I don't usually read books like this but thanks to netgalley I received a free copy. Its light hearted, funny at times but without giving too much away, it's sad, unfair as well as uplifting. Its an easy read. Cecelia's natural humour really shone through. I surprisingly really enjoyed this story.

Emotionally charged yet wholesome

I really enjoyed this book. Allegra was a very different character to those I'd usually read about. Her Almost OCD approach to life was quite relatable and I totally understood her struggles with reading other people. It felt like she lives her whole life just on the edge of other peoples which was very different. Usually characters are the centre to their own story.

I also loved the whole '5 people' philosophy! Such an interesting way of thinking!

I'm definitely going to be researching that theory as well as the Irish police which fascinated me!!

It was also very refreshing to have a YouTuber as a character! Such a great way to modernise this story!

The geography confused me slightly when she travelled home. I feel like there were so many steps I wasn't sure where she was and when!

Also wasn't a fan of the whole Pop's being a pervert storyline. It made me feel a little uncomfortable reading about him! Allegra held him in such high esteem but I just couldn't see him as a good father figure! I also feel for the very small amount of time he was in the book it didn't really add much to his character.

I'm very glad in the end everyone realised Allegra was a good person just trying to help out! But so much of the book was people putting her down and calling her weird! It just had such a negative edge! I just wish things had turned around for her quicker to prove people wrong. Maybe before she had to move home again?

Having said that this book was very well written! I loved the diversity of characters as well as the side plots for Spanner, Rooster and Paddy. The one thing I would say is PLEASE next time use speech marks!!! It made the interactions difficult to follow not having them.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book. I think it's going to stay with me for a fair while!

This book is a very slow burner. It's is written in a style I am not overly comfortable with but if you persevere it does grow on you and by the end the main characters have wormed their way in so you just have to finish it. Makes you shed a year and then smile!

Allegra or “Freckles” is a 24 year old traffic warden who is deeply unlikeable, definitely delusional and a little drunk with power on the streets of Dublin. This story follows her on her personal mission of self discovery.

I found it difficult to get into this book because Allegra is really not a very nice person to be around, even fictionally. But I’m really glad I persevered with it - the murky depths and slog of a beginning makes the character progression quite a rewarding experience.

Allegra is told, by an angry motorist, that every human is the average of the five people they spend the most time with. A thought that really resonates with her. From then on she immediately goes about reviewing, reorganising and even recruiting new people to associate with.

It’s a story of personal growth, of the importance of good friends, and of life changing outlooks too. Although the first half feels quite depressing at times, I think the payoff is worth pursuing.

The favourite quote I’ve chosen below is one that perfectly captures Allegra’s attitude throughout the first half of the book:

“There’s never truly any comfortable position while posing nude, something will always start to hurt at some point but at the beginning of the session I’d chosen to angle my body in the direction of the empty stool James is heading to, my legs parted ever so slightly, not because I’m shy of the others seeing but because I found the thought of a tardy artist being faced with an eye full of vagina amusing. I have to get my kicks somehow.”

Freckles will be published on 2nd September, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

What a lovely life affirming read. Alegra goes on a journey of finding the 5 people that shape her life and make her who she is. Such an inspirational read with lessons we can all learn about life. Well done Ceceila, another fantastic read!

I love Cecelia Ahern books. I’ve not read a bad one yet and all have been five stars, many have moved me, made me cry and stayed in my mind after reading. So I’m not really sure what’s happened here. This is a slow book, difficult to read in places due to so much conversation between characters but no real indication of who is saying what. The characters didn’t grab me and I neither liked them or disliked them. The idea of the story was nice but I feel it’s probably a book for younger readers. I think anyone new to the author would probably enjoy this but as a regular reader of hers this didn’t come up to her usual standard sadly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I was so excited to read another book from Cecelia Ahern, and Freckles did not disappoint. Freckles is a complex character trying to find her place in the world, through the 5 people most important to her. A lovely heart-warming read.

I enjoyed this story but won’t give any spoilers away
With thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for the arc of this story in exchange for this review

I wasn’t sure about this book to begin with and the main character Aurora, or Freckles as she was known at school, seemed a bit strange. Freckles has moved away from the island she grew up in and her beloved father, Pops, to live in a suburb of Dublin. Her dream was to join the Garda but was turned down and ended up as a traffic warden, which in her eyes is the next best thing. She has managed to find a place to live in a very wealthy area, living above the garage of a high-powered couple in return for baby sitting duties besides her rent. Aurora is really on a mission to find her mother, who, she has discovered lives and works in the area. Aurora is a very dedicated traffic warden and goes the extra mile to make sure that anyone parked illegally is given a parking ticket. It is on her mission to do the right thing that she comes across Tristram, who drives a yellow Ferrari and constantly breaks parking rules. After a huge argument they strike up a sort of friendship which starts as a result of him telling her that she is the average of the five people she spends the most time with. Aurora barely has five people in her life, but takes this proclamation to heart and goes out of her way to find five people she can relate to. This leads her to writing letters to famous people she does not even know with varying degrees of success. The strange thing about Freckles is that having started out thinking she was very strange I ended up seeing something of myself in her and her desire to improve her life. She meets so many obstacles along the way but you end up just wanting her life to be the way she wants it to be. I think many readers will feel the same and overall, it is a very compelling read and I ended up reading the last one hundred pages or so in one go. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.

Freckles is a misfit. She’s described as “strange”. At the start of her story, I didn’t much like her and I couldn’t relate to her. However, as her story unfolds, you understand why she is the way that she is and she endears herself to you.
I ready this book quickly as I found myself wanting to see what happened to her and the other characters. The book is very well written and believable.
I’d love to read another book with some of the other characters as I think there is scope to develop their stories too.

What a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed this and loved the main character Allegra. It has echoes of ‘when all is said’ by Anne Griffin but is much better and not half as depressing. If you’re looking for a happy read that will pull on your heart strings, go for it!!

I love Cecelia Ahern and have read all of her excellent books and this was another lovely, heartfelt story.. I don't think this is her best work but deserves a solid four stars.

The whole plot focuses around 'Freckles" (real name Allegra, a very straight-laced traffic warden who loves her job) being told by 'Rooster' (real name Tristan, a very successful YouTuber) that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. An interesting concept in its own right, this explores Freckles ideas around this and her processing the idea.

This is a story of friendship and becoming comfortable in your own skin.

Freckles is an awkward character at the beginning but grows throughout the book and learns how to be comfortable with herself. She has an amazing Dad who is so supportive of her and her life decisions but stands back to allow her the space to grow and work out her issues, Freckles becomes really loveable towards the end.

This also explores the people around Rooster, how they are fake friends and how he comes to discover this and becomes a better person for it. His character also grows a lot through the book as he realises his friends aren't real friends and he finds a special new friendship with Freckles.

Another awesome summer read!

I haven't read a Cecilia Ahern book in a long time but this reminded me what a wonderful story teller she is. Set between Kerry and Malahide it tells the story of Freckles who was brought up by her father after her mother left them. Its a wonderful heartfelt story. My heart broke for Freckles throughout this who is desperately seeking her place in the world. A lovely story of how sometimes what we seek is what finds us anyway.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I haven't read much of Cecelia Ahern's work, only 'PS, I Love You' but was interested by the premise of 'Freckles.' I found the writing style captivating, with Ahern creating clear imagery in a well-paced novel. My main gripe was the lack of speech marks in the dialogue. An enjoyable, easy read, although felt aspects of the story, particularly with Pops, could have been fleshed out more.

I found this really difficult to get into.

I continued as I'd heard great things about this author but this was the first time I'd read anything by her.

The main problem for me was the protagonist didn't hold my interest, I found Freckles really one dimensional and I didn't buy into her as a character. Nothing really happens, her perspective seemed boring and I just didn't enjoy reading about her.

The ending in contrast seemed overdone, uplifting but in a way that made me cringe.

Allegra, the titular Freckles, is a traffic warden in Malahide, Dublin. We follow her story as she tries to figure out who her "five people" are, after being told you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with.

I honestly struggled with the style of this book. The way all speech blurred into one prose, regardless of who was talking, took a lot of getting used to, and it wasn't a style I enjoyed at all. I didn't think I'd finish it as it was very slow moving, but I'm glad I stuck with it as the last third definitely improved a lot for me.

A different novel from what I am used to and not what I was expecting from this author. Was well written with some interesting characters and some good humour and although it was enjoyable I think it would appeal to younger readers .It wasn't really for me

A splendid tear jerker.

It's a lot in time since I've read a book by Cecilia Ahern, Now I'm wondering at the pause. Allegra Bird is a troubled young woman living in Dublin and searching for a relationship with her mother. Working as a traffic warden, she never manages to fulfil the dream she was hoping for. Her very ordered and regimented life gets turned on its head when disgruntled Rooster informs her that she's the sum total of the 5 people she spends time with. Emotionally charged read with more highs and lows than a bungy jump. Brilliant.

This was an interesting book with some great characters. Allegra Bird - known as Freckles - is the principal character and you both love her and, on occasion, dislike her - she has that self destruct that means she does something ill-advised just when things are looking to settle! However what you can't be is detached! She evokes emotion whether you are laughing at her, shouting in frustration or shedding a tear at the situations that she finds herself in.
There are other characters that I'd like to have explored further like Spanner, in the bakery and Allegra's long suffering but lovely, fellow car parking warden. Then there is Tristan who introduces Allegra to the concept that drives the book but I felt he was a little underdeveloped and had the potential to be more somehow.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and did end up with a little bit of 'Freckles' in my heart!

I am a huge Cecelia Ahern fan and this book did not disappoint.

Really enjoyed getting to know Freckles and her story.

Allegra Bird left her little island life behind as a woman on a mission but she’s not really gaining much traction - that is until an argument up skittles her completely and utterly.

In her current life as a parking warden, she has left her eccentric father and unconventional childhood behind for a bold new life in the city.

But a single encounter leads her to ask the question she’s been avoiding for so long: who are the people who made her the way she is?

And who are the five people who can shape and determine her future?

Just as she once joined the freckles on her skin to mirror the constellations in the night sky, she must once again look for connections.

I really enjoyed Allegra’s journey of self discovery with some mishaps along the way.

Will she ever track down her mother?

If you’re a Cecilia Ahern fan I’m sure you will love Freckles too.