const regex = /(?s)(?:^([^"]*(?:"[^"a]*(?=")"[^"]*(?="))*"[^"a]*)|(?!^)\G)a([^"a]*(?:(?=a.*?")|(?:"[^"]*$|"[^"]*(?=")(?:"[^"a]*(?=")"[^"]*(?="))*"[^"a]*)))/g;
// Alternative syntax using RegExp constructor
// const regex = new RegExp('(?s)(?:^([^"]*(?:"[^"a]*(?=")"[^"]*(?="))*"[^"a]*)|(?!^)\\G)a([^"a]*(?:(?=a.*?")|(?:"[^"]*$|"[^"]*(?=")(?:"[^"a]*(?=")"[^"]*(?="))*"[^"a]*)))', 'g')
const str = `Somebody once told me "apples" are good for you
=> Somebody once told me "bpples" are good for you
"Aardvarks" make good kebabs
=> "Abrdvbrks" make good kebabs
The boy said "aaah!" when his mom told him he was eating aardvark
=> The boy said "bbbh!" when his mom told him he was eating aardvark
`;
const subst = `$1b$2`;
// The substituted value will be contained in the result variable
const result = str.replace(regex, subst);
console.log('Substitution result: ', result);
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for JavaScript, please visit: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Regular_Expressions