I have always loved Cecilia Ahern books & I enjoyed this one. Saying that I wasn’t excited about it. I do like the ending, but wanted more of that feeling though out the book. I must say I love the 5 people part. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this advanced copy

It took me a little while to get into this book, all the early events seemed pretty random and I wondered what the point was. Allegra Bird is a young woman working as a parking officer in Dublin. Her home is Valentia Island in Kerry where her father, Pops lives. She has never known her mother and seems to have few close friends. Then one day when she’s giving a Ferrari owner yet another ticket, he tells her that “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” so the people she spends her time with must be losers. For some reason this insult really gets to her and she wonders about it constantly. What follows is an interesting journey for Allegra as she finds out more about herself and life in general.
The story is told in first person and Allegra’s voice is original and authentic. In the end I enjoyed this book, some moments made me laugh out loud and the ending is satisfying and “feel good”.

Moving from the small town to the big town, Allegra decides to find her 'tribe' and herself. This is a lovely book. enjoyable and one I recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Allegra (Freckles) made the big move to Dublin, from her small and isolated home for one reason...and we don't find out what this reason is straight off, so I am not going to share that with you here either.

What I can say, is that this new life, in this new city is not quite what she expected. She didn't get the job she wanted, she's living above a home gym in a family's backyard, she hasn't made any friends, and she has not done the one thing she moved to Dublin to do. To top it all off, a disgruntled recipient of one of her parking tickets (that's right, Allegra is a parking inspector) becomes abusive, calls her a loser and throws the statement at her that she is 'the average of the five people she spends most time with'.

At first, she is hurt, angry and humiliated, but then she starts to question who are her 5 people, and worse...what if she doesn't even have 5 people?

I feel that the author has given us full access to the character of Allegra (Freckles), we see the good and also the bad, she is fully exposed to the reader. This can make it hard to read when you can see Allegra struggling in social situations or making cringeworthy decisions, but on the flip side it feels like a privilege that we get to see those sides of her, to see that she is human.

I was expecting something lighter, maybe with a few laughs, but it's not that at all. This is a very poignant story, that will make you stop and think about your own five people.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the opportunity to read a review copy of this title.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Australia for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Allegra Bird, nicknamed Freckles, thrives on routine and is often left confused human behaviors and interactions. After someone angrily tells her that she is a loser because she surrounds herself with losers ("you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with"), she sets out to discover her "five" and believes they will put her on a path of empowerment, happiness, and self-improvement.

There was such emphasis on her "constellation" in the early part of the book, that I was surprised at how little importance it was given throughout the rest of the story, other than what felt like a haphazard mention. Another (very minor!) dislike was how disorganized, or maybe elusive, Allegra was about Ruth Brasil's visit. Given how methodical she was about everything, I was surprised Allegra wasn't constantly following-up with Ruth's office until the visit was 100% confirmed.

I liked the flashbacks to Allegra's boarding school days, and the miscellaneous village characters she sees on her rounds. This book has humor, though I did wonder if Allegra was autistic making some of the humor at her expense for not "understanding" those around her. However, this was a very enjoyable read.