The main character Kate Reddy had me chuckling out loud from the first chapter. I thought there was a hint of Bridgette Jones' Diary the way this book narrorated.
Most of the time I felt bad for Kate, but sometimes I wanted to shake her and say,"wake up!" Stop being so nice to everyone!
I think anyone who has been married for awhile, with children, and the every day stressors called life could relate to this book!

The story line of a woman going back into the workplace just didn't grab my attention that I thought it should. The storyline is wonderful, but It just didn't capture my attention. I'm sure it's a wonderful book but it just felt too wooden for me.

"How Hard Can It Be?" follows Kate Reddy as she nears 50 years of age. She is managing a bunch of moving pieces including her extended family, immediate family, and all the fun of almost being 50- oh yeah, and trying to land a job after being out of the field to take care of her children. It's not easy to deal with her husband's midlife crisis or her daughter's puberty.

Against all obstacles flying her way, Kate handles it all with compassion and humor. The book begins with her daughter's crisis over a belfie (selfie of her rear) that has been shared around the internet by a "friend" and continues on in this vein of unpleasant events that are handled with humor. I actually found the book to be a bit dark and sad- Kate's life isn't easy and it feels wrong to laugh at some of it (like all the jokes about therapy, which is something needed for many people, not to mention the explicit photograph of her daughter going around on the internet).

I will say that some lines made me laugh out loud and some of it in so incredibly relatable- Kate is very real and very three-dimensional. I just found it a little more of a downer than I expected.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Allison Pearson’s latest offers a refreshing view of the harried mum

What does it say about a sequel when you get all the way to the end before realizing not only have you READ the first book and own the damn thing but you’ve also seen the movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker based on it? It phrolly says more about the now mid-aged reviewer! After all, Allison Pearson’s debut novel I Don’t Know How She Does It came out 15 years ago and it’s been 6 years since the chick flick that changed the main character Kate Reddy from British financial professional/mum/wife to harried New Yorker financial professional/mom/wife. Kate is back in Pearson’s How Hard Can It Be?, now with teenagers, a vintage fixer-upper in the suburbs, and an equally crumbling marriage not to mention body and mind/memory.

Now there are belfies (selfies of butts), texts flying, a husband having is own mid-life crisis in/on therapy/bicycles, and hormone therapy replacement. Pearson is a witty novelist for sure, and although her Britishisms may lose this all American girl reader at times, it’s a joy knowing nothing is set is stone–even as you may try to lose one leading up to a fiftieth bday.

Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who liked the author's first book, I Don't Know How She Does It, but it is not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this one. Kate Reddy has gotten older and has gone from being a mother of young children to a member of the "sandwich generation," caring for her teenage children, her mostly absent husband, and both sets of grandparents. This book is laugh out loud funny and full of insights on aging, family life, and careers. Loved it!

Meet Kate--almost 50 and hating the thought of that momentous birthday. Married with two teens, and an ex-flame she can't stop thinking about, she considers re-entering the workforce but questions whether or not she can succeed in her "elderly' state. I laughed out loud through out the entire book as I so identified with Kate's dilemmas and her concerns about her family and aging. But such wisdom as well! As she questions her role as a mother she sees that it is cast when children are young and then "set and harden without our noticing until one day you wake up and you are no longer just wearing the mask of a bossy, multi-tasking nag. The mask has eaten into your face." I love Pearson's commentary about parenting in the digital age (I mean seriously, do you know what a "belfie" is? I didn't)! So what appears on the surface to be a light and engaging novel about growing older, is really a lovely and poignant look at the complexities of marriage, love, parenting, friendship, careers, and sexism. It is truly a gem of a book!

Everything I expected and more. Loved it! Would recommend to anyone.

I requested this book because I enjoyed the first one, but I found that the first book was so much better. I had trouble identifying with Kate. Sure, I don't have teenagers and am a couple of decades away from 50, but that hasn't been an issue in other books. I'm also not a 10-year-old boy learning magic, so I feel like I should be able to identify with any type of main character in a good book. Kate's forgetfulness and ignoring things she should be paying attention to annoyed me to no end. It took too long for Jack to appear.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but it was really hard to get into, and when I wasn't reading, I wasn't dying to go back like I am with a truly great book.

Well written, smart, moving and enjoyable! This novel is a fresh and up to date take on the complexities of a modern woman's life. Engrossing and relevant!

HOW HARD CAN IT BE is a funny, irreverent return to the life of Kate Reddy, heroine of I DON"T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT. You don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one, which stands on its own. I loved following Kate's adventures both at home and work as she nears her fiftieth birthday. She's a relatable character and the author's writing is breezy --touching in places, hilarious in others. A light women's fiction offering that not only entertains but brings us close to a woman who feels like someone we might know in real life. This is an easy beach read, perfect for the summer!

Will leave 4 star review on Amazon under name of Connie.

Modern day life with the added stress of social media turned dark for teen. Actually laughed out loud at some of the situations that I could relate to.
Lots of plot twists to complicate a seemingly normal life.

My literary twin sister lives in the pages of Allison Pearson's books.! First, with "I Don't Know How She Does It" I saw my life laid out in hilarious glory - the competitive PTA moms, the crazy hours at work, dealing with a demanding child, trying to keep my head above water as a parent, wife, and worker. I'm sure millions of women declared, "I don't know how she does it, but she just wrote my story" Thank you Allison. That would have been enough, a glorious cupcake and a glass of wine cheers that said that our experiences are real and recognized, and freaking hilarious sometimes. But the author came back, just in time to capture the glories of menopause, raising teens, career upheaval, and living in a marriage stretching into decades as I was experiencing them.
Pearson made me laugh at myself again and again in this book. And made me wonder how long she's been spying on my life, taking notes. ;)
It was refreshing to read a book that placed value on the ability of a woman to handle so many crazy obstacles in her way without losing her mind. Maybe her memory (Roy!) but not her mind, and not her dear friends.
I will recommend this to every one of my "older" friends. I don't want to scare the young ones. LOL
Have a glass of rose or a lovely cup of tea, kick back, and enjoy this book. Or, more likely, read it on your phone in the bathroom between clients or between taking the teens to soccer. What a wonderful treat!

How Not to Approach Midlife

This book is a follow-up to Pearson’s I Don’t Know How She Does It. I did not read the first book, nor will I after reading this one.

Kate Reddy is a woman ready to take on the world. Actually, she already is. She is on the cusp of turning fifty, approaching menopause and all the clichés that go along with it, firmly sandwiched in by aging parents and in-laws with failing health, dealing with a crumbling marriage that has been relegated to the back burner while she frantically job hunts in a market that proudly practices ageism. Oh, and her two teenage kids are putting her through the ringer as well as a resentful sibling with issues of her own. The issues with her daughter alone and her responses to them are disturbing and show a real lack of proper parenting. Sorry Kate, but that party you allowed her to throw was completely inappropriate on every level.

There is no slowing down for a woman like Kate. She must stay at the top of her game. She is the breadwinner for her family as her useless louse of a husband seems to be going through a midlife selfish phase and seeks to “find himself” while simultaneously shirking all his responsibilities to his family. This guy really deserves to get his.

Kate comes across as self-deprecating and over indulging of her family who frankly could all use a swift kick in the ass. She is an attractive woman though she believes herself to be over the hill and completely faded. She is apparently too old to embrace her beauty but not old enough yet to not be the object of affection to the man of her dreams and MILF material to the snarky younger wads that work in her office. The entire thing is just sad. It also sends a confusing message to the reader. Just who is Kate supposed to be? It seems that she herself is desperate for the answer. She shaves seven years off her age to land a job for which she is over-qualified on the advice of pretty much everyone though no one will outright admit that is what she needs to do in order to play the game.

Though this story is supposed to shine a light on a mid-life woman and perhaps celebrate what such a woman takes on and how she should be revered, it misses the mark by kowtowing to the disempowering societal beliefs that a woman of a certain age is literally like a carton of expired milk. The book adds to that perception instead of detracting from it. It’s disempowering to watch Kate, a smart capable, and attractive woman buy into the notion of needing HRT, lunchtime lipo, and a host of other “fixes” to get her back onto a horse she hasn’t even determined she wants to be riding in the first place. In regard to HRT, the book acts as champion for a woman to not suffer through the rougher symptoms of peri-menopause however offers no lifestyle interventions and refuses to address the dangers of HRT and that for some woman, it may not be their best option. This is irresponsible. Lastly, the over cited and completely cliché data retrieval system that Kate names “Roy” aka her lapsing memory is supposed to come off as funny but was nothing more than an endless irritation. Point taken without the 9,000 reminders throughout the book.

BRB Rating: Skip It.

Allison Pearson brings humor and thoughtful insights into this very funny book about mid-life disasters, long term marriage, angsty teens, social media, re-entering the workforce, parental senility, and fighting the aging process.

There are so many relatable and hilarious moments in this book! It’s uncanny how accurately this reflects real life situations and feelings. Kate and Richard have been married for 17+ years and the heat is gone, baby. Couples can easily slip into this pattern of a stale marriage if they don’t work to keep the romance up. Kate’s new job and dealing with a younger workforce are definitely real. I learned what a belfie is, and how a belfie can go viral! Also, Kate’s trials and tribulation with perimenopausal aging made me laugh out loud… and educated me. The author definitely understands what women face in the aging process.

But the book didn’t work for me completely. There were many funny moments and I enjoyed those, but the book lacked the ability to engage me consistently. It dragged in between the humorous parts. The pace was so up and down for me – alternating between funny and boring for the entire book. The book is 480 pages and I think that it could have been 100 pages less.

I think that women audiences in their fifties will really enjoy this story and will relate to it. Younger women get a sneak peak into the life that awaits them in their middle age. It’s perfect for someone wanting to pass the time with a light, funny, and entertaining book.

What a fun, clever book! I enjoyed the story and the writing, and though it felt a little long given what it is, I would recommend it as a light, easy read:-)

Kate Reddy is 50, jobless, with a money pit of a house, an unemployed husband, and two teenagers. Her life is in a bit of turmoil as she tries to find a job and cope with everything going on in her life. Unfortunately, I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to. I found Kate's whining about being 50 grated on my nerves and I wanted to tell her to just "Deal with it already".

I laughed and cried- i think very women over the age of 40 can identify with this book. the author nails menopause and relationships in the family and workplace. sometimes she get too repetitive but I just skim those pages.

While I found this book hilarious, I also found that it dragged on endlessly that I eventually gave up. I literally laughed out loud during sections but also found that the author went on a tangent so many times that I found it hard to stay in the story.
Again, very funny but it's not often I give up on a book, but this one I did have to stop half way through.

I couldn't finish this book. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not the demographic portrayed but it was really boring. I din't care about the main characters struggles, I didn't care about her family.

The writing was good, the overall story just didn't grab me

How Hard Can it Be is a sequel to I don’t know how she does it.

After a discouraging interview with a headhunter, Kate decides to pretend she’s younger.

One of Kate’s struggles is her teenage daughter and social media. A picture gone wrong, mean girls and other issues.

I would recommend this book, however it is bot necessary to read the first one.