Alice senses others’ true personalities, moods and motivations through seeing the unique combination of colours around and within them. This means that she has the ability to detect another’s true personality, and pick up on that which really lies beneath the facade that they show others. This is problematic in that Alice is easily affected by those moods, seeing the colours actually seep towards herself, in other words she is extremely sensitive and feels vulnerable. So Alice keeps herself to herself at an extreme level, until she learns to live in the world and make relationships with other people, while keeping herself protected. It’s an intriguing premise for a story, but I felt the writing was mediocre; it was rather ‘this happened and that happened, oh and I remember way back when, and then this happened.’ There’s no magic or real intrigue, apart from when describing the colours. I liked the way Cecelia Aherne conjured the swirling and whirling, or outline of colours around others, apart descriptions of heated red crotches, there was quite a bit too much of that!
I was not really sure about continuing the book, as it started so bleakly, without offering anything in the way of positivity or magic, but was intrigued as to how Alice’s story would resolve, so carried on with it. There are a lot of characters, in some cases you start to invest in them and then you never hear from them again. I would have liked more of Naomi. I found her one of the most interesting characters.
I found the ending a little unsatisfying, all in all this was an ok read, but nothing special.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel.

If I read this book not knowing who the author was, I would have 100% known it was the magic of my all time fav Cecelia Ahern. I have read and loved every single book of hers and this one did not disappoint ♥️

𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓪 𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮 𝓳𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓮𝔂…

Alice sees the worst in people.

She also sees the best.
She sees a thousand different emotions and knows exactly what everyone around her is feeling.
𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚. 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆. 𝑫𝒂𝒚.
But it’s the dark thoughts.
The sadness. The rage.
These are the things she can’t get out of her head. The things that overwhelm her.

𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓳𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓫𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓷?

This book was just gorgeous ♥️ We follow the journey of Alice from a young age, during a difficult childhood right the way through adulthood, who has the gift of seeing peoples emotions through colours that surround them.
The many different (and beautifully described) colours fizz and pop and swirl and shoot like lightening but what may seem to some as an extraordinary gift often feels like a curse to Alice, a huge burden of emotions that she needs to protect herself (and others) from.

This was @official_ceceliaahern at her magical story telling best and will stay with me a long time 💕

𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥*𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠*𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥*𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫*𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜*𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐲*𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞

Thank you to @official_ceceliaahern @harpercollinsuk @netgalley for sending this to me in exchange for an honest review 💕
Publication date: 13th April ‘23

"One by one and all at once,
I have seen and felt,
All the colours of living."

Alice has always seen colours around people and these colours influence her emotional responses to them. She sees people for who they truly are and for what they are feeling. Through Alice, Cecelia Ahern has given an in-depth insight into what it is like to have and live with synesthesia.

In a Thousand Different Ways is a fascinating and thought-provoking read. Brutally honest, dark and disturbing at times, Ahern has brought out Alice's emotions brilliantly. However, I wasn't keen on the choppy timeline. There were several time jumps and the flashbacks in the story appeared quite suddenly, making the flow of the story somewhat confusing at times.

As with Freckles, the central character is an unlikeable girl who can be pited at the effects her mother has had on her. Unusually there isn't a loving father but a stalwart brother trying to look out for her.
Synesthesia blights her life until she is older and then it seems quite a good life - just pointless.
Not one of Cecil's Ahetne's best.

This story about a young girl who can see peoples moods as colors is as moving as the words on the pages. From a young age, Alice can see peoples moods in swirls of colors around them. Her struggles eventually turn into her strengths, as she grows in age and wisdom.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I’ve completely fallen in love with her storytelling. This book has helped me to view people around me in a different way. You will laugh, you will cry, and in the end you will be in complete awe.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely beautiful prose and stunning imagery. This is Ahern at her very best.

I fell in love with the premise and the storyline was enchanting. Such vivid characters and impeccable world building.

A gorgeous tale that was as uplifting as it was poignant.

I loved this book. Touching and moving I found it distressing at the beginning but such a lovely middle and ending. Fully recommend

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job of creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This one definitely took a little while to get going but ended up being enjoyable. The book follows Alice who has synthensia, I found how she could see other peoples auras fascinating. The story follows her journey dealing with this aspect of her life, I was glad we got to see her entire life also.

Yet another success for Cecelia Ahern. The story is told by Alice who we meet as a child and by the end of the book, she is an old lady. Alice comes from a very dysfunctional family initially held together by her elder brother Hugh. Her younger brother Ollie ends up in prison and her mother Lily fails badly as a mother but you end up having sympathy for both of these characters and their flaws as seen through the eyes of Alice and through the colours which Alice sees around people - their auras. These colours reflect emotion. Alice struggles at school and struggles with her “gift”. She manages to break away from her family and to make a life for herself eventually marrying and having her own family. The story is told partly in flashback. The writing is brilliant and at times poetic. The characters are sympathetic. A thought provoking book. Thank you again NetGalley!

Imagine being able to know someone's mood and intentions at a glance - no words required! It would be like having an extra sense, living in a world of color where everyone has their own hue that reveals so much about them. Synesthesia: the superpower you never knew you wanted and that’s what Cecelia Ahern’s novel, In a Thousand Different Ways is about.

Alice is an extraordinary character, loved by all who meet her. She's got the unique gift of being able to visualize life in vivid colours! Despite coming from a less-than-ideal family background she fights her way through each and every day with strength and courage but there are still days when it feels like distractions take over - how can one master life if obstacles keep getting thrown your way? Even more so – what does Alice do when face-to-face with someone whose intentions appear dark (just think playgrounds full of kids!). And then finally, what happens when synaesthesia meets apathy – two worlds colliding as they pass in the night…

I was entrapped by this novel immediately, the ability to see people from their aura certainly puts a different perspective on things but then there are the rare people who have no colour, how do you deal with those? Alice finds her perfect mate in one such man and Ahern used her sophisticated, masterful storytelling style to wrap all this up beautifully. Once Alice understands her skill, she manages to change how she thinks about it and uses it which makes for interesting and thought-provoking reading.

‘In a thousand different ways’ is a fictional account of how a person with Synaesthesia may discover it, in Alice’s case at a young eight years old and learns to begin to understand and live with it. It’s a fascinating insight into a different way of life almost. Every person can almost be seen (their mood anyway) without even knowing them and she can see mods transfer from one person to another.

The characters are well developed, and we see how toxic Alice’s family are, she eventually manages to follow her older brother's lead and escapes the family home, only to return to nurse her mother through ill-health, a trap many fall into especially as the only girl in the family. This is a sometimes sad and poignant tale but its so beautifully written it holds your attention well throughout.

Another fabulous read from the author who us quite simply remarkable! A very original concept that was as educating as it was entertaining. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

This is a story about Alice and how she sees colours around every person she meets. This book follows her whole life. A bit choppy and changey but you are taken into Alice's world and it literally tells the story of her life. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

What a wonderful book. It captivated me until the last page. I never knew about synesthesia before so it was even more of an interesting read. The impact it had on Alice's life and those around her was amazing. You were drawn to her character immediately and throughout. I know I will read this book again as it is too good not to. I have never ready anything by this author so I will certainly be looking for more from her. An absolutely amazing read

This is a kinda unique idea for a story that at first I was sceptical but then I started to enjoy it and thinking of all the ways the world and the perception can be in a thousand different ways. I am not familiar with Cecelia Ahern's work but I loved this book and now I want to read more books written by Cecelia Ahern.

This is a beautifully written book, eye opening, thought provoking and with a lovely ending (although I did cry!) it is an unusual way of looking at how others could perceive their world whilst touching on every day human experiences of life in complex family environments. It flowed well and as always there are characters to like and really dislike!

Thank you to the publishers, author and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

There's something very reassuring about sitting down with a Cecelia Ahern book, you just know you're in the hands of a confident story-teller. In a Thousand Different Ways delivers exactly what you'd expect, a beautiful story about a unique main character who you can't help but root for.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book, I really enjoyed it.

This is the story of Alice Kelly who has synesthesia, she can see a colourful aura of people's emotions and moods in everyone.
It is an interesting story with a well drawn cast of characters and a unique plot which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I dropped a star from the rating as the story jumped around quite a lot from the present to the past, but as I had an advance reader copy I really hope it will be fixed up in the final edit.
Highly recommend!

A superb read which I could not put down!

I’ve long been fascinated with the subject of auras - how some people can see them and how they can reveal the emotions of a person. I had never thought, however, about the negative impact on someone with this ‘gift’. Cecelia Ahearne tells the story of how Alice’s ability to see auras impacts her whole life. She is immersed in the turmoil of other people’s emotions until she finds a way of existing in society. The end is simply beautiful.

Cecelia Ahearne is a gifted story-teller and ‘In a Thousand Different Ways’ doesn’t disappoint.

A touching, warm, and moving story about Alice who sees colours around people. Colours. Dancing around their heads and their bodies. Happy colours, sad colours. She feels them, and whatever they’re feeling, she feels herself. Everyone is completely transparent under her gaze.

The novel follows her life from a difficult childhood to self-discovery and the happy ending that the reader anticipates throughout.

Alice initially wants to isolate herself from everyone; she lives in solitude, which brings her even more sadness and disappointment. Slowly, with the help of true friends and nature, which never fails to heal, she learns to control her gift and live her own life.

The characters are completely human, with a wide range of emotions and relatable situations.

If you don’t feel your own pain, you cannot recognise it in others. Our own suffering can cultivate the ability to help others.


Cecelia Ahern is a master storyteller, and I thoroughly enjoyed this outstanding book.