Poignant, thought-provoking and emotional story of fitting in and finding your place in the world. Beautifully written and narrated. I absolutely loved it.

This works really well as an audiobook. It’s a great story full of ups and downs. Documenting the struggles of Allegra, her family, career and finding friendships. Beautiful read/listen.

2.5 stars

Headlines:
Quirky
Small town
Eclectic cast

I'm always up for reading a book by Cecelia Ahern, she always brings the unexpected with her women's fiction and contemporary tales. This one however, didn't hit the spot for me although the format of audio was pretty great and kept me going.

The protagonist, Allegra (Freckles) was an incredibly quirky character with some neurodivergent characteristics (it seemed). She was endearing in lots of ways and as a character I was drawn in. Add in Tristan, Pops, Spanner and others, there were lots of pluses. There were also a bunch of characters I couldn't stand like Becky and Carmencita, the latter being horrendous and she was supposed to be. I felt rather mixed about the characters by the end.

I struggled with the plot most of the way through. At first, I felt engaged with this small town, her life as a traffic warden and the strict routine of the day, but it lost its shine with repetitiveness. By half way, the pace was slow and I'd lost interest. I didn't feel much by the culmination.

The narration was excellent and it truly kept me going throughout the book. So this was the right format for me. Sadly, overall Freckles didn't work its way into my heart and I do feel a little disappointed.

Thank you to Harper Collins for the review copies.

Finished this today it was wonderful and thought provoking. I need to get a copy of this fine story on kindle next to keep forever as I’m sure it’s a book I’ll come back to time and time again!

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.

Recommend you buy this book or better still listen to the audio book. Top marks to this great author ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️