The painstaking accuracy of the portrayal of domestic abuse - the kind that doesn't leave visible bruises, but yet cuts to the bone - left me breathless. As a survivor it was so validating and comforting to read Ciara's story. To be the objective observer and understand the erosion of soul that is inflicted in these types of relationships. The lies and manipulation and utter self-centredness of these abusers.

But Ciara also shows the immense strength needed not just to leave, but to stay away. It was absolutely captivating to watch Ciara coming back to life, making her way with a little help from some new friends.

Nesting also highlights the absolute lack of services for victims, terrible communication and utter failure of the system.

In spite of everything, Ciara makes her way by herself, for herself and her children. And doesn't she do it in style.

Thank you for this book. It's important and brilliant and perhaps most of all, it's educating. I'm sure it will help many people whose world has turned on its axis, and who no longer know up from down. Trust your body. Listen to your instinct.

Kindness is love.

Nothing short of extraordinary. From the first page to the last, this debut novel absolutely captivated me with its raw emotion, stunning writing, and deeply compelling characters. The story follows Ciara Fay, who makes a split-second decision to flee from her emotionally abusive marriage, grabbing her two daughters and leaving behind the only life she’s ever known. It’s a bold, courageous move that sets the stage for a heartbreaking journey of survival and self-discovery.

What struck me most about this book is how it shines a light on emotional abuse—a subject not often addressed with such honesty and sensitivity. O'Donnell beautifully captures how abuse isn’t always visible or physical, but just as damaging. Ciara’s struggle to rebuild her life while navigating the broken housing system, dwindling savings, and her husband’s relentless attempts to bring her back is both heartbreaking and empowering.

This book is already getting so much well-deserved attention, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an incredibly timely and important read, touching on themes of love, hope, resilience, and the strength it takes to break free from control. I honestly wish I could express more eloquently just how much this novel impacted me—Nesting is a gorgeous, powerful story that will stay with me for a long time.

Roisin O'Donnell has introduced an unforgettable voice in fiction, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings for this book. It’s a must-read, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a story that’s both moving and thought-provoking.

Nesting was high on my 2025 TBR pile and it did not disappoint.

Set in Dublin, Ciara is a mother to two young girls, Ella and Sophie aged 3 and 4. Her husband works hard to provide for them or so he thinks, if you asked Ciara she may have a different point of view. If you asked Ciara she would say that he controls every aspect of her life, from the money she is allowed to spend, to how their daughters are brought up, and more importantly that he owns her, she is his possession, at his beck and call whether that be in sorting the house or providing sex as and when he wants it. But then if you also asked Ciara, she would say that he does all those things for the good of her family, that he does in fact have her and their families best interests at heart. That inner voice persisted throughout O’Donnell’s narrative, that voice that told Ciara she wasn’t good enough as a person or indeed as a mother. It was stark, bleak, utterly heartbreaking, i oozed empathy, frustration, and marveled at O’Donnells’s brilliant narrative

When she finally plucks up the courage to leave it isn’t all hearts and rainbows, no its a single room in a hotel, their belongings residing in the boot of her car. The endless trips to the housing office to get on the housing list, to get accommodation is endless. The messages from her husband are endless, the whining begging messages to come back, the threatening messages that savage her role as a mother and a wife. It all made me wonder if O’Donnell had herself experienced control and coercion, self doubt, lack of confidence so realistic did it all feel.

It was grim reading, but a reality that O’Donnell so brilliantly portrayed. O’Donnell’s other reality was a character who found some inner strength, friends in the unlikeliest of places to help her, a tenacity and finally a belief in herself that she was in charge of her life and her daughters, finally for the first time.

Nesting was stark, steeped in reality with a vibrancy that I utterly loved and a novel that will remain in head for a long time.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story and how difficult it was for Ciara to extract herself and her small children from an abusive relationship, and how the system failed her. Great read but heart-breaking at points.

A tense, domestic drama about a woman escaping a coercive, controlling relationship. Set in Dublin, it covers a range of topical issues from the housing crisis, immigration, to an Ireland that has just voted to change their constitution to allow abortion for the first time. More than anything, it throws a light on the different types of abuse that can exist between husband and wife, in particular psychological intimidation and humiliation. A very strong and at times, deeply unsettling novel. I could not put it down.

With many thanks to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the advance copy in return for my honest review.

Ciara makes a split second decision one Wednesday. She is leaving her husband for good. She grabs some clothes of the line puts them into black bags and head off in her car with her 2 children. Over the coming weeks she finds herself homeless and living in a hotel with the children. The she discovers that she is pregnant with her third child but will she go back to her husband.
Total rating 3 1/2 stars

With ‘home’ no longer a safe place Ciara Fay makes the momentous decision to flee from an abusive marriage in order to take herself and her daughters to safety. With no plan in place, little money and no close family support Ciara faces the bureaucracy of the Irish housing system and comes up against so many obstacles that sometimes it feels as if she has left one difficult life only to encounter another which is just as obstructive.

Nesting is a difficult book to read as not only does Ciara’s husband present a real danger to her and her children but from necessity she reaches out to a social system which is beyond broken and which doesn’t offer much respite from the horror of simply surviving on a daily basis. My heart broke for Ciara as she struggles with motherhood, poverty, and a husband who is hellbent on destroying her spirit, her body and her soul. However, despite what life throws at her Ciara will not be beaten, she fights for herself and her children, knowing that whatever meagre amounts she can give in terms of material possessions she more than makes up for in abiding love and the sheer determination to survive against all odds..

All credit must go to this exceptional debut writer who has highlighted the emotional aspect of homelessness in a very thoughtful way. I won’t forget Nesting in a long time.

From the very first page, this one pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

Ciara’s story is one that too many women will recognise, yet it’s so often left unspoken - hidden beneath layers of shame, fear, and guilt. Roisin O’Donnell brilliantly captures the insidious nature of emotional and psychological abuse, weaving a powerful and unsettling narrative that feels all too real.

As a parent myself, I felt every ounce of Ciara’s desperation, her relentless need to protect her children at all costs. The mum guilt, the constant fear of failing them, the crushing weight of trying to hold everything together, all rang so painfully true and hit me right in the heart.

Set against the backdrop of Ireland’s housing crisis, the stakes feel even higher. There’s a suffocating tension that builds with every chapter, an overwhelming sense of panic that makes it impossible to put this book down. You won’t want to put it down, I know I didn’t.

A powerful and raw debut novel, that I utterly devoured. Totally recommend and cannot wait for more from the author.

I loved this book and read most of it in a day. The way it was written managed oddly to be both poetic and page-turning. It really is a book where you feel you are seeing into someone else’s life and cheering on the protagonist as she struggles through. It feels very modern but has the depth and readability of a classic. I couldn’t not finish it and will make a point of looking out for anything else written by Roisin O’Donnell. It really doesn’t feel a first novel, thick as it is with experience and beautiful use of language. Not to be missed.

I was hardly able to relax throughout the whole of this book. The author did an amazing job of pacing the story so well. It was heartbreaking and at times frustrating but always very realistic to a situation I’m grateful never to have been in. I can’t praise this book highly enough and my book group buddies are going to get bored of me going on about it I’m sure.

Ciara is in an emotionally abusive relationship. She has two children and is now pregnant and her life has gradually been reduced by her coersive husband, supported by his nasty parents. On a whim, she packs up enough clothes for herself and her girls and leaves, sleeping in her car the first night. Later, due to the restrictions of the social system, she moves into a hotel room. Not ideal and continually being manipulated by her husband, she slowly builds up her confidence again, subsisting on very little money , handouts and help & advice from friends and family.
Well written, the book depicts events, emotions extremely well. You feel the loneliness of Ciara in her relationship and understand why she clung on and took the abuse and also the doubts she had once she made the decison to leave. A picture is painted of the desperation of her situation (and others in the same position) and her determination to do the best for her children, as well as the continual manipulation of her (ex) husband Ryan. The rules that must be obeyed, the endless search for living accommodation in the overcrowded Dublin housing renatl market. Sometimes tense, sad and frustrating .
Thanks to Net Galley for a great read . I couldn't put it down!

Explosive! This book delves straight into the life of Ciara Fay, who lives under a constant blanket of fear in her own home as her husband subjects her to emotional and sexual abuse and coercive control. I felt so upset , frustrated, and angry as I read , which is testament to great writing. I instantly felt the fear and the struggles as Ciara battled to get herself and her children free. The system seemed to work against her and was as responsible for her suppression, alongside her husband. Such a rollercoaster of emotions. A brilliant read, #nesting #RoisinODonnell #netgalley

This was a good, but difficult read.
It was quite emotionally tough, but well written.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Roisin O'Donnell's Nesting is an utterly gripping read. It powerfully portrays Ciara’s harrowing struggle to escape her emotionally controlling husband with her children. The novel highlights not only the immense strength and resilience needed to break free but also the devastating financial toll of a spouse wielding complete control over money. A heart-breaking and tense story—highly recommended.

This was an excellent book about a pregnant woman, Ciara and her desperate attempts to leave her controlling and abusive husband. It examines the difficulty Ciara and her two small daughters have in trying to get emergency housing. This felt so real to me and I felt stressed and tense while reading it as Ciara tries to be mother to her young children whilst living in a hotel room. The novel highlights how under-resourced the provision is for women and children who are no longer safe in their homes and how, insanely, it is often easier to return to their abusive husbands. This novel is written from the heart and will stay with me.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

I’m usually quite a slow reader; a couple of pages a night before sleep. Not so with this book which had me gripped from early on. The characters are beautifully crafted & it’s well written.

Ciara is married to a psychopath who controls and manipulates her. Like many women in her situation she keeps trying to leave but is too scared. This is her story. I kept page turning wondering what he (Ryan) was going to do next & willing her to be strong.

You will too…

This book is amazing, but upsetting. I have been in the same situation as Ciara with a mentally abusing husband and I know how difficult it is, the daily manipulation, thinking it’s your fault, being left with nothing. The way Roisin has handled the subject is sublime and honest, I devoured this book and found the last chapters regarding Noah difficult. Everyone should read this and acknowledge what goes on behind closed doors.

I found Roisin O'Donnell's 'Nesting' unputdownable. It tells the heartbreaking and tense story of Ciara's fight to get herself and her children away from her emotionally dominating husband. It reveals the extreme strength and resilience required to break free, but more importantly the crippling financial implications that result from having a spouse who controls all the money. Highly recommended.

Heart wrenching, heart breaking, hard hitting.
A great story that pulls no punches.
Highly recommend

A really emotional and hard hitting story. I empathised with a lot of it, and found it a great read. It makes you really feel what they're going through.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.