unfortunately i didn’t love this one. i found it hard to get into and i just wasn’t wanting to pick it up.

I absolutely loved this book! I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed.

I enjoyed every minute of this book and had to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. The plot was clever (don't want to give anything away) but what started off as something apparently simple had some unexpected twists in it. The characters were well written and I felt such sympathy for the main character Amy. Good ending with the possibility of hope going forward for most of the characters I cared about.

I really like quirky novels. Amy is such a loveable character trying to give meaning to her life through her treasures of broken glass, mugs and STUFF. It was a sweet story and I was encouraged by the neighbours and friends taking a genuine interest in Amy’s chronic illness.

I wasn't sure about this story in the beginning but as it progressed and we were allowed more and more into Amy's world I couldn't help but sympathize and want to help her. Such a tragic tale and how everything moved along and linked together was so well done. I will definitely read more by this author

After the sudden disappearance of her boyfriend and best friend, Amy chooses not to create space for new people in her life. Instead, she fills her home with her things: wine bottles, mugs, cookbooks, newspapers, and a cornucopia of thrift store finds. This is because at the end of the day, her things, her treasures, will never abandon her. However, when a new family moves in across the street, something in Amy shifts and she starts to question if life is better with her things or if she can make some space for new people in her life.

I'm always wary when mental health (in this case trauma) plays a large part in the overall story. Not because it shouldn't be written about, but because I find it's not often fully explored. In this novel, the reader gets a lot about what caused Amy's trauma response and how it impacted her life. And while Ray does a good job of exploring Amy as more than just her trauma response I found the resolution to her hoarding was too quick and easy.

That said, the novel is still a light, quirky, fun mysterious read. I just wanted a bit more from the ending.

Amy collects things, all kinds of things. Pretty glass bottles. Tuscan red plant pots. Lighters and ashtrays. She's scared to open the door to her neighbors, and she's tired of being harassed by the woman next door. Her collection is large, she knows that she needs to get rid of some of her stuff, but the memories attached to each item are too strong to let them go. When Richard and his two young boys move into the next house, Amy is given the chance to reconnect with people, and take a chance on opening her heart to new opportunities.

Told with a dual timeline, Eleanor Ray deftly looks at the ways in which trauma and loss can lead to hoarding behavior. As a psychiatric nurse, hoarding behavior and its accompanying anxiety has always mesmerized me, and Ray has done a beautiful job of unearthing some of the factors leading to these situations, while exercising empathy and understanding in her story. I thought, at several points, that I had some of the story figured out, and yet Ray managed to keep me on my toes, surprising me late in the story with some of her twists and truths. I would offer a caution to those readers who experience anxiety related to trauma and loss, as some aspects of the story may be triggering. Well-written and engaging, I enjoyed this one a lot.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Simon and Schuster Canada for granting me an advance reading copy, in exchange for my honest review.

Amy is a collector of many things. Lighters and ashtrays, though she doesn’t smoke. Porcelain birds who fill her with joy. Too many mugs to count, even though she never has company. This collection started from a broken heart over a decade ago. Not only did her boyfriend, Tim, go missing -- but her best friend, Chantel, did too. At the same time. Amy knows how suspicious this looks.

Her neighbours (especially Rachel and her mischievous cat) and the council know that her home is full to the brim with objects, and they need to get to her chimney, but not before she downsizes her collection, as it is becoming unsafe. New neighbours move in, and while Amy gets on with Richard, and his two boys, Richard’s girlfriend teams up with the neighbours to force Amy to get rid of her collections.

This was a lovely read, with a sympathetic and sensitive approach to Amy’s “collection”. I quite enjoyed that the chapters took us to the past and present while I pieced together Amy’s life before Tim and Chantel went missing and after. While some parts were quite sad, it was full of hope and life. I enjoyed it and read it in a couple of hours.

Amy Ashton lives on her own. At one time she had aspirations to become an artist. Now an office worker Amy collects beautiful things rather then make beautiful paintings. However, the acquisition of so many beautiful objects like bottles, teacups. porcelain birds plus more is taking up all Amy’s living space. A neighbour suspects Amy has a problem and has called the authorities in. Also a new family has moved in next door that includes two energetic little boys, their father and his girlfriend. The little boys are as engaging as they are mischievous and they take to Amy in a way they haven’t taken to the new girlfriend.
The authorities arrive, activity next door is on the rise and the nosy neighbour continues to be an issue. Through all of this we slowly learn why Amy is alone and why she can’t part with any of her precious belongings.
I throughly enjoyed THE MISSNG TREASURES OF AMY ASHTON. It is a heart warming story about a young woman dealing with loss who needs to find her way back to normal. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy stories by Fredrik Backman.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read an advanced digital edition of THE MISSING TREASURES OF AMY ASHTON.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for sharing a copy of The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton by Eleanor Ray for review.
Amy Ashton can not let anything go, her collections are taking over her house and are starting to be unsafe. Will she be able to let go of her past to embrace her future?
This one was a good story but very sad. It really bummed me out. It is billed as quirky and charming and the characters are lovely but it really goes deep into her unresolved grief and mental health. I would recommend it if you have the mental space for that, it’s a good plot with a great character.

What an absolutely, amazing book. Funny, poignant, heartbreaking, and hopeful - The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton takes the reader on a journey through grief, lost love, and new beginnings. I found myself rooting for Amy, wanting her to find her happy ending, hoping she would find her lost treasures along the way. Thank you NetGalley.

I loved this charming, unexpectedly beautiful novel. It was funny and sad in all the right places, and the characters were easy to love and engage with. I literally couldn't put this book down. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but the plot kept twisting and turning. Great summer read!

The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton is women's fiction with a bit of a mystery element.

The narrator is Amy Ashton (3rd person POV). She is such an unusual heroine. She is quirky and kind. She had a trauma happen to her 11 years before. And now her house is completely full of "treasures".

The book focuses on a mystery. Something happened to Amy's boyfriend Tim and best friend Chantel years ago. This was an interesting part of the book.

Another main part of the story has to do with a friendship between Amy and the family that moves in next door.

Amy is a major hoarder. And honestly how she acted made me so uncomfortable.

The story is mostly told in the present. But at the end of each chapter we get flashbacks of her past.

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 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.

If you’re a fan of domestic stories with a bit of a mystery I think you will like this one. The premise is really interesting, a female painter turns recluse hoarder after her long-term boyfriend and best friend disappear on the same day. The story jumps between present day Amy Ashton in 2019, and cuts to different moments from 2002 to 2008 that lead up to her man and bestie going MIA.

This novel could’ve been edited WAY down. There are a lot of chapters about Amy’s hoarding and descriptions of her “treasures.” If she was a book hoarder I would have no complaints 😂 Her neighbours play a significant role in helping her solve her mystery and commenting/snitching on her hoarding to their city council. It almost feels a little Wisteria Lane like with everyone nosing in everyone else’s business. I wanted less of the neighbourhood politics and more mystery. We don’t really get into the mystery until the last quarter of the book.

3.5 Stars

This book is for readers who enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

Amy Ashton once dreamed of being an artist, but the betrayal of her boyfriend Tim and her best friend Chantal eleven years earlier sent her life spiraling out of control. Finding it difficult to trust people, Amy chooses to love things instead since they won’t abandon her. She has collected a variety of things (cups, lighters, ashtrays, vases, wine bottles, newspapers), giving them a safe place where they are loved. Her hoarding, however, means that there is virtually no free space in her home.

New people move in next door, and the two young boys, Charlie and Daniel, cause havoc in her backyard, inadvertently uncovering something that sets Amy on another search to find out what happened to Tim and Chantal when they disappeared. Her investigation is assisted by Charlie and his father Richard. Can she learn what happened to Tim and Chantal? Can she learn to let go of things and make room for people in her life?

Via flashbacks, the reader learns about Amy’s relationships with Tim and Chantal and the events leading up to their disappearances. What these flashbacks also reveal is the rationale for the items Amy collects. She formed attachments to objects connected to a particularly meaningful memory, “surrounding herself with belongings that made her remember a past long gone.” Since she doesn’t smoke, the collecting of lighters and ashtrays, for instance, was puzzling.

The book becomes a mystery when Amy becomes an amateur investigator determined to find out what happened to the two most important people in her life, “her lifelong best friend and boyfriend of ten years.” The solution to the mystery is somewhat predictable, especially after Amy reconnects with an acquaintance from the past. Unfortunately, a piece of the puzzle revealed at the end just doesn’t feel right; it seems unrealistic and the reader must suspend disbelief.

Amy is an interesting character. Though her administrative job is not her passion, she maintains a “carefully cultivated image of controlled competence” at work. More than anything, she wants not to draw attention to herself, so she dresses in drab colours and avoids social interactions. She is preoccupied with making sure “that no one would ever hurt her like that again” and protecting her collection: “She had a responsibility to keep her beautiful possessions safe. They trusted her.” The flashbacks show her as a person full of life and humour; because of what happened, she has virtually no life so the reader cannot but feel sympathy for her. Certainly she does not have a happy life; she admits that her collected treasures “made her feel almost happy at times.”

The message of the book is the importance of learning to let go of things that don’t matter. Though she would be best to get therapy, Amy does start to realize that there are things that are suffocating her and she needs to remove items to make space for people: “Real life needed space to grow.” The book also emphasizes the importance of accepting people’s flaws. After all, we all have baggage because “No one travels lightly through life anymore.’”

Amy enjoyed books, “with stories where people made mistakes and learned from them and grew.” That is a good description of this book. It is quirky and heartwarming, reminding us that second chances are possible.

Note: I received an eARC fom the publisher via NetGalley.

RELEASE DATE: June 8, 2021

Amy Ashton likes to collect things - bottles, cups, flower pots and a host of other items. Sometimes she thinks maybe her collecting is getting out of hand but usually convinces herself otherwise. She assigns human characteristics to many of the objects to replace the lack of human interaction in her life. The story is told from Amy's POV with flashbacks to the days before she became a hoarder and before her boyfriend and best friend disappeared. A new family moves in next door and with the help of two little boys and their father, Amy learns to trust people again and takes steps towards letting go of some of her "treasures".

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.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ray lives in London, England and works in marketing. This is her debut novel. The title character, Amy, has become a hoarder as a result of a tragedy many years ago. She once wanted to be an artist, but has put that aside and learned to trust things rather than people, as they will not leave her. When a new family moves in next door, her stacks of pots, etc. in her yard become a danger to their curious boys. Also one of the neighbours has complained about her claiming her hoarding is drawing mice to the neighbourhood. When attempting to make the yard a little safer, she finds a link to the past that forces her to deal with the tragedy and perhaps accept people into her life once again. The story has elements of both mystery and romance. This is a lovely recommendation for customers looking for an easy read with some depth.

It's probably difficult for most of us to understand hoarding disorder, but I believe it is often rooted in some past trauma or loss. Author Eleanor Ray has created a very sympathetic character in Amy. With humour and warmth, we are slowly led between past and present to Amy's realization that there is a better future ahead.

Amy has had love and lost love. When her best friend and soon to be fiance (she hopes!) disappear on the same night everyone assumes they've fallen in love and run off together. Amy has a hard time believing that either of them would do that to her but the police have done their investigation and that's the conclusion.

Years later, Amy finds a clue. Then another clue. She'd like to go through her memory box of the time they went away but it's in the spare bedroom. After losing her boyfriend and best friend she began to gather everything with a memory or beauty that she came across. 11 years later the house is hard to get around. The neighbors think it may be a safety hazard. There could be mice in there - maybe even rats. Who really knows?!

With the help of some new neighbors, Amy begins to unravel the clues to the disappearance of her boyfriend and best friend. But is she prepared to starting purging her boxes of treasures.

The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton was a great book. It's easy to see how Amy's hoarding began. The ending was a total twist that I couldn't predict until the very end which always makes for a great story!

The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton
Eleanor Ray
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton by Eleanor Ray. I have to say that I was especially pleased with the subject matter of this book and how the story unfolded. Hoarding, a form of OCD, is a devastating and alienating mental health issue and a truly fascinating one. Amy Ashton was remarkably well balanced in her work life, keeping her work space very simple and orderly, and also in her time before her partner’s disappearance. I found this curious, yet read on.
Ms. Ray developed the characters fully and beautifully and I enjoyed the interplay between the past and the present. Amy’s best friend Chantal and Amy’s boyfriend Tim, were well rounded character studies, ringing true and believable. The author was also very sensitive to the serious hoarding affliction, and through Richard, the new neighbour, we were able to feel his generous and compassionate nature and bless him for his gentle dealings with Amy’s anxiety.
Some characters or instances though, were not believable at all, beginning with Charles, the very young boy, who was created to bring Richard and Amy together in a somewhat contrived way as well as act as detective in solving key clues leading to the location mystery of the construction site. The tolerances that were permitted between Amy and Richard in the presence of his partner made me incredulous. What partner would tolerate a new woman neighbour to walk through her house to the back yard saying she needed to talk to Richard, then accept his invitation to lie in the grass with the him and his kids to enjoy the stars. The author had clearly made out Amy to be a very respectful person so this behaviour did not ring plausible in my mind. The many years of Chantal not reaching out to her best friend in some way to explain her and Tim’s disappearance was also unbelievable even though a weak excuse was given for the delay.
Without giving away part of the story line I would like to say that reading how Amy felt about her possessions was very interesting and eye opening. She talked to some objects, had great plans for others. We learned this through Ms Ray’s skilled prose. Ultimately, Amy’s road to “improving” felt far too slick and therefore contrived. I did not believe that mental health could be so easily managed.
I am glad to have been given an opportunity to read about this mental health issue within an intriguing story. Most certainly a page turner!