Such a beautiful book which is really brought to life with the amazing narrator! I loved Alice’s journey and felt like I was experiencing the journey with her in all its amazing glory! This book had me feeling every emotion. The description and language used was so clear and poignant Absolutely loved every part of this book.

I was immediately drawn this book’s cover. The artwork and colours for the book cover, In a Thousand Different Ways by Cecelia Ahern, are just beautiful. I then and read the book description and was fascinated by the idea that Alice could see people’s moods and temperaments in colours.

I’ve not read a book by Cecelia Ahern before and wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I loved the fact that the main character had Synesthesia and was so so different.

The book follows Alice’s life through her childhood and lifespan. She struggles at school, struggles forming relationships, struggles in the workplace - she is constantly in a state of sensory overload.

I have to say, I did struggle a little to begin with this book - this was just whilst Alice was a young child. However, as the story moved on and Alice grew older, I settled into the rhythm of the book, which whilst moving forward also looked back on her childhood. This e-audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Amy McAllister - she really brought Alice to life. I really got behind Alice and really wanted her to find her place and live her life.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, HarperCollins UK Audio, for making this e-ARC copy available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Alice sees the worst in people.
She also sees the best.
She sees a thousand different emotions and knows exactly what everyone around her is feeling.
Every. Single. Day.
But it’s the dark thoughts.
The sadness. The rage.
These are the things she can’t get out of her head. The things that overwhelm her.
You know you’ve just finished a really special book when it comes to a close and you miss the main character already. I came to this thinking it was going to be a quirky little story about a quirky little character and I was looking forward to it, I’ve never been so glad to be wrong, it’s so very much not, yet so very much more than that.

Narrated by Amy McAllister, who does a fantastic job and I will definitely seek her out in future!

Alice starts to see colours around people as a young girl - at first it is only her mam, and she is blue - not a good colour, but one that means danger and fear for Alice. As she grows, so does her ability and how she manages it and the accompanying migraines.

This is not what I was expecting from "see's people moods" - and it is wonderfully done and such an underused plot in books!

This book flows through Alice's life - back and forth, with no warning but it is never confusing and is very well done. You can't help root for Alice and fall in love with her as we see her struggle and thrive throughout her live.

Listen to this on a sunny day in nature.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars.

Cecelia Ahern has a way of writing unique characters who have so much depth that you can’t help but love them.

In her latest book, we meet Alice, a young girl dealing with the trauma of living with a mother who has severe mental health problems. One day Alice starts to see her mothers depression as a blue fog surrounding her. From then on she sees people’s emotions as colours, something which makes her struggle to deal with other people as she can see what they really feel and how that affects others.

We follow Alice as she grows up, misunderstood and isolated, trying to navigate relationships with other people whilst hiding her ability. Initially feeling trapped in the place where she grew up, eventually she has the opportunity to break free and create a life of her own.

Ultimately, the acceptance and understanding of a handful of people help her learn to be herself and see what she is able to do as a wonderful strength that she can harness.

I really enjoyed this book. At times I found it incredibly emotional as my mother also had severe mental health problems when I was growing up. I really appreciate this being represented in books because I felt very alone in my experiences. The relationship between Alice and her mother is complicated and difficult but the way it progresses throughout the book was handled in a brilliant way and felt completely believable.

The author has a great writing style which makes the reading experience feel effortless, almost like a chat with a good friend. Although the book dealt with some very difficult topics, it was overall very uplifting.

The narrator of the audiobook did a brilliant job and was a pleasure to listen to.

This was a 5-star listen for me but it just went on too long. We are given a detailed description of Alice’s childhood and youth through to her marriage and then whoosh we rush through childbirth, motherhood, widowhood and death. These final stages were both hurried and predictable and, I felt, let the earlier parts of the novel down.

Is it wrong of me to say that I really did not like Andy? The way he treated Alice at the wedding was appalling and he just generally came across to me as someone actually quite incompatible with the character we had been led to believe Alice was. I’m not convinced they shared the same core values. And after she had such a positive experience with her first boyfriend, Gospel, I’m not sure why she didn’t seek out someone with his honeyed colours instead of Andy’s blankness?

I really expected us to see Andy become quite controlling and coercive (as he behaved so badly and was such a terrible person when drunk), and for Alice to learn that people whose colour she could not read were rare but also dangerous to her. So I was disappointed when he just turned out to be ordinary 🤷🏻‍♀️

However, the concept behind this book and its exploration of the impact of Alice’s seeing colours in everyone around her (except Andy) was brilliant and the majority of the novel was exceptional, so I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants something quirky and unusual written with style and skill. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audioARC.

🎧Audiobook review🎧

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.

I'm a sucker for an Irish accent and the narration by Amy McAllister was very good, clear and distinct, capturing the drama without overdramatising.

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 listen.

Thank to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio.

This is Cecilia Ahern at her best. Heartwarming, heartbreaking and fun. An unusual storyline that manages to be magical and real at the same time.
A really lovely, cheer-you-up book.

Thanks to Harper Collins Audio Uk and Net Galley for the Arc audiobook of A thousand different ways . Really enjoyed the narrator of this book ,she really brought the book to life..
This book is about a girl from a dysfunctional family from childhood to adulthood.It is a very unique book and makes you wonder how interesting a world it would be if we could really see people's true colours.But the colours and auras that Alice sees can be bad and good emotions and it is the progression that they take by being able to attach to another person,that can change their lives.Alice has a complicated life and this book goes through a lot of ups and downs in her life..

Really beautiful book following Alice throughout her life, her family and her ability to see emotions as colours. Ahern examines how Alice’s synesthesia shapes her life, relationships and choices . The audiobook was well narrated and the ending killed me! I don’t cry easily but had a good sob!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for offering me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook - the narrator was amazing, bringing every character to life with super accents. The storyline is simple, but captivating. A girl who sees the emotions of other through colours (like auras). She doesn’t have an easy life, but she weaves her way through it the best she can. I love the fact that this book really is a whole life story, it’s so beautifully written. There were even moments where I giggled to myself. An all round cracking read!

Cecilia Ahern has done it again. The way she writes is so beautiful. Her characters are rich and have such beautiful depth so it’s so great shock I suppose that Alice Kelly absolutely captivated my heart and my mind. I’ll be taking the dog out in Alice style sunglasses not to avoid colour but do that nobody can see the absolute wreck of me after finishing this novel.

Alice sees colours, people’s colours. She is a terrified complicated little soul for such a long time. Her mother is lost in mental illness and physical illness. Her brother Hugh tries to equip Alice and their little brother Ollie with all the love they need. It doesn’t always work, Ollie is a wayward boy. Alice spends a lot of time trapped caring for Lily. Until events make her leave home, in doing so she discovers the strength of her gift, and the strength of herself. I don’t want to give too much away, but this is such a beautiful life affirming book. Read it, you’ll definitely not regret it. The narration by Amy McAllister was fabulous, a perfect fit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins audio U.K. for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

4.5-4.75⭐️🎧

Contemporary fiction. A unique story, whose concept you have to be open to.

I had the audiobook narrated by Amy mcAllister, she has good distinct voices for each of the characters. I love Irish narrators. Amy really adds to the feel of the book.

Alice Kelly is unique, beguiling, complicated. She was 8 yrs old when she realised that she can see colours around people, called synesthesia. The colours reflect the moods and intentions of that individual. The colours she sees don’t always mirror the persons behaviour. Is this a blessing or a curse?

We see Alice from her childhood throughout her life. We meet Alice with her mom Lily who has issues, and her brothers Hugh and Ollie. Alice’s troubled childhood tugged on my emotions.

I was immediately drawn to Alice who is delightful. I love the thought of the colour associated with Hugh, it’s pink. She associates it the same as the advert where the pink medicine puts out the burning stomach acid, she sees Hugh as fighting fires. The colour associated with her mom and younger brother are blue, their colours threaten to suck her in. The description of the colours to emotions was fascinating.
We see how Alice learns to come to terms with her gift/ affliction, with experience and help from Naomi who has a similar gift.

It has a tendency to flit between time frames and episodes without any notice, there are no chapters so there are no natural breaks. It can be a bit disconcerting.

The ending was just beautiful.

This is a wonderful heartwarming story that you can’t help but love. I highly recommend it.

Beautifully written, imaginative, descriptive and accurate language weaved through prose which describes an unusual story of a girl born into difficult circumstances made harder by her ability to see things that no one else can. Cecelia Ahern unwraps the story page by page of this young girl not only trying to find her own way from a young age but also helping her siblings do the same - often not understanding what is actually happening. By delicately addressing the presence of generic personality disorders within family members against an unusual gift she, the main character is born with, Alice, tells a story of a thoughtful, yet resilient girl who really doesn't have anyone to go to and although not a wall flower, the thoughtful unravelling of her synesthesia shown through the book does oppose the anger she outwardly uses to express her anger and other peoples inability to grasp things that she can and has for a long time. Great book. 5***** (I am reviewing the audible but will be reading also!)

Alice has a gift that she is not quite sure how to use. Alice doesn’t feel emotions the same way most do, she sees them as colours. The story jumps around Alice’s timeline as she learns about her gift, how to use it, how to control it and if she can survive it.

The narration is good and easy to understand. The chapters are long and do jump around a bit which is slightly confusing as you suddenly find yourself moving from now to school and back again.

The story follows Alice’s life from age 8 to death. It has wonderful characters and explores what it means to live your life understanding in a different way.