Monica is a single woman running a cafe in England. One day, she finds a notebook called The Authenticity Project with a journal entry by a man named Julian. This notebook ends up changing Monica's life and leads to a chain of events that creates a group of unlikely friends.
The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley was an enjoyable read that illustrates the way friendship and honesty can develop us as authentic human beings.
I was given an ARC of The Authenticity Project by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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A delightful, heart-warming novel about found family among different ages, races, sexual orientations and situations. Clare Pooley writes warm, funny and deeply moving characters. Her books are wonderful.

**I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

One notebook connects several people in this quirky novel. What does it mean to be authentic…authenticity is on the mind of Julian, who decides to share his thoughts in a notebook and let it somewhere for others to read and contribute. This is a story about friendship and support and being true to oneself. I greatly enjoyed the storylines, and prepare to use a tissue or two. Highly recommended.

Unable to find another way of expressing the intense loneliness and regret that he feels, octogenarian Julian begins The Authenticity Project – a small green notebook containing the truth about his life – to pass on and encourage others to share their own truths.

When he leaves the book in Monica's cafe, he doesn’t anticipate that anyone will track him down. Or that his honest notes will impact all those who come into contact with the book, and lead to friendship and forgiveness.

The Authenticity Project is an enjoyable read that takes on some serious issues, including addiction, infidelity and loneliness, with sensitivity and humour. At the centre of the novel is the premise that what you see in people is not necessarily what is real; particularly in this Insta-age of lives styled as if for photographs in a glossy magazine (remember those?).

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this thoughtful book.

While I didn't love this book overall, something about the characters kept me reading. More of a fluff book than I usually read, but the overall plot idea was interesting and it made for an interesting discussion in my book club.

This is a really awesome and heartfelt book about six strangers who share parts of their journeys in a plain green notebook for others to read. Each character is completely different, yet the journal brings them together to form friendships like no other.

Monica has noticed the elderly gentleman in her coffee shop before, but this time he leaves behind a journal. Do we really know the "authentic" people we meet or is everyone hiding something? The author of the journal challenges the finder/reader to write authentically about themselves & leave the journal for someone else to find. This intriguing premise brings 6 strangers (and a few secondary characters) together -- an elderly man, a single businesswoman, a man struggling with addictions, a "hunky" single man, a woman struggling with her identity and a caregiver. What happens next is sweet, sad, touching, funny, and sometimes surprising.

Although the premise is a bit contrived, the characters are all captivating and, although what happens is sometimes overly predictable, I was totally caught up in their stories. This would make a good TV movie -- entertaining and very readable.

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.