I don't feel like I can write a fair review because I only made it a few chapters in before I put down the book. The writing felt very juvenile and even if the plot picked up, I knew I wouldn't enjoy the rest of the book.

A suspenseful mystery, Careful What You Wish For was quite enjoyable!

In this story, we find Emily who is a professional organizer having marital problems with her husband. Two new clients are just what she needs to distract herself from what is happening at home until one of those clients begins to share with her the thought of how life would be without their spouses.

This has enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.

3.5 stars, rounded up
This is a fun twisty thriller. Not too difficult to figure out what is going on, but overall there are some surprises and it moves very quickly.
I'm not the biggest fan of the "wrongly accused" trope, but in this case it didn't bother me too much because the police didn't necessarily believe the way things were presented either. I did find Emily to be a bit naive and way, way too trusting. How she let Quinn drag her into things when they barely knew each other was a bit of a head scratcher.
Overall if you can suspend a bit of disbelief, this is an enjoyable book with a few nice twists.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author, but I'm sure it won't be the last. I stayed up all night because I had to know what happened! I liked the characters and I thought the story flowed well and seemed believable. There were so many things that I didn't see coming that it kept me guessing until the end.

Author Hallie Ephron is a favorite of mine and I actively seek out her work. Her newest CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR is not quite the spot-on character driven mystery that her earlier works are. There are no real surprises in this book, most are telegraphed clearly in the text. Oddly enough the most compelling parts of the book center around the new careers of the protagonist and her partner: they have become lifestyle organizers. There is enough new-age novelty involved, and Ephron excels at just this type of description, to make this a fascinating topic; even for a minimal collector like myself. Ephron doesn’t disappoint but I miss her wilder attempts at mystery with humor. I look forward to her next work. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Emily Harlow recently left her job as a schoolteacher to start a professional organizing business with her close friend, Becca. Ironically enough, Emily’s husband, Frank, is addicted to yard sales and has filled their attic, basement and garage with useless knick knacks. The two couldn’t be any more different and Emily finds herself questioning if she truly knew who she was marrying.

When Emily takes on two new clients, she’s excited that finally her business is taking off. An elderly woman named Ruth Murphy lost her husband to a heart attack a year previously and just discovered he had a storage unit was unaware of. And now she’s looking for help organizing his belongings.

A woman about Emily’s age, Quinn Newell, lives a lavish life, but is looking to declutter the belongings she had before her marriage to her husband Wally. When Emily comes over to assess the job, Quinn and Emily strike up a conversation. Quinn’s husband, too, is a collector like Frank and the two women bond over their shared misery. And somehow, they end up joking about what would happen if the two husbands would just disappear?

So when Emily discovers a dead body while on the job, she is thrust into a murder investigation, putting her life under a microscope. And what’s more, Emily is now tangled up in a thieving scheme that she unknowingly walked into. Emily thought her new clients would help her budding business, but they may just end up costing her her life.

Careful What You Wish For is Hallie Ephron’s latest domestic thriller. I was pulled in by the unique premise—a professional organizer with a hoarder of a husband (seems like a cruel joke, right?). I didn’t have any expectations going into this book, as I haven’t read anything by Hallie Ephron preciously. I enjoyed this domestic thriller, but even still, I had a few issues. Emily isn’t the brightest—I got frustrated by her naivety on several occasions. But then I was surprised by how clever she was at times. She started piecing together the crime for the police at one point, which seemed very unlikely coming from unsuspecting Emily. This story is full of a cast of messed up characters with shady intentions, which is something I always enjoy in my thrillers. You know the pieces of the puzzle aren’t adding up and you are kept in suspense until the very end. The ending seemed a little too muddled and rushed for my liking. I am still so glad I gave this new-to-me author a try! 3.5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Hallie Ephron for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron was exciting and highly original, but unfortunately predictable and a little slow paced. I wasn't sure what to expect with this book since I didn't read the synopsis (as I often don't especially with thrillers) but it took a long time to get the story going. The very end was fast paced and suspenseful even though I knew what was coming. I will say I enjoyed it, as it was a super quick read and the writing is fantastic. Ephron writes complex and incredibly interesting characters and describes all the scenery in superb detail. I didn't really know professional organizers were a thing, but now not only do I kind of want to be one, I also know that I never could after reading this book.

Do husbands spark joy? I think we need to tack up a poll and put this to the test.

Emily has taken charge of the minimalist movement and has a booming decluttering business alongside her best friend Becca. All is going well until the two are hit with an odd job that entails on some of the hoarding stuff being well, STOLEN.

BUT WAIT - it gets weirder...Emily is called to another new client where the stunning Quinn Newell wants to get rid of all of her husband’s junk and joke joke also her husband. It’s all Prosecco and light jokes until Quinn’s husband actually does end up dead and Emily is the prime suspect.
Oh no, we have SUBMERGED IN JOY. Drowning actually amidst Prosecco and annoying rich housewives.

This was a fun book! It had me hooked from the very start and I read it in uh two sittings? I’m tired today, okay, so I took a nap but picked it back up and kept right on reading.

The writing at times felt disjointed and it is very easy to figure out whodunnit but it’s an enjoyable read with a host of fun, electric characters. Emily, known as Emmy to her friends and family, was awesome and her mom Lila, even more so. I feel as though this will become a cozy mystery sort of series and if so I really can’t wait to read more from Hallie Ephron.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own, I hope my existence sparks joy in you all.

Careful What You Wish For
by Hallie Ephron

Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected publication: August 6th 2019 by William Morrow




Goodreads synopsis:
From the New York Times bestselling author of There Was an Old Woman comes a novel about a professional organizer with a deadly problem she may not be able to clean up.

Emily Harlow is a professional organizer who helps people declutter their lives; she’s married to man who can’t drive past a yard sale without stopping. He’s filled their basement, attic, and garage with his finds.

Like other professionals who make a living decluttering peoples’ lives, Emily has devised a set of ironclad rules. When working with couples, she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. That stipulation has kept Emily’s own marriage together these past few years. She’d love nothing better than to toss out all her husband’s crap. He says he’s a collector. Emily knows better—he’s a hoarder. The larger his “collection” becomes, the deeper the distance grows between Emily and the man she married.

Luckily, Emily’s got two new clients to distract herself: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didn’t know existed, and a young wife whose husband won’t allow her stuff into their house. Emily’s initial meeting with the young wife takes a detour when, after too much wine, the women end up fantasizing about how much more pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses.

But the next day Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. Careful what you wish for, the old adage says . . . now Emily might lose her freedom, her marriage . . . and possibly her life.

***

4.5 Stars

Emily Harlow is a professional organizer with a husband who is a closet hoarder. She can declutter other people’s lives but not her own. Her rule is that you have to only declutter your own stuff. So she is stuck with a half messy/half perfect house and it doesn’t always spark joy.

She and her best friend, Becca own a decluttering business together. Two new clients come on Emily’ radar. One is an older woman who found a storage unit her dead husband had kept from her. And a recommendation from Emilly’s husband’s attorney colleague, Ryan, brings Quinn into her life as well. Quinn’s husband has a big collection of things that Emily is sure her own husband Frank would love. But Quinn’s husband won’t let her put her own stuff in the house so she is wanting Emily to help her sort through it and discard the things she no longer needs.

The two of them get to talking and while drinking a bit of prosciutto Quinn wonders out loud what it would be like if both of their husbands were no longer in the picture. Not long later Quinn’s husband’s car is found abandoned and Quinn wonders if Emily did something to him considering their earlier conversation. Dun dun dun!!

This book was mega creepy. And I marveled at how easily it was to manipulate Emily. When Emily’s mother was brought into the picture to look at all the supposed “borrowed” things in Mrs. Murphy’s storage unit, I felt like the tide had turned and having her there lent support to Emily in her time of need.

I went back and forth about who I thought had done it. The college sweater Emily recognized that was in Quinn’s possesion was the fist inkling of an idea that really panned out for me in the end. Quite a complex mystery. And I have no idea how they almost pulled it off. This was a nail-biter for sure! I almost wish there were more books in this series but it seems to be a standalone.

Great book. Highly recommended.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Emily Harlow used to be a teacher before she found her true calling and became a professional organizer. Working with her best friend, Becca, Emily spends her time helping people declutter and organize their homes and their lives. Ironically, her husband, Frank, is a consummate hoarder, spending his weekends visiting garage sales and auctions.

Emily’s fledgling business is going well until she becomes involved with two different clients. Both have clutter to address and both seem to be a lot more complicated than Emily first thought. Before long she is dealing with issues that could land her in jail.

This book was a nice break from some of the more intense domestic thrillers I read lately. Ms Ephron’s book has just the right amount of tension and suspense. The characters (most of them anyway) are likeable. The story has a good pace and even though there are many threads, everything is tied up in the end. Careful What You Wish For is a quick read and a perfect book for travel or an afternoon by the pool

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Careful What You Wish For centers around a professional organizer who manages to stumble into not just one but two crimes at once. The craziest part of this whole book? Her own husband is a hoarder!

I think I honestly need a bit of a break from domestic thrillers as this one was pretty predictable and lackluster for me. I liked the idea of the professional organizer aspect but never really found myself hooked into the story line quite as much as I would like and like I previously mentioned, certain aspects were predictable and I felt the overlapping plot points were just too coincidental - to the point that it was silly (how many times can X happen before it's like alright already!). I will probably pick up Ephron again in the future, this was my first by her, but maybe during a time when I've read a few less thrillers.

Enjoyable suspense novel! A little predictable, characters a little under-developed, but ultimately a fun read. I’m eager to see out other Hallie Ephron titles.

This was a fun thriller that kept me guessing. It's a unique premise, a professional organizer who is married to a pack rat, who makes interesting, potentially criminal discoveries when she takes on some new clients. It was a quick, easy read, written in a simple straightforward style. The characters aren't exactly likable, but that added to the reading experience - it made me think a lot about the clutter I keep and what I would do in any of these characters' circumstances.

Emily is a professional organizer whose husband happens to be a hoarder. When Emily is called to help a woman with her stash, she finds that her husband suffers from the same affliction and she suggests that they “help each other out” (wink, wink). When the woman’s husband is found dead, all signs point to Emily. As she works to solve the mystery and clear her name, Emily discovers that she is in for way more than she bargained for.

This was my first Hallie Ephron book but definitely will not be my last. I loved this. I found the plot to be refreshing and original. I loved that Emily was a professional organizer and that she had a blog with videos of her organizing. This had a quick pace and an exciting and unanticipated twist that I totally did not see coming. I loved Ephron’s easy and interesting writing style. I highly recommend this to all.

Many thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow and Hallie Ephron for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

In this novel, the author tells a grippingly manipulating story that I was compelled to follow through as each scenario took me further down a road and around a bend of a tantalizing tale that had me completely immersed in the situations befalling Emily as she searches for some answers herself.

The author did a great job in creating a dynamic story with engaging dialogue that mirrored a film playing in my head. The flow and tempo of this story kept me in tuned to all that was happening and then BAM! - - the build-up cascaded in a frenetic pacing with several surprising revelation that knocked me off my feet and had me devouring every word on the page as this gripping narrative came to fruition and boy, did it ever. All I could say was “wow,” “omg,” “no way,” and a few others to express my thoughts as the pieces of the puzzle came together. Talk about a plot twist. Even a subway stop didn’t deter me as I had to see this to the finish. I’ve always enjoyed Hallie’s stories, but this one is by far the best.

Oh my goodness! This is the first book by Hallie Ephron that I have read but it will certainly not be the last. I loved the topic (decluttering, organizing, antiquing, etc) and loved the characters. This book had me guessing all the way to the last chapter. So suspenseful and a very quick read. Our library will definitely be purchasing!

As of late, the US has been on a “tidying” kick – there is Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, or the Netflix series it inspired, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, or even the book that Kondo was influenced by, The Art of Discarding by Nagisa Tatsumi. But with the novel, Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron, we have the chance to wonder if a professional organizer and a hoarder can live together happily under the same roof. Emily Harlow started a social media sensation with her time-lapse videos of decluttering her own stuff, but stays out of the basement where her husband keeps his “collection.” Until one day, by chance, she discovers something that sends this story spiraling in a new direction toward hatred, greed and murder. The characters in this domestic suspense novel are interesting, and the twists kept me guessing until the end who is trustworthy and who is definitely not.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of #CarefulWhatYouWishFor

4.5 Stars!!!

I finished this novel in record time!! Once I started Careful What You Wish For, I literally found it unputdownable! Having never read Hallie Ephron prior, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed her writing style! This novel definitely had suspense throughout, but it never got super dark and had more of a cozy mystery vibe—loved that! And in saying that, I thought Hallie Ephron did a fantastic job creating a storyline with several mysteries that kept me guessing until the end. I highly recommend Careful What You Wish For and I am looking forward to reading more from Hallie soon!

I read this book in one day, it was that hard to put down! The perfect summer beach read, it's engrossing and fun.