After helping her mom downsize and move into a new home in her hometown of LaJolla, Stevie Green starts her own decluttering business (along with her previously estranged sister) and attempts to turn her life around. Her life has been a mess for 20 plus years after a silly high school incident; she has to stop drinking and figure out who she really is.
This was a quick read for me and my first by Swan Huntley. Told mostly from Stevie’s perspective with short chapters from other characters woven in, the author explores difficult topics like sexuality and addiction and being comfortable and proud of who you really are. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital arc of this book.

I was invited to read this one directly from the publisher - though I may have stumbled across this one otherwise, as a few years ago, I read and liked an earlier novel from the author. This one is a sort of delayed coming-of-age story. The titular character, Stevie Green, has spent over a quarter of a century as a mostly functional alcoholic- moving around from city to city, seeking a clean slate. At the book's open, now 37, Stevie has returned home to La Jolla, California, ostensibly to help her mother downsize. Instead, she thinks that she has found her calling as a professional organizer. In helping others pare down their lives, she's found the ability to stop drinking and to start cleaning up her own life. Because of her drinking, she never really got to know herself - and she blames the downfall of her whole life, not on her own actions, but of those of the person who created a crushing campaign poster against her run for office in high school.

The bulk of the book comes from Stevie's perspective, but a few other voices are present as well. It's a fast read - and though the plot doesn't hold any real surprises, it is a hopeful story of self-discovery that may inspire some readers to tackle their own closets - either literally or metaphorically. I think that this one would make for a good choice for book clubs or discussion groups, too. It's a quickly paced read that captured my attention from start to finish. I am looking forward to seeing what Huntley writes next!

I'm really torn on what to rate this one, so I'm going with 3.5 stars for now.
It's amazing how well Huntley manages such a positive spin on a story about a lead character hitting rock bottom and working hard to remake their life. It might be in part because Stevie Green tends to gloss over negative things, but even at the lowest points, there's a sense of positivity that I appreciated. There are some very tough, yet important topics discussed in a light way that I liked because I'm just not in the mood for heavy drama right now. Yet it also feels like it glosses a bit too much over the very hard things that happened to Stevie and the big life-changing decisions and discoveries that's she's going through.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the thought-provoking read!

Thank you so much to the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. Getting Clean With Stevie Green was an interesting, different type of romance. I would say this is very thought provoking and quirky. It was heavy at times and sad but a solid well rounded book.

This is definitely a case of not judging a book by it's cover. I thought it would be light and breezy and at times it did have some light, funny moments. Stevie Green is at a major crossroads in her life and there is plenty of blame to go around as we soon find out. I wasn't sure how multiple POVs would play out but I kind of enjoyed to build up to the big reveal. What I liked best though was equating the decluttering of other people's homes to finally decluttering her past, life and mind. I saw myself in Stevie way more than I was comfortable with but I find myself wanting to finally declutter my own life.

Stevie Green help people organize and clean the issues out of their lives, but in reality needs to take her own advice. After drugs and alcohol have taken the majority of her life she moves back home to start over. Reacquainted with her mom, sister and old high school friends Stevie must face her past while staying sober with one goal to beat Ursula and become the #1 organizer in the area

This read was fun and while the topic was a little heavy it was written beautifully. I loved the family bond between the Green women and I liked the dual perspectives from all the different characters.

Total campy, fluffy, chic-lit book perfect as a palate cleanser between heavier books or when you've worked two 12 hour days in a row but still want to settle down before bedtime with a little light reading. Sure there are some serious topics included here: alcoholism, sexual identity, and mental health, but they are all only lightly brushed during the course of watching Stevie reconnect with her estranged sister as they start a business together. Yes, there could have been more drama, and with the main character being 37 years old, some of the drama included seemed a bit silly. The end result was a read that won't tax the reader too much and will instead provide a few light chuckles, a couple of head nods, a smile, and lowered blood pressure. Sometimes that is exactly what you need!

Stevie Green is getting clean. Or is she?

There was a lot I wanted to love about this book that ended up falling flat for me. The story as a whole was a great concept: a few love interests, a few mysteries/scandals, a clear goal. Except it was pretty easy to guess where all of it was going early on. And as fun as it still was, I just did not like Stevie Green. I found most of her clients a lot more interesting, and we only got glimpses of their lives. As a whole, it was fun but not very memorable. Worth a read, but don't try to dig too deep.

Thank you to Gallery Books for providing me with an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars

Sometimes, you just need to spend some time with a character who is an absolute hot mess.

Stevie Green is probably going to be one of those characters that readers are either going to love or hate. She is a mess of contradictions and in denial about her own denial, but Huntley has given her an absolutely singular voice that I just couldn't help but get wrapped up in. I would describe it as like watching a car crash. You know you should look away, but you just can't.

The pacing is a bit erratic as we have a really exciting low burn to this explosive climax that got wrapped up a bit too quickly for my taste. However, in my opinion, getting to spend time in Stevie's head is absolutely worth the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

This was just an okay, mediocre, predictable read for me. Stevie is a flawed character that deals with her sexuality, being a woman, betrayals and her mental health. She was the only characters that I felt any attachment to throughout this book. Other side characters had too many sub-plots and I felt the focus drifting from Stevie's journey, which was predictable. This book also does not have an ending that concludes nicely, which was another disappointment.

I can only recommend this for Stevie, if you only read her chapters. The rest of the book is forgettable. JMO.

Thanks to Netgalley, Swan Huntley and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 2/1/21

Stevie Green is thirty-seven years old and can't get past a high school scandal. It has affected her for most of her life. But she has decided that her binge drinking and sex with strange men. After her mother calls her home to help clean up and organize as she moves into a new home, Stevie decides it is time to clean up and get things together in her own life as well. She decides to put her skills to use and begins a decluttering business. She is good at it, she is irked by being #2 as she can't beat Ursula, a decluttering champion, but she is getting clients and living a clean life herself. If only, she can get past that scandal!

Ever hang on to something in your life? Whether it be clothes you hope to one day fit into again, letters, things you don't want to part with due to sentimental value? What if what you hang onto is a past hurt, past shame, a past feeling of betrayal?

This was a fun, fast read that does deal with big issues such as addiction, sexuality, and betrayal. I enjoyed the pace and the story. This was a nice change to what I normally read. I didn't love it, but I still found it to be enjoyable. I doubt I remember it in months to come, but it was a nice way to spend a snowed in day.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com

I really don't know what genre this should be classified as. There was a bit of mystery in the way that you already know what happened but aren't exactly sure how it came to be. There was a little romance or really a whole lot of bad decisions that involved other people but no chemistry or anything to qualify it as a romance novel. I guess the best I could describe it was as if a bad self-help book was turned into a fictional novel where the main character needed the most help of all but none of the characters exhibited any role model behavior. I read it fairly quickly but it was too fluffy for a book about topics that aren't fluffy at all.

Stevie Green is 37 and is still a hot mess. She starts her drinking and drug use in high school and it continues for 20 more years. She jumps from job to job in different locations. After an accident almost kills her she decides to return home to La Jolla to be near her mom and sister. As the reader meets her she is living in LJ, and running a decluttering business. There is humor and sadness as she peps herself and her clients up with daily affirmations to purge things weighing them down. She re-meets up with her high school boyfriend who beat her for class president and he wants to start something new. She also sees her best (girl) friend who she has blamed for two decades for an incident that she saw as life altering.

There is some humor in this women's fiction with family relations and the clients. But more often it feels confusing. You want to shake people and tell them to grow up or get therapy. Who was behind the HS incident is predictable. The wealthy mother loves her girls but continues to enable and indulge. (She buys matching new cars.) By the end I'm not sure Stevie has come to terms with use of alcohol, sex or her treatment of people who love her. I like Chris but am not sure why she couldn't move on from Stevie. It ends in a positive happy for now way but I'm not convinced it was a HEA.

Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stevie's life has been a mess since high school but she's always been an ace organizer so when she finds herself back home at her mom's at the age of 37, she goes into business helping others get rid of their junk. She hasn't gotten rid of her own psychic junk though- she's still holding onto an incident that happened in high school. Her sister B0nnie is also at loose ends so at the urging of their mom. they work together. They reconnect with their pasts, especially Stevie, who sees both her high school love interests. The best parts of this involve their clients- I suspect more than one reader will recognize a bit of themself in one or more of the people they help. The weak spot- well, really, Stevie is remarkably immature. And yes Mom is an artist but is that what has been funding her daughters into these ages AND that real estate! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Huntley is a good storyteller and I found myself swept up in the story even as I shook my head periodically at Stevie. It's an entertaining read.

Getting Clean With Stevie Green by Swan HuntleyI
rarely do not finish a book - but I did not finish this one.

This book was very different from many of the books I read. Stevie is character with a lot of flaws, but she’s redeemable. I appreciate flawed characters!!! The character growth with this one was solid! The family dynamic was interesting. I like this book enough to see it to the end. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book!

This book was NOT what I was expecting. In a great way! I didn’t find it “dark”. I found it refreshing. It hit on a lot of dark topics but it wasn’t depressing.

Based on the synopsis of the book I thought Stevie was going to be a drug addict loser but she isn’t! She is out together and doesn’t like to draw outside the lines. She likes order and perfection and needed alcohol to help her blur her edges. THATs why I think she is relatable. And likeable.

This book has multiple viewpoints point short chapters which made it quick to read and exciting.

It kind of reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six, but I can’t articulated why. I hope this book does really well. I did have some unanswered questions that maybe aren’t important, but I felt could have been quick to go over. Like why did they have money? Where were other people from high school since Stevie was so popular?

Thank you for the advanced copy!

Stevie Green is the Maria Kondo for millennials. Does Stevie love Maria? Nope. But Stevie's feelings are around the same as how I feel for this tale.

This book had numerous loose ties and character arcs that made you scratch your head. With a fast pace, I wanted there to be a clearer edit between character point of views. This book does shine with description and cut to the chase scenes however; the plot left me scratching my head.

Overall: I have not felt this conflicted about a book since Girl in Pieces because I was sad and still thought about a lot, but I could not tell if it was healthy.

Pros:
Format. Short chapters make stories like this even more compelling.
Emotional. This book really gets in your feelings because it covers a pretty complex set of topics such as alcoholism and coming to terms with your sexuality later in life.

Cons:
Mental Health. This book tackles some heavy topics. So obviously, handle with care; however, I can not tell if they were done so realistic that I disliked them or it was outlandish.

To put it as succinctly as possible, Getting Clean With Stevie Green is a frenetic dash of a book about a woman who is a hot mess and trying to hide it by cleaning up other people's lives. Stevie may be able to let things go, but letting grudges go is a completely different story. She hasn't been speaking to her former best friend for twenty years, because she's convinced that Chris did something to destroy her life. Something that just about any rational person would have gotten over relatively quickly. And so she's been a wanderer and an alcoholic until her mom convinces her to come home and help her clean her house out. Which leads her to start a decluttering business and become obsessed with having a better rating than her competition in town. And if you're saying to yourself, "this isn't really healthy", you would be correct. The story is mostly told from Stevie's perspective, but occasionally from others close to her. This doesn't necessarily accomplish a lot, except to show that Stevie and her sister Bonnie (who is now in business with her) are likely the way they are in no small part due to having a dead father and a wealthy mother that gave them whatever they wanted. This book is likely to be a love it or hate it, and I struggled. I know they were intended to be funny, but it was hard for me to get past how messed up they were, and how oblivious they were to it. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.