Freckles: The must read new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of PS, I Love You

the book is really nice

Allegra Bird has been a misfit all her life. Her Spanish mother abandoned her at birth but her father raised her up the best he could. After spending all her life at Valentia Island, she now works as a parking warden in Dublin, with a secret agenda in mind and a rigid schedule on hand. However, when a stranger gets into a tussle with her over a parking ticket, he yells at her, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”, implying that her five people must be losers just like she is. This gets Allegra thinking, and she determines to overhaul her ways and get the five RIGHT people into her life.The story comes to us in first person from Allegra’s point of view.I’m not a Cecelia Ahern fan. I have read only one book of hers—PS I Love You—and I wasn’t as impressed with it as the rest of the readers seem to be. I opted for this book mainly for two reasons: I wanted to give her another try, and I found the cover cute! No regrets, because the book did click with me.Where the story worked for me:• First things first. Why “Freckles”? It sounds like a very light-hearted title for this emotional story, but it actually fits wonderfully. The first reference is to Allegra herself, who has inherited her father’s freckles and is hence nicknamed “Freckles” by her school mates. The title is thus eponymous. But it also stands as a metaphor for the way Allegra tries to find connections with the people in her life, just as she attempted to connect the freckles on her arms in the shape of the constellations during her younger years.• For a change, the characters were portrayed as per their age. Allegra acted like a twenty-four year old, unsure and underconfident, yet wanting to be an independent adult, gushing over the Garda as it was her lifelong dream to become one, ready to do whatever it takes to turn her life around, even if it involves some questionable decisions. She was a wonderful lead character who knows how to help others but doesn’t know how to help herself. Her character growth is depicted well and quite realistically. She doesn’t stop making mistakes right till the end, but her acceptance of herself, flaws and all, is the differentiating factor. The stranger who shouts at her is also a key character in the book and he is written well too, very true to life.• I loved how the author used the city of Dublin in Allegra’s narrative. So many books mention the names the story is set in but they hardly go beyond mentioning a couple of local sights. This book doesn’t provide the touristy version; rather, it gives a resident’s view into the functioning of the city. I enjoyed that authentic sound. (Author Cecelia Ahern’s being Irish helps, of course.)• In spite of looking and sounding like a chick lit (because of the cover and title respectively), the book is quite reflective. When Allegra starts brooding over the five people, you actually feel for her. As it is a famous quote by Jim Rohn and not just something made up for the book, you will definitely mull over its accuracy and wonder how it applies in your life. Thus there is a thoughtful undertone to this seemingly light story.• While the book is predictable to a great extent (which women’s fiction isn’t?), I admired how it didn’t succumb to the romance trope. “Boy and girl means boy falls in love with girl and vice versa”. Not in this book, no. I found that very refreshing.Where the story could have worked better for me:• It was very slow. While I understand why it was so many pages long (evaluating the five people that exist in your life and the ones you want in your life can’t be a quick process), I imagine it would be tedious to go through the dead end characters while actually reading. Having the audiobook helped me tremendously.• Some of the side tracks are left incomplete. While this doesn’t impact Allegra’s narrative much, I would have liked to know more about those subplots. Of course, I appreciate this decision partly too because not everything in life is sorted out at once. So in a way, this works for the book too. Because we know that there are still things that Allegra needs to handle and yet, she has found her peace with herself at the end. So this is in the ‘mixed feelings’ category and not much of a negative point.All in all, this is like a YA coming-of-age story and it will click with you if you are in the mood for a slow burn, sensible, contemporary fiction with likeable yet vulnerable leads.

A heart-soothing tale of an imperfect girl who is perfect in every sense. Cecelia' writings have never failed to stir a soul.

Story is relatable. Narration is good. Initial chapters might seem a bit slow but, it picks up the pace. More of a slow burner, you need to be patient enough to hold on to the story. It inspired me to some extent and made me believe in myself.

The story is about Allegra Bird aka Freckles, who moves her life from Valentia Island to Dublin to try to find her estranged mother and build a relationship with her. She takes up a job of a traffic warden and even finds her mother without actually telling her who she is. She seems to have achieved her mission when she has a chance encounter with a stranger who tells her that everyone is an average of the five people closest to them. This conversation brings new questions to her mind. She is sure that her ever so supporting and unconventional Pops is one of the five but has a hard time finding the remaining four. She sets out on her quest to find these five people that shape her personality.Told in Allegra's bold and vivid voice, the narrative is very reliable and takes the reader into her life. It is a story of relationships, friendships and human connections but, most of all it is about being comfortable in one's own skin. Allegra is an odd but very relatable and likeable character. Like always, Cecilia gave us an uncomplicated yet layered plot, thoughtfully expressed and simply enchanting.

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝”Allegra Bird forever wants to join the Garda but works as a parking warden in Dublin. Her dad is her only strength as her mom abandoned her when she was a child.She’s always been insecure about her freckles but she’s made a forever universe within it now!When the stranger insults Allegra she starts to contemplate about her life and decisions and starts thriving to improve her life and surroundings.I was captivated with the detailed writing style of Cecelia, how beautifully and finely each character was incorporated in Freckles story.Freckles might not be likeable all the time but I would definitely want to be in her five!The book made me want to visit Ireland, the whole setting and vibe of the location was surreal!The story got a but predictable towards the end but I couldn’t think of a better ending anyway so i was fully into it throughout!Did i give a thought about the five people in my life? Definitely, Yes!And did it make sense to me? Absolutely!This book is completely heartbreaking yet so beautiful! Not my go to genre but i cherished each word of this one!Thank you @harpercollinsin for this review copy and for introducing me to this glorious piece of word art!

The book quality is horrible. The book is lovely, exactly what you'd expect from Cecelia Ahern. But I'm hugely dissappointed with the quality of the book. Half the pages are stuck together. The cover was torn for a new book. It's plain disappointing.

It took awhile to get into this book but it's interesting now.Update: Am quite disappointed, very boring & lost interest. Hope her future books are better!

This is a wonderful story full of interesting and "human" and not so human characters. The central character is unique, as are all her people. In fact the whole story is full of interesting characters as she tries to find the ones who will help her "curate" the person she wants to become.A particular strength is that the writing never dips or loses it's plot or its consistency. From beginning to end it is an interesting and fulfilling and ultimately heartwarming read

Started this book on a Sunday, getting better the further I read, a few twists and turns, sadness and smiles, enjoyed it immensely 😀

I really enjoy reading books from Cecelia Ahern! The story was warm and cozy. Cried and laughed. The ending was not entirely what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it.There are some parts where it is hard to follow the thread of the conversation and know who‘s speaking. Other than that 5/5

cecilia ahern brava