A temporarily stop before a fresh start? Or not?

Synopsis

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?

My review

After losing her husband, Ingrid is ready to have a fresh start. As the house is too big for her own, and her husband being an auctioneer collected way too much treasures and tats but also debts, Ingrid has come up with the plan to downsize, and open a pop – up shop in the village of Willowbrook. Not only does she hope to pay off the debts, but Ingrid also dreams of starting all over again. Even if the initial plan is to stay only for a year at Willowbrook, Ingrid finds herself quickly befriending the local ladies, better known as the Saga Louts, each and every one of them determined to help Ingrid with her shop, not letting their age stop them. And there is also Joel, the local craftsman, to which Ingrid cannot keep denying the mutual attraction. And Ingrid finds herself not only accepting the help of these new friends, but she also becomes an invaluable asset. But the plan was only to stay in Willowbrook for one year, right?

Whenever I start reading a book where the characters are older than me, I am always a bit fearful that the experiences the characters have (and have had), are things that make it difficult to relate with them. And then there are stories, just like this one, where there is an actual age difference between reader and character, but yet the reader is perfectly capable to relate with each character. And with an amazing author, the age difference just fades into thin air, as just a minor detail in a bigger picture.

Wanting to start over, and move away from your home, can seem like a drastic measurement. But beside that Ingrid hasn’t a real choice, due to her husband’s debts, I could comprehend why Ingrid wanted to get away. Not only the logical reasons, as the home is too large, but she is just ready to leave it behind and start fresh.

Sometimes it’s the best thing to get away from the places that hold so many memories. And with the opportunity of a lifetime, opening a pop – up store in Willowbrook, Ingrid feels that moving is the only way forward.

While reading how Ingrid is setting up the store, I kept questioning myself if I would be able to have a husband like Ingrid’s. And I am not saying he is a bad person, but all that hoarding! I think I would go out of my mind if Tommy would be my partner! I was flabbergasted reading how Ingrid could fill so much of the shop with just what her husband had, and the things from her home that she herself doesn’t need anymore.

It saddened me also a bit to read how Ingrid didn’t have this close circle of friends. That is clear by how uncomfortable she initially feels when meeting the Saga Louts. She is clearly out of her depth, not only with the move, but with just everything.

And while perhaps not without a real choice, I liked it to read how the women took Ingrid under their wings, offering their help through every step, with words of advice, and also a non – judgemental listening ear. But perhaps I loved it even more to see how quickly how important Ingrid also becomes for her new friends. Sometimes it’s about finding the right people at the right time, and it doesn’t matter how long you know them to be of significant importance to each other.

On that note, I found it sweet to see Ingrid and Joel together. Of course there has to be some kind of love interest in this book for Ingrid, and why would that not be local Joel?

He is the kind of person that always puts other people’s interest before his own. He always wants to do good for everyone, even if that sometimes ends in putting his foot in it. But you cannot deny that everything he does and says, is done with the best of interest.

Perhaps there are some decisions and choices made that are a bit hasty for my liking. But that is purely on me, as perhaps I am too wary, but also too honest and open about things that take place in my own life. Yet perhaps those moments fit exactly with the general pace of the story, as the bonds grow rapidly but also genuinely.

I found this some kind of funny story, because it shows us that no matter what we may plan, we never know what or who exactly will cross our paths. And that something plans are made to be changed. But more important, I found this absolutely a heart – warming story, showing the beauty of friendship and love. And what stood me by after reaching the end, is that even in a rather short time span, even less than a year, the most significant bonds can be created.  And that it’s never too late for a fresh start!