This was an interesting book, although slow moving. It always seemed I was waiting for the character development or background story - sometimes it came, sometimes it really didn't. The relationships seemed to be the whole story - not much action at all. I think the reveal of the big secret was quite anticlimactic.

Stevie Green is ready for a change. She wants to be done with drinking and endless men, but what exactly does that mean? That is how she finds herself back home and helping her mother downsize and move. This move allows her to start a new decluttering business and to try to move forward. But as she helps others, how can she begin taking control of her own life. Getting Clean with Stevie Green by Swan Huntley is her journey about starting over, redemption, forgiveness and more. It was entertaining, sad and heartwarming.

3.5-stars.

Oh, Stevie Green. We start out with Stevie presenting herself to us the same way she wants the whole world to see her. But as the story goes on, we learn about the real Stevie who's hiding behind 'the inciting incident' and the rest of her past.

Stevie's inner monologues were admittedly some of my favorite scenes from the book. I chuckled through those, while still being relieved and happy to watch her mature as she learned from - and about - her past.

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was similar to a coming of age story, although she took a little long to grow-up. The supporting characters were mostly likable as well, and their relationships were nice to watch evolve.

Stevie Green is close to a turning point. A set of missteps has forced her to accept a return home to the picturesque LaJolla, Ca. Here the old places are overshadowed by a high school indiscretion. An incident that so throughly shaded her life she chose to flee and flounder the next two decades. Findin* solace in cleaning and organization gives her the only hope she has to ,move forward. It’s funny in the way coming home can be. You see those who chose to stay put and those who had no choice but to stay. You all need to land somewhere and Stevie seems to have finally touched down.

I found this book to be a bit confounding. While I enjoyed the tone and the plot, I kept thinking all the characters were like 25 years old, not 37, primarily because they were so stuck on one event from high school. And as much as I love a messy woman protagonist, I thought it was strange and unbelievable that Stevie, a selfish mess of a person, would have not one, but two former classmates still in love with her twenty years later. Chris can do better, justice for Chris.

Stevie Green has moved back home to La Jolla, California. After what happened in high school, she promised herself she would never come back. But after what happened in her 20s and early 30s, she didn’t have anywhere else to go, so she went back home. Her mother asked her to help clean out her house, so she could move to a smaller house. And Stevie did such a good job helping her mother declutter that her mother suggested she start a business. So Stevie did.

Stevie set up her decluttering business and started posting on Instagram. And she added a profile on an organizing site, and she was getting good reviews from her clients. There was just one organizer ahead of her, Ursula. Stevie made it her goal to crush Ursula on the app. But she wasn’t sure how to reach that goal.

And then things start happening for her. She runs into Chris, once her best friend in school, and Stevie thought that she’d done the thing that ruined her life and wanted her to apologize for it. Instead, Chris just said that she hadn’t been the one to do that to her and walked back to her office across the street from the coffee shop. Then Stevie’s sister Bonnie got dumped by her longtime boyfriend and moved back home too.

At first, Stevie isn’t interested in living with Bonnie. And when their mother suggested that Bonnie work with Stevie, she isn’t interested in that either. But then Bonnie shows Stevie how to bump up her Instagram game, to create more exciting posts and get more followers, and Stevie starts to see how maybe she could help her in the decluttering business. They meet with some clients, and Bonnie’s outspoken honesty is a good balance to Stevie’s cool, calming presence. They even go meet with Brad Rose, Stevie’s high school boyfriend, to talk about a decluttering project.

Outwardly, Stevie is doing well. She’s gotten rid of all the things that were holding her back, choosing clothes in only black or white, creating a clean and streamlined life. She’s running every morning. She’s stopped drinking. She’s working on her project (it’s too soon to call it a book, but maybe someday). And she may go out with Brad again. He’s a good-looking guy, with a successful surfing school. And her rating is going up on the organizing app, so soon she’ll overtake Ursula and be the number one organizer in La Jolla. Everything will be perfect. And that thing that happened in high school won’t matter anymore. And she won’t wake up hungover next to random men or random women anymore. And she won’t obsess over whether or not Chris has texted back yet.

At least, that’s what she tells herself. Because when you remove all the things from your life that are a no, then what you are left with is who you really are. Stevie believes that. It’s what she tells her clients, and it’s what she believes. It’s what she wants to believe. It’s what she tries to believe. What will it take to make it come true for Stevie?

Getting Clean with Stevie Green is a sly study of one woman’s journey to find herself. After a series of bad decisions, Stevie is back home ready to find out what she’s been running from, and her willingness to show up brings with it an infectious energy. As an unreliable narrator of her own life, Stevie is strong and vulnerable, hopeful and imperfect. She has made mistakes, but she’s trying to be better. She’s trying to live clean. It’s just that she can’t until she fully deals with her past, and doing that will take all her strength.

At times clever and irreverent, at times heart-breaking, Getting Clean with Stevie Green is a surprisingly complicated tale of growing up and cleaning up old messes. I know I could empathize with Stevie’s pain, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. As with the last Swan Huntley book I read (The Goddesses), I can’t say that I liked all the characters, but I think they will stick with me for a long time. So while this book reads quickly and seems pretty straightforward, it’s deceptively complex emotionally and left me with a lot to think about and feel about. Also, I really need to clean out the basement. And my closets.

Egalleys for Getting Clean with Stevie Green were provided by Gallery Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I didn't love this book but I didn't dislike it either, it was fine. I think if the characters were ten years younger, I would have enjoyed it more. Given their age, it felt silly for how hung up they were on high school drama. I liked the varied POV and wish it switched up even more.

Unfortunately this read wasn't for me. I thought the premise was interesting. Who doesn't want to read about a hot mess and be happy your life is better? Unfortunately I didn't like Stevie at all and it made it not fun to read. I read a good portion of the book but I skimmed toward the end because I just couldn't keep reading it,

This one was a letdown. The entire time I just hoping for something more. Overall the story was lackluster and the ending was worth the dull narrative. It was pretty obvious from the get go where the story was headed and what the reveals we’re going to be. Maybe skip this one!

In Getting Clean With Stevie Green, by Swan Huntley, Stevie Green heads back home to help her mom pack and move. This goes so well that Stevie starts a decluttering business helping other rich people solve their non-problems of too many Vespas filling up their massive garages. It's the same income bracket of We Could Be Beautiful, by the same author, only with a California style instead of a Manhattan style.

This is an unusual returning-home story where money isn't a motivating factor. Stevie's not broke. There's no stress about getting enough clients for the decluttering business. Stevie's mom gives her the main house and buys her a car. Instead, Stevie's focus is all on self-improvement. Steve's quit drinking, which used to be the central focus of her life. Her relationship with her mom is improving, too. It turns out neither of them like cooking, so they have takeout next to the pool every night, because that's rich people growth. Stevie's not just decluttering her clients' bonus rooms and garages, but clearing her own life, too.

It's slightly ridiculous in the non-problem way lifestyle fiction often is, but some of that is what makes it a fun read. Stevie is aware of the absurdity of her clients' shopping addictions or inability to do laundry, too. She knows it's ridiculous to pretend she's on a cleanse instead of being sober. 

The central question of who was behind a high-school drama keeps coming back. At first, I thought Stevie was going to learn to let it go, and discover that it doesn't actually matter that an unknown someone 20 years ago really didn't like the popular girl! But then Stevie gets drawn back to her high school boyfriend and her high school bestie/hookup, and it's clear that this is still forefront in her mind. Almost like that's what she needs to declutter...

Overall, this was a fun story about family bonds and second-chance romance that doesn't always go the way you expect.

The premise is of a girl named Stevie Green that is trying to figure her life out and becoming a better individual. The premise sounded very interesting, but unfortunately this story fell very flat for me. I could not care for most of the characters, except Chris. Stevie Green was stuck on something for 15-20 years and acted very immature towards everyone around her. I could not get behind any of her problems. I also dont understand why she would feel the need to always comment about how she is on a cleanse instead of just saying she isn't drinking alcohol because she is trying to work on herself? That was one of the biggest things that kept coming up that would make me more upset with the writing of this book each time it was mentioned. I did not like the sisterly component. It felt very fake and wrong. This book was incredibly predictable and I wish I would have DNF it when I wanted to at 15% into it. But I believed that this story would give me more then it actually did.

I rarely give out 1 stars because I feel like I can appreciate the hard work that goes towards writing a book, but this reading experience was not enjoyable the entire time.

Thank you netgalley and gallery books for sending me this book for a honest review.

I'm kinda scratching my head with this book. I liked many of the elements of the story and I think it had the potential to be a rather profound read. Unfortunately, it fell short in my opinion. It was like it was missing the glue to hold everything together.

Stevie Green is thirty-seven years old and wants to put her blackout drinking days behind her. Having bounced around from job to job all over the world she ends up back in her hometown of La Jolla. After helping her mother move, she becomes inspired to open a decluttering business. Essentially she is helping people take control of their lives by getting rid of meaningless possessions. In order for Stevie to clean up her own life though, she might need to finally confront her past.

There's a quirkiness and charm to Stevie that endeared me to the character but eventually the act wears a bit thin by the end. In some ways she is relatable but there are also parts to her that left me feeling like I never truly understood the character. Part of the problem is the story occasionally bounces around to other characters like her mom and sister. While their voices provided insight I think the focus needed to be on Stevie in order for both the character and story to work well.

On a positive note, I liked the originality as the book had an off the beaten path type feel to it. Might not have been a perfect read for me but the author shows off her creativity and therefore I still had a decent reading experience.

This was an interesting read for me. Stevie is 37, and her entire life has sort of a dark cloud because of an incident in high school. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, I thought the same thing.
Anyways, this incident has kind of led her life askew of where she wanted to be, and has essentially returned to the nest to kind of declutter her own life, as well as start a business.
I think this was definitely a unique read for me, and while all of the pieces were in the box, maybe a few didn’t quite fit the puzzle.
Overall, there were a lot of messed up characters that maybe needed a dash of therapy to go with their humorous take on the things that tried to bring them down.

Getting Clean with Stevie Green by Swan Huntley is a book I tried to enjoy, but didn't. The storyline seemed all over the place and not cohesive. It is the story of Stevie Green, age 37, who has gone back home to La Jolla, California to help her mother organize moving to a new home. Stevie is so good at it that she decides this is her 'thing' and starts a business helping others declutter. The story is not as light or funny as I thought it would be, but that is probably on me. The cover made it look like a cute story, and while there are cute and funny moments, the overall story is of Stevie taking a hard look at her past and doing some decluttering of her own.

Stevie Green has spent the last 20 years moving around the country, moving from one bar to another, having one night stands and running from her past. When her mother calls and asks for her help packing up her house and moving, Stevie heads home. She reinvents herself and starts a decluttering business and with her sisters help pursues being number one. As she declutters others lives she faces a few facts about her life, sexuality, and that horrible item from her past that she’s spent the last 20 years not forgetting.

For all of you who like to know about triggers, this one has a bunch of them. Be warned there is alcoholism, suicide, sex, and a quirky family. OK, maybe the quirky family isn’t a trigger for everyone, but it is for me! 🙂 Stevie is a 37 year old who does not have her act together at all, but she’s great at faking it, until, well, she doesn’t anymore.

Despite all the things distracting Stevie in this novel, or maybe because of all the things that were distracting in this novel, it was a quick read. I found Stevie to be sad, funny, and desperate to have a normal life and have someone normal to love her. That last is what makes her so identifiable. I am nothing like Stevie Green and yet before I found it, I yearned for that special someone. In Stevie’s case she wasn’t sure if that someone was a man or a woman.

This was a very fast moving novel about a woman who was facing her past while at the same time facing who she was in the present. I thought it was a really different style of book than my normal read and realized that sometimes it’s good to read outside that box. Getting Clean with Stevie Green was quirky, funny, and moving and I thought it was pretty darned good! ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

DNF at 39%. Not rating it as I didn't even reach half, but based on what I read, it would be close to 1.5 stars.

The story is about 37 year old Stevie Green, who is a successful "decluttering guru". Unfortunately, her own life is over-cluttered and the story deals with her clearing both her personal issues and her clients' mess. The book is written in first person in a very casual kind of style.

I liked the bits of humour and satirical digs peppered in the content. The initial 12% or so dealt with Stevie's professional challenges and this was fun to read. But when the narrative switched to her background, it was too rambling and disconnected for me to enjoy. Moreover, no character seems to make a mark. The book alternates between light and dark, heavy and fun. Basically, it seems as confused as Stevie herself.

If I complete it, I'll only rant. Might as well leave it as is and move on to something that works better for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Gallery books for the opportunity to read "Getting Clean With Stevie Green". Sorry this didn't work out.

Stevie Green is back in her hometown of La Jolla, CA and she is cleaning up. Quickly becoming one of the top professional organizers in the city, she is sober and coming face to face with some ghosts from her past. Right when she feels like she has it all under control, who should show up but her sister, Bonnie, fresh off a breakup and ready to be roomies. As Stevie and Bonnie become a clutter-busting team, there’s one thing Stevie still isn’t coming clean about - even to herself.

I really enjoyed the book. This is a book where you can see where it’s going, but thoroughly enjoy watching it get there. The characters in this book were not quite as developed as I prefer, but they were likable and fun. The dialogue between Bonnie and Stevie was hilarious and probably my favorite part of the book.

I recommend the book for a good light read. I feel like the potential is there for this book to be so much deeper than it is, so much more emotional and bittersweet, but that’s not to say I didn't enjoy it for what it is. I’m just one of those annoying people who says things like, “It’s great the way it is, but….it could be so much more!” I do it at dinner, too. “You know what these potatoes need?” That’s me to the person who just made me the yummy potatoes, thinks the potatoes don’t need anything, thank you very much, and probably wants me to shut my big yap. But…wow, this book could have packed a huge punch. While it fell a little short for me, Huntley absolutely has the talent to knock it out of the park and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

This book just came out earlier this week on Feb. 1, 2021 - look for it at your favorite local bookshop!

Thanks to Swan Huntley, Gallery Books and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

I liked the premise - a mess of a woman starts a decluttering business while trying to sort out her own life. And it was a super quick read.

But between the casual fatphobia, characters nearing their 40s still obsessed with slights from high school, and the disjointed writing…this wasn’t for me.

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!