A vulnerable and emotional portrait of a mother who will do anything to protect her children. So beautifully paced.

Ciara has had enough of her suffocating life, walking on eggshells around her abhorent husband Ryan. She decides to leave the family home along with her 2 little girls. She leaves with a meagre amount of cash, a handful of clothes off the washing line and not even a full tank of petrol. Without any family in Dublin, Ciara has to declare herself homeless and ends up in temporary homeless accomodation. We see Ciara try to rebuild her life from the ground up all the while Ryan torments her with emotional abuse and his controlling ways whilst trying to weasel his way back into her life.

A really important novel that I think everyone should read. Highlighting that abuse does not have to be physical and that the threat of what could happen is enough to keep a firm grip on someone.

An absolute powerful debut from Roisin ODonnell.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In her powerful debut novel, Nesting, Roisín O’Donnell presents a poignant and compelling narrative about Ciara Fay, a mother who makes the courageous decision to leave her controlling husband, Ryan, to protect herself and her two young daughters. With limited resources and her family Living away, Ciara faces the daunting challenges of securing shelter within a strained housing system, all while confronting her own inner turmoil.

O’Donnell’s writing is both fluid and evocative, capturing the raw emotions and resilience of a woman determined to rebuild her life. The story seamlessly intertwines moments of heartbreak with uplifting instances of hope and strength, offering readers a nuanced portrayal of escape and survival. As Ciara navigates the complexities of starting anew, her journey resonates deeply, highlighting the profound impact of courage and the unyielding bond between a mother and her children.

Nesting is a remarkable debut that masterfully balances the darkness of its themes with the light of human spirit, making it a compelling five-star read that lingers long after the final page.

This was an intimate portrait of a woman escaping an emotionally abusive marriage which was just beautifully drawn out. Ciara’s journey to independence from a frazzled spur of the moment flight from her controlling husband, trying to maintain a happy life for her kids whilst negotiating the overrun housing system to the beautiful symbolism of the bird Ryan caged finding its wings. Clara in the beginning, unable to even verbalise the treatment she’s been enduring draws you in as a character and I loved the community she builds for her family. You’re there rooting for her the whole way, frustrated by lapses and the barriers put up against her at every turn. It’s also a wonderful snapshot of Ireland. I really loved it.

This is a powerful and very emotional story of a mother who would do anything to take care of her kids but also dealing with all the emotions and pressure from the society. I loved the book even though it's painful at times but it's part of a reality that many women go through so it's definitely worth reading.

I really liked this book. Ciara makes the decision to leave her controlling husband, taking her 2 small daughters with her. However, she has little money, nowhere to go and her family are back in Sheffield. Her husband refuses to let her take the children out of Ireland. This is the story of how she copes faced with a broken housing system and living in a hotel room. This is a harsh but ultimately uplifting story.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A well written tale showing the lengths a mother will go to protect her children from a domineering husband. You do wish the protagonist would question a number of his actions later on rather than accept them at face value (one especially) and would have liked to see a bit more of what happened to him post events.

The Kindle edition btw has a number of formatting errors - where carriage returns are excessive. This was around 30% in and in the last 5%.

Perfectly depicts the suffocating, terrorising trauma of a coercively controlled relationship. Ciara is brave, brilliant and strong. A very difficult read but one which hit home, hard. This book will educate and implore people to empathise. I won’t forget this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First of all, a disclaimer - i'm a man and have never really been exposed to domestic abuse in any shape or form - i'm lucky and i know it

Secondly, i'm quite hard core with books - nothing really fazes me and i can read books with a sense of emotional detachment - not necessaily a good thing but it's how i roll

This book has literally snuck up on me and bashed me about the head - i don't think i've ever felt so angry at a book - not at the book itself but at Ryan for his coercive control and even at Ciara for allowing it to happen.. i wanted to put the book down as it really was getting me het up but i perservered as the stark truth hit me - that women, and men, go through this every single day. What they have to go through, just to survive a single day is incomprehensable.. and what they have to do to get out of that vicious circle appears to be unsurmountable... this book has given me a far greater understanding of the blight of domestic abuse and the difficulties in dealing with it and i have greater empathy for those victims and sincerely hope that they can, somehow, get themselves out and live a life that they deserve

By all means, this is not a depressing book - it does have it's moments of light-heartedness and humour - and that makes the book all the better for it.. but it is also a powerful book and one that needs to be treated with respect

You know what they say about writing about what you know? I was hoping that this wasn't the case for Rosin O'Donnell - but it looks like, from her ackknowledgements, that this was a very good piece of research that she carried out - not just on the abuse itself but on the whole process about trying to get out of that abuse cycle..

Fantastic debut from Roisin O'Donnell and i look forward to the next - alas, there will be high expectations!

Thankyou to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance review copy.

This was a read I had to do in stages as it is so intense, yet absolutely worth it. On the one hand the story of coercive control, on the other the structural and financial challenges some can face when trying to escape. It’s not an easy read yet it’s so visceral it’s essential

I feel so privileged to have been able to read an advance copy of this book.
After years of coercive control Ciara decides to leave the family home with her two small children.
Set in Southern Ireland this beautifully written book chronicles Ciara’s and both of her little daughter’s story which includes homelessness and Ciara being pregnant,all whilst still being under threat from the charming on the surface husband.
A novel filled with interesting characters(I loved Ciara and Cathy her homeless friend,whilst hating her cruel husband)
It is brave and honest with an important message,I honestly couldn’t put it down.One of my fave books ever.

A perfect novel for this time. It perfectly highlights coercive behaviour and how even the most charming man can be very different behind closed doors. The novel shows how the protagonist second guesses herself constantly and you are literally rooting for her through the whole book. As the book progresses you see how she is a shadow of the woman she once was. I thought the characters throughout the book were vivid and colourful. It did remind me of The Maid series on Netflix (which I loved). Overall definitely worth a read if you like a confronting emotional read. I want to gift this book to every female I know…especially my son’s female teen friends.

This book is a story of one woman’s struggle to build a life for her and her children as she leaves her controlling husband. It’s sad at times but there are joyous moments; there are new friendships made; and overall it’s heartwarming.

I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys an emotional read.

My thanks to the author, to the publisher and to Netgalley for a copy of the book to read and review.

A beautifully written and emotional book, but I found it difficult read as it just seemed very bleak to me. Maybe I read this at the wrong time.

This debut novel from Roisin O'Donnell is a fantastic read and has the reader hooked from the very beginning. It is an unforgettable account of coercive control amid Dublin's horrific housing crisis and its effect on the protagonist, Ciara and her two children. It is raw, well written, poignant and a compelling read and will resonate with many. It is a fast paced book which adds to the development of the story. I really loved this work and would give it ten stars if I could.

Heartbreaking and uplifting, it beautifully tells of the very real struggles countless real women are facing daily.
Ciara is terrified that she will never be free from Ryan, despite leaving and ending up homeless and living in a small hotel room with her girls he keeps contacting her. The constant bombardment has her questioning if she has done the right thing. Ciara is so worn down by Ryan she is no longer sure of anything.
This is a wonderful story and one that is sadly very relevant in the world today. Highly recommend.

This was an extremely well-paced book, with the tension simmering continuously throughout making it a breathtaking read as you were urging Ciara throughout to break free of Ryan’s control and build her new life for her and her children. An incredible read, it was gorgeously written.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Once in a while comes that one book in a thousand with a voice so resonant that every inflection reverberates in a chorus of emotion. That book is Nesting, the extraordinary debut from Irish author Roisin O’Donnell. And the voice is that of Ciara Fay, the young mother trapped in a toxic marriage, who takes on the system and an abusive husband to secure a safe home in which to raise her children.

Nesting has a quiet power, an irresistible lure that pulls you right inside Ciara’s head. It’s a scary place to be. A dark world fraught with fear and anxiety, shame and guilt, and an overwhelming sense of failure. She left Ryan once before, but he sweet-talked her back. Can she stay strong this time?

We watch Ciara fight on two fronts: against the appalling machinations of her gaslighting, controlling husband; and against the failing housing system that sees her ‘temporarily’ lodged in a cramped hotel room for almost two years. I don’t think I’ve ever cheered for, or empathised with, a character more.

O’Donnel’s prose is exquisite. Raw and unflinching, restrained but packing punch after punch. I felt Ciara’s every mood, the relentless noise in her head as despair and indecision clashed with the tiny glimmer of hope she managed to hold onto in the face of insurmountable odds.

There were moments in this story that broke me and moments that filled me with rage. Thankfully, it’s the former that I will remember the most. The tenderness with which Ciara holds her newborn son, the cuddles with her little girls, the kindnesses of newfound friends.

The atmosphere throughout is unbearably tense, culminating in a heart-pounding standoff between Ciara and Ryan. Right up until the end, I couldn’t tell which way the axe was going to fall.

What a book! An unforgettable tale of courage, maternal love, sisterhood and survival. Kudos to O’Donnell for shining a light on so many important issues.

It may only be February, but I’m tipping this to be one of the top literary debuts of 2025. Watch out for it on the prize longlists!

Wow what a debut , an agonising heartbreaking read but compassionately written. It seems to be a never ending circle throughout history of some women and children being caught in abusive and controlling relationships or marriages (it does happen to men too a good friend of mine works in cid , she comes across the other side of it a lot more often than what is reported in the media ) it is very sad and all so true , why do people men / women become so controlling and abusive and 9 times out of 10 begin as charming & charismatic? It’s a thread written in many novels over the years the likes of tennant of wildfell hall perhaps being the first and causing a scandal upon realise to coleen hoovers much marketed and turned into a film adaptation “it ends with us “ Nesting in my opinion is far superior to either of those two novels , The capturing of Ciaras desperation , fear and uncertainty is brilliantly narrated. Separation /divorce : deciding to leave is never easy , even in relationships where there is no abuse let alone when there is and children are involved. I think this book is an important read and I pray for anyone trying to escape from their Ryan will find strength and courage in this novel. It is a book that stays with you long after the last page and I’m sure it will be a bookclub choice for the discussion points - the more we talk about these terrible situations the better . I’m sure everyone has had an encounter with a person like Ryan , I did many moons ago but thankfully for me I got out very quickly in the early days of the relationship when small signs started to rear their head of unacceptable behavioural patterns - there is a huge difference between caring for someone’s safety and following / turning up uninvited when your out with other people - it’s called trust . Highly recommended it’ll be a book of the year

Ciara decides now is the time to pack her bags, grab her kids and leave her husband and home. Ciara has no job, no home, very little savings and isn’t sure what to do next. She tries to make a new life for herself and her children while also trying to fight off her husband.

Okay wow this book is definitely gonna be a standout of the year! I found this so interesting and quite gripping! I didn’t really know what to expect when I went into it but it was so much better than I could have imagined.

This book is so beautifully written and I personally believe the difficult topics are mindful and respectful of people who may be going through similar. I found the pace to be consistent and I didn’t feel like there was any lulls in the book. It was definitely a book that I didn’t want to put down and just wanted to keep reading. The ending was also satisfying which can sometimes feel rushed.

It’s quite a heavy book to read if you find it difficult reading about toxic/harmful relationships but so eye opening. It’s one that I don’t think I’ll be forgetting anytime soon.

I’d recommend this book!