The Treasure House

by Amy Matthews

An uplifting and heart-rending novel about a single mother who buys a dilapidated cottage in a charming small town to find home and possibly love – from the acclaimed author of Somone Else’s Bucket List , for fans of Jojo Moyes, Tricia Stringer and Tess Woods.

Zoe Copeland and her daughter Florence need a new start. The only problem is, she can’t really afford one . . .

Opportunity calls in the form of a listing for a charming cottage that may just be in their price range. The catch? It’s a treasure house – filled to the brim with junk. The place is a certified disaster zone in the middle of a tiny seaside town Zoe’s never heard of, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Eleven-year-old Florence loves the old house full of knick-knacks and other people’s memories, but Zoe is daunted. It doesn’t help that her grouchy new neighbour, Jake, thinks she’s crazy for taking this on – though that doesn’t stop him from lending a hand, and it’s not long before Zoe can’t get the handsome man off her mind.

As they clear out the house, 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 . . . and just as Marly’s secrets are uncovered, Zoe’s past comes calling.

With her heart and her home on the line, can Zoe put all of the broken pieces of her life back together?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 1, 2026

Reviews

[Leslie Ann (lalasbookishlife) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t tell you the last time I stayed up to read…I’m normally in the bed by 9:30!
But I just couldn’t put this book down. It was such a sweet story. It has two timelines and I absolutely LOVED the one set in the 1950s/1960s. It takes place in Maine and is the perfect late summer/early fall or even Christmas read. It’s not a mystery, but it kept me guessing until the very end and when I made it to the last few chapters I was bawling.
Highly highly recommend! The Treasure House by Amy Matthew’s released 9/1!

[Jess Svajgert · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: September 1, 2026

What a heartfelt gem! I requested this book on a whim because I was intrigued by the idea of a treasure house and wow, it delivered so much more. This was immediately captivating and I was so invested in these characters within a few pages of reading! There is so much love throughout this, showcasing the power of community and chosen family. Filled with strong, empowered women who go for what they want! This seamlessly blends a bit of mystery, trauma, romance, and whimsy all in one. Could not put this book down, loved it and the characters within!

[KBeansbook · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS AN ADVANCED READING COPY FROM NETGALLEY: due to be released to the public on September 1, 2026.
*This is one of the loveliest books I’ve read in a long time.*
Zoe, a single mother to Florence, “Flo”, works as a medical receptionist and is living in a large city with even larger rents. She shares a one bedroom with two twin beds with her daughter, who’s a pre-teen and it’s not exactly the life she wanted for her daughter. Zoe’s Dad, Tim had tried to live with them for roughly 10 months but was relieved to move out back onto campus where he and Zoe had been living prior to her pregnancy. She dropped out of her Junior year of college and got a job full time so that Tim could continue with school. When he graduated, he moved to Seattle on the other side of the country with his fiancé.
One day while on her lunch break with her colleagues, Zoe was looking at homes on a real estate as she typically did to pass the time. She would find her dream homes and imagine what it would be like to own one. Her colleague introduced her to “treasure homes”. These were homes that were full of junk, a previous hoarder would have lived there and these homes were being sold for song. At first Zoe thought this was a crazy idea until she found a darling old home in Oxeye, Maine that was a walk to the beach with a view of the ocean from the home. She decided to do something impulsive for once in her carefully structured life and had contacted the bank and bought the house.
Having grown up with an extreme addict, her mother was frequently in and out of jail. She was a prostitute and a horrific addict who Zoe watched OD several times. She was often left alone, rarely with food and the men her mother brought into their lives were as terrifying as she was and also addicts, She had gone through phases of drugs she would get herself addicted to, meth, cocaine, oxy and naturally alcohol. Meth was the worst drug for Zoe because her mother became so erratic and would be awake for days hallucinating and verbally abusive as well as emotionally mentally and physically negligent. The last time her mother was sent to jail and Zoe was put into another foster was when Zoe wrote a paper describing her vacation. She wrote about trying to make a box of Mac n cheese last for days. This would be her saving grace, as she would end up at Suni and Wayne’s house. The Overbecks had a daughter Ali and a son Lance and had taken in other foster kids as well. They’re foster child and Zoe’s foster sister Bethany had passed away that year and it was their first year without her. They’d all grieved the loss. Zoe had been loved by this family since she was 13 and they loved Flo as if she were their blood relation and granddaughter. They treated Zoe and Flo exactly as they had their own children and Zoe had their love and affection as one of the many reasons she has turned into the woman and mother she was. Her own mother Tina was still in jail for prostitution and possession. She wrote to Zoe, addressing it to the Overbecks because Zoe had wanted nothing to do with Tina nor did she visit her or want her to know where she lived. Tina didn’t even know about Flo. She’d planned to keep it that way.
Once she and Flo got to Oxeye, the hardware store owner was who she had been in contact with while the sale and purchase went through. She went down to the store that was a few doors down from their overflowing “treasure” house to get their keys. When Zoe laid eyes on Jake she had a real hard time removing them. He was not what she had pictured. He didn’t look like a nearly retired middle aged man with a belly. He was more of a six pack, muscular gorgeous specimen of a male who was her age or close to it. Everyone they met in their small little beach town was so friendly and extremely helpful it didn’t take long at all for Zoe and Flo to become close them all. Jake was especially helpful even if he was quite grumpy. But as time went on Zoe would learn the reason for his emotional ups and downs and we will learn, as readers the history of the home and how very loved it was,
The author interweaves in and out of present day with Zoe and Flo living there and from the 1950’s up until it is purchased by Zoe. The Orcutt family originally owned the home, the sisters, Betty and Sylvia’s parents had left the house to them. The two sisters, their children and their husbands spent their entire summers there. The husbands usually worked during the week back home and mainly spent their weekends in Oxeye with the exception of the few weeks they’d take vacation time. Aunt Betty’s girls, Priscilla and Sylvia , were stuck up snobs according to Marley. They always left her out and called her a pip squeak but the summer of 1953, and the summer of Freddie de Marche, she was nearly as tall as Sylvia and she had recently had to buy a bra. She was nearly 15 to their 17 and 18 years old. They weren’t that old even though they told her every day she was a pip squeak and excluded her from everything. Her own brothers were all older than her, Virgil, Paul and Bobby didn’t much like having her around either. Marley Orcutt was the youngest in her immediate family and in her extended family so she was often left out of all the fun things like the St Cyr club that the people who had a lot of money belonged to and stayed at instead of a house, like her family. There were dances and ice cream buffets and all kinds of activities to do like kayak, canoe and play tennis. That summer, Cilla had a boy she went to college with who was dating her and she was invited to go to lunch on their very first day to meet his parents. Everyone was in a tizzy, well all the women of the house were. Marley was envious and even more so when she saw Cilla’s date, Freddie. As the years pass, Marley and Fred become friends and when she learns he’s enlisted in the Army when she is 17 she tells him she loves him. He tells her he loves their friendship but he’s 22 and much too old for her. She vows to wait for him. He promises to write as a friend and always calls her “kid” or “short stuff” which frustrates her. True to his word, he writes and sends postcards everywhere he goes when he’s on leave. For four years, he continues to write but she’s been dealing with a very sick mother. A mother who’s inherited her mother’s illness, early onset dementia in her 40’s. Because Marley was so much younger than her brothers she is the only sibling at home going through it all with her father. She was finally hospitalized once she started leaving the house in the middle of night. The hospital her mother is in makes Marley feel sick to her stomach and her mother scares her when she is confused and acts like she’s still a baby singing lullabies to her or calling her the wrong name. Her Dad is struggling as well. She finally writes Freddie back after he has written to her because one of her cousins had told him the news about her mother. By this time, she is in her 20’s and has graduated college. She invited Fred to come visit her when he informed her he’d be staying a few doors down at her cousins house and she successfully seduces him. Every leave he spends at her house in Oxeye that the family has now given her because she knows they fear that she will be the next victim of the horrendous hereditary disease both her grandmother and mother have succumbed to. She soon finds herself pregnant but only tells her Dad. She doesn’t want to tell Fred because she feels he only sees her as a good time and doesn’t want him to resent her for getting pregnant and forcing his hand in marriage or giving up his career he loves in the Army. The family tells everyone she is engaged to a fellow in the Army and when Fred gets word he writes her telling her he’s an idiot and wished he had made it clear to her before her fiancé did. When she is extremely pregnant, nearly ready to give birth he shows up, proposes and hadn’t even known she was with child or that it was hers. He and Marley have a daughter they name Amber because the name of the book she was reading when she first met him was called “Forever Amber”. Amber becomes an unlucky woman in the family who inherits the horrid disease of early onset dementia. Amber is also Jake’s mother.
When Zoe’s mother shows up on the first Christmas they’re celebrating at their new house with her family, Suni, Wayne, Ali and Lance and his wife as well as Jake, Zoe is shocked to the core. She finds out her mother is out on good behavior early release and is accompanied by her new boyfriend who was her correctional officer while she was in custody. She’s also on parole which she is violating because she’s crossed several state lines without permission and her boyfriend illegally looked into Zoe’s social security information for her new address. Her mother is seemingly under the influence, the new boyfriend scares the hell out of both her and Flo and naturally their unannounced arrival caused an emotional upheaval since Flo had no idea that she had a grandmother let alone one that was an addict and a prostitute and had spent the majority of her mothers life in jail which is why she was in foster care and had Suni and Wayne as her surrogate(foster) parents.
Jake immediately springs to action, removing them from the premises, luring them away from the house and from Zoe and Flo with the promise of a free hotel room from his cousins hotel a town over and free breakfast at the hotel until everyone can have a discussion. Zoe doesn’t want her Tina or her boyfriend near her home or her family and Jake. She gets a call from Jake letting her know that her mother and her boyfriend have had a do not disturb sign on their door for days and when housekeeping does a welfare check they find glass pipes and drug paraphernalia all over the room and the room trashed. Zoe decided to visit her mother and fortunately the boyfriend was out, Zoe was certain he was meeting a dealer though her mother said he was meeting “Dave” whoever that was and how her mother knew someone in Maine, she didn’t want to know. She told her mother she was done with her, she wasn’t allowed at her home or around her daughter and as her mother verbally abuses her per usual blaming Zoe for all the poor choices and her ungratefulness towards Tina, as she rants about everything she gave up and lost because of Zoe, she doesn’t finish listening to her mother and walks away. She drives to the park in Camden, close to where the hotel was because she is hysterical and cannot drive. Jake calls a few minutes later and can tell she’s crying. He tells her to stay there and that he’ll be there as soon as possible. Suddenly there is a knock on her window and it isn’t Jake. It’s Marley, his grandmother whom she’s met briefly at Zoe’s and Jake’s nieces play. Marley invites her to her house just around the corner and begins to tell Zoe her story about her mother’s and daughter’s dementia at such young ages, about Freddie and their love story and how much love the home Zoe bought from Jake was absolutely full of love, much more love than the junk and trash that Zoe found it full of and had begun to see it as a sad and depressing tragic home and family story. This perspective also gave Zoe the insight she too needed to understand her own life and how full of love and affection hers was. The mother, Tina may not have been the one she had been wishing she was but Suni was the mother who filled her whole life with so much love joy acceptance and happiness that she realized all along she had pining for something she had already had. That sometimes the perspectives we hold on to and believe are ours aren’t necessarily the reality we are living.
The was an absolutely endearing story and I loved every bit of it and every character. The depths the author gave the characters and their complex interwoven lives and connections were just beautiful.
Thank you so very much to #NetGalley for this #ARC and to #AmyMatthews for sharing such a heartfelt and lovely story #TheTreasureHouse and to #PenguinRandomHouse.

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Sam Weidman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoe Copeland wants to give her daughter Flo the best life she can, and that includes a space to call her own. The only problem is that housing is expensive, and Zoe can't afford much. She learns about "Treasure Houses" online and finds a cottage in Maine. Treasure houses are called as such due to them being full of "culch" and are sold with everything inside. The opportunity seems too good to be true, but Zoe takes a chance on the charming seaside cottage. She meets Jake, a grump who is native to the town, who reluctantly hands the keys over and thinks Zoe is in way over her head. Zoe and Flo embark on this new endeavor building relationships of all kinds, and while they begin to clear the cottage and make it home, it starts to reveal the truth behind the town and the people who live in it.

This book had an opening that immediately transplants you into Zoe's life. The author brought us with her on a regular day, and it set up the plot and our expectations by showing us rather than just telling. I was put directly into her life as a bystander and was rooting for our main character from the moment I met her.

Every conversation felt natural, and the banter between the characters was so entertaining to read. Flo's interactions with Jake were some of my favorites. Flo is only 11, but read slightly more mature which made perfect sense being she was an only child of a single mom. Flo never lost her childlike whimsy, but she was such a strong individual. Her personality really resonated with me on a personal level, and I felt like it reflected parts of my childhood back at me. Zoe's voice also felt so realistic for her backstory. She read as if she was a bit younger, not in an immature way, but rather the she had to grow and mature quickly due to her upbringing. Being a young single mom allowed her to bond with Flo on a deep level and they understood each other without needing words to communicate. The author wrote every character so exceptionally well. Every conversation and every decision made aligned with the backstory given to each character. Their motivations were always clear, and these felt truly like real people.

The romance element felt natural and inevitable. The way in which these characters resolved their insecurities without projecting onto each other felt mature. They communicated and respected boundaries and didn't push one another. This felt so fresh because a lot of romantic stories rely on miscommunication to create intrigue, but these characters had enough at stake to take it slow and listen to each other and truly build a stable foundation for their relationship to thrive.

I won't elaborate too much because I liked being surprised by the story, but I appreciated the dual timeline. It added so much depth to the story, We were finding out the truth in the present along side it happening in the past, and I find that always adds to the payoff in the end. The writing had me gripped and I found myself engrossed and not wanting to put the book down. I loved these characters and needed to live inside their stories.

I giggled, I cried, I grinned ear to ear. This was such a special book that had so many intrinsically human aspects that gave this book tangibility. This story will live with me for a long time.

I highly recommend, but always check trigger warnings for the heavier topics discussed in this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for an early copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Matthews’s The Treasure House followed me around the house because apparently I could not just leave Zoe, Flo, and that slightly disastrous Maine cottage alone. Thank you to Dell for the gifted advance copy. Also, who else looks at a fixer-upper and thinks, “I could totally do that,” while knowing full well we would cry the first time we opened a wall?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Zoe is a single mom who wants one pretty simple thing: a home where her daughter Flo can finally have a bedroom of her own. When she discovers “treasure houses”—cheap homes sold exactly as they are, junk and all—she takes a huge chance on a cottage in tiny Oxeye, Maine.

And when I say junk, I mean JUNK.

Flo, naturally, thinks they’ve hit the jackpot. Zoe is wondering what on earth she has done. Then there’s Jake, the grumpy, ridiculously attractive neighbor who thinks buying the house was a terrible idea…and keeps showing up to help anyway. I liked him immediately. Grumpy handyman with a soft center? I am only human.

But this ended up being so much more than the cute fixer-upper romance I expected.

As Zoe starts clearing out the house, pieces of its former owner Marly’s life begin appearing, and the story slips into the past. At first I wasn’t sure how invested I would be in that second timeline. Then suddenly I needed Marly’s story just as much as Zoe’s.

There are some heavy things tucked inside these pages—addiction, foster care, childhood neglect, dementia, complicated mother-daughter relationships—and a few moments genuinely hurt my heart. But underneath all of it is this beautiful idea that family isn’t always the people we spend our lives wishing would love us differently. Sometimes it’s the people who simply show up and keep showing up.

And Flo? Absolute scene-stealer. Funny, nosy, smart, and exactly the person I’d want helping me dig through somebody else’s boxes of cat figurines.

By the end, I wasn’t thinking nearly as much about Zoe fixing the house as I was about all the ways that house helped her see her own life differently.

Now tell me: would you buy a bargain “treasure house” filled with someone else’s belongings, or would you see the first room of clutter and RUN?

#TheTreasureHouse #AmyMatthews #Bookstagram #WomensFiction #ContemporaryRomance #FoundFamily #SmallTownFiction

[Jeanne Moore4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars, rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell/Ballantine Publisher for a free advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story was absolutely adorable! I loved it!

Zoe is a single mom to pre-teen Flo, and they live in a shabby 1Br apartment in a big city. Zoe is struggling with their meager lifestyle but doesn't know how to leave her dead-end job and find a place they can truly call home. During lunch breaks, she and her co-workers scroll through real estate listings and dream of living in a beautiful home. One day, Zoe begins looking at listings for "treasure houses," which are houses filled with junk and needing maintenance, but being sold for a song. And a song is about all Zoe can afford.

Ultimately Zoe and Flo settle on a treasure house on the coast of Maine, an idyllic setting in a small town of about a dozen full-time residents. Providentially, a job opens up for Zoe in the local medical office. With the blessing of their chosen family, they take the plunge and move.

Of course, obstacles galore arise. The local handyman is surly and unwelcoming (though very young and attractive.) The house has multiple issues that must be fixed before they can even move in. But the space to call home in a beachside town is a balm and motivator for Zoe to keep going.

Ultimately, this story focuses on issues of found/chosen family and motherhood. Zoe comes from a broken home with a criminal, drug-addicted mother, and she is determined to not allow her daughter to experience what she did. After grappling with her mother as an adult, Zoe comes to accept her loving foster parents as her true parents and grandparents to Flo.

There is a 2nd timeline that is introduced after Zoe and Flo are settled in Maine, and it was a bit awkward to pick that story up mid-way through the book. That timeline explains the family dynamics of the previous owners of Zoe's house. That story mirrors Zoe's in the themes of motherhood.

The author, Amy Matthews, is skilled at writing dialogue, which moves the story along at a good pace. Her characters are well developed and nuanced. Even though this book clocks in at 400 pages, it is a quick and satisfying read.

Highly recommend and I can't wait to read more from this author!

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Zoe Copeland is a single mum of Florence, they live in a one bedroom apartment and she wants the security of owning their own home. Via research she has come up of a way of achieving her dream, buying a treasure house and she finds a cottage in a small seaside town of Oxeye, Maine. There is a catch, the house is run down, and full of junk and the gardens are over grown and gone wild.

They drive to have a look, Zoe needs to collect the key from Jake Abernathy, a grumpy man who owns the hardware store and Lobster Shack. Despite his and her misgivings Zoe buys the cottage and Florence is excited. The house is full clutch, her foster parents visit for a week, and they clear and clean enough space so she and Flo won’t catch any diseases and have somewhere to sleep.

The tale does have a dual timeline, its set in present time and back in the 1950’s when Oxeye was a popular holiday town and so was the nearby resort called Saint-Cyr and the cottage owner Marly was a teenager.

Slowly they make headway, Zoe discovers some diaries written by the elusive Marly and she tries to piece together what happened to her and how did she end up being a hoarder?

I received a copy of The Treasure House by Amy Matthews from Simon & Schuster Australia and NetGalley. The characters are wonderful and diverse, Zoe is a great mum, Flo is inquisitive eleven year old and Jake might be grumpy and he’s also a very attractive and hot single man.

The story covers topics such as being a single parent, wanting to build a life and a home, being a foster kid, a child of an addict, inherited medical conditions, overcoming adversity, families come in many forms, taking risks and hope.

I felt so many emotions reading The Treasure House, from interest, concern (I cared what happened to the characters) and all while working out the mystery, secrets and history. I bawled my eyes out a couple of times, it was so engaging, meaningful, funny and heart-warming and I didn’t want it to end.

Five stars from me and a must read.

[Bonny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the premise of The Treasure House. A single mother and her young daughter buying a neglected house overflowing with decades of accumulated belongings has all the ingredients for a cozy, emotionally satisfying story. Watching someone slowly reclaim both a home and a life can make for a compelling read.

For me, though, the execution made it clear that I'm probably not the target audience. This is a perfectly pleasant romance, but many of the obstacles are resolved so easily that the story never felt especially grounded. Zoe sees the house, makes one phone call to the owner, another to the bank, and suddenly she's a homeowner. The many challenges of rehabilitating a rundown house are similarly smoothed over with the help of an endlessly supportive circle of friends and neighbors. Even major jobs, like putting up storm windows during a coastal storm, seem to come together with surprising ease.

The romance was equally predictable. As soon as the somewhat taciturn owner of Jake's Hardware and Lobster Shack appeared, it was obvious where that storyline was headed. Predictability isn't necessarily a flaw. Sometimes it's exactly what you're looking for in a comfort read, but there weren't many surprises along the way.

I did enjoy the small mystery surrounding the previous owner, Marly, and the parallels between her life and Zoe's added some emotional depth. Florence was also a charming presence, bringing warmth and optimism to the story.

Overall, The Treasure House is an easy, feel-good novel that offers a comforting escape. While I wanted a little more realism and complexity in both the home renovation and the relationships, readers looking for a cozy romance with a hopeful message and a satisfying happy ending will likely find plenty to enjoy and a welcome respite from the news.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell for providing me with a copy of the book. It will be published on September 1, 2026.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“All things great are wound up with all things little.” by L. M. Montgomery is the third epigraph that starts this book. I haven’t until recently started really paying attention to these but I have found when I do, I look to see if the book mirrors any of them. Indeed I can say this cozy contemporary second chance love story shows that little things make a difference as the protagonist says at the end “Today was just an ordinary day. The kind that comes every day, one ordinary day in a long chain of ordinary days . . . ordinary days can change your life.” Yes indeed, life that is simple is the best.

Zoe Copeland is in need of a life change which she thinks she may have found in a fixer-upper in Maine. It’s the right price but comes as is, filled with junk - literally a treasure house. So Zoe and her daughter, Florence, go to see what treasures await them.

Eleven year old Florence loves the house - she gets her own room! Zoe is overwhelmed by the mess and the cost of fixing the cottage up. She’s also inherited a grumpy neighbor, Jake, who thinks she’s nuts to take the house on, but he helps her anyway. But then as fall approaches, Zoe becomes intrigued by the home’s former owner, Marly, and what’s she finding there - secrets that open up painful secrets in Zoe’s past too. When Zoe learns who the real Marly is things get interesting and Jake takes on new interest for Zoe. This, however, is not a steamy romance.

There are past and present timelines woven into the story that tell the stories of Zoe and Marky but these flow rather seamlessly. The atmosphere is light- hearted and sweet - perfect for when you need a book that’s just going to entertain and make you feel good. I liked that about this book. Zoe and Jake are cute characters as is Marky.

My thanks to NetGalley and Dell for allowing me access to this ARC.

[P H · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kerrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Treasure House is a heartfelt and touching story about Zoe, a single mother who purchases a “treasure house” in the tiny town of Oxeye, Maine. These homes are sold at a substantial discount because they are filled with years’ worth of accumulated belongings that the new owner must clear out. Zoe works incredibly hard to give her daughter, Flo, a happy and stable life, especially because Zoe’s own mother, Tina, is an imprisoned drug addict. Zoe chooses to keep Tina’s existence a secret from Flo, believing she is protecting her daughter.

The incredibly handsome hardware store owner who lives across the street tries to dissuade Zoe from purchasing the home. But once she moves in, the sparks start to fly.

As Zoe begins cleaning out the house, we learn about Marly and the family history connected to the property, which has been passed down through generations. Zoe assumes the house must have a tragic and disturbing history, but as the layers are gradually peeled away, the truth turns out to be much more complicated.

What I enjoyed most about this novel was its exploration of addiction and the devastating impact it can have on families. It also raises thoughtful questions about what really makes a family—biology, love, loyalty, or simply the people who are there for you when you need them most.

My biggest pet peeve was the author’s attempt to create suspense surrounding the previous owner and the history of the house. I found this difficult to believe because Zoe had to sign a contract with the seller before purchasing the property and would have received a deed at closing. It seemed unlikely that she could know so little about the home’s ownership history. I am giving it 4-stars instead of 5 because this drove me crazy.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Treasure House” by Amy Matthews is a heart warming story about Zoe, a single mother trying to give her 11 year old daughter Flo a better life, while dealing with her own bitter memories of a childhood spent caring for a drug addict mother, and growing up in foster care. Tired of living in a small one bedroom apartment and forcing her daughter to share a room with her, Zoe starts researching available “treasure houses,” homes that were filled with junk and otherwise needing repair, which can be bought at a low price. She finds one in Maine, a 12 hour drive from Pittsburgh, where she is currently living. Impulsively, she packs up the car and goes to the small town of Oxebow to look at the house for herself.

Despite its state of disrepair, Zoe loves the ocean view, sees the house’s hidden charms and decides to purchase it. With the help of her former foster parents and the current full time residents, including Jake, the hunky owner of the town’s hardware store, Zoe slowly begins to rid the house of its junk and restore it to its former glory. Along the way, she learns to break down the walls she built after a lifetime spent being ignored by her junkie mother and fearing rejection and loss.

The multi-dimensional characters are well-drawn and the scenery and house are vividly rendered in beautiful prose. In addition, the life-affirming lessons it provides with its portrayal of a strong, resilient main character in Zoe makes for an uplifting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell Publishing Company for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never heard of a treasure house but I was enthralled with the concept and this story. Zoe Copeland is a single mother to Florence (Flo), she is trying to provide a stable childhood for her daughter. Zoe's own childhood was full of trauma with a addict for a Mom. After being put into the foster system multiple times, Zoe finally lands with Suni and Wayne, a wonderful couple who provide a safe place to land. Zoe spends her lunch hours fantasy house hunting when she is introduced by a co-worker to treasure houses, basically houses filled with junk for sale. Realizing, this may be the only way to provide Flo with a home, and with backing from Suni and Wayne, Zoe and Flo head to Maine to look at a treasure house. While Zoe may be overwhelmed, Flo is thrilled with all the culch. When the local hardware store owner, Jake tries to dissuade Zoe from taking on the project, she realizes the possibilities and purchases the property. Zoe soon learns what a community is, what good neighbors are, how sexy Jake is and just what she is capable of. As she clears the house, she soon discovers letters and postcards to the previous owner, Marly, who was she and why did she end up hoarding.

This is a wonderful story and I enjoyed the community of Oxeye with all its characters. Several hard topics are discussed including addiction and dementia, both are handled in a gentle manner without over dramatization. My favorite character is Flo, eleven years old but worldly and wise beyond her years. This is a touching story, heartfelt and worth a read. We all could use these characters in our lives. Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine.

[Kari Bunce (Books With Herb) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Treasure Found!

This book had it all—a little mystery, a little romance, a family lost and found, and a wonderfully unique premise. Fair warning: you may find yourself browsing real estate listings by the time you finish!

In The Treasure House, Amy Matthews introduces us to Zoe, a single mother who is desperate for a change in her small, predictable world. While casually browsing online real estate listings, she discovers a program that sells homes for next to nothing—as long as the buyer agrees to take the property exactly as it is.

On a whim, Zoe purchases a tiny cottage in coastal Maine that was previously owned by a hoarder. When she and her charming, precocious daughter, Flo, arrive in their new town, they discover much more than a house. What they find is a community, a sense of belonging, and connections they never expected.

Following Zoe and Flo as they clean out, restore, and uncover the secrets hidden within the cottage is an absolute delight. Matthews takes readers on a treasure hunt filled with heart, hope, and unexpected discoveries. I loved watching the house come back to life and seeing the relationships that developed along the way.

The setting is charming, the characters are easy to root for, and the mystery of what might be hidden inside the house kept me turning pages. By the end, I was completely won over by this story and wishing I could book a trip to Oxeye, Maine myself.

Herb and I give this one 🦴🦴🦴🦴 4 big bones! We're currently researching vacation homes in Oxeye, Maine and wishing it were a real place.

[Anne Wolters · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe Copeland has had a hard life, having been in and out of foster care as a young girl due to her mother's drug addictions, and then finding herself pregnant in college and forced to drop out to take care of her daughter Flo. Together Zoe and Flo live a quiet life in a one-bedroom apartment in Pittsburgh when one day one of her coworkers tells her about "treasure houses" that sparks a new plan to improve her life. Zoe ends up buying a run down, "culch" filled treasure house in a small town on the coast near Camden, ME, and finds herself becoming part of a small town in a way that she never imagined possible.
Treasure House is about the search for home, and finding your place in a family, and believing in yourself in the best ways possible. The romance and found family tropes were well done, and the writing was lovely. I also very much enjoyed the dual timeline about Marly, a previous owner of the treasure house that Zoe buys and learning how the home ended up so full of junk and became so neglected. The character development and growth that Zoe showed from start to finish was also heartwarming. I would certainly recommend this book to readers who are looking for something a bit cozy, with real depth.
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

[Danna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Treasure House is a sweet, heartwarming book. Zoe and her daughter Flo have been living paycheck to paycheck in Pittsburgh. Zoe can’t imagine a world where she’ll ever get ahead, let alone own her own home. And then she learns about treasure houses: homes so filled with junk that they sell well below market value. The buyer is signing on to deal with a ton of junk, remove it, and then sink a ton of money into flipping the home.

Zoe finds a dream of a treasure house in coastal Maine. She and Flo move there and quickly become integrated in the tiny town where everyone knows or is related to everyone else. We start to learn the history of Zoe’s home through chapters into its past and via the town’s residents (which include a very dreamy hardware store & lobster shack owner, love interest: Jake).

I really enjoyed the characters, present and past, and the story. This book felt sweet and fun from start to finish. In particular, Flo’s slightly snarky, insightful tweenage character was a delight.

Highly recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite quote:

“Mr. Stanford de Marche looked like a man who’d be more comfortable in a uniform, Marly thought. He was a stiff sort of man, with a military haircut, a ramrod-straight back, and a complete inability to engage in small talk. Marly quite liked him.”

[LP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book.

4.5 stars
First, the cover is absolutely perfect and it's what drew me to request this. Whoever designed it, kudos to you. Second, the author nailed it with the character of Flo. I find (especially lately) that child characters are either too annoying for their own good, so much so that I don't enjoy reading about them, or they're written like they're in their twenties. Flo was a delight and so funny. I could picture her like I was watching her in a movie. In fact, I could picture everyone and every setting like a movie, and for me, that's a mark of a very good writer. I adored this book. It was loving and heartwarming and yes, a bit sad. Zoe and Jake are so perfect for each other and I loved the slow burn of their relationship. The found family aspect was so moving, especially the scenes with Suni and Wayne - I got a bit teary several times with them. I loved Hazel and how Jake "wasn't ready" for her - that part rang so true - and the way she weaseled her way into his life was spot on. The only reason this isn't 5 stars is because it took me quite a while to get into the "past" chapters - the first couple of those chapters really slowed down the narrative for me. Highly recommend this one.

[Monica Hills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly a treasure!

Zoe is a young single mother who just wants her own home. After looking on social media she finds that there are houses known as treasure houses because they are easily affordable. The only catch is that they are usually in need of lots of repair and may have lots of junk. Zoe finds one in coastal Maine and she is determined to make this her own home. However after meeting her new neighbors and the hot caretaker Jake, Zoe finds that there is something secretive about the house's former owner Marley. Zoe wants to not only set the house to rights but figure out Marley's story. She also finds herself drawn to Jake. The only problem is Zoe has secrets of her own.

I really loved this book. There were flashbacks to Marley's life that I thoroughly enjoyed. Her story was just as interesting as Zoe. I also loved Zoe's daughter Flo. She was a delightful character and she had such great moments in the story. I loved learning the different secrets and the connections between characters. I did not want to put this book down. It was not only a super sweet romance novel but also a heartwarming story. A fantastic read that anyone will enjoy.

Thank you to Ballantine Bantam/Dell and NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Rebecca Gervais · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. First of all, thanks to NetGalley and Dell Publishing Company for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review. 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 story revolves around Zoe slowly ridding the house of its junk and restoring it to its former glory. Along the way, she learns to break down the walls she built after a lifetime spent being ignored by her junkie mother and fearing rejection and loss and builds a new relationship with Jake, the owner of the nearby hardware store.
The setting is charming, the characters and found family delightful, and the mystery of the house and it’s owners was engaging. I would happily move to Oxeye, Maine myself :) This is a cozy, heartwarming story and I would definitely recommend.

[Kelsey MacGlashing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cozy and heartwarming. I loved the dual timelines and how they wove together. There was romance and mystery and I really wasn't sure how everything would come together until the last chapter. The book touched on some pretty heavy topics (addiction, dementia) but did so in a gentle and thoughtful way. Flo was such a fun book kid and brought so much levity throughout and I will think of her any time I watch Annie in the future! Teenage Marly was also witty and sharp and her dialogue had be cracking up in her early chapters. The coastal Maine setting was so nostalgic as someone who also spent summers in Maine and the book captured the seaside charm of a lot of small towns along the coast.

There were a few chapters in the beginning that dragged a bit and made me think that the book could have been slightly shorter but once it got going, I flew through the second half. I wished there was more chemistry and banter between Jake and Zoe in the middle part of the book. Their meeting in the beginning is what hooked me into the book and I loved them by the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would absolutely recommend it.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Zoe and her daughter Flo are making the best of a tough life living in a one room apartment and getting by, but Zoe wants Flo to have a better life and a room of her own. With no extra money this seems impossible until she learns about Treasure Houses, or those that need serious love and attention, but not as much money since they usually need a lot of cleaning out before the major repairs can be done. Zoe finds one in Maine and they set off with big dreams and high hopes.

To get the key they must meet Jake who is surly and buff. He has quite an attitude and is not afraid to show that he thinks this house will be way too much for them. That only makes Zoe more determined so she submits a bid and buys the house.

What a project, filled all the way to the roof and porch and yard, but the small town and her support family all pitch in; Jake, too. You can tell where that is going.

A nice story; not one that will keep you up all night reading, but a welcome book to pick up whenever you can.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. Zoe wants to own a house of her own with her eleven-year-old daughter. She has heard about treasure houses where you can get them cheap because they are full of junk. So she finds a house in Maine that they can afford and she jumps on it. Jake is her handsome neighbor who helps her fix up the house, but he seems to know a lot about the house already. Also, everyone seems to be related in this town. Zoe grew up in foster care so she has a lot of issues and while she finds Jake attractive she doesn't know if she should go there. Issues were definitely solved smoothly and quickly, buying the house, repairing the house, Zoe's issues with her birth mother. And I thought we might be told why the family that owned the house originally did not take the personal items or even the stuff that was worth something, so I was confused by that. Who leaves a Tiffany lamp? But the ending was sweet and I even teared up.

-It's not a matter of how crazy you are, but how you use your crazy to be happy."

-"Anger isn't useful. It's best to just move on."

-"Sometimes it's hard to give ourselves the understanding and compassion we give so readily to others."

[Mallory Moureau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine and Amy Matthews for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book from this author.

The book was told in 2 timelines and reminded me of a Beatrice Williams book in the writing style.

A beautiful book that touches on belonging, family, neglect and found family. These themes are threaded between both timelines and weave the stories together nicely.

In our present timeline our FMC has had a very challenging life and as a young single parent, is struggling to keep herself and her daughter in a one bedroom apartment when she hears about treasure houses and gets the idea to buy one. The story follows that process in present day and flashes back to the story of the woman who lived there before she bought it.

There is heartbreaking on page early onset dementia within the story along with drug use, mentions of overdose and child abandonment.

While I was cheering for our couple and recognize they had been giving each other longing looks for weeks things did seem to progress quite quickly for them.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Pittsburgher, there were two references in the beginning of this book that almost caused me to stop reading. The story opens in Pittsburgh, and the main character, Zoe, refers to South Oakland and Squirrel Hill South. Absolutely no one here adds the "south."

Thankfully, however, I kept reading, and the more I read, the more I got into the story. Admittedly, I was worried that the majority of the book would be taken up by Zoe dealing with her treasure house, but thankfully we were saved all those details.

This is a story about single mother Zoe, and pre-teen daughter Flo, who purchase a treasure house and start a new life in Maine. I hadn't heard of a treasure house prior to this. We're treated to the past, with the POV of Marly, who Zoe thinks is the owner of all the stuff in the house. Zoe's had a difficult life, so there are some heavy topics. Ultimately, it is an uplifting story about found family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC.

[Meraki Komorebi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) | Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with an ARC.
This was a great read for being simple yet nuanced. The characters, setting and the pace never felt too much despite the fact that it was very much multifaceted.
It also dealt with many heavy themes such as addiction, child neglect, foster care, single parenting, dementia and alzheimer's.
I never felt that our MC took decisions with haste and the small town welcoming them with open arms as well as the found family with her foster family was just beautiful. Also MC keeping her biological mother out of her life was a courageous move in not being brow beaten in forgiving her. Yes, her mother might have had difficult life but so did our MC and she didn't succumb to the cycle and stepped up and gave her daughter a better life.

[BHK · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Treasure House by Amy Matthews was such a cozy and heartwarming read that completely pulled me in! The whole concept of buying a home filled with years of someone else’s belongings made for such a unique and memorable story! I loved following Zoe and her daughter, Flo, as they worked toward a fresh start. I also loved the small town Maine setting and the wonderful sense of community. The neighbors, the cozy atmosphere, and the growing friendships made Oxeye feel like a place I would love to visit. The dual timelines were one of my favorite parts. Learning about the home’s former owner added the perfect amount of mystery, and I enjoyed seeing how the past and present slowly came together. The romance was sweet, and I especially liked watching Zoe slowly open her heart as she rebuilt both the house and her life. It was a beautiful story about healing, hope, found family, and discovering that home is more than just a place!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down. From the cover to the content, it was part cozy and part complicated—truly a wonderful mix to keep the story moving along. Single mother Zoe moves to Maine in an attempt to find a better life for her and her daughter and takes on a “treasure house,” that is, a worn out home filled with the junk of its former owner. The descriptions of the location, the house, and the little community are really lovely, and 11-year-old Flo is wise beyond her years and very, very funny. What seems like junk turns out to be various kinds of treasure, and the experience of fixing the home, finding true family, and being with the residents of the little town prove to be the renovated life. Highly recommended for discussion.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoe Copeland is a single mom, a medical receptionist with an eleven year old daughter. Zoe and her daughter Florence share a one bedroom apartment.
One day on her lunch break Zoe was looking at homes on real estate sites. One of her colleagues introduces her to “Treasure Homes.” These are homes filled with junk, other peoples memories and sold as is. Homes that would actually be affordable for Zoe to buy.
Zoe finds an old charming cottage in Oxeye, Maine with an ocean view.
Zoe is overwhelmed by the amount of junk and all the repairs. What are the costs of fixing up this delightful cottage.
Flo is loving the quirky treasures she finds throughout the house.
This really was a heartwarming story. Filled with challenges, intrigue, insight to understand one’s own life, dementia, foster care, addiction and much more.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read this book.