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The Treasure House
Not yet published
Expected 1 Sep 26In this tender-hearted slow-burn romance, a single mom's fixer-upper may also open a new door to love—from the award-winning author of Someone Else's Bucket List.
Zoe Copeland and her daughter Florence need a new start. The only problem is she can’t really afford one. . .
So when Zoe stumbles across a listing for a charming cottage in Maine that is in their price range, she has no choice but to seize the opportunity. The catch? It’s a treasure house—filled to the brim with junk, and being sold as is.
Eight-year-old Florence, who’s always longed for a room of her own, loves the old house full of cat figurines and other people’s memories, but Zoe is daunted by the mess and the cost of fixing the place up. Her grumpy new neighbor, Jake, thinks she’s crazy for undertaking this task—though that doesn’t stop him from lending a hand, and it’s not long before Zoe starts daydreaming about the handsome handyman.
As the air turns crisp and fall sets in, Zoe becomes increasingly intrigued by the woman who lived there before them. Who was Marly, and how did her beloved home end up in such disrepair? As she digs for more information, Zoe can’t help but draw parallels between herself and Marly . . . but what does it say about her future if she’s still stuck in the past?
This was supposed to be a fresh start, a chance to give Florence the security she never had. But as Zoe uncovers Marly’s secrets and her own past comes crashing into the present, Zoe’s life is quickly becoming even messier than the coastal house she’s renovating. With her heart and her home on the line, can Zoe put all of the broken pieces of her life back together?
Zoe Copeland and her daughter Florence need a new start. The only problem is she can’t really afford one. . .
So when Zoe stumbles across a listing for a charming cottage in Maine that is in their price range, she has no choice but to seize the opportunity. The catch? It’s a treasure house—filled to the brim with junk, and being sold as is.
Eight-year-old Florence, who’s always longed for a room of her own, loves the old house full of cat figurines and other people’s memories, but Zoe is daunted by the mess and the cost of fixing the place up. Her grumpy new neighbor, Jake, thinks she’s crazy for undertaking this task—though that doesn’t stop him from lending a hand, and it’s not long before Zoe starts daydreaming about the handsome handyman.
As the air turns crisp and fall sets in, Zoe becomes increasingly intrigued by the woman who lived there before them. Who was Marly, and how did her beloved home end up in such disrepair? As she digs for more information, Zoe can’t help but draw parallels between herself and Marly . . . but what does it say about her future if she’s still stuck in the past?
This was supposed to be a fresh start, a chance to give Florence the security she never had. But as Zoe uncovers Marly’s secrets and her own past comes crashing into the present, Zoe’s life is quickly becoming even messier than the coastal house she’s renovating. With her heart and her home on the line, can Zoe put all of the broken pieces of her life back together?
400 pages, Paperback
Expected publication September 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 3, 2026
4.5 stars, rounded up
I sat down with this book hoping for an engaging, comfortable read, and this book gave me that and so, so much more. From the moment I met Zoe and Florence I was pulled into their story. I was completely unfamiliar with the concept of treasure houses so watched a few videos by one TikTok creator who bought a hoarder house. I love that this story was based on this concept and how it helped us gradually get to know characters in the book, especially Marly and Freddie.
Matthews did a beautiful job of developing each of the main characters in the book and letting each person’s story unfold throughout the book. Each of the characters eventually became a rich tapestry of a story in themselves, which made the whole story so much more satisfying. Zoe’s courage, Jake’s reticence, Florence’s boldness and Suní and Wayne’s love were palpable as the story built. I felt that the romance was a secondary storyline, despite the tension between Jake and Zoe. And I did feel that it had a sort of abrupt start.
And even better, this book hits on some deep topics without shying away. Child neglect, foster care, addiction, poverty, early-onset dementia and full-blown Alzheimer’s. The author does an incredible job of weaving them into the story without taking a preachy tone. The topics flow naturally with the storyline and each is addressed with gentleness and care without blame.
I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t bear to part with any of the characters and I absolutely had to know what was coming next. I laughed out loud. I cried. I cared so deeply about Zoe and Florence and their new life. The characters felt so real. Not one of them was perfect or too good. They had flaws and challenges and unlikable moments. And I loved them the more for it. This is a book I won’t hesitate to recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Treasure House.
I sat down with this book hoping for an engaging, comfortable read, and this book gave me that and so, so much more. From the moment I met Zoe and Florence I was pulled into their story. I was completely unfamiliar with the concept of treasure houses so watched a few videos by one TikTok creator who bought a hoarder house. I love that this story was based on this concept and how it helped us gradually get to know characters in the book, especially Marly and Freddie.
Matthews did a beautiful job of developing each of the main characters in the book and letting each person’s story unfold throughout the book. Each of the characters eventually became a rich tapestry of a story in themselves, which made the whole story so much more satisfying. Zoe’s courage, Jake’s reticence, Florence’s boldness and Suní and Wayne’s love were palpable as the story built. I felt that the romance was a secondary storyline, despite the tension between Jake and Zoe. And I did feel that it had a sort of abrupt start.
And even better, this book hits on some deep topics without shying away. Child neglect, foster care, addiction, poverty, early-onset dementia and full-blown Alzheimer’s. The author does an incredible job of weaving them into the story without taking a preachy tone. The topics flow naturally with the storyline and each is addressed with gentleness and care without blame.
I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t bear to part with any of the characters and I absolutely had to know what was coming next. I laughed out loud. I cried. I cared so deeply about Zoe and Florence and their new life. The characters felt so real. Not one of them was perfect or too good. They had flaws and challenges and unlikable moments. And I loved them the more for it. This is a book I won’t hesitate to recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Treasure House.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This story made me realise how big irony and dryness are right now, and how much I miss books like The Treasure House, which are unabashedly sincere, when I go too long without reading them.* This is peak humanism — Amy Matthews’ understanding of people is akin to that of George Eliot in my opinion, so insightful and on-point in her explorations of characters, and so wonderful in her care for the reader. This book is all about psychological wounds and the mistakes we make as we try to heal them (though we are always trying our best!). Expect intergenerational trauma, dual-timelines, mystery, and beautifully slow-burning love stories.
Oxeye is an idyllic town that made me think a lot about what’s missing from most modern societies (ahem, community, no surprise there). To imagine a completely different way of being, as in Oxeye, for 380 pages made my heart ache in the best way. Surely we can strive for that kind of future! I think many readers will understand all too well the loneliness and isolation Zoe is accustomed to; it’s inspiring to see how all of that changes when she moves to Oxeye. Every single character in every single Amy Matthews book leaps off the page, no matter how ‘small’ they are in the story, and in The Treasure House all are folded into the community in such a vibrant way. Every person is specific and three-dimensional.
At around the three-quarter mark I began crying and then I couldn’t stop for the rest of the novel. There are dark themes of addiction, poverty, and breaking intergenerational cycles in this book, and these are handled expertly. Even when it’s hard, it is never bleak, never hopeless. This book is full of love and comfort. It might be my favourite Amy Matthews novel (so far).
*To be clear, I love an ironic/dry/satirical novel so hard, too.
Oxeye is an idyllic town that made me think a lot about what’s missing from most modern societies (ahem, community, no surprise there). To imagine a completely different way of being, as in Oxeye, for 380 pages made my heart ache in the best way. Surely we can strive for that kind of future! I think many readers will understand all too well the loneliness and isolation Zoe is accustomed to; it’s inspiring to see how all of that changes when she moves to Oxeye. Every single character in every single Amy Matthews book leaps off the page, no matter how ‘small’ they are in the story, and in The Treasure House all are folded into the community in such a vibrant way. Every person is specific and three-dimensional.
At around the three-quarter mark I began crying and then I couldn’t stop for the rest of the novel. There are dark themes of addiction, poverty, and breaking intergenerational cycles in this book, and these are handled expertly. Even when it’s hard, it is never bleak, never hopeless. This book is full of love and comfort. It might be my favourite Amy Matthews novel (so far).
*To be clear, I love an ironic/dry/satirical novel so hard, too.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Single mom Zoe Copeland dreams of giving her eleven-year-old daughter, Flo, a better home than their cramped one-bedroom apartment. When she learns about “treasure houses”—properties sold at low prices but left exactly as they were, often overflowing with years of accumulated belongings—Zoe begins searching for the right one. Her research leads her to a charming cottage in a small tourist town on the coast of Maine.
The cottage turns out to be both more delightful and more daunting than she expected. While Flo is enchanted by the quirky treasures stacked in every corner, Zoe is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of junk and the costly repairs the house desperately needs.
Jake, the owner of the local hardware store and Zoe’s new neighbor, steps in to help with some of the repairs. As they spend more time together, sparks begin to fly, and Zoe learns that the cottage once belonged to Jake’s family. His stories hint at a complicated past, prompting Zoe to dig deeper into why the locals still refer to the house as Marley’s Place.
This is an intriguing, heartwarming story filled with unexpected twists, tender moments, and the quiet strength of starting over. Long after I turned the final page, Zoe and Flo’s journey stayed with me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.
The cottage turns out to be both more delightful and more daunting than she expected. While Flo is enchanted by the quirky treasures stacked in every corner, Zoe is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of junk and the costly repairs the house desperately needs.
Jake, the owner of the local hardware store and Zoe’s new neighbor, steps in to help with some of the repairs. As they spend more time together, sparks begin to fly, and Zoe learns that the cottage once belonged to Jake’s family. His stories hint at a complicated past, prompting Zoe to dig deeper into why the locals still refer to the house as Marley’s Place.
This is an intriguing, heartwarming story filled with unexpected twists, tender moments, and the quiet strength of starting over. Long after I turned the final page, Zoe and Flo’s journey stayed with me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.
June 8, 2026
I received this as an arc and I am so thankful that I got to read this early!
I want to start this review off by saying that I love the style of books where we get a past and present and I loved how our main characters stories reflected the story in the past a little bit. I also loved Jake and Marley.
The only thing is that I was more invested in the past storyline than the present and I wish there were more chapters of Marley and Freddy because I love their love story. The other characters just fell a little flat because I couldn’t connect to them very deeply other than with Zoe having an addict as a parent. So I overall enjoyed the story but I was definitely more invested in marly and Freddy!!
I want to start this review off by saying that I love the style of books where we get a past and present and I loved how our main characters stories reflected the story in the past a little bit. I also loved Jake and Marley.
The only thing is that I was more invested in the past storyline than the present and I wish there were more chapters of Marley and Freddy because I love their love story. The other characters just fell a little flat because I couldn’t connect to them very deeply other than with Zoe having an addict as a parent. So I overall enjoyed the story but I was definitely more invested in marly and Freddy!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Just finished The Treasure House by Amy Matthews and it felt like uncovering a story full of heart, history, and hidden meaning. This one blends mystery with emotional depth in such a beautiful way. As the story unfolds, you’re not just discovering secrets from the past you’re watching the characters piece together parts of themselves too. I loved the layered storytelling and the sense of curiosity that carries you through each chapter. It has that quiet, reflective feel while still keeping you hooked on what’s going to be revealed next. If you enjoy stories about hidden histories, personal growth, and a touch of intrigue, this one is definitely worth adding to your list.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved this book so much! Not only was it set in Maine, it was set where I live! So, it was easy to envision the area. The story was just so cute and wonderful. I can't wait to own a paper copy!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews