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. 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. 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 Necessity 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

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette UK Audio via Netgalley for providing an audiobook ARC of Everything is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.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? There’s an intriguing mystery at the heart of this emotional but uplifting debut novel’ SUNDAY EXPRESS 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. A total treat of a read – warm, enchanting and intriguing, with an unforgettable protagonist at its heart’ HOLLY MILLER 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?

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). Another main part of the story has to do with a friendship between Amy and the family that moves in next door.My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book is being marketed at fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and I can see why. I actually had the same reading experience with both books, despite the many differences between the two main characters. I became heavily invested in the wellbeing of Amy (as I did Eleanor), and I wanted to see her character grow and heal from her trauma. 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.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. When Amy Ashton's world came crashing down eleven years ago, she started a collection. Just a little collection, just a few keepsakes of happier times. Things that others might throw away but to Amy, represent a life that could have been. As I have mentioned before, the mystery of what happened to Tim and Chantel is a major driver of Amy's character. Ray does reveal at the end of the story the answer to Amy's burning question 'What happened to Tim and Chantel?', which for me, was a satisfying conclusion to the book.

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. Amy has found her best friend for life in Chantel and the love of her life in Tim. They even share a flat together which makes Amy feel warm and happy to have the two people she holds dearest with her always. I used to like to watch those reality shows about hoarders. I'm not sure what the fascination was but I would wonder how these people got to such a point in their lives that their living conditions were unsafe and unsanitary. I liked the character of Amy and loved the descriptions of some of the mixed media artwork that she created in the past. It was very heartening to see the changes in Amy as the story progressed and the ending was perfect. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to a friend. So much goes on, that it is critical as readers, that we wait for the amazing conclusion to tie it all together. Amy’s neighbour, Rachel, cares though, and blames her for an ongoing problem with mice. When a new family moves in next door, Rachel thinks she has found an ally in forcing Amy to change, but with a well paced and thoughtful plot, it doesn’t happen in the way that you may expect. I loved the unexpected way in which some of the elements of the story developed, and though I had an inkling of what the main twist would be, I wasn’t disappointed to be proved 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. Eleanor was inspired to write her debut novel by the objects her toddler collects and treasures – twigs, empty water bottles and wilting daisies.