Careful what you wish for : a novel of suspense
(Book)

Emily Harlow is a professional organizer who helps people declutter their lives; she's married to man who can't drive past a yard sale without stopping. He's filled their basement, attic, and garage with his finds. Like other professionals who make a living decluttering peoples' lives, Emily has devised a set of ironclad rules. When working with couples, she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. That stipulation has kept Emily's own marriage together these past few years. She'd love nothing better than to toss out all her husband's crap. He says he's a collector. Emily knows better; he's a hoarder. The larger his "collection" becomes, the deeper the distance grows between Emily and the man she married. Luckily, Emily's got two new clients to distract herself: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didn't know existed, and a young wife whose husband won't allow her stuff into their house. Emily's initial meeting with the young wife takes a detour when, after too much wine, the women end up fantasizing about how much more pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses. But the next day Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. Careful what you wish for, the old adage says...now Emily might lose her freedom, her marriage...and possibly her life.

Emily Harlow is a professional organizer, but she's married to man who has filled their basement, attic, and garage with yard-sale finds. He says he's a collector; she knows he's a hoarder. When working with couples she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. As the distance grows between Emily and her husband, she is distracted by two clients: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didn't know existed, and a young wife whose husband won't allow her stuff into their house. When the women fantasize about how pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses, Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. -- adapted from jacket