This one wasn’t for me sadly I really did want to love it though. I really struggled to get into it and after that it was just ok , not one that I would read again or recommend really.

Hostage Clare Mackintosh
I was absolutely gripped by this storyline, great tension and had my heart racing at times.
I was hooked quickly and kept turning the pages, the tension was there for the whole book.

I don't know, I feel very conflicted about Freckles by Cecilia Ahern. I love the premise and thought it sounded like it could be a very inspiring, interesting read. And while parts of it delivered that just feeling other parts, unfortunately, fell flat to me. I had trouble connecting to the characters, which might be the reason that I didn't quite FEEL the book. However, it was still an OK read.

Thank you to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest (even though very late) review.

Allegra Bird is a traffic warden in Dublin but is lacking in self-esteem. When she has a run-in with a man whose yellow Ferrari she keeps ticketing, he tells her she is the average of the five people she spends the most time with.

It takes a while for Allegra to realise who these people are, apart from one. Her father has always been there, her mother having abandoned her as a baby. Now Allegra has found her mother, she wants to get to know her but finding the right time isn't easy.

As a child, Allegra kept joining the freckles on her left arm, comparing them to constellations in the night sky. She tries to connect people to her life in much the same way but doesn't always get it right.

This story is about recognising that the people that matter the most to you are those who value you as a person. These aren't necessarily the people you think.

Allegra has a few lessons to learn, not least from the man with the yellow Ferrari who turns out to be a decent human being and even ends up learning something from her.

There are some unpleasant people in the story who don't appreciate Allegra but take advantage of her, anyway. Others misunderstand her good intentions when she has acted genuinely.

I enjoyed this story and Allegra was someone I felt invested in as a character. The ending was satisfactory and felt right in the context of what had gone before.

There were some moments in the story that resonated particularly with me, especially around having the confidence to speak up in situations that make you feel uncomfortable. This happens to Allegra a lot until she finds the right people to have around her, which makes all the difference.

I received a digital ARC of this book from HarperCollins UK, in return for an honest appraisal.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

Such a great book! A really refreshing look at relationships and family life. Allegra is wonderfully written, I became really invested in her story and loved the ending! A beautifully written book.

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately after getting 50% in I realised I just could not finish as the characters were not likeable at all & the book just did not grab me

I haven't read a book by Cecelia Ahern for a long time and really looking forward to this one, However, I was somewhat disappointed. I found it very slow and quite weak.

Allegra Bird has been a misfit all her life raised by her father in Ireland and abandoner by her Spanish mother. She always wanted to be a garda but didn't make it and is now a traffic warden. She meets a stranger, who is a local entrepreneur and is infuriated by the fact he keeps parking without a ticket. They get into a disagreement and he yells at her “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”, implying that her five people must be losers just like she is. She then becomes obsessed with who are these people and the story is a self-discovery journey. The characters are well developed and she is an excellent but I just felt it was as good as thought it would be.

Who are your 5 people? Allegra Bird is told that she is the average of the 5 people she spends most of her time with. The problem is - she doesn’t know who they are. And so begins a journey of self discovery and growth as she starts her mission to find her 5. And what a journey this was.

I’ll admit, this one started off slowly, and I didn’t really see the appeal. But it slowly pulled me in and Allegra pulled me under her spell. This one really packed a punch.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Harper Collins and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

Unfortunately for me this was not of her best. I didn’t click with the characters as I normally do & it took me a long time to get through it.

Helpful to read if you are or feel differently to everyone else. Enjoyable reading .
What happens during our formative years does have a bearing on later life but can be overcome

This novel was requested in an attempt to read outside my "comfort zone". It has not been a successful experiment. I didn't like this book, I don't like this type of book and I'm not the correct person to review it. I will say this one thing however; certain texts are enhanced by the use of minimal punctuation and this isn't one of them.

Allegra moves out of her dad’s to live in Dublin and to work as a traffic warden, she wants to find her mom.

I found this book quite slow and even though I enjoyed the ending, I did struggle to read this.

I did enjoy this new story from an author I have read in the past and always liked her books.. Written in a bit of a different style in my opinion, for example, no speech marks etc when someone is talking which I found a little difficult to get to grips with initially, but once I had got over that, I got into the story. I was never quite sure where it was going to end up or what was going to become of Freckles in the end but in that way, it had me turning the pages to find out. I was a bit concerned that it wasn't going to end up how I was hoping, but, although not as I expected, it did all come together in the end!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book (albeit a bit late - sorry!) in exchange for an honest opinion, which is what I have given.

Took me awhile to get into as some of the characters were hard to take to in the beginning, definitely one to stick to as it ended up being an enjoyable read.

I loved this book and thought it read like a song, so beautiful. Allegra Bird is a quirky character and after an angry motorist shouts at her during her day as a traffic warden "you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with" she starts to seek and explore her 5 and it wasn't who she thought it was going to be
A story of relationships, genuine connections, authenticity and hope

Cecelia Ahern has created another spellbinding book that will keep you wanting to read from page 1. It is a lovely story of connection, relationships and authenticity.

I have given Freckles by Cecelia Ahern three out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed learning about the characters in this story and I thought the character development did not go amiss, however this was probably the main part of the book that kept me from putting it down.

It’s definitely a slow read, unfortunately for me I’ve been in a reading slump for the majority of 2022 so this didn’t help bring me out of the slump. There are a few jumps into the past which I thought at first were a little random however, as you read on it starts to make sense and you can put two and two together with what the author is trying to get across to the audience.

The ending of this book was so wholesome and a “feel good” moment which I thoroughly enjoyed and thought our main character, Allegra Bird, deserved.

I really enjoyed learning about Allegra Bird and thought she was a very kind and caring character with unresolved issues which she was desperate to deal with. Allegra definitely grew as a person towards the end of the book and will strive forward now knowing who her real friends and the most important five people in her world are.

I wanted to love it, but unfortunately I didn't. I struggled to get into it and it just felt a bit too meh for me. It was an ok read but not one I would recommend or one that I would read again.

Without a doubt one of my all time favourite reads. Freckles drew me in and when I had to put the book down I just couldn't wait to be back with Allegra again! Complex, beautiful and gripping. My only fault is the book wasn't long enough. I love Freckles and can imagine it on the small screen.