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

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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? Eleanor Ray has perfectly captured how it feels to not quite fit in' M W Craven, author of The Puppet Show

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. In the midst of this upheaval Amy’s still wondering about the events of 11 years earlier and disappearance of the love of her life. 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. It’s always been a dream, but I never thought I’d make it as a published author. I studied English literature at university because I love books so much, but then didn’t go for the creative writing class because I was worried I wouldn’t be good enough. I regret that now – I would have loved it.He treasured these objects almost compulsively, I think holding on to his possessions in expectation of the changes that were to come. It made me think of an instinct many of us have – to hold onto things to help us feel secure – and what might happen if that spiralled out of control. If your book was a film who would you cast as your leading characters?

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. 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 loved every bit of it. I think the term in book reviewer lingo is “utterly captivated”– and I was, as it was not only so beautifully written but the story was brilliant, too’ FLISS CHESTERThere'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. 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. 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. A gently absorbing entry into the mystery-uplit canon. -- Vaseem Khan, author of THE UNEXPECTED INHERITANCE OF INSPECTOR CHOPRA A truly remarkable book that had me hooked from the start and racing to the end. Beautifully written. -- Jenni Keer, author of THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF LUCY BAKER

Everything is Beautiful is about an artist who turns to hoarding when her loved ones disappear – because she knows that possessions, unlike people, will never leave her. When a family with two young children move in next door, they discover a clue to her past under her collections that leads her to question what really happened all those years ago. What inspired you to write this book? 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? 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. this was delightful. compassionate, insightful and tender, shapiro’s debut novel is one of ambition and hope and desire, that compounds adversities such as the flawed education system, mental health, and turbulent families with a dream that continues to persevere throughout it all. I loved every bit of it. I think the term in book reviewer lingo is 'utterly captivated' - and I was, as it was not only so beautifully written but the story was so good, too. -- Fliss Chester, author of A DANGEROUS GOODBYE

About Eleanor Ray

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. 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. Everything Is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray is a heartwarming contemporary novel and I found myself enjoying an unexpected five star reading experience. Highly recommended.