How Hard Can It Be by Allison Pearson is a followup to Pearson's novel I Don't Know How She Does It. Readers will fondly remember Kate Reddy and will be excited to read this latest book that lets us all catch up on her life now as she begins the newest phase of her life. Kate is now parenting teens, dealing with a rocky marriage, and feeling the effects of aging. Luckily she brings us all along on the ride! This book will have you laughing out loud at some parts and possibly shedding a tear or two at others. Ideally this book would be read by both the children and husbands of women Kate's age but that probably won't happen as they couldn't really handle knowing exactly how difficult it can be to spread yourself as thin as a working mother does. Read, empathize, and enjoy!

For readers missing Bridget Jones, Allison Pearson's Kate Ready fills the gap. In How Hard Can It Be readers revisit this strong female protagonist as she navigates the stress of teenagers, re-entering the workforce, menopause, flaky husbands, and old flames. Written in a quick, witty manner, devouring this novel is as easy as checking your email. You will laugh and cry along with Kate's hopes and hijinks. And maybe, by the last page Kate's story will give you hope that your life will find its own happily ever after too.

A great read for all women of a certain age-Allison Pearson so accurately describes what life is like for women hitting 50 that I kept nodding and agreeing with Kate,the main character, as if she was there with me.
I loved I Don't Know How She Does It and it was good to find out what had happened to Kate in the time since that was written.
It's funny but also has a lot to say about things like social media ,the role of women in the workplace and the problems faced by women with elderly parents .
Highly recommended for all women approaching the menopause!

Seemed a little dated, and full of cliches.
I Don't Know How She Does It was razor sharp and funny. This, not so much.

It had been a LONG time since I read "I Don't Know How She Does It" and honestly I was excited to check out "How Hard Can It Be?"... 17 years later!!

All I can recall is chaos and madness when I think of Kate Reddy. Turns out, it is 7 years later and Kate's life feels unmanageable and overwhelming as ever- even to me as a reader! Boy, am I cheering for this underdog to get it together! And I mean get it together, in the way that she gets more than 2 hours asleep, her kids stop ignoring her, and her husband starts appreciating that she allowed/agreed for him to take 2 years off from bringing home ANY bacon to cycle and be healthy and remove all his body hair. I find him extremely annoying and weird. They do not seem like a good match at all.

The kids seem like your average teens who don't appreciate their parents and take everything for granted yet definitely seem to know what is going on with their parents, unbeknownst to them. #standard.

Ageing parents- another hit home topic for many- is delicately yet truthfully presented. If you've gone or are going through this, you know there is so much associated guilt and division of responsibility between siblings!

The relationships, conversations, workplace scenarios, emails/texts between friends, etc. are all so realistic, (with a few exceptions) and even cringe-worthy (you'll know when you get there). I don't have kids but wow- I felt like it brought me back to my bratty teenage years being a b*tch to my mom. Hang in there, Kate!!

The writing is good though I did find myself skimming just to keep it moving. Felt a bit longer than necessary but I was pleasantly surprised that I was actually really enjoying myself by the end.

Overall, this is definitely a stand alone novel and easy breezy summer read. Your standard Lady Brit Lit and it was well done.

Also- I legit thought Roy was a British Siri at first. Wish I was kidding.

Big thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley and of course, Allison Pearson, for this advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Great chick-lit novel on starting over during middle age. Hopeful and optimistic read.

How Hard Can It Be? To reenter the workforce in the "good old boys" field of High Finance after nearly seven years at home taking care of your children? Raising two teenagers in the digital age where popularity is measured by the number of "likes" your nearly naked selfie gets on social media? Handling the hot flashes, foggy memory and general malaise that usually signifies the beginning of "the change of life?" Dealing with your husband's midlife crisis and staring down the barrel of your upcoming 50th birthday? If you're Kate Reddy, heroine of How Hard Can It Be?-the answer is easier than it sounds and harder than it needs to be. How Hard Can It Be? is the follow up to Allison Pearson's wildly popular 2003 novel (and not-so-popular 2011 film), I Don't Know How She Does It. With that much time between books, the subtitle of How Hard Can It Be? should have been "I Don't Know Why She Waited So Long!" instead of Kate Reddy #2. How Hard Can It Be? has the same biting humor and snappy dialogue of its predecessor, but with a less superficial feel. While the Kate of I Don't Know How She Does It truly believed she could have it all-high flying career, perfect children, and a marvelous marriage (and maybe even a lover on the side!)-How Hard Can It Be? Kate wonders if even one of them is possible. Although How Hard Can It Be? is technically a sequel, it's not necessary to have read I Don't Know How She Does It-many women under 50 may not even have heard of it. I Don't Know How She Does It shattered the idea that "working" and "mother" were mutually exclusive-How Hard Can It Be? acknowledges that while having it all is possible, juggling it all might not be worth it.

Fun, funny sequel to a wildly popular debut novel. The follow up does not disappoint as the silly reality of it all rings true throughout this entertaining, truth-filed read. A great escape and a validation of what it means to be a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, a friend all while holding down a responsible, professional life.

How Hard Can It Be was all over the place for half of the story. I found it quite distracting that the main character, Kate, would have side conservations with herself and it was difficult to keep those apart from the main narrative, Kate is married to a self-absorbed sot who was trying to find himself and ends up dumping not surprising news upon his unsuspecting wife. The author's descriptions of Kate's angst with her changing menopausal body are hilarious. In the end, the story comes together with everything ending up satisfactorily.

“How Hard Can It Be?” is full of humor & wit. While I found some of Kate’s mid life crises challenges tedious & her strategies frustratingly ineffectual, I also found myself laughing out loud frequently. This is the kind of book I can recommend for a good summer read, especially for anyone who can relate to the challenges of juggling parenthood (teenagers), managing conflicting spousal aspirations, and the seemingly unattainable dream of having a fulfilling & balanced work-life.

How Hard Can It Be? is Allison Pearson’s sequel to I Don’t Know How She Does It. While you don't need to have read the first book, I did read it and I think it helped put a lot into context of the previous life Kate mentions.

I wanted to like this book, but it was long, took me a while to get into it and the characters seemed to get on my nerve. I overall liked the plot and how Kate re-discovered herself but her inner dialogue with Roy kept driving me crazy.

A fun beach read and I think a great follow up to the first book of how things change from the mom of toddlers to the mom of a teenager!

I was so excited to see this book—I loved I Don’t Know How She Does It, and spending time with Kate was like spending time with an old friend. Allison Pearson paints a raw, real picture of middle age and motherhood and aging parents...it’s hard to read in a really good way. I definitely recommend this book to other women, and men who need some insight into women.

Great follow up to I Don’t Know How She does
It, this book reminds me of a smarter version of the Diary Of A Shopaholic series Pearson tackles serious issues with wit and humor.

“…if I have to save everyone else, I need to start by saving myself first. How hard can it be?” – Kate Reddy

Allison Pearson’s How Hard Can It Be tells the funny, touching, all-too-real story of almost-fifty Kate Reddy as she wrestles with every aspect of her life. She wants to be present in her angsty, teenaged children’s lives. She remodels a fixer-upper home while her emotionally-absent husband takes two years off work to attend mindfulness sessions and pursue cycling. She goes back to work after seven years, juggling all the challenges – big and small – life throws her way.

Pearson’s descriptions are funny and real: “At the thought of this unwanted immortality, her mouth collapses into an anguished “O”— a popped balloon of grief.”
She captures the everyday absurdities of real life, the things that bring us joy, the thoughts that bring us sadness, the worries that keep us up at night. She captures the mother-daughter moments: “She leaned in, resting her head on my shoulder, and I willed all the warmth and strength I had in my body to pass to hers”
and the secret realizations: “Sometimes I think I wished away their childhood so life would be easier; now I have the rest of my life to wish it back.”

How Hard Can It Be is the second book in the Kate Reddy series. I have not read the first book in the series, but I still connected with all the characters. I think you will love laughing along with Kate’s experiences in life and motherhood.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an Advance Reader Copy on exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved the first Kate Reddy book so I was really looking forward to reading this sequel. I wasn't disappointed! I love the style and pace of this book and I thought the difficulties faced by the sandwich generation were humorously and sensitively handled. I would love to read more by this author. Thanks NetGalley!

Would be better entitled 'Woman Makes Giant Rod for Own Back'. The main character is a former businesswoman who wants to return to work after being home for some years. She does a lot of complaining about her useless husband (and what he is up to seems pretty clear) and vile spoiled teenagers, yet does nothing to change the situation. Surely if you raise your kids to be like this - then don't complain when they're teenagers - stealing, demanding, verbally and physically aggressive, treating everyone with contempt. In addition to waiting on the family hand and foot (and doing the bratty daughter's homework), she is also fully responsible for the welfare of her husband's elderly and struggling parents. All the while she is whining about getting older, lying about her age to get a job, etc etc. I gave up at this point. A bit cliched.
Thanks to the publisher for a digital review copy.

I find it refreshing to have a central protagonist who is going through menopause. I had read her previous book and enjoyed it. I consider her writing to be popular fiction and I found it engaging, relevant and enjoyable. She captured midlife well. It was a nice mixture of serious themes mixed with stories of an almost 50 year old woman with a troubled marriage attempting to re-enter the workforce. Some of the plots ended a bit too neatly, but overall, as popular fiction, I found it well written and thank goodness for a central character who openly tackles this stage of life.

How Hard Can It Be was an easy read for me. One I could take to the beach, have a drink or five, and enjoy on a breezy day. Any woman can relate to Kate on some level which is make it even more wonderful of a book.

Kate Reddy takes on all the hassles of turning 50, mothering teenagers, returning to the workplace in middle-age with young, hipster bosses, and the evil menopause in this sequel to "I don't know how she does it." (You don't need to read the first book to follow and enjoy it. ) The British Kate brings a narrative that is hilarious, hopeful, and spot-on in this insightful novel about dealing with relationships of all sorts as we age. This review is of the pre-pub edition from NetGalley. 3 out of 5 stars because it was very predictable but enjoyable.

She’s done it again! I have laughed and cried and been asked if I was all right in equal measure throughout this book by a very confused husband. Ms. Pearson writes as only a mother can. Is it too much to ask to get a book about Emily?