This book is the definition of "can't put it down". I was so invested in the characters and their story and I couldn't stop reading until I found out what happened to them.

Nesting is a book about domestic abuse, Ireland's housing crisis and the lengths that mothers will go to to create a secure environment for their children.

Parts of the book broke my heart, but the story remained hopeful in the face of hopelessness. I absolutely loved it and will read anything that the author writes.

Nesting is a story about Ciara, a mother of two children (soon to be three) who leaves her home and husband because it’s unsafe. She grabs what she can and goes into the emergency housing system. The story follows her navigating the system, and how impossible it can be, even when you have a support system behind you.

This isn’t the first book of this kind to be written, but I still really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the concept but simply not for me. I didn’t connect with the characters and I think they, and the story telling was lacking depth.

Nesting is a first novel by Roisin O’Donnell, who has written a stunningly good book about coercive control, manipulation and trauma.
Ciara, a Dublin mum, leaves her marriage for the second time after years of abuse. She has two young girls aged four and two, and has just found out she is pregnant with a third child. While her volatile husband is away from their family home, Ciara packs what she can fit into her small car and goes to a Government housing organisation for assistance. What follows is an overlong stay in a hotel room, the only option available in a society overwhelmed by homelessness.

We follow Ciara through a year of trying to make a home for her family within the shabby hotel room walls, making friends with other people and staff at the hotel. We also meet her supportive mother and sister, both living in England.
Roisin O’Donnell has written an extraordinary and engrossing story of a family in chaos. The book is written in a fast paced, emotionally suspenseful but not overly sentimental style. I could sense both the anxiety and fear in Ciara’s mind as the tension increased in each chapter of the story.

The author has skilfully portrayed the impact of events on each of the characters in the book. The story is tense and gut wrenching, but also encompasses hope, love, resilience and healing.

I was fully immersed in the narrative. This is a compelling story, and I would unconditionally recommend the book to all readers who enjoy modern contemporary fiction.

Nesting is a raw and poignant exploration of the psychological and emotional toll of coercive control in intimate relationships. Set in gorgeous Ireland, the novel follows Ciara, a woman caught in the suffocating grip of her abusive husband, Ryan. Her story is one of unimaginable sacrifice, emotional erosion, and a desperate hope for freedom.

Ciara, once a vibrant and independent teacher who loved to travel, has given up everything—her career, her autonomy, her friendships, and her financial independence—under the unrelenting control of her husband Ryan. Despite the extreme manipulation and emotional abuse she endures, Ciara continues to minimize her suffering, often rationalising the abuse by telling herself that it’s "not as bad as it could be" because it isn’t physical (I honestly found this narrative gut wrenching to read). This quiet internalised justification mirrors the insufferable reality many women in abusive relationships face: the shame and confusion that often comes with emotional abuse, which can be harder to recognise and harder still to escape.

What made Nesting so powerful to me is how it portrays the complexity of motherhood under such circumstances. Ciara’s love for her children is loud and jubilant, and it’s this love that ultimately drives her to consider a way out—though the path is fraught with obstacles. Ciara’s desire for a better life for her children becomes the lens through which she views the world, yet the very system that should protect them—the law, society, the housing market—seems stacked against her.

I adored Roisin's depiction of the solidarity between unfairly marginalised women who endure similar struggles. The way women in Ciara’s community share whispered support and lend quiet strength to one another speaks to the resilience and solidarity that often emerges in the face of adversity. This theme of camaraderie deeply moved me and reveals the ways in which women can reclaim their voices, even when the world around them is pushing them down. Cathy was Ciara's beautiful guardian angel, I loved her character.

Nesting doesn’t just focus on the horrors of abusive relationships; it also delves into the often-unseen battles women face in trying to regain their freedom (especially amongst the societal backdrop of economic strain). The process of reclaiming control over one's life, securing financial independence, and protecting one's children is not a clear-cut journey—it’s riddled with setbacks, unbearable choices, and moments of despair.

Nesting is an important read, not only for its depiction of abusive relationships and the devastating long term effects of coercive control, but also for its examination of the social and economic structures that enable such control to thrive. Roisin crafts a complex, empathetic narrative that is both a call to action and a testament to the quiet strength of women in crisis.

Thank you to Netgalley, Roisin and the publisher for an ARC of this beautiful book!

A brilliant read. I couldn’t put it down. It was like a latter day version of Black and Blue. In fact in this case the domestic violence involved coercive control .

Ciara is from Sheffield ( mum originally from Derry) living in Dublin. Ryan is her husband who engages in coercive control and also occasionally sexually assaults her when she’s asleep. She has two little girls. She finally develops the courage to leave Ryan.

She is pregnant. She decides to fly to England to be with her mum and sister. Sly Ryan has the Gardai stop her at the departure gate at Dublin airport as she has her kids with her.

She has nowhere to live, spends a night sleeping in her car in the Dublin mountains, and then has to live in a grotty hotel room for many months. During this time, Ryan continues to manipulate and gaslight her. His mother joins in. Her mum and sister try to help her but her fear of Ryan is overwhelming, which prevents them from being of any real help.

Ciara becomes increasingly isolated. Ryan gets a lawyer, paid for by his parents, to attempt to obtain custody of the children. Ciara finally seeks Legal Aid. Ryan gets access to the kids that includes one overnight with them a fortnight, which scares Ciara as she knows how unstable he is.

Ciara does the best she can and befriends Cathy, another mum with kids, at the hotel. Ryan pays no maintenance for the kids and is smug about keeping Ciara in penury.

There is a lot of suspense in this story as we wonder whether Ciara will prevail or else just become another domestic violence murder statistic.

It is a beautifully written story that delves into how scummy controlling men like Ryan eat into the minds of women like Ciara and convince them that they are nothing, albeit Ciara having an honours English degree.

As someone who has acted on so many VRO applications for DV survivors, the detail in this story rings very true to me.

Ciara needs to show incredible resilience to overcome Ryan’s vicious nastiness towards her.

This is a very well written story that shows how hard it is for women (especially those with children) to leave a DV relationship.

I highly recommend this powerful book to others. Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers.

Ciara is a character you can't help but root for from the very beginning. I felt every one of her highs and lows, and I truly understood everything she was going through due to my own experience. This story evoked so many emotions in me that I wanted to scream! Roisin O’Donnell has crafted a novel that many women will be able to relate to. I read this book so quickly that I couldn't put it down.