Onwards and Upwards is Celia Anderson's second book set in the village of Willowbrook (although it was only when I got to the end and read the first chapter of Life Begins at Fifty that I realised I had already read it. Oops!) I think that sums the book up for me. I enjoyed it as I was reading but it didn't stay with me. Somehow, it managed to feel too long and too rushed at the same time. But I liked Ingrid and her attempts to find a way forward in her life; and the village setting is engaging. If you're looking for something undemanding but not banal, this is a great choice.

Recently widowed Ingrid decides to take a temporary lease of her aunt's shop in Willowbrook to sell off
items collected by her husband to settle his debt and obtain money to start a new life. She receives unexpected
help from three elderly ladies known as the Saga Louts as well as the two local men, Joel and Sam, who moved
her possessions. As she gets drawn into the lives of the people helping her, she learns about a secret from her
husband's past. Will she be able to let go to the past and step into a brighter future?
Wonderful characters who draw the reader into their lives and rooting them on.
#OnwardsandUpwards #BoldwoodBooks #NetGalley

A warm and cosy hug of a book. Not the greatest plot but a diverse range of characters to entertain.

Ingrid has come to live in the sleepy little village that her aunt lives with a view to selling all the things far her now deceased husband has collected over the years to enable her to make some money and buy a small place to live after the discovery of all the debt he left himself in. She never meant to build a successful business; make friends and have a relationship. But life isn’t always what you planned and sometimes it all works out for the best.

Sometimes being forced to change your life, can bring you to a life you never dreamed possible. That is what Ingrid found when she was forced to do that, when her husband died and left her with a lot of debt, and a big house that was filled with his treasures. She sold the big house, and packed up the treasures and moved to Willowbrook because her aunt had a shop that she had just closed up, and she was going to rent it for a year, to sell all the treasures.
The friends she found there, the things she discovered, helped her see what she could accomplish, the things she could do, and she could move on with her life. The community was there for her, and she was there for all of them. There were challenges, and things that surprised her, but she kept letting life unfold, and kept stepping into it and moving along, and seeing where it was going to take her. This story has people from children to people in their nineties, and they all got along, learned from each other, have lots of laughs, and it was nice seeing how together, they grew.
I received an ARC from Boldwood Books through NetGalley, and this was an amazing read.

Ingrid, recently widowed, faces the task of dealing with her husband's death and the mountain of debts he left behind. She makes the brave decision of starting anew. The plan? Rent her Aunt Sylvia's shop, open up a pop-up store to sell off her husband's collectibles from his years as an auctioneer and then find a quiet place to live a simple, uncomplicated life. What she doesn't expect is to meet three vivacious women known as the Saga Louts - Beryl, Winnie and Anthea - the charming Joel, the very kindhearted Sam and their daughters, Leo, as she likes to be called and Elsie.
The wonderful crew helps her to set up The Treasure Trove and become the key to helping Ingrid execute her plan.

Onwards and Upwards is not only a story of starting life over but a testament to the power of connections and friendship. It portrays the beauty of finding one's place in people's lives at the perfect time. All the characters are so lovable and it was refreshing watching Ingrid come out of her shell to accept this eclectic group of people. As she slowly and gradually moves on from Tommy's death, Ingrid confronts certain secrets and past nightmares. And through it all, she is never alone.

Celia Anderson's writing is exquisite, perfectly portraying Ingrid's thoughts and inner conflicts. Not to mention, the sense of humour of the characters are absolutely golden. I found myself bursting out into laughter especially in scenes with the Saga Louts.
The only issue I have with this book is that the plot is not nearly engaging and interesting enough for me to want to reread it. Although this isn't inherently a bad thing, it does affect the ratings for me.
Nevertheless, it is good enough for those seeking a light-hearted, hopeful and slice of life read.

Ingrid has just moved into Willowbrook on a temporary lease in order to sell her late husband's things and move on quietly. Her husband was an auctioneer and hence she had lots of boxes of things he couldn't sell at auction to try and get rid of, so she thought she would rent a shop, make a little money and then find elsewhere to live. Willowbrook however has its own ideas and the Saga Louts soon welcome her into their fold as does Joel, a local handyman who helped her move in. She soon finds herself ensconced in new friends and more.

This is an endearing read, one perhaps to restore faith in human nature. There is no great drama about it other than one thread which is dealt with by Ingrid in a very matter of fact way despite seething under the surface at first, it’s a story of the goodness of strangers who quickly become friends. A different, very enjoyable read. A calming hug of a book.


For more reviews please follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @nickisbookblog
---------------------------------------------------------

This book felt like getting a warm, cozy hug from your grandmother. I loved this book so much and Ingrid who is an older widow who is resigned to live a quiet life after selling her husband's belongings in a pop-up shop. The Saga Louts, a group of older women, refuse to let this happen and bring Ingrid into their fold. Life really begins for Ingrid as she builds relationship with the other women and the community. It was so pleasant to see that life can be unexpected at any age. This is a must read when you need a little pick me up!

A cute and very much a "feel good" book, this one had me hooked from the first page! The cast of characters were all great and I appreciated the diversity.

Ingrid is recently widowed and having found that her gregarious, life and soul of the party husband had left her with as much debt as memories, embarks upon a task to sell off some of the accumulated junk from her married life, so she can downsize and live a simple life.
She takes on a temporary let of her aunt's shop in order to accomplish this, and though she initially thinks she is alone, an entire village is there to help her.
I loved the Saga Louts, a group of older, independent women, each widowed, and trying to live their best lives. They take Ingrid under their wings and assist her with the shop set up, and I have to say I loved Winnie!
Josh, divorced carpenter with a teenage daughter also ends up helping, after being her removal driver, and finds that he has more reasons for volunteering to assist the lovely Ingrid.
Along with the above, there were so many great characters. There was a real eclectic mix of people, giving the book a wonderfully inclusive feel.
Ingrid may have had her doubts and problems, but she works out ways to overcome them with her new friends and faces up to age-old demons along the way. She even finds time to help some of those new friends with their own conundrums.
I really enjoyed reading this. A lovely feel-good story with an eclectic mix of characters supporting.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

This is a lovely book which genuine deserves to be called “feel good.” It’s a terrific story and has plenty of interesting characters, who I hope will feature in future books…. The author creates romance without making it sappy and throws enough real world challenges to ensure the plot is relatable. Like a modern Maeve Binchy, she has created a lovely, immersive book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Ingrid Copperfield moves to Willowbrook to sell her late husband Tommy's possessions in a pop-up shop using premises belonging to her aunt Sylvia. She's got a lease for a year and then she plans to get out of there and move somewhere remote.

However, her hopes of a quiet life are soon shattered when she meets the Saga Louts: Beryl, Winnie and Anthea, three elderly but very energetic ladies who take her under their wing.

We met the Saga Louts in Celia Anderson's previous book Life Begins at 50! already, as well as young single Dad Sam and his 7 year old daughter Elsie.

There is also Joel Dean, a divorced carpenter who has a teenage daughter named Leo, and who develops feelings for Ingrid. Together with the Saga Louts they become The Treasure Team, helping Ingrid to open up her Treasure Trove shop.

Then Lennie Nightingale, Sylvia's son and Ingrid's cousin, turns up to stalk her, Anthea becomes unwell and a mysterious stranger turns up with shocking news for Ingrid.

This is an uplifting story of a woman starting again with the help of her new quirky friends of all ages and a new man. It is quite predictable but the characters are great and it's a nice and easy read about friendship, community and second chances. I'm in my fifties myself, and it's great to see romances for characters my age. The ending felt a bit abrupt but we get an epilogue and I loved that little Elsie was back!

3.75 stars

Quite a lovely book, the cast of characters being feisty, yet flawed and sometimes unsure of themselves.

And a very big plus: I was happy to see, without this being emphasized, this book was inclusive. I feel like adding an exclamation mark to that: diversity! Yay! I am always happy to read books with lots of flavors of the human kind. All we need next time is a character being a chronic or disabled :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Thank you Boldwood Books and Celia Anderson for the ARC!

Onwards and Upwards was my first book by Celia Anderson! It was an amazing and lighthearted read from all the heavy books I've been reading recently and it had me hooked from the very first page.

I finished it in a single setting and I was hooked the entire time! The characters were fun to read about the storyline is great! The development and pacing of the book was perfect! Can't wait to read more by the author!

Great book. The plot and characters had me hooked from the beginning. I’ve read other books by this author and couldn’t wait to read this one.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a great book!! It had me hooked from page one! I couldn’t put this down. I finished it in one sitting. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. This was a first for me by this author but it will not be my last!!