Everything is Beautiful: 'the most uplifting book of the year' Good Housekeeping

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So much goes on, that it is critical as readers, that we wait for the amazing conclusion to tie it all together. We form attachments with a particular memory, or a particular moment in time, a particular point in space, and we try our best to not let go. Whether with tangible objects that fill up our homes, or intangible photos that fill up our phones, or even just memories, is up to us. Amy Ashton had everything (or some version of it, at least) one minute, and the next minute, nothing at all. Now, at least she has her bottles and birds, potted plants and lighters, cookbooks and slow cookers. And, she has the memories associated with them. A total treat of a read – warm, enchanting and intriguing, with an unforgettable protagonist at its heart’ HOLLY MILLER

Eleanor Ray has an MA in English Literature from Edinburgh University. She lives in London with her husband and two young children. The story starts slowly and I was afraid we'd have to meet every single item in Amy's hoard but that didn't happen. Instead we meet Charles aka Charlie, 8 1/2 years old (almost 9!), the oldest son of Amy's new next door neighbor, Richard. Charles loves Amy from almost the moment he meets her and he's good for Amy, such a smart, insightful little boy, with answers for almost everything. He makes no secret of the fact that he favors Amy over his dad's dreadful, evil girlfriend. Now her house is overflowing with the objects she loves - soon there'll be no room for Amy at all. But when a family move in next door, a chance discovery unearths a mystery long buried, and Amy's carefully curated life begins to unravel. If she can find the courage to face her past, might the future she thought she'd lost still be hers for the taking? Needless to say she is beyond broken hearted. In their absence she discovers something else ... a need to accrue beautiful little possessions. Mugs, vases, ashtrays, and her porcelain birds among many other carefully selected items. It started with just a few, then a few more, and now she is barely able to navigate her own home. Not really a problem as she never has company. Her possessions won't deceive her like the people she once loved. It's safer with them.The digitally native, all year round, online literature and books festival, with new content released every week is a free-for-all-users festival. They even share a flat together which makes Amy feel warm and happy to have the two people she holds dearest with her always. Until Tim and Chantel disappear leaving Amy to wonder what happened to them. 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 didn't really like all of the stuff from the past. But the things that I did like a lot: 1) Richard and his kids (the new neighbors), and 2) the mystery (of what happened to her boyfriend and best friend). I read Amy Ashton because I was told it was in the vein of Eleanor Oliphant and Evvie Drake, two books I absolutely adored. I liked Amy Ashton just as much till about the last 10% of it. The ending, to me, felt both rushed and unnecessary, a little bit like the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle that just doesn't fit right. As the story progressed, I really didn't know where it was going, for me the plot was barely passable. The writing is plain and there is really nothing special about it. Then, when I was just about going to give up on reading about another teacup that had to be rescued and brought home, Ray introduced the only bright sparks into the story. New neighbours move in with two rambunctious little boys and whether Amy likes it or not, her life is about to change. Thankfully, this added a much needed dimension and direction to the story. An intriguing mystery with a quirky but lovable protagonist - funny, sad and perceptive. This will appeal to fans of The Girl on the Train and Elizabeth is Missing. -- L C Tyler, author of A Cruel NecessityReaders of Carpe Librum will know that I love reading - and watching documentaries - about hoarders. There's something uniquely fascinating to me about the physical manifestation of their grief, personal trauma or mental illness and the appeal of the before/after transformation process and subsequent recovery - albeit rarely achieved - is irresistible. Thus, this story becomes an uplifting mystery centered around missing persons, the passage of time, and the crushing anxiety and grief of not knowing what might have happened. 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. Now her house is overflowing with the objects she loves - soon there'll be no room for Amy at all. But when a family move in next door, a chance discovery unearths a mystery long since buried and Amy's carefully curated life begins to unravel.” I’m giving this four stars. I was surprised by the genre bending sort of storyline and truly appreciate any author willing to write about potentially offensive subject matter. I think Eleanor Ray did a bang up job with Amy Ashton. I would have given it 4.5 had the original title and cover been kept . . . .