Eleanor Ray

A collector of objects, Amy Ashton, who believes it is easier to love things than people, finds her solitary existence interrupted when a new family moves in next door with two young boys--one of whom has a collection of his own.

The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton

Anika | @chaptersofmay

Everything is Beautiful reads like a sentimental story. And although it contains emotional chapters of calamity and sorrow, its overall message is one of hope and acceptance. 

The protagonist, Amy, lives in a home full of accumulated treasures, trinkets, and articles from her past. What most would see as a hoarder’s den, Amy sees as a trove of memories, with each item linking to a different experience. When a family including two young and adventurous boys move in next door, Amy’s piles of junk begin to tumble down, forcing her to come face to face with different elements of her own history. The book flashes back to each of her recollections, all leading up to one traumatic event that tore Amy’s world apart and left her obsessively collecting the pieces. 

Eleanor Ray has a friendly and inviting writing style that makes the book easy to digest. She also treats Amy’s collection of clutter with a sympathy and kindness that’s warming to read. I like the normalcy of the dialogue between the characters which helps it all to feel very realistic. Sadly, my attention waivered from the third chapter and remained unsteady to the end. As much as I enjoyed the writing and the use of flashbacks, I struggled to connect to the story and the characters. 

When it comes to the character of Amy, her development is gratifying to read. But there were many times where I found her behaviour frustrating. I felt like there was a human element missing to her personality that crossed the lines of interesting to perplexing. However, I love that Ray avoided using Amy as a tool for humour. As much as I appreciated the glimpse into her life, I still found myself feeling less engaged as the chapters went on. I also disliked almost every character besides Amy’s neighbour, Richard, and his sons, Daniel and Charles. While they were a source of joy, the others felt more like a distraction.

There are a few parts of Everything is Beautiful that remind me of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. And I think fans of Gail Honeyman will also enjoy this novel. There’s a nice humour to the narrative that brings levity to its heart-breaking events. But while the non-linear narrative is done well, unfortunately this just wasn’t captivating enough for me to feel excited through to the end. 

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Samantha Palencia

At first, I was honestly not sure if I would like this book...but by the end, Eleanor Ray won me over and I will gladly read anything else she writes. 

Amy Ashton suffers a big loss in her life and it really changes her completely. She shuts herself off from everyone and everything so that she will never be hurt again. Years go by with everything in her life remaining the same until a new family moves in next door to her. This family helps her to see that she wants more and actually does have room for new people in her life. 

This book was sad and somehow so charming at the same time. Even when I was unsure about it at the beginning, I could appreciate that it was written beautifully and the characters were really captivating. I felt very immersed in the story within a couple chapters and had to know what would happen in the end. After a bit of a twist where the full story comes together, we get the most lovely and hopeful resolution for Amy that I absolutely loved.

Irin 

OMG you guys. Everything Is Beautiful was just so….beautiful. Since the book’s blurb said that it was perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, I was immediately hooked. I know a lot of you guys didn’t like how Eleanor Oliphant’s story was narrated, but Everything Is Beautiful is so, so much better. Eleanor Ray’s writing style is so addicting, you can’t help turning the pages to discover what happens next in the main character, Amy Ashton’s life. 💕

Amy’s story explored themes of grief, solidarity, and friendship. The title of the book itself holds a very special message. You see, Amy hoards the simplest of things – mugs, empty bottles, ashtrays, clocks, mirrors, basically all kinds of stuff – because she finds beauty in everything out there.💖 She lost two of her favorite people in the world in just a span of 24 hours, so she holds on to her “treasures” to find a sense of happiness in her lonely life. I loved reading about her. Her “closed-off” demeanor made her a very interesting character, since the chapters kept revealing a different side of her life until the very end. I felt a deep sense of empathy with her throughout the story.

I loved how the chapters in Everything in Beautiful swiftly changed between two timelines. The “past” chapters were always titled (I think the finished copy will contain illustrations of the objects too, the e-ARC didn’t have those, sadly) with the name of the treasure that Amy collected during that time. This made reading the book really fascinating! There was also a mystery aspect to the storyline, and I couldn’t wait to see how everything turned out in the end. The supporting characters were beautifully written as well. I especially loved Daniel and Charles – Amy’s littol neighbors who made her come out of her shell with their loving nature.

Equal parts heart-warming and heart-breaking, Everything is Beautiful mesmerized me in the best way possible. The book comes out on the 4th of February, 2021. Please read it when it comes out, you’ll fall in love, I promise.

* I received a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own *

The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton

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