Found this a bit disjointed to begin with but then I think I connected with Enya's character more so it made more sense. I enjoyed the references to Irish history and connections with Enya's mother. A good read with quite a few twists along the way.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Enya is a GP. She is in a loveless marriage. Things are strained between her and her son Finn.
Just before Christmas she is returning home from a call out. The weather is atrocious. She comes across the scene of an accident. A young lad who reminds her of her son is lying seriously injured in the road. Whilst waiting for the ambulance Enya performs CPR on the lad and saves his life. Returning home she makes a life changing decision and leaves the family home.
After spending time with her sister she takes up the post of a rural GP. In the grounds of the house she moved into is a rag tree. This causes her to deal with emotions in her life. Her work. Her marriage. Her relationships with other. Her mother and the accident.
This book tackles many emotions and is a great Reaf as we delve into the many layers of Enya.

This was a very different genre that I normally read, so wasn't sure what to expect.

A near fatal hit and run, a rocky marriage, mental health issues, wonderful descriptions of Irish folklore and rural communities.

A powerful read and uplifting at the end.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

Enya Pickering, MD, is literally driving through a heavy storm on the night of 21 December, when she is flagged down by a taxi driver. He needs help because he found a wounded boy on the road. Of course Enya comes to the rescue, but it shocks her to her core. Why? There are several reasons, who become clear later.
Enya drives home and tries to pick up her usual life, talking to her twin sister a lot about the upcoming Christmas. In between trying to act as normal as she can, we see glimpses of what makes Enya so frightened and full of fear. She lost her mother when she was only twelve years old and now she’s reaching the same age as her mother had when she died, her life seems to unravel. Her husband, with whom she runs a practice, is not a very nice man at all and she wonders what she ever saw in him. Her son Finn is a typical teenager: moody and acting strange sometimes.
The book starts slow but inevitably we are drawn into the story of a woman who’s slowly losing her mind, at least, that’s what she thinks. Well, she may be partly right but during the story she also learns that she has a lot to live for.
I really liked the way Enya’s secrets unfold; it’s not that she suddenly looses it. It’s more that she knows she’s going to lose it but part of her still tries to avoid this. The columns written by Enya’s mother were really beautiful and thought-provoking and I liked the little pinpricks of real humour in the story.
I loved it, just as I loved other books by this wonderful author.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for this review copy.

My thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Into The Storm’ written by Cecelia Ahern in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Enya Pickering is a GP, wife to Xander and mother to teenager Finn. One night as she’s driving in heavy rain Enya is stopped on a road where there’s been a road traffic accident and gives CPR to a fifteen-year-old boy who survives his injuries. Initially she thinks it could be her own son lying there and the circumstances set off the mental health issues she’d had since her mother drowned on her 47th birthday.

‘Into The Storm’ is a slow but gentle story of Irish folklore and a woman in a loveless marriage who leaves her family to start up a surgery in the small village of Abbeydooley in the hope that a fresh start will sort out her life. I liked the descriptive characters of Enya, her sister Flora and Margaret, the managing agent who becomes her friend, but jumped over parts written by Enya’s mother that didn’t add to the story and if anything slowed it down. This is a nicely written story that I enjoyed reading and am happy to recommend.

GP Enya Pickering is on her way home following an out-of-hours call. She is caught in an horrendous storm, when she comes across a man waving her down. To her horror, she thinks she sees her son, Finn, lying injured on the road.

Thankfully not her son, but she realises the boy is seriously injured and does all she can to help him until the ambulance arrives.

She has saved the boys life, but what starts off as something worth celebrating, Enya’s life starts to spiral out of control.

This was an enjoyable story that started off well, and I couldn’t put the book down. It did slow down for a while, but gradually picked up again.

The characters were portrayed well in the story, and I took a disliking to some of them, especially Enya’s husband, Xander.

Some interesting twists along the way that weren’t what I was expecting at all.

My thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Enya's healing journey and link to her mum's death at 47 and how it impacts her life. The rag tree and the sense of community and the passing of time in nature and seasons. A thoughtful story. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Multifaceted, 'Into the Storm' delves into inner demons and fears - whether real or self-inflicted - and, importantly, consequences. The cast of characters – even though one or two I struggled with because I didn’t buy into their reactions and dialogue – make for a really good read. The interweaving of folklore and Enya’s mother’s writings lend so much to what might be a sad tale. Enya has much to overcome: fear of death at the same age as her mother, a broken marriage, distance from her son, loss of faith in her ability as a doctor, life in a new small village, overpowering guilt … but she survives, and helps Margaret, also battling with loss and guilt, to survive. Truth will out and Enya faces the consequences of her deceit and silence. Free, she accepts her future with hope. Cecelia Ahern's evocative writing, some delightful Irish humour, the magic Rag Tree, stormy settings, added to my overall enjoyment.

A serious road accident, a GP falling apart at the seams and a plot full of ancient Irish folklore - this book has it all and the writing style gives it a propulsion of its own and makes it difficult to put down until after the final word. This is a book that will keep the reader up long into the night.

Amazing, it starts really strong with a crash in the middle of a storm, a young boy in a hit and run and a taxi driver and doctor on the scene. What then follows is a tale of who actually was there that night, why were they out in a storm, A questioning of characters all intertwined, mental ill health, friendships built through adversity and a surprising end to the whodunnit.

Such an interesting book! I was unaware of Rag Trees and their importance.
Poor Enya was mentally torturing herself and then told a lie, which escalated.
Everyone needs the support of family and friends and Enya is no exception.
I throughly enjoyed and recommend reading this book.

It is a wild night in the middle of December, and GP Enya is crouched over a teenage boy, performing CPR in the rain. The boy survives, but Enya’s life splinters in two. Trapped in a loveless marriage, the storm propels her to break free. But even in the remote country town that becomes her sanctuary, Enya is haunted by the night in the rain. Beneath the boughs of an ancient tree that tells a thousand stories, can she find the courage to face her own? Is this her one chance to finally feel free?

It comes as no surprise to many who follow my account that I was very excited about this new title from Cecelia Ahern. A huge fan of her writing, with P.S I Love You still the book I have read the most times over, I look forward to stepping into the pages of her latest release every year.

'Into The Storm' doesn't fail to disappoint, Enya being another of Ahern's characters that the reader can connect with on an approachable level. I enjoyed the delving into the underlying concerns of her character, dealing with the continuing grief of losing her mother at a young age and the worries that have cemented themselves in her thoughts and feelings as her life has progressed. I also enjoyed the knowledge in relation to the changing of the seasons and folklore traditions, portrayed through Enya's mother's words from newspaper columns, a clever addition.

The interlinking story of the young boy Enya encounters at the beginning provides a background to the other events that take place in the book, the suspense element of a thriller coming through with some unexpected twists taking the story in a completely different direction at times.

Her descriptive writing style has always been something that hits me from all of Ahern's books, shown perfectly even in simple prose such as "Rocks will crumble like Rich Tea and trees will dissolve like Hobnobs", allowing the picture of scenes to form perfectly in your mind.

As Cecelia's 20th book over twenty years, it is clear to see that this author hasn't lost her touch, creating stories that will stay with you for many years after you read, something she should be very proud of.

I loved this! Really kept you wondering what was going on. I felt invested in the characters. Well written and would definitely recommend.

This is a confusing book which in parts I thought was brilliant and others I was lost as to what was actually happening.

A family is torn apart when a boy is found following an accident. The accounts of the night are unclear and those responsible do not come forward.

Superstitions and traditions are vitally important and the rag tree in the garden of the house where the doctor is staying is covered by items of clothing belonging to people hoping and remembering their loved ones.

I enjoyed the book particularly for the traditions and enjoyed reading about those but felt the story about the accident and the anticipation of death at a certain age of the main protagonist did not blend together to make a good story.

Recommend - Cecilia Ahern has been a constant over my adult life. I really enjoy every book she releases and this one was no different. I loved the story and the pace. It has everything from dealing with death to friendships and families.

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 was cheering Enya on as she walked out on her horrible husband, and started a new life for herself. But it was never going to be easy and the night she found a teenager dying in the road will never leave her.

As Enya approached her 47th birthday, the same age her mother was when she died, she spiralled into crisis and her behaviour became quite erratic. Although I had moments of empathy, I found Enya to be a difficult and unlikeable woman. The only person she seems to have any consideration for was herself, which did make it difficult to care about what happened to her.

There were some elements of the story that didn't quite work - Mark's and Oscar's obsessive behaviour felt like they came from a different book!

I enjoyed Enya's developing relationship with folklore and Irish magic that connected her to her late mother and as her mother said, "you reap what you sow".

3.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Cecelia Ahern and Harper Collins for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Driving home through a storm one December night Dr Enya Pickering is flagged down by a taxi driver who has found a young man lying in the road, a victim of a hit and run so she performs CPR and saves his life, but this sets off a catalogue of events in Enya's life where she feels she can't trust anyone so, when she hears about a doctor's job in the remote village of Abbeydooley, in rural Ireland she jumps at the chance to get away, but what is so bad that she would leave everyone she loves behind?

Into the Storm is the latest by this author, which relies heavily on old Irish folklore throughout. It's an intriguing read following the life of Enya, desperate to escape her current life but loathe to lose contact with her teenage son Finn. I found the history of the old Rag Tree disturbing, yet fascinating and the inclusion of her mum's historical writing columns a good part of the story. There were some great characters in this tale, especially Margaret who Enya found she had to lean on quite a lot while she was finding her feet in a rural community, but I found Enya's husband, Xander to be rude and obnoxious. A good read that kept me guessing throughout, with a rather unexpected ending.

I'd like to thank HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Into The Storm is a poignant exploration of grief and self-discovery, following GP Enya on a harrowing journey after a life-altering encounter. On a stormy winter night, she saves a boy who has been struck by a car, providing him with critical care. Yet, upon returning home to her husband and son, Enya finds herself grappling with unresolved grief from her mother’s death. As her birthday approaches—a painful reminder of her loss—she feels increasingly unanchored. In a moment of desperation, she abandons her family, her business, and everything familiar, retreating to a remote town in search of solace.

Ahern masterfully captures the complexity of Enya’s emotions as she navigates her tumultuous inner landscape. Her conflict over ageing past the age her mother never reached is both relatable and deeply unsettling. Enya’s torment and anxiety paint a realistic portrait of a woman confronting significant life choices. While her flaws may make her a frustrating character at times, they also contribute to her authenticity, allowing readers to empathize with her struggle.

The novel's depiction of mental health is raw and uncomfortable, effectively illustrating the weight of Enya’s emotional turmoil. This heavy subject matter, however, can lead to a slower narrative pace that may challenge some readers.

Margaret, a secondary character, is a standout presence in the story. She is a deeply flawed individual who has made her share of mistakes, yet her complexity makes her relatable and enriching to the narrative. Her interactions with Enya provide valuable insights, highlighting the intricacies of human connection amidst personal chaos.

Overall, Into The Storm is an immersive and heartfelt read that challenges readers to reflect on grief, identity, and the choices we make in the face of loss. Ahern’s thoughtful prose invites us to walk alongside Enya as she seeks to find herself amid the storm.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. Firstly I loved the setting in rural Ireland where superstitions and folklore are prominent. This book features Enya who is aGP who is struggling with her marriage and motherhood. On a stormy night she is driving and encounters an accident , she stops and helps the young boy who has been hit by a car. Nothing is what it seems and we follow Enya into her descent of mental illness. She struggles with people and is overcome with grief after losing her own mother. We meet different characters ,her husband , her son , her sister and Margaret who lives in the flat above the surgery , who has her own problems. We learn about different superstitions like the rag tree where people visit and hang their memorials. I struggled engaging with some of the characters and I wasn’t really gripped towards the end . For me it was an ok read .

Another cracking good story by Cecelia Ahern.
The tale oscillates between good news and bad news, panic and calm, tension and quiet, clarity and obscurity.
The reader is kept thinking all of the time.
I loved this story, easy to follow, but with several surprises.
Lovely scenery, great characters, good story line.
Magic!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.