Another beautiful story from Cecelia. She always makes you feel a lot of emotion and this story is no different. It starts of sad and depressing, the tale of Pip, who got pregnant and 16. Her overbearing parents stepped in, sent the father away and took over the upbringing of her daughter and we find her 16 years later resentful, and still living like a child dominated by her mother.

But gradually she experiences an awakening and her life changes. It's a story of hope, and showing that it's never too late to go after your dreams.

This is an extraordinary story of hearts – Pip’s paper hearts and her origami people, her daughter Bella’s, the grandmother who is in denial and her oppressed husband, and Jamie, the boy who was sent away. Such an unexpected set of love stories, this is both heartbreaking and uplifting with quite the moral tale.

Get perspective, look around you, what do you have the power to change if you make one small change each day? And what if you actually get to know people instead of making assumptions about them?

“Look up, the skies lie open” ~ The Aeronauts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, very hard to put down.

I highly recommend Paper Heart by Cecelia Ahern.

Book Review | 5/5 Stars
Paper Heart by Cecelia Ahern

Huge thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and Cecelia Ahern for the ARC—what a pinch me moment to receive a new book from one of my all-time favourite authors!

Paper Heart is a tender, luminous gem of a novel. Pip is such a beautifully drawn character—quiet, creative, and full of hidden longing. Watching her world expand, page by page, was like watching a flower bloom in slow motion. The astronomy thread adds a touch of magic, reminding us how vast the universe is—and how much possibility lives in even the smallest life.

Cecelia Ahern has always had a gift for capturing the fragile, hopeful parts of the human heart, and this book is no exception. It’s heartfelt, gorgeously written, and full of quiet power. I cried, I smiled, and I immediately wanted to fold a little paper star for Pip.

A story about bravery, beauty, and becoming—this one’s going to stay with me.

What a lovely book. Not ready anything by this author before so I did not know what to expect.
The story is about Pip and her daughter Bella. Pip has a very difficult relationship with her mother. As the book progresses, Pip comes out of her shell and becomes the woman that she wants to be.
Enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley for advance copy.

4.5 ⭐️

I was lucky enough to read this as an ARC and I’m so glad I did.

The majority of this book was both achingly sad and encouraging. A group of gorgeous characters to love and love to hate.

It’s hard to say too much without giving spoilers, but I was so glad for the ending, well deserved and lovely.

Pip and Jamie broke my heart in a million different ways and I just wanted to give them the world… or whatever else there is in the universe 👀

I’m always overjoyed to read a story drawn from the mind of this author, because she never disappoints.

Although the circumstances that Pip (known as Phillipa by everyone else) differs from mine, her struggles though my heart.

She’s pining for her estranged ex boyfriend, who fathered Bella (stop calling her Isabella!) with her at 16 years of age. Due to this, he is exiled to Liverpool and Pip is left battling with her overbearing mother on chances to raise her own daughter.

Her coming of age, at 30 no less, is quietly enthralling, and I was cheering for her as she learnt to haul herself of out her rut.
It’s a testament to the loyalty and faith of her existing and new friends, as they raise her when she falls, and inspire her.
Mommy issues dominate this book and it’s all too realistic.

I've loved all of Cecilia Ahern's books, some more than others. Her debut P.S I love you has always been my favourite, but this will be a close second.
Pip is a Mum to Bella, but you wouldn't know it. Josephine, Pip's Mum, took over that job when Pip became pregnant aged 16. Bella, now 16, has never called Pip Mam. Josephine has seen to it that it's her Bella sees as Mum, not her disgraceful daughter.
Poor Pip. I felt so sad for her. Everything was taken from her and her awful mother controls every aspect of her life.
Then Jamie, the boy that was sent away aged 16, the father to Bella and love of her life comes back into Pips life.
I'm not going to give anything away, but this is a book about families, hopes, and dreams. Will Pip finally break free and become a woman she deserves to be?
There's also a little twist at the end that I really didn't expect.
A brilliant book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

First up, I have to give a testament to Ahern’s phenomenal writing and how engrossing her books can be. Within two reading sessions, Paper Heart was devoured (and yes, that’s the only way to describe it). There’s something about her ability to tap into the human experience and make a fictional character feel SO real that must surely be being studied somewhere right now. She’s up there with the best of them for making me think I’m reading about a real person, and Pip was no exception to this.
 
This novel is an emotional exploration of family bonds, resilience, and self-discovery through the life of Pip, whose empathy is both her strength and her vulnerability. Raised under the overwhelming presence of her mum, Pip finds herself shrinking in her presence, becoming little more than a shadow of her younger self. Her journey is further complicated by societal constraints as an Irish-born, sixteen-year-old mother. These are just the very foundational injustices against Pip. Through the introduction of Io, we start to see the walls resulting from this injustice get challenge, with Io using his career to show her the sky’s the limit.

The action gathers at a perfect pace, one that will allow readers to become fully immersed in the lives of these characters, feeling their victories and setbacks as if they were their own. It felt as though Pip and Bella were real with my love of their characters endless and my detest of Pip’s mum very strong. Io, arguably for me the most interesting character, supports the idea, and a belief of mine for some time, that sometimes what we truly need is someone who sees the best in us even when we are too blinded to notice it ourselves. His presence serves as a reminder that conviction, belief, and guidance can transform a life entirely.
 
Pip's own personal journey is the beating heart of Paper Heart (pardon the pun). The fragile but deep affection between Pip and Bella speaks most forcefully of love's brutal truths, sacrifice, and hope, alongside what a relationship like this can help us accomplish. This relationship had me feeling sad and sympathetic, hopeful and optimistic, and served as a reminder that no matter how hurt we may become, we can always find our way back to who we were to begin with. Pip is the kind of heroine who will linger with myself and other readers, perfectly imperfect and completely lovable.
 
Paper Heart is perfect for that end of summer adventure into human emotion, our openness to what may be right in front of us, and any adults heading off on a later summer/autumnal getaway. Out on 28th August, it is one I would highly recommend pre-ordering now and let Paper Heart guide you up a path of love, hope, and strength to the stars…

Heartbreaking and bittersweet but by the end, the mood of the book changes and I was rooting for Pip who found the courage to assert herself and hoped it wasn't a once off experience, I hadn't read one of the author's books for a long time and reading this one made me wonder why, it's a charming and while I found the ending a bit rushed, it didn't take from how much I enjoyed reading this

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Paperheart

I want to start this review by saying I read this book from 9:30pm - 1:30am…it’s THAT perfect.

This story follows Pip, she feels like a shell of herself and has since she was 16…she has let go of her dreams and put everybody before her for reasons she can’t quite recall. When she puts pen to paper, and lets her true feelings flow, she folds the notes into origami, as small as she can possibly make it, so it stays hidden. When Pip meets a astronomer, he introduces her to the big world, and opens her eyes that this is HER life, and she needs to take the reins.

Cecelia Ahern has an exquisite talent to grab attention, pull you in and eclipse you into a story, and this new book is no different. This is a beautifully complex novel that delves into the reality of toxic relationships, love, hope and hiding.

Pip is, to start with, a sad and maddening character. I wanted to shake her, tell her to stand up for herself and do the things she wants…her past and the family dynamic she finds herself in is devastating and difficult ti say the least. I sobbed at the thought of being put through what Pip endures daily; so when she has that light bulb moment, I was eager to see her shine.

There are beautiful poems that are added throughout, which gave me as a reader an insight to Pips emotions and what she wishes would happen.

Some sensitive topics are within the story, so please take care of yourselves first.

Another book I will be purchasing to add to my ever growing Cecelia Ahern collection…and another I recommend to you all!

Thank you to @netgalkey and @ceceliaahern and @harpercollins for providing me with an ARC to read and review 🩷

Phillipa or Pip as she prefers got pregnant when she was sixteen. Sixteen years later she's still living at hime, contrailled by her parents who have raised her daughter as her own. This is a grim story of infantilisation and it makes for uncomfortable reading.

What I liked about this book: The depiction of small town life is very accurate but appears to be stuck in a time warp. At times I felt I was reading a story set in the nineteen fifties and found it hard to relate to as a story of the 21st centrry. I liked the character of Io who is a great support for Pip. Ahern certainly paints a vivid picture of a toxic mother in Josephine who is truly horrendous.

What I wasn't sure about: As mentioned already the story didn't seem to fit with 21st century Ireland. I found it hard to believe in the actions of Pip\s parents (and Jamie's for that matter) in relation to the pregnancy.

Overall an uncomfortable read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Paper Heart-Cecelia Ahern.
I was beyond excited to get approved for this novel. It is the first author I have been approved for who I knew of previously and who is very well known in Ireland.
I have read lots of her previous books and love them. I was excited to start this one.
But I didn't love it. I found it hard to get into. It reads like a novel set in the 1950s instead of modern day Ireland. I found it hard to connect with any of the characters. I didn't really enjoy the poetry dotted throughout. I also felt there were some unanswered questions and loose ends left untied. I did finish it and it wasn't terrible but it was far from my favourite novel by her. I hate writing negative reviews of books, especially authors I have previously loved but I also want to be authentic in my reviews too.
⭐️⭐️

What a great read. I pulled an all nighter and read it in one sitting. Follows the story of Pip and her relationship with her daughter and parents. It is set in Ireland. I was gripped from start to finish and couldn't put it down. Highly recommended. I was lucky enough to read an advance reader copy and leave this review willingly.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, it didnt hold my attention. It took a while to really get going and when it did it didnt amaze me like Ahern's other books. I enjoyed parts of it but I didnt like others, for example I didnt see the point of the poems and found myself skipping them.
I wouldnt let this put me off theis author at all but it wouldn't be a novel I'd find myself talking about.

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Cecelia Ahern and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

This was a phenomenal book and I felt totally gripped right from the beginning. I felt so sorry for Pip, to have spent decades of her life being undermined and put down by her mum, to have essentially been stopped from mothering Bella. It was fascinating to read all about their family dynamics. To have the plot of the quarry alongside Pip's journey of discovering her strength was brilliant- Sammy was very creepy and made me very nervous and Io by comparison was lovely and authentic. It was so heart warming to read of their instant connection and how he wanted to help her but with absolutely no ulterior or romantic motive, just great friends. I couldn't put this down and so devoured it in next to no time and am still now thinking about the characters- always a sign of a truly excellent book!

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.