Bookseller Reviews
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An Emotional Read
An impactful, unsettling and, at times, a very difficult read, but by the same measure, utterly compelling. Whilst the subject matter could be triggering f... READ MORE
A real and emotional read
Nesting is a tough and emotional read. O’Donnell does a brilliant job of evoking the terror, hopelessness and loneliness of escaping a toxic relationship, ... READ MORE
A devastating account of the impact of coercive control
Gosh, what a wild ride this was, following Ciara's attempt to escape a controlling husband, who presents a normal, nice face to the world. Taking her two y... READ MORE
Stunningly painful and hopeful
A painful read for anyone for who has experienced domestic violence, in any of the many forms it can take, and the stresses of homelessness and social hous... READ MORE
Impressive debut
Emotional, tough and unsettling but this debut author writes with so much hope and tenderness.
An unflinching look at coercive control.
I genuinely nev... READ MORE
Phenomenal
I have certainly never felt as tense reading a book as I did whilst reading Nesting. Every single thing that happens to Ciara, every emotion she feels, you... READ MORE
An important read
I couldn't stop reading this book, it really flew by. Nesting tells a story about the impact of emotional abuse on a woman and her three children. I assume... READ MORE
Powerful - a Must-Read!
One of the best books I read this year, Nesting is a raw, compelling and painfully realistic portrayal of a pregnant mother's determined efforts to remove ... READ MORE
Couldn’t put it down !
Even when I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about it! An incredibly natural writing style. You are with Ciara and her children every step of the way. A very ... READ MORE
A powerful and eye-opening read
I really, really loved this book; I didn’t want to put it down. A heart-in-your-mouth, hold-your-breath kind of read. One that is filled with empathy and i... READ MORE
Synopsis
An extraordinary and urgent debut by a prize-winning Irish writer, Nesting introduces an unforgettable new voice in fiction.
On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe.
This was meant to be an escape. But with dwindling savings, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara finds herself adrift, facing a broken housing system and the voice of her own demons. As summer passes and winter closes in, she must navigate raising her children in a hotel room, searching for a new home and dealing with her husband Ryan’s relentless campaign to get her to come back. Because leaving is one thing, but staying away is another.
What will it take for Ciara to rebuild her life? Can she ever truly break away from Ryan’s control – and what will be the cost?
Tense, beautiful, and underpinned by an unassailable love, hope and resilience, this is the story of one woman’s bid to start over.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
- ISBN: 9781398528567
- Number of pages: 400
- Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 24 mm
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allA tense and compelling debut
This is a powerful debut, following Ciara as she tries to take control of her life and escape her coercive controlling husband whilst caring for her childr... READ MORE
Gripping compelling story
Ciara has been forced to take her children and flee from her husband. To others he is a caring family man, but to his wife he is a cruel, violent abuser.
... READ MORE
The Nesting
I am not sure how to review this book. I enjoyed reading it but also found it distressing and very sad. Ciara is a women from Sheffield married to a man ... READ MORE
Emotional Read
Despite wanting to scream at Ciara, the main character, throughout the book, I did enjoy the story and found it very sad and believable and I was happy whe... READ MORE
Nesting
Across the bay anyone watching would have seen a family enjoying a day out by the seaside, Ryan, Ciara and daughters Sophie and Ella. How would anyone know... READ MORE
Escaping control
A very powerful well written novel about coercive control. The book is set in Ireland during the housing crisis and is about a pregnant woman who runs away... READ MORE
Heartbreaking
This was a heartbreaking read which I found extremely tough and very emotional. I cried at several points in the story. It's a brilliant evocation of the f... READ MORE
Vibrant and real
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 h... READ MORE
Beautiful, Immersive Writing
A beautiful read, I loved this book. I was fortunate enough to read it via NetGalley and highly recommend it. Lyrically written, it follows a young family ... READ MORE
Realistic descriptions
An all too familiar situation for a woman to find herself in, wanting to leave a coercive relationship but how does she do that when family is a long way a... READ MORE
The right path is never easy
Ciara has to make an impossible decision to grab what she can carry and run out on her life taking her little girls, Sophie and Ella, with her. But relying... READ MORE
An outstanding debut!
Roisín O’Donnell’s debut novel Nesting is almost unbearably tense, so gut-roiling that I was torn between sticking it in the (metaphorical) freezer and wan... READ MORE
Searing and Memorable
If you've ever wondered how a woman who's under the coercive control of her husband manages to break free, with 2 young children and no income, here's your... READ MORE
Stunning and compelling
Ciara Fay is a stressed woman, managing two young children and fending off an abusive husband who is unpredictable in his behaviour so she is constantly on... READ MORE
Brilliant!!!
Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell
Ciara and her two young daughters leave emotionally abusive husband Ryan. Unable to leave Ireland to travel to her family i... READ MORE
An emotional read at times
A debut novel that has an emotional hit, especially as I know someone who suffered in a coercive relationship and even though free now, still suffers with ... READ MORE
Thought provoking. A roller coaster of emotion
This story is not a comfortable read. Ciara has a controlling, manipulative husband who seems a nice, caring bloke to the rest of the world. He's kind and ... READ MORE
Heartbreaking
This was a heartbreaking read which I found extremely tough and very emotional. I cried at several points in the story. It's a brilliant evocation of the f... READ MORE
Heartbreaking
This was a heartbreaking read which I found extremely tough and very emotional. I cried at several points in the story. It's a brilliant evocation of the f... READ MORE
Powerful
Couldn’t put this one down. Nesting is a powerful novel.The writing is outstanding and the plot hard hitting. The author takes us on a heart-breaking journ... READ MORE
Powerful Read
I read this book courtesy of NetGalley. Wow, a powerful book which certainly engages the reader as it unfolds. The book follows Ciara who is scared whils... READ MORE
Fantastic book!
This is one of those stories that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading. Thankfully, I have never been in an abusive or coercive relationship ... READ MORE
An emotional story, but always with hope on the horizon.
In spite of the rather dark nature of this plot, I enjoyed the book very much. Ciara suffers domestic abuse. But it's the psychological kind, there are no ... READ MORE
Upsetting read
This wasn't an easy read in any way. My heart is broken from this sad sad story. My heart was genuinely in my mouth reading this book. Powerful, raw and em... READ MORE
Realistic
Terrifyingly realistic portrayal of domestic abuse that is psychological, emotional and sexual in nature, dismissed by both parties because it isn't physic... READ MORE
an outstanding debut
Nesting is the first novel by award-winning Irish author, Roisin O’Donnell. When Ciara Fay takes her two daughters and leaves, it’s not the first time and,... READ MORE
Vital and almost visceral in its treatment of social issues.
The debut novel by an author already well known for her short stories (one of which won the individual Short Story of the Year at the An Post Irish Book aw... READ MORE
Wow what a debut !
an agonising heartbreaking read but compassionately written. It seems to be a never ending circle throughout history of some women / men and children being... READ MORE
Wonderful
Heartbreaking and uplifting, it beautifully tells of the very real struggles countless real women are facing daily.
Ciara is terrified that she will never... READ MORE
Emotional
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 ar... READ MORE
An unforgettable debut
One afternoon Ciara Fay finds the strength to leave her abusive husband, Ryan. It’s a split-second moment of clarity, so Ciara grabs the clothes from the w... READ MORE
Such a dark, powerful tale - 4.5/5
This opens with Ciara and Ryan (mum and dad) on the beach in the Spring of 2018 with Sophie and Ella, their children. If things aren't exactly happy then ... READ MORE
Additive look at emotional abuse within a marriage
From the first page, Nesting is addictive.
Ciara's story is not an uncommon one, but it is a story so often hidden out of shame and guilt.
Roisin O'Don... READ MORE
Emotional rollercoaster
This is an incredibly hard hitting novel of psychological domestic abuse which follows the life of Ciara and her children. What started out as what seemed ... READ MORE
A tense look at coercive control and what it takes to fully escape an abusive relationship
Many thanks to the author, @netgalley, and the publishers for an ARC of this book, which looks at coercive control within marriage, and the difficulties of... READ MORE
Heart-poundingly emotive and affirming
Anyone who has ever wanted or needed to escape a relationship will grasp what a challenge it is – is it better to stay or to leave? For the sake of the chi... READ MORE
Nesting
We start on a bright spring morning when Ciara makes a split second decision. She has to leave her husband Ryan. Now, she has been sort of planning this es... READ MORE
Heartbreaking yet enjoyable
To say I enjoyed this book feels wrong given the subject matter but that aside it is a fantastic, beautifully written book. I can't believe it is a debut n... READ MORE
Wonderfully written
The agony of having no money and nowhere to turn, as well as Ciara's decision to leave her abusive husband, are the subjects of this nerve-racking, suspens... READ MORE
Worth a read
Ciara has tried to leave her husband but goes back. He doesn’t hit her, so how can she say she needs help. But there are other kinds of abuse and as we lea... READ MORE
Brilliant debut novel
Brilliant debut novel that kept me gripped from first page to last. The terrible trauma of a mother and her young children being forced to sleep in emergen... READ MORE
Compelling and Powerful
4.5 stars. This is an unflinching window into what it is like to leave an abusive relationship with next to nothing and the struggle to stay away and build... READ MORE
Heart wrenching but hopeful read. Loved it!
*4.5 stars*
On a beautiful Spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a decision, a spur of the moment thing, but actually one that’s been a long time ... READ MORE
Not an easy read but a powerful, emotional and hopeful read all the same.
Not an easy read but a powerful, emotional and hopeful read all the same. Highlights issues of emotional abuse and coercive control and set against the ba... READ MORE
Amazing debut
Nesting is a debut novel and a chilling read about insidious psychological domestic violence.
From the opening pages setting the scene of a standard fam... READ MORE
Inspiring & Uplifting
Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A truly inspiring book. More than a “story” - I also learned so much about emotional abuse and the scale and h... READ MORE
Compelling read, I loved it
The heartbreaking story of Ciara who appears to be living the idyllic life of a young mother with two delightful preschool girls, married to Mr "Wonderful"... READ MORE
Five stars!
Nesting is a compelling and emotionally charged book that explores the difficult realities of escaping domestic abuse and the challenges of starting over. ... READ MORE
A difficult read that throws light on some uncomfortable truths
A difficult read that throws light on some uncomfortable truths so often hidden in the lives around us. Domestic psychological abuse coupled with the reali... READ MORE
Nothing short of extraordinary!
Nothing short of extraordinary. From the first page to the last, this debut novel absolutely captivated me with its raw emotion, stunning writing, and deep... READ MORE
Beautiful
Is it too early to name my favourite book of the year yet?
This is such a stunningly beautiful book, which made me feel EVERY emotion, none more so than... READ MORE
Powerful read
My thoughts …
This novel is a gripping exploration of love, fear, resilience, and the suffocating grip of control. The protagonist, Ciara, is a mother f... READ MORE
Well written, engaging and thought provoking.
I devoured this book in one sitting, I just could not put it down. It’s well written, engages you from the first chapter and made me really sit and think a... READ MORE
If you read just one book this year let it be this one
A compelling read and while we’re still only in January a contender for the ‘if you read just one book this year’ award.
I genuinely could not put this do... READ MORE
Tremendous debut with the ring of truth
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.
This debut is tremendous - heartbreaking, hopeful, with the ring of truth about ... READ MORE
Nesting - excellent read
This was an intimate portrait of a woman escaping an emotionally abusive marriage which was just beautifully drawn out. Ciara’s journey to independence fro... READ MORE
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