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

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There’s an intriguing mystery at the heart of this emotional but uplifting debut novel’ SUNDAY EXPRESS EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL is heart-warming and thought-provoking, a mystery with a difference. It's beautifully constructed around the everyday items its central character hoards, as she slowly uncovers the secrets of her past. I loved it. -- Andrea Mara, author of THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL 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 CHESTER

Everything is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray is being compared to Gail Honeyman’s popular 2017 novel, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and I’d also suggest similarities to The Truth and Triumphs of Grace Atherton by Anstey Harris and The Cactus by Sarah Haywood. 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.I loved how the chapters in Everything in Beautiful swiftly changed between two timelines. The “past” chapters were always titled (I think the finished copy will contain illustrations of the objects too, the e-ARC didn’t have those, sadly) with the name of the treasure that Amy collected during that time. This made reading the book really fascinating! There was also a mystery aspect to the storyline, and I couldn’t wait to see how everything turned out in the end. The supporting characters were beautifully written as well. I especially loved Daniel and Charles – Amy’s littol neighbors who made her come out of her shell with their loving nature. A total treat of a read – warm, enchanting and intriguing, with an unforgettable protagonist at its heart’ HOLLY MILLER A gently absorbing entry into the mystery-uplit canon. -- Vaseem Khan, author of THE UNEXPECTED INHERITANCE OF INSPECTOR CHOPRA I relished it from start to finish. A beautiful book. Thought-provoking. Evocative. A treat to read’ Thus, this story becomes an uplifting mystery centered around missing persons, the passage of time, and the crushing anxiety and grief of not knowing what might have happened.

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. 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.It was on maternity leave with my second child that I wrote Everything is Beautiful, while my baby daughter had her naps. Do you have a favourite book? If so, what is it? If not, is there a genre or style you prefer?

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). A total treat of a read - warm, enchanting and intriguing, with an unforgettable protagonist at its heart' HOLLY MILLER 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 ABOUT 'EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL': Sometimes it's impossible to part with the things we love the most...

About Eleanor Ray

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. 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? 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.

A wonderful celebration of the power of kindness' Hannah Tovey, author of The Education of Ivy Edwards I mentioned in a recent book review ( Other People’s Houses by Kelli Hawkins) that I could sympathise with both the lead character who’s suffered trauma and those around them, and it’s the same here. I can understand her neighbour and others wanting to help Amy make changes to her life, but I could also understand the level of comfort and control (her hoarding and isolation) affords her and wondered if she doesn’t want to change, why should she?

Eleanor Ray Press Reviews

So much goes on, that it is critical as readers, that we wait for the amazing conclusion to tie it all together. 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. Amy is slightly awkward and intensely vulnerable, but despite her extreme behaviour, there would be few who would not find her sympathetic. I found myself feeling strangely protective of her, perhaps in part because I’m a bit of a hoarder myself. There are also several delightful supporting characters in the book, including the two charming young sons of Amy’s new neighbour, and an elderly retired shopkeeper. It has its villains too, who are satisfyingly dealt with.