My initial impression was this is not for me .It appeared too 'modern' for me and not my usual type of reading.. However, I persevered and found myself wondering what was going to happen. The main character was a crazy mixed up kid who I thought, at first may been on the spectrum but the more I read and learned about her suggested otherwise. I found this an incredibly sad story and although the ending was happy in some ways, it still left you feeling sad. What I thought was a typical 'chick lit' story turned out to be extremely insightful and explored a lot of the issues around today. all in all, a good read.

I've read many if Cecelia Aherns books and enjoy them immensely. However, this one felt different. Still a good read but not as magnetic as her earlier ones.

Cecialia Ahern is a wonderful writer, easy to read and very compassionate. not usually my cup of tea but I still quite enjoyed this title.

Another incredible book by Cecilia Ahern - what a beautiful story packed with heartwarming, uplifting and though-provoking narrative. This novel is funny and sad in equal parts but ultimately uplifting and life affirming.
Recommend to anyone in need of a deep and meaningful novel.

It was okay — that’s the best I can say for it. The storyline was rather slow and the style of writing without any quotation marks for spoken words was rather unusual. Easy enough, mindless read though and it all comes together nicely at the end but not the most amazing book I’ve ever read.

My first Cecilia Abernathy book.
Not sure what I thought of it when I finished it but on reflection it was an interesting read and a departure from my usual reads.
I struggled to like some of the characters which is why my rating is 3 stars ⭐️.
Going to read some of her other books now to get a better feeling for her writing.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

I have always been a big fan of Cecelia ahern and this one lived up to my expectations and I loved it once again! This book is fab and I would definitely recommend picking it up as a summer read - solid 5 stars from me!

I find Ahern's books I either absolutely adore or absolutely not for me.

Sadly, this was one of the latter. I DNF it at 30%

Written in typical Ahern style, this was a great read, easy but with a little undertone.

I'd recommend this for a holiday read - thanks for letting me review this.

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. When a stranger sats this to Allegra Bird, nicknamed Freckles, it turns her highly ordered life upside down. Allegra is very likeable and I liked the storyline idea but found this book a bit slow and lacking a bit of depth. Overall not bad though!

24-year-old Allegra Bird has the perfect routine to her daily life. She lives in the garage extension of a wealthy family - rent cheap on the assumption she will babysit whenever they need her, and every day she starts her morning with a coffee and Belgian waffle before starting her beat as a parking enforcement officer. But there's a reason Allegra moved from her small Kerry town, away from her beloved dad, to a seaside suburb in Dublin but she hasn't built up the courage yet to fulfil her mission. When a man angry at his parking ticket berates her one day, he says something that shakes Allegra to the core and she starts a new project to surround herself with the type of people she wants to learn from but in the process she learns more about herself.

CW: Self harm

This book surprised me in how much I ended up enjoying it by the end (genuine tears in my eyes/lump in my throat at some bits at the end!). I think I was being a bit snobby thinking this was going to be fine, but nothing amazing and while it wasn't the best book I've read this year, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and Allegra's journey.

While not specifically stated on page, it definitely reads like Allegra could be neurodivergent- she isn't always the best socially in terms of understanding social cues and etiquettes and the best thing to say, and she also likes order and routine, and if these are messed up, she can get very upset. I felt for Allegra as she sought to understand the '5 people in your life' saying, and how she reached out to those she admired in the desire to learn from them.

I was iffy about Tristan developing a close relationship with Allegra at first, considering how he had acted towards her but I actually grew to really like their friendship and how we leaned more about Tristan, his 'Rooster' identity and how he was striving to be more, and how Allegra helped him do this.

I loved the father-daughter relationship in this too and Allegra's bond with Pops was just so, so lovely though I'm biased as I am also very close to my dad so I love reading similar. Sometimes a girl just needs her dad, and it was this type of scene near the end that brought me to tears. Pops was a wonderful character, odd in his own way exactly like Allegra but totally accepting of the type of person she was.

There were moments in this that were hard to read due to a myriad of reasons from Allegra's experience of self harm when she was younger, to even the awkward and second hand embarrassment a reader could feel when she was committing a social faux pas. I loved Allegra's job as a still life model, and this control over her body, and the way she was able to see parts of herself in others work was just so interesting to read.

I'd definitely recommend this book, and would also recommend the audiobook if people had access to it as it was a great listen.

The first half of this is a slog, protagonists don't always have to be likeable, but DAMN Allegra was a chore to sit with. Glad I made it through as the second half made it worth it.

I havent read Cecelia Ahern before although I have seen her on many things and know she is very popular. I found this book quite hard to get into and I felt like I was only pushing through it in order to give a review. I all honesty I think that it was just ok. There was nothing that I would rave about to a friend either bad or good. Sorry but this one was just not for me.

I was excited to start this book as Cecelia Ahern is an author I have wanted to read for a while.
This book though the writing was good I struggled to connect with the characters and storyline in general.
The character arcs for both of the main characters were a case of learning from each other and growing as a result so it felt like a romance which I will admit is a genre I don't often read, so most of the not connecting is my own personal taste.
The main male character as a business owner comes across as arrogant and mean at first but by the end of the novel is likeable. The main female character again is given a similar start point as a traffic warden.
The computer game developed by the main characters company and the bullying that goes on with that storyline again personal taste I couldn't get past it.
After this I think I would like to give another book by this author a go as I can see the writing is good it was just this particular story and characters I could mot get on with

A good book
Not one of my favourites
But I finished it because I love this authors books
Can’t wait for her next book
Thanks NetGalley

Cecelia Ahern did not disappoint me with this one - a real gem of a book. I loved all the characters, they seems so genuine and original. I really felt like I was walking the streets with Freckles and feeling every moment with her. A gentle book of charmed self discovery -a perfect holiday read

Allegra Bird thinks she is lonely.
Moving from her close island community to find something and working in a parking attendant job that is not what she dreamed of she is set in her ways and living in a house where there are secrets which she cannot share.
When she argues with a parking violator she starts to try and change,

Allegra dreams of the finding the five people who influence her. She tries to find them but it turns out they were already nearer than she thought.

Interesting premise, a well-drawn main character with an interesting voice, a gentle narrative pacing and a writing style that is improving. Not the book for me but would still recommend to those who have liked Ahern's previous books or to those who like this genre.

I loved this book. Allegra was such a brilliant main character. She was flawed and insecure and in no way tried to hide that. She was rash and made bad decisions and then had to deal with the consequences. Not once did she rely on the male character to fix her issues. In fact Tristan was perfectly done too. He put Allegra on her mission to self discovery but also went on the same mission himself. Part of me did feel sad that there was not much romance in the book but the characters really made u for it. I didn't want the book to end.

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern

I probably shouldn’t have requested this one in fairness. I know the author has a massive fan base & is very successful but for me this read like a YA novel (not my cup of tea) and really should be promoted as such.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.