Amy Snow by Tracy Rees

Winner of the UK's Richard & Judy Search for a Bestseller Competition, this page-turning debut novel follows an orphan whose late, beloved best friend bequeaths her a treasure hunt that leads her all over Victorian England and finally to the one secret her friend never shared.  

It is 1831 when eight-year-old Aurelia Vennaway finds a naked baby girl abandoned in the snow on the grounds of her aristocratic family's magnificent mansion. Her parents are horrified that she has brought a bastard foundling into the house, but Aurelia convinces them to keep the baby, whom she names Amy Snow. Amy is brought up as a second-class citizen, despised by Vennaways, but she and Aurelia are as close as sisters. When Aurelia dies at the age of twenty-three, she leaves Amy ten pounds, and the Vennaways immediately banish Amy from their home.  

But Aurelia left her much more. Amy soon receives a packet that contains a rich inheritance and a letter from Aurelia revealing she had kept secrets from Amy, secrets that she wants Amy to know. From the grave she sends Amy on a treasure hunt from one end of England to the other: a treasure hunt that only Amy can follow. Ultimately, a life-changing discovery awaits...if only Amy can unlock the secret. In the end, Amy escapes the Vennaways, finds true love, and learns her dearest friend's secret, a secret that she will protect for the rest of her life.  

An abandoned baby, a treasure hunt, a secret. As Amy sets forth on her quest, readers will be swept away by this engrossing gem of a novel the wonderful debut by newcomer Tracy Rees. -indiebound.org

It's easy to understand how Amy Snow by Tracy Rees won a contest to search for a bestseller. This was a great story that blended elements of romance, mystery and historical fiction.  I loved the upstairs/downstairs friendship between Amy and Aurelia.  It was a good patch for the hole the end of Downton Abbey left me with.  I loved the unraveling and guessing of Aurelia's secrets along with Amy. I suspected her secret before Amy did but the journey was fun nonetheless.  This was a great read, definitely check it out.  You can find Amy Snow at your favorite bookseller today!

If you visit the publisher's website, you'll find a book club guide and a Q&A with the author.

****/5

Special thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.