Cover Image: Freckles

Freckles

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This book is a wonderfully crafted, relatable story about identity, belonging, the community we build around ourselves and how deceiving appearances can be. I felt for Allegra on so many levels and she is such an imperfect, relatable character who you can’t help but root for. I had a little cry at the end and I’ll be thinking about the message of this book for a while.

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Cecilia Ahern is truly a gifted writer, who would have thought a beautiful book such as this could have been woven from a business driven motivational quote.

You are the average of the five people you spend most time with.

This was spat at Allegra in rage when she issues a parking ticket and littleCecilia Ahern is truly a gifted writer, who would have thought a beautiful book such as this could have been woven from a business driven motivational quote.

You are the average of the five people you spend most time with.

This was spat at Allegra in rage when she issues a parking ticket and little does the antagonist know the impact his words will have.

A beautiful, refreshing, heart-warming yet sometimes hard hitting read.

Thank you netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
does the antagonist know the impact his words will have.

A beautiful, refreshing, heart-warming yet sometimes hard hitting read.

Thank you netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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I’ve been a fan of Cecelia Ahern since PS I love you, so I knew I had to read this book. What I love most about her books is that they are all so different and different writing styles too, but all focus on relationships between the characters at the core.
This was a really lovely book, a good mix of characters, some you like and some you don’t. Very mixed feeling about the lead character which changed throughout the book. It reminded me a little of Eleanor Oliphant which I also loved.
The story was so uplifting and definitely made me wonder who my 5 people are.

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I've read all of Celia Ahern's books and have always found them unique and easy to read. I wasn't disappointed with Freckles. Freckles has a real need to find out about herself and bravely moves to start her quest. It is a very 'real' book which focuses on the flaws of characters and how easily relationships with people can change. I felt sorry for Alegra and wanted her to feel content in her self.

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DNF @ 7%. I was fortunate enough to be given access to this title ahead of publication and having just read The Split by Laura Kay (and loved it), I was really in the mood for another great contemporary.

I have read and enjoyed previous titles from Cecelia Ahern, such as The Time of My Life, which was a favourite at the time I read it. I'm not sure how I would feel about it today, but I was still curious to read more from Cecelia Ahern.

I was disappointed in this one. The writing style is very easy to read and engrossing, so I was looking forward to getting swept up in the story. Unfortunately, I kept getting pulled out of the story by these very vulgar descriptions of women.

For example, the narrator becomes fixated on their female landlord's breasts one morning and writes about them in a derogatory way. After conversing with the woman, she remarks "people are so transparent I don't know why we both to fuck". Which is just weird, tbh.

Later, the narrator speaks about a girl in her school who returned to school after giving birth. She describes an observation of her body as "her flesh had grown around her cesarean scar, doubling over like raw dough". What can I even say to that? How hurtful it must be to read that if you have birthed by a cesarean.

I'm tired of this shaming of women's bodies being a central theme in a lot of contemporary fiction.

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I really enjoyed this book, both the story and the writing style. I was drawn in from the beginning, and found the concept of the book did make me think about my own life and those people around me!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Great read, telling the story of n autistic lady finding her way in the world. Allegra has moved to Dublin in search of finding out about something that happened in her past and meets interesting people along the way. A story of love and relationships and things not always being easy.

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3.5 ⭐
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Trigger Warnings: depiction of self harm, child abandonment, sexual scenes, mentions of sexual harassment (these are the ones i can remember, off the top of my head)
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Cecelia Ahern's writing has been a part of my life for the longest time, since I first read Love Rosie years ago. So, I came into this book believing it would be good; the concept behind this was interesting enough. But I feel my high expectations set me up for disappointment. The writing is pretty great, like all Cecelia Ahern books.

But because of Allegra's (the main character) personality, I didn't enjoy reading this as much. Allegra is definitely one of the more unlikeable protagonists I've read. Her personality was a bit difficult to grasp and getting into the right headspace to read from her point of view was not easy. Though it was not a bad book, I will say. The concept was great; it is basically the idea that we are shaped and made into who we are by the five people we spend the most time with. This idea certainly elevated the book for me, even if just a little.

Still, if you are a fan of Cecelia Ahern's writing, then you can definitely give Freckles a try. Just be mindful of the trigger warnings of the book.

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First off, Cecilia Ahren creates such a unique narrative voice here that I felt like I knew Allegra myself.

This book is about a girl named Allegra, a parking warden who loves to Malahide leaving her home and eccentric father behind. After a stranger tells her that you're the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, she goes into a tailspin reevaluating her life and relationships.

This book is ultimately about friendships, loneliness and human connection.

My favourite thing about this book was the narrative voice, it was original and unusual pulling you into the story with Allegra. The only problem I had with this is that I didn't like her. I'm not sure whether I was supposed to but aside from a select 3 characters I didn't find any of them likeable and thus didn't feel that much when they didn't succeed.

The story itself is complex with a lot of events that are seemingly pretty unconnected. While I did enjoy these little events they were far and few up until 70% in the book. It got to the point where I cared very little about what was going on outside these 3 characters I enjoyed seeing.

I did like the ending, I feel like although not uplifting in the way you expect it does make you look at yourself and now I'm asking who I'm the average of.

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I think this is my favourite Cecelia Ahern book to date. I got completely caught up in Allegra's world and found myself shedding a tear (or two) in the final chapter. Loved it.

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Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC.
This book centres around Allegra (Freckles) who is lonely and lost. She planned to move away from home to fulfill her dream of becoming a Garda and connect with a mother she has never met, who abandoned her at birth. The concept of being the average of 5 people you spend most time with makes her reassess her life. She realises her old friends back home have moved on and feels like she has not made any in Malahide.
I wish that Genevieve and Tristan were developed as characters more fully and Pops comes across as quite creepy.
An easy read- finished in two sittings on a rainy Sunday.

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Allegra has been called Freckles ever since boarding school when she used to spend her nights drawing the constellations on her arm by joining up her freckles. She has her mother's Spanish looks but her fathers Irish freckles. Now she is all grown up and living her life as a traffic warden after her application to be a garda was refused. She has based herself in the town where her mother lives hoping to one day make contact, but time is running out and she fears that soon she will be transferred to a new area.
When one day on her beat she meets Rooster a famous youtuber who drives a bright yellow Ferrari, one that she has ticketed every day for the last two weeks, with his temper rising he insults Allegra by saying that she is made up of the 5 people she has around her. Allegra can't get it out of her head and sets out to figure out who her five people are and when she realises she doesn't have five people sets out to create her ideal five.
I really liked this book, it made you think about your five people and I liked that at the end Allegra realises she had her five all along she just didn't know it.

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I really enjoyed this book! This seemed like a completely different book for Cecelia Ahern.

Allegra is lonely in her life as a traffic warden in a Dublin suburb. She interacts with people but doesn’t see anyone in her new life as a friend. After being insulted by a wealthy YouTuber, Allegra starts to reassess her life.

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What a refreshing read. It was much needed at a time when missing our loved ones and our friends.
I was taken back to a time when we could have adventures with our friends and meet new people also to have the courage to try something new.
I loved this heartfelt warning story and the characters were charming and really connectable.

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I absolutely loved this book. The story of Allegra Bird AKA freckles, who moves to Dublin in search of the mother who abandoned her at birth. When a stranger tells her “You are the average of the 5 people that you spend the most time with” This really sets Allegra on an inspired journey to find her 5, she used to know who her 5 people were but who are they now and who would they need to be in order for her to better herself. Equally heartbreaking and heartwarming this book has everything and was totally unputdownable. I would highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to Netgalley for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Cecilia Ahern has always been one of my favourite authors, therefore I was over the moon to be able to provide an honest review of her newest novel.

Freckles takes you on a thought provoking journey of Allegra Bird, who is starting her journey to find out who she is and where she belongs.

When a stranger sets her mind running with the sentence “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”, this begins a journey for Allegra to find out who in her life makes her who she is.

I absolutely loved the relationship between Tristan and Allegra and to see how they both impacted each other’s life’s. This part of the story is what kept me hooked page after page.

I was so enticed by the story and Cecilia as always pulled me In with her writing style and I felt connected to each of the characters, although there were a couple with whom I did not like.

My heart went out to Allegra and at times I felt very sorry for her, which when I was not reading made me think of how different people go through life and the struggles we all undertake to find out where we belong.

I found Freckles to be very entertaining, thought provoking and beautifully written. I highly recommend.

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Classic Cecelia Ahern gentle and uplifting storytelling. Allegra, or freckles as she is nicknamed, is a lovely character that you easily root for and the story of her finding her ‘5 people’ is engaging and endearing. If you love Aherns previous work you’ll certainly enjoy this.

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Beautiful and thought provoking story centred around slightly awkward Allegra and her journey to discover who she really is. Loved the idea of being an average of the 5 people we spend the most time with and it really made me look at the people around me a bit closer. I read really quickly but found I kept stopping to think about some of the ideas a bit more.

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A wonderful read that made me feel all warm and fuzzy at times. Absolutely charming and totally different to what I would usually read.

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This book has a really interesting premise and I particularly like the image of the main character, Allegra, also known as "Freckles", drawing constellations from freckle to freckle on her arms. It's one of those books that are more character-driven than plot-driven and I found myself getting attached to particular characters and hoping she'd bump in to them again or that they'd feature more for us to learn about them. That's what kept me reading - the cast of characters surrounding Allegra. The everyday details are also beautifully drawn, from the coffee shop in the morning to the streets and benches that bookmark her day, and yet are never mundane as they have that hint of warmth and magic that always features in Cecelia Ahern's books. For a touching, quirky story I'd recommend this.

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