In high school, straight a Stevie had 2 secrets: she was abusing drugs and alcohol and kissing her girl best friend. When this is revealed to the school, she leaves and city hops until she’s 37 and decides to clean up her life. This was between a 2 and a 3. You’re 37, why are you worried about a photo people saw in high school? Go to therapy and realize sometimes you’re not going to get an apology or closure.

I know I don’t read a lot of chick-lit, but I do enjoy the genre from time to time and I was fortunate to have gotten a digital ARC from Netgalley. I loved this book! It was so refreshing and sad and funny and enjoyable to read.

I loved the family dynamics and following Stevie’s journey as she found herself back in her hometown and trying to find her footing.. it kind of reminded me of the main character of Bridesmaids hitting rock bottom and moving in with her mom and trying to find out who she is and what she should be doing.

I didn’t expect the plot to go the direction that it did, but it was a nice surprise and one that was heartfelt especially as we watched Stevie run along her whole like with the fake it til you make it mentality before realizing that it wasn’t working for her and she needed to sit down and stop and be honest with herself. I love that she got to explore a better relationship with her sister, too.

Getting Clean with Stevie Green was a blast to read, even though it was emotional and series, like most chick lit, it still felt light and fun even when you were watching Stevie drown her sorrows. I definitely recommend this one!

This book is a refreshingly funny, quick and quirky read! Stevie Green is a 37 year old who is trying very hard to start over, stop binge drinking and do something positive with her life. She helps her mom move and finds it so rewarding that she decides to start a decluttering business, complete with mantras and Instagram tags, and even starts to write a book about it. Her mom convinces her to hire her sister, who is her complete opposite, and for awhile things go swimmingly well, but there's an incident and a few people from Stevie's past who keep popping up and complicating things. This story is so relatable and entertaining, for anyone who is still figuring things out or coming to terms with their past. A light enjoyable read but also touches on some heavier topics like coming to terms with your past and forgiving those who have hurt you, finding your true self and removing both mental and physical clutter from your life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for suggesting this book to me and allowing me to read an advance copy of it in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. A woman is going through a rough part of her life and gets a call from her mom who needs help moving and cleaning up. This book is about moving though tough times and coming to acceptance with life. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A story of getting your life in order. On the inside and outside as well. With themes of alcoholism, self-discovery, and coming out, Huntley gives us Stevie Green, a perpetual runaway-er who has starter her own organization business back in her hometown she originally ran away from 20 years earlier.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. While light in some spots, with humor and wisecracks being made about social media and the likes, there were some heavier moments as well. Although some of the bigger reveals felt very predictable and I wasn’t surprised when I read about them later.

The characters themselves were... at points very frustrating and sometimes felt as if they were trying too hard to be realistic. And while a lot of people were frustrated with Stevie, I was most annoyed with the mother, Kit. Who seemed totally fine with talking about her children behind their backs, and keeping tragic secrets from them, and just throwing money at them to make herself feel better.

The POV shifts were a little jarring. And while the narration didn’t bother me as much as first-person usually does, I still wasn’t fond of how it read slightly choppy. But that’s just a personal preference.

All in all a great read about discovering who you are and what you want by getting your life organized.

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

Getting Clean with Stevie Green by Swan Huntley was a delightful little book. Stevie is trying to get her life together and figure out who she is and who she likes. A redemption story with only a side of romance

I'm not sure how to start this. I honestly wanted to DNF this book around the 13% mark. Stevie Green is a very realistic character that runs from her problems constantly. However, she is not likeable in the least. She is "taking a break" from drinking, but she has apparently been drinking since she was a teenager and her mother did nothing to stop it. Her mother, Kit, is a main character in this story and is a very big enabler to both of her daughters. Now that Stevie has decided to return to her hometown after 20 years of running to different cities to avoid her problems, she has decided to start a business helping people declutter their homes. Her method is pretty effective, I would say, but she is so focused on becoming the #1 consultant on Organizely that it doesn't seem like it's healthy. Overall, I just think this book had a lot of problems and really wasn't for me. The parts that were supposed to be humorous just feel flat for me. Reading this book about "fresh starts" at the beginning of the year sounded like a good idea but I just don't think Stevie is a healthy character.

This just...didn't work for me. I wasn't a fan of the narration style or the narrator, so it really took me out of the story. I mean...the main character, who is also the narrator, was so behind on technology that She, like, didn't know how to burn a CD until What sounded like recently. I'm sure there are some people out there like that, but...come on. That was too much.

“”The truth is always right in front of you, but that doesn’t mean you’ll ever see it.” Huntley takes us on Stevie’s journey to find herself, and she’s been lost for a long time. With themes of alcoholism, coming out and finding truths that end up setting you free, Stevie Green eventually cleans up all the areas of her life!

I've really enjoyed Swan Huntley's other books so I was eagerly awaiting this one. However, I ended up slightly disappointed. Huntley's writing is strong, of course. But in terms of the overall plot and theme, this novel seems a bit muddled, like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. The switches in POV came across as forced/awkward. I liked Stevie and wanted her to succeed, but I also found her frustrating at times. In terms of positives, there's a nice, breezy feeling and most of the novel is entertaining.

I so enjoyed this book, I saw myself in it in many places, and know others will also.

Stevie moves into her mom's home, she has given up drinking and men and has started a business of decluttering other people's lives, but finds it is not so easy to declutter her own life.

The story was a very relatable story about trying to figure life out, something I believe we all have to go through at some time or another. There are senerios where the book is humoruous and you will laugh out loud, and others that I am sure you will find painfully sad, but to me that was the realness of the story, the parts that really stick with me, because trying to figure shit out encompassess so many feelings in a person.

Stevie's story is for every one, and can provide some great inspiration to us all, giving us the hope we may need to power on!

I enjoyed this book, but to be honest, I'm sitting here two months after I finished and I can barely remember how it ended. (I had to think about it for a while) The "big reveal" was so obvious by the time it finally came out, I was relieved I didn't have to pretend I didn't know anymore. But I did like the characters, and I liked the way Stevie finally figured it all out.

This was a cute rom-com that I read cover to cover in two days. I love these feel good stories that just make you laugh uncontrollably and just make you have fun. This one is perfect for the upcoming spring months, while you sit on your porch and enjoy the upcoming flowers and more.

Getting Clean With Stevie Green is such an important story about how certain events in life shape us for better or worse. This was a really moving story, I laughed and cried as Steven navigated the mess of her life. I related to many of her struggles and found hope and insight in her journey.

The only downfall for me was the switch in POV. I loved Stevie and preferred to stay with her as she battles to understand the truth of her past and the path of her future. Although I loved the other characters and found them endearing, the switch in POV took me away from the story and there wasn’t enough time in the story to fully develop every character.

Overall, I really loved this heartwarming story and it left me smiling with warming and fuzzy feelings.

Thank you so much to Swan Huntley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

Swan Huntley’s latest novel, Getting Clean with Stevie Green , is thought-provoking, sad at times, and occasionally humorous. Stevie Green’s mom has called and asked her to help her downsize and move into her new home. Stevie is so successful, she decides to start her own decluttering business. Additionally, at thirty-seven, she has decided to give up binge drinking and sleeping with strange men. While her life was derailed by a high school scandal, she was already secretly on a path of alcohol and drugs. She never realized her dreams. The seemed to become addicted to fresh starts. In fact, she doesn’t really know what or who she wants to be now except number one on the Organizely application. What could go possible wrong when she is living in her home town of La Jolla, California, the place of her painful memories.

While most of the book is from Stevie’s POV, there are some insights from Chris, Brad, Bonnie, and Kit. One thing that took me a while to get used to was Stevie seemingly talking to the reader. Her character is one that cries out for empathy at times, but is hard to like at other times.

Stevie’s background story is unveiled gradually. While she has found a purpose, will it last or will she need another fresh start? The novel has several themes running through it including hope, addiction, alcohol, betrayal, lies, mistakes, internet dating, friendship, family, social media, love, and forgiveness.

Overall, I enjoyed this change-of-pace story, but felt saddened that Stevie allowed one event to derail 20 years of her life. Will she finally get her life together?

Gallery Books and Swan Huntley provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for January 25, 2022.

So everyone has that one big dilemma in high school that can either teach a really valuable lesson(which rarely seems to happen) or can cause a person to spiral downward. That is Stevie Green! She moves place to place never setting down roots until she leaves to help her mother after she sold Stevie's childhood home. Well push came to shove and Stevie ended up staying with her mother and while things seemed to be going great her sister Bonnie shows up after her boyfriend left with a younger girl.
While the characters of the story did not have much depth into them, the story was still enjoyable and definitely a good laugh! I love the mantras that Stevie has along with her inner dialogue, she's a hoot. If you are in a slump or need a pick me up this is the book to pick up! You will have laughs and smiles through pretty much all of it!
Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read and review this one!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Its a fun book, give it a try.

The summary of this book was intriguing, because let's face it, everyone has that moment they want to forget. Unfortunately, the story was not what I was hoping for. Stevie Green is 37 and a hot mess of an adult. A high school scandal sent her on a path of self destruction for 20 years and she has finally had enough. She moves home to help her mother pack up her childhood home to sell and decides to start her own decluttering business. The irony here is that she is ignoring the clutter in her own life and can't actually move on. Her character is not particularly likeable and none of the supporting characters are well developed so everyone feels shallow. The author tries to instill some intrigue by teasing about past relationships, alluding to the scandal and Stevie's dad throughout the book but this ends up backfiring by rushing the ending. It was a fairly quick and easy read but I am not sure if the author was aiming for romance, humor, or a serious story about addictions and consequences. It didn't really fit a particular category and overall fell short.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.

I was hoping for more of a romance here. Stevie Green is is 37 and a red hot mess. Her character was so unlikeable, I didn’t finish this one.

3.5 STARS
This story has its humor but for me it was a bit sad. It took her 20 years to find the truth and begin to move forward. Rekindling her feelings with her high school crush seems to be a happy time, but when the truth comes out, all bets are off.

This story is the epitome of someone who desperately needs a fresh start and while she is on the right path, we feel her aches and pains. Her struggles are not unlike things we all go through and Huntley capitalizes on them perfectly.

While I really wanted to love this story, I felt more sorry for them all by not being able to function in their early years. So much wasted time.