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Summer 2026 Readalong
Read at least 1 book in the Summer 2026 Readalong.
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Fallen City (Fallen City Duology, #1)
Adrienne Young
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Livonia Chow Mein
Abigail Savitch-Lew
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Livonia Chow Mein
Abigail Savitch-Lew
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The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
Siddharth Kara
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The lit girlies have been singing this book's praises for years, so my expectations were quite high going in. Sadly, The Rachel Incident did not live up to my potentially unrealistic expectations, but nonetheless was a lovely read with a lot of heart.
Caroline O'Donoghue has a knack for storytelling and bringing complex interiority to life. All characters, from the mercurial and youthfully self-absorbed main characters to the deeply flawed yet sympathetic side characters, are drawn with a human roundedness that makes the story feel vivid and real.
While a very enjoyable reading experience, this book did not have much to say. The blurb and acknowledgement reference Dolly Alderton; I do see a lot of similarities in their writing, and I also have the same critiques. A coming-of-age meditation about struggling through your 20's is entertaining, but without something bigger to say it stays in "that was a nice story" territory.
I want my literary fiction to make me feel, to open me up to new ways of thinking, to change my perspective or offer a message or critique. The Rachel Incident did none of this, which kept it from being a full 5 star read and ultimately made the overall experience a bit lackluster.
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The Rachel Incident
Caroline O'Donoghue
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The Three of Us
Ore Agbaje-Williams
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Less (Arthur Less, #1)
Andrew Sean Greer
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Supporting* Women's Wrongs
Silver: Finished 10 Main Quest books.
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Sweetbitter Song
Rosie Hewlett
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Perfume & Pain
Anna Dorn
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