The concept of this book is great. I was excited to read it but it just never hooked me. The characters were ok. I just never connected with them. It's an ok book but I don't think I would go out of my way to recommend it.

Heartfelt and hopeful - just what the pandemic ordered! A recommended first purchase for collections where WF is popular.

This is a perfect book to read during this pandemic.  It’s such an uplifting book.  The diverse group of characters were all interesting, and I was interested in everyone’s story. What was interesting is that everyone thought they were being authentic by what they wrote in the journal they found, but over the course of the books all the characters learned a little more about themselves enabling them to find their authentic self.  I loved the friendships that were formed as a result of the journal.  I did feel the ending was a let down.  I think the ending would have been more satisfying and keeping with the theme of the novel had the author continued the storyline a tad further and wrapped it up differently.  Other than that, I enjoyed this novel.  I would recommend it for anyone looking for a feel good book.

My Rating:  4 Stars

I'm not sure how far I got in this book, but it didn't keep my attention. The story was different than what I expected, and I just had no feelings toward it. The book is well written, and I'm sure many people will love it. It just isn't for me. 

I decided to DNF this.

A green notebook with the owners truths is left behind, picked up by another who also records their truths, is again left behind for another.

Eventually all who recorded their truths find themselves together and discover friendship, acceptance, and love.

An aging artist, finding himself fading away, makes a rare stab at self-awareness and anonymously leaves a journal with some of the ugly truths of his life and an invitation to continue it in a coffee shop. This journal impacts a number of people, each struggling through their lives, often with a feeling of isolation. Incredibly, the journal creates a community from those who contribute to its creation.

This was the absolutely perfect, feel good, uplifting story that I needed during these horrible times. This book is a beautiful reminder that you have only one life, and to live it to the best of your ability.

Very good read.  Interesting and the characters fully develop as the story unfolds.  Good, light read about friendship and honesty (with one's self most importantly).  Couldn't predict the ending either.

The Authenticity Project was a great quick read. I love a good story about bringing people together. The storyline is unique and the characters are likable and quirky. Even though the writing style is a little simplistic and cheesy at times, this was a solid read.

A nice addition to the uplit trend that focuses on living an honest life, community, navigating different relationships, and dealing with various hardships.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

A quirky, fun read. Made me smile.

The Authenticity Project brings together six strangers and turns them into friends by encouraging them each to tell the truth about themselves rather than hiding their true selves as we all so often do. The story was surprising and I enjoyed how everyone ended up connecting and gaining from the friendships they developed through the stories they read in the green journal that brought them all together.

What a great concept for a bringing people together, write about a truth.  This was well written and the characters were all so diverse and had great backstories. At times I wished Monica had more of a backbone but she proved true to herself in the end.  Definitely a book club title.

This is a cute feel good book. What is your real truth and are you willing to share it. A little note book found when a man was desperately lonely changed the lives of others who read and added their own truths. The question is do you really want others to know?

I absolutely loved The Authenticity Project! The idea of someone writing a secret about themselves that no one knows and leaving that note in a notebook at any given spot for a stranger to read is an amazing concept. I whipped through this book in a day because I had to know what happened, and I was really attached to all of the characters. This is one of my favorite books so far of 2020!

This book was a lot of fun!  I enjoyed the linking of separate characters who don't seem to fit.  I do wish some of the stories of characters were given a clear ending.  There are also a lot of very British terms that I think I understood but I don't know exactly what they were.  I would recommend this book, it is entertaining and an interesting way to look at how unrelated lives can connect and are we really seen by other people.

I loved this book!  The Authenticity Project is a character-driven, delightful story about five very different people who are drawn together because of an insignificant notebook that challenges each of them to “be authentic”.   As they each contemplate the question “what would if you shared the truth” they become friends and confidants but not without some bumps along the way.

The characters in The Authenticity Project are varied and unique. Julian is a 79-year-old artist who is flamboyant and dramatic, Monica is a former barrister who owns a coffee shop that she has put her heart and soul into, Hazard is a recovering addict, Riley is an Australian on his first trip to Europe, and Alice is a new mother who is finding it difficult to adapt to the changes in her life.  During the course of the story there are other characters that add multiple layers to the lives of these five people, thus creating a story that is interesting and relatable.  

This book is well-written, well-conceived, and clever.  When I find myself worrying and thinking about fictional characters, then I know I have a winner.  It is truly an entertaining story that I didn’t want to end.  Thank you, Ms Pooley, for creating such a wonderful book.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and have already recommended it several other people.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley is an entertaining, refreshing read about sharing personal truths with both yourself and others. In the book, Monica finds a notebook, originally left by a seventy-nine year old artist, in her coffee shop that encourages those in possession of the notebook to add their personal truths and stories. 

I loved how realistic each character in the book is. Clearly none were written just for the pleasure of the reader but written in a realistic, raw way that better represents the average person, flaws and all. Each character shared their story leading us to believe that every person is inherently good. Their stories were all interesting, complex, and captivating. 
Hopefully in reading this book people understand that we need more compassion and care for others in society as a whole.

This was a wonderful escape from my day-to-day life.  All of the characters in this book added something different to the story.  Monica, the Type-A lawyer turned cafe owner, Hazard the recovering addict, Riley the sweet Australian, Julian the eccentric older man, and Alice the Instagram mom.  One notebook brings these strangers together, and they assume an incredible bond, friendship, and maybe even romance.  

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

The intriguing premise of this novel, although perhaps unbelievable, is that a notebook containing genuine personal insights has been started by an elderly artist and left for others to continue.  After she finds it in her tea shop, Monica adds her own introspections, and leaves it to be found by Hazard, and so it goes.  All of the six people who contribute to the notebook bare their souls so that readers--and the  people who find the notebook--see a secret side of them.  In a time of social isolation, this is a satisfying read about what meaningful connections can be.