From the author of Lyrebird comes another heartfelt book with characters full of flaws, dreams, and insecurities. And oh wow, the sadness and pain of having to deal with toxic family members... it really got to me. So I'll happily add this book to my being-good-enough shelf on Goodreads as the first half of the book is really about the difficult, yet absurd things we can all come across.

However, the second part of this book got me out of sorts. Sure, I was cheering Pip on while finding her feet, speaking up, making new friends.., but the fairytale parts that got involved (even a helicopter at one time, I mean really?) made it all too good to be true. I appreciate it when books end up with things only partially solved, but here every little thing was tied up in a bow for a very sweet happy ending that was predictable and I hoped wasn't coming...

Loved the book! I must confess I was disappointed of the last 3-4 books she had written, but this one is just beautiful! Pip is just lovely! You could feel her growth from within!
Great story!

If I'm being truthful, I'll have to admit this definitely wasn't one of my favourites by CA.

It took me an awful long time for it to take even the smallest hold of me at all and even when it did, it wasn't with that all encompassing feeling that I've previously had with past books by this author.

While yes, it had me wanting to finish it, I couldn't exactly say why. I didn't enjoy the origami girl poems and ended up completely skimming over them, and the strange ending left me with a very strange facial expression.

Yes, I read the whole book.
Yes, I did enjoy parts of it.
Yes, I will definitely not let it put me off this author.

No, I wouldn't shout about it from the rooftops.

Sadly, this one just wasn't for me!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

What a beautiful book by Cecelia Ahern....she never fails to deliver great characters and fab storylines.

Pip has been leading a hopeless existence......being controlled by her coercive mother who has taken advantage of Pips early pregnancy at the age of 16.
Now in her thirties, she's looking at her life choices and re evaluating some of her decisions.
Is it too late to make changes and start to take back control of her new life?
Can new friends help make a difference and is she brave enough to make those friendships?
Can she dream again?

Such a wonderful book based on the power of second chances and the difference hope and self belief can make.
I loved it.

Love cecilia Ahern books. Pip had let herself be ruled by her parents even though she's in her 30s with her daughter that she had when she was just 16. Then an astronomer called Io comes into her life.

I inhaled this book, and granted she is one of my favourite authors, but she never disappoints. Her writing is so magical, in a few words, a few sentences, she is able to convey so much, from the moods of the characters to the vibe in the room.

The story appears simple but there are so many layers and themes. Pip made the horrendous mistake of falling pregnant at 16, and that mistake is still haunting her 16 years later. Her parents still hold it against her and treat her like a child despite being a mother herself. She has lost all agency, her voice. But there are new people coming into her life and they are starting to show her a different perspective. She is hoping to change her life, one small step each day.

The story is one of emancipation and hope, and taking back your power. But for me the real magic lies in the incredible characters she creates - believable, relatable, layered characters. Her characters always grow and learn from each other, and leave the reader with many wonderful messages. It amazes me how she is able to weave so many contrasting themes and still make the story work - from astronomy, to conservation, to art appreciation, to oppression.

Charmed once again by her writing.

I've been a fan of Cecelia for a long time but from the opening chapter I simply couldn't read it. The writing is horrible which is disappointing for a writer of her standards. I've loved her previous work but this will have to be a miss.

Sorry Cecelia as I was really looking forward to reading this.