I think I must have read a different book from the other reviewers. I was 25% into it and still not feeling a connection with the story. I then read the reviews and thought I would go back and finish the book. It did get better after the half way mark and the story started making a bit more sense.

Allegra has moved to Dublin to find her mother after she gave her up at birth. Allegra was brought up by her father in a small island off the Irish coast.
She rents a flat above a garage in the garden of a house owned by a rich couple. She has no real contact with them apart from babysitting their children.
Allegra's dream was to join the Irish Garda but she didn't get accepted so she became a traffic warden.
She has an argument one day with a guy who's car she is ticketing. He tells her you are what the five people in your life have made you so she must know some horrible people that made her so unfriendly.
This then takes over her life as she sets out to find her five people .

As I said I didn't get on with this story at the start. I found Allegra very annoying and slightly strange and then I got bored with her and the terrible decisions she was making. I really liked Rooster and found him a positive influence in her life.
I did wonder if Allegra was autistic or on the spectrum as she was a stickler for routine and everything staying the same. She was desperate to be loved and yet her pops loved her so much and she was ignoring the fact that he might be suffering from dementia.

Eventually I did start to enjoy the book and the ending was lovely and I shed a little tear.
Maybe now I need to go back and read the beginning.
I do think this author's books can be quite confusing at times as to what she is trying to say. But I did like the idea that you are what the five people closest to you make you.

Freckles is an enjoyable and easy read. It took some time to get in to the book. I found Allegra's behaviour towards her Freckles a bit distressing. However the exploration of the average of 5 interesting and thought provoking. Worth reading to the end for the finale.

Freckles is a lovely story that follows a meandering but very enjoyable path. At the centre of the story is the idea that the five people we're closest to shape us and make us who we are, which is in itself an interesting idea. But this thought completely throws our protagonist Allegra, causing her to question everything about her ordered, predictable life.

Allegra is a unique, endearing, sometimes frustrating protagonist. She is often lacking in awareness and I felt myself wanting to jump in and speak to her, or guide her, but that is part of the charm. We are witnessing Allegra figuring things out for herself and slowly finding her way home.

There are a number of subplots to the main storyline, not all of which are resolved, leaving the reader to question and make their own predictions. But overall it reaches a satisfying conclusion and I thoroughly enjoyed following Allegra on her journey of discovery.

I found this to be an OK read. I think I possibly had too high hopes as I'm a great fan of the author and usually find her books uplifting; which, this is, but, gosh, it's hard work before then!
Allegra Bird, nicknamed Freckles is such a sad, solitary, individual for whom little in life goes her way. Given up by her mother at birth, it's always been her and her father and she's left him whilst she attempts to make a life for herself in the big city - Dublin.

"You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with" is a sentence told to Allegra and which turns her life upside down as she attempts to identify her 5 people.
What follows is heartbreaking at times and it's a satisfying conclusion, but, I found it a struggle to maintain interest and for that reason, I found it a 2* OK read.

I am however grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview and I hope it finds it's audience.

I don't usually read books like this but thanks to netgalley I received a free copy. Its light hearted, funny at times but without giving too much away, it's sad, unfair as well as uplifting. Its an easy read. Cecelia's natural humour really shone through. I surprisingly really enjoyed this story.

Emotionally charged yet wholesome

I really enjoyed this book. Allegra was a very different character to those I'd usually read about. Her Almost OCD approach to life was quite relatable and I totally understood her struggles with reading other people. It felt like she lives her whole life just on the edge of other peoples which was very different. Usually characters are the centre to their own story.

I also loved the whole '5 people' philosophy! Such an interesting way of thinking!

I'm definitely going to be researching that theory as well as the Irish police which fascinated me!!

It was also very refreshing to have a YouTuber as a character! Such a great way to modernise this story!

The geography confused me slightly when she travelled home. I feel like there were so many steps I wasn't sure where she was and when!

Also wasn't a fan of the whole Pop's being a pervert storyline. It made me feel a little uncomfortable reading about him! Allegra held him in such high esteem but I just couldn't see him as a good father figure! I also feel for the very small amount of time he was in the book it didn't really add much to his character.

I'm very glad in the end everyone realised Allegra was a good person just trying to help out! But so much of the book was people putting her down and calling her weird! It just had such a negative edge! I just wish things had turned around for her quicker to prove people wrong. Maybe before she had to move home again?

Having said that this book was very well written! I loved the diversity of characters as well as the side plots for Spanner, Rooster and Paddy. The one thing I would say is PLEASE next time use speech marks!!! It made the interactions difficult to follow not having them.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book. I think it's going to stay with me for a fair while!

This book is a very slow burner. It's is written in a style I am not overly comfortable with but if you persevere it does grow on you and by the end the main characters have wormed their way in so you just have to finish it. Makes you shed a year and then smile!

Allegra or “Freckles” is a 24 year old traffic warden who is deeply unlikeable, definitely delusional and a little drunk with power on the streets of Dublin. This story follows her on her personal mission of self discovery.

I found it difficult to get into this book because Allegra is really not a very nice person to be around, even fictionally. But I’m really glad I persevered with it - the murky depths and slog of a beginning makes the character progression quite a rewarding experience.

Allegra is told, by an angry motorist, that every human is the average of the five people they spend the most time with. A thought that really resonates with her. From then on she immediately goes about reviewing, reorganising and even recruiting new people to associate with.

It’s a story of personal growth, of the importance of good friends, and of life changing outlooks too. Although the first half feels quite depressing at times, I think the payoff is worth pursuing.

The favourite quote I’ve chosen below is one that perfectly captures Allegra’s attitude throughout the first half of the book:

“There’s never truly any comfortable position while posing nude, something will always start to hurt at some point but at the beginning of the session I’d chosen to angle my body in the direction of the empty stool James is heading to, my legs parted ever so slightly, not because I’m shy of the others seeing but because I found the thought of a tardy artist being faced with an eye full of vagina amusing. I have to get my kicks somehow.”

Freckles will be published on 2nd September, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

What a lovely life affirming read. Alegra goes on a journey of finding the 5 people that shape her life and make her who she is. Such an inspirational read with lessons we can all learn about life. Well done Ceceila, another fantastic read!

I love Cecelia Ahern books. I’ve not read a bad one yet and all have been five stars, many have moved me, made me cry and stayed in my mind after reading. So I’m not really sure what’s happened here. This is a slow book, difficult to read in places due to so much conversation between characters but no real indication of who is saying what. The characters didn’t grab me and I neither liked them or disliked them. The idea of the story was nice but I feel it’s probably a book for younger readers. I think anyone new to the author would probably enjoy this but as a regular reader of hers this didn’t come up to her usual standard sadly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I was so excited to read another book from Cecelia Ahern, and Freckles did not disappoint. Freckles is a complex character trying to find her place in the world, through the 5 people most important to her. A lovely heart-warming read.

I enjoyed this story but won’t give any spoilers away
With thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for the arc of this story in exchange for this review

I wasn’t sure about this book to begin with and the main character Aurora, or Freckles as she was known at school, seemed a bit strange. Freckles has moved away from the island she grew up in and her beloved father, Pops, to live in a suburb of Dublin. Her dream was to join the Garda but was turned down and ended up as a traffic warden, which in her eyes is the next best thing. She has managed to find a place to live in a very wealthy area, living above the garage of a high-powered couple in return for baby sitting duties besides her rent. Aurora is really on a mission to find her mother, who, she has discovered lives and works in the area. Aurora is a very dedicated traffic warden and goes the extra mile to make sure that anyone parked illegally is given a parking ticket. It is on her mission to do the right thing that she comes across Tristram, who drives a yellow Ferrari and constantly breaks parking rules. After a huge argument they strike up a sort of friendship which starts as a result of him telling her that she is the average of the five people she spends the most time with. Aurora barely has five people in her life, but takes this proclamation to heart and goes out of her way to find five people she can relate to. This leads her to writing letters to famous people she does not even know with varying degrees of success. The strange thing about Freckles is that having started out thinking she was very strange I ended up seeing something of myself in her and her desire to improve her life. She meets so many obstacles along the way but you end up just wanting her life to be the way she wants it to be. I think many readers will feel the same and overall, it is a very compelling read and I ended up reading the last one hundred pages or so in one go. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.

Freckles is a misfit. She’s described as “strange”. At the start of her story, I didn’t much like her and I couldn’t relate to her. However, as her story unfolds, you understand why she is the way that she is and she endears herself to you.
I ready this book quickly as I found myself wanting to see what happened to her and the other characters. The book is very well written and believable.
I’d love to read another book with some of the other characters as I think there is scope to develop their stories too.

I love Cecelia Ahern and have read all of her excellent books and this was another lovely, heartfelt story.. I don't think this is her best work but deserves a solid four stars.

The whole plot focuses around 'Freckles" (real name Allegra, a very straight-laced traffic warden who loves her job) being told by 'Rooster' (real name Tristan, a very successful YouTuber) that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. An interesting concept in its own right, this explores Freckles ideas around this and her processing the idea.

This is a story of friendship and becoming comfortable in your own skin.

Freckles is an awkward character at the beginning but grows throughout the book and learns how to be comfortable with herself. She has an amazing Dad who is so supportive of her and her life decisions but stands back to allow her the space to grow and work out her issues, Freckles becomes really loveable towards the end.

This also explores the people around Rooster, how they are fake friends and how he comes to discover this and becomes a better person for it. His character also grows a lot through the book as he realises his friends aren't real friends and he finds a special new friendship with Freckles.

Another awesome summer read!

I haven't read a Cecilia Ahern book in a long time but this reminded me what a wonderful story teller she is. Set between Kerry and Malahide it tells the story of Freckles who was brought up by her father after her mother left them. Its a wonderful heartfelt story. My heart broke for Freckles throughout this who is desperately seeking her place in the world. A lovely story of how sometimes what we seek is what finds us anyway.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I haven't read much of Cecelia Ahern's work, only 'PS, I Love You' but was interested by the premise of 'Freckles.' I found the writing style captivating, with Ahern creating clear imagery in a well-paced novel. My main gripe was the lack of speech marks in the dialogue. An enjoyable, easy read, although felt aspects of the story, particularly with Pops, could have been fleshed out more.

I found this really difficult to get into.

I continued as I'd heard great things about this author but this was the first time I'd read anything by her.

The main problem for me was the protagonist didn't hold my interest, I found Freckles really one dimensional and I didn't buy into her as a character. Nothing really happens, her perspective seemed boring and I just didn't enjoy reading about her.

The ending in contrast seemed overdone, uplifting but in a way that made me cringe.

Allegra, the titular Freckles, is a traffic warden in Malahide, Dublin. We follow her story as she tries to figure out who her "five people" are, after being told you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with.

I honestly struggled with the style of this book. The way all speech blurred into one prose, regardless of who was talking, took a lot of getting used to, and it wasn't a style I enjoyed at all. I didn't think I'd finish it as it was very slow moving, but I'm glad I stuck with it as the last third definitely improved a lot for me.

A different novel from what I am used to and not what I was expecting from this author. Was well written with some interesting characters and some good humour and although it was enjoyable I think it would appeal to younger readers .It wasn't really for me