I wholeheartedly agree that one cannot truly immerse oneself in a story unless one believes in the author's imagination. And this isn't the first time I've encountered the soft magical touch that Cecilia Ahern grazes her novels with, such as in "The Book of Tomorrow", "Thanks for the Memories", and "The Time of My Life". However, in my opinion, "Here, Where Lost Things Go" is the weakest of her works when it comes to adding this magical touch. I simply cannot digest it; perhaps to me, it was just plain irritating. It seemed illogical and hardly made any sense. It's high time I accept that I'm growing out of this category.

Let's take a look at the characters. Okay, the girl, Sandy Shortt, who has an obsessive-compulsive disorder regarding losing things and is 6 feet tall! She is someone who lacks the ability to express herself verbally but babbles enough in her mind. I don't quite understand it. If the author intended to develop a cold character, I would consider it a premature attempt because this girl feels everything and reflects herself exactly the way the world perceives her. At one point, I got the feeling that she was deliberately trying to be 'eccentric'. As for the therapist, he's hot and there's nice chemistry, but only if Sandy had explored more for the readers. What a let-down!

And finally, this strange connection with Jack, a man whose brother is missing. The author just skimmed through the chemistry and the issues here. It was like she was on a really bad deadline!

I'm extremely glad that I didn't make a hasty judgment based solely on the cover.

You see, that cover truly requires some serious improvement.

At first glance, it might not seem very appealing or inviting.

However, as I delved deeper into the content, I discovered a whole world of value and interest.

It just goes to show that we shouldn't always be too quick to dismiss something based on its outward appearance.

Sometimes, the real beauty and worth lie beneath the surface.

So, in the future, I'll be more cautious about judging books or anything else by their covers.

I'll give them a chance to prove themselves and reveal their true essence.

Because you never know what hidden treasures might be waiting to be discovered.

I'll share some of the quotes I liked from this book.

"Our memories are the only contact we have... They're very precious to have." This quote really struck me as it emphasizes the importance of memories. They are like precious treasures that we hold dear.

"It wasn't the safety of the place my body shook for. It was the fact that I had never felt as I belonged anywhere." This line made me feel a sense of longing and isolation. Sometimes, we all search for a place where we truly belong.

"We each have our hiding places and we each put up with the little quirks of the people we love." It's a true statement that we all have our secrets and we learn to accept the flaws of those we care about.

I can't say that I hated this book, although I did hate some parts of it. For example, the sick relationship between Sandy and Gregory. How could he be mad when she had one of her episodes after so many years of consoling? It just didn't seem fair. But still, it was a heartwarming book. Whether we were like Sandy or not, there were some situations when we could relate and understand why she would act like that. Overall, I liked the suspense at the end and how both characters had their closures. It was a satisfying conclusion to a complex story.

"Eh" is the word that immediately comes to my mind when I think about this book.

It's not the kind of book that is completely unreadable. In fact, it has its moments. However, it fails to truly stand out or be remarkable in any significant way.

There are a few clever elements within its pages, but they are just that - a few. It doesn't have the depth or the unique charm that would make it a great read.

Overall, it's a rather average book that doesn't leave a lasting impression. It's not bad enough to be completely dismissed, but it's also not good enough to be highly recommended.

Maybe it will appeal to some readers who are looking for a light and easy read, but for those who are seeking something more substantial and special, this book might not quite hit the mark.

Sometimes you only need to be found.

In this vast and complex world, we often get lost in the hustle and bustle, forgetting who we truly are.

But when someone takes the time to notice us, to see beyond the surface, it can be a life-changing experience.

Being found means being seen for our unique qualities, our strengths, and our flaws.

It gives us the courage to embrace our true selves and to stop hiding behind masks or pretenses.

When we are found, we realize that we are not alone, that there are others who care and understand.

This validation allows us to let go of our insecurities and to start living authentically.

So, don't be afraid to put yourself out there, to be vulnerable, and to let others find you.

Because in being found, you just might discover the most important person in your life – yourself.

This is my first encounter with "Cecelia Adhern".

A week ago, when I was at a book store, there was a corner where they had piles of box sets of her books. Apparently, she has written a new book very recently.

And that's when I noticed that she was the author of "P.S. I love you", which is a movie I enjoy very much watching. So, I have decided to give her book a shot.

To be frank, I don't know what I was expecting. Was it a romance? A mystery? Fiction? A combination of all those? I just read the back cover and thought of all her books, this seemed most interesting. And it really was, in a weird way.

I'll tell you, I've never been this confused reading a book in a long while. I guess I've been thinking that this was some sort of mystery that needs solving and told myself that there's got to be an answer along the way, somewhere! I kept looking for it, and I think that's why this book confused me through and through. One thing you need to know. Don't expect a straight answer from this book, it only gives you more questions.

In a way, that's why I kept on reading. I had to find out what the bleep this was all about! But it's definitely a story that gives you hope and strength to never give up on something that you believe. Cecelia knows how to keep you on edge and keep on guessing. I would be delighted to read her other books as well.

I'm eager to explore more of her works and see what other unique and captivating stories she has in store for us. Maybe the next book will be even more challenging and thought-provoking, making me question my assumptions and expand my imagination. I can't wait to find out!

Overall, my experience with this first Cecelia Adhern book has been both confusing and exciting, leaving me with a thirst for more. I highly recommend giving her books a try, especially if you enjoy stories that keep you on your toes and make you think.

By Ceceilia Ahern. Grade B+

How can I describe this place?

It’s an in-between place. It’s like a grand hallway that leads you nowhere, a banquet dinner of leftovers, a sports team made up of the people never picked, a mother without her child, a body without its heart. It’s almost there but not quite.

It’s filled to the brim with personal items yet it’s empty because the people who own them aren’t here to love them.

– A Place Called Here/There’s No Place Like Here

Things go missing all the time. Even we feel lost most of the time. We’re all just trying to navigate our way through life the best way we can, but the truth is... though we seldom admit it, we become lost.

In A Place Called Here, we see an imaginative world where all missing things go. It felt like nowhere but really was somewhere. It was simply called ‘Here’. We see the protagonist journeying her way through this world to truly find herself, while helping a few unlikely people on the way.

I must confess, I was quite excited at the prospect of starting another Cecelia Ahern. Her real life fairy tale stories have always been a big hit with me. I was wondering what it would unfold and what lies beneath it. A world of wonder and love and imagination.

The plot of the book is amazing. It throws the reader back for an hour. It takes a lot of imagination to think and construct such a world. Once again, hats off to Ceceilia Ahern on that.

Since Sandy Shortt’s childhood schoolmate disappeared twenty years ago, Sandy has been obsessed with missing things. Finding becomes her goal – whether it’s the odd sock that vanished in the washing machine, the car keys she misplaced in her rush to get to work or the graver issue of finding the people who vanish from their lives. Sandy dedicates her life to finding these missing people, offering devastated families a flicker of hope.

Jack Ruttle is one of those desperate people. It’s been a year since his brother Donal vanished into thin air and the sleepless nights and frantic days aren’t getting any easier. Thinking Sandy Shortt could well be the answer to his prayers, he embarks on a quest to find her.

But when Sandy goes missing too, her search ends when she stumbles upon the place – and people – she’s been looking for all of her life. A world away from her loved ones and the home she ran from for so long, Sandy soon resorts to her old habit again, searching. Though this time, she is desperately trying to find her way home…

It is about a person named Sandy Shortt, and two important facts about her are:

1. She is 6 feet one inches tall.

2. Her hair aren’t sandy.

When she was ten years old, her opposite neighbour’s daughter Jenny May Butler went missing and nobody could find her and that tickled her inner soul to tell her unconscious mind that she must find any missing thing from that moment on. It’s not so much because she had affection toward the missing girl – far from that – it’s only because she gets irritated when a thing goes missing.

She grows an obsession with missing things. She cannot simply admit the fact that things can go missing like that. She wants an answer and seeks it with full fervor. She never gives up on them and continues looking after them.

Moreover, she does everything in her power to prevent her things to go missing. She labels them, keeps them tidily, organizes them and God knows what more.

She goes to a psychologist and ends up falling in love with that hot-shot Doctor - Gregory, who understands her a little and tries to help her. But there was a problem: she was only fourteen years old. So they try to continue their friendship for more time. But Sandy then develops a problem during the transition. Her life isn’t that easy to live and Gregory too does not understand her completely.

She drops her job in the police corps and starts her own investigative bureau to find missing persons as an attempt to seek some sort of peace of mind.

Then she comes across a man, Jack Ruttle who has lost his brother Donal, and promises him that she’ll try to find him.

But one day, while she is jogging, the missing person’s person goes missing. She ends up in a place where all the missing things and missing persons end.

There are countless number of socks and things that people lose. There are lost people and moreover, there are laughter, cries, shouts and sounds that people have lost the ability to produce. She finds many people she had studied about her whole life about, whose family she had sat with and cried with and comforted.

It was her dream place. Her answer to her half life.

But there were some facts stopping her - Donal wasn’t there. Neither was Jenny May Butler. And most importantly, she realizes was that she had spent her life finding the missing ones but had never appreciated the persons who were present and loved her.

Suddenly, she missed her parents and Gregory who she had hurt so much.

The book is really slow. Three hundred and fifty pages of it contained only of what she saw and felt of the place. After the first century, it grew boring.

There was no story about Gregory and Jack in the end, who had a major chunk in the story too. There was no main hero in the book. It was a major turn off. Absolutely nothing about Gregory or Jack’s feeling was there.

The ending seemed abrupt, incomplete and out of the blue. It was not satisfactory. Moreover, it seemed unfair to me that she was able to get outside while the others who also deserved (like Bobby) couldn’t.

The only – and should I say major – plus point of the book was it’s plot. It was different, refreshing and very very imaginative. Everything else needed work.

Originally reviewed at www.the-vault.co.cc

I loved this book from page one.

The moment I opened it, I was immediately drawn into its captivating world. The story unfolded in a way that kept me on the edge of my seat, eager to turn the next page.

The characters were so well-developed that I felt as if I knew them personally. Their emotions and struggles were palpable, and I found myself rooting for them throughout the entire journey.

The writing style was engaging and流畅, making it a pleasure to read. I couldn't put the book down until I had reached the very end.

Overall, this is a book that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a great read. It has everything you could ask for in a novel - a compelling story, memorable characters, and beautiful writing.

I purchased this book in 2007 and began reading it immediately. However, I never had a strong enough liking for it to continue reading.

Last month, I made the decision to read it again, and it felt as if it took me an eternity.

I truly adored the concept of a person who despises it when things go missing. She starts a missing persons agency and then disappears herself, only to end up in the place where the missing things and persons go. I was extremely excited to read this book by Cecilia, as I had loved "ps; i love you." But the beginning really bored me.

I forced myself to read it again a year later, failed, and then forced myself to read it again last month. Fortunately, it did get better. I liked her time at that place called Here. And I would find myself truly empathizing with her and Jack Ruttle. Because I was desperate to find out what would happen, if Jack would find his brother and, most importantly, Sandy. And if Sandy would return home and discover the 'Here' place so she could 'free' all the missing persons.

But the ending, in my opinion, was terrible. I would have loved to know what happened to her'missing' friends. If they would actually search for the 'Here' place. I'm rather disappointed in the ending.

This book has approximately 387 pages, which should have taken me about 2 days to read. But it took me almost 2 months to complete. It's not her best work.

A story with a touch of magic...

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a young girl named Lily. One day, while exploring the forest near her home, she came across a strange old tree. As she approached it, a soft glow seemed to emanate from within. Curious, Lily reached out and touched the tree. Suddenly, a magical portal opened up, and she was pulled inside.

On the other side, she found herself in a beautiful and enchanting world. There were colorful flowers everywhere, and the air was filled with a sweet fragrance. Lily met all kinds of奇妙的 creatures, including fairies and unicorns. They welcomed her with open arms and showed her around their magical land.

Lily had many wonderful adventures in this magical world. She learned to fly with the fairies, and she even went on a quest to find a hidden treasure. Along the way, she made many new friends and discovered that there was magic all around her. But as the days passed, she began to miss her home and her family. With a heavy heart, she said goodbye to her new friends and stepped back through the portal.

When she returned to the forest, she found that only a few minutes had passed in the real world. But her experience in the magical world had changed her forever. She now knew that there was more to life than what met the eye, and that a little bit of magic could make all the difference.

I truly believe that I'm currently in a Cecelia Ahern mood! ;-)

Her writing has this unique charm that always manages to draw me in and make me feel a whole range of emotions.

Whenever I pick up one of her books, it's like I'm transported to a different world, filled with love, hope, and a touch of magic.

The characters she creates are so vivid and relatable, and their stories always have a way of touching my heart.

Maybe it's the way she weaves together the ordinary and the extraordinary, or the way she explores the depths of human relationships.

Whatever it is, I can't get enough of her writing.

So, for now, I'm going to沉浸 in this Cecelia Ahern mood and enjoy every moment of it. ;-)

I received the book along with the purchased Frank coffee. I took it because it had an interesting cover and because, my God, one should never refuse a free book when one is definitely buying that coffee anyway. :)

However, I can't say that I really liked it nor that it left any super impression on me. Everyone praises Cecu, but to me (having read two of her books so far), she doesn't seem like an especially good author.

Maybe it's just my personal taste, but I expected more from her works. The stories didn't really grip me, and the characters didn't feel very alive.

Still, I'm willing to give her another chance and read more of her books in the future to see if my opinion changes. After all, one can never judge an author based on just a few works.

Who knows, maybe the next book will be the one that finally makes me understand why everyone loves Cecu so much.