June 2018

For a while, I have been looking for a book that would make me laugh; it’s been a real challenge. I found that in HOW HARD CAN IT BE? by Allison Pearson. Many remember her protagonist, Kate Reddy, from I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT. Kate is now a stay-at-home mother who is eager to return to the workforce, but she is 49 and companies are not exactly opening their doors to her. Her children are teenagers who test her nerves, and her husband has left his job to plot a new career as a therapist, but he seems to be spending a lot more time on his high-end bike than he is plotting his future. Layer in aging parents, and Kate is at her wit’s end.

So what to do? She decides to shave a few years off her ego, hire a trainer to get her back into shape, and join a Women Returners group to plot her re-entry into the workforce. What happens from there is one really fun ride. I found myself laughing out loud, a lot, and her line “How hard can it be?” is one that many women will understand all too well. By the way, I both read it and listened to it on audio, the latter of which is narrated by Poppy Miller. I highly recommend both formats.

HOW HARD CAN IT BE? would be a great book for a book group discussion.