I was bought this book for Christmas as I have read all of Cecelia Aherns to date except for this one. I really struggled with this one at the beginning and put it down for a couple of weeks and then picked it up again. Im glad I did pick it back up because I loved it. The moment I got into it the words just flowed. Great story, great ending. Have to admit, I did shed a tear aswell. I would definately recommend this to any of my friends.

To start with I thought I would have easily been able to predict the end but I was so wrong! The way the story unfolds with a story teller and being broken up by being brought back from what has happened to the present is brilliant. It's such an inspiring read and makes you start to think about the value of your own time - and how to make the most of the time you've got. Sitting on the train reading this can be quite embarrassing though I couldn't hold in the tears when Lou realised what was really important. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good read or aspiring writers - a lot can be learnt from Cecelia Ahern through this book.

Read this in a few hours!! I couldn't put it down! another lovely tale that will bring a tear (or two) to your eye!

This is a lovely book to read around Christmas time, a tale set in Dublin during December and so follows the lead up to Christmas, whilst including that magical element Cecelia Ahern often includes in her books. The main story is told through the eyes of Sergeant Raphie. It starts with a young boy who throws a frozen turkey through the window of a house and gets taken to the local police station for questioning, whilst awaiting for his mother to arrive. At the police station we are introduced to Sergeant Raphie and his colleague Jessica, who both seem upset by a recent event that has happened that morning. As Sergeant Raphie begins to try and question the young boy, so he begins his story. The story he tells is of a man called Lou Ruffern, who is a highly accomplished but highly stressed businessman who just does not have enough hours in his day for everything. This is then the premise for the whole book, the concept of time; not having enough of it and prioritising how it is spent. Lou is presented as an unlikeable character, who cares more for his job, money and promotion than he does his own wife, children and family, and he does not care about the manner in which he speaks to people in order to get what he wants. One day, as he is busy walking to work he buys a homeless guy Gabe a coffee, and realising how observant Gabe is, offers him a job in the company's mailroom. The character of Gabe is not all he seems though and it is at this point the book becomes almost a modern 'Christmas Carol', where Gabe becomes Lou's conscience, questioning his decisions in life and encouraging Lou to stop and think - with a little bit of Christmas magic. Whilst I found this book really enjoyable, liking the enchanting element Ahern gives her books, there were two things that let the book down for me; one, the fact this was being narrated through the eyes of the police Sergeant in order to try and make 'Turkey Boy' realise the error of his ways before its too late, and two, the end of the book. I think the book could have been simply told as the story of Lou and his life in the third person and how he is given the opportunity to change his ways. Without the Sergeant's input at various points and at the end, the moral of the story was quite clear enough. With this, I felt the end of the tale for Lou and his family did not necessarily match up with the lesson to be taught to 'Turkey Boy'. Whilst the book focussed around the concept of 'time' and not having enough of it, I'm not sure the whole tale would really make Turkey boy understand his own situation with his dad, who has recently split from his own home. For me, this was the real part that let the book down, and left me with too many questions at the end. Such as, who is the daughter the Sergeant is keeping an eye on, the back story with Jessica seemed a bit thrown in, and would the Sergeant have really known Lou's story in such detail with such recent events? Sadly, due to these questions and parts which did not seem to make sense at the end, I felt slightly let down having very much enjoyed the rest of the book. It is well written and as already mentioned, has elements of a modern day 'Christmas Carol' to it. I would recommend this as a Christmassy read with a bit of magic thrown in, but just be mindful of the end.

This book was a good holiday book that was easy to pick up where you left off. It didn't ramble just told the story and what an ending