Absolutely brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending it.

Absolutely phenomenal. Paper Heart is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, Pip who was a young mum is really trying to forge her own life with her daughter Bella all while living with her dad and controlling mother. I loved how much Pip loves her daughter, how quietly she dreams and how tightly she held onto the unspoken love she felt was lost to her. The past scenes were heartbreaking, but, the present, particularly seeing how Pip and Jamie reconnect was stunning. This is a lovely story about love, loss and finding each other again.

I’ve always been a Cecelia Ahern fan and even though I had really enjoyed her last two books I feel like they are very different from her older books. You can’t describe Paper Heart as a feel good book but I really felt for Pip, I wanted her to do well and come out of her shell. I would recommend this book and feel like it got me out of a bit of a reading slump.

Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for my ARC.

What an emotion wringing five-star read. There is something so heart wrenching yet wonderful about this story, my heart broke for Pip, there are so many wonderful ways the story unfolds, in more ways than you imagine at the start of the story. There are so many parts of the story that I would love to go into detail about, but I really don’t want to spoil any details, as it unfolds at a great rate, it allows you to really get enveloped by the story, feel the toxicity in your gut, and then joy in your heart. If you are looking for emotional reading then do not miss this story.

My favourite part of the book was seeing pip finally start to stand up for herself. Her parents were absolutely awful and I think she forgave them for too much. I wish we’d seen more of Jamie and their relationship. The twist at the end was just bizarre and I have no idea why that was included

I am a huge fan of Cecelia Ahern. She writes so poetically and with such great emotion. This book felt a little slower than usual. It dealt with some very emotive subjects, including parenting, personal growth, and relationships. Pips world is small, but is about to get so much bigger! A shy and quiet origami enthusiast, she has tucked away her dreams until someone comes along who teaches her to look up at the stars.

A daydreamer. Someone who has a controlling mum. A life stolen from her. An observer. A sad, hopeful emotional read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

This book was beautiful. Cecelia Ahern really does spill her heart into every page. My heart grew reading this heartfelt,uplifting rollercoaster of a book. Fantastic read once again from an amazing author.

Cecelia Ahern is just a fantastic author. And this book is another I will read and reread, like many of her others. There are many topics covered in this book. Pip grows through out the book and finally finds her voice from a lovely astronomer. Does she also find love and connect with her daughter??

For years she’s tucked away her dreams, shrinking herself into the space left behind – like the delicate origami she creates alone in her room.

Then hope comes from an unlikely an astronomer from the local observatory. He teaches her to look up at the stars, and to see a world far bigger and more beautiful than she ever imagined.

And perhaps in that big, beautiful universe there’s someone waiting for her. If she can find the courage to open her heart.

Pip never stopped dreaming, but now it’s time for her to live – and maybe even to fall in love.

I really enjoyed this book, even though it was painful at times because it was so believable. Pip had a baby at 16 and her mum never really allowed to be her mother and took over and kept Pip small. She stole her right before her eyes and it happened every day they all lived together

But the part In loved was when Pip started to find her voice and bravely share her opinions
reclaiming herself.

"Origami girl
Practices opening
Parts of herself
While no one else is looking quarters into halves,
And halves back to quarters Over and over again
Just to see what it's like to unfold"

This book is bit of a slow burner for Cecelia and the main character although in her 30s came across as reading quite young. But that was only because of all the upbringing and life circumstances that have come her way. It took me a little while to get into this book but it is rewarding and a really lovely story if you stay with it so many topics are covered in this book, some of which can be hard to read and perhaps triggering. But the ending was just lovely.

focusing on themes of identity, forgiveness, and the quiet power of second chances.
Cecelia Ahern delivers a poignant and emotionally layered

I'm sorry but I screamed when I got accepted to read Paper Heart on netgalley. Cecelia ahearn is my auto-buy author, so to be able to read this before release day was so amazing!!

I loved this! So well written. It's sad but the courage Pip has to get her own voice and stand up to her mum is so beautifully shown in this book. Her friendship with IO is so cute! & Her love with Jamie 🥹 so happy for them both.
Also felt so sorry for Pips dad & HATED Sammy 🫠

Pip & Jamie find out they're going to be parents at the age of 16. Their parents keep them apart, with Jamie being moved to Liverpool and not allowed to have any input into his daughter's life. Even though Pip was with their daughter Bella every day, she wasn't her mother. Pips own mum took over and interfered and brought up Bella her own way.
Bella is now 16 and she speaks to Jamie every week for 10minutes. Jamie has to come back to town because his father gets into trouble. The love story of Pip & Jamie sparks again & we get to see Pip get her voice back and take control.

1000% recommend you to read this.

I found this book from Cecilia Ahern to be an emotional read, it's a slow burn so you really need to stick with it.
It's worth it though. I absolutely loved it.

I always enjoy books from Cecelia Ahern.

You get just about the right of everything, human drama, emotional themes and a lot of love.

This book is not different telling the story of PIP. I myself was expecting a baby at a young age so i was completely on her side.

This is an emotional read and I was drawn to all the characters.

It is a slow but brilliant read and I loved it

Having read a few of Cecelia’s other books I was grateful to have the opportunity to read this as ARC thanks to NetGalley.
For me this book resonated on a few personal levels having had my teenage daughter have a baby at a young age I could empathise with the main character Pip who gives birth to Bella at the age of 16 and living in her family home.
For myself I was conscious to not step on my daughter’s toes and mother my granddaughter myself but for Pip she was put in the position of feeling more like a sister to her own daughter.
As I say this felt like a personal read for me and I really enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded for Pil and Bella.
Lovely story kept me involved from start to finish.

Initially, I found this book a little slow and did wonder if I would enjoy it as I found myself frustrated by Pip in the first few chapters. However, at about 12% through on Kindle, and knowing Ahern usually writes for a deeper emotional impact, I found I was hooked. Of course Pip is frustrating… because the whole novel is built around her personal growth and rediscovery of herself! And I absolutely loved her throughout.

Ahern writes in such a way that you really do feel emotions for her characters. Love, hate, angst, fear, hope… this book did not disappoint.

No spoilers, but I did hope Josephine would follow a character arc and we would see some softening to her, but alas, she stayed true to form and perhaps that in itself is part of Ahern’s magic- her characters represent all types of people, including good & bad and people somewhere inbetween.

I loved the plot to this story and was happy with the ending. As other reviewers state, it gave closure to the characters and was exactly what I’d hoped for.

As an aside, the one character I am still pondering is Io. Was he really who he said, was he what Pip thought, Jamie thought, or was he actually something else? Would love to know if I’ve missed something but I have a feeling the ambiguity is intentional. Either way, a great addition to the story and a great secondary character to influence Pip.

Rating: ★★★½ out of 5

At first, I found Pip quite frustrating especially in how she handled her relationship with her mother. She seemed to lack a backbone, which made the beginning a bit hard to get through. However, I did appreciate witnessing her journey and growth into a much stronger, more confident woman as the story progressed.

The pacing at the start felt slow, which made it a bit of a struggle to stay fully engaged. Then, just as the plot was building up towards the climax, it felt like the tension suddenly dropped off, which was disappointing.

That said, I really enjoyed the happy ending — it gave a satisfying closure to the characters’ journeys. Overall, Paper Hearts had its moments of charm and emotional growth, but a more gripping start and a stronger climax would have made it a much more compelling read.

Cecelia Ahern’s Paper Heart is a quiet triumph—a novel that speaks softly but resonates deeply. At its core, it’s a story about Pip, a young woman who has folded herself into the smallest possible version of life, much like the delicate origami she creates. But when an astronomer from the local observatory introduces her to the vastness of the night sky, Pip begins to unfold—slowly, gently, and with great emotional clarity.

This is a book filled with big thoughts, wrapped in the simplicity of everyday moments. Ahern’s prose is elegant and restrained, allowing the emotional weight of Pip’s journey to emerge organically. There’s a quiet hopefulness throughout, even as the novel touches on themes of isolation, grief, and the courage it takes to step into the unknown.

The environmental awareness woven into the narrative adds another layer of depth, reminding us of our place in the wider universe and our responsibility to it. The connection between the stars above and the earth below mirrors Pip’s own journey from inward retreat to outward exploration.

For readers familiar with Brian Friel’s work, there’s a subtle but powerful echo of Ballybeg here. Like Friel’s fictional village, Pip’s world is both specific and universal—a small place that holds a mirror to larger human truths. Ahern captures that same sense of rootedness and longing, of characters caught between memory and possibility. 

Paper Heart is a beautiful, introspective novel that invites readers to pause, reflect, and look up. It’s a reminder that even the quietest lives can contain galaxies of meaning.

Pip and her 16 year old daughter are still living at home with her overbearing mother and father. However what starts out as a desperately sad and heartbreaking story changes as Pip starts to flourish and realise her true self worth.
A beautiful story with an amazing ending which I couldn’t put down.
Thanks to NetGalley, Cecelia Ahern and Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.