Not what I was expecting from Cecelia Ahern. I do not proclaim to be an expert on Ahern’s writing but having read some of her earlier work, I am yet to experience similar themes that run throughout her stories. I don’t know, maybe I’m not looking hard enough, but then again, maybe Ahern is just skilled at being a master of all trades. There is certainly nothing amateur about what she presents.

Forty-six-year-old Enya is struggling with family life. Living in a sterile home environment that echoes her husband’s (Xander) lineage, whilst working as an urban GP alongside her husband at their practice, she is haunted by her own ghosts. As her irrational fears linked to her mother threaten to consume her, Enya finds herself at an emotional distance from her family, including her fifteen-year-old son, Finn. Following one fateful stormy night that will have a profound effect on so many lives, Enya decides to leave Xander for rural Abbeydooley where she is forced to examine who she is and how she does things in more ways than one. Huge discoveries are made through the reading of her late mother’s columns, and her relationships with the people around her, i.e., her sister; Flora, her newfound friend; Margaret, and Finn, which leave us wondering whether Enya will, in fact, survive the storm.

On the one hand, I give myself credit for anticipating the end, particularly as the pacing of the novel ebbed and flowed in a way that could cause a reader to stall in their reading. However, I was totally bowled over by the way the end came about. There were as many twists and turns culminating in a climax as there were in the roads Enya was driving along throughout the novel.

The blurb had already painted a strong picture of what to expect at the beginning of the novel. This first segment progressed quickly and set a tone for the rest of the book. However, the pace slowed drastically once Enya moved from the fast-paced city to the slower, yet busier life in the country. I questioned why we were there and the entire point in the move. I was not in the market for a ‘chick lit’ genre. However, as quickly as I formed this assumption of the book, the story took a shift and entered a ‘whodunnit’ phase. I found myself backtracking and examining characters and the reason for their existence.

Overall, the book was a curious read. I loved the portrayal of lesser-known Irish traditions. Rather than the stereotypical leprechauns and rainbows, a focus on names, seasons, and rag trees took center stage. I would say that this book was highly devoted to overcoming trauma in a subtle way. It did not need to behave in a triggering fashion to deliver a tale of healing and redemption. Readers of cozy mysteries, and people who do not thrive on a book that is 95% drama, instead preferring less Hollywood spectacle will enjoy this book. It is not a difficult read but it has rich characters whose characteristics are thought-provoking. If you are not in need of magic and sparkle, this is a really enjoyable book to curl up in front of the fire with on a cold, stormy night, or just a lazy day. Take the time to really read, rather than race through, a book that contains very real characters that represent some of the sadder, more mixed-up souls of our society.

This book turned into an epic read. It started small and then turned into something huge and absolutely mental!
Looking back, the plot is really quite simple - but the way Cecilia Ahern writes, she turns it into an epic story with twists and turns. She also has a way of creating characters that are so real. They're not always likeable, but they are always believable.
Epic book and it completely gripped me from start to finish!

Enya a character with so many twists and turns in her story
She is first of all a Doctor a GP alongside her husband Zander who have a thriving business but upon his mother recent death they have almost without her consent moved into her huge mansion
She feels like she doesn’t belong in it and the only concession he has made is for their son Finn he has converted the whole loft area for his sole use
Enya meanwhile finds solace elsewhere one night but that night she also comes across a road traffic accident involving a young lad Ross a taxi driver has found him in a terrible storm Enya has to perform cpr to keep him alive
Enya is now living apart from zander but he won’t let her see her son
She is suffering severe mental health issues
Some of which are related to people tying items onto a tree in her new house a rag tree - she has to have someone explain what a rag tree is !
Despite all twists I really enjoyed this book loved Enya and her family
Real Irish storytelling

I enjoyed this book overall but I just wish the main character was more likeable. I couldn’t fully immerse myself into the story as much but nonetheless it is a good book.

I was sent a copy of Into the Storm by Cecelia Ahern to read and review by NetGalley. I have mixed feelings about this novel. I really enjoyed the aspect of Irish mythology and the Rag Tree, but I felt the book was very repetitious which in turn made it far too long for me. Not one of my favourites from this author I’m afraid.

Into the Storm focuses on Enya Pickering and the aftermath of a road traffic incident that she is caught up in.
A GP, Dr Pickering is on her way back from an out of hours call when she comes across a taxi driver stopped in the road trying to help a young boy who has been hit. She administers CPR and saves the boy’s life, but this incident seems to mark a moment for her and she decides to change her life.
Struggling with approaching the age her mother was when she died, Enya decides to leave her husband and take a job as a rural doctor. This move brings about numerous changes and we follow Enya as she settles into her new existence.
The story is more complicated than we are led to believe, and as we progress through we start to understand Enya’s motivation. A dysfunctional character, Enya was hard to warm to. The details about the rag tree and exploring how families remembered lost ones was interesting, but I felt rather detached from events throughout.

Wow! Not what I was expecting. This story follows Dr Enya Pickering who, whilst on the way back from a house call on a dark, extremely wet night, is waved down to assist a teenage boy who has been hit by a car. She saves his life, thankfully. But herein we are transported back to the events leading up to the hit and run, along with the after effects of the trauma and how it affects Enya and her family as well as the family of the victim. Extremely well written. Lots of emotion as Enya tries to deal with her spiralling personal life. Great characters, and although I could relate with Enya, I did struggle with some of her decisions. A tangled web of a story with some interesting characters throughout. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I have read and enjoyed previous books by Ahern but I sadly didn’t enjoy this one. I was struggling to read on, a definite slow burn. I found some of the decisions made by the characters odd/questionable. A very exaggerated storyline and I struggled to like some of the characters. Repetitive and long winded.

Into the Storm by Cecelia Ahern I did find it hard to get into it, however, I am glad I stuck with this book and I ended up enjoying it, especially as I love reading this authors books and I was not going to give up. So stick with it. It will not disappoint. This book is very emotional ride. with well developed characters which went well with this book.

I really enjoyed into the storm a bit of a teaser this one ,when you think its all figured out you are in for surprise after suprise .

It is a bit surprising to myself that this is the first book by Cecelia Ahern that I have managed to read and review. With an ARC from Netgalley, it felt easier to try and get into the universe to understand the popularity of Ahern. While I read in the other reviews that this is quite a deviation from how she writes, I am glad I chose this one.
The protagonist here, Dr Enya Pickering seemed quite a relatable character to me. Having lost her mother at 12 years old, she's approaching the age of 47, exactly the one her mother was when she died. Chancing upon an accident victim who is her son's classmate on a stormy night while driving, Enya's life changes - for the better or worse?
This is a story of discovery, introspection, guilt, grief, coping and embracing age old traditions. Life in a small Irish village could be very interesting to readers but it wasn't initially for Enya when she moved out of her bickering husband's ancestral house. Dealing with grief, remembering her mother, struggling in a new job, living in a crumbling house with an eerie rag tree and missing her son - Enya's life in the new village is far from calm.
I liked the magazine columns read by Enya, written by her mother decades ago. They speak of Irish folklores and traditions that are derived from nature.
While the actual crime and mystery was predictable, I liked the treatment of the story and the narration.

For this book to work the main character needs to be more likeable, the you would be filled with empathy for her but as she is so self obsessed it's a bit hard. Interesting plot with a twist. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

3.5 stars. I liked it but didn't love it or connect with the story or characters. The story was intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages and finding out what will happen next and I needed to know the outcome. It's a great concept for a book and I like the authors other work but for some reason this didn't fully click. Again still a good story. Thanks for the ARC

After a late night call out, Dr Enya Pickering is driving home in a storm when she is flagged down by a taxi driver, who has discovered a teenager in the road, the victim of a hit and run.
I always enjoy Aherns books Her writing style has certainly changed over the years but this was another good read and would certainly recommend.

I've been a fan of Cecelia's writing since I was 12, and I really enjoyed this immersive story set in rural Ireland, despite struggling with Enya's character at times. Though a slow burner, the deep, twist-filled storyline kept me hooked

On a stormy Saturday evening in December, while driving home, Enya Pickering encounters a distraught taxi driver who has stumbled upon a hit-and-run victim—a 15-year-old boy. As a general practitioner, Enya instinctively takes charge, performing CPR until emergency services arrive. The boy survives but Enya falls to pieces and leaves her husband and moves away to remote and rural Ireland where she starts over again.
A good read. Total rating 3 1/2 stars

It took me a bit of time for the main character to endear herself her to me and once I was invested it was a book I found very emotional and thought provoking. Enya is a GP with a number of worries; she is reaching the age her own mother died, she has worries within her marriage and after a taxi driver flags her down after a teenage boy is injured in hit and run, she helps save him.
She leaves her marriage and moves to a rural area and folklore and magical themes give a sense of unease for Enya. It has themes of PTSD and anxiety and there are secrets being kept under the surface. A bit of magic as with all of this author’s books and one I would recommend.

I've loved previous novels by this author but this one didn't work for me. It had a strong opening when GP Enya is flagged down on the road whilst driving home in a severe storm. She saves a young lad who has been involved in a hit and run. However the incident has a profound effect on her life and is the catalyst for her to make drastic changes to her life.

I think I would have loved this book if Enya was more of a likeable character but she was not. I really struggled to find any empathy for her and found her a little annoying. I did like the character of Margaret though. She brought a little humour to an otherwise depressing read.

Overall this book is well written and I did enjoy the folklore aspects of the story.

My thanks to to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy for review.

Excellent novel as always from Cecelia Ahern! I had a feeling this would be a book with a lot of twists and turns and most I definitely didn’t see coming. It was a complex, fascinating and intriguing novel, loved the character development and brooding background. Would highly highly recommend reading Into The Storm. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable page turner to start, that you then have to have patience for in the middle before a twist at the end. Celia Ahern books are always worth a read, is this my favourite book by this author no however it’s still 3 stars for me 🌟🌟🌟