Engaging and entertaining, Declutter Like a Mother was a fun take on doing just that. Geared more for busy mom’s, this book offers practical tips and guidance on tackling clutter for good. Fun, useful read.

This book was ok. It didn’t have any information that I didn’t know already, but it is always nice to hear reminders of the importance of decluttering your home.

Simple, easy to follow guide for declutting. Goes by different areas of the house to help things become more manageable. I am already a minimalist but this helped give me the motivation to purge even more.

I was a bit skeptical before reading this book - I thought "another blogger with unrealistic advices, telling me how to be a perfect mom". But I still decided to give Allie's book a change. And I am so happy that I did: I was pleasantly surprised how relatable and down to earth Allie was. While her book didn't reinvent the wheel (mostly it is common sense), it was a pleasant read that provided some useful tips and encouraged me to take a different approach to my motherhood, family and home.

What I did not enjoy was what felt like constant advertisement of her paid courses, but I just tried to ignore those parts of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Nelson for an ARC for the option to leave a review voluntarily. I really like this book, it provided useful tips and the emotional connection of a mom trying to juggle so much resonated with me. I found the suggestions easy to follow and helpful for my home.

Declutter Like a Mother is the most recent book by stay-at-home mom, turned blogger, turned entrepreneur, Allie Casazza. She found many benefits in decluttering/minimizing. This book explores the steps she's given her consulting clients to go through their belongings.

Before I get too deep into the review, I got this book off NetGalley. So I didn't pay for this book (thanks). But most importantly, I'm not the intended demographic for this book: I'm not a mother. Casazza does mention early on that this book can be read by anyone. But I got called Mama enough times, that I'm not convinced that this is true.

My largest gripe about this book and something that makes it feel less evergreen, despite it being a new release (Sept 2021) is the number of references to her programs and website. Very early in the book you discover that this book is basically a promotion tool for her online program for decluttering your home (priced at $397 USD at the time of writing). The chapter on tackling children's bedrooms seems sparse, and Casazza happens to offers a program on her website specifically for decluttering children rooms ($349 USD).

You can definitely read the book and follow the steps and likely get ~a declutter~. But the majority of the steps are so light on details. Which is a mixed bag. I dislike books that are too repetitive when it comes to the declutter process. But this swung the other direction.

For example, the Chapter about clothing. Which is big enough of a topic that there are many books just tackling that, was really really vague. She mentioned keeping what fits and you enjoy having. Then goes on a multi-paragraph discussion of how her favorite underwear are the high-rise Spanx, and why it's her favorite. I didn't find that helpful to my own closet pair down process.

But the closet isn't the first area she recommends you declutter. Which is very refreshing for this style of book. That fresh feeling was short lived though. Because the title of the chapter starting the declutter method dang near killed me:

Chapter 5 - Begin Here - Where the Poop Happens

Some people may find that chapter title funny. Maybe people will appreciate random Fergie reference from a song that came out in 2003, that was used in another chapter title. But I just find the writing style very dated. I would have completed believed you if you had told me this book came out in, like, 2014-2017 during the high of the Chevron, mint green, maxi dress era of life.

Despite me thinking the writing style was dated, it was straightforward, and easy to follow. I wish the book was more detailed, and didn't reference her website as much. After the chapters about the declutter, she did have a FAQ and testimonial section that was an interesting addition. I would have liked it expanded as well. She mentions having clients, I would loved to know more about of their common road blocks and how to get past them. But I guess that's something only people in the paid course get to know.

In general, you are asked to visualize the intention you have for the space and keep items that serve that purpose. She was really clear at multiple times in the book, that the program isn't about minimalism, but "it's about having less of what doesn't matter in order to make room for what does".

I actually did a bunch of research to confirm that sentence wasn't plagiarized from one of the ~minimalism girlies~. I was that convinced that I had read that before somewhere else. But that's a me problem, not the books.

She calls her lifestyle "simplicitism", which feels impossible to pronounce and harder to explain. But it's basically minimalism: the movement, not the aesthetic or art style. There was a whole chapter about how to keep going and not let the idea of minimalism (dudes that only own three shirts and can fit everything they own in a backpack) distract you from how you want your space to be used.

I briefly checked out the Goodreads reviews after writing my first draft of this review. Despite Allie really not wanting this book to be about minimalism, most positive reviews mentioned that's what they got from it.

Would I recommend this book? I'm learning more towards No than Yes. I do think that Allie does fill a niche in the 'owning less crap' space, even if it's not really for me. But I don't think the book provides enough info to its reader. Additionally, I don't think its effective enough at it's main goal: funneling people into joining her course. Like people are already paid for a product and it didn't provide that much value. How can we be sure the next product won't be the same...

I know this book has "mother" in the title, but I didn't expect it to be quite so exclusionary to other people who might be interested in decluttering. At one point, she dismisses traditional minimalism as something that only people who are "single", "bored", or "don't have kids" would have time for. As a busy single person, I was also hoping for some useful advice on decluttering, but apparently I have too much free time and can turn to the wisdom of Marie Kondo instead. And what about fathers or other parents or guardians who might benefit?

Much of the book seems to be an advertisement for Casazza's paid courses and newsletters. I understand that Instagram influencers need to earn a living, too, but I have presumably purchased your book and don't need to be upsold in every chapter.

There's also more Christian content than I expected, based on the book's marketing. Casazza has the right to her religious beliefs, but I don't appreciate when it's not included in the blurb. Especially since I'm considering this for a public library collection, and would not put a book with religious themes in the same section as one without.

Thank you, Nelson Books, for the advance reading copy.

I really like the presentation of the contents. For non-fictional/self-help/productivity books, it really helps when the presentation is minimal and fun to read.

The choice of words used and the style in which the book is written are the best parts of the book. It makes the reading quite engaging and entertaining.

Decluttering is a process we would all love to do but mostly we do not. For various reasons and we keep on adding piles and piles of things, more so in case with families with kids.

Briefly divided into eleven short chapters, the book deals with decluttering ideas and the various difficulties we are going to face while in the process of doing it.

I find the things said here quite practical and minimalistic. However, for such kind of books I was expecting pictures (or some minimal illustrations) alongwith some space provided for reflection at the end/within/in between the chapters.

I appreciate the notes at the end which I would called references to be more exact.

This book couldn't have come at a better time. As a mom to a toddler and a newborn, I've found myself overwhelmed by our day-to-day. Our belongings, our commitments, it has all been weighing me down.

Allie shows the reader that the desire to live a simpler, purposeful life is valid and she provides practical advice (and encouragement) to get you there. With focus and dedication, Allie's methods are easy to implement and have lasting results!

What an awesome approach to decluttering the home. My life situation is a little different… I am not a mother and I don’t live in a home- just a small apartment. But I personally have struggled with having a clutter free (and stress free) dwelling. The principles in this book are guilt free and timeless and I cannot wait to put it into action. The only thing I didn’t like in this book focused mainly on the introduction chapters. It felt very repetitive and made me feel a little impatient to “just get on with it,” almost if the author had a word quota to meet. Other than that it was a great book. Happy I came across it on Net Galley.

I didn't feel like there was anything new in this book that hasn't already been said or written before. I also got annoyed because I felt like the author was trying to upsell the reader into buying her paid courses. Overall, this book read like one long advertisement, and not even a good one.

ARC given in exchange for an honest review

I haven't heard of Allie Cadazza and her decluttering methods prior to reading this book but now i feel like i know to much. The book reads as one big ad for her blogs and courses, podcasts and social media groups. I honestly can't recommend buying a book when more than half of it is trying to upsell you on her website.

The information for decluttering itself was nothing new or insightful and rather unmotivated. I love reading decluttering and simplifying books because they inspire me to look at my space different and reassess my possessions, instead i found myself eye rolling and struggling not to DNF the book. This book just wasn't for me.

I loved this book from start to finish!
I wrote down a bunch of links, quotes and highlighted tons in the book!
I can't wait to start Decluttering like a Mother!
This book was just what I needed and I can't wait to kick start tackling Motherhood and the items in the house-- to make me a happier Momma.

5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy to read and review.

I have read a lot of books on minimalism, but I have never related with the author and their philosophy, quite like I do with Allie! She is so down to earth and her writing is so fun to read. Best of all, she doesn't prescribe to an all or nothing version of minimalism, whose legalism can actually make life more stressful. Instead, she advocates for a minimalism that works for you and makes you life easier. This includes ridding your life of less important stuff that take up our time, for the more important stuff that we would actually rather spend our time on. No counting clothes or books or need to dedicate a week straight of cleaning out, but with her plan, you can start and do what you can every day and if you find your life still isn't functioning well, you can repeat the declutter phase to get to a more ideal place. She talks about each room in the book and helps you develop your intent for the room. Since she is a mom of 4, she understands how the traditional minimalism can make life with kids harder and how adapting it to different needs really is the magic bullet her. This is a quick and fantastic read with so much great advice!

Decluttering via Allie's method is not a rigid one-trick-pony; Allie is your friend and cheerleader to push that positive message that progress does not need perfection; life is messy; life/childhood can be enjoyed if you will (because you CAN) create space for it. Having margin is necessary. Set your mind; set your intent; set your rhythms and realistic expectations and stop allowing visual and physical clutter steal your time/money/space/mental-emotional health.

Goodreads review Sept 2021:
I'm terrible at review's but want to give Allie all the 💕! I absolutely love this book and her methods. I found Allie on IG a few years ago and have been declutting like a mother ever since! It's all about progress not perfection. I have a very heavy "all or nothing" mindset and her courses and now book, show you that 30mins or 15mins at a time are perfectly fine. That it doesn't have to be done on day 1 and that all the containers and bins in the world won't save you from your stuff, you don't have to have an empty home either, but you will have rooms set with intention and purpose.

I really enjoyed this book! I have read a lot of books about minimalism, but I liked the fresh perspective this book offers around intent for each space. I've added this to my list of books to buy so I can refer back to it in the future.

This book was fine. I follow a lot of organizational people and know a lot of their tips. I didn't find anything new or novel in this book, but it was helpful summary of the popular literature about decluttering.

Great book. The first book on decluttering where I actually put the suggestions to use. My trouble spots are no longer troubling. I use a timer and it's the beginning of the year and this book is helping me purge the rest of everything else. There are so many books on decluttering this one I recommend. Highly!

Decanter Like A Mother by Allie Casazza is a great book to have in your arsenal when fighting the clutter bugs that invade your house. I found Allie through a friend of mine a few years ago when she did a declutter challenge so I was interested to see what she would say in her book. Unlike other books that basically tell you to get rid of everything, Allie's approach is more common sense and, at least for me, doable. The part I appreciated the most was the part about making sure your decluttering matches your life and where she talked about how to handle the toys that threaten to overwhelm the houses that have kids. Until Allie's advice, I liked to go in and get rid of stuff after the kids were not home or in bed. But Allie advised to get them involved and in the end it will go smoother. Overall, I highly recommend this book if your looking to streamline your stuff without going hard core minimalist.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.