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

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Amy is left in limbo, and instead of looking for a therapist to help her deal with her feelings of abandonment and grief, Amy buys beautiful things that give her momentary pleasure. (No judgement here: many of us have been there, done that.) But Amy has gone to an extreme, and the neighbours and the neighbourhood council want Amy to reduce the massive clutter in her home - contractors can't even get in to repair the chimney, for goodness sake! You will have to read this book to find out what Amy discovers about Tim and Chantal, and what the future holds in store for her. This story rambled a bit, and I was not happy that Amy didn't seek help or counseling for her prolonged feelings of grief and abandonment. And I really think it would have been a nice touch to get Marie Kondo in on the act - or a professional like Marie Kondo.

There's also a compelling mystery that is slowly unravelled and I was eager to find out what happened to Amy's boyfriend after he and her best friend disappeared twelve years ago. Right around the time Amy's hoarding started. 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.

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That is until a new family moves in next door and with them two rambunctious little boys. A friendship begins first with the children and then with their father Richard. Richard can see Amy is in pain and he will do whatever it takes to be there for her. Readers 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. I also really enjoyed the resolution of the mystery and the ending. Overall this book was good. I just didn't love all of the stuff from the past. A total treat of a read – warm, enchanting and intriguing, with an unforgettable protagonist at its heart’ HOLLY MILLER Bob Mortimer wins 2023 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction with The Satsuma Complex

I loved this charming, endearing novel...it will melt even the hardest of hearts...If ever there was a time for a book like EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL to lift us above the every day doom and gloom, it is now. -- Joanna Nell, author of THE SINGLE LADIES OF JACARANDA RETIREMENT VILLAGE Amy Ashton’s life fell apart eleven years earlier. At that time she started a collection of keepsakes of the guy she loved. Though they might be things others would throw away, to Amy they were precious. But her collection has grown and turned into an obsession that has her living in a cluttered house. When new neighbours move in next door., Amy is concerned for her pots and keepsakes in her yard. Though she attempts to keep her distance, the neighbour’s eldest son Charles is determined to make friends. Amy finds herself drawn into the little family of Charles, younger brother Daniel and their father Richard. Richard's live in lover Nina is not so keen on the attention being shown to Amy by Richard and his boys. When she makes a chance discovery, Amy end up with lots of questions needing answers. Will she be able to find the answers and find the courage to move on to a more fulfilling life? I absolutely loved EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL - a novel filled with beautiful things, mystery and Amy, one of my favourite characters of the year. I couldn't put it down. Book grief when I had to leave Amy behind. -- Rachael Blok, author of UNDER THE ICE I liked the way this story was told. A chapter from the present day interspersed with chapters from Amy’s past that explain how she ended up where she did as a hoarder. It is easy to empathise with the likeable Amy. Put quite simply, I cared what happened to her and was with her every step of the way. Richard is a great character and Charles is a delight, though sometimes he does sound somewhat older than the child he is.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). 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, 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? My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift Inspiration

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EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL is a truly beautiful book, and wonderfully written. The title is perfect too. Amy is an enchanting character, and I found her story deeply moving. Ray's portrayal of her hoarding in response to grief and trauma was convincing and original, both tender and funny. The novel manages to accommodate so many qualities that might be presumed to be in tension, but in Ray's hands are brought together powerfully, so that it is charming and thrilling, romantic and gripping. The mystery of what happened to Tim and Chantel is compelling and immersive. -- Claire Kendal, author of THE BOOK OF YOU But this isn’t what we see as readers in the beginning of the story. And that is what is so perplexing to us as readers.