Having enjoyed previous novels by Cecilia Ahern, I desperately wanted to enjoy Freckles. Freckles is the story of Allegra Bird, nicknamed freckles due to the constellations of freckles she traces on her arms. Allegra moves to Dublin to achieve her dream of joining the Garda however ends up becoming the “second best thing”, the local traffic warden. I won’t spoil the ending of the story by poorly retelling what happens or Allegra’s purpose for going to Dublin in my review but essentially, Freckles begins to re-evaluate her close friends and life after being influenced by ‘Rooster’, a youtube star she meets during her job.
Similarly to Cecilia Aherns other novels, Freckles is descriptive and fantastically written exploring identity and the relationship between friends and family. Freckles isn’t a particularly relatable character, she clearly struggles with her relationships and social interactions, she is quirky and different in her own way (aren’t we all!). Whilst this is part of what makes her charming towards the end of the book (which I thoroughly enjoyed) I found I initially really struggled to connect with the characters and engage with the storyline. Unfortunately, Freckles for me started as a “I really should try a bit more” book rather than one I just couldn’t put down. I wanted an easy, heart warming but effortless read and I think Freckles has a depth you really need to be in the mood for!
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