Enya Pickering is a GP at a practice she share with her Husband Xander.
One evening before Christmas, she’s driving along a back road when she is flagged down by a taxi man. He’s looking for help after happening upon a teenager that had been hit by a car.

Enya immediately enters work mode and sets to work helping the boy in any way possible. As she arrives home she realises that the injured boy Ross is the same age as her son. The fact that they were similar clothes has Enya rattled.

Here ensues a long stint of following Ross’s recovery. Even going so far as to visit the hospital and become a listening ear for his mother. Enya finds herself taking up a position as a gp in the midlands and running away from her family, her son and the life she’s built.

Once settled in the midlands she quickly realises, you can’t outrun your problems. They have a funny way of turning up like a bad penny.

Another element to the story from Enya’s past is the pagan holidays that were observed by here mother. Imbolc (1st February), Bealtaine (1st May), Lunasa (August), Samhain (October). The fact there was an old rag tree in the garden of her rented house was just a complete coincidence. People from all over would come and wrap a rag around its branches and place all their hopes and wishes with it. A ritual I had never heard of before now. (As it happens it’s been in another few books since!)

This is a suitably dark book for a winters evening. It was a page turner to the very last. Kept twisting and turning all while pointing the finger at someone different to keep you guessing.

Highly recommend. Thanks to @harpercollinsire for my copy.

It is twenty years since I first read and enjoyed Cecelia Ahern's debut novel, 'P.S. I Love You'. A few years later I read 'Thanks for the Memories' which disappointed me, then in 2012 I read a third 'One Hundred Names'. As this is only the fourth one out of her many published novels I cannot say I am a regular reader of her novels. However when I got the opportunity to read 'Into The Storm' the Irish setting and the blurb attracted me and I decided to read this contemporary mystery.

'Into The Storm' was inspired by a 'Rag Tree' a concept that many cultures believe connects heaven, earth and the underworld and this story is about the protagonists stormy journey and her eventual healing. Enya Pickering has suffered a devastating trauma and how she deals with the aftermath makes for an immersive read.

In conclusion an emotional novel which is rather dark but well worth reading. I am sure I will be reading more from this author in the future. With thanks to the author, NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review.

A fabulous read!

Really struggled to put this book down as I needed to know how this story was going to develop.

GP Enya comes across a hit and run in a stormy December evening, the victim is a teenage boy, who reminds her of her son and treating him as she waist in the ambulance really shakes her up.

Once back home she feels uneasy about many elements of her life and her discontent results in her leaving her husband, son and job and heading to the countryside to take up a new role and spend some time sorting out her headspace.

But then everything she has left behind comes to find her and the true story of the night of the accident unravels.

A great read, with great characters, definitely highly recommended.

This was a completely different read compared to Ahern's other books and it didn't disappointed.
Enya is driving home from a call out to attend to a sick baby when she is flagged down to help a boy who has been struck by a car and needs CPR.
The events of this night change Enyas life forever. The story unfolds with looking into Enya and her secrets and lies spiraling her life out of her control. Enya trying to do the right things only makes it worse.

This book truly had me hooked and eveytike I put it down, I wanted to pick it back up immediately to find out what happened next.

I will say that Xander is an absolute moron. Not a fan of him!
I did feel the ending dragged on for me, but when I thought it was all making sense and coming to an end there was more.

Brilliant read.

An unreliable narrator struggling with grief and mental health issues keeps the mystery of this book unsolved until the very end, which was rather confusing at times. It had great descriptions of the characters and their relationships, making you feel like you could actually visualize them and their personalities. I wasn’t very familiar with rural life in Ireland, but I felt like I could picture the town and the house where the story took place. I really enjoyed reading Brigid’s articles and hearing about the different holidays.

Dr Enya Pickering is driving home during a storm, the conditions are torrential, suddenly she comes across Oscar who has found a young lad who is unresponsive in the road after being hit by a car. Will saving the life of this teen change Enya’s life and future.

I thought the concept of this story was different and had the potential to be a gripping mystery. I believe Enya’s character was well developed but at times was too misleading.
The writing was undoubtably high quality but for me dragged the story out too much. The last quarter of the book seemed very forced and indecisive.

I would however recommend Into the Storm to anyone who puts more praise into the quality of the writing over the flow of the story line.

Sometimes you pick up the perfect book at the perfect time and Into the Storm was that for me. I was hesitant to read this novel as I had to do CPR on my own husband (who thankfully did survive) earlier this year and I'm still dealing with the trauma but something compelled me to give it a go and I'm so glad I did. It follows Enya who has to help a teenage boy one night when she finds him lying in the road having apparently being hit by a car. What follows is Enya's story as her life seems to slide out of her control. She is 46 and lives in fear of her 47th birthday as her mum never lived beyond that age and had died in tragic circumstances. I could so identify with this and it made me feel so connected to Enya. The way that no one in her life sees what is wrong was so relatable. The rag tree outside the rented house she moves to was so moving, I'd never heard of such a thing before but I found it fascinating. I could see how it was unnerving for her but so healing for the people who visited it. The novel does take an unexpected turn but I didn't mind that because I was so involved in Enya's thoughts and feelings, and it was that and her story that made this book an incredible five star read for me. I don't think this story will ever leave me and nor do I want it to. It's so beautiful and moving and I'll be recommending it to everyone!

I have always loved a Cecilia Adhern book and her style of writing this book was brilliant it was atmospheric dealt with a few mental health issues very well and loved the link of the old Irish healing tales being incorporated into this book.

It starts off with a storm in which Dr Pickering comes across a fatal road traffic accident but why does she think of her son when performing CPR and what is she trying to hide from the taxi driver who is also at the scene. Suspicious behaviour

What unfolds is tales of her moving on trying to start a new life her feeling of conspiracy within her own family and that of her son. Her issues and the fact she tries to stay in the life of the boy she helped and the taxi driver bringing a little bit of darkness to the tale. The story of her son and husband and the fragile family dramatics and how this very successful GP is starting to crumble.

The move to a house that has a tree that taps at the window but is it playing with her already fragile mental health. The fact that Adhern brought in takes of the old Irish healing superstitions is brilliant this book will have you intrigued to work out what is going.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this fantastic author.

Totally loved this book. I had no idea of the direction it was heading but thoroughly enjoyed how it unfolded. Would definitely recommend

This was not my favourite book by this author, I found the main character unlikable, however it is a good read with some twists and turns that will keep you reading. I really liked the interesting facts about the rag tree which I found intriguing.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Into The Storm by Cecelia Ahern in return for my honest review.

I love Cecelia Ahern books and this one did not disappoint. The opening chapters really draw you into the story. As with all her books it allows you time in a busy life to escape reality and switch off. I would highly recommend it.

Cecilia Ahearn is the type of author you know is just going to hit that spot. You know when you need something familiar because life is just lifing a little too hard?

Into The Storm follows Enya, a mother, who lost her own mother at a very young age. This death has haunted her ever since and the anxiety around her upcoming birthday on which she will become the same age her mother was when she died has taken complete control of her life.

When we meet Enya, she is driving home during a terrible storm. Making Christmas plans on the phone with her sister when BOOM. She comes across a hit and run. Her Dr instincts kick in and she does everything she can to save the victim's life. This night sparks a chain reaction that changes the course of Enya'd life forever.

While it is not my favourite of her work, it was good enough for a very stressed out and overwhelmed brain so it did the job in taking my mind off all of that. I particularly enjoyed the setting and the appreciation for the earth and nature's wisdom which came through some of the characters beliefs and ways of living. I did not appreciate the way annoying men kept turning up at Enya's door but to be honest, who would?

Read if you appreciate:
· Books set in Ireland
· Familial relationships
· Mother-son dynamics
· Too many annoying men
· Mental health rep
· Female friendship

Great great opening section really builds the tension
The rag trees are really creepy
The author really does know how to manipulate your emotions and I felt very tense reading the novel. I’m not usually much of a fan of thrillers because of this. Even so I felt that this book was atmospheric.
What is it about the pouring rain that is so sinister and lends such an atmospheric feeling to the novel?
I love the significance while swimming is given in this novel literally the calm and release after the storm
Making the main character doctor as an interesting additional level of complexity to the story the lead character Enya faces double Jeopardy in that as well as facing the police she must also face the medical council
The book is set in Ireland and is firmly ground there and it’s in the rural tradition. The isolated setting makes the story feel increasingly claustrophobic and contained.
I read a copy of the novel or NetGalley UK in return for a review. The book was published in the UK in October 2024 by Harper Collins UK Harper publishing
This will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, and my book blog bionic SarahSbookswordpress.com. It will also appear on Amazon UK.
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INTO THE STORM

An emotional mystery that keeps you gripped up until the very end.

Intensely moving, this book definitely keeps you thinking as the author weaves through different themes and the exploration of grief.

The who story is brought to life through Cecelia Aheren’s evocative writing.

Thank you #Netgalley for my eArc copy of #IntoTheStorm in exchange for my honest review, Into The Storm will stay with me for a long time.

#author #CeceliaAheren #intothestorm #mystery #thoughtprovoking

A family already troubled all have relationship and trust issues. After stopping at the scene of an horrific hit and run to administer CPR Enya’s life spirals downwards and into a decision to save herself she needs to move to the a remote area in need of GP services.

There are some interesting themes touched on especially around the Rag Tree and how to integrate into a small close-knit community.
In parts the story rolls along nicely, in others it drags. It has left me unsure as to whether I enjoyed it or not.

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A great atmospheric book with a brilliant setting that was both gothic and creepy. Enya is an on call doctor and is driving through a horrific storm one night when she becomes involved in the hit and run of a teenage boy. The story follows Enya as she struggles to come to terms with the accident and her ever increasing distance from her husband and son and she decides to leave the family home and take a job in a little rural village. Lots of interesting characters and side stories intertwine making this a fantastic read.

I love Cecelia Ahern’s writing style and the characters she weaves. Having read all of her stories I wasn’t sure what theme this one would take, I enjoyed the slight suspense, though I felt it was quite a slow burner. The main character’s growth was good, but I wanted her to have a bit more ‘getupandgo’ rather than stating quite passive. I love Margaret!
Thank you so much for this arc

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Into The Storm

I wish I knew Cecelia Ahern’s secret, as all of her books have me hooked within the first few pages; I emerge hours later, elated and having experienced so many emotions.

This book follows Enya who finds herself traumatised and going through an array of troubles after saving a boys life after a hit-and-run. Unhappy in marriage, her job and nearing a milestone age she never pictured herself hitting, an escape to a rural Irish town is just what she needs…but secrets never stay hidden for long.

So many aspects of this book are devastating, so beautifully raw and real combined with the gripping drama within the plot; all equate to this outstanding story.

Enya struggles so deeply with grief, years, decades even after the passing of a loved one she struggles intensely with the emotions that come from losing someone. It manifests itself as another being almost; causing her to behave in a way she would never usually.

She finds a way to eventually see the light through the darkness that had engulfed her. Being along for the tumultuous ride with Enya, as a witness to the lowest of her lows was intimate and heartbreaking, but enlightening at the same time.

The plot will sink its claws into you, the characters are intense, multi-dimensional and so varied; the writing is moreish with short sharp chapters, and amazing twists that make you gasp, sigh and cry.

Thank you endlessly to @official_ceceliaahern and @netgalley for providing this book to me, I feel lucky to have read it.

Cecelia Ahern has written another fantastic novel that will have you hooked. Into the Storm is a contemporary, emotional novel that explores themes of healing, grief, trauma, complex family relationships and self-discovery. The story will keep the reader guessing with twists and turns and will have you hooked. I could not put this book down.

The story begins on a stormy night of winter solstice, the longest night of the year on a mountain road in Dublin. Dr Enya Pickering is a GP and after a life-changing moment during that night she saves a teenage boy and this event continues to haunt her. From this night she starts to feel as though her life falls apart. She is also reaching the age her mother passed away at 47 years of age and her emotional grief resurfaces, as she is dealing with the trauma of the way her mother died and she cannot see herself outliving her mother’s age.

I really liked the writing style, character development of Enya and the complexities of her relationships. I liked the emotional, thought provoking, honest, descriptive language of Enya’s feelings and inner dialogue and I felt very immersed in the story and the emotions of the characters.
The novel deals with mature themes of Enya’s complicated relationships with her family, loveless marriage, grief, anxiety, trauma and emotional scars of the death of her mother, hope and healing inspiration from the wisdom of an ancient rag tree that becomes symbolic of her healing journey.
Thank you to the author, publisher Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy.

Dr Enya Pickering feels like she's cracking up. Ever since she turned 46, and knowing her mum died in the sea of a heart attack aged 47, she's scared. One very stormy pre Christmas night she arrives at the scene of a road accident and saves the life of young Ross, a schoolmate of her son, Finn. Soon she's tied up with the taxi driver who was first on the scene and possible witness Mark who she was secretly meeting that night. Finally leaving her controlling husband, Xander, Enya becomes the village GP in a distant part of Ireland. Her only regret is leaving 16 year old Finn with his father. Enya is making a new life for herself in Abbeydooley although still haunted by the effect of that awful night. The rag tree in her new garden is a strange and wonderful thing, bringing feelings and memories to the fore. A gripping read and I wasn't prepared for the outcome. #intothestorm #ceciliaahern #netgalley