The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton by Eleanor Ray (Review by Jennifer Holmes)

Rating: 5 ⭐

I was pleasantly surprised by this book and so happy I had the opportunity to read it. The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton was not lacking in treasures and my antique shopping self was loving every page. I don’t know if you are a collector of things or maybe something specific like ceramic cats or coffee mugs with silly sayings, but for me it’s old books and anything I spot at the vintage market I can’t live without. This book was so unique and the author does such a good job describing each object it made me feel like I could actually picture each beautiful item!

Amy Ashton is stuck in the past and holding onto what could have been, and it’s slowly taking over her home. With dreams of being an artist Amy started gathering beautiful objects she could use to create masterpieces, but now those objects are stacking up, in every nook and cranny in her home, stacked up to the ceiling, threatening to tumble at any minute. When Amy’s boyfriend and best friend go missing they take her passion for art as well as her heart with them. Now the only friends she has is her ceramic birds, her beautiful pots, her collection of tea cups, the little clocks that don’t tick, and lots and lots of ashtrays (even though Amy isn’t a smoker).

Old,broken,trash….Amy loves all her possessions and if someone came into her home they would call her a hoarder, but that’s exactly why no one is allowed in. Her heart and her home are closed to outsiders.

Everything gets messy when the new neighbors move in and the two little boys start breaking stuff and trespassing in Amy’s back garden. Some see her yard as a hazard but Amy sees it as a beautiful over grown jungle of beautiful pots and twirly vines. When one of the pots breaks Amy discovers a note and a ring hidden that start her search for her boyfriend all over again. At the same time Amy is reluctantly starting to enjoy the little boys next door, and their very kind father. Maybe what she needs is closure and the room in her heart and home to let new people in. It’s time to be happy and find joy in life and making art, just don’t ask her to part with any of her precious items!