Great story with interesting concept - a notebook is left in a coffee shop and anyone who finds it is invited to share their "authentic" thoughts about their thoughts and dreams. I enjoyed the characters' stories, with a surprising twist at the end.

thanks to Netgalley and publisher, got this book for review. I do enjoy the book, the premise is clever and the characters are likable. the plot revolves around a small notebook, people write in this notebook and this in turn brings people together. overall, solid book

I’m struggling a little about how to review this book. Ultimately I enjoyed it! It was uplifting and easy to read. I truly enjoyed getting to know the characters and I especially enjoyed getting to know new characters as the book went on. 

I found the book dragged though, a few times I felt like I should be already done and didn’t know why I still had so much of it left to read. I found the entries in The Authenticity Project notebook to be not as well written as the book itself (which also could have used some work in places). I also found some of the decision making and miscommunication at points to be juvenile and annoying.

Overall, I would recommend this book if a light hearted feel good fiction is your thing, it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

The Authenticity Project, was conceived by Julien, a lonely septuagenarian. He lamented that nobody really ever tells the truth, to their friends or their neighbours, about how they are really feeling. So, in an attempt to get people to actually tell the truth, Julien writes his "story", in a green notebook, with the title "Authenticity Project"on the cover, and, decides to leave the notebook in the local independent cafe, where the owner, Monica, picks it up. Monica reads Julien's "truth", and decides she wants to help Julien. The next thing you know, she is writing her own story in the authenticity project, and she leaves the notebook in the bar across the street from her cafe. And the project continues from there, the book changing hands many times.

I really enjoyed reading this book for so many different reasons. For the most part, the authenticity project shows us that you could never really tell how a person is truly feeling just through "appearances".  We all have become experts at hiding the truth. Furthermore, when you tell your true story, its possible, that your friend, co-worker, or neighbour, may know just what you are missing to help you actually get out of your rut, or achieve something you have been dreaming of. I also really enjoyed author Claire Pooley's writing style. The book was a pleasure to read, with lots of little sentimental/inspiring words. 

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift."

"Mother is a verb, not a noun. I think it means there are many ways to mother, without actually being one. Look at you and your cafe, you nurture loads of people everyday."

Finally, I would just like to add that readers should know that Claire Pooley, in her own life, had to face her own demons, when she found herself drinking excessively, so she is more then familiar with getting into a rut and digging yourself out.

I really enjoyed The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley, and highly recommend it!  5 stars! Thank you #netgalley for the early e-ARC in return for my honest review.

"How well do you know your neighbors? How well do they know you?  Everyone lies, but what if you told the truth instead". This is the question that the Authenticity Project asks.  It's a green notebook that gets passed around and each character writes their story.  It keeps you reading because you want to find out who will find it next and how will that change the story.  It's a very engaging storyline told through multiple characters lives that all intersect.  It also deals with some very current topics.
#theauthenticityproject #netgalley #indigoemployee

The Authenticity Project is a charming story that brings together a group of lonely people from very different walks of life.  In each other they find a kind of family and all the love, jealousy and frustrations that go along with it.  This is a lovely book that will lift your spirits while you wait for spring.

The Authenticity Project was such a delight to read! Six unlikely friends are eventually brought together due to a little green book, as they all try to tell their truths and be more authentic in an ever-growing world of the inauthentic, staged and deceptive.

The book started with just a few key players, and I knew more characters would get added as the book went on. I didn’t want this at first; I loved the first few characters and didn’t want their stories to fade out, but of course I grew to love each new character that was introduced, and was eager to hear their story and discover what they would add to the Authenticity Project. It culminated so beautifully! This book made me laugh out loud with its bang on observations of social media and the characters personality quirks and quips, and it also tugged at my heart strings. I loved this book and I highly encourage all to read it!

I loved The Authenticity Project! The characters were engaging and the story was fantastic. It was a great book to curl up with on a winter evening.

An excellent story full of characters you wont soon forget. This story becomes one of cross-generational friendships, the prevalence of loneliness in the busiest of cities, and the challenges of being authentic to yourself and to others. A lovely ride with a lovely cast of characters!

What a quaint story., but beware:  things are a not always as they seem! I liked the interesting plot twist with Julian.  He got his comeuppance for his philandering and selfish ways, but also a second chance at life - redemption is probably a better word for this part of the story line.

The narrative meandered a bit, and I wondered whether the author was playing at misdirection, like a magician, but I could also foresee the potential ending of this story right in the first few chapters, so I suppose a bit of misdirection was necessary in order to keep things interesting.  I loved how new characters kept being added to the mix, and how their contribution to The Authenticity Project enriched this story.   Just a really great read!

I loved this delightful book! 

At the story's centre is a school exercise book with the words "The Authenticity Project" written on the front cover.
It was left behind in a coffee shop where it is picked up by Monica, the coffee shop owner. She reads the few sentences written by the person who left it and from that point, we are gradually introduced to a motley cast of characters who, for me, jumped off the pages. I fell in love with each one and only wish they were not just living in Clare Pooley's head, I'd want to meet and spend a lot of time with each one. Masterful writing!.

The plot is uncommon in that the inanimate school book is the star of this story, playing the main role due to its influence on each character after they all write their authentic feelings on its pages. Feelings they have never shared with any human being. The characters eventually all meet and interact with each other, experiencing growth, love, betrayal, successes, fun, tears and camaraderie. Pooley's writing keeps the reader enthralled and involved. I was entertained from start to finish, from snorting to guffawing, puzzlement to cheering, tears of disappointment to high spirits. I didn't want it to end!

As soon as I read the description of this book, I couldn't wait to get approved and start reading it. This was such a charming and heartwarming read, perfect for reading on a cozy winter day. 

I really enjoyed the premise of a notebook that weaves the stories of very different characters together.  That being said, I do feel like my expectations for a more "authentic" story fell a little bit flat. The characters were definitely unique, but with the title of the book and the book inside the book, I feel like it could have gone a little deeper. As we got later into the book, there were almost too many characters added and it became hard to feel as connected to these new characters as the ones who were added earlier. 

I do still think I will recommend this novel, as an uplifting and cute read. I am interested to see how this novel is received once it is released. 

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advanced digital copy.

This book was absolutely charming. Each character has their story to tell and their own authentic selves to share which they do through a notebook. Each time a story is told the notebook is then left for someone else to find and because people are essentially good, each new person feels like they should help the person before. This results in a chain of good deeds that brings them together and changes their lives. Each new writer propels the plot forward as they read the previous stories and take action. There are a lot of characters but they are all so different that it was never confusing, even when their stories all connect. I quickly grew attached to many of them and even characters I didn’t particularly like at first grew on me as I got to know them.

Things can't be all sunshine and puppies though so you know conflict and drama are coming to tear it all apart. I was a bit sad to see the friendships built in the first part of the book break down. You would think that with everyone baring their souls in the notebook that they wouldn’t be hiding too many secrets from each other but this is absolutely what happens and anguish ensues. In the end everyone has some sort of a conclusion to their story and it is for the most part positive and happy, but also bittersweet. I became emotionally attached to these characters and I admit I was a bit teary.

This is a story with a great big heart and a lot of humour. It’s a feel good read that will make you wonder about the stories of those around you and maybe encourage a little more kindness and understanding as everyone has their own authentic selves hidden inside and it may not be the image you see.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Viking for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

I think my expectations for this book were a little too high. 

I was expecting so much more, something life changing, something more authentic but it quickly just turned into yet another Adult Fiction story. That being said, I absolutely loved the way all the lives of the characters intertwined, especially the way Alice saw Monica and the way Monica saw Alice. Such different realities and interpretations for each of them despite being in the same moment. That was expressed and written so beautifully throughout the book.

My favourite lines from the book were in the first few pages. 

“How well do you know the people who live near you? How well do they know you? Do you even know the names of your neighbors? Would you realize if they were in trouble, or hadn’t left their house for days? 
Everyone lies about their lives. What would happen if you shared the truth instead? The one thing that defines you, that makes everything else about you fall into place? Not on the internet, but with those real people around you?”

It’s not a bad read, but I felt it did not live up to its hype or to the word authentic and that disappointed me more than any other book would. 

My love to hate character in this book was definitely Alice. I also wish the author would have written more about Riley later on. 

The flow of this story reminded me of Daisy Jones & The Six but better. I remember enjoying that book while reading it but simply being unsatisfied when it ended.

Just when I was getting bored with the story we met nosey Lizzie and got to experience what her meddling did. 

Overall not a bad read. Pick it up if you’ve got a chance. 

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Clare Pooley for this ARC!

3.5/5

"What would happen if you shared the truth?" Julian Jessop writes in a notebook he titles "The Authenticity Project."  When he leaves this journal in Monicas cafe she is challenged to tell her own truth.  As the journal makes it way through each person who reads it, they are confronted with their own truth.  What comes out of this small journal changes lives.
Recommended for all.  Great read. 

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed reading The Authenticity Project. For the most part, this book was very positive and heartwarming. I loved seeing how each person got connected with the larger group and how all the characters came together. One of the last events seemed to have come out of nowhere, which made me do a bit of a double take, but overall I thought this was a very lovely book.

DNF

I don't have many books that I couldn't finish, but there have been a few. This one now rests among their number.
Halfway through the book, I could no longer force myself to wade through page after page of sad people stuck in torturous, pointless lives. Perhaps this was uplifting for some, but not me.
There are too many other books out there that move me to force myself to read something I don't enjoy.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. My apologies to the author.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Authenticity Project begins when Julian, an eccentric former artist/senior citizen, writes about his feelings of loneliness since the loss of his wife and purposely leaves his notebook behind in a cafe. In doing so, he hopes a stranger will not only read what he's written, but will face their own truth, write it down and pass it on. As each new character discovers Julian's notebook, they not only find relief in writing down their innermost feelings, but also find community with one another, despite their many outward differences.

The Authenticity Project is a feel-good contemporary read with romance and comedy, but what makes it different is its ability to also go deep on real issues, like addiction (and others I won't mention to avoid spoilers). An unexpected twist adds an element of surprise near the end of the story. The characters really came alive for me and I felt I knew them by the end of the book. If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove, I'd encourage you to pick up The Authenticity Project, out February 4th.

I loved the storyline and characters in this book and found it hard to put down. I loved that each character had to write something authentic about themselves in the notebook that would be read by random people. It really makes you think about what your own authentic story would be, and whether this story would hold true to how other people perceive you.. #TheAuthenticityProject #NetGalley

3.5 Stars

I received a free copy of this book to review from Netgalley for an honest review.

I thought that the premise of this story sounded neat. I like that it involved multiple POVs. I wanted to know what we were getting ourselves into. I’m not a fan of the cover art but the story was good enough to overlook that.

I was for the most part sucked into everyone’s stories, it took a little time for me at the beginning. I could see the love interest that ended up happening from a mile away, so that didn’t surprise me. I enjoyed that everyone grew from their experience and presumably became better people because of it.

I also liked that there is enough of a cliff hanger at the end that we might get a second novel but if we don’t it tied off nicely. 

I would recommend this to people who enjoy contemporary reads but who also like multiple POVs.