Reviews

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern

_courtss_'s review

3.0

3.75⭐️

mellymoo79's review

2.0

I loved the concept of this story ‘you are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with’….I found this idea so intriguing and it has got me wondering about my five people.
However this book just felt flat to me, and I’m sorry to say was a real disappointment.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

crafti_kate's review

4.0

Whenever Cecelia Ahern releases a new book, I get excited about the journey I'm about to go on and the people I'm about to meet. However, after the first 50 or so pages of this one, I felt the usual magic that pulls me in, was just not quite there. Now, that's not to say that this is a bad story, it isn't. It just felt a little bit flat and uninspiring and based on a very cliche theory of the 5 people closest to you shape who you are as a person. Which is fine, in itself, but reminds me of an influencer's Instagram caption and just didn't strike me personally as inspiring. These are my individual thoughts and of course you may completely disagree. It wasn't a bad story, just not an amazing one either. Didn't quite hit the mark for me.

hannahclare44's review

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ange_astylecollector's review

slow-paced

2.0

ashish17's review

4.0

This book is so way out of my comfort zone, but let's just say it was a totally wild ride (in the best way possible)! This book is way different from anything I usually read, but trust me, it's worth the leap.

sanday's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

lizzybellini's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

ritaslilnook's review

3.0

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

I have read books by Cecelia Ahern and there was quite some hype a while ago about this book, so I bought it. I’m easy like that. However, this book was not IT for me. You either love it or hate it.

The story is about a quirky girl named Allegra, also known as Freckles - due to having freckles all over herself, who goes from a small town to a big city in search of

Spoiler

her biological mother

.

She’s not living her dream life but still tries to make her days meaningful by focusing on her job as a parking warden and by keeping a routine that keeps her grounded. It doesn’t mean she lives up to it every single day, though.

This book and I have a very difficult relationship because it took me TWO times trying to read it to actually finish it. I struggled a lot with the plot. The chapters are very slow-paced and all you feel is sadness, really. Melancholy, maybe, is a better word for it. I was having none of it, I swear.

One day, Allegra meets a guy who puts her whole life into perspective for her and the book goes from following her routine to following her trying to find who her five people are. As quoted above, this is the idea that makes up the whole premise of the book. Allegra, besides

Spoiler

wanting to meet her birth mother

, also wants to have a five - a number of five people who make her be her better self.

It wasn’t until the last few chapters, which in my opinion, could have actually dragged on for a little longer - NOW, SEE, HERE I think the slow pace was necessary -, that we start to understand the meaning of the story.

Allegra does find her five, kind of unexpectedly, and the story had me by the last chapter. It wasn’t TOO bad, I was kind of dramatic to be fair. As I said, by the end, I was happy I took the time to finish it. The side characters were also great to read about. Following their story along with hers, seeing how it impacted her as a person as well. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the narrative I’m not sure I would have finished the book.

Allegra reminds me a lot of myself in the sense that she is trying to fit life. Sounds easy, but it isn’t, really, and most importantly it left me wondering who my five people are and what they think and say about who I am.

This is a 3 star for me, but I do understand why some people love it so much.

Happy reads,
Rita

emmarose91's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Self harm