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zezeki's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Death of parent
avosage18's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Outing
jcrawford31's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death and Toxic relationship
kelly_e's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Title: The Authenticity Project
Author: Clare Pooley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: February 4, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Crass • Simple • Cliché
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren't really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes--in a plain, green journal--the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It's run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves--and soon find each other In Real Life at Monica's Café.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Authenticity Project was chosen as my in-person book club pick for the month of May. And I was actually really excited by the synopsis and another story with an elderly main characters and about unlikely friendships - elements I typically love. Due to time constraints, I listened to the majority audio, and it 100% impacted my experience negatively.
The concept was so clever! There were so many aspects I should have loved, but it was honestly a struggle to get through it. None of the characters were all that likeable and it felt like the author simply chose some of her favourite stereotypes and tossed them together to produce this novel. Then through in one flawless character to tie everyone together. Some of the scenarios were just so unbelievable.
I expected the notebook to play a larger role. It is what gets the ball rolling, yet eventually its more about the relationships between the characters than people revealing their painful truths. For me, it would have worked better with smaller glimpses into the lives of a larger number of characters. The character development wasn't all that great with the smaller cast, so I don't see how a larger cast would have changed anything. There's a lot of book here and so much room for emotional depth, but it never went there.
One of my biggest issues was the romance. It felt so grossly contrived and the lack of communication and unhappy relationships drove me to speed things up to simply get through it. I honestly didn't care about the romance, at all.
And that brings me to the audiobook which was cringey. With so many characters, it was a lot to ask of one narrator. I had a hard time differentiating between whose POV I was listening to and the characterizations were that good at all. I honestly wish I hadn't listened to it because it ruined a lot for me.
The Authenticity Project was such a clever idea, yet the execution was poor. I am definitely in the minority, so if it's something that sounds interesting to you, I highly suggest finding out for yourself. I should have switched to eyeball reading, and maybe, I would have liked it better. Although I didn't love this one, I'd definitely give Clare Pooley another chance.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• slice-of-life stories
• endings tied up with a bow
⚠️ CW: mental illness, addiction, drug use, drug abuse, alcohol, alcoholism, death, death of parent, grief, cancer, outing, homophobia, infidelity, cursing, sexual content, suicidal thoughts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"The truth often isn't pretty. It's not aspirational. It doesn't fit neatly into a little square on Instagram."
"Surely it would be better to live a messy, flawed, sometimes not very pretty life that was real and honest, than to constantly try to live up to a life of perfection that was actually a sham?"
Author: Clare Pooley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: February 4, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Crass • Simple • Cliché
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren't really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes--in a plain, green journal--the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It's run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves--and soon find each other In Real Life at Monica's Café.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Authenticity Project was chosen as my in-person book club pick for the month of May. And I was actually really excited by the synopsis and another story with an elderly main characters and about unlikely friendships - elements I typically love. Due to time constraints, I listened to the majority audio, and it 100% impacted my experience negatively.
The concept was so clever! There were so many aspects I should have loved, but it was honestly a struggle to get through it. None of the characters were all that likeable and it felt like the author simply chose some of her favourite stereotypes and tossed them together to produce this novel. Then through in one flawless character to tie everyone together. Some of the scenarios were just so unbelievable.
I expected the notebook to play a larger role. It is what gets the ball rolling, yet eventually its more about the relationships between the characters than people revealing their painful truths. For me, it would have worked better with smaller glimpses into the lives of a larger number of characters. The character development wasn't all that great with the smaller cast, so I don't see how a larger cast would have changed anything. There's a lot of book here and so much room for emotional depth, but it never went there.
One of my biggest issues was the romance. It felt so grossly contrived and the lack of communication and unhappy relationships drove me to speed things up to simply get through it. I honestly didn't care about the romance, at all.
And that brings me to the audiobook which was cringey. With so many characters, it was a lot to ask of one narrator. I had a hard time differentiating between whose POV I was listening to and the characterizations were that good at all. I honestly wish I hadn't listened to it because it ruined a lot for me.
The Authenticity Project was such a clever idea, yet the execution was poor. I am definitely in the minority, so if it's something that sounds interesting to you, I highly suggest finding out for yourself. I should have switched to eyeball reading, and maybe, I would have liked it better. Although I didn't love this one, I'd definitely give Clare Pooley another chance.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• slice-of-life stories
• endings tied up with a bow
⚠️ CW: mental illness, addiction, drug use, drug abuse, alcohol, alcoholism, death, death of parent, grief, cancer, outing, homophobia, infidelity, cursing, sexual content, suicidal thoughts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"The truth often isn't pretty. It's not aspirational. It doesn't fit neatly into a little square on Instagram."
"Surely it would be better to live a messy, flawed, sometimes not very pretty life that was real and honest, than to constantly try to live up to a life of perfection that was actually a sham?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Outing
Minor: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
jus111's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Cute book, didn't like the ending :/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
littlelights_xx's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Absolutely adored this book. I could sympathise with all of the characters, even the more unlikeable ones, and it kept me hooked so strongly I had to finish it the same day I started it. And a twist at the end I was NOT expecting but LOVED. The writing style felt real and varied by narrator. The People of Platform 5 was also one of my fave books, so I can't wait to hear what Clare writes next.
(Edit after reading other reviews)
I agree with bookph1le's review of Monica and Hazard's convenient romance, and about Riley's treatment. For someone upset that his stereotype is that he is a happy-go-lucky person with no depth, he is given the least deep ending he couldn't have possibly been given.
(Edit after reading other reviews)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Cancer
thisreadingcorner's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Authenticity Project aka the secret of the traveling notebook, follows a motley crew of unlikely friends brought together by sharing their stories in a notebook and then passing it on (purposefully or accidentally) to the next writer.
The crew:
* Julian - octogenarian artist finding that his glamorous youth can’t compensate for a lonely retirement
* Monica - compulsive cafe owner wondering if her ticking clock means her best has come and gone
* Hazard - retired finance douchebag attempting to turn over a new leaf
* Riley - wandering Aussie gardener “going with the flow” through life and love
* Alice - girl boss turned IG mom/trophy wife wondering if her best and come and gone
* Lizzie - admitted busybody hoping to alleviate some of the glaring dysfunction in these folks
* Mary - ******’s **** come to set the record straight
* The background cast, especially Mrs. Wu and her tai chi
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book and there’s not too much I can say without spoiling all the fun, but I really enjoyed this. I found myself rooting for Hazard by the end when he was everything I hate at the beginning (it was the grovel for meee). I loved Monica the whole time. Julian was a menace. Riley was predictably self-involved (dictionary definition Himbo), and the other ladies were window dressing. Alice’s sections made me realize I’m good on reading that brand of reflection on motherhood as someone entirely divested 🤷🏾♀️
Read it and tell me what you thought!
The crew:
* Julian - octogenarian artist finding that his glamorous youth can’t compensate for a lonely retirement
* Monica - compulsive cafe owner wondering if her ticking clock means her best has come and gone
* Hazard - retired finance douchebag attempting to turn over a new leaf
* Riley - wandering Aussie gardener “going with the flow” through life and love
* Alice - girl boss turned IG mom/trophy wife wondering if her best and come and gone
* Lizzie - admitted busybody hoping to alleviate some of the glaring dysfunction in these folks
* Mary - ******’s **** come to set the record straight
* The background cast, especially Mrs. Wu and her tai chi
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book and there’s not too much I can say without spoiling all the fun, but I really enjoyed this. I found myself rooting for Hazard by the end when he was everything I hate at the beginning (it was the grovel for meee). I loved Monica the whole time. Julian was a menace. Riley was predictably self-involved (dictionary definition Himbo), and the other ladies were window dressing. Alice’s sections made me realize I’m good on reading that brand of reflection on motherhood as someone entirely divested 🤷🏾♀️
Read it and tell me what you thought!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Death of parent
sea_tea_books's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
The judgements — and misjudgments — about the people we briefly encounter, and an experiment into social engineering.
This story started off strong, yet eventually fell back into the tired tropes of miscommunication, assumptions, and missed connections.
Audiobook-specific issue: the narrator didn't leave a pause between time jumps so two different timeframes blended into one.
Quite the coincidental plot twist — why would Mary go to an art class that Julian was teaching and expect to have a chat while he's clearly preoccupied? Why wouldn't Mary have gone to the cottage she lived in all those years with Julian?
I deducted a star whenmultiple characters suggested that Monica should pursue a relationship with a relapsing addict (Hazard) so she could be his pseudo-babysitter, responsible for keeping him in line and thereby absolving him of taking accountability for his choices.
3 ⭐
This story started off strong, yet eventually fell back into the tired tropes of miscommunication, assumptions, and missed connections.
Audiobook-specific issue: the narrator didn't leave a pause between time jumps so two different timeframes blended into one.
I deducted a star when
3 ⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
stormeno's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Outing, and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Sexual content
beccadilly's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction