What do an overbearing, helicopter mom, a professional organizer and a woman who recently lost her job and her long-time boyfriend have in common? Well, everything when they’re all the same person.

In Jill Smolinski’s new novel, Objects of My Affection, we meet Lucy Bloom, mother of Ash (spoiled teen currently in rehab courtesy of Lucy’s asset liquidation), author of a poorly-selling book on organization (after she earned what may not be a legitimate online degree), laid off from her corporate job due to budget cuts, and just to add to her basket of misery, recently abandoned by her long-time live-in boyfriend.

Lucy takes a job to organize the home of a reclusive hoarder, a woman who once was on the cutting edge of the art world but is now buried in her home among the possessions that posses her. Lucy is hired by the artist’s son to mercilessly empty her home by a deadline that she agrees to but finds will be a challenge when she meets the stubborn Marva Meier Rios and sees the level of clutter and disorganization she’s tasked with clearing.

Lucy doesn’t realize how out of control her life is until she begins to take control; and when she does, she is able to see things more clearly, to let go of the internal clutter that had been holding her back, mirrored in the physical clutter that Marva would not release. Lucy and Marva both grow through the course of the novel, their beliefs challenged as they craft an unlikely friendship and as their paths surprisingly inspire one another’s growth.

I loved reading about these spunky women and their journey. Find your copy wherever books are sold, and find out more about Jill Smolinski at her website.