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.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review. Loved Edel's first book. Interesting premise but I found towards the final 25% I started to skim read as it's a little far-fetched (I hope).

I enjoyed Edel Coffey’s debut Breaking Point and was looking forward to this one.

Ann has been caring for her mother in recent years and since her recent death she finds herself unmoored. Her sisters and friends have successful careers and marriages and Ann is trying to reignite her career as a writer while her sisters arrange to sell the family home in Brooklyn. A chance meeting in a bar brings Justin into Ann’s life and a whirlwind relationship follows despite the fact that Justin is technically married. Deborah is wife is terminally ill and with no hope for survival so Ann makes peace with this and becomes part of Justin and his daughters life. Then Deborah makes a miraculous recovery and Ann finds herself in a chaotic love triangle.

That’s roughly the premise for this book and therein lies my issue. I can leave realistic expectations at the door when reading fiction to a point but this story stretched that expectation greatly. This is a well told story of an unlikely tale. The writing is good, the characters are well developed and the plot and pace particularly in the second half of the book is excellent . It’s twisty and uncomfortable and held my attention but I never really got over how unlikely this situation that the book is based around, is.

I really do like this authors writing style though and I’d absolutely read whatever she writes next.

Another bestseller for Edel Coffey ,a riveting love triangle with plenty of suspense and drama built in .I would urge you all to read .

Ann, recovering from the death of her mother feels lost. She meets Justin who has one daughter and a terminally ill wife. They become involved and Justin's wife makes a recovery.

After reading Breaking Point last year I was really excited to read this. Overall I enjoyed it. The plot was different and interesting. It lost the run of itself about 3/4 of the way through and the ending was underwhelming.

The main issue I had was I couldn't connect with the characters even the main character Ann, she was a bit flimsy to me, immature and silly.

In Her Place is Edel Coffey’s second novel after her excellent debut Breaking Point. It’s every bit as readable as Breaking Point with a good story about a complex relationship but it didn’t hit the same high notes.

Set in NYC and upstate New York, we meet our main character Ann, a struggling writer, as she navigates life and grief in the aftermath of the death of her mother.

Ann meets Justin, a handsome, wealthy and suave dad-of-one while on a writing assignment in Hudson. Justin’s wife Deborah is terminally ill and has been in a coma for six years. After a whirlwind romance, Ann and Justin move in together but things take a tricky turn when Deborah makes a miraculous recovery. Is everything as it seems and will Ann find her happy ever after?

I’ve read a few reviews from people who felt the book only got going in the second half. I actually preferred the first half - it was a nicely paced and well written story up to this point.

As the story begins to take off, it also began to unravel somewhat for me with a few too many plot holes (not a spoiler but surely Sophie or one of Justin’s “concerned friends” would have given the game away?). I didn’t ever believe that Ann would have stayed, but suspension of disbelief is a necessary element of reading domestic suspense novels so I went with it. The appearance of a new character right at the end (Richard) was superfluous. And a small thing, but I felt some of the lingo was a bit Irish (eg Americans would use the word “daycare” as opposed to “crèche”).

Nonetheless, I inhaled In Her Place over 24 hours; the author has a way of humanising even villainous characters and she knows how to tell a good story that keeps the reader turning pages. 3/5⭐️

I really enjoyed Ann & Justin’s story & I really felt for them in their situation!
Loved the twists & turns in the story.

4 ⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley & Little Brown Book for allowing me the chance to read this book before publishing, in exchange for my honest review.
It didn’t get off to a good start and I was quite bored to begin with. I persevered and became invested in Justin & Ann’s relationship. I really like some of the twists in this book but I thought maybe we could have got to have known some of the characters a little bit more (for example Justin’s friends) why were they so obsessed with Ann breaking his heart if they knew he was a player? Anyway I like the twist at the end but thought that more details were needed and it just felt a little flat. Overall I did still enjoy this book.

A gripping read, that hooked me in right from the blurb!

Imagine being in Ann and Justin's situation, in love and happy, but with Justin's wife terminally ill and unconscious in hospital, where she's been for two years. It's just a matter of time until she dies and Justin has never hidden the situation from Ann, who is falling deeper and deeper, not only for Justin, but for his adorable young daughter, Sophie, as well.

And then a miracle happens. Justin's wife, Deborah, is given a trial of a new drug and makes a full recovery. The medical staff are on cloud nine and can't hide their joy, but what of Justin and Ann, and their new life together? My heart was breaking for them and the impossible and untenable situation they found themselves in.

And then it got dark and twisty. Ann isn't willing to just walk away and in her determination to keep hold of her new life, she uncovers lots of secrets.

A brilliant, brilliant book, with well developed characters, fabulous writing and a superb plot!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Edel Coffey and Little, Brown for an ARC in return for an honest review.