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How Hard Can It Be?

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How Hard Can It Be?

By: Allison Pearson
Narrated by: Poppy Miller
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About this listen

Kate Reddy is back! The follow-up to the international bestseller I Don’t Know How She Does It, the novel that defined modern life for women everywhere. This time she’s juggling teenagers, ageing parents and getting back into the workplace, and every page will have you laughing and thinking: It’s not just me.

Mail on Sunday’s Books of the Year

Kate Reddy is counting down the days until she is fifty, but not in a good way. Fifty, in Kate’s mind, equals invisibility. And with hormones that have her in shackles, teenage children who need her there but won’t talk to her and ailing parents who aren’t coping, Kate is in the middle of a sandwich that she isn’t even allowed to eat because of the calories.

She’s back at work after a big break at home, because somebody has to bring home the bacon now that her husband Rich has dropped out of the rat race to master the art of mindfulness. But just as Kate is finding a few tricks to get by in her new workplace, her old client and flame Jack reappears – complicated doesn’t even begin to cover it.

This is a coming of age story for turning fifty. It’s about so much more than a balancing act; it’s about finding out who you are and what you need to feel alive when you’ve got used to being your own last priority. And every page will leave you feeling that there’s a bit of Kate Reddy in all of us.

As funny as Helen Fielding and Caitlin Moran, this is straight-up brilliant fiction about how to have it all and not end up losing yourself on the way.

©2017 Allison Pearson (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers
Family Life Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Romantic Comedy Women's Fiction Romance Comedy Funny

Critic Reviews

‘Made me laugh, wince, shudder and shed a tear!’ SOPHIE KINSELLA

‘Revolutionary … Both funny and unflinching’ ELIZABETH DAY, Daily Telegraph

‘As sharp and witty as ever … hugely enjoyable’ Daily Mail

‘How Hard Can It Be? is that rare thing: a sequel that matches and even surpasses the original’ Daily Telegraph

‘Once again, countless women will recognise themselves … Pearson has a gift’ The Times

‘Filled with smart insights into ageing parents, female friendships, tricky family dynamics and failing marriages … Kate makes good company’ New York Times

‘Ms. Pearson writes with great wit and verve’ Wall Street Journal

‘Pearson features menopause as nearly its own character in this laugh-out-loud yet all too realistic romp through midlife concerns about aging, sexual appeal, careers for older employees, and family care issues. Spot on’ Library Journal, Starred Review

‘Brilliantly well observed’ INDIA KNIGHT

‘Written with a light touch and verve … Pearson makes a sharp point about the lack of value and status that society places on the onerous job of a stay at home mother … in these pages, there is a raw honesty’ Financial Times

‘Sparkling, funny and poignant, this is a triumphant return for Pearson and hopefully not the last we will hear of Kate’ Daily Express

‘It is this relatable quality of Pearson’s story, along with laugh-out-loud zingers on nearly every page, that makes this sequel shine. How Hard Can It Be? is witty, current and a good reminder that age can be a trump card, even if you need reading glasses to see the deck’ Washington Post

‘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

‘Funny, heart-breaking, wise and delightful’ SOPHIE HANNAH

What listeners say about How Hard Can It Be?

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loved this book

the story is a good one I enjoyed it all the way through.
the only down side us the narration gose very quiet in places the loud again had to listen to with earphones in

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Insanely crazy how relatable this is!

Initially the first 5 or so minutes I wasn’t intrigued, however I then found that some parts of the book it was if there was someone living a parallel life!
Can children really be that similar? Well at least now I know that I’m not alone with my feelings on parenting.
Well done for capturing parenting perfectly in this era!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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I hated it

Kate, the main character, was infuriating. I yelled several times at her while listening to the book in my car. The way she was letting everyone just step all over her, while thinking of what she WANTED to say to people was just irritating. You’re a grown-ass woman, stick up for yourself for Pete’s sake. Also a lot of eye rolling. I couldn’t stand how she handled so many situations. The whole thing felt so depressing - the way she described her life as an almost 50 year old woman was just so grim and desperate.

The performer’s American accent was straight up terrible to the point where it was very off-putting. The way she read Emily was also annoying. I’m actually going to return this because it annoyed me so much.

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Audio volume goes up and down!

The audio on this book goes to almost a whisper every other sentence when listening on any Bluetooth device. Super frustrating as it’s a fabulous story.

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