24-year-old Allegra Bird has the perfect routine to her daily life. She lives in the garage extension of a wealthy family - rent cheap on the assumption she will babysit whenever they need her, and every day she starts her morning with a coffee and Belgian waffle before starting her beat as a parking enforcement officer. But there's a reason Allegra moved from her small Kerry town, away from her beloved dad, to a seaside suburb in Dublin but she hasn't built up the courage yet to fulfil her mission. When a man angry at his parking ticket berates her one day, he says something that shakes Allegra to the core and she starts a new project to surround herself with the type of people she wants to learn from but in the process she learns more about herself.

CW: Self harm

This book surprised me in how much I ended up enjoying it by the end (genuine tears in my eyes/lump in my throat at some bits at the end!). I think I was being a bit snobby thinking this was going to be fine, but nothing amazing and while it wasn't the best book I've read this year, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and Allegra's journey.

While not specifically stated on page, it definitely reads like Allegra could be neurodivergent- she isn't always the best socially in terms of understanding social cues and etiquettes and the best thing to say, and she also likes order and routine, and if these are messed up, she can get very upset. I felt for Allegra as she sought to understand the '5 people in your life' saying, and how she reached out to those she admired in the desire to learn from them.

I was iffy about Tristan developing a close relationship with Allegra at first, considering how he had acted towards her but I actually grew to really like their friendship and how we leaned more about Tristan, his 'Rooster' identity and how he was striving to be more, and how Allegra helped him do this.

I loved the father-daughter relationship in this too and Allegra's bond with Pops was just so, so lovely though I'm biased as I am also very close to my dad so I love reading similar. Sometimes a girl just needs her dad, and it was this type of scene near the end that brought me to tears. Pops was a wonderful character, odd in his own way exactly like Allegra but totally accepting of the type of person she was.

There were moments in this that were hard to read due to a myriad of reasons from Allegra's experience of self harm when she was younger, to even the awkward and second hand embarrassment a reader could feel when she was committing a social faux pas. I loved Allegra's job as a still life model, and this control over her body, and the way she was able to see parts of herself in others work was just so interesting to read.

I'd definitely recommend this book, and would also recommend the audiobook if people had access to it as it was a great listen.

The first half of this is a slog, protagonists don't always have to be likeable, but DAMN Allegra was a chore to sit with. Glad I made it through as the second half made it worth it.

I havent read Cecelia Ahern before although I have seen her on many things and know she is very popular. I found this book quite hard to get into and I felt like I was only pushing through it in order to give a review. I all honesty I think that it was just ok. There was nothing that I would rave about to a friend either bad or good. Sorry but this one was just not for me.

I was excited to start this book as Cecelia Ahern is an author I have wanted to read for a while.
This book though the writing was good I struggled to connect with the characters and storyline in general.
The character arcs for both of the main characters were a case of learning from each other and growing as a result so it felt like a romance which I will admit is a genre I don't often read, so most of the not connecting is my own personal taste.
The main male character as a business owner comes across as arrogant and mean at first but by the end of the novel is likeable. The main female character again is given a similar start point as a traffic warden.
The computer game developed by the main characters company and the bullying that goes on with that storyline again personal taste I couldn't get past it.
After this I think I would like to give another book by this author a go as I can see the writing is good it was just this particular story and characters I could mot get on with

A good book
Not one of my favourites
But I finished it because I love this authors books
Can’t wait for her next book
Thanks NetGalley

Cecelia Ahern did not disappoint me with this one - a real gem of a book. I loved all the characters, they seems so genuine and original. I really felt like I was walking the streets with Freckles and feeling every moment with her. A gentle book of charmed self discovery -a perfect holiday read

Allegra Bird thinks she is lonely.
Moving from her close island community to find something and working in a parking attendant job that is not what she dreamed of she is set in her ways and living in a house where there are secrets which she cannot share.
When she argues with a parking violator she starts to try and change,

Allegra dreams of the finding the five people who influence her. She tries to find them but it turns out they were already nearer than she thought.

Interesting premise, a well-drawn main character with an interesting voice, a gentle narrative pacing and a writing style that is improving. Not the book for me but would still recommend to those who have liked Ahern's previous books or to those who like this genre.

I loved this book. Allegra was such a brilliant main character. She was flawed and insecure and in no way tried to hide that. She was rash and made bad decisions and then had to deal with the consequences. Not once did she rely on the male character to fix her issues. In fact Tristan was perfectly done too. He put Allegra on her mission to self discovery but also went on the same mission himself. Part of me did feel sad that there was not much romance in the book but the characters really made u for it. I didn't want the book to end.

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern

I probably shouldn’t have requested this one in fairness. I know the author has a massive fan base & is very successful but for me this read like a YA novel (not my cup of tea) and really should be promoted as such.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read quite a few of Cecelia Ahern's books but this one.... I'm sorry to say I just could not get into it - I found it very slow and with no defined storyline and I just kept wondering where on earth it was going. Sorry to say I did not finish it :-( My thanks to netgalley an erc of this book in return for my honest opinion!

A gorgeous book. Never have I wanted to give a character a hug so much!

Freckles is everything I wanted in a story right now.

I enjoyed Freckles. Ahern is one of my 'must-read' authors, and so I just had to grab a copy of Ahern's latest when I saw it on NetGalley.

Freckles had an interesting, charming, character driven storyline where most characters all developed and interwove nicely. However, it did leave me with a few unanswered questions! I flew through this story in a couple of days and definitely may have also had a wee cry at the end. It's not perfect, but it is a super easy read for when you need a break from intense novels or real life..

3.5 stars, rounding down on this occasion.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins and Cecelia Ahern for an eArc copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Now I am a HIGE fan of Cecilia Ahern and am proud to say I have read every single book she has published since I was a teenager so it really saddens me to say I just didn't like this one 😣

Whilst I loved the whole idea of the neaurodiversity and socially awkward character... it confused me an awful lot and I struggled with the different writing style that the author used.

Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

It is a strange relationship I have with Cecelia Ahern. I do love the stories she creates (PS. I love you, Love, Rosie) but I am not a huge fan of the writing itself. It took me a little too long to get into the story and I was not excited to pick it up every time I had to stop. The story follows Allegra Bird (Freckles) and her very ordinary life which is about to change when she asks herself a question: who makes me who I really am?
It is a great story about friendship and finding yourself but not exactly my cup of tea.

Cecelia Aherne is back with another beautifully crafted novel. I've read a couple of her books and I have to say this one stood up well against the others.

Its set in Ireland as usual and follows the story of Allegra Bird, a girl covered in freckles that she inherited from her Dad. She never knew her Mum and is searching for connections with people, especially as she lives on a small island. It's when she moves to Dublin she finally finds herself through family and friendship. It's a lovely book full of warmth and hope and I definitely recommend it.

Thanks to Cecelia, Hodder and Netgalley for the ARC.

I have read a lot of Cecelia Ahern books in the past but not her most recent works, so to receive this from NetGalley was an absolute treat! When I started the book I couldn't help but notice that this was a complete departure from what I am used to reading by this author and, I will admit, it took me some time to adjust. However, I did really enjoy this book once I was about 50% of the way through (which might be too late for some) I found it thought-provoking and although none of the characters are particularly likeable, they do feel very real. I needed tissues at the end!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Really warm and enjoyable read. I loved the world building and the characters in Aheen’s novel. I’ll definitely look out for more of her work in the future too. I did have some issues with the preview copy as the pages were a bit muddled and duplicated in places which made it hard to read.

Such a heartwarming coming of age story. I absolutely loved Allegra. It took me awhile to get into it but once I did I really enjoyed it. This book hits a soft spot for me I am from Kerry and love seeing depictions it in literature. It's such a beautiful place.