It was nice to see where Rachel's life took her and how things panned out for her but I'm not one of the OG fans who were fully invested in it so it didn't quite hit the mark for me. Keyes’ genuine understanding of addiction, rooted in her personal experiences, shines throughout and creates a real authenticity to the narrative . In the 21st century we have much more effective evidence-based therapies for helping addicts than expensive spells in rehab.

I have read one of Marian Keyes previous books in the Walsh family series and enjoyed it, so of course I decided to give this one a shot. I also laughed so loud, I read out passages to my husband, I was totally and utterly bewitched by the story. Can parallels be drawn between the familial dynamics in Again, Rachel and other series like the Seven Sisters ?I did finish it, and am ambivalent about the time spent doing so - sometimes you really do need to make up your own mind - so I’m going with a generous two stars. As always, Marian manages to mix tragedy and comedy in such a way that quite often you'll find yourself smiling while the tears are still rolling down your cheeks. Initially I was worried because Aoife McMahon wasn't narrating, but once again it was proven that an author narrating their own work always adds something extra.

When I first found out Keyes was working on another book in the Walsh Family series, I thought I was in the midst of a fever dream. Treatment slavishly follows and promotes the evangelical AA model - they seem completely okay with the fact that the clinic employs no doctors and dismisses essentially all medical treatments, which did not sit well with me.She never labours the point, but you are in no doubt as to the seriousness of the subjects she tackles. And it seems AA did work out for her so I guess good for her that she found a solution that worked for her. With all of Keyes main characters (they are big hot messes) Rachel is a character you can relate to, one you wished you could have as a friend. In this book, many forms of addiction are obviously discussed, but also there's a big section on pregnancy loss/stillbirth.