Reviews

Getting Clean with Stevie Green by Swan Huntley

lumbermouth's review against another edition

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3.0

Are you in a waiting room before your appointment, or in the exam room waiting for your provider to come in? Are you watching the Matrix movies or halfheartedly trying to catch up on a podcast you don't really listen to anymore? This book is the companion for that. You need like thirty percent of your brain, tops. I don't think it was bad exactly, there was just absolutely nothing there. Like when you're in the boat on the pond and you trail your fingers across the top two inches of water, and wonder if there's more, but there just really isn't.

rebeccai's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

ksteigert's review against another edition

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5.0

Stevie Green is 37, has just moved back to her hometown after many years, and is determined to be the next big thing in decluttering gurus. Stevie's outside has always looked perfect, organized and together; so why shouldn't she help others get to be that way too? But there was an 'incident' that happened in high school that derailed Stevie from all her plans, and that still haunts her. While her outside may look perfect, her binge drinking has landed her in a lot of poor situations. She struggles with relationships, her sexual preferences, and has never been to bed with a person sober. In her quest to help others get their lives in order, she ends up realizing that she might need to get hers in order too.

I loved Stevie Green. That isn't to say that she was a perfect character, she is very flawed, which was one of the things I loved most about her. She lives with her mother, and soon into the book, her sister also comes home to stay. The relationships between the three women are really interesting to watch. The two sisters grow closer after barely speaking for years, their mother enables all of their behaviors by spoiling her girls, and many secrets come out that change the dynamics in the family somewhat. This was such a fascinating look at a woman who is falling apart inside while looking completely put together on the ouside. The story is lighthearted though, with funny interactions intermixed between Stevie and her organization clients.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing, it was light-hearted, while also producing some profound moments, as well as some sad ones. This was a fast paced read, that made me think, and also made me smile.

Thanks to Jennifer Richards at OTRPR and Gallery Books for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

broadwaybookworm's review against another edition

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2.0

Perfectly fine but I didn’t care at all. Will not remember that I read this book in a month.

moonlit_shelves's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

murmredmusings's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 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, 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. 

rogueoneapologist's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

kpunch87's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

j_aw's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective

4.0

laurenreadsabook's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.0

This new book from Swan Huntley is a lighthearted and fast paced read. The writing style was easy and conversational. I felt like I was reading a journal from multiple point of views.
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Stevie Green is 37, newly sober, and trying to understand her identity in love and work for the first time through clear eyes. She moves back to her home town to start a decluttering business where she also find herself caught in the past with old flames and traumas coming to bear.
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On the lighter side, I really enjoy the decluttering work. Especially when her sister joined her and brought a human element to the work that she was doing.
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On the love side, I had trouble understanding why Stevie’s love interest were both so uncontrollably in love with her. But I enjoyed watching her figure out her sexuality and understanding her traumas through sober eyes for the first time.
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This book was fun while touching on more serious topics such as sexuality, trauma, and addiction, carefully not making light of it, but not leaving me feeling heavy after the read.