Five people. Five stars. Freckle to freckle. Star to star."

Allegra Bird has left home, leaving behind an eccentric father, childhood friends and the small town life she knows to move to the big city. In Dublin, she finds her extremely structured life impacted by an encounter that makes her question who she is, and how the people around her in her life have shaped her.

Allegra has some qualities thst could render her unlikeable but I found myself routing for this traffic warden who favours order and always tries so hard to get things right. Confused and searching for answers, she reflects a lot of the anxieties we have in our twenties or when our lives turn out to be slightly different to what we expected. She goes about her days introducing us to a range of characters that really do show that sometimes the pictures we have in our head will never live up to reality. And what's in our hearts is usually what wins out overall.

This is the first Cecelia Ahern book thst I have read in years and it was an enjoyable read. I felt like some of the plot points were delicious slow burns thst all got tied up very quickly at the end, which was slightly disappointing. There was some incidents that I would have liked more details on but overall an overall comforting and fun read.

I enjoyed this at a surface level - a cheery story about finding your place in the world and discovering true friendships etc. - but when I had finished the novel and thought about it in more detail there were points that I just didn’t feel had been properly resolved. Like the allegations against Pops about what essentially amounts to sexual assault - that was just brushed off? And Allegra’s mother is just evil, rather than having been traumatised? It just didn’t sit right with me, the more that I thought about it.

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern. A NetGalley read. I chose this book as I’ve been a fan of the author since P.S I Love You, having said that I think that’s been her best book. Freckles is about Allegra Bird, brought up by her father as her mother gave her up at birth. Like her father she has freckles and that since school has become her nickname. Allegra is a traffic warden and on one of her patrols someone she has given a ticket to days something that sticks with her and she goes on a quest to understand what he has said. Sadly I didn’t enjoy this book at all and I hate saying that because I know the author has taken time to write it and out so much into it. The whole story is told in Allegra’s original voice, there no definition between the many conversations between each character and that made it feel like one long lasting ramble. At times I had no idea what was going on and it just felt like I was reading words without any purpose. We don’t learn much about Allegra even though she’s the main character, from the way the story unfolds you learn that she’s a very lonely character, someone that was self harming at an early age, as a reader you can perhaps guess that she has mental health problems and maybe from way her narrative is written I think perhaps she has some form of autism. Allegra likes routine, rules and finds it hard to read other people and other people find her hard to understand, even thinking she is strange or creepy. Allegra always has other peoples best interests at heart but doesn’t always go at things the right way. However this isn’t said to be the case in the book. It’s quite a sad story really as all Allegra is looking for is to be accepted especially by her mum but also it’s about not appreciating the people around you, even those people that don’t play the biggest parts in your life but for whatever reason know you more than most. I would have liked to hear more about Allegra, I think that stopped you making a connection with Allegra, the flow of the book didn’t help, it felt never ending. To be honest this is probably one of the worse books I’ve read this year and not one I will be recommending to others.

I've been reading Cecilia Ahern for as long as I can remember, you can guarantee they're books that will leave you uplifted and happy. Freckles didn't disappoint, but it was, for want of a better word, different to how I expected it to be.

I found it really hard to connect with the protagonist, Allegra, who makes some frustrating choices throughout the story. The first 75% of the book felt disjointed without a proper story arc. I personally feel this was intentional from Ahern, Allegra sees her life as a series of inconsequential events happening around her while she's waiting to achieve a specific goal. Toward the end of the book, she begins to realise that she already had everything and everyone she needs, albeit it not in the form she expected.

The ending also came close to missing the mark for me, it felt very much like a coincidence that everything in Allegra's life came together rather than it being on the back of her self improvement and reflection. However, it still left me with the tell tale Ahern 'warm and fuzzes' so I wasn't disappointed.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable read about love, loneliness, family and human connection.

Allegra Bird, a parking warden with Fingal Co. Council, is our main character. I'm struggling to write a synopsis other than "this book is about her" because there's little in the way of actual plot. I also didn't finish this, but I read enough of it to form an opinion, so here are my Pros & Cons (or Cons & Pros):

Cons:

- I am supposed to believe that this woman lives alone in an apartment in Malahide with rent of €500/month.

- There are no quotation marks so it's hard to differentiate between dialogue and Allegra's (constant, incredibly judgemental) internal monologue.

- Sentences like this: "Maybe the newborn in me remembers the abandonment after the umbilical cord was snipped."

- There's so much swearing and it's completely out of place. At one point, one character uses the K word (offensive term for Traveller) to describe someone else. It made me uncomfortable.

- At one point I wondered if this woman was supposed to be on the Spectrum - I only made it halfway so it's possible that this is confirmed, but in the first half it's only alluded to. Because we hear so much of Allegra's constant internal monologue, it came off as a really bad portrayal of someone who struggled with interpreting social cues. She just came off creepy and judgemental.

- One of my notes says "why is she so horny for the Gardaí?" which I think is self-explanatory.

Pros:
- The book cover is cute


It's my own fault, I haven't enjoyed anything by this author in a long time, but had been told that her writing style has evolved and that this one was more mature and not the usual. If you enjoy it, more power to you, but but it turned me off reading anything for about two weeks.

CW: The freckles in the title refer to Allegra joining up her freckles into the constellations via self harm.

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC via Netgalley, sorry I couldn't be more positive about it, I'll never request one of her books again.

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

Allegra Bird, was told those words from an angry stranger and those words turned into an earworm. She could not get those words out of her head as she took them to heart leading her to try and find herself and her five people who can help shape her life.

She was brought up by her eccentric musical Irish father on an island on the West Coast of Ireland after being abandoned by her Catalonian mother, however, the only thing that really identified her as belonging to her father was her freckles. These freckles shaped her childhood as she would draw the constellations by joining up the dots in search of connections and now that she is an adult, she is once again searching for connections as she begins her journey seeking her mother.

Since the age of 5, she was subjected to the regimental routine of boarding school, and this shaped exactly who she is now. Allegra needs routine, she has to abide by the law, especially having wanted to join the Guarda since a young age, however, she is now a parking warden.

This is a hard review for me to write as I don’t enjoy writing negative reviews but I really disliked Allegra. She is rude and judgemental thus making it really difficult for me to feel sorry for her and her sad lonely life. I had high hopes that I would change my mind but unfortunately for me, she didn’t grow into a likeable person on her journey to find herself and her five people. There’s something a bit try-hard about this story too as the whole concept was overthought and the characters I met on the way were cliched. It started off intriguing but then nothing really happened and this left me disappointed. I’m sorry to say, it's just not a book for me.

I loved the concept of this story ‘you are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with’….I found this idea so intriguing and it has got me wondering about my five people.
However this book just felt flat to me, and I’m sorry to say was a real disappointment.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

I usually love Cecilia Ahern's stories but this one missed the mark for me. I have to say this book took me quite a while to get into and therefore I never quite felt the love for it that I had expected. Having said that it's a nice story, heartwarming if a little sad. There are some lovely moments in the story but they seemed few and far between,

I never particularly gelled with the lead character, Allegra, but I did have a lot of sympathy for her. There were some truly horrible characters and some more loveable ones too, which added to the story.

Overall, this was an okay read for me. I found the lack of speech marks made reading the book quite hard going and I do hope this is only because I read a pre-publication copy, otherwise I don't think this works and it definitely detracts from the flow of reading. I think this will be a very "marmite" book, people will either love it or hate it..

To be honest, when I started this book, I struggled to begin with. I found the writing hard, no speech marks for the conversation, who knew these were so important haha! But there was something about Freckles, that made me keep on reading and boy, am I glad I did!
Allegra, or Freckles as she is sometimes known as, is a girl that seems to be a square peg in a round hole. She is trying to find her way, after moving to Dublin from a remote area in Ireland. She is a parking warden and after a particularly difficult confrontation, she is told you are the average of the 5 people that you spend most of your time with. From this, Allegra realises she doesn't know who her 5 people are. This leads to a journey of self discovery and a bumpy path to try and find her 5.
Freckles is an emotional read and at the start, I found it difficult to bond with the character, however, before you know it, she gets under your skin. You are willing her on to find people in her life that will treat her well. She is misunderstood by so many around her but you feel like you know the true Freckles. At the end, I sat there with tears in my eyes, wow, that's not an easy feat with me, I'm not a crier.
Please give this book a go, keep on reading and find out about the true person behind the nickname. I am sat here now thinking about Allegra and that shows what an amazing book this is!

Loved the underlining theme of this story 'you are the sum of the 5 main people you spend your time with' which really got me thinking and I liked that.

It kind of delved into that around the central character of Freckles (Allegra). She is someone who feels she doesn't quite fit, doesn't have their life together and goes in search of herself in a way. A bit like a coming of age story but as an adult. I think that is quite relatable to many.

A charming book about friendship and understanding the people and events that shape you. The heroine, Allegra Bird, aka Freckles, is a parking warden. A stranger at the receiving end of one of her parking tickets remarks to her one day that she is the average of the five people you have spent most time with and sends her in a journey of discovery to explore who has had the most influence on her life and have shaped her into who she is. Completely blind to the obvious characters who shape her daily routines, she tries to reach out to the people she wants to be among the five rather than the actual five. With mishaps and misunderstandings along the way, this is an entertaining and original story which is enjoyable to read.

I found this a tricky read. I couldn't find myself drawn into Allegra * Freckles* story and all the people and characters she interacts with.

Allegra Bird is a traffic warden, who relishes the rules and routine of her job and daily life. Though used to abuse from this she's affected by an encounter with someone when they lash out at her with "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with". This triggers a complete jolt off axis for Allegra's thoughts and subsequently her life changes as she contemplates who her 5 are, and who they could be.
Allegra is a unique and special character, her thoughts and humour are off the wall but I loved that about her. I did find some of the events quite unusual and I don't know what they contributed to the story but that's my perspective. It felt slow moving to the point where halfway through I didn't think I was enjoying it at all but ultimately the emotional build up and foundations of the characters drew together a compelling finish that I truly loved.

Just three words really - loved this book!!
I have never read a Cecelia Ahearne novel before but I would glad;y read another. It is a real page turner.

Having read many of Cecelia Ahern's previous books, and acknowledging her talent as a writer, I would actually give this book 3.5 stars. It was quite a straightforward text to read, with a plot that keeps you interested and wanting to know more about the main character; her past and what has brought her to her present situation and how this is going to end for her, We are first introduced to Allegra (named so by her father, 'Pops', being a musician, and being similar to the musical term 'allegro'), a parking warden, working and living in the city of Dublin. As Allegra narrates the story, we get flashbacks of her young life at boarding school and references to living in her hometown of the Irish island of Valentia, so as a reader we begin to get an insight of the kind of person she is and what has shaped her previously as she has grown up. As she takes us through her daily routines, you find yourself wanting to know more about her and understand how and why she has ended up living in Dublin. Unfortunately, the personality which we are introduced to and begins to unfold does not present her as a very likeable character. She seems to struggle making social relationships with others and has little empathy for people's situations when she issues tickets. The fact that the author has given this character the job of a parking warden - a job that is not looked upon very fondly by most people - is obviously deliberate, to give the impression of a person who takes a hard line with others and is not particularly empathetic or friendly. Whilst this is the main premise of the book, about 'Allegra/Freckles' finding herself and realising who is important in her life as she grows up, and what qualities in people make them worthwhile friends (the main five she seeks out in the book), there are times where you feel little sympathy for her and more towards others. The book explores the notion of growing up and finding yourself and who is important as friends, as you grow up and begin to realise what personal qualities make others substantial friends; something that many of us have experienced as we grow up and move on from people in life. However, it was this lack of likeability of the main character which prevented me from enjoying this as much as previous books by Ahern. I would aim this book more at 'Young Adults' as it deals with issues that a younger audience may be experiencing and need support in thinking about during a particular time of life. My thanks go out to netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this..

Allegra Bird aka Freckles dreams of being a police officer, but when she doesn’t get in, she becomes a traffic warden. She moves to Dublin. She is diligent and routine orientated and pays great attention to details but isn’t good at reading people.. After ticketing a yellow sports car several days in a row she encounters the very angry owner Tristan. She is used to people shouting at her and being angry but Tristans words stay with her- you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, This sends Allegra into a spin, who are her five people?

This was an amazing read. I really warmed to the main character and those close to Freckles. I really felt for her and wanted everything to work out for her. The ending was so lovely and unexpected.

Freckles was such a great read. I thought the main character, Allegra, was really interesting and I found her very intriguing.

The setting was great and the author really provided a great description of where everything was happening and the contrast between Dublin and Valentia Island.

The book features a diverse group of characters that really add to the journey Allegra goes on in this book.

For me, this was a really uplifting read and I really enjoyed it overall. There was a nice message in the book and some funny moments too. The pacing was good. The one downside I had was I struggled with deciphering between dialogue and description or thought at times due to the writing style.

A great read and one I would definitely recommend!

I found this book a little slow to get into, but once I had, I loved it. Interesting theory behind the 5 people in your life who influence you. Would recommend.

Freckles by Cecilia Aherne.

It seems a strange admission to start a review with, but I’ve never liked Cecilia Aherne’s books. In fact P.S. I Love You brings me out in a rash. There has always been something too saccharin and sweet about them. So, when I was browsing NetGalley and saw her new novel I had pretty low expectations, but the blurb piqued my interest and here I am swallowing my words. This was a fantastic read and I absolutely loved it.

Five people.
Five chances.
One woman’s search for happiness.
Allegra Bird’s arms are scattered with freckles, a gift from her beloved father. But despite her nickname, Freckles has never been able to join all the dots. So when a stranger tells her that everyone is the average of the five people they spend the most time with, it opens up something deep inside.
The trouble is, Freckles doesn’t know if she has five people. And if not, what does that say about her? She’s left her unconventional father and her friends behind for a bold new life in Dublin, but she’s still an outsider.
Now, in a quest to understand, she must find not one but five people who shape her – and who will determine her future.
Told in Allegra’s vivid, original voice, moving from modern Dublin to the fierce Atlantic coast, this is an unforgettable story of human connection, of friendship, and of growing into your own skin.

This heroine, Allegra Bird, is quirky, surprising, incredibly loveable, and finds other human beings quite difficult to understand. She’s a parking warden in her little corner of Dublin and every day has a strict routine. She walks down to the bakery where owner, Spanner, greets her with a coffee and a Belgian waffle. She then follows her route, making sure that the same car is parked outside a certain hairdressers and makes her way to where a certain yellow Ferrari is constantly illegally parked. She has a small flat in a large family home, with babysitting duties as part of the deal. On Fridays she makes her way to a small art gallery in town where there’s a life drawing class. It turns out she’s the regular model - I said she was surprising - and she is fascinated with how the artists approach her freckles. There are some she used to scratch into star constellations, and she’s fascinated to see if they ignore them or over dramatise them as if they’re huge, angry slashes. When the man with the yellow Ferrari tells her she’s the sum of five people she’s closest too, it really hits home. She doesn’t have five people - but maybe she could curate five people who inspire her or who are really successful. By curating her five she could curate her life, becoming more successful in the process.

The joy I felt was from seeing how she related to other people. I sometimes think people behave in totally illogical ways, and Allegra is the same. I loved the relationship with Tristan, built from his inability to park his Ferrari legally. She tries to be helpful by taking him forms for permits, but he persists in paying from hour to hour, relying on his rather lazy staff to keep an eye on the time. They hate each other at first, but seeing how try to understand and appreciate each other is wonderful. Back at home, with her Dad, we see where some of her quirks come from. Her dad isn’t the best at picking up other people’s signals either. She finds out he’s been stopped from attending his choir because he’s made a pass at one of the administrators, who has felt uncomfortable and made a complaint. He’s a man stuck in the behaviour of an earlier decade, he seems baffled that just touching a woman on the knee is enough to be labelled a pervert. He has brought Allegra up by himself, and she has come to an age where she wants to know more about her mother. When the results of her search are revealed, I was genuinely surprised. I felt so protective of Allegra by this point, I was desperate for her to succeed. As the tension built towards the end, I couldn’t stop reading.

Told in Allegra’s unique and vivid voice, this book is so heartwarming and full of humour. It’s about finding your own authentic self and being proud of where you’re from. The author contrasts genuine, warm and accepting people with the false, Instagram brigade who are more interested in how life looks than how it is. I loved the contrast between the city streets of Dublin and the wild Atlantic island Allegra calls home. She has to make a decision about where her home is, which place truly suits the person she is instead of the woman she thought she had to be. All through the novel I found myself smiling and that was exactly what I needed at this moment. If Aherne keeps writing characters like Freckles, she may just win herself a brand new fan.

This fabulous book was a journey of discovery, not just of the eponymous character ,Freckles but ultimately, into my own life and the people who have shaped me. Allegra Bird, aka Freckles, has left the small island of Valentia and moved to Dublin, on a mission to seek out the mother who gave her up at birth. Brought up by her eccentric father ,she found security in the rules and regulations of boarding school. She is a character who displays many of the characteristics of someone in the autism spectrum. She sees things in black and white with no room for shades or nuances. That's why, when rejected by the Gárda she becomes a traffic warden, diligently upholding the parking laws. After repeatedly ticketing his yellow Ferrari, Tristan or Rooster as he's known to his utube followers, makes a throwaway comment in anger, which sets in motion a series of events which will transform not just the life of Freckles but those around her. This book was like an onion. In the case of Freckles, her character gradually built, layer upon layer, while in the case of the seemingly perfect people around her, their layers got peeled away one by one, exposing the emptiness and rotteness at their core. Really thought provoking and deeply moving, I found myself lying awake, deciding who were my five, who had shaped me ? This book is a little gem.