I enjoyed this sweet book very much. I've read this author before so knew how good her books can be. This didn't disappoint at all. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review

Absolutely loved @Cecelia_Ahern new book Freckles. A tale of loneliness, friendship and the quirks of finding yourself. Loved reading Freckles journey of self discovery
Wonderful quirky characters each with their own hang ups

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The lack of speech marks made it a hard read for me.

Allegra has freckles and she's self harmed to connect them into constellations. At first this is all we know about Allegra. As the book progresses we begin to understand that she is moving to a slightly different beat than everyone else.

She has come from a small island off the coast of Ireland to work as a traffic warden on the mainland but really she always wanted to be in the Garda. It's here she meets someone who tells her that she is the sum of the five people you spend the most time with, and he doesn't mean it as a compliment. At first I couldn't understand why Allegra takes this to heart so much and it dominates most of the first half of the book. I felt it was over played and I struggled to get into the book.

The scenes with her Father where she suspects him of displaying signs of dementia were so well written and believable. I felt sorry for her when she went back to the island and everything she knew had changed. I also felt sorry for her as she tried to connect to five new people.

The second half of the book flowed much better, by now I had the measure of Allegra, well I thought I did. Maybe I misjudged her just as some of the people in the book did. The ending was sweet justice for Allegra.

Cecelia Ahern doing what she does best! Of course this is another book with huge, likeable characters! I found this book clever and loved the “5 people” concept . A fantastic, easy to follow book that you will zoom through. Pure escapism

🎨 BOOK TOUR REVIEW 🎨

🎨 FRECKLES By @official_ceceliaahern 🎨

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5🌟s

Thank you to @harpercollinsuk for sending me a finished copy of the book for my slot on the @randomthingstours

Freckles (aka Allegra) likes things to be orderly and within the rules. She lives her life by this order. But when a stranger tells her that people are the average of the 5 people they spend the most time with, Freckles realised that she may not actually have 5 people she’s closest to because she left her father and the friends she knew and moved away…. 250 miles away to be exact.

I really related to Allegra and her noticing of the people who cross her path every day and the wondering of what’s happened or where they are when they aren’t in their usual place. When I commuted on public transport I would see the same people doing the same thing.

I really liked the observations that we have unknown people in our lives who we see almost every day and that we are also those unknown people to someone else.

Cecelia just writes people so well doesn’t she? Totally honest and so relatable. It’s been a long time since I’ve read anything by her (I have no idea why and it is clearly a massive faux pas) and I forgot how timeless her writing always is. Like I could pick this book up in 20 years and still relate to the people written but possibly in a different way.

If you are looking for a book that’s timeless, Freckles is it. You will be pulling this from the shelves for years to come.

I also bloody cried 🥺

This really isn’t my usual genre of book, but as NetGalley we’re kind enough to give me a prepublication review copy I thought I would give it a go. To sum it up, this book is a self discovery, becoming a better person type book. The main character is very likeable, but some of the events are a little frustrating. I loved the idea of being like the 5 people you spend your time with- on reflection this is really eye opening. I was transported to another time and place and enjoyed escaping my normal life to peek into someone else’s. Although I could guess the ending, I did enjoy the closure you got with the last few pages. They all live happily ever after- thank goodness!

There is plenty to like in Cecelia Ahern’s latest novel from its eye-catching cover to the unique heroine that is Allegra Bird. Allegra, a parking warden, is a young woman who shines but who isn’t aware of how beguiling she is. She may not know where she’s going in life but following her journey is an experience to be cherished. Humorous, surprising, and illuminating, this is a novel to treasure. The opening paragraphs are fantastic, providing the reader with a wonderful description of how Allegra has come by the nickname of Freckles. Though she makes some decisions that didn't sit comfortably with me, I still found this a truly remarkable read.

Working in Dublin for Fingal County Council, Allegra is living in Malahide, a suburban village. She rents a studio flat owned by Becky and Donnacha who live in the adjacent mansion, and one day she slaps a parking ticket on a canary yellow Ferrari. The owner who she has encountered many times before returns and cursing, tells her "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." As a result, Allegra reevaluates her relationships and sets out to improve her life.

With its diverse characters and clever execution, Freckles has turned out to be one of my most entertaining and favourite reads of 2021 so far. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HarperCollins via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

It took me a while to get into this book. The premise was super interesting (you are the average of the 5 People you spend most time with) but the execution didn’t speak to me as much as I thought.

Main character Allegra Bird was an interesting lead - I appreciated that she was on the nerd side and hadn’t got all her life already figured out, but she definitely wasn’t easy to love as MC I didn’t agree with most of her decisions throughout the book and at the end I was literally cringing and just generally a little ball of nerves 👀 The ending was satisfactory, but the journey to it… ugh 😩

‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with ‘ - who would be your five?
This refreshing story about human interactions certainly made me think about my connections in a different way. Allegra was such an interesting woman and it was fascinating to follow her on her journey of self discovery- full of self doubt she openly admitted what we all probably think at times, that she didn’t do the human stuff very well. Her relationships were so diverse and the other characters in the story so full of life which complimented/ contradicted Allegra at different stages of her story.

Cecelia Ahern is probably up there as one of the authors I have read the most from and I find her books that centre more on Romance are the ones I really enjoy. This wasn’t a romance one. Which is a completely personal preference but it does always correlate to how much I enjoy the book.

Allegra Bird is an interesting main character, she is not easy to like and she is socially odd. She made terrible decisions through most of the book and it just set my anxiety up to maximum. I couldn’t enjoy it because of the second hand cringe factor.

I didn’t enjoy reading this book. It was a quick read and I liked the way it all ended but the journey getting there was not fun.

An unusual heartwarming story about a young woman trying to trace her mother and all her hopes and fears
Really relatable characters

"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with"

This is an enjoyable story that follows a young woman's mind through her day to day thoughts of how she is trying to find her place in the world. A very easy to read story that is told in a very simple yet intriguing way.

The character of Freckles (Alegra Bird) was probably my most loved aspect of this book. She is real. She is a kind and caring character, but has some unresolved issues deep down. I kind of got vibes of Eleanor Oliphant from Freckles? The story is told through Freckles POV which is always something I love. The lack of speech marks does take some getting used to but didn't bother me at all after the first few chapters.

Overall this was an enjoyable read. It was heartwarming yet emotional in places, and it really gives you food for thought. It is a story of self discovery, growth and the power of relationships.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Cecelia Ahern for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an e-arc of this book. I love Cecilia Ahern and the previous books that she has released however this was one book that i couldnt get into. i Managed 20% before i unfortunately had to DNF. In the future i will definitely try and read it again but at this time i had to put it down.

I struggled with this at the start and found the story hard to understand and get into. I found the characters difficult to read and wondered where the story was going.
As the story progresses I liked the idea of the search for a mum who had abandoned the character Allegra at birth and her search for the five people who make her who she is.
As the story progressed I began to like and understand a little more about Allegra and her circle of friends and enjoyed the last third much more.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ah Freckles – what an absolutely gorgeous story. I had a lump in my throat and damp eyes on more than one occasion yet found it to be a very hopeful and uplifting read. I felt like I could really empathise with Freckles – she was raised by her father, always felt a little off kilter compared to her peers and occasionally feels a bit at sea in her life. When a nasty comment resonates a little too much, she is challenged to think carefully about her life and who she has in it. She is pushed towards unpicking some difficult issues and really think about who she is.

What I liked most about this story was the easy way in which it was told. There were plenty of interesting characters who Freckles encounters in her daily life and who have their own storylines that evolve. Many of them are unpolished and have issues – they are not all glossy hair, perfect jobs and fat wallets. They felt like the sort of people you might encounter walking through a city.

It has been a wee while since I have read a book by Cecelia but Freckles reminded me why I love her writing. It is a story you can dive into with characters who get into your heart and form a connection. There are some high emotion scenes but these fit nicely within the overall story so you feel a rollercoaster of emotions and have a great time doing so. I was a little bit gutted when the book ended! A heartwarming read – highly recommend!

Just finished Freckles by Cecelia Ahern! How gorgeous is the cover! 😻😍❤

The book focuses on Allegra Bird, a parking warden who is on a mission! After meeting a guy called Tristan who is notorious for not paying for his parking she thinks about the 5 people around her who infuences who she to almost find herself.

I did not connect with Allegra and felt distanced from the book as a result. I did read it to the end though and I am so glad I did because it made the whole book worth it! If you need a nice heartwarming read be sure to check this out! Not only will it look beautiful on your bookcase it will make you reflect on those around you and appreciate what we have.

Thank you #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange of an honest review 🙂 xxx

What a read absolutly loved it.
I would recommend to others. I've loved previous books by the same author and this didn't disappoint. I never read the same book twice unless I loved it and I would happily read this one again.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

this was overall an okay read. not my favourite book by cecelia ahern, even though it was different. the format was jarring but i got used to it. my main complaint is the pacing, the book dragged in parts that were unnecessary and i really wasn't enjoying it at too many parts of the book sadly. still a good read though and fans of cecelia ahern and unconventional formats would like it!

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc of this book!
For years I have loved Cecelia Ahern books so couldn't wait to start reading this but it fell a bit flat for me to be honest.
For most of the book not really much happened and couldn't really tell where some of the characters were going.
I found it hard without any speech marks so didn't realise people were talking at first which also made it hard for the story to flow.
When we got near the end and the characters came through, I really enjoyed it but the 1st three quarters of the book were a bit of a drag for me. Gutted.

Overall an okay read, not my favourite book by this author. Writing style reminds me of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, seems a little different from Cecelia Aherns normal books. Finding it difficult to write a review on this book without giving away any spoilers.