I struggled to identify with Allegra sometimes. As one reviewer said, is she slightly autistic? In some parts yes, in others definitely not. An unusual story line but I didn’t feel it flowed too well.

I really enjoyed this audiobook!
I am a huge Cecelia Ahern fan and I was so excited to receive this through NetGalley. She is a writer who I will buy without even looking at the blurb, and she writes characters that are SO unique and special, they feel like friends (maybe 1 of my 5 people?!)
It was a fascinating premise, which centred around the idea 'you are the average of the 5 people you spend most time with', and this made me think a lot about my own life- the main strength of Cecelia's writing.
Allegra/ Freckles was a wonderful character, whose activities really took me by surprise, and her layers were gradually peeled away with every chapter.
The narrator was excellent, she managed to convey the humour and poignancy in the book superbly well.
A really great read, though doesn't overtake 'Where Rainbows End' for my favourite Ahern book.

I found this book slow moving, but did enjoy the storyline. There are no speech marks in it, but the story is all told by the main character.

I've not read anything by Cecelia Ahern for quite a few years, but this book has made me want to look for more written by her to read.

"They say you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with."

Cecelia Ahern has done it again. Freckles is like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day: warm, comforting and uplifting. A story about finding yourself and your tribe, it was a joy to read, reminding me why she is one of my auto-buy authors.

Allegra Bird longs to fit in but has always felt like an outsider. Known as Freckles because of the freckles that scatter her arms like stars from the sky, she has moved to Dublin from her small town to make something of her life. Only it’s not going to plan. Instead of the Garda job she’d always dreamed of, she works as a parking warden. And she hasn’t mustered up the courage to fulfill her main goal since moving there. So when a stranger tells her that we are all the average of the five people we spend the most time with, it hits her right in the heart. What if you don’t have five people? Who shapes who you are then? So Allegra set out to find her five people, taking us on her journey of self-discovery.

"Even though it may feel like it, this is not where it ends. I'm not dead. I'm crushed and oozing. A smithereened Allegra Bird. You can't fix the broken outer shell. But you can rebuild."

Allegra is a great protagonist. As someone covered in freckles myself, I felt an instant connection with this quirky, warm and endearing young woman. She’s a lonely soul who feels like she’s on her own in the world apart from her beloved father, and thrives on rules and a rigid routine. Unfortunately, these things only serve to make her appear ‘strange’ to others and she struggles to make the connections she longs for. I think most of us know the pain of feeling like an outsider. And we all just want to fit in and find those people in life who love and accept us. Through this and that special spark that Allegra has, the author expertly creates a connection between her and the reader, making her someone you really care about. The background characters were also well written and had some interesting stories to tell. I loved her sweet and close relationship with her father, her bumpy relationship with Tristan, and thought Spanner was always entertaining when on the page.

Fresh, witty, compelling and achingly real, Freckles is a magnificent story that goes straight to your heart.

What a lovely feel good easy read. I love Cecilias books as they really relate to life. Loved the way this girl tried to get to know here mum became a part of her life without firstly introducing herself.
Couldnt put the book down

Allegra, confused and misunderstood. Never stated but she seems slightly autistic, her Father says that they are both different and Allegra finds it difficult to read people.
The life of a traffic warden, disliked by most people, but she has a job to do and she does it to the letter. After a confrontation with the owner of a Ferrari, alleges rethink her life with surprising and sometimes amusing results.
A light, thought provoking read.

Love Ahern's books and this one is no exception. Great story that grips you with its characters and invites you to their world. Emotional and heartwarming. Loved it.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. I enjoyed the beginning and was intrigued by the main character but as the story developed I struggled to stay connected to any of the events. The writing was good, but I found that the lack of connection with the characters made carrying on with the story a challenge.

I have heard many great things about Cecelia Ahern and will not hesitate to pick up another one of her stories but this one just was not for me. Thank you for the ARC and allowing me the opportunity to read the story and provide a review.

Yet another fantastic book by Cecilia Ahern

In this book we meet Allegra Bird. Allegra is A traffic warden who loves her job, until 1 day an angry stranger utters the words “ You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with” as an insult following his parking ticket.
These words form a brain worm in Allegra’s mind and she struggles to think of who her 5 are.
We find out what brings her to the place she is now and walk with her as she struggles to find her 5.
Allegra was brought up by her single father and has yet to meet her mother, she is socially awkward and finds it difficult to make friends.
We feel her pain as things don’t always work out how she thinks they will.
Cecilia has written this character so well it is hard not to like her or feel a connection with her.


Highly recommend. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I enjoyed this story, but didn't love it, and part of that has to be because of the layout of the text, with no speech punctuation. I appreciate that the reader is bowled along in Allegra Bird's story, and it is all viewed through her eyes, as her world disintegrates around her and she digs herself into a deeper and deeper hole, but I still like to see speech laid out so I know when a comment has ended and a thought begins.
The story begins as Allegra is on a quest to find her mother. She moves from the island where she grew up, to outskirts of Dublin, and works as a traffic warden while she plucks up the courage to confront the mother who abandoned her at birth. Along the way she collects a strange group of acquaintances who become more important to her as time goes on.
The characters in this book are all well drawn and pretty eclectic. There is Tristan, a computer geek, Spanner, the explosive bakery shop owner, and Paddy, a single, lonely, colleague. They all turn out to be good friends for Allegra. There is also Becky, Allegra's landlady, Carmencita, Allegra's mother and an old school friend whom Allegra gets in touch with through Instagram. These three also play a role but not as Allegra would have hoped.
The story moves along at a good pace but I found Allegra's quest to find herself didn't always gel with her awkwardness and I think in the end I didn't like her enough to care whether she succeeded or not.
As usual with Cecelia Ahern's books there is a great deal of emotion packed into the novel and a great sense of place and Irishness. Sad to say it wasn't my favourite of her novels, but many thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the chance to read an ARC.

This was a bit of a mixed bag. I enjoyed the story overall, but found the main character hard to identify with.
I found parts of the book really slow going, and I'll admit that I skim read some parts.

Freckles is a beautiful, charming book that manages to be heart-breaking yet also uplifting in equal measure.

Parking warden Allegra is a wonderful quirky character, so socially awkward but willing to put herself out there and tackle the world. The more I read of this book, the more I wanted to be one of her "five." Among the other characters we meet along the way, some warmed my heart from the start, and others took longer for me to make my mind up about. Becky, however, was awful from the outset, deliberately so, and I loved to hate her. 

Although it lacked some of the more magical elements which I loved in some of Cecelia's other books (If You Could See Me Now will forever be my favourite), Freckles retains all the warmth that regular readers of Cecelia's books will recognise, and feels like a hug in book form.

Freckles is the story of Allegra Bird, known as Freckles. Brought up by her doting and slightly eccentric Dad she has never know her mother. After moving to Dublin her dream of becoming a Guarda isn't fulfilled so she becomes a parking warden. An encounter with an irate driver brings her to question her life and revaluate the people she counts as important, as well as facing up to the challenge she set herself with moving to Dublin

Cecelia Ahern creates characters who you can easily connect with.

A witty, uplifting read that may also make you look closer at the people around you.

I was given a copy of Freckles by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

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,

Cecila Ahern is the author of one of my all time favourite books, PS I Love You.
Unfortunately, I always compare the rest of her novels to that one book. I really shouldn’t do this, as it makes subsequent books hard to read – as happened with this one.
However, when I managed to pull myself away from PS I Love You and got into this book, I found myself absolutely loving it.
The book was a thought provoking book, whereby the reader is trying to figure Freckles out.
The book is truly about someone finding themselves and learning what makes us who we are. It is a very inspirational read.
I especially loved the ending of this book. I think I will definitely re-read this book to give it the true appreciation and attention it deserves.

Thanks to @NetGalley, @HarperFiction and the author for an e-copy of 'Freckles' in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Freckles is the nickname of Allegra Bird, the protagonist of Ahern's latest novel, published last week on 2nd September. Freckles, brought up by her father, music teacher Bernard, leaves him on Valentia Island to move to the suburban village of Malahide, just outside of Dublin. So, why would Allegra leave her comfortable home to move to Dublin where she feels socially awkward?

Allegra becomes a traffic warden after her aspirations of becoming a garda didn't quite work out. Being a traffic warden is the next best thing: with its rules, order, routine and clarity. Tired of issuing tickets to an oblivious YouTuber, Rooster, the owner of a bright yellow Ferrari, she finally feels his wrath when he tells her: "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." This sets the wheels in motion for Allegra to consider her five and why her life is not how she wants it to be.

As always with Cecilia Ahern's books, the characterisation is what leads. She creates characters we root for and even though Allegra is different (by her own estimation too), she is a character we want to have a happy ending. Even though tragedy features in each of Ahern's books, ultimately we have the message of hope and I think this is portrayed well in 'Freckles'. Even though Allegra has her own tragedy to deal with (no spoiler here!), she knows that her five will be recompense enough.

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I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. I am a huge fan of Cecelia Ahern’s books and have many of them in hardcover on my shelf. When this one popped up on NetGalley I knew I couldn’t resist.

Allegra as a character was very interesting. From the beginning it was obvious that she had certain quirks about her but it was these quirks that I came to love. She wasn’t afraid to be honest and speak her mind but lacked some of the social behaviours that some would deem normal. The more I got to know Allegra the more she reminded me of another book I read a few years ago, Eleanor Oliphant.

This was quite an emotional read and there were moments when my heart broke for Allegra. Whilst she may be a little unusual she was a lovely person who only wanted to find somewhere to belong. She had a heart of gold and it was a joy to go on this journey with her, searching for her five people. It got me thinking who my five, outside my immediate family, would be. The honest answer is I have no idea! For me it’s certain groups that affect me and influence me. I have my lovely book club that not only introduce me to new authors but they add to my ever growing tbr. I also have different groups of friends that all offer something to my life as well.

Aside from Allegra we had some other lovely characters sprinkled throughout the tale. Spanner, Paddy, Tristan and Allegra’s dad were brilliant characters and I loved the role they played in the story. It was interesting seeing the different interactions they had with Allegra but Tristan’s character was one of my favourites.

This was a slow burner that had me reflecting on my life and my own human interaction. It was honest, raw and full of emotion but also left me with a smile on my face.

This was such a gorgeous and uplifting read! It gets quite dark in parts, and tackles some hard hitting topics as well as being lighter and uplifting. Freckles was an incredibly well written and well developed character, it was so easy to connect with her character and sympathise with her. Cecelia Ahern is a fantastic writer, and has this wonderful ability of writing poignant and moving stories full of heart and spirit. I would recommend this book for someone looking for a light read -this is perfect for a cosy wet afternoon of beach.

An uplifting read. This book tackles some darker themes and balances them out well with lighter moments. The central topic was interesting, and like the characters, I found myself wondering who my five would be. Although flawed, Freckles is a character I could sympathise with as she goes on a journey to connect with those around her. Generally, I liked the characterisation as they teach Freckles who and what truly matters, though I felt the more villainous characters were a little two dimensional in places and sometimes dialogue could be a bit cheesy. I would recommend this book for someone looking for a light read that you can devour either by the pool or at home.

I found this one a bit of a slog at times and others I was totally absorbed. I am a huge fan of Celelia Aherns previous works but this felt totally different to others I've read. I really did feel sorry for Alegra. She had her fare share of ups and downs in life and the further into the book you get the more you realise that these events have shaped her into the woman she has become. I loved the story line that there are 5 people in your life who have essentially shaped you to become who you are. It really does make you pause and think. The ending was lovely it brought a tear to my eye and I was pleased it ended this way after everything that had happened. Overall a good read but was a bit hit and miss so it did take me a bit to get into.

I’m a big fan of Cecelia Ahern’s (I particularly loved her early magical inspired stuff) so was very excited to be approved to read this new release on @netgalley. I liked it, but I wasn’t blown away by it. It’s all about Allegra Bird (or Freckles to her friends) who hears the phrase ‘you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with’ and this gets her thinking about who her five are and sets her on a course to try to improve her five and therefore her life. I was rooting for Allegra, who is a bit of a misfit, but this book fell a bit flat for me. It was an okay read and I was happy to finish it but it was a bit boring at times if I am honest. I just expected more & I wouldn’t massively recommend.