I loved Breaking Point so was super excited to be granted access to this arc, albeit it a slower paced book I thoroughly enjoyed this .

It left me equally as unsettled with the story of Ann portrayed as a loney character after years of looking after her mother and Justin who’ wife has been dying for quite some time . I was left wanting to know the motivations to Justin’s wife’s her sudden wellness and return to the family home where Ann lives … the dual pregnancy as far fetched as it was probably happens to many .

I enjoyed 4 stars 🌟

EXCERPT: Sometimes the membrane between the knowledge that her mother was dead and the ides that she might somehow find a way back to Ann was very thin. In quieter moments, meditating or just before fully waking up in the morning, Ann swore she could feel a sense of her mother.
She tried to imagine what her mother might say to her now about the nightmare she was in.
Told you so?
Get the hell out of there?
Ann was so deeply in love with Justin and the life she imagined they were going to have when their baby arrived that she found it impossible to reverse out of this situation. She was dug in, up to her waist in it. And why should she be the one who had to graciously bow out? Didn't she have as much right to Justin, their home, this life, as Deborah did? She should have known. Everything was too perfect, too good to be true.
She should have listened to her sisters.

ABOUT 'IN HER PLACE': Who is the other woman? That's for you to decide. Ann devoted years to her mother's care - and now she's gone, Ann feels lost. Justin is also grieving, but his wife is still alive. Deborah is in a coma and she doesn't have long left. When the two meet, they are instantly drawn to one another and, before long, they've fallen deeply in love. Ann quickly moves in with Justin and his little girl, making them the perfect family. But just as Ann settles into her new life, Justin's is turned upside down. Unexpectedly, his wife has survived. Deborah is coming home. Neither knows what to do. But one thing is Ann has earned the life Deborah left behind, and she plans to keep it . . .'

MY THOUGHTS: I have said this before, and I'll say it again: I love a good moral dilemma. In Her Place is certainly that. Marian Keyes nailed it when she said: "It's propulsive, thought-provoking and unputdownable." I certainly couldn't put it down. I didn't always like the characters, but I couldn't put it down. I didn't always like what the characters were doing, but I couldn't put it down.

I don't think I have ever read a book quite like it. Quite often I found myself shouting at Ann; always a good sign. She is a very complex character; scarred, flawed, proud, grieving - but she had standards. HAD being the operative word. Justin is just so . . . perfect. And how does a woman resist perfect? She doesn't. Ann can't. Ann is suddenly in possession of everything she has ever wanted - she belongs.

But then things start to go wrong. Just minor things initially. Nothing that can't be fixed, worked around. But then there's THE BIG THING. You know the story about the boy and the leaky dyke? Keep that in mind.

The ending surprised me - in a good way. I certainly didn't see it coming although I may have hoped for something like it.

A very clever and addictive read. I'm now going to go find Ms Coffey's first book and devour that.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#InHerPlace #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Edel Coffey is an Irish journalist and broadcaster. She lives in Galway with her husband and children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK, Sphere via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of In Her Place by Edel Coffey for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

In Her Place was quite the gripping page turner of a read. It had plenty of enjoyable twists and turns and interesting characters that left me wanting to know more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for my ARC.

I absolutely loved Breaking Point by this author and strongly recommend anyone who loves a Jodi picoult book picks that up!
In Her Place was highly anticipated for me and I am very grateful to the publicist sending me an advanced copy.
From picking this up, I knew I was in for a tense, atmospheric ride.
I loved the twist at the end of this book and was so glad there was an happy ending to some degree. There were so many times I just wanted to shake Anne and pull her up on her naivety. It made me angry in places. Any book that makes you FEEL is such a good book.
Justin is definitely a character I never want me or my friends to meet
It didn’t take me too long to read this book, due to the short chapters and the tense writing.
This is one that comes highly recommended from me

A brilliant book that I loved from start to finish - highly recommend this book to my fellow readers 😊

I had some issues with this author's first novel and, unfortunately, didn't enjoy it as much as I thought.

In Her Place started off well, and I flew through the first 100 pages. It is certainly a page-turner, and will please fans of domestic thrillers with short, gripping chapters. I felt the story unravelled after this, mainly owing to the unrealistic actions of the protagonist. I understand that with a lot of thrillers you have to suspend disbelief, but this asked a little too much of me as a reader. I gave the protagonist some grace, but after a while I found it really difficult to understand why she made the choices she did.

As with the author's first novel, I found the writing quite tentative; almost simplistic. And there were some Irishisms that weren't true to an American-born and raised main character.

This wasn't a hit for me, sadly, but I do think it will strike a chord for anyone who loves a quick holiday read that is dramatic and propulsive.

In Her Place
by Edel Coffey

I really wanted to enjoy this book because I admire this author as a journalist. I have been trying to compose a review for days but everything I have to say about this publication just sounds unkind and makes me feel like a book snob, so probably best to admit that it just isn't for me.

Edel Coffey has done it again! Another completely immersive, gripping story about women under pressure. So many women will relate to Ann's story and the pressure she was under from herself and those around her to settle down, find a husband and have a baby (as if it's just as easy as that!). I adored Ann's character development in this book. It was so interesting to see how this pressure affected her decisions but also how she grew into herself and found her own strength. The character of Deborah added so much to the story and I really enjoyed the chapters from her point of view. While the women were at the forefront of this story, I found it interesting to take a step back every now and again and really look at Justin's actions and behaviours in all this.

Another phenomenal read from Edel Coffey! With many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC copy.

Since reading Breaking Point, I have been waiting for Edel Coffey’s next book. I couldn’t believe my luck to be accepted for an ARC. While In Her Place is quite different to Breaking Point, it’s uniquely brilliant.

In Her Place is a fast-paced thriller, with poignant moments of bereavement, and friendship. The author tackles themes of assisted dying, coercive control and abortion.

Following her mother’s death, Ann finds herself jobless, nearly homeless, with no savings and no social support. At just the right time she meets Justin, who brings romance and financial stability to Ann. However, she soon learns that Justin has a daughter and a wife, who is close to death. Ann struggles with her conscience initially, but slowly becomes more entangled and desperate to maintain the lifestyle she has become accustomed to. This begins to slip from Ann’s reach following a particularly lengthy trip to visit Justin’s wife… From there, things get increasingly darker…

I loved the characters, the twists and the pacing. The plot was unique and the twists were unpredictable.

Name of book: In Her Place
Name & Nationality of Author: Edel Coffey, Irish
Page count: 400
Rating: 3.5/5

Another suspenseful story from Edel Coffey. I found this story different to her debut in terms of pace. It was slower and more sinister; less about the action and more about that feeling of being unsettled.

Coffey deals so well with every day emotions and domestic themes. In this book, Ann, lonely from years of caring for her mother without much assistance from her sisters, falls for Justin, a man whose wife has been dying for quite some time. As she gets deeper into a life with Justin and his daughter we see a story open up into a devastating portrayal of human emotions, manipulation and the question of who is right and who is the "other woman".

I found the pace every so slightly slow, and the ease with which Ann accepted Justin's situation a bit unrealistic at times, however in the main, I found myself thinking "I can see how this could spiral". I felt there could have been more character development for Justin's wife and her motivations.

At times a difficult read, Coffey is a master of taking a difficult but somewhat ordinary situation and imbuing it with emotion and empathy. I would give this a very solid 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my early copy of this book. I loved Edel’s first book, Breaking Point, and this one is another great read. Good writing, good premise and complicated characters. Really enjoyed it!

I enjoyed this. I found Ann's story very interesting and I thought the author did a great job in making her decisions understandable. I'd have loved to see more of her sisters and have them rounded out a bit but other than that, all the characters were intriguing. Yes, you have to just go with some of the storyline and not question much of the medical parts but it's a bit of escapism and it's very well plotted. It definitely kept me reading and I thought the ending was very satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading a book about such a complex relationship after reading several "sad girl" stories (inadvertently). Whilst it was a suspenseful read, I discovered many plot holes and found it to divert from reality a little too frequently for my liking.

It was such an easy read though, I managed to finish in 2 days (that pesky thing called work got in the way again) and will be recommending it to my book club when we meet next month.

An enjoyable read as long as you're prepared to suspend your disbelief.... interesting characters and a few medical miracles to keep the plot moving....

A strange and dark story not necessarily relatable but very much enjoyable none the less. Sad themes of grief and loneliness and the overwhelming need for family and the type of love that only a family can provide..

Ann meets Justin and easily falls for his charm. She is single, he however has a wife but she is in a coma and unlikely to survive. Ann falls in love and sees a new future only for it to be derailed when the wife starts to recover. How can this possibly get resolved without anyone getting hurt?

Well what a ride this was. It is a slow start and takes a while to get into it but once i did, I was hooked. The plot picks up further into the book building to a really clever ending. I was surprised by what happened but it was definitely the best ending for this. There are many twists along the way and you can never quite tell how it would end. None of the characters are particularly likeable but you warm to Ann and especially Deborah. This covers so many emotions and feelings. Ann is an interesting lead and goes on quite the journey. A brilliant twisy thriller.

Marian Keyes described Edel Coffey as Irelands Jodi Picoult and I have to agree!

I loved Edels debut Breaking Point so I have been eagerly awaiting the release of In Her Place.

Ann meets Justin. Justin is married but considers himself single as his wife Deborah is dying. If that's not the red flag to end all red flags then I don't know what is! Ann and Justin begin a relationship, with Ann quickly moving in and becoming a mother figure to Justin and Deborah's daughter. But Deborah starts to get better, and before long she's coming home from hospital...

This book had me enthralled but you absolutely need to suspend belief with it. It's a slow build, which layed the foundations and really set the scene in my opinion. I enjoyed getting to know Ann in the first half of the book. I loved Deborah's pov too. The circumstances Ann finds herself in are so batshit, I just couldn't stop reading. I had to find out how it all ends and theres a humdinger of a twist that snuck right up on me. Suspense, drama, scandal, moral dilemmas, this book has it all. I loved it. 4⭐️

Huge thanks to @netgalley and @littlebrowngroup for the opportunity to read and review.

My review will be posted to my Instagram @tyffturnspages tonight (25/03/24)

Ann is 38 and has just about given up finding a partner to settle down and have children with having spent the last three years caring for her dying mother.
When she meets Justin it seems too good to be true. Turns out it is, as Justin is technically still married except is wife has been in a coma and not expected to survive.
Justin and Anne fall in love only for Deborah, Justin’s wife, to make a miraculous recovery a few months later. Faced with an impossible situation, nobody knows how to handle their new arrangement
Edel Coffey is the queen of the heartbreaking storyline. Her latest is not only heartbreaking but deliciously dark and twisty too! Told from both women’s perspective, In Her Place is beautifully written and had me absolutely captivated. An easy five star read I would recommend to anyone.

Having read Edel coffeys first book I was looking forward to this and it didn't fail. The strange place Ann found herself in and how she got there was absorbing. Having ended up living with her partner his wife and daughter she found herself being manipulated into staying and felt unable to leave. The Web of lies she was caught up in and Then the twist at the end came from left field . An excellent read

I devoured this book over the course of one day while in hospital. I just couldn't put it down. Like with her brilliant debut Breaking Point, Coffey has a killer premise to start with: a lonely millennial woman, approaching 40 and feeling like her life has passed her by, meets a gorgeous, richer older man and they quickly start a relationship. The man is married but his wife has been in a coma for 2 years and is expected to die. But then she makes a miracle recovery. And things just get stranger and darker from there. You definitely have to take a leap with this book and trust that Coffey knows where she wants to take you. Underlying all the twists and soap opera moments, Coffey writes with an emotional truth so you never feel shortchanged by the plot. A very impressive sophomore effort.