A lovely story of feisty women one who has moved back to the village where her mum lives and the neighbour a old woman who lives alone with her animals.
When the local council threaten to move the villagers they get together with the other neighbours to form a protest against the move. I really felt part of the village and the emotions and found myself willing the group on in their fight.
Would highly recommend as a modern day story which you cannot put down.
Thanks to NetGalley & General Fiction (Adult) | Women's Fiction for a ARC for a honest review.

I had high hopes, but couldn't get into this book. It sounded very cute and unique. But the story fell flat from the very start.

A story of friendship , obstacles and getting past hard times. When a home is wanted by a developer, two women engage that forms a bond. I love the two story aspects of the women. A heartwarming read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

You can’t see me but I’m on my feet giving Victoria Scott a standing ovation. I didn’t think I’d love another book by her as much as I loved Grace but my word this novel is beautiful!
All of my favourite things are in here, love of the English countryside, intergenerational friendships, wit, compassion and a ‘will they, won’t they?’ cliffhanger storyline.
Scott’s ability to draw characters of all ages, of all social strata and both genders is incomparable. Matilda and Constance are so different yet so similar and both completely real to the point where I could actual smell Matilda at one point!
As in Grace there are some lovely male characters but it is Scott’s women that always come to the fore and both our two protagonists along with Ellen l; Con’s devoted mother are powerful women not to be messed with. I loved how each resident of the street began to blossom some just slightly and some like the main three, quite unrecognisably from the start of the novel.
Again there is a thread of Christianity running through the book as we hear Matilda praying and musing to herself about what her faith has done to mould her and form her opinions. Just as she did in Grace the author offers this up as simply a fact of life with no opinion offered and no agenda at play. Quietly normalising the fact that many people in Britain do hold strong faith and that it doesn’t mean they aren’t tolerant and accepting of others.
I also loved Constance’s nicknames for the other residents of the street and the backstory she invented for each of them. I also liked how Jamie then neatly demolished these fantasies in his own inimitable fashion as he introduced her to the wider community that she was seeking to hide from.
I loved this novel, loved it!! I do hope the author already has another novel in the pipeline!

Connie Darke has fled London after her life there imploded. She’s returned to her mother Ellen’s council house in Stonecastle in rural Warickshire, where she spent her childhood before going to live with her wealthy father in London at the age of 12. Frail and damaged from all that has happened to her, she just wants to hide away and lick her wounds. But the world won’t let her do that, and when her curmudgeonly elderly neighbour Matilda Reynolds falls and ends up in hospital, she finds herself enjoying taking care of Matilda’s menagerie of animals and appreciating the healing peace and quiet of the countryside. And when the council decides to sell the estate to a developer and relocate the tenants to flats in the centre of town, Connie and Matilda band together to lead all the neighbours in a protest campaign to save their homes and way of life.

This is a lovely heart-warming and moving novel about two damaged women hiding from the world. They have both suffered trauma and have secrets they hold on to tightly. Their fight against the council brings them both out of isolation, allowing them to get to really know their neighbours and their problems for the first time. It’s lovely to watch the effect the countryside and Matilda’s animals, particularly Clarrie the goat, have on re-awakening Connie’s spirit and eventually her awareness and empathy for others. There is a lot of humour in the novel, as well as a sweetly awkward love story. Peopled with a bunch of wonderful, relatable characters and addressing issues such as affordable social housing, communities, aging, trauma and depression it makes for a very engaging and enjoyable read.

Loved this read. It follows an elderly woman hiding herself away from the world and a younger woman hiding from her past. It develops into a lovely story of real connection, friendships and life’s highs and lows.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I’ve read and enjoyed the first two books by Victoria and I’m pleased to say I enjoyed this one too.

Great characters, thought provoking topics, community spirit and secrets.

I received a free copy of, The Women Who Wouldn't Leave, by Victoria Scott, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Matilda Reynolds lives a quiet life until she is injured and has to stay in hospital, she asks her young neighbor Connie to watch over her place. They get news that a developer wants their abode, they really do not want to leave it. This is nice story about friendship, fighting the political machine, and just living day to day.

Uplifting story of two women in an English village

Connie has moved back in with her mother who lives in a small village in Gloucestershire. She is intent on avoiding the neighbours, although she has seen enough of them to give them all nicknames, and so enjoys early morning walks across the countryside and the odd swig of vodka.

Matilda lives next door to Connie’s mother, preferring her own company and that of her beloved animals, to venturing out into the community.

Through a series of events these two, and others in the village, come together to fight for a common cause.
This is a charming story delving into the lives of two people (and others) whose backgrounds and life stories are quite different to what others might imagine. This is about a village coming together for good, and in so doing the reader meets two people who might at first seem very different, but underneath the exterior they choose to portray, they have many similarities.

Wonderful characters, great story and a feel-good read – though with ups and downs getting there. Just perfect when you want to escape into a good book, and meet interesting, true to life characters.

This is a lovely book, real life characters, felt like an authentic situation, although it started of slow I really got into the story. A book about friendship and it's true, you really don't know what other people are struggling with. A great heartwarming read.

Constance (Connie) is now at home in Stonecastle in beautiful, rural Worcestershire, trying to escape past trauma, whilst elderly Matilda has spent most of her life there, she is solitary and content with her menagerie of animals, until disaster strikes in the form of a nasty accident. This unlikely pair need each other to help them to refind their way in life. When the local council make a terrible decision, these two, ably assisted by others, become the women who wouldn’t leave. The story is told in alternating chapters by Connie and Matilda.

This is a lovely story with the beauty of the area matching a beautiful unlikely but totally wonderful emerging and burgeoning friendship. Both women have a lot of baggage, they are flawed and very vulnerable. Although they have different responses to the trauma they have experienced their growing bond comes from a place of understanding. Learning how/why/what has happened to each of them is an emotional journey.

The characterisation is excellent., You grow to love both of them, rooting for their recovery and standing shoulder to shoulder in their fight against the local council. Matilda’s eccentric, neglected garden and multitude of animals is just what Connie needs, it’s balm for a troubled soul, and though reluctant to see it, Matilda needs Connie. I love Matilda‘s obstinacy, especially with superior, supercilious council worker, Caroline Goodman. See her off Matilda! Most of the characters are very likeable, Ellen, Connie‘s mum is just fabulous, what a mother she is. I mustn’t forget Matilda‘s goats either, one is most definitely a character in her own right and is often the source of the humour.

This novel has a bit of everything, at times, it’s funny with some vivid scenes that make you smile, usually accompanied by great dialogue. It’s good on the impact of trauma, at times it’s therefore sad and poignant and some situations make you angry or shocked on characters behalf. It makes you think in lots of ways and drives home good points about issues such as affordable housing in beautiful rural areas. There is a real sense of community here, with everyone rallying round as best they can. That is a real feel good element.

Overall, it’s insightful, heartwarming, engaging and ultimately uplifting.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Aria and Aries for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This book is not my usual read at all, but I must say I was pretty impressed with the author's storytelling! It centers around Connie, a woman struggling with mental health and trauma and clearly running from something. She encounters her neighbor, Matilda, a 90 year old woman who is labeled as the town's "witch," hiding her own struggles from the world. Health problems and real life problems bring together this unlikely pair, who, with the help of their community, conquer them all in beautiful and tragic ways. Despite not being romantic at all, this story of community love and triumph really warmed my heart! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book prior to its release in return for an unbiased and honest review!

lovely book, with lovely characters. wholesome but empowering!! the cast of characters and their stories were amazing, it was a breeze to get through.

i did enjoy the subtle romance and strong friendships in the plot! especially between Connie and matilda!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

Not to sound cliché, but this was an incredibly heartwarming story. Matilda and Connie were an unlikely pair, who ended being just what they needed and hiding right under one another’s nose at that. The entire complex coming together and getting to know one another all while trying to save their homes was such a nice story. The background of Matilda and Connie added some layers as well and made me feel more invested in the two main characters.

I loved both Patience and Grace by this author so I was really excited to get this one from NetGalley. I am so glad I was approved because this book was just wonderful. Told from Matilda and Connie's points of view via alternating chapters both women are hiding from life and their issues, they have deep seeded secrets and keep themselves to themselves. Connie learns to care and think of others she really grows as a person understanding her illness and how lucky she is and how good she really has it. Matilda learns to trust, share and let people into her life, finally. Didn't like either of these characters much at first but they both really grew on me and I learned to love them.

Victoria Scott loves to use vulnerable characters in her stories and this one is no different, what I most liked is that they eventually found the strength within themselves to change and they realized that can't do it alone. The author has a way of making her characters' lives feel very real, and as I learned about them I realized these are women I'd like to be friends with. I connected to these wonderful characters, flaws and all. Connie and Matilda may differ in age and personality but they are really much more alike than either realizes. I loved how Matilda's animals and nature were used as a balm for Connie's mental health issues and now I want to go and pet goats!

The dialogue is simple, very authentic and true to life. I felt so many emotions while reading, it was so sad at times, I felt angry at certain parts and I was laughing a lot. The funniest scene is when Connie tries to use her mother's printer, I was literally laughing out loud because I went through this very recently with my son and my old 2007 HP printer. Ultimately this is a story about friendship, standing up for one's self and for what's right, belonging to a community and overcoming a traumatizing ordeal. This was such a poignant story, very heartwarming and told with compassion. And it's true what they say, you never really know a person or what they're dealing with so always be kind.

What a lovely lovely book. An amazing cast of characters and such a lovely story. I’d highly recommend giving this a go!

I was eager to start Victoria Scott’s latest novel and when I started I couldn’t stop. Connie was someone who I felt for and Matilda was someone i found interesting too. Victoria Scott has an absolute gift for depicting difficult realities. I identified with Matilda’s being vulnerable- as I am, too but because of physical disabilities instead of old age. Connie is vulnerable in her own way,

With their alternating chapters, I felt I was deeply immersed in their backstories, Both women are people to root for. The town is realistic and I identified with the social housing projects because I also have experience of those lists. The sensitivity with which Victoria deals with the very hard realities of each character is both heart wrenching and heartwarming.

Now having reviewed Patience, Grace and now The Woman Who Wouldn’t Leave, I can honestly say that Victoria Scott is one of my favorite authors.

The Woman Who Wouldn’t Leave is a novel that will not leave me, and it’s one of the best books of my year so far.

Thanks to Victoria Scott and Aria and Aries for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars but it deserves more.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young woman recuperating from a toxic relationship returns to her mother's small village. When the next door neighbor needs help, Connie reluctantly agrees to tend to the woman's animals. The full extent of the woman's need is made clear, and the small community of people come together to help.

The novel is a sweet story of family, community, and grace.

Loved this book! Connie has come home to live with her mum after a traumatic incident that changed her life. She had nowhere else to go and she’s grateful that the mum who she ran away from as a teenager has welcomed her back to her childhood home. Connie is buttered emotionally and what’s nothing to do with the residents of the council owned road. Her next door neighbour Matilda is an odd lady; she was a scary witch when Connie was younger and she seems to have more animals than the local farm roaming around. When Matilda is taken ill: Connie takes on the role of carer to the animals; and slowly the whole road becomes of importance to Connie as they all rally around. But then the.Council delivers some devastating news to the community, and Connie finds herself thrust into the spotlight saving her friends. I absolutely loved this book.

Another beautiful story from author Victoria Scott.
Connie has run away from her life in London, back to her mother's house in a small village, away from prying eyes.
She grew up on the estate before leaving for the bright lights in the capital to live with her father.
She doesn't know much about the people there, though she knows of them, and neither does she have any interest in getting to know them better.
Matilda has lived in her house on the estate since it was built. She has been there for decades, yet she still doesn't know her neighbours and isn't interested in getting to know them. She has her house, her memories and her animals.
Both women have secrets that they'd rather keep to themselves. However, an accident somehow builds a bridge of communication that becomes stronger as time goes on, especially when there is a fear of both women losing their safe spaces.
I loved this beautiful story of friendship and resilience.
Both these characters have a tragedy-filled story behind them, which is heartrending to read, and though they are polar opposites, I loved how they connected and the development of their relationship, despite being from such different generations.
The whole community on the estate is an interesting bunch, and the animals, though noisy, were what ultimately brought them together.
A fantastic read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for an ARC.