I really enjoyed this story of how circumstances can turn groups of strangers into friends. An aging artist with a flair for the dramatic creates a notebook entitled "The Authenticity Project", and it gets passed around, slam book style, bringing together a cafe owner, a burnt-out financier, an Australian backpacker, a gay couple, and an Asian auntie/restaurateur. There's a fabulous twist to the story, and there's enough humor, pathos, and depth here that makes this an excellent book club discussion title while also being just a really good read.

3.5 Stars, rounded up! I liked the characters - especially Julian - but there were a few too many conflicts caused by miscommunication/lack of communication and that took away from the story for me. I enjoyed the second half more than the first. Overall it was a sweet story about an eccentric, lovable group of characters.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Julian, an octogenarian artist, leaves a message in a journal behind in a restaurant that he entitled The Authenticity Project. The journal travels from person to person and the recipients of the journal add their own "truths" to the volume. I love that the characters' musings bring them together. It is a story about loving life.

2.5 stars

When a notebook is left in Monica’s cafe, with the title “The Authenticity Project” on it’s cover. A lonely older man, Julien, has written in it feeling some of his feelings he has kept hidden inside. He encourages whoever finds the book to do the same and pass it on. Monica does just that and leaves it as a bar, and the notebook continues to travel. A random group of people end up being brought together by this traveling notebook started by Julien.

I had a hard time getting into the story. I had liked the concept after reading the description, and it has a lot of very positive reviews, so maybe it just wasn’t for me. I almost stopped reading it about 1/4 of the way through, but decided to go ahead and use my reading time to finish it. It’s a cute story, with some predictability, and an interesting group of characters, many who seemed somewhat one dimensional.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This title sounds like self-help, but it's a novel. I liked this book more than I expected to--the plot execution could have been trite, but it really wasn't. There are some nice turns of phrase, and the characters are quirky and honest about their essential loneliness. It would be a good read for someone who needs a little nudge to get outside their comfort zone and connect with others in their community.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

I saw this book on so many lists, so I was excited to get it. I read it, but I found myself skimming a lot. It was so predictable. I don't usually read "beach reads", but I guess this is one. It is definitely a Hallmark movie kind of book. The author must be a fan of "Friends", because her Monica is a pretty close copy of their Monica!

I absolutely loved this book!! Reading it has given me many happy hours over the past couple of days. I loved all the characters, and the character development was excellent. I didn’t want the book to end. This is the first novel from Clare Pooley, and I certainly hope it is the first of many!

A delightful mashup of Bridget Jones’ Diary and Diary of the Traveling Pants and any number of other stories that present a variety of voices and perspectives in a contemporary setting. The cast of characters includes an elderly artist long past his popularity, a bistro owner who wants nothing more than to be a wife and mother and a financial trader whose addictions have pushed him to the end of his rope. Others are added to the tale as they are connected by a journal which the lonely artist leaves behind at the cafe. As each player picks up the journal, they are invited to add their voice and then leave the notebook for someone. As the title tells us, they are challenged to tell the truth.
However, for these characters sometimes they can’t record the truth because they haven’t faced it in their own lives. How these entries connect a varied group of lost souls is a lovely and loving story, Although the center of the story is the Earl’s Court neighborhood of London, we also see a bit of an island paradise near Thailand an attractive group of young men from Australia and a fearless Chinese restaurant owner and tai chi instructor
This story has love, humor, unique characters and great commentary on today’s social scene. There were even some surprises that I didn’t see coming. A fun fast read with something for everyone.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. It's a bit outside my normal "type," but it was well done and even the more corny parts were quite palatable. Seems like it could be a Netflix/Hallmark channel movie? It was nicely done. Recommended.

The Authenticity Project is a unique book about life-choices and interesting people. Julian is a 79 year old man living in the London suburbs. He was once a sought after portrait artist and very popular in the London social scene during the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Now he is a lonely widow, regretting the choices he made that brought him to his present situation. On a whim, Julian creates a notebook entitled "The Authenticity Project" where he poses the question - what happens if we reveal our authentic selves? He writes his story, then leaves the book at Monica's, a new cafe in the neighborhood. Monica is a not-so-young woman who left a soulless job as a lawyer to start her own cafe. As she's wondering if heraccounts will ever balance, if she'll ever fall in love or have a baby, she reads Julian's story. Intrigued, Monica, adds her own authentic story, then looks Julian up to see if she can help. Hazard, young business man on a downward spiral is the next to pick up the book, wthen passes it on to Riley and so on.
This was a delightful story. Every time I thought I knew where the plot was going Pooley tossed in a little twist making it very difficult to put down. The characters are well-developed, flawed, and human. At first not always like-able, you couldn't help but be fond of them by the end. As I finished the book I was contemplating looking up Monica's to see if I could join in the family.
Anyone who likes to read would enjoy this book. :Young adults would enjoy this as well. Also a great book club selection - there would be a lot to discuss!

I loved this book. A lonely old man starts a diary in which he introduces himself. He leaves it in a London coffee shop where it is picked up by the owner, who finds the old artist and befriends him. She, in turn, leaves it for another to find and so it goes. All in the authenticity Project becomes friends and as they do, their lives improve. The ending was great. It turns out that the lonely artist wasn’t entirely honest in his writing, but this book has the makings for a Hallmark Channel movie.

Review for Netgalley ARC.

Unique and delightful. Clare Pooley delivers a story about finding yourself while becoming part of your community. Her tale begins with a cafe owner finding a notebook filled with a neighbor's deepest secrets. As the story develops and others add their secrets to the notebook for others to find, events both heartwarming and heartrending ensue. At times, the story reminded me of a Sophie Kinsella tale. At others, it was totally unique and all her own.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

"The Authenticity Project" is the fictional debut of Claire Pooley. Pooley began her writing career as the author of the blog, "Mummy was a Secret Drinker". Her first book, "The Sober Diaries" was released in 2016, To be perfectly honest, I'm pleased that I didn't know her history before reading this novel, as it might have deterred me. And I loved this book. Really loved it. It's warm and authentic, just like the title states.
It's the story of a group of diverse individuals who come together and form unlikely friendships based on a small notebook titled "The Authenticity Project". The members of the group are all flawed in their own ways but learn to see themselves as they really are and attempt to make positive changes. Wonderful book, highly recommended!

A very readable novel with an interesting, if somewhat staged, premise ...

An older artist sits in a coffee shop contemplating life, and jots down some very personal thoughts about his loneliness in a notebook. He leaves the notebook on the table, in the hopes that maybe someone will find it and share their experiences. And of course, this being fiction, that's exactly what happens. The notebook finds several people at various points of confusion and need in their lives, and somehow the notebook makes the rounds and actually is a catalyst.

I enjoyed this book. It's light without being fluffy, realistic without being angst ridden, and features some interesting characters. Monica, who has left the lawyer rat race to run her own coffee shop; Hazard, recovering from addiction and cringing at his former self; Julian, an outrageously individual artist with a big heart and a big ego, and several other worthwhile participants.

While there are some serious issues that appear in the book, the mood overall is optimistic and it makes the point that belonging to a community can nourish us. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really unique little book. A man is lonely and tired and bored so he writes a few truths in a notebook and leaves it in a cafe, encouraging others to add to it. The story is about the others who do add to it. This is one of those books where I feel like saying too much would take from your reading of it later. It's about friendship and honesty. Are we honest with each other? Or with anyone? I know it has become heavy handed and easy to simply say that suddenly no one talks anymore and that we overshare without sharing anything. That's really not new. The delivery was new. Obviously, characters will come together through this process. It's really about how they share and trust. It's all about relationships! A fun little book.

I truly enjoyed reading this story. The way each person’s life intersected, I couldn’t wait to read about what would happen next. The initial anonymity of the stories in The Authenticity Project allowed true honesty and that’s not something most people do, especially in the age of social media. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by this author.

This was a sweet book. I liked the journey of the book. I enjoyed that characters especially Monica and Julian. But this book was a wee bit too long near the end. It should have been finished up more quickly. I ended up just skimming the last 30 pages.

This book had some good bits -- most definitely earned a 3-star review. I loved the idea of the notebook that brought the characters together. There are good surprises and disappointing surprises as the people who write in the notebook connect with each other and work on the challenges they had written about. So, it starts with Julian, then Monica, Hazard, Riley, Alice, and Lizzie take their turns. Where the project starts to fall apart is this -- the first person doesn't in theory get to read any of the other letters. So, to get the most information you have to be at the end of the chain, but then you might not actually know all of the others in the book. Anyway, I could turn my brain into a pretzel over this issue. Unfortunately, I don't care about it that much.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I really liked this book and I'm glad that I got to read it early. My library already has this on order and I will be "talking it up" to the patrons. We have a shelf for staff picks and I will put this book there. It is a well written book, not too simplistic and sappy. I like stories that are connected, have some little surprises and leave characters in good places. I wonder how many Authenticity Project notebooks we'll be finding lying around.

The Authenticity Project
A Novel
by Clare Pooley
PENGUIN GROUP Viking
Pamela Dorman Books
Romance , Women's Fiction

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Group for the digital ARC of this book.
I really wanted to like this book but it fell flat for me. Characters, theme... not interesting to me.
Good Luck!