This is such a lovely, feel good book! Ingrid is grieving for the sudden death of her husband and opens a pop up shop to sell his lifetime collection of tat from auction lots. She quickly makes friends with a variety of people in the village who have an amazing range of personalities, and wardrobes! This book is funny, uplifting and moving, and I absolutely loved it. I hope there are other books to come with tales of these brilliant characters.

Really enjoyed this book, it was funny, light-hearted and interesting. Set in Paris this book perfectly describes life in his beautiful city. People, the sights and the atmosphere this book really brings it to life. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Ingrid’s plan to downsize and disappear is upended by quirky locals, a charming craftsman, and her unexpected knack for village life. Heartfelt and uplifting, this tale of moving on proves sometimes life’s messes lead to its greatest treasures. A delightful story of second chances and community spirit.

In this uplifting story, recently widowed Ingrid moves to the village of Willowbrook after her husband’s death leaves her with debt and a house full of treasures to sell. Renting her aunt’s closed shop, she begins her journey to simplify her life. Along the way, she’s supported by a lively group of older women called the Saga Louts, who take her under their wing, and Josh, a kind-hearted carpenter who becomes more than just a helper.

As Ingrid navigates challenges, uncovers hidden strengths, and helps others with their struggles, she finds friendship, community, and a renewed sense of purpose. This heartwarming tale celebrates second chances, resilience, and the joy of connection in a diverse and supportive village.

Onwards and Upwards by Celia Anderson

Ingrid is desperate to sell up and move on. Recently widowed, she no longer needs the large house or the treasures (and tat) collected by her late husband, Tommy, an auctioneer. Then there’s the debt he left her with, too.

So, she jumps at the chance to downsize and move to Willowbrook on a temporary lease. She’ll open a pop-up shop for just one year – to dispose of Tommy’s accumulated goods – and then move on. No getting embroiled in village life.
A fabulous read about a problem many people ( sadly ) have to deal with.
Stay in the family home or move ? What to do with all your departed loved ones belongings ?
Ingrid deals with it in an unusual way and ends up with more than she anticipated .
Great character and loved to find out what happened when she decides to make a radical change to her life .

Ingrid is widowed and left with a large house full of treasures / tat that her auctioneer husband had accumulated - and a large amount of debt. She sells the house and takes advantage of renting a small shop in a village to try to sell off the "treasures" before starting her life again.
I didn't realise that this book by a new to me author is part of a series, although it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book and I will have to read the other one sometime. It is set in a small village with that community feel, I especially love the Saga Louts, a group of three older ladies who come to Ingrid's aid. There is a romantic interest in Joel, the divorced local handyman with a teenage daughter. This is a lovely feel-good book to read, with humour and that romantic interest. I will certainly be reading more books by this author and can recommend it for a relaxing read.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

After her husband passes away, Ingrid wants a change and also to sell everything her husband left behind, stuff that he collected over the years. She decides to open a pop-up shop that her aunt Sylvia owns in Willowbrook which she buys on a short term lease. After she’s sold everything, her plan is to live in a place where she’s totally alone..

But, her plan of living life her way don’t go to plan, as she meets the Saga Louts, three ladies, Beryl, Winnie and Anthea, take care of her and help her see her life in a different way.

Joel, who is a carpenter and has a daughter named Leo helps Ingrid, slowly he begins to have romantic feelings for Ingrid.

Along with the Saga Louts, The Treasure Team, assist Ingrid and she opens her Treasure Trove shop to the public.

I highly recommend this book.

This was such a lovely feel good, heartwarming story. Love the delightful cast of characters in this one!

Ingrid is desperate to sell up and move on. Recently widowed, she no longer needs the large house or the treasures (and tat) collected by her late husband, Tommy, an auctioneer. Then there’s the debt he left her with, too.

So, she jumps at the chance to downsize and move to Willowbrook on a temporary lease. She’ll open a pop-up shop for just one year – to dispose of Tommy’s accumulated goods – and then move on. No getting embroiled in village life.

But Ingrid hasn’t reckoned on Willowbrook’s extrovert local ladies (known as the Saga Louts). Or handsome local craftsman Joel, with whom there’s a definite attraction. They all want to help set up ‘The Treasure Trove’.

Surprisingly, it turns out Ingrid can also help them.

Will she ever achieve the fresh start and simpler life she craved? Or will Ingrid discover a wonderful new way to move onwards and upwards?

Perfect… Addictive, page turning… I LOVED it Completely unputdownable…

A very gentle but pleasant light read. A good set of characters to invest in, although slightly lacking in depth. Nice plot but the conversations were slightly wooden at times. Lovely community togetherness in an English village for a warm feelgood story. I believe this book is part of a series, I haven't read any others and think this book certainly stood alone without having done so.

Ingrid’s husband died and left her with loads of debt and a bunch of stuff cluttering up their big house so she decides to sell the house and take all the stuff to the store her aunt is closing in Willowbrook and try and sell off some of the stuff to payoff the debt. In the process, she makes some lovely friends who help her to see all she really is and what she is capable of which helps her to move on with her life. There are 3 very valuable women that she becomes close to and really show that found family can be just as good, if not better in some cases, than blood family. These eclectic women help Ingrid to confront her past and move on to her future. And then of course she meets a handsome love interest, Josh, who finds more and more reasons to volunteer to assist Ingrid with the store.
There’s loads of humor in what could be an otherwise depressing story and the plot moves along at a great pace. This was a feel good story with lots of great supporting characters. A truly fun way to spend the time.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Ingrid's recently widowed and decides to open a shop to get rid of all of her husbands hoard. She decides to move to Willowbrook where she meets 3 ladies known as the Saga Louts also Joel who delivers all her things to the shop. They don't get off to the best start

I loved this . A good feel good read. A story of friendship , love and laughter and a tinge of sadness. Ingrid has to move on after the death of her husband and the book is about how she does it. Some laugh out moments and some sadness . Just read it Age is no barrier to fun. A good ending .

I really enjoyed this story. Ingrid is a strong, relatable character, the Saga Louts are brilliant and there is a diverse range of characters to enjoy. I love the theme of never being too old for a second chance of life – and love. A feelgood, uplifting read.

Ingrid is recently widowed so she decides to downsize and move. She opens up the treasure trove to sell all her husband’s collections and help pay off the debt he left her. I loved the Saga Louts as they took her under their wing and helped her. She finds friends, community, and love in this small town. This is a beautiful story of second chances and moving forward.

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.