitely lived up to the hype. Rachel deals with complicated relationships during a time of chaos in Ireland, when the economy had crashed and there was a lot of struggle. It‘s funny and dramatic, and I loved it. I think it really captures that sense of desperation and confusion.

This was my #BookSpin for December

And now for some positivity! This was brilliant. I loved every bit of this Rooney-adjacent tale of Irish best friends James and Rachel who put each other first above all else. Readers get to know them during their collage years and briefly get to know them as adults. One of my favorites from our #litsyToB24 list so far.

I had high expectations going into this one given reviews here and I was not disappointed. What a great book. A perfectly crafted story and phenomenal characters. I loved the juxtaposition of Rachel‘s adult perspective as she tells the story from her youth; it felt authentic and without too much judgment of her younger self. A favorite of 2023!

#ToB
I went into this expecting it to be Sally Rooney-esque but it‘s so much more than that. (I don‘t dislike Rooney but I find her characters a bit whiny and unlikeable). This was nothing of the sort - it was sharp and funny and, even though the MCs did some slightly iffy things, I couldn‘t help loving them.

I‘m now debating whether this makes my #top23of23 (along with another #ToB book I just finished!) which is why I haven‘t posted it yet!

I know this book is on all the lists, but I just couldn‘t get into it. I loved the cover though.

repost for @BarbaraBB, @Megabooks, @squirrelbrain:

We do have our #LitsyToB24 shortlist! We hope you like the results (based on 30 voters), we know we are!!

Meg, Helen and I will come up with the brackets soon! For now you can make your reading plans for our own tournament in March 2024!

Please feel free to join us, let us know if you want to, so we‘ll add you to our taglist!

original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2675018

I loved this book! I love pie! 💕

Rachel is retelling a story that needs the decade or more reflection of her younger self and an experience that she wants closure on, especially when news forces it to her top of mind. This book is about growing up, finding the love of friendship and the love of passion. Definitely a “found family” book which is often my favorite. STACK IT! 🌟

Cherry Cranberry Pie per my brother‘s request for Christmas 🎄🍒

This one is a tough call for me, as I found Rachel immature, irresponsible, and irritating. I pretty much hated the first half. But the second half allowed me to have much empathy for her, as she went through some seriously painful things in a sort of loss of innocence. If it weren‘t a #tob24 book, I would have bailed early. But the second half is strong enough that I give this a soft pick.

#BookReport 48/23

The tagged book was my favorite this week, although both others were good reads as well. A satisfying week!

I really liked this and flew through it. She really captured something about the university experience and being that age. But it also has a propulsive plot, and relationships you get invested in. It's mostly set in Cork at the time of the recession, but from the perspective of Rachel years later. Great read.

What‘s not to like about this book? We experience the lives of best friends James and Rachel as they move through their 20‘s. Broke, questioning their futures, falling in love with others and taking one for the team when necessary. As time moves on we see the consequences of their prior decisions. The book is meaty while also being a really pleasant way to spend time with characters you root for. #TOB24

Hairdresser reading, with the dog. Yes, Daisy has come to my hairdressers and had lots of fuss.

I wasn't going to read this one - comparisons to Rooney put me off - but then it kept coming up for me on NPR's fabulous Best of 2023 site and I decided to try it. I'm so glad I did. The way this is structured, Rachel as a slightly older narrator looking back at her twenties, sets it apart and above. It allows such beautiful tenderness for 20s Rachel and James, while also being aware of the naive, slightly narcissistic, bordering on (Cont'd)

I loved this book, that took me back to the days I was young and broke and wild too. Rachel is such a loving character, as are both James's! The book was funny and tragic, and felt very true. The plot is great too. I am left with a happy yet melancholic feeling. Another favorite of the #ToB24 longlist!

First world problem: I‘m listening to one book and reading the other (often between 2-4 am) and, at least at this point in the two books, I‘m confusing the two plots. They feel very similar but different. #TOB24

Sometimes I‘m fully aware that the moon and stars aligned and provided me the right book at the right time and immersed me in the experience and joy of reading. This was that book. The whole situation read so believable to me. A reminder we just don‘t know when we are in it, the year that will become so pivotal to the rest of our life.

.

I really enjoyed this book about friendship, love and growing up.

#Two4Tuesday

🍁1. The tagged book was one of the most enjoyable books I read in September.

🍁 2. I‘m looking forward to tackling Tess of the D‘Urbervilles this October for #Pemberlittens #Hashtagbrigade I‘ve never read any Hardy before.

Feel like playing? Consider yourself tagged! 😃

I really enjoyed this coming-of-age novel set in Cork during the 2008 recession. It‘s narrated by the Rachel of the title, looking back on her college years and is about navigating adult life, the callousness of youth, abortion rights in Ireland and as an underlying plot point, the power of friendship. The enduring friendship between James and Rachel was for me the core of the novel.

I‘m using this for #Booked2023 “About Reproductive Rights”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thoroughly enjoyed this Irish coming-of-age novel! It really elicited the confusion and contradictions of being in your early twenties, when your friends feel like family and you‘re trying to make sense of yourself and the world. It felt authentic and nuanced; cringey, but tender - completely bingeworthy! 🎧

Much funnier than I thought it was going to be. A coming-of-age of sorts, with 20-something, besties Rachel and James, becoming entangled with Rachel‘s charismatic professor and his wife. Nostalgic and witty, Rachel is definitely a hot mess, but endearing none the less, despite her very questionable decisions! Told by Rachel, looking back at her time as a young adult in Ireland, the “incident‘ isn‘t quite what you‘d expect. A really fun read.

I kinda hate comparing all young female Irish writers to Sally Rooney, but this does read like Rooney lite. While O‘Donoghue writes about the 2010 recession and abortion, this had a more darkly funny vibe than Rooney.

James and Rachel immediately hit it off as besties working at a bookstore, and their lives become intimately entwined with one of Rachel‘s professors and his wife. Rachel chronicles the tumultuous year retrospectively from 2022.