You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
When Allegra Bird first hears these words from someone shes not necessarily too fond of, it makes her reevaluate her carefully organised life.
She sets off to find her five people in a slightly unconventional way. Her story will make you think about the important people in your life.
I loved this. So heartwarming and cute. I was rooting for poor Allegra the whole way through. Cecelia Ahern has such a beautiful way of writing such eccentric and oh so loveable characters. Allegra will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this stunning book.

Cecelia Ahern has done it again! Freckles is a beautiful read that does a great job at evoking emotion from the reader. Allegra's life completely changes when a stranger tells her she is the average of the five people she spends the most time with. Allegra decides to leave her life and follow her dream. The characters are excellent and well-developed. The plot is heartfelt and sweet. Highly recommended!

There’s always something so warm and familiar about reading a Cecelia Ahern book, and Freckles is no different.

Parking Warden Allegra Bird is someone you could set your watch by. She lives a very highly ordered life since moving to the city, leaving behind her childhood and her beloved Pops. But when a stranger tells her “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” she starts to question everything, revaluating all her relationships.

First of all, I can’t read an Ahern book without wanting to visit Ireland. She brings the towns and cities to life; creating such interesting characters that I want to walk down the street and meet for myself. I certainly feel myself immersed in the worlds she creates.

I like the fact that he has also written a protagonist who isn’t always likeable. Allegra is often awkward and frustrating at times, but there’s something about her that’s so lost, that you can’t help but find her endearing. I felt myself wanting to befriend her, to guide her to the right people, rather than watch her make some questionable choices.

It’s not perfect by all means; it’s a little bit predictable in places, but then I can’t think how else I would have wanted it to end if it wasn’t. I also wish we could have learnt a little more about some characters, but it didn’t matter so much, there was just something about it that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This book found me at just the right time, and I really enjoyed reading it. Like Allegra, I’ve found myself pondering on my five people and wondering about what they say about me. Is it time I made some changes?

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a tough book for me, because as someone who's used to thriller novels, not a great deal actually happened in this book. There wasn't a big lead up to the end of the book. However, it was just so warm and cosy and Freckles is just a dream. It was so easy to read, the writing was just gorgeous and I was left with a warm feeling inside when I finished this.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately I just could not get into it. The main character Allegra was not likeable in my opinion and the writing style was quite difficult to read.

I have always been a huge fan of Cecilia Ahern's books, and this is no different. I was engrossed in Allegra/Freckles' story from page one and absolutely loved the journey of the novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

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

When a stranger utters these words to Allegra Bird, nicknamed Freckles, it turns her highly ordered life upside down. 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.
Told in Allegra’s vivid, original voice, moving from Dublin to the fierce Atlantic coast, this is an unforgettable story of human connection, of friendship, and growing into your own skin.
Five people. Five stars. Freckle to freckle. Star to star.

What a great premise for a story and what a great book.
I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Allegra moves from Valentia Island to Dublin in search of the part of her life she believes is missing and finds so much more. It’s like a coming of age story only better. Allegra is such a likeable character despite her faults and I found myself cheering her on. The characters are well developed, the storyline excellent. An uplifting read that I would heartily recommend.
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Sometimes you read a book at it makes you feel happy. With Covid I havent seen any of my friends for ages. This book made me smile and completely distracted me from all the bad news. Its s beautiful read.

Freckles by Celia Ahern
I give this book 3.5 stars

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
When a stranger utters these words to Allegra Bird, nicknamed Freckles, it turns her highly ordered life upside down.
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?
She must look for connections......
Five people. Five stars. Freckle to freckle. Star to star.

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.
With thanks to Netgalley,Celia Ahern and Harper Collins UK for my chance to read and review this book

What a heartwarming book. The majority of ‘Freckles’ is centred round the thought that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, as Allegra (Freckles) seeks to find who her five may be, despite the fact they were there all along. This leads Allegra on a mission to find out who she is. This was a lovely story and I would recommend.

A incredible read!

Freckles, real name Allegra Bird, is working as a traffic warden when she comes under the wrath of Ferrari-driving Tristan, who, with an off-the-cuff insult, makes her consider everything about her life. After he tells her she is the sum of the five people she spends the most time with - and not meaning it kindly - Freckles begins to examine her life and the people who fill it.

Freckles' journey of self discovery is at times heartbreaking, cringeworthy and hilarious. Really hilarious! Freckles isn't always likeable, she gets a lot of things wrong, but she's such a great, believable character, you can't help but root for her.

This novel felt much edgier than Cecelia Ahern's other novels, and I enjoyed its style. At its heart, though, it had all the trademarks of her other, much-loved novels with a loveable protagonist, richly drawn characters and a really interesting plot. I loved it!

Thank You to NetGalley and the Publisher for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

The majority of ‘Freckles’ is centred round the thought that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, as Allegra (Freckles) seeks to find who her five may be, despite the fact they were there all along.

Freckles contained some heartwarming sentiments especially towards the end of the book, however I do feel it missed the mark in certain parts. We never actually know much about the characters that are integral to Allegra’s life, but I feel like there is so much more that could’ve been known here. Instead I know more about the people she has left behind, although this provides important backstory to show the reader why Allegra is who she is, I would’ve loved to see more of her and the people she spends time around as they felt forgotten about until very near the end. Furthermore, the story also follows Allegra as she build up the courage to speak to her mother and once she does it just feels like a let down, it happens too quickly after the majority of the story leads to this moment; I would’ve loved to have seen more there.

However, there are many lovely elements in ‘Freckles’, such as watching Allegra begin to realise she is not as alone as she thought she was with the support network she’s had all along and watching her grow as a person was lovely to see and the ending was a perfect way to close it off.

Please be mindful when reading though as there are a few triggers in the book which wasn’t disclosed at the start such as self harm, drugs and sexual harassment.

I have read many of Cecelia Ahern's novels and usually find them extremely addictive from the very beginning but this one was quite different, although I can't quite put my finger on what made it this way. It was a bit of a slow burner and I felt like it never quite got going, I was always waiting on something big and exciting happening. That being said, I did enjoy it and it was a nice easy read with an ending that made me smile.

I usually love Cecilia Ahern's books but I found this one quite hard to get into. Freckles is a nickname that Allegra Bird was given because of all the freckles she has. She was abandoned by her mother when she was born and raised by her father. She goes to Dublin to try and reunite with her mother

I found this book a little hard to get into at first. Not sure if it was because of the book or just myself. But I'm glad I continued as it was a nice read in the end. I rooted for Allegra and felt quite sorry for her character so Cecelia done a good job with the character.

I loved the "5 people" quote that went through this book. I don't want to give too much away but it did actually make me think about my people and how they help to shape me into the person I am right now.

Overall, a good read but I didn't find it that gripping and was quite mediocre with the story line. Maybe it just wasn't 100% my sort of book as I do like more gripping thrillers at the moment.

A really well written book. It wasn't what I expected for a Cecelia Ahern novel - it's completely different to her other books. The characters were well-written and really believable. Highly recommended.

Freckles is a story that follows the life of Allegra Bird: traffic warden, still life model and motherless daughter searching for her identity in Dublin.
The story centres around an idea that you are the sum total of the 5 people who influence you most in life. This is initially flung at Allegra as an insult but she takes it as a mission to discover who those people are and what they bring to her existence, while trying to muster up the courage to introduce herself to the mother who abandoned her at birth.

I have read most of Cecelia Ahern's books before and enjoyed them but I did find this one hard to get into. I wasn't sure I liked Allegra although I did find the description of modern life pretty accurate! An OK read but didn't light any fires in my imagination. 3/5

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an early release copy in exchange for an honest review.

In some ways a strange read, Allegra Bird aka Freckles is an unusual character. She is unable to make human connections and suffers from OCD . A chance comment “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” sends Allegra on a voyage of discovery. The story is based around Allegra and her finding her five people. The book was slow at the start and Allegra wasn’t always very likeable but it was an interesting read and one that stayed with you . I would recommend this book
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins, and Cecilia Ahern for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

Freckles – Cecelia Ahern

I’ve been in a real reading rut, recently. Since racing through the lengthy Grown Ups by Marian Keyes and then the short but sweet Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, I’ve picked up four or five books without getting beyond the first few pages.

It’s not them, it’s me – maybe it’s the promise of lighter evenings and warmer days, maybe it’s the fact that I’m cycling quite a lot at the moment and the time I would have spent reading I’m either doing that, or I’m trying not to fall asleep on the sofa.

Aside from that, Freckles popped out of my he-uge TBR as I saw it was on the pre-order lists, and is due for release in September.

Freckles is the nickname of one Allegra Bird. She’s a parking warden in a suburb of Dublin, ensconced in her routine and keen to follow and apply the rules. She doesn’t need to be liked – she knows she’s right. That doesn’t mean she’s immune to the outbursts from some of the people she gives tickets to, of course.

It’s told from her point of view, as she goes from point A to point B. We learn more of her life – her childhood on an island outside of Dublin, growing up with her eccentric but loving father looking after her. Her dark skin marking her out as different from his pale, Irish skin, but her freckles linking them together. This theme, this dot to dot journey, carries on through the book.

Allegra tells us she has freckles on her arms that she joined together with pen so much at boarding school, the teachers took her pens away at night. She then discovered that knives are better, and they gave her the pen back. This is pretty much the way it was told in the book, and I was taken aback by how glibly it was stated. Additionally, it is never explicit, but I got the feeling that Allegra and her Dad sit somewhere on the scale of autism. I recognised some of the characteristics – fixation on a subject to the point of boring everyone around you (in her case, space and more specifically, constellations), an unwavering clinging to routine to the point where if it’s out of kilter by even a few seconds, it causes distress. This is never addressed though, and perhaps it’s because it’s told from her point of view and not someone else’s, she lacks the self awareness to think of it. Or, of course, she knows and it’s just not important. It certainly didn’t detract from the story and in some ways it was refreshing that the narrative wasn’t about her being diagnosed, labelled and managed.

After an unpleasant encounter with a bloke who has more money than sense, Allegra is sent on a downward spiral about her life and the lack of achievements she’s had since leaving school. She hasn’t found her mum, she didn’t get into the garda, her Dad’s not doing very well alone and she’s living above some posh couple’s garage. No friends. No family nearby. Just her job, keeping her going.

Allegra is one of those protagonists that you find yourself shouting at. “Don’t go to the party with her, she’s not your friend!” or “Go out the front door, not up the stairs when you hear a noise late at night!!”. Sometimes irritating, often naïve, she’s a great character because you want her to succeed. Ultimately she’s immature, and she’s dealing with some major things in her life at the same time as trying to grow up.

She spends about 2/3 of the book looking for her Five. Her five people who are most influential on her personality. Who have moulded and shaped her into the person she is, or who will do so in the future. It’s a thoughtful premise, although it’s based on pretty flimsy business leader hokum (which is pointed out, in the book).

It was unexpectedly lovely, actually, and I found myself a bit sucker punched at the end, when it all speeds up and wraps into a bow. Not that it’s all neatly tied off, but more that what you think might happen, and hope does, does.

I don’t think I’ve read Cecelia Ahern since “PS I love you” a long time ago, which I don’t remember much of. Freckles is a recommended read for something a little bit kitchen sink dramatic, a little bit sugary sweet and easy to read through. Maybe a late summer beach read? I have seen the hardback pre order and it’s got spotty sprayed edges, and the Waterstones one is signed, too!

Thanks as always to Netgalley for the platform and HarperCollins for the DRC!

I found it a little hard to get into this book. It didn't grab me quite as much as other Cecelia Ahern . But by about chapter 3, I absolutely loved it. It's quirky. Beautifully written. Wonderful characters. The layers peel away as you get more and more into the story. Absolutely fantastic novel. I cried at the end and would read it again in a heartbeat.
Wonder if Cecilia Ahern was inspired by the movie Serendipity: joining the freckles with a black felt tip pen inn one of the early chapters and the reference to Cassiopeia seemed strangely familiar! However, this book is WAY superior to Serendipity. I hope someone will make a film of Freckles: it would make a superb film.