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How Hard Can It Be?

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Kate Reddy is turning 50 and feeling overwhelmed. Life is good, sure, but also chaotic. Her teenage kids are getting into all kinds of trouble, her in-laws are beginning to have serious health problems, and her husband is having a midlife crisis. She's also struggling in her career and trying to deal with looking---and feeling---older. How Hard Can It Be? is about Kate's exasperating, yet entertaining, journey into a new "older and wiser" life chapter.

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This is the sequel to I Don't Know How She Does It. I never read the first book, but I was able to follow this one just fine. How Hard Can It Be? is an easy read with lots of relationship woes and family drama. Usually that's my jam but, unfortunately, not this time. 

Author Allison Pearson is funny, but not as funny as she wants to be. A lot of the drama here feels manufactured. Moments that I consider to be normal or not that terrible are treated with exaggerated frustration, and I found myself thinking "uh, what's the big deal?" many times. Even with Kate, I could tell I was supposed to see her as the sympathetic and cool character, but I mostly found her as annoying as everyone else.

This book is a solid meh for me. However, even though I didn't particularly enjoy it, I can acknowledge that other people probably will, especially people in their 50s who are going through the same things.

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Hooked...I read her previous books, and seen the movie too (I hope there is a movie for this one too). So many things you can relate to...... End was little bit too predictable!

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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to read this book because I thought it would be relatable reading about a 49-year-old woman whose life changes when her kids become teenagers. The description also says it is hilarious and a need a laugh.

I was disappointed in this book. I did not find it very humorous. I actually thought it was condescending and depressing. None of the characters were likable. I would not recommend this book.

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How Hard Can It Be was a light and fluff story about divorce and moving on. There were bits of humor and jest along the way but it it just didn't click for me. I just turned 50 and the author made 50 look like 75. I couldn't help but compare this to the TV show Younger because their writing was SPOT on for a woman who also lies about her age.

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Just couldn't take any more of the principal character's self-induced anxiety. I'm done.

My review must be 100 characters long? I'm trying to be nice & not say too much.

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This novel is an amusing yet realistic take on the "Sandwich woman". Middle age women layer parenting on one side and elder care giving of parents or in-laws on the other. In the middle are home and career responsibilities. Add in a dose of marital malaise and menopause, and you have Kate's life in a nutshell. It is complicated and sometimes completely overwhelming. Presented in first person, Ms. Pearson, the author, makes the story fresh by using comic satire and mixing in text and email messaging. Kate's life is not easy and certainly not fair, but it makes for a great read.
I would recommend this title particularly to women who might relate to the middle aged Kate: a working mom going through menopause with a husband who doesn't appreciate her and leaves her responsible for finances, kids, and parents while he reinvents himself. It is entertaining and highly readable. Thankfully Kate's patience and long suffering pay off when she finally reaches her own wished for hopes and goals. I found this story to be both fun to read and important. This would be a good book club choice for a women's fiction group.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

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St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of How Hard Can It Be? I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Kate Reddy did not plan on reentering the workforce after spending years raising her children, but her husband's abrupt career change has left her with no other option. When her age becomes a barrier, Kate decides to fudge her resume and take charge of her own future. Will an unexpected visitor from her past give Kate a whole new direction to follow?

I did like the humor in this book, but I found that I just did not find Kate's story to feel authentic or realistic. It did not seem likely that this strong, determined, and witty woman would have stood for the treatment she faced from her family. I did not sympathize with Kate, although I definitely should have considering all that occurs in the book. The lighthearted look kept How Hard Can It Be? afloat, making it more entertaining and interesting. I would be hesitant to recommend the book to other readers, because of the holes in the story and the unlikable characters.

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In a sequel to "I Don't Know How She Does It," Kate Reddy returns and is on the verge of turning 50. While she is ushering in the new decade, her life is in turmoil. Her husband has quit his job and seems to be experiencing a severe midlife crisis. Her children have entered the tumultuous years of adolescence and her daughter is experiencing a frightening aspect on the road to maturity.
Kate lands a temporary job where she use to work years before but, when applying feels she must lie about her age in order to even be considered for employment. Her life is further complicated when a former love interest reappears.
There were many times when I was laughing out loud. However, beneath the levity there is a timely message relative to today's world.

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I was very excited to catch up with Kate. I loved I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT. Unfortunately, the story got too bogged down with emails, trivial details of home improvement, and cliches. So many middle age cliches! It also took on too many issues, gambling, social media, Alzheimer's, age discrimination, phew! The ending was incredibly unrealistic. Why take on a realistic topic and give it a fairy tale ending?

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Allison Pearson, How hard can it be? (2017)

I loved it but boy did it sting! I had read the first novel “I don’t know how does she it” probably around 2005, at any case before starting this blog, and I had always felt that the ending could not end just like that. For those who haven’t read it, Kate Reddy realized she could not have it all (gasp!) and left London and her job in a big financial fund to go north near her mother to take care of her kids (gasp!). As a full-time working mother I felt it was a bit of a let-down (well, to be honest, I just felt betrayed). I don’t have a blog post about reading the book, but I remember that it loomed on my mind when I became a mother in 2008 and when I had to return to my day job 2 1/2 months after, as per French legal dispositions:

How I come to rethink Allison Pearson’s “I don’t know how she does it” not as a pink-covered chick lit hit but as a dark and desperate cautionary social tale à la Dickens.

How did Kate Reddy grow and evolve over nearly 2 decades? Well, she approaches the terrible age of F… Fifty, that is. She has two teenagers, a husband going through midlife crisis, ageing parents, and she needs to get a proper paycheck to balance it all. But as she quickly realizes that the big bad F-word scares employers away, she decides to take drastic measures… and lie about her age.

It is sharp and hilarious and unvarnished about the dilemma that women face around the age of F… (the age that must not be named!), the double standard, the physical changes (hot flashes, forgetfulness, etc.), the invisibility, the age discrimination, etc. I will not reveal the ending but it is charming and uplifting and unrealistic enough to make Kate Reddy firmly belong in chick lit land. But Pearson has a piercing eye for details and comical situations and the plot often walks a fine line between comedy, tragedy and social criticism. For those who have read the first book as for the newbies who are anywhere near the age of F… , the book comes highly recommended!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.

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I enjoyed many parts to this story. Kate was a character I could relate to and I found that her trials and tribulations surrounding turning 50 seemed so on point. The pace and structure worked well for me and I enjoyed Kate's ability to keep a sense of humor . I did find that this was a bit too long and maybe tried to cover too many topics which resulted in me feeling the author was trying a bit too hard. An overall ok read in the end for me

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In How Hard Can it Be?, author Allison Pearson has continued the story of Kate Reddy. When we last saw Kate in I Don’t Know How She Does It, she was a harried business executive trying to balance her career, marriage, and caring for her young children. Flash forward almost a decade and Kate is attempting to re-enter the workforce while closing in on her 50th birthday. She finds herself stuck in the “sandwich years”, parenting sullen teens who are immersed in a technology/social media driven world, and also caring for aging parents. A crumbling marriage and peri menopause add to the humorous fodder. The novel initially reads like a stand up comedy narrative before the actual story unfolds, but Pearson does a solid job of depicting the pressures of aging in the workplace and the challenges of caring for elderly parents while still raising children. This should be a solid 4 star chicklit, but I found myself getting annoyed throughout the book that Kate (the narrator) continually lobbed clues about her daughter and husband that she herself was clueless about. She also complained incessantly about her husband’s disconnect from his family, but kept him in the dark about a huge family issue. Overall a solid beach book or book club pick with a great message. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC.

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I liked this book for the plot behind the story...Kate, at almost 50 is balancing a lot on her plate but like most mom's she puts herself last and is just focusing on survival. Somewhere in the writing I feel like it got too bogged down with her age and how she was hiding it and it lost me for a bit. I do like how it ended with all those loose strands but still giving you enough to come up with your own happy ending.

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If you loved, I Don't Know How She Does It, then you will love the sequel, How Hard Can it Be? Any woman who has ever juggled home, job, marriage, and family has probably asked that very question, "How hard can it be?" while simultaneously staggering under how hard it actually is! Although How Hard Can it Be is a sequel, even readers who haven't read the first installment, I Don't Know How She Does It, will find this book completely relevant and laugh-out-loud funny. Full of relatable, genuine characters, How Hard Can it Be will have you nodding your head in agreement as you read, laugh, cringe, sigh, and smile. Don’t miss this one!

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A LOL-funny follow-up to I Don't Know How She Does It. I think many middle-aged women will relate to this book!

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Thank you for the advanced reader copy. I loved Allison Pearson's first book and found this one to be even better. The book had me laughing out loud and I could totally relate to Kate. Great read!

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Loved this book, even when I was not reading it I kept thinking about it and couldn’t wait to pick it up again and I finished it in a day. Would definitely recommend to others and can’t wait to read other titles from this author.

Highly recommend!!

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I had mixed feelings about this novel. Like Pearson's earlier book, I Don't Know How She Does It, this story is well crafted, easy to read, and often relatable. And Pearson is just so funny! I did laugh out loud quite a few times. Still, there is something kind of unpleasant about a main character who is this into her looks, and this consumed with her age. At times I wondered if I was the crazy one for not being as obsessed with my body as she is, and not being as up-to-date on the latest anti-aging products and treatments as she is; at other times, I wanted to scream at her to get over herself already. I also think things ultimately resolve for her a little too easily, particularly with respect to her daughter's serious issues. Real life just isn't as that benign. But all that said, Pearson is entertaining and a shrewd observer of the absurdities of contemporary culture. And perhaps taking a step away from reality is not too high a price to pay for an enjoyable read by a talented storyteller.

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LOVED IT! So funny and true. At times I was laughing out loud. I love this author. her books are just great

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