Everything is Beautiful is a feel-good story that also incorporates some heavy subjects. A light story but also thought-provoking. Very enjoyable. The narrator really elevates the story and brings all the characters to life!

I really loved and enjoyed this heartwarming audiobook and I listened to it while I was clearing through a bit of clutter in my house, which was funny, as in the book, the main character, Amy was talking about the clutter in her home. I didn't know before I started listening to the book that this would be in the story. Amy inspired me to let go of some of my clutter, just as she learned to, even though it was hard for her. Every piece of clutter has a story to tell and it is valuable to us and our past, perhaps bringing us some comfort and providing us with good memories. But it is also ok to let go of some of it, in order to release old energy and make way for the new to come in.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this as an audiobook.
I really enjoyed listening to Everything Is Beautiful, and found it heartwarming and up lifting. The first half went a little slowly for me but I was very much invested in Amy’s story and loved the ending.
4 stars.

I received an audiobook of this one from NetGalley and I adored it! The novel follows Amy who is a hoarder, she struggles with the idea of letting go of any part of any of her collections. We find out early on in the story that her boyfriend upped and left her eleven years ago and Amy has never been able to find out where he went or why. Over the course of the novel we learn more about Amy’s past and how that has made her the way she is now. I loved seeing her deal with her new neighbours and having to cope with their inquisitive children. I could really identify with Amy at times, I’ve been someone who after difficult times have found my hoarding tendencies have returned and it took a long time for me to let go of all the stuff. I really felt for Amy and I was rooting for her the whole way through this beautiful novel. This is such a charming read and one that I never wanted to stop listening to. The narrator is Eilidh Beaton and her voice felt perfect for the character of Amy, she really added to my enjoyment of the novel. I recommend it!

An enjoyable read. Amy is a strong, quirky character and I rooted for her from the start. She doesn’t fit in at work and is betrayed as a loner until the writer hints at events in her past that made her the way she is. When a family moves in next door her life gradually changes as they help her find out what happened all those years ago. It is well written with lots of hints about Amy’s past and characters that are rounded and believable. An original story and an uplifting, enjoyable read.
Thank you to Hachette and NetGalley for an advance copy in return for my honest review.
#EverythingisBeautiful #NetGalley

This book reminded me so much of Eleanor Oliphant. It has the same feeling of loss and sadness, of mystery and fascination. I was torn between liking the poetic nature of the writing and rhythm of the story and yet at times being bored and longing for something significant to happen.
For me it was not an exciting book but one which will suit someone who enjoys the act of reading for pleasure or relaxation.

For a book that ended up being a bit of a mystery, this was absolutely charming. It shouldn't be, nothing about the plot screams beauty but it's laced with a nostalgic and sentimentality that's oddly heartwarming.

It follows Amy's life surrounded by her things. To anyone else, she'd be called a hoarder but to Amy everything has a precious story to tell. It obvious that Amy has had a trauma in her life and her things help her to feel protector. The pots all over her gardem bother her neighbours endlessly. That's until Richard and his two sons move in next door, and suddenly she has people who see Amy past all the clutter.

Throughout we also hear about Amy's past life in flashbacks, each connected to a type of thing. We see her life with her boyfriend Tim and best friend Chantel until they both disappeared 11 years ago without an explanation. Everybody thinks they ran off together but Amy has never been able to face that possibility. When she finds a ring in her garden, she's determined to put the pieces together of what happened.

This is a story of love and nostalgia and lives that could have been. It's also one of trauma and how we cope with grief and uncertainty. All in all, I didn't expect this would be my thing at all but it managed to get to my heart. I emerged with a lot of love and empathy for the Amy Ashton's of the world.

I was also lucky enough to listen to the audiobook of this which I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm not usually one for fiction as audiobooks but this one worked well and the narrator was great.

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.

EXCERPT: Home.

Amy felt better just seeing her front garden. Her beautiful pots guarded the house faithfully. She held her keyring tightly in her hand as she finally slid her key into the lock. Amy went in and closed the door behind her, ready to forget that the evening had ever happened.

She stepped forward into her hallway and tripped. One of her giant stacks of newspapers had fallen over. Again. Newspapers were mingling with unopened mail and dried petals. The debris lined the floor like autumn leaves. She shuffled through; she couldn't face clearing up the mess. Not this evening. Some of the other towers of newspaper looked precarious too, reaching floor to ceiling like Doric columns. Her hallway reminded her of the Acropolis.

The Acropolis after a party, she thought, stumbling over an empty wine bottle. She used to store her collection of green bottles in the kitchen, but she'd had to move some so she could get into the fridge. Ten or twenty privileged bottles sat on her hallway shelves; a couple had even been transformed into vases with stems of honeysuckle. But that had been some time ago, and the flowers had dehydrated into crunchy brown husks.

Many of the bottles lounged empty on the floor, still waiting for a purpose.

A second chance.

ABOUT 'EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL': Sometimes it's impossible to part with the things we love the most...

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: some honeysuckle to remind herself of the boy she loved, a chipped china bird, an old terracotta pot . . . Things that others might throw away, but to Amy, represent a life that could have been.

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?

MY THOUGHTS: Everything is Beautiful was a little more chic-lit than I was expecting... I liked the plot and thought it had a great deal of potential, but I found most of the characters, including Amy, quite stylized. I loved Richard and his boys.

Amy's 'collection' addiction is treated very sympathetically.

The mystery was quite unexpected, as was the solution and, for me, was the highlight of the book.

This is a quick, easy and entertaining read but I was expecting a little more depth than what I got.

⭐⭐⭐.3

#EverythingisBeautiful #NetGalley
#hachetteaudio #eleanorraybooks
@HachetteAudio @#eleanorraybooks

#contemporaryfiction #mystery #domesticdrama #romance

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.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This book was a love story and tackled a few emotional subjects, broken heart, betrayal, loneliness and hoarding. All captured very sensitively throughout the book, reading someone’s personal journey through a trauma and out the other side. if you liked Eleanor Oliphant then you will love this book. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook.

This was a lovely book to listen to. So descriptive and captivating you can see Amy and her clutter on your mind. Great story and read beautifully.

I enjoyed how easy it was to listen to this book, nice narration and a good story. There are a lot of similarities between Eleanor Oliphant and Amy, and I liked the main character's attachment to her treasures. It was very enjoyable, but I found the ending slightly muddled. A nice, uplifting read nonetheless!

I could definitely identify with the main character in this one!
I chuckled to myself many times, thinking of the chipped mug I refuse to throw away, because it was given to me by my first boyfriend! I felt a strange affinity and defence of Amy's habits, and it definitely shed a rather large light on my own!
This book was warm and definitely lifted my heart, wanting her to face the problems in her life and live it to the full. She was clearly troubled, and my heart ached with her pain.
I would definitely recommend this book!

I'm only on chapter 3 but I'm starting to find this book really tedious. Much as I want to sympathise with the main character and her hoarding habits, I can't. I just find her rather weird. I normally like quirky characters but this book just isn't working for me, I'm afraid. I find it anything but uplifting. It focuses on the minutae of the protagonist's life and very little seems to be happening that's really worth focusing on.
Sorry to say that I'm not sure I'll make it to the end of this one.

Amy Ashton is an hoarder. Her boyfriend and best friend just disappeared 11 years ago. She started to fill a shoebox with happy memories which turned into a house full of treasures! Amy struggles to let go of the past until new neighbours help discover a clue to what happened.

I listened to this via an audiobook and was quickly submerged in the world of Amy. I could relate to Amy and her struggles. Having recently had a massive clear out and feeling the weight lifted I knew exactly how she felt. It was quite a mixed bag of emotions from funny to sadness, romance and friendships. It's a beautiful uplifting story.

I found this book beautifully written and quite emotional. It’s the kind of book that resonates and makes you think about it long after it’s finished. The author’s voice is expressive and original - it’s sad in places, ultimately this is a very uplifting book.

A beautiful descriptive book.

Amy Ashton is a collector of “ things” , this began after her partner Tim and and best friend Chantal disappeared years ago. To deal with the emptiness and mystery left behind Amy becomes a hoarder ( in the nicest possible way).

Amy doesn’t believe that the pair of them would run away together but after years of not knowing what happened it is the only conclusion that Amy can reach.

A new family moves in next door and Amy starts to gradually reevaluate her life , especially after finding a letter from Chantal and a ring from Tim. Finding these items leads Amy into an investigation of the past .

I loved this book it was easy to listen to the writing flows beautifully and is expressive , although sad in places I feel this book is very uplifting . As quoted in the book “ no one travels light through life anymore”

Highly recommended , an enjoyable , emotive read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this copy.

“In shoe box veritas”.

Amy Ashton has a problem. Or so believe most people around her. 11 years ago, her best friend Chantelle, and Tim, the love of her life disappeared.

It seems that they decided to run away together, but is it really what happened?
To cope with it all, Amy has been collecting “treasures”: vases, lighters, mugs, ceramic birds... everything that helps her feel better.

When new neighbours move in next door, Amy is forced to get out of her shell and face the world, forced to deal with the shame of the clutter she’s hoarding, all of this leading to new clues regarding to what may have happened in the past.

Quirky, lovely, sweet, witty, Eleanor Ray has given us a beautiful story. Set between now and flashbacks from the past, we get to see the story unfolds, following the recollections and discoveries leading to the truth.

Truly enjoyable.