How Hard Can It Be?

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So Kate Ready is 49, almost fifty (which seems young to me, but still props to the author). She’s married with two teens, and an unemployed husband who has decided to become a mountain bike rider, and then a counselor of some sort, very New Age sounding. Right to the expensive cost. That being said, I could see most of the plot twists coming a mile away, and you couldn't help but get frustrated that Kate couldn't see them too. Overall, while I found parts of this novel funny, refreshing, and quite apropos, I couldn't really get over Kate's obsession with her looks or her one-sided relationship with her children. In the end, 3.5 stars, probably bumped up a bit for a little Kate Reddy nostalgia. This program is read by acclaimed actor Poppy Miller, who stars as Ginny Weasley in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Husband Richard has lost his job and is in a two-year program to become a counselor, while pedaling a pricey bicycle and doing lots of yoga and therapy to recapture what’s missing in his life.

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! He writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun, but is better known for his role on the BBC television programme Top Gear.

I would have happily read about her experiences at the firm along with her struggles with menopause, memory, transatlantic friendships and unexpected support from a new friend. That thread of a marriage crumbling and her new affair would have made a great story on his own. Affair guy was yummy and hubby was useless. (Even his kids didn’t miss him when he finally moved out). These stories where the ex-husband ends up with twins and endless sleepless nights are such a fun revenge for the now independent ex-wife who finally gets some freedom after raising her family.

Laugh-out-loud funny and entirely relatable--you'll fall in love with Kate all over again." -- PopsugarI freaking LOVE this book. How hard can it be is THE funniest book I have ever read. The premise is truly one of a kind. Few sequels beat the original, but How Hard Can It Be? does so hands down ... zesty, razor-sharp and hilarious. It’s full of such quotable casual profundity on the female condition I couldn't read it without a pencil to underline the abundance of great lines. Get ready for Kate!’ TINA BROWN, magazine editor and bestselling author His opinionated but humorous tongue-in-cheek writing and presenting style has often generated much public reaction to his viewpoints. His actions both privately and as a Top Gear presenter have also sometimes resulted in criticism from the media, politicians, pressure groups and the public. I kept laughing out loud in places with extreme quiet- a snort shy of embarrassing the hell out of myself.. The article that killed me was the one where Jeremy was stumped by a high-tech Japanese toilet. Just look at this: each day it gets slightly harder to retrieve the things that I know. Correction. The things that I know that I knew. At forty nine years of age, the tip of my tongue becomes a very crowded place.” Or this...“Today is my seventh session at the gym this week. Even God got to rest on the seventh day, but God was only trying to create the world, not restore a middle-aged female body to a state of battle readiness.” I hate to tell her how bad it’ll be as the years go on!

Having trouble finding a suitable job is just one of Kate’s many issues. She is starting menopause and is dealing with the symptoms this change is bringing into her life. Richard is changing more than just his career - he’s become obsessed with his bike, herbal tea, mindfulness and meditation. Kate and Richards adorable children from the last book are now teenagers and not exactly easy and of course, Richard is starting to become an absent husband and father, just when Kate needs him most. Just to throw in one more issue, Kate and Richard bought an old ‘fixer upper’ upon returning to London and of course, the remodel is turning out to be more complicated than expected. Kate spends the rest of the book trying to sort out these problems; some of its hilarious and some very heartfelt. This book is written by former television presenter Jeremy Clarkson, I chose to read this because I have read several other books by him and their humorous and interesting topics have hooked me to his books. This book is written by small newspaper articles made by Clarkson put together to form a book. Although not my usual genre, I had heard many good things about Allison's previous book 'I Don't Know How She Does It', and so decided to enter the giveaway for 'How Hard Can It Be?'. I'm delighted I won as I loved this book! (I will now definitely be seeking out the first one to read too). Although this is a continuation of 'I Don't Know...', it stands by itself as well and I wasn't confused by the story at any point.

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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." Seven years later, Kate Reddy is facing her 50th birthday. Her children have turned into impossible teenagers; her mother and in-laws are in precarious health; and her husband is having a midlife crisis that leaves her desperate to restart her career after years away from the workplace. Once again, Kate is scrambling to keep all the balls in the air in a juggling act that an early review from the U.K. Express hailed as "sparkling, funny, and poignant...a triumphant return for Pearson." Her triumph at work is perhaps too good to be true. Likewise, the story has a romance element involving an old fling. That part of the story also ends too happy to be true. But it is a novel so I shouldn't be complaining about realism.

I do have one problem with "How Hard Can it Be?". The romance of the main character is exactly the kind that irritates the crap out of me...love at first sight for two gorgeous people and mind blowing sex from the get go...but it's forgivable as the characters are likeable and I'm happy for anyone who is having mind blowing sex. Even if they are fictional.As you can probably guess, it is revealed that the indifferent husband is having an affair - with a 26 year-old fellow student. But that’s okay, because Kate has reunited with a client she fell in love with seven years before. (She nobly broke it off before anything happened.) Fast-forward to present day: they have an affair this time (that Kate breaks off again) so the cheating becomes a goose/gander sort of equation. The funniest and most feminist writing of the year… How Hard Can It Be? is that rare thing: a sequel that matches and even surpasses the original…Every line is meticulous; every reflection on parenthood hilarious, or else so true it’s heartbreaking.” — The Telegraph (UK) 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) In this side-splitting follow-up to I Don't Know How She Does It...the electricity is positively sparkling....Laugh-out-loud yet all too realistic....Spot on." — Library Journal (starred review) I was so happy to see Kate again! I LOVE her spunk and how her life looks so seamless to the outsider while in reality she is always struggling to hold it all together. She’s always one step away from a funny yet messy disaster.