Allegra moves to Dublin to trace her mother who gave her up at birth. She works as a traffic warden and life model. She isn't happy, and when Tristan suggests she finds the 5 people who have formed her life, she wonders if this is the secret to understanding herself.

Great ending, not always a comfortable read! I spent much of this book feeling uncomfortable, not knowing which characters to like and which to dislike, which turned out to be a clever trick of the writer. No one is quite who they seem and that is part of the story.
The beginning both intrigued and troubled me, and the turning point came somewhere in the middle when the direction of the narrative became clearer.
There were situations and conversations which could have been written lightly and inconsequentially but Ahern does not shy away from the shadows and shame of life.
The final pages were the ending that this book needed, not the easy ending, not the sweet, saccharine expected ending but a triumph, a tying up of ends and a closing of doors.
Having never read Cecelia Ahern before I'm definitely going to explore more of this author.

OUTSTANDING!
I LOVED this book with a passion.
I adore characters who struggle socially as they tend to be sensitive, clever and capable of teaching me, the reader, so much more about life and myself.
This is a life affirming and inspiring story, a warm embrace, a hand to hold and the resounding chance to join the dots and journey to the stars.
Freckles whose real name is Allegra Bird moved away from her childhood boyfriend, her father and the ferry to live in Dublin for a particular reason. She is searching for a very important person whilst patrolling the streets as a parking warden and sticking rigidly to her daily routine.
The characters sparkle with uniqueness, and their endearing flaws and slowly revealed back stories bring a mix of smiles and tears. I felt wowed and humbled, and basically just wanted to be Allegra's friend.
One person with a flash car gets right under Freckles parking warden skin and poses a question: who are the five in your life? She cannot shake off the growing unease that she cannot answer this question. It is so beautifully written that the reader is drawn into the same quest to reach a level of self belief that allows one to feel comfortable and happy in their own skin. I found myself trying to work out who my five are whilst willing Freckles/Allegra to realise the joy and genuineness of special people right in front of her.
Watered by tears, warmed by sunny smiles and tended to with care and consideration of those around her, Allegra really can blossom into the person she's always wanted to be.
You might have learned all about the constellations in our night sky Freckles, but fir me you were a constellation shining more brightly than any others.

Freckles - Allegra Bird is defined by her freckles, she embraces them and indeed scratches between them, making star constellations. Her character will stay with you long after you finish the book, as she endeavours to understand her life and how she can progress.

She has been brought up by her dad on a little island off the coast of Ireland; she leaves home to find her mother who left her at birth. Her mother is Spanish and runs a hairdressing salon in the town. Allegra or Freckles works as a Traffic Warden and is very diligent about her job (how many of us dislike Traffic Wardens?); although she did always want to join the Garda.

She has a methodical life, gets up at the same time, gets same breakfast from same café and has the same lunch every day. During her working day, she finds herself constantly issuing tickets to the owner of a bright yellow Ferrari, a young entrepreneur in the gaming business. Whilst trying to placate Freckles, they build up an unlikely friendship, he tells her she is defined by the 5 people around her who influence her. She will be an average of the 5!

She is feeling homesick and worried about her dad, who is staying in his house alone too much and neglecting himself so she is trying to keep an eye from a distance as well as coping with her own problems.

This book was a joy to read, it's been a while since I last read a Cecelia Ahern book and this one did not disappoint. You will love the character that is Allegra Bird, the friendships that she makes and her whole outlook on life. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

This book was all about finding out about yourself and loving yourself. Was hard to get into but I did in the end.

I managed to get an audio version of this so I could listen to it to and from placement and it was a really nice and easy story to listen to. I haven’t read Ahern’s books in some years and my reading taste has changed a bit but I didn’t think this was as good as the others.

📚 r e v i e w 📚
Freckles - cecelia ahern
Oh look its another of those books i requested an early copy of, never got to and ended up hiring the finished copy from the library instead. My bad. Only not really because my poor time management means i had the pleasure of experiencing this book on audio and there was something very special about allegra bird being given such a charming and endearing voice thanks to amy mccallister’s incredible narration.
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I’ve long been a fan of cecelia ahern, since a family holiday as a pre teen when one of the adults picked up a copy of where rainbows end at the airport to read by the pool, only i sort of stole it because i finished my own book. There is something very charming about the way she writes and this is no different. The fact that i listened to the audio just meant that charm was even more apparent. The city of dublin sparkled and the way amy mcallister voiced each character and brought our mc allegra to life was incredible.
The cover might make this look like a fluffy easy read but like most of cecelia ahern’s books, it has much more substance lurking under that pretty cover. This is a book about life and mistakes, its very existential. Which is very me.
Though there were times when allegra had me full on cringing and times where i was frustrated by her lack of growth, by the end all i wanted to do was give her a big hug and help her get her shit together. She was a really interesting character with a lot of depth but my god that girl can dig herself into a hole! Despite a few annoyances this was a truly lovely read and i’ll admit that final chapter did get me right in the feels 🥺
⭐️⭐️⭐️
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@netgalley @official_ceceliaahern @harpercollinsuk
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Oh my gosh, I adore Cecelia Ahern and have done since I read her very first book. I am so thrilled to be on the blog tour for this absolutely gorgeous book.

Cecelia writes beautifully and always, this book has completely transported me to the pages. This is a book I have been anticipating since I heard Cecelia talk about it at a Harper Event. I think I’ve sat and stroked it a lot since it arrived because I actually cannot take how gorgeous this one is.

This book has been really thought provoking, I’ve questioned who my five people would be. I’ve also considered how they make me who I am and where I’d be without them. I have adored this book from the very beginning. I have been pulled in and unable to put this one down. I have devoured this in one evening sitting.

This has been a book that I have loved! Cecelia has been on my list of favourites for so long, this is one of my favourite titles yet! This is refreshing and uplifting, added bonus is that it’s set in Ireland. I have loved everything about this book.

I’ve related to this book so much, it’s been refreshing that our main protagonist doesn’t have everything completely figured out! She is a character who doesn’t realise how fantastic she is and definitely one you want to be friends with.

This book is incredible and really special. I’ve been left smiling, this is without a doubt a five star read and one worthy of all the stars. A definite favourite and one I will be recommending to everyone.

Freckles is a book by an author I haven’t read in a long while, it took me a little time to get into this but when I did I thought it was a decent storyline with an interesting main character.
Allegra Bird or Freckles to people she knows has left her hometown to live in the big city, Dublin. She has taken a job as a traffic warden and this she does well but she’s not there for the job she has a secret mission to complete, something she needs to do for herself but at the moment she hasn’t the courage to carry it out. She constantly tickets a yellow Ferrari and the owner gets a little heated with her and says something that sparks a lot of thought and determination. She lives above a garage and I’ll be honest I didn’t like the owner from the start and was correct not to.
This is an interesting journey you go on with Allegra and it had some good twists with a decent ending.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite authors, and one of the things I love about her is how different all her books are. This one gave me strong Sally Rooney vibes with its lack of speech marks, and I also enjoyed the fact that the main character Allegra gave me sort of Eleanor Oliphant feelings too. Allegra is a parking warden in a Dublin suburb who, after a chance comment from a disgruntled person she has fined, realises that perhaps she isn’t okay with her life being not as full as it could be. Despite not necessarily having the happy ending you thought, this book made me cry at the end for all the right reasons.

I absolutely loved this book, I could not put it down!
I felt it wasn't your "typical" book but that's what made it good.

This was a really good read. Easy story to follow, charming setting and great characters. Really enjoyed it.

Allegra or Freckles is a young woman finding her place in the world. She doesn't relate well to others but enjoys her role as parking warden in Dublin. It is whilst doing her job she meets someone who tells her something she cannot forget. Her quest is to find the five people who define her. Told from Allegra's viewpoint, the reader has intimate knowledge of Allegra's often confusing world. The story has many layers and believable characters. Allegra draws the reader's empathy, and you want her to succeed and be happy. Allegra develops as a character, learning from each encounter, and by the story's conclusion, she knows herself.

The ending is poignant and uplifting and gives the reader hope that Allegra's future is hopeful.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Slow, easy going enjoyable read.

Nothing really stands out but the characters are good and well developed.

Good easy read.

Oof, the latter half of this book pulled it up to a 3 stars but it was a slow and hard slog getting there.

The characters were well developed and memorable but they weren't enjoyable to read about unfortunately. We were inside the main characters head all the time, and she was so judgmental that I struggled to have any empathy for her. And so many rambling thoughts about nothing really took up most of the book.

We eventually did see some progression in the story and character arc, the idea the book was based around was interesting (the 5 people thing), and the ending did warm my heart. I just wish
this had happened a lot sooner.

I am new to this author and this was not what I was expecting at all!
I found this book extraordinary, it is so thought provoking and beautifully written, Freckles has so much depth to her character and the self harming aspect of her joining the dots on her skin intrigued me and drew me in.
Her relationship with Rooster and how strongly his almost throwaway line about being the average of the five people you spend the most time with effected her was fascinating and it also made me think about the same thing!
Excellent thought provoking read.

I found this different than her other books and it was a slow read for me.
I liked the character of Allegra and she faced many challenges at times in the book but i felt it was an emotional and uplifting read which I enjoyed.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a gifted copy in return for an honest review.

It took me a little while to get into this book, all the early events seemed pretty random and I wondered what the point was. All emotions erupt towards the end of this story in a revelation of clarity and wonder. For most of the book, despite moments of bravado and humour, I felt the desolate sadness of Allegra. Personally, I struggled a little with the presentation of text without speech, confusing the tense and voice at times. However, by the end, I applauded the characters and their resilience.

I struggled with the plot most of the way through. At first, I felt engaged with this small town, her life as a traffic warden and the strict routine of the day, but it lost its shine with repetitiveness. By half way, the pace was slow and I'd lost interest. I didn't feel much by the culmination. A heartwarming story of friendships and connections.I enjoyed reading this book although it took me quite a while to get into it,l think this was because l personally didn’t take to Allegra.

I started off really enjoying this. I found the story quite different to anything iveread before. However, I did think the story was dragged out a little. I really liked the ending though, super cute!

I’m a huge fan of Cecelia Ahern so I’m always excited to learn of a new novel from her. Freckles felt different from her previous novels but I still really enjoyed it. Allegra Bird, known as Freckles, is quite a sad and lonely young woman. She wanted to join the police but was rejected so now she’s a traffic warden. One day someone tells her that everyone is the product of the five people closest to them and this sends her on a journey to surround herself with five strong people. I felt quite an affinity with Freckles, she is lost and searching for a connection and meaning in her life. Her mother abandoned her and her father is an eccentric man who did his best but Freckles has always felt absence in her life. I was rooting for her to find what she needed to feel complete and happy. I did find this novel a little hard to get into but once I got there I just didn’t want to put it down. I adored Freckles and I still keep thinking of her and wondering what she’s up to now. I recommend this one!