Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton, by Eleanor Ray {ends 2/15}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

When Amy arrived at her street that evening, she discovered Rachel, Nina, Richard, and both boys staring up at the enormous tree outside Amy’s front garden. Amy slowed her pace as she approached, wondering if there was a chance she could sneak past and into her house without them noticing. There always seemed to be someone lingering around the street now, waiting to make poor Amy’s life more difficult. All she wanted to do now was sit among her things and think about what to do next.

A branch in the tree shook unnaturally, and Rachel reached her arms up towards it. “Come down now, sweetheart. There’s a good boy.”

Amy pushed her gate, which squeaked in an act of betrayal. They all turned towards her. “I told you about the vermin,” said Rachel, her voice agitated. “And now poor Smudge is frightened out of his wits.”

“He’s not much of a cat if he’s been scared by a mouse,” said Amy, her patience already gone.

Amy’s house is dangerously full of her treasures, but she hasn’t always lived like this.

Official synopsis:

Amy Ashton once dreamed of becoming an artist and creating beautiful objects. But now she simply collects them. Aquamarine bottles, bright yellow crockery, deep Tuscan red pots (and the odd slow-cooker) take up every available inch of space in her house. Having suffered a terrible tragedy—one she staunchly refuses to let herself think about, thank you very much—she’s decided that it’s easier to love things instead of people.

But when a new family moves in next door with two young boys, one of whom has a collection of his own, Amy’s carefully managed life starts to unravel, prompting her to question why she began to close herself off in the first place. As Amy embarks on a journey back into her past, she has to contend with nosy neighbors, a meddlesome government worker, the inept police, and a little boy whose love of bulldozers might just let Amy open up her heart—and her home—again.

The book starts out being just about Amy Ashton. There’s obviously something she thinks about from her past, but she’s moved on. She’s a functioning adult, albeit one who has chosen to have no real attachments to other people. While she could be grumpy and rude, she shows in an early incident in the book that she cares about other people being treated right and getting what they deserve. Fairness is important.

With that said, Amy doesn’t expect the best for herself from anyone. So she hoards her treasures. Her house is full of newspapers, empty wine bottles, lighters (although she doesn’t smoke), porcelain birds, clocks, and mugs, to name just a few of her categories of treasures. Her treasures don’t disappoint her, right? Some flashback chapters show that she hasn’t always been alone and hoarding. 

Overall, I’d give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was an interesting character exploration that slowly revealed the events leading up to Amy’s chosen solitude. The other characters who end up being a part of Amy’s life each had their specific purposes, to contribute to the resolution of some issues and the plot’s development. This was an interesting contemporary story of adulting, learning who someone may want to be in the world, and maybe even changing some of those choices and assumptions.

{click here to purchase}

Becki Bayley is content to stay inside and read whenever snow may fall. She finds the best company, besides books, to be her family (including cats), snack foods, and cozy blankets. See some of what she’s up to on Instagram, where she posts as PoshBecki.

GIVEAWAY:

Two of my lucky readers will win a copy of The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Thursday, February 10th, at 11:59pm EST, and winners will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner(s) will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton, by Eleanor Ray