I enjoyed this book overall but I just wish the main character was more likeable. I couldn’t fully immerse myself into the story as much but nonetheless it is a good book.

I was sent a copy of Into the Storm by Cecelia Ahern to read and review by NetGalley. I have mixed feelings about this novel. I really enjoyed the aspect of Irish mythology and the Rag Tree, but I felt the book was very repetitious which in turn made it far too long for me. Not one of my favourites from this author I’m afraid.

Into the Storm focuses on Enya Pickering and the aftermath of a road traffic incident that she is caught up in.
A GP, Dr Pickering is on her way back from an out of hours call when she comes across a taxi driver stopped in the road trying to help a young boy who has been hit. She administers CPR and saves the boy’s life, but this incident seems to mark a moment for her and she decides to change her life.
Struggling with approaching the age her mother was when she died, Enya decides to leave her husband and take a job as a rural doctor. This move brings about numerous changes and we follow Enya as she settles into her new existence.
The story is more complicated than we are led to believe, and as we progress through we start to understand Enya’s motivation. A dysfunctional character, Enya was hard to warm to. The details about the rag tree and exploring how families remembered lost ones was interesting, but I felt rather detached from events throughout.

Wow! Not what I was expecting. This story follows Dr Enya Pickering who, whilst on the way back from a house call on a dark, extremely wet night, is waved down to assist a teenage boy who has been hit by a car. She saves his life, thankfully. But herein we are transported back to the events leading up to the hit and run, along with the after effects of the trauma and how it affects Enya and her family as well as the family of the victim. Extremely well written. Lots of emotion as Enya tries to deal with her spiralling personal life. Great characters, and although I could relate with Enya, I did struggle with some of her decisions. A tangled web of a story with some interesting characters throughout. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I have read and enjoyed previous books by Ahern but I sadly didn’t enjoy this one. I was struggling to read on, a definite slow burn. I found some of the decisions made by the characters odd/questionable. A very exaggerated storyline and I struggled to like some of the characters. Repetitive and long winded.

Into the Storm by Cecelia Ahern I did find it hard to get into it, however, I am glad I stuck with this book and I ended up enjoying it, especially as I love reading this authors books and I was not going to give up. So stick with it. It will not disappoint. This book is very emotional ride. with well developed characters which went well with this book.

I really enjoyed into the storm a bit of a teaser this one ,when you think its all figured out you are in for surprise after suprise .

It is a bit surprising to myself that this is the first book by Cecelia Ahern that I have managed to read and review. With an ARC from Netgalley, it felt easier to try and get into the universe to understand the popularity of Ahern. While I read in the other reviews that this is quite a deviation from how she writes, I am glad I chose this one.
The protagonist here, Dr Enya Pickering seemed quite a relatable character to me. Having lost her mother at 12 years old, she's approaching the age of 47, exactly the one her mother was when she died. Chancing upon an accident victim who is her son's classmate on a stormy night while driving, Enya's life changes - for the better or worse?
This is a story of discovery, introspection, guilt, grief, coping and embracing age old traditions. Life in a small Irish village could be very interesting to readers but it wasn't initially for Enya when she moved out of her bickering husband's ancestral house. Dealing with grief, remembering her mother, struggling in a new job, living in a crumbling house with an eerie rag tree and missing her son - Enya's life in the new village is far from calm.
I liked the magazine columns read by Enya, written by her mother decades ago. They speak of Irish folklores and traditions that are derived from nature.
While the actual crime and mystery was predictable, I liked the treatment of the story and the narration.

For this book to work the main character needs to be more likeable, the you would be filled with empathy for her but as she is so self obsessed it's a bit hard. Interesting plot with a twist. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

3.5 stars. I liked it but didn't love it or connect with the story or characters. The story was intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages and finding out what will happen next and I needed to know the outcome. It's a great concept for a book and I like the authors other work but for some reason this didn't fully click. Again still a good story. Thanks for the ARC

After a late night call out, Dr Enya Pickering is driving home in a storm when she is flagged down by a taxi driver, who has discovered a teenager in the road, the victim of a hit and run.
I always enjoy Aherns books Her writing style has certainly changed over the years but this was another good read and would certainly recommend.

I've been a fan of Cecelia's writing since I was 12, and I really enjoyed this immersive story set in rural Ireland, despite struggling with Enya's character at times. Though a slow burner, the deep, twist-filled storyline kept me hooked

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. The boy survives but Enya falls to pieces and leaves her husband and moves away to remote and rural Ireland where she starts over again.
A good read. Total rating 3 1/2 stars

It took me a bit of time for the main character to endear herself her to me and once I was invested it was a book I found very emotional and thought provoking. Enya is a GP with a number of worries; she is reaching the age her own mother died, she has worries within her marriage and after a taxi driver flags her down after a teenage boy is injured in hit and run, she helps save him.
She leaves her marriage and moves to a rural area and folklore and magical themes give a sense of unease for Enya. It has themes of PTSD and anxiety and there are secrets being kept under the surface. A bit of magic as with all of this author’s books and one I would recommend.

I've loved previous novels by this author but this one didn't work for me. It had a strong opening when GP Enya is flagged down on the road whilst driving home in a severe storm. She saves a young lad who has been involved in a hit and run. However the incident has a profound effect on her life and is the catalyst for her to make drastic changes to her life.

I think I would have loved this book if Enya was more of a likeable character but she was not. I really struggled to find any empathy for her and found her a little annoying. I did like the character of Margaret though. She brought a little humour to an otherwise depressing read.

Overall this book is well written and I did enjoy the folklore aspects of the story.

My thanks to to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy for review.

Excellent novel as always from Cecelia Ahern! I had a feeling this would be a book with a lot of twists and turns and most I definitely didn’t see coming. It was a complex, fascinating and intriguing novel, loved the character development and brooding background. Would highly highly recommend reading Into The Storm. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable page turner to start, that you then have to have patience for in the middle before a twist at the end. Celia Ahern books are always worth a read, is this my favourite book by this author no however it’s still 3 stars for me 🌟🌟🌟

Enya, a GP in Ireland is battling several demons, a controlling relationship with her husband , early death of her mother and growing distance between her and her teenage son. As the book begins, she is involved with the resusitation of a teenage boy, apparently involved in a hit and run on a lonely road in a thunderstorm. Told from Enya's point of view, Enya is coming to terms with changes in her life and the feeling of reaching the age her mother was when she suddenly died. She makes changes in her life and meets new people and starts reading her mother's newspaper columns about folklore and traditions.
I did enjoy the read on the whole, though Enya is self obsessed and the reader only has her point of view . The pace is fairly slow, though that was OK, the menance of her feeling of being followed/watched is well described . Not sure about the believability of the described events and her ability to practice as a doctor with her own problems.
Not bad , have read more by the this author and will read future books too. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

Cecelia Ahern’s Into the Storm is a deeply moving exploration of personal transformation, healing, and the courage it takes to reclaim one’s life. Known for her ability to combine magical realism with emotional depth, Ahern weaves a story about survival—not only from the physical storm that sets the novel in motion but also from the storms within.

The novel opens on a dramatic and heart-pounding note: Enya, a GP, is performing CPR on a teenage boy in the middle of a fierce December storm. This event is a turning point for Enya, both literally and metaphorically. The boy survives, but the storm becomes a catalyst for Enya’s own emotional awakening. Stuck in a loveless marriage, she realizes that her life has become as suffocating as the tempest she faced that night. This moment of crisis pushes her to make the brave decision to break free from her unhappiness and seek refuge in a remote country town, where she hopes to rebuild her life.

Ahern excels in capturing the internal turmoil of her characters, and Enya is no exception. She is both relatable and complex, a woman who has spent years neglecting her own needs, driven by duty and obligation. Her emotional journey is portrayed with nuance, as she grapples with guilt, fear, and the weight of her past decisions. The novel’s setting—a quiet, secluded town where Enya takes refuge—mirrors her desire for peace and solitude, but it also becomes a place where she must confront the deeper wounds that haunt her.

One of the most compelling aspects of Into the Storm is the symbolic presence of nature, particularly the ancient tree that plays a central role in the novel. This tree, standing tall and weathered by time, serves as both a literal and metaphorical anchor for Enya’s healing process. Ahern imbues it with a sense of magic and wisdom, hinting at the stories and lives it has witnessed. The tree becomes a confidante for Enya, a silent observer of her internal struggles, and a symbol of endurance and rebirth. It is beneath these boughs that Enya begins to face the lingering trauma of that fateful night in the rain and the unresolved pain in her personal life.

Ahern’s prose is reflective and evocative, drawing readers into Enya’s world with vivid descriptions of both the external landscapes and the emotional terrain she must navigate. The contrast between the stormy opening scene and the tranquil, yet isolating, countryside where Enya seeks solace mirrors her emotional state throughout the novel.

However, while the novel’s introspective tone is a strength, it occasionally slows the pacing, especially in the middle sections. Some readers may feel that the internal focus comes at the expense of plot development, though this deliberate pacing allows for deeper character growth and contemplation.

At its core, Into the Storm is about the journey toward self-discovery and the courage to break free from societal and personal constraints. It is a story of second chances—of finding freedom in the midst of chaos and redefining what it means to live a meaningful life. The relationships Enya forges in the town, particularly with other characters who have their own battles to fight, offer moments of tenderness and hope, balancing the novel’s heavier themes of regret and emotional upheaval.

Into the Storm is a beautifully crafted tale about finding light after the darkness, and Ahern’s talent for infusing her stories with hope shines through. Readers who enjoy character-driven narratives with a touch of symbolism and emotional depth will find this novel both inspiring and thought-provoking. Enya’s journey to face her own fears, under the shelter of an ancient tree and in the aftermath of a storm, is one that will resonate with anyone who has ever longed for a fresh start.

I was a little disappointed in this book. The story was convincing enough and there was a twist at the end but I had trouble finding any empathy for the main character, Enya. There was so much angst in this book that it was a relief when I had finished reading it! Enya worried about her marriage, she worried about her son (but for some reason was happy to leave him with his controlling father whilst she went off to a deserted village to start a new life). She worried about her son's friend who had been hit by a car, in fact there was nothing she didn't worry about. As she faced her 46th birthday she was worried because that was the age her mother had died. Would this be a worry for anyone who had lost their parents at a young age? I don't really think it would be. Difficult to find empathy! A good story, as Cecelia Ahern's books always are but not her usual style I fear.