This made me feel all sorts of things, from fascination to despair and everything in between. It's very well written and I feel like I could really connect with the characters, particularly Alice. The depth of the background of each character made me able to imagine them fully, and immerse myself in the words that they said, the feelings they felt and more!

I could definitely read this again and again. It's truly an artfully written book which everyone should read at least once!

I was tearful at the end of this book, and that’s hard to achieve just through reading these days! But the careful balance of humour, sadness, emotion and basic humanity throughout this was spot on and reminded me of exactly why I love Cecelia Ahern’s writing.

This book is an examination of the way that people interact, the way that we see them, see ourselves and the boundaries and barriers that we put up around us.

Everything I love about storytelling is captured within the pages of this book. Everything that Cecelia Ahern knows how to do well, flourishes and grows throughout the chapters. The characters, the setting, the storyline, the beauty, the sadness… it’s all there. It could quite easily play out as a movie too, this book screams ‘bring me to life’ even more. (But don’t ruin me!).

This book will have you examining your own life at the end of it, even just a little bit. It will prompt thought, discussion and wonder for years to come. One of the finest writers of our time has done it again.

My first novel by this author, it came very highly recommended by trusted book friends so I couldn't wait. I've been reading more Irish authors and enjoy a quirky character story so had very high hopes.

Alice has synaesthesia, she sees the moods and temperaments of others in colours.

This is her story, from first realising she's different, the challenges it brings and learning how best to live with it into adult life.

I was instantly hooked, how does a child explain their unique way if seeing and feeling to others who don't share the experience?

It jumps around in time and place, so you do need to pay attention.

I enjoyed it, and read in it a day though it dragged just a little towards the end or perhaps I just enjoyed the 'coming to terms with it' early drama a bit more.

A very interesting and thought provoking read.

Thank to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK

Wow! Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC.This book broke me, built me up again and broke me again at the end. I was an absolute mess. Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite writers and she never disappoints. I literally loved every page!

This book follows a young alice who has a gift of seeing peoples aura through colours! To some it feels like a gift but to a young Alice it’s a punishment. Going through life she learns to accept this special ability and with the help from special people around her she learns to slowly love it (most of it)

Seriously if you read this book keep the tissues close by because Cecelia Ahern I applaud you! She has the ability to write such powerful books I felt the connection I had to Alice was deeper than just a fictional character.

Definitely a 5 star read from me

It is an original, emotional and heart-warming story. From the beginning, it grabbed my attention and drew me into Alice's world. I was captivated by the idea of ​​the story and the fact that the main character uniquely sees the world. As a result, it is a fantastic book that provokes thinking and a change of perspective on many stereotyped opinions. It's been a long time since I was involved in such a beautiful and touching story.

I thought this was a brilliant book but identifying so much with Alice, made it feel quite a raw read for me. Alice put into words so much of what I've felt all my life, but never knew how to describe.

If you're looking for a light, fluffy read this is not that. It is a messy, quite dark story but that is not a criticism. It just affected me deeply and the best books always do.

Alice has a gift, a superpower. She can see people's colours and these colours tell her everything she needs to know about who the person is. She finds it overwhelming and hides from the world as her Mum's carer. A Mum who was abusive and neglectful.

As Alice finally moves away from her toxic family, she is learning that her greatest nemesis is herself and how she's never allowed herself the chance to live.

When you sees a man on the tube who has no colour, she knows she must find a way to meet him. And she does. And she discovers a love that starts as a blank canvas and grows in depth as she gets to know Andy and herself in a way she never has before.

A beautiful story with gorgeous characters and an overall uplifting message of hope.

I must admit that reading the first chapter or so I wondered if I was going to enjoy this book. But I'm so pleased I persevered as I found getting to know Alice, her life and her family intriguing. The whole concept of the auras and how they dominated Alice's life was fascinating. Each character we encountered was completely believable, from Lily the dysfunctional mother to the calm and centred Naomi. It was such a brilliant analysis of the interaction of relationships and the full range of emotions that Alice experienced.

Alice Kelly is eight when she notices everyone has a color, it displays what the person is feeling, their mood and much more. Alice lives with her mum Lily, older brother Hugh and little brother Ollie. Lily isn’t the best mother, due to being an alcoholic and having bipolar disorder and Hugh acts as a parent. When, Hugh finishes high school, he leaves for university and Alice starts having problems.

Alice doesn’t like bright sunlight, seeing people’s colors gives her a headache and she doesn’t like people touching her. Alice starts wearing sunglasses to school, the teachers don’t understand why she needs them inside and they suggest she attends Clearview Academy. A school for teenagers who have behavioral problems, Lily is happy not to have to deal with her odd daughter and Alice makes her first friend Gospel.

Lily isn’t well, Alice has finished school and she becomes her mothers full time career. Looking after Lily isn’t easy, and Alice does it and as a hobby she starts growing plants. Alice moves to London, she finds herself a little flat, becomes friendly with her neighbour Naomi and she struggles to find a job. Alice wears a mask, sunglasses, gloves, and she won't shake anyone's hand and this comes across as her being rather strange.

I received a copy of In a Thousand Different Ways by Cecelia Ahern from NetGalley and HarperCollins UK in exchange for an honest review. I have read the authors previous books, P.S. I Love You and Postscript, two well written and emotional narratives. I felt rather confused when I started reading In a Thousand Different Ways, I wasn’t sure if I would even finish the book to be honest and I persevered. It’s a story about a young woman's struggles, and Alice is a unique individual, highly sensitive, she’s ruled by the colors she sees and people’s auras. Alice has to come to terms with her gift, she can read a person, so this comes in handy as it keeps her and others safe, she’s also blessed with a green thumb and it opens lots of unexpected opportunities for her. Please read the book for yourself, make up your own mind and I many have missed some some vital points in plot or dialog and three and a half stars from me.

A beautiful book about a young girl who sees peoples emotions in auras. Having a heard childhood really shaped Alice in her adult years. This was a slow paced book for me however I still enjoyed the plot and through it was very well written with lots of feeling and descriptive text

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the gifted digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Read this if you:

✔ Would love to see people's energies in colors
✔ Don't mind a slow paced novel
✔ Are a super kind person and you could easily forgive someone who has treated you badly several times.

My Thoughts:

The first 40% of this book was very captivating. The plotline is unique and I was drawn to find out more about how the life of a person with synesthesia unfolds. I could also relate a lot to the main character, Alice, up to this point in the book because I know what it's like to grow up in a dysfunctional family and to have 0 support from your parents.

I thought I would really love this book but after 40% things weren't as exciting for me. The book began to have a very negative vibe all over it, probably because of Alice's difficult relationship with her mother and her little brother. I had to stop reading and I didn't feel like picking up the book again for over a week.

The only reason why I eventually finished it is because I've never DNF-ed an ARC before, but getting to the end felt a bit like a chore.

I couldn't relate to the main character anymore because I can't understand why would you put your life on hold in order to help someone who was supposed to protect you and instead treated you like sh*t your whole life. 🤷‍♀️

Another thing that bothered me a lot was that the author jumped from one scene to another very abruptly. It was annoying.

The ending felt a bit rushed to me. I felt that too many things happened in the last 10% of the book after too many slow parts throughout it.

The reason why this book gets a pretty good rating from me, though, is the unique concept and the fact that I learned so much about synesthesia and the people who have.

I think it's worth giving it a go and, since we all enjoy books differently, you might like it more than I did.

This book was a beautiful story of the life of Alice, who feels everything around her and the impact that has on her life. The relationships were both heart wrenching and complex - and so well written. I really enjoyed the back and forward timeline, as it made sense in the context of the book, and how her experiences as a child impact how she behaves as an adult. What I really liked about this book, whilst it's based on auras, I believe there is also an element that we can all relate to - feeling emotions of others in the room - I am an empath, and I find I can be consumed by other peoples emotions, so I felt what Alice was feeling when I was reading this book.

This was a beautifully written and unique book.
Alice as a child suddenly starts seeing colours around people. First written off as migraines Alice learns colours are related to people’s emotions. Alice has sensory overload being surrounded by so many overwhelming E,options both positive and negative. As Alice grows she decides to shut herself off to protect herself. How can you be human if you don’t open yourself to other humans?
I liked how we follow the story from childhood through Alice’s life and her relationships. It’s thought provoking and you empathise with Alice having to experience everyone’s emotions.
This was a warm hug on a cold day.
Thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book, as the subject of synesthesia is a fascinating one. I'm not sure if there are people who can see coloured auras around people, it would be good if you could, I am a sceptic, but certainly many associate colours with sounds or numbers so it would be a nice gift to have. Alice, in this story, does not see it as a gift and her sensory overload causes huge problems for her. If you keep an open mind then this is an interesting and perceptive look at the misunderstandings and cruelty anyone who is different to the 'norm' experiences. Cecelia Ahearn is a great storyteller and her books challenge our attitudes and hidden prejudices. My only problem with the book is that I am a bit tired of flashbacks being used by authors so often and I couldn't really see the point in this case. I also felt that the ending ran out of steam.

This book really tugged at my heart, I felt for Alice so much. I don't know if you have ever met anyone who made you feel that you wanted to smooth their path through life because it was tons harder than anything you could imagine yourself being able to survive, and they had done nothing to deserve that...that's how I reacted to Alice as I got to know her.
Following people 'on their journey' can be incredibly trite if not written well...no worries here. This is an extraordinary life to get a glimpse into and I felt that I was reading about Alice trying on many different versions of herself until she found one that fit best - each version took her to different (literal and figurative) places and made for an engaging story.
As you would expect from not only a fantastic writer, but also from a subject that is rooted in seeing emotions and characteristics as colours, this is a visually delicious book. I especially loved the plant/flower descriptions and Alice's relationship with nature.
Absolutely loved it!

In A Thousand Different Ways is a book from a different genre I usually read and found it a nice change.
Alice is eight years old when she notices that she sees people in colours next no one else does. The colours surround people and are different according to what they are feeling or what they are like . So warmer colours for nice and darker for not so nice. No one understands her apart from her older brother who does his best to help her. Her younger brother and mother don’t understand and have no sympathy for her being different. We follow Alice’s life as she is left alone to look after her mother who is having cancer treatment and has been found out to be bi polar. Her younger brother is in prison and her elder brother has moved away to get a better life. She struggles with her mother and we follow Alice’s life as she has her own family eventually and settling down.
This was a lovely read with great character descriptions, making them as real as possible. The story was great and I liked following how Alice dealt with the chaos other peoples emotions left her. A different story to anything I’ve read before.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK HarperFiction for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Having read other Cecilia Ahern books I was excited to get stuck into this one, but it was not for me. The long, drawn out descriptions detracted from the plot and despite many attempts, I ended up DNFing it.

Alice Kelly has synaesthesia, a condition meaning that she sees life and people in colour. I like the concept but it was a tedious read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In a thousand different ways by Cecilia Ahern

As with all of Cecilia Ahern’s writing, this book is very easy to read. I had a few nights struggling to sleep and flew through it. For the first 20% I wasn’t convinced I was going to enjoy it all as I struggled to connect with the main character Alice or what she was experiencing. However I’m so glad I stuck with it as I grew to love Alice and was desperate for things to work out for her. I especially enjoyed her relationships with the characters Gospel, Hugh and Andy. The second half of the book was very emotional.

I definitely recommend this book, particularly if you are a fan of Cecilia Ahern’s other books. Despite the slow start I thought this was one of her best.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. In a thousand different ways is out on 13th April 2023.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s an easy read with a beautiful writing style and characters that are well developed and are very believable.
It follows the story of Alice who is able to see how other people around her feel through colours, staring from when she is eight years old right up to adulthood.
It’s and interesting, thought provoking read. Sometimes sad and poignant but holds your attention well throughout.
I would recommend this book, it’s definitely worth a read. A beautifully written and emotional story.
Thanks to NetGallery and Harper Collins UK for an arc of In A Thousand Different Ways in exchange for a honest review.

Absolutely loved loved loved this book. Hooked straight away by the first paragraph and I knew it was going to be a hit. I love how real it all felt, especially the relationships between the family members. I liked that it highlighted how difficult families can be as I had a mum and a younger brother like the one in this book so I felt I connected with the main character Alice. I’ve not read a book like this before about auras and it was so good, I didn’t feel like I was reading a book, the dialogue was great, no slow moving bite either. First book I’ve read of the Authors not sure why but now I’m going to be reading her other books now as I love the style of writing. many thanks for this amazing ARC

I always look forward to the next Cecelia Ahern book, and this one was no exception. Lovely book, with good descriptions that is well written.