How Hard Can It Be?

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First off this book was really good and I laughed so hard because some of things I read I had to look around to see if anybody noticed me reading this book because right off the beginning they were talking about hardcore sex, handcuffs and porn. I couldn't believe some of the stuff that was in the book. It kept it really interesting and it sparked my interest to keep reading it to see what happens to the characters in the book. Laugh-out-loud funny and entirely relatable--you'll fall in love with Kate all over again." -- Popsugar

That’s 400m people saying, on average, 1,500 words a day. Week in, week out. You’d imagine, then, that every single combination would have been used up years ago, and yet we can be certain no one has ever said: ‘I name this ship HMS Vulnerable.’ Or: ‘The thing I love most about my husband is his herpes.’ Or: ‘Look at that maniac in that Saab." That's all I can really tell you as a bit of an introduction, because the real story has too many events that takes Kate and her family on the Ups and Downs of LIFE. Told with humor and seriousness, at just the right time. She'll get the job and life will change, in many unexpected ways. But in the end you'll cheer for Kate and maybe even like her kids, a little. Enjoy! Laugh-out-loud funny and entirely relatable—you'll fall in love with Kate all over again." — PopsugarI received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!). Fiercely funny and keenly observant....couldn't be more timely or delightful....Allison Pearson can induce gales of uncontrollable laughter." -- USA Today Later on meet the neighbor they name "Mr. Asstastic." See if she can actually take down Evangeline with her "pile of confusing, offensive, unreadable s**t." Can she save her new friends and still get the guy?

The following excerpt was selected because it shows how problems in the daughter's life parallel those of the mother. In the following quotation our protagonist is editing her daughter's school assignment to analyze Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and she considers the writing about Shakespeare also reflects the dilemmas of teenage life that her daughter faces. The irony is that the same can be said for Kate herself, our book's narrator. Plenty of shrewd insights to make up for the dodgy spelling. She really should have more confidence in herself, but girls like Emily set themselves impossibly high standards so they never feel good about themselves. What was it she said to me? “I’m not the cleverest, I’m not the prettiest, I’m not the anythingest.” It’s the disease of the day. ... ...

I was first interested in this book because I thought it might be able to be used in a "Next Chapter" book group for newly retired persons. I've concluded it's a novel for someone in the midst of the work-a-day word, not someone opening a new chapter in their life. Leave it to me to wind up in a group of porno writing grannies who discuss sex toys and apple cobbler in the same breath. Also leave it to me to leak an outlandish plot idea to a bestselling author with the morals of a rabid squirrel. And only I could get arrested for a jewelry heist I didn’t commit—by a hunky cop whose handcuffs just might tempt me to sign up for a life of crime. Maybe I’ve found my calling after all… This book is for those women whose children find them annoying, whose husbands take them for granted, who feel their best years are behind them and whose workplace is filled with bros with more hair gel than acumen, but who forge on because what other choice is there? In other words…something for every woman.

If I didn't know the author, I probably would have given it 4 stars because I wouldn't want you to know how much I enjoy entertaining and ridiculous books. I like to pretend that I am a serious reader* of serious books.A bit predictable and a tad long, but still relevant and often hilarious. Kate’s inner thoughts are zingers and I read on just to see what predicament she would get up to next. There is a scene in a bathroom during a presentation to a Russian oligarch that is as priceless as it is cringe inducing. The winning follow-up to Pearson’s bestselling I Don’t Know How She Does It is anchored by heroine Kate Reddy’s authentic, intelligent, and consistently funny British voice....Pearson maintains a humorous tone throughout, wresting laughs from her lead’s lowest moments and greatest triumphs. Pearson also hits the right notes in conveying the cluelessness and powerlessness parents feel raising teens obsessed by gaming and social media." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) From a career as a local journalist in the north of England, he rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s Clarkson has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. From 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own chat show, Clarkson. Kate has a decent resume, her problem is her age, and competing with all the twenty/thirty-somethings in the workforce. "Lie," say her friends. "Or at least twist the truth a little." (my paraphrasing) So she becomes 42, on paper.