⭐⭐⭐ ✨(3.25/5)

[ad • review copy]
Received via NetGalley.

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

Allegra, nicknamed Freckles, lives a well-structured life. She knows where she should be at each time of the day, and knows who she will encounter, but one day someone unexpected says a phrase that will lodge itself firmly in her mind. Suddenly, Allegra is thrown off course and becomes determined to find out what this phrase means for her. Along the way, she will learn about herself, the people around her, and will finally have the push to do what she has intended to do since she left her family home.

I have loved Cecelia Ahern novels in the past, so I was really excited for this one, and I was slightly surprised by it. This novel was not exactly what I expected, but it was an enjoyable read. Once I got into it, I liked following Allegra on her journey and rooting for her to find the answers that she needs.

Although the central message is a key element of the novel, I did find that I could predict where we would end up fairly early into the novel. However, this didn’t take away from the central message, or particularly from the path of the plot, and I think that this message makes for interesting thought and a wholesome feel.

Allegra herself was a curious character to me. She reminded me a bit if Eleanor Oliphant, and it took me a bit of time to feel like I was understanding her, but like Eleanor, I did feel that she became endeared to me.

Additionally, I loved some of the themes in this novel. In particular, I liked the exploration of social media and its relation to struggles with comparison. This links to some of the characters struggles to have their lives sorted and together, and this was very relatable.

The end of the novel was sweet, and I liked how the threads of plot were tied up. There was one thread that I would like to have seen a bit more of, but we can’t follow everything too far.

Overall, I did have some mixed feelings about this novel, but I did like it and it has a strong, central message and explores interesting topics that I liked to see in the plot.