The story starts with a shocking event and slows as the character copes with the consequences. It got engaging with the intersecting timelines and circumstances of Pip and Evelyn. That’s when I truly got drawn into the story. It was worth it to stick around.

What a wonderful read! Pip and Evelyn seem like an unlikely pair but life experiences have a way of bringing people together to help them through their personal issues. Fate throws terrible hurdles into everyone's lives. Both women have worked hard to change their personas but end up returning to the roots they tried to escape. Please read this book. I found myself wanting to find out the ending - you will too! Thank you Imogen Clark for this delightful read, Amazon Publishing UK/Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and recommend this book!

Bittersweet and wonderful are two words for this story. The book will be the only thing you care about at some points along the story. It’s a great tale that we can all relate to a bit.

This book grabbed me from the very first page and I could not put it down. I can’t imagine living with what Pip had to live with after a horrific accident! I felt all the emotions with this book. While working in a place that accepts donated goods, Pip finds an old diary from 1983 that she didn’t want to read but found herself doing so. Trying to put together the pieces, she then confronts the woman who wrote in the diary and returns it. A friendship is born. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a fantastic, surprising read. I devoured it during a rainy Sunday. It took me three cups of tea and two crumpets to read. It was a book with little description of place or person but the dialogue and storyline made up for it! It was rich in conversation, pace and surprising moments. I enjoyed that Imogen Clark chose not to go the romance route and kept the spotlight on the women's journey through to redemption and friendship.
A wonderful tale about how stuck we can become when tragedy strikes and the wonders of a chance encounter and a lot of curiousity. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

A heartbreaking yet refreshingly hopeful story. Such triumphs after so much tragedy. I loved the friendship that was formed between pip and Evelyn and how their stories were so similar but different too. An emotionally rich depth in characters made reading Reluctantly Home a joy. You could relate to starting over even if you didn’t quite see how those changes effected the ones around you. Sometimes starting over is nothing like what you envisioned but it is what you needed. Loved it.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

“Imogen Clark is a master at creating flawed, real, loveable characters and exploring their emotions. This novel cleverly weaves together the past and present, and will leave you thinking about the story long after you finish the final page.” - Soraya M. Lane, Kindle #1 bestselling author of Wives of War and The Last Correspondent

As I reluctantly close the final chapter, I reflect that Imogen Clark delivered a thought-provoking and entertaining read. Penning a dual-linear timeline, the protagonists' lives mirror each other in spite of the years and dreams that separated them.

Growing up, Pip Appleby dreamed of leaving her small town and moving to London. Shelving her belongings along with her name, Rose Appleby emerged as a prestigious human rights lawyer. When a tragedy forces her to return home, a mysterious diary awakens her desires to connect with the world.

Golden-girl Evelyn Mountcastle was on the cusp of getting her heart's desire. On the casting couch, she made a choice that altered her life. Scribbling her sorrows into a beloved diary, she locked away that part of her life.

At first glance, Evelyn and Pip appear to be unlikely friends. Upon further inspection, life altered their plans and left them retreating from society. On their own, they are unable to move forward. Will sharing their stories give them the courage to pick up the pieces of the past and take control of their future?

Thank you to #NetGally and Amazon Publishing for the early edition of #ReluctantlyHome in exchange for an honest review. During a time when we're left reeling and reluctantly at home, Clark illustrates that change is possible. Concealing our dreams to within four walls only limits our actions not desires. Admitting defeat doesn't mean weakness, instead it presents an opportunity for a new start.

What a truly eye opening story of soul crushing loss and the struggle to find a way to live again. Imogen Clark weaves together a beautiful tale of family, loss, and new beginnings with a new friendship. I highly recommend this book to all.

What attracted me to this book was the rural Southwold, county Suffolk setting and the discovery of an old diary - a mystery! Also, I am an easy mark for a attractive cover and I just love the looks of this one.

The beginning of the book is set in London and we do travel back there briefly during the story. Phillipa Rose Appleby is from a rural area of England, growing up on a farm. She aspired to have a grander life than a farmwife and achieved her goals by becomng a barrister, QC which means Queen's Counsel. On the farm she was always known as Pip. When she begins her life in London she switches to a posher name, Rose.

One morning during her drive through London she has an accident. She is on her way to court when a young boy darts out on traffic. Rose struck him with her car. It's an accident and ruled so by the police, coroner and witnesses but Rose can't forgive herself. She is detroyed by guilt and panic attacks and returns home to Suffolk, hence the title of the book - Reluctantly Home.

Her parents are supportive but Pip, as she was always refered to at home, is impatient with her situation. She longs to go back to her London life yet she is still consumed with guilt and worries about having another panic attack in court. Stuck in a small town where life is decidedly slower and low key, she volunteers at a chaity shop to keep her occupied. Fortuitously she comes across a diary from 1983, donated by mistake, and lets herself escape her life by reading the diary of Evelyn Hardcastle.

Evelyn was an actress in London but her story is very interesting as laid out in the diary. Both Evelyn and Pip have one thing in common - they both felt stuck in Southwold and wanted their old lives back. Evelyn's story is engaging and resonates with Pip even though their reasons for being back home are different. I will say the ending was not what I would have predicted but I'm satisfied.

The only other novel I have read by Ms. Clark is The Last Piece and I enjoyed it very much. I've now discovered she has several books published which I intend to add to my to-read list. As a matter of fact, I just purchased Postcards from a Stranger which was on sale for $1.99 (Kindle version/ Amazon).

Publication date for Reluctantly Home is April 29, 2021 by Amazon Publishing UK. Genre is Women's Fiction and General Fiction.

Much thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review and all opinions expressed here are mine.

Reluctantly Home is a story of forgiveness and friendship. Two women, Pip and Evelyn, one younger, one older, both struggling with tragedy and loss in their lives, become friends and ultimately help each other heal. I had a tough time getting into the novel at the beginning as Pip seemed like such an unlikable person, but a few chapters in, it became a can't-put-it-down kind of book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Imogen Clarks’ Reluctantly Home, we meet 2 women, Pip (aka Rose) and Evelyn. Pip has returned home to the farm she grew up on from London after a devasting accident. Working in a thrift shop to keep in mind engaged, she chances upon a diary that was unintentionally dropped off in a box of books. Intrigued by what she reads, she searches for Evelyn to return the diary. Evelyn, a woman in her 70’s has endured a life filled with tragedy of her own.Can this unlikely pair help to heal each other? An enjoyable and fast paced read.

I requested to read and review this for free from Lake Union Publishing. This is the first book I have read by author Imogen Clark. This book has a London Setting. This is a powerful story of how life can change in a second. After something happens and it changes your life. Can you go back to your old life? How do you move forward? Pip and Evelyn both have an important life changing moment. Can they help each other learn how to step forward or will time stand still for them. Can you ever really truly be forgiven by someone else or yourself. This book is for any type of reader and can be read anytime.

Reluctantly Home by Imogen Clark is an interesting comparison of the lives, events, and choices of two women from different generations. The book alternates the narrations of present-day Phillippa Rose Appleby and 1979-present day for Evelyn Mountcastle.
Pip can hardly wait to leave home and start her life at university and then later she becomes a successful barrister. An unfortunate accident that resulted in the death of a child has Pip back home and sheltering within the walls of her childhood room. She is racked with anxiety and a sense of failure after being unable to come to terms with the accident.
Evelyn is anxious to leave her home and become an actress. Her family cannot understand or show any support for her wanting to follow her dreams. She is waiting for her big break when a fateful meeting with a man who could make her dreams come true casts her fate for failure. Her big break for success must be placed on hold as she goes back home to a disapproving sister who resents her and the choices she has made.
It is by the unexpected find of a personal diary in a charity shop that leads Pip into the past events of Evelyn's life. Once she has read this diary, she feels she must know more about Evelyn and she decides to return the diary in hopes of speaking with Evelyn. An unlikely friendship develops and the two women who are so broken in their spirits struggle to find the strength to start their lives over.
As I read the story, Pip seemed very self-centered and there were instances she was disrespectful of others and their feelings. She resented how her mother tried to help her as she recovered.
Evelyn's life when she returned to her family home with her sister was a misery. Her sister Joan was spiteful and hateful. Evelyn allowed her to get by with being a bully, which led to more tragedy.
Publication Date: April 29, 2021
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Reluctantly Home is one of those books that takes a look at the twists and turns of life, drawing you into the storyline. A tragic accident precipitates Pip to return home to the farm, a place where although she was loved she had desperately wanted to escape. She finds a diary written by a woman whose circumstances seem to have been quite similar to her own. Although 40 years have passed since the diary was written Pip becomes intrigued with the writer, a woman named Evelyn who had been a rising star.

Both women had dreams and professions that were derailed, hopes that were dashed to the ground and left to face an uncertain future. Pip becomes convinced that if she could find this woman and hear the rest of her story, she can gain insight into how to come to terms with having had her life and dreams turned upside down.

The book is well written and a good read.

Themes of resilience and identity run throughout this book. An interesting sub theme is the way our society has changed with regards to abuse of power especially in male/female relationships. Also explored are ways we deal with circumstances in our lives, the stories we tell ourselves and how those stories affect the choices we make- either trapping us or bringing new beginnings.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. #goodreads #netgalley #ReluctantlyHome

I've read a number of books by this author and enjoyed them all. She explores quite difficult topics and creates an interesting story without delving too deeply. This story revolves round Evelyn and Pip, who have ended up back in a small home town in Suffolk due to unexpected circumstances. Evelyn returned home in the 1980s, Pip more recently. The book starts using a dual timeline and I expected this to continue through most of the book, however quite quickly the story is all set in the present day which I was a bit disappointed about but this is where Evelyn and Pip meet up and their two stories progress. It is ultimately a feel good story which considering the back stories is comforting. The characters of Evelyn and Pip, although not entirely likeable, stayed with me for some days after I finished the book.

My thanks to NetGalley for a free early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was pulled into the story on the first page, it was riveting. I loved how in order to heal from a tragic event which is out of ones control that you sometimes need someone who is going through the same thing to understand what's happening to them. The gift in this story is a diary that changes everything and allows both women to move on and become who they are suppose to be. Great Story.

I want to thank Lake Union Publishing, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for this terrific story.

Reluctantly Home by Imogen Clark is the heartbreakingly beautiful story of two women who have experienced devastating tragedies in their lives and how they help each other to continue living.

First we meet Pip Appleby, who accidentally kills a young boy who runs in front of her car. Although Pip was declared not responsible, she can't forgive herself and begins having panic attacks and collapses during a trial that she was involved in as a barrister in London. She heads back home to her family farm in Southwold to try to figure out how to heal and move on.

While there Pip finds the diary of Evelyn Mountcastle, which describes her time in the late 70s when she was an actress in London. She had just gotten a great part in a TV show which would make her name, when she suddenly returned to the family home in Southwold, never to be heard from again. When Pip reads the diary, she realizes she wants to find Evelyn and find out what happened to her and how she survived the tragic incident described in the diary.

This novel is a beautiful story of how two women, one young, one old can connect as kindred spirits and find a way to move past tragedy and plot a new course for their lives. I hated to leave Evelyn and Pip at book's end. Thank you to the author, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. 4.5 stars

I enjoyed Reluctantly Home, while also finding it heartbreaking. The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I did not love Pip at the beginning, but found her much more likable and relatable as the story moved. Overall, definitely recommend!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good book. It kept my interest until the end. At one point I thought I had figured out which way it was going but I was pleasantly surprised that it went a different direction. Pip and Evelyn are the two main characters. Both are strong females but due to the hands they have been dealt by life/fate they go through long periods of time very weak and are not sure how to climb out of those deep, dark periods. The storyline was captivating. The characters well developed. I will recommend to others and will read other books from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.