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THE WOMEN WHO WOULDN’T LEAVE
Victoria Scott
Aria & Aries
Publication Date: August 3, 2023
400 Pages
Goodreads | Amazon
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.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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