Wow, this author knows exactly how to write a book! I absolutely loved this and although it wasn’t my favourite of hers she knows how to keep the reader engaged through the whole book.

Inside the storm by Cecelia Ahern is the story of Dr.Enya Pickering who is driving in the middle of a storm the on 21st December in the mountainous region of Dublin. The heavy rain makes it difficult to see and the roads are treacherous. She is flagged down by a taxi driver, there has been a hit and run incident. A young man similar in age to her own son, is lying in the middle of the freezing rain with serious injuries. Enya has to perform CPR before the ambulance arrives.
After this Enya’s life falls apart and she leaves her husband, her son and her job and disappears to start a new life in rural Ireland. She takes over a medical practice and lives in the previous doctor’s home. Even there in ,Abbeydooley, Enya is haunted by that night and the rag tree outside the living room window is a constant reminder of what happened.
In the middle of her mental anguish will she ever recover and survive past her next birthday?
Highly recommended

‘She should surely stop practising as a GP’ was a phrase from the book which summed it up for me. I was anxious for Enya, I was anxious for her friends and family, I was anxious for Ross, but above all I was anxious for her patients. In fact, I was in an anxious state myself for the entire length of this book!

This is a dark novel with the odd chink of light and laughter coming from the evolving friendship between Enya and Margaret. Margaret’s character was fabulous: intriguing, annoying, hilarious, loyal… The kind of friend we all want yet are wary of in some way. I wanted to scream at Enya for most of the book. She just seemed to wreak havoc everywhere she went.

Having said that, Cecilia Ahearne’s fabulous storytelling kept me hooked until the conclusion. I loved the notion of the rag tree and the hope it offered.

This is an engaging read. I would rate it a 3.5 stars.

Cecelia Ahern and I have History.

Well, strictly speaking I have history with Cecelia Ahern and she has no idea who I am, but I’ve felt a connection for many, many years now and I need to tell you about it.

It started when I was 24, on honeymoon, and picked up PS I Love You as one of the books to read by the pool. This being a thousand years ago, and social media not really being a thing, I had no idea what it was about beyond lots of people recommending it.

So picture me, if you will, happy on my sunlounger, starting this book about a young married couple. What larks! Just like us! Except - hold on. He what? And she’s reading what now?!!

I sobbed. I sobbed by the pool and in the bar, while my brand new husband fetched me drinks and looked at my blotchy face and likely quietly wondered whether he’d made an awful mistake. “but they loved each other so muchhhhhh” 😭😭😭😭 Other holiday-makers eyed us suspiciously from adjacent tables, wondering how badly wrong things could have gone in such a short space of time.

So if you’d mentioned Cecelia Ahern to me in the two decades since, and offered me a new book of hers to read, I would immediately flash back to those tear-sodden pages and I would say no. No, thank you, not for me.

That was until I picked up Into the Storm. I felt that nearly 20 years was long enough to have recovered some equilibrium. We’re all older and wiser now. Despite the intervening ups and downs, like any marriage, I still get to wake up next to that same husband every morning. Surely we could brave me trying another Cecelia Ahern offering?

Turns out while I grew up a lot in the time since PS I Love You, so did Cecelia, and in turn so did her characters. This time she brings us Enya, an Irish GP in her mid 40s, whose life is upended after she comes across an accident on a rainy December night.

As Enya’s marriage falls apart, so too does her professional life and many other of her relationships. She escapes (some would say runs away) to a rural practice while she tries to deal with what happened that night. But something - or someone - is following her, and Enya has to reckon with repercussions and fear.

The book does a great job of conveying the claustrophobia of paranoia. From the weather, to Enya’s surroundings, via the lack of privacy in small-town life, Ahern builds up layer after layer of the darkness she’s mired in. There’s just enough levity, though, and sun breaking through, that the book avoids misery. Supporting characters are well drawn and provide excellent foils to Enya’s unravelling.

In fact, very few of the characters are especially likeable - which is kind of the point; but it takes real skill and a steady hand to write a book that explores the worst aspects of life, and exposes some of our deepest fears, and not have your readers broken by the end of it. Just as well Ahern’s so good at her job, eh?

Into the Storm is 20 years away from PS I Love You, in many ways. If you like unflinching examination of the darker sides of human experience and nature wrapped up in a very readable story, get this ordered. 

Thank you Harper Collins for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This had me hooked from the start, another great novel by Cecelia Ahern.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Ahern is a very clever and acomplished author. She has a unique way wiritng about the human condition and this novel is no different. At times heartachingly sad, but also very intelligent. It really made me think, and it was a departure from my normal reads. Loved it.

Well. This book is a lot, so many intertwined stories and so much hurt for Enya as she faces her 47th year and, decades on, is struggling with the death of her mum. I loved everything about this story; the rag tree, Margaret, her role as a GP, Finn, Flora. The twists and turns had me absolutely hooked and I absolutely did NOT see the ending coming. What an absolutely fabulous read, would highly recommend.

Absolutely fabulous book, full of complex characters and intriguing situations, and so descriptive I could have been there . The storms gave me chills , mysterious faces at the windows made me jump. Some amusing bits too, particularly with Margaret’s quick fire responses . Very character driven, which I especially loved & exceedingly well written. Highly recommended.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

Had me gripped from the start. The book centres around a car accident where a GP, Enya Pickering comes across the accident during a violent rainstorm. She administers CPR. The story develops from the accident onwards. Her relationship with the victim’s family, her own relationship with her family and the people directly involved with the incident. Her own memories of her childhood is a constantly recurring theme throughout the book. I was convinced who had caused the original car accident, but that was always thwarted by events in the story. In the end, I would never have guessed who was guilty of the hit and run. A real plot twist.

I am a huge fan of Cecelia Ahern's books and this one did not disappoint. Right from the beginning, I was drawn in and felt like I knew the characters. You could feel all the main character's emotions and I had to keep reading to see what happened. And just when i thought I had it figured it out, a twist appeared that I didn't see coming. Highly recommend !!

On a stormy Saturday evening in December, while driving home, Enya Pickering encounters a distraught taxi driver who has stumbled upon a hit-and-run victim—a 15-year-old boy. As a general practitioner, Enya instinctively takes charge, performing CPR until emergency services arrive. Once back in her car, the gravity of the situation begins to sink in, especially the eerie resemblance between the victim and her own 15-year-old son, Finn, leaving her deeply unsettled.

But this incident is just the tip of the iceberg for Enya. Haunted by personal demons and a life in disarray, she decides to escape her past by accepting a new job in the rural countryside, abandoning her old life, including her husband and son. However, the past proves difficult to outrun, along with the secrets she is desperate to keep hidden. With the Garda investigating the hit-and-run, her husband severing communication with Finn, and her ongoing struggles with mental health, Enya's composure begins to fray.

Enya believed her life ended at forty-seven, but she didn’t anticipate an opportunity for rebirth. She discovers a newfound peace reminiscent of the safety she felt at twelve, enclosed with her sister and mother. This sense of security, forever etched in her heart and her mother's writings, becomes her guiding light. Enya carries this light within her, using it to navigate the darkness of her journey, illuminating her path with resilience and hope.

This narrative will resonate deeply with women over forty, a stage in life where stability often gives way to introspection and a desire for personal growth. It's a time when many reconsider their life choices and explore new directions. The writing style, tinged with melancholy, conveys a palpable sadness and missed opportunities that evoke strong emotions. Although the pace can be slow, the author skillfully handles complex themes with nuance and sensitivity.

The characters are vividly depicted, lifelike, and brimming with emotion. The contrast between Enya’s private turmoil and professional facade is both understandable and intricate.

The story draws on the Tree of Life concept, a symbol of interconnectedness across heaven, earth, and the underworld. It reflects pre-Christian Irish spirituality, with the Rag Tree serving as a potent symbol of healing. Enya’s tumultuous yet ultimately restorative journey is deeply inspired by this symbol, making the narrative both profound and meaningful.


3,5/5

I've loved all the previous Cecilia Ahern books that I've read but haven't read one for a long time, so when I saw the description of her new book I thought I'd give it a go.

The book is incredibly well written and the way the author is able to bring to life the main character's mental health struggles in a very real and raw way, was moving and thought provoking. Quite a hard read at times but the way she was able to navigate the difficult subject was skillful.
Different from the previous ones I've read from Ahern, and while it's not my favourite of hers, I still enjoyed it.

What a fantastic thought provoking read. This had so many twists and turns I was hooked from the first page and binged this book in one day couldn’t put it down.
Enya is a GP and so is her husband, but as she nears the age her mother died form a heart attack she begins to question her own mortality. She’s withdrawing from everyone.
Hen one stormy night sets off a chain of events that will change her life forever. Follow her journey into the unknown with a a lot of surprises along the way.

Another great read from Cecilia. Very atmospheric, quite dark in places, yet considering everything that goes on, from the accident and further on, it is still a story of hope and new beginnings. A book that had mostly likeable characters and impressive scene setting I really enjoyed this.

A other great read by Cecelia Ahern. Characters you bond with. Great story and twist. Page turner and read in a few days

I found this quite an emotional read. GP Enya experiences a life changing moment when she stops to help the victim of a hit and run. It leads to several things in her life changing and she has to figure out how to move forward.

It's not quite as good as other books by Cecelia I've read but I did still find it a good read.

I loved this fast paced thriller and read it in two sittings!!
Enya is driving home one very stormy evening and comes across a car accident. A young boy, Ross, has been hit and lying in the road with a taxi driver who found him
She carries out CPR on him, which saves his life but hers starts to unravel
Her marriage has not been a happy one for a while and doesn't feel connected to her husband. Her son Finn, who is the same age as Ross, feels like a distant 16 year old.
She decides to move away from the town to a rural setting and become the village Dr, in order to give herself some time to think and recover from feeling so lost
There is a tree in her garden called the Rag Tree, which is covered with bits of rags from locals and visitors who leave for themselves or others who either need healing or seeking forgiveness.
She is really annoyed by the tree at first wanting to cut it down as it's blocking the light, but comes to love what it symbolises
The plot has a lot of twist and turns and wasn't sure how it would end, but I really enjoyed it

"It's not just a tree, it's all the people who visit it, all the people its limbs carry their emblems for. It stands for everyone and everything; loss, grief, hope, forgiveness and, most of all, love"

3* Writing was decent, and I learned a few things, but I didn't feel like I liked, or got to know, the characters.

I honestly don't know how to class this book other than women's fiction. It was well written, I learned about a few Irish superstitions and a bit of lore, but I never felt like I learned enough about the characters to make me care about them or know them.

Lots of lies, lots of tripping into the past, and a doctor dealing with poor mental health, though for the most, I don't think she clocked how much she'd been affected by her mother's passing aged 47, when she was around 12. Yes, she was in rural Ireland and yes, she went from having two parents to her father remarrying quickly after her parents split, and she and her full sister feeling left out of the new family, so perhaps that affected her, too. But, as a GP married to another GP, why not get some help?

This was a read-and-delete for me, probably not the best introduction to this author.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, for my reading pleasure.

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I really enjoyed this book! A wonderful read, with lots of interesting characters. The mental health aspect is dealt with beautifully, and there was no part of this that I found harsh or cruel even although it was raw and real. Some of Enya’s choices are questionable but I think this adds to the plot. I loved Margaret’s character and can say that I laughed out loud at some of her one liners. The only reason that this dropped a star for me is that I felt the ending was rushed and it very quickly jumped through the outcome. Overall, another great addition to Cecelia’s books and would recommend a read when it comes out!