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Getting Clean With Stevie Green Review: Back-of-Book Description
The author of the “sparkling dark romance” (Redbook) We Could Be Beautiful brings her “wit and verve” (The New York Times Book Review) to this quirky, feel-good novel about one woman’s messy journey from self-delusion to self-acceptance.
At thirty-seven, Stevie Green has had it with binge drinking and sleeping with strange men. She’s confused about her sexuality and her purpose in life. When her mother asks her to return to her hometown of La Jolla to help her move into a new house, she’s desperate enough to say yes. The move goes so well that Stevie decides to start her own decluttering business. She stops drinking. She hires her formerly estranged sister, Bonnie, to be her business partner. She rekindles a romance with her high school sweetheart, Brad. Things are better than ever—except for the complicated past that Stevie can’t seem to outrun.
Who was responsible for the high school scandal that caused her life to take a nosedive twenty years earlier? Why is she so secretive about the circumstances of her father’s death? Why are her feelings for her ex-friend, Chris, so mystifying? If she’s done drinking, then why can’t she seem to declutter the mini wine bottles from her car?
A winsome, fast-paced read, Getting Clean With Stevie Green is about coming to terms with who you are, resolving the pain of your past, and accepting the truth of your life in all its messy glory.
Getting Clean With Stevie Green Review: My Thoughts
So…very excitingly, I won a copy of this book from Goodreads! Someone told me about how they do giveaways on the website and this was one of the first giveaways I entered – and I won!
I went on a couple of beachy trips in May, and I felt like Getting Clean With Stevie Green would be the perfect “beach read” to relax with.
And I was right! Sort of.
I’m not sure I would classify this as just a light beach read. I mean it was…but it also had some substance to it. Sort of a light rom-com meets a ‘finding yourself through change’ story? The author touches on the topic of alcoholism, sexuality, heartache, and figuring out who you really are and what you want in life.
Honestly, a quote from a critic on the back of the book says not to try to define the author’s genre and they are right! But I will say that it reminded me of Rebecca Serle’s style (think In Five Years or The Dinner List) only a little lighter.
In any case! Getting Clean With Stevie Green was a real delight. The story explores the main character and her struggles with alcoholism, identity, sexuality, dating, and family. I didn’t know when I started that this book covers some LGBTQ+ issues, but it was a pleasant surprise and covered really well, in my opinion.
It’s mostly told from the point of view of the main character (who is relatable and pretty likable, even with her flaws) but a few chapters are included from other characters’ perspectives. This was a nice touch in order to fully round out the other characters and provide motives for their actions.
Stevie seemed like a fully fleshed-out character and went through a complete arc (she had a goal, she struggled to meet it, she changed a little, etc.), which was enjoyable to read.
The dialogue was great and flowed naturally. The inner monologues/narration we well-written, too. Honestly, I just really liked and appreciated this author’s writing style. I marked a ton of quotes!
Favorite Quotes from Getting Clean With Stevie Green
“I was addicted to a fresh start. The soundtrack of my life was the manic zip of zippers gliding violently back and forth. Opening, closing, starting, ending, hello, goodbye.”
“I was a noncommittal guest star in a lot of people’s lives.”
“The funny thing about people is that they all say they want freedom, but most of them are lying. People don’t want freedom. They want to talk about wanting freedom while continuing to not do the things that will lead them to freedom.”
“I was overcompensating, sure, but that’s what a facade is: an overcompensation, and a deliberate one.”
“People aren’t harmless when you hurt them.”
“All your choices are yours to make, and by making them, you prove to yourself that you aren’t sleepwalking through your life, that you have the ability to reinvent yourself and the energy to surprise yourself, to take a left turn when everyone expects you to go right.”
“There are a lot of things to get high on, and the best one is exercise.”
“In a way, or in all ways, I’d just been waiting for a reason.”
“When everything you thought you were building comes crashing down at once, there is no more building, and therefore no more pressure to build. There is also no more fear of falling.”
“The problem is that most pain is invisible, and lies are invisible, and the state of your heart cannot be measured by an app on your phone.”
“Isn’t it funny how long people wait to do things that take five seconds.”
Getting Clean With Stevie Green Review: In Conclusion
I adored this book! It was perfect for my state of mind – light and funny, but with substance and a great message. Getting Clean with Stevie Green gets 5 stars from me – I can’t think of a single complaint.
I will be seeking out more books by this author, for sure. And I would recommend this book to literally everyone I know. But especially people who like humorous family dramas, or situational/life-change stories.
*It would make a great book for Pride month 🙂
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