I was unaware that this book was the second in the series. It dealt with some very serious modern-day situations in a funny and lighthearted way. I will definitely be searching out the first book now that I have read this!

I'd originally watched the movie that is first in this series, so I went back to read I Don't Know How She Does It, so I could be fully up to date with what occurs (because we all know the book is always different than the movie).

I enjoyed this novel and the opportunity to catch up with Kate and her life, but I struggled a bit with how a large portion of the plot focused on Kate's insecurities and self-image. That being said, I did enjoy every other aspect of Kate's crazy life - from her husband who is on a New Age kick and rebellious teenagers, to her struggles returning to the workforce, 

I finished this novel over the span of a weekend, and it was a great, funny and light story.

This book was hard to get through. I know it's suppose to be a humorous read but some things just aren't funny. There was way too much drama for me. Yes, turning 50 for some is life changing but really? Also, the daughter and the Snapchat incident--why would you not talk with your spouse? This was just not for me.

This book really disappointed me. I think menopause is a difficult thing to go through so to have a character to relate to would be amazing for women. However, this main character is awful. I was so disgusted be her parenting skills that I had to stop reading the book altogether. It was bad enough watching her spoil the little brats when they didn't deserve it because she was trying to be a friend rather then a parent. My breaking point was when she let her 16 year old daughter throw a party at her house and sat back with her husband and watched while these teenagers drank alcohol, smoked pot, and snorted coke all under their roof. Then the most disgusting part was when she walked up to her room and found kids having sex. The teenage girl just responds with telling her they are almost done......like what fucking planet is this?!?!?! Kate just walks away like it's no big deal. Pretty upset that I wasted a week of my life trying to force read through this book and then get 300 pages in only to throw it in the trash because the content is literal filth.

When we last left Kate, she was a successful woman with a fantastic career trying desperately to keep up the facade that she could do that and be a fantastic wife and mother to her two small children. I've always felt that you can do it all--you just can't do it all well. And mommy guilt is there to remind you every step of the way at how badly you are failing and just about everything!

So we meet Kate again, at the age of 49. Her body isn't cooperating anymore, her children aren't as much hands-on work as they are older now, but they still need a lot of her time and energy as they make mistakes on Snapchat (or a fictional site very similar). Her husband has entered a new phase which includes not working, biking a lot and being incredibly irritating, so she needs to return to the workforce to support her family.

It was nice to catch up with Kate again, really. I enjoyed the book for the most part, but I was a bit bogged down by the fact it felt like a good 2/3 of the book focused on the fact that Kate is aging and her body is a bit frumpy and ALL of her thoughts on that. I have my own inner demons who shout at me all day long so to have to read about it for that long kind of brought me down a bit. I wanted her to focus on all the good things in her life.

I did enjoy how she returned to work and seemed to show those bright young things that she deserves a place there just with the rest of them. And I loved all the changes to her personal life. I think aging means letting go of things that mattered so much to our younger selves and realizing what really matters in the end. I look forward to reading the next one. Maybe she'll be a grandma 15 years from now!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one comes out on June 5!

It’s hard to believe that a book this funny could also deal with some very serious modern-day problems, or as she says, “I don’t know why no one says “problems” anymore, except maybe problems have to be solved, and they can’t be, and issues sound important but don’t demand solutions.”

And Kate is nothing if not a problem solver. Her marriage is stale, her husband is in training for a new career so isn’t working, she needs to return to the work force after a seven-year hiatus at the age of 49, her teenage daughter has fallen in with a destructive crowd and her son just wants to play video games all day. When she’s faced with employment competition from a much younger crowd, she has to take steps to turn back the clock. “That’s how I ended up being a liar in the office and a liar at home. If MI5 were ever looking for a perimenopausal double-agent who could do everything except remember the password (‘No, hang on, give me time, I’ll come to me in a minute’) I was a shoo-in. But believe me, it wasn’t easy.”

Let’s see, what else? Her mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s and since her husband is in retraining, doesn’t have time to help with her care. Oh yeah, her mother has taken a fall, her nearby daughter has to taken care of her and resents it, resents Kate. Kate tries to understand Julie’s position, “I try to be understanding, but since when could the power of reason unpick the knots of sibling rivalry? I should call Julie back, and I will, but I need to get Emily sorted out. Emily first, then Mum, then prepare for my interview with the headhunter this afternoon. Anyway, I don’t need Julie’s help to make me feel guilty about getting my priorities wrong. Guilt is where I live.”

All of these problems and more fall to Kate to resolve. One situation after another crops up and meanwhile I’m laughing my head off. Wait, menopause isn’t funny, hahaha, and age bias in the workplace is serious, hahaha, and on. I can’t wonder at Kate’s tolerance for Richard’s mid-life crisis since I had such a marriage myself once up a time. The good news is that this is a sequel.

I read the author's hugely successful debut I Don't Know How She Does It many years ago, but sadly my only memory is of 'the mince pie episode'. Another inevitable sign of ageing, which is the key topic in this follow-up. Kate Reddy is fast approaching the Big 50, but with all the reluctance of a dog going to the vet. With husband Rich going all New Age, teenage children and elderly parents causing her sleepless nights and the early onset of the menopause wreaking havoc with her mind and body, Kate is a woman on the brink. Throw in a blast from the past could-have-been lover and her return to the workplace (involving some economy with the truth regarding her birth date) and you have a hugely entertaining read. The author's style is witty and observant, with many lines making me laugh out loud (or cringe in recognition). 'Each month, each week, each day it gets slightly harder to retrieve the things that I know. Correction. The things that I know I knew. At forty-nine years of age, the tip of the tongue becomes a very crowded place.' Having said that, I found Kate's in-built 'memory assistant' Roy to be a tad irritating, and I did feel the book took longer than necessary to reach its conclusion. Nevertheless, it kept me entertained and I now know what a 'belfie' is (and promise – hand on heart – never to post one.)

I loved this author's previous book "I don't know how she does it" and really looking forward to reading this. It definitely didn't disappoint!! The main character Kate is approaching the big five zero, is menopausal trying to juggle everyday life with teenagers, ageing parents and is job hunting, finding it difficult and lies about her age! The book is really well written with the main character trying to please everyone while trying to hold down a job coupled with all of life's daily problems. I think a lot of women of a certain age can identify a lot with Kate and what she is going through in her daily grind. I laughed out loud in some places, nearly shed a tear in other parts - honest, powerful and funny!. Brilliantly written! Five stars.....

Fantastic sequel and so enjoyable. And more importantly, the dry wit, and human characters. Bravo Indeed.

Approaching her 50th birthday, Kate Reddy finds it necessary to re-enter the workforce after a seven-year break to concentrate on her family. It's a real juggling act to prove herself among her younger co-workers, deal with the angst of her teenage children, handle the challenges of an aging mother and in-laws, and try to keep her sanity during perimenopause. The author did a great job of capturing the essence of "the sandwich generation". This novel was a sequel to I Don't Know How She Does It, which concentrated on Kate's earlier years when she juggled motherhood with her career. I am hoping a future novel will continue to follow Kate as she enters the next chapter of her life. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A sequel to her first novel "I Don't Know How She Does It", "How Hard Can It Be?" from Allison Pearson is completely stand along and hits on some truths that make you laugh - and cry - and thank goodness that we women of all ages have one another to help us get through the days. Men are fine - necessary - but though they may not be from Mars, many men certainly don't spend a lot of time on the same Earth women are tied to by love and responsibility for the children, the older generations, the rest of woman and mankind.

I think you will love these ladies, as did I. Kate of course, her 16 year old daughter Emily, her mother-in-law Barbara, her mother Jean, her sister Julie, her old American Friend Candy, her new best friend Sally - new co-worker Alice - this is the world we are invited into on these pages.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Allison Pearson, and St. Martin's Press, General Fiction, Women's Fiction in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

A laugh out loud book! I thought enjoyed reading this from page one. It's very much in touch with the lives we live today and challenge of balancing technology and the freedoms that we let out kids enjoy.

Sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad this was an interesting read for me. Not the type of literature I'm used to, but I enjoyed it. It's mainly about a woman approaching fifty and freaking out - a major midlife crisis going on. She'd been staying at home with her children, but when her husband decided to stop working and enrolls in some kind of mindfulness education, she goes looking for a job in a culture that doesn't really want to hire anyone her age. Her marriage is not what it used to be and her children are having their own crises.

This book deals with everything that happens to a woman in mid-life - teenagers, husbands, peri-menopause, age discrimination, ageing parents, body changes. You name it, Pearson deals with it with hilarity and an in-depth understanding of the things women feel at this age.

This is my first book by Pearson and I was surprised by the writing style and the author's understanding of all the issues facing a woman near fifty years old. I was totally immersed.

Thanks to Allison Pearson and St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

I tried really hard to get into this book, but after 3 weeks and only 60 pages I had to give up. I may set it aside for a while and try again later, but for right now this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will start with the caveat that I haven't read I DONT KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT, so HOW CAN IT BE HARD is my first Allison Pearson and my first Kate book. I had both things I liked and didn't like, but I'm not sure how my opinion would be different if I'd read the first book.
Things I liked: The stark honesty about menopause and what older women go through in the work force while still running a household basically on their own. Also the cute British humor.
Things I didn't like: How half her sentences didn't have a subject only a verb? Is this a British thing I'm unaware of? Also the infidelity plot line was sooo cliche and it bothered me and sometimes made me not like Kate. Also, maybe I'm a jerk, but I just wanted her to get her life together and stop being an idiot sometimes. Pay attention! Your husband is cheating on you and your daughter is cutting herself! Also what happened to disciplining your children? Also if you know you can't remember anything write it down, put a reminder in your phone, stop telling Roy! It's hard to read a book that makes you feel so much unnecessary stress.
Maybe in some ways this book was a little too real to feel enjoyable at some parts, but I also think her husband and children felt like two-dimensional cliches and horrible people for most of the book and it made you wonder why she bothered. I think giving them more depth would've helped a lot.

An amusing, poignant story of the life of Kate Reddy a woman of the sandwich generation trying to balance the needs of her family and aging parents while negotiating the perils of menopause and the difficulties of reentering the workforce. Allison Pearson is spot on with her observations of the indignities facing the middle aged woman as she “gracefully” ages. She also is in tune with the perils facing teenagers today in a world that stresses social media.

I really enjoyed this book, although the ending was perhaps a bit too perfect!

I really enjoyed this coming of middle age book. I laughed (a lot!) and sympathized with a lot of life's happenings. I highly recommend this book!

It took me a little while to get into this book but I eventually grew to really like it. Kate is a hilarious character and it is impossible not to root for her!! I loved all of her self talk and "Roy" and her friends. I loved how British this book is too :)

This book is hugely relatable and really funny at the parts, however I just didn’t get fully into it and could have easily given in on it when I was 50% through. That being said, I’d still give it a solid 3 stars.

Kate Reddy, from Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It, is back. After many years of not working, Kate has to return to the workforce (at almost 50 years old) due to her husband's desire to take a break and find himself. As a 50+ year old, I found this book very humorous and highly relatable to my life.