Cecelia Ahern's "Into the Storm" offers an intriguing premise but ultimately falls short of her best work. The narrative deeply resonates when addressing the emotions surrounding her mother's death and Enya’s own reflections upon reaching that age. However, the story concludes with a rather obvious and disappointing outcome, leaving the reader wanting more from such a promising start.

I'm somewhat undecided about this one if I'm being honest.

I've really enjoyed Cecelia Ahern's books in the past, but I've not read one for a long time. Mainly due to my tastes in genres changing. Still, I was excited to be given access to an ARC of her new book, due to be published this October.
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Enya Pickering is our main character. She's on her way home on a Saturday evening in December, driving in a torrential storm when she is flagged down by a distressed taxi driver who has seemingly come across a hit-and-run victim, a 15-year-old boy. As a GP, Enya immediately jumps into action performing CPR whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive on the scene.
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Once back in her car and on her way home again, the events of the evening start to take hold. The scary similarities between the victim to her 15-year-old son, Finn, leave her visibly shaken.
Except these aren't the only demons that Enya is battling, so with her life seemingly in tatters, she accepts a new job in the rural countryside and leaves her old life (& husband and son) behind.
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It's not that easy to run away from the past though and the secrets she's so desperate to keep. With the garda investigating the hit and run, her husband blocking communication with Finn and her battles with her mental health, Enya is starting to crack at the seams.
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I found this quite slow-paced and was a good 75% of the way through before I could say I liked it. I struggled to like Enya, although there were moments of warmth and empathy with her battles with mental health.
The story seemed a little dragged out, with not a lot happening, followed by a bit of a rushed ending.
That being said, the ending was a satisfying conclusion.
I liked the "articles" written by her mother, and their tales of Irish history. They added depth and warmth to the story & Enya's character.
Would I recommend it? I'm unsure at this point. I'd be been keen to hear others thoughts on it, that's for sure!

I found this a challenging read as GP Enya, the protagonist, is going through a difficult time in her life which is compounded when she saves a teenage boys life after a road accident. The whole tone of the book does a very good job of reflecting on her mental struggles and also the fallout from the breakdown on her marriage however it does make it quite a melancholic read due to this. The references to spiritually were intriguing and her increasing fascination with the rag tree worked well but I suppose neither element really gripped me personally. I found Maggie a more interesting character in this and would have liked to read more about her and the village itself made for a great setting with the dynamics an aging population brings. This is a really well written book but I just found the pensive tone hard going with little to lift it beyond a chink of light at the end.

I absolutely love Cecilia Ahern since PS I Love You. I adore her books and her writing and I am so excited to dig into her latest novel Into The Storm. It takes a much darker turn and I am so excited to see how this story unravels. Will be sharing more thoughts and full review soon.