I loved Allison Pearson writing when she was a columnist on the Daily Mail so was really looking forward to reading this book, I was not disappointed!
This is an excellent enjoyable read, well written, many laugh out loud moments as Kate Reddy tries to juggle work and home life, with a husband having a mid life crisis and two stroppy teenagers. Add to this about to be 50 and peri menopausal and you have a mixture of fun, exasperation with many witty observations.
I'm sure like me many women will have repetitive strain injury nodding their heads in total agreement with this book, e.g. When on the tube a few weeks ago twice two lovely men offered me their seat, was I grateful well yes, BUT, all I did was moan to my husband how old I must look now!!
My thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book honestly

As a 51 year old mother who adored Allison Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It, I was delighted to see her new book on NetGalley and what a brilliant read it proved to be. As soon as I started reading it, I kept thinking of friends I'd buy it for. It's laugh out loud funny but has its sad moments. I tried to ration my reading of it as it was so good I didn't want to finish it too quickly. I could totally relate to Kate and the situations she finds herself in. The menopausal ones had me laughing and grimacing at the same time. I love the fast pace and feel so many 50somethings will relate to this clever and honest account of family life and a woman trying to hold it all together. I had to delay reading the last few pages as I wasn't on my own and could feel the tears welling up. Really really loved this book and have told all my friends about it. Thank you to Allison Pearson, the publisher and NetGalley for a superb read.

Thanks to Netgalley I was fortunate enough to read an advanced copy of this book.
This is a great read, particularly for a woman in middle/late age. There are many laugh out loud moments throughout and I found myself a number of times muttering “gosh, I thought that was just me”! Loved, loved, Roy the memory finder. This book is the perfect antidote to menopause. No HRT required. It also made me cry, but of course, that could be the menopause!
I found the lead character’s relationship with her immediate family hugely frustrating at times, although, I think that’s likely more a reflection of my seething anger at the propensity for mollycoddling young people than in the storyline. There are some excellent observations of modern day challenges and her fears for young people growing up self obsessed and with few social skills are spot on. A good balance of humour and hubris and I really enjoyed it.

Seven years after leaving her high-demanding job, Kate Reddy’s life is still far from easy: her 16-year-old daughter Emily has problems at school and a picture of her bum has become a selfie (or "belfie") sensation on Facebook, while 14-year-old Ben rarely raises his eyes from the screen. Her husband Richard lost his job and he is too focused on his bike and his mindfulness to be of any help. Since her mother discovered technology she makes great use of it, including calling and texting all the time. Her in-laws are another worry on her to-do list and her house is a permanent construction site. The symptoms of menopause have the worst timings and she has to lie about her age to get her old job back. And when charming Jack, the man she’s been in love with for the past seven years, comes back in the picture, Kate’s life gets more and more complicated. Kate is nearing fifty but she is becoming invisible as everyone seems to take her for granted.

Women can relate to Kate both in her professional and her personal life in this sequel to I Don’t Know How She Does It. She juggles a boring husband, two irritating teenagers, and sexist and ageist co-workers. Thankfully she is assisted by Roy, her mental assistant (their exchanges are hilarious), and a group of friends who, like her, are going through a discovery of themselves. I loved how the author explores the relationships between women, mothers and daughters, sisters, friends and co-workers and how they support each other even during the hard times.

Some books are so brilliant you race through them. Others you ration yourself, savouring pages every night to eke out the joy for as long as you can. That's How Hard Can It Be? for me. A sharp and smart sequel years in the waiting but oh so worth the wondering how dear Kate Reddy would deal with midlife. So funny, so sad, and so educational - Allison has given me more of a 'what to expect' than any other source. It's a triumph of a sequel and it will have you crying, laughing and glowing. Bereft it's finished.

I really, really wanted to love this book. I thought "I Don't Know How She Does It" was a seminal book that showed what it was like to be a working mother and sold a gazillion copies for good reason. Women around the world looked up from the account of Kate Reddy's life and said, "Yup. I've been there."

Unfortunately, the intervening years have left Kate Reddy bitter and brittle, and consequently, tough to like. She's trying to regain a foothold in The City, after having left her job at the end of "I Don't Know How She Does It." She's fallen out of love with her husband, who is now retraining as a counsellor. Her two teenage children constantly befuddle her with their technology use. Her elderly parents and in-laws require assistance hundreds of miles away. All the while, she oversees the renovation of a crumbling house.

Look, I get it. Being a "Sandwich Woman" (scrunched between the needs of aging parents and younger children) is no picnic. But surely there has to be some room for some joy in her life? She spends so much time being stretched between all of her responsibilities-- and complaining about them-- there are only rare glimpses of her really enjoying her family life.

Where Pearson shines, however, is highlighting the challenges of women trying to rejoin the workforce after having taken time out. She totally gets what it's like for women who are trying to jump back into full-time employment who might have to resort to lying about their age or taking positions they are completely overqualified for in order to get a job.

This novel undoubtedly will be a best seller. It definitely hits a nerve (again) about what it's like to be a modern woman. I just wish Kate Reddy hadn't become so bitter about it.

I really liked this book. Being 25 I'm just over half the age of the main character, and have never read anything from the author before, but this book was still funny, relatable and entertaining.

Kate Reddy is a woman approaching the dreaded 50 years old, and if that wasn't bad enough, her husband has given up his job to retrain as a counsellor forcing her to become the main breadwinner, her daughter has accidentally had her #belfie go viral, and her son can't pry himself away from his electronics long enough to find his own football shorts.

This is the story of the trials of aging while finding yourself thrown back to the wolves of working motherhood, tackling stroppy teenagers, elderly mothers and in-laws, and a MAMIL who uses your ladyshave more than you do. The humour may not always be politically correct, but it is authentic to the women I grew up watching, these are things my Grandmother would regularly come out with and that I learned were funny before I learned they could be hurtful. They were the things I would try desperately not to laugh at while reminding her that, 'You just can't say those sorts of things anymore!'. The vernacular used, too, is familiar to me, it's the way I speak in casual conversation and the way I think.

I thoroughly enjoyed most of this book. I didn't, however enjoy one massive plot point and don't think it was that necessary to the overall ending of the book. <spoiler> I didn't enjoy the use of the trope that it's okay to cheat because you find out later that your partner has also been cheating on you, for much longer. I didn't enjoy Kate's anger with her husband and her attitude that he is absolutely useless. Kate admits throughout the book she has been ignoring him and perhaps she should make more time for him, but never does. Instead she makes time to bunk off from work to cheat on her husband, and never feels guilty. I do not like those double standards, I absolutely despise cheating and hate to see it romanticised in books. Richard and Kate could have realised in other ways that their marriage was over. Kate did not have to sleep with Jack to turn him away again. Richard did not have to become involved with Joelly before the marriage ended. The two of them could have moved on happily and things would have turned out the same without any kind of cheating.</spoiler>

Overall I enjoyed this book and will be checking out more from this author.

Kate Reddy is back! And now she's juggling teenagers, a crumbling house and a Polish builder, a job she feels she's not up to, teenagaers, menopausal hormones, a husband who has suddenly gone from alpha male to mindful male and her upcoming fiftieth birthday!
This story is funny, recognisable, warm, sad and chaotic. And that's why we love it! There's a little bit of Kate in us all and this story will make you realise you are not alone in juggling life's challenges.

Alison has written a good thought provoking and plausible novel wherein Kate shows her feisty side when she returns to the work place..

I'm really not sure about this one. I liked it, but it felt rather samey; there seem to be several books about middle age around at present. Are we all getting old along with our favourite authors?
I am only part way through, and I haven't felt the urgency to finish the book. But I will, and I'll come back and edit this review. In the meantime, 3 stars is as much as I can give it.

To be completely honest I rate the book at three and a half stars. The half is knocked off because at times it reminded me of Bridget Jones' Diary.
Kate's middle age is referred to as the sandwich years. Being of a similar age I understand that only too well. At a time when you would hope life would have started to be kind to you aged parents stop parenting and become your responsibility. Children now out of childhook become as much liabilitie as responsibilities.
Unfortunately for Kate her husband just becomes a useless arse!!
Aaannd...the menopause. Okay Eve gave Adam an apple. In return we get menstruation, mothering and menopause. How can that be fair?
Allison Pearson has written an extremely good book with no holds barred. I think that is why I can't rate it higher. I like books to take me out of myself not catalogue my own life in graphic detail.
I would like to reassure women that it gets easier. Unfortunately not until the oldies have all shuffled off and children leave home in their mid twenties - although you will have to pay them to stop them returning. Sorry.

Thanks so much to netgalley for approving my request to read this book early. I loved I don't know how she does it so was really looking forward to this. I didn't disappoint and was a worthy follow up. This was a not a sequel for the sake of it. Kate is still struggling and just because her kids are not little does not meant they are any easier to parent. If you have read the first book you will enjoy this one and if you haven't then this book can definitely be read without knowing Kate's history.

I loved this book! Although I didn't realise it was a sequel it can be read as a stand alone book with no problem.

Kate is such a loveable character and being almost my age I could fully relate to her and the problems and challenges she faced in the book.

The sandwich generation is well explored and Kate's struggles with ageing parents, adolescent children and menopausal husband all struck a chord with me.

This book had me nodding in agreement, laughing out loud and willing Kate on in her quest for happiness,

I would strongly recommend this book and will look out for future books by the author who relates the human story exquisitely.

What a read! I so empathised with Kate Reddy though nearly two decades older. My 50th saw me in a state of depression and I can remember my feelings at that time. I laughed so much sometimes quietly to myself sometimes loudly. It did make me google testerone patches though. An excellent read which would have been five stars except for the slightly gooey end.

Kate Reddy is back......rapidly approaching her half century, with different challenges to overcome. But she does, with a witty, heart warming and immensely funny book. I lost count of the times that I gaffawed in public reading this novel. Being in my late forties myself and having a teenager in the house, I could relate to Kate so much. But to be fair, so could every woman who has tried to get things right and put others before herself. It's a fantastic read, I didn't want it to end. Clever, real and well written. I highly recommend this book to any woman who has ever lived...it's THAT good

I didn't realise this was a sequel when I requested it and was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to get into it when I did realise. But it hooked me right from the start. And I had no problems at all reading it as a stand alone. I'll probably read the first one at some point as I enjoyed this one.

I'm a way off the big 50 yet but still found I could relate to Kate quite a lot. She's a very believable character. She has her strengths and her weaknesses, she does things she shouldn't, she makes mistakes. Basically, she's human. Her family and friends are too. I can't say it's done a thing to make me look forward to the menopause though! I'll just keep burying my head in the sand and pretend it's never going to happen to me! Although I'd quite like an elderly archivist called Roy living in my head digging things up out of the dark recesses of my memory, he could be pretty useful. Especially if he could tell me where I'd put my phone. Which, as usual, is on silent and nowhere to be seen.

My hubby asked several times what I was laughing at while I was reading this book. I loved the way it was written, I liked Kate and her friends and family and really hoped things would work out for her in the end. Will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

I read the first book that dealt with Kate Reddy's life, " I don't know how she does it", and really enjoyed it. So it was great to read this sequel and catch up with her and her family several years later.
The book struck a chord with me in respect of the two themes of menopausal symptoms, the negative effect these can have on your life, and caring for an elderly relative with Dementia. I have experienced both of these situations and they were dealt with very well in the novel.
Kate's life is just as chaotic as in the first book, and she is the main family member dealing with all the problems that can occur in family life, trying to keep the home running, teenage children happy, taking responsibility for elderly parents, including her in laws. Meanwhile her husband has taken time out to retrain as a counsellor, and is happy to leave Kate to cope with everything.
Many different themes are explored throughout the story, teenage angst, the advantages and pitfalls of using social media, trying to juggle home and work commitments, ageism, and the consequences of growing old, adultery, and the problems of long term marriage.The book is sad at times but also quite funny and upbeat in places.
I found the first quarter of the book a bit hard going but then everything seemed to click into place, and I enjoyed reading it, in fact I was sorry to finish it and wanted it to continue!
Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins publishers for an ARC of this novel.

I was predisposed not to like this book, being half a generation older than the author and finding the subject matter too much fuss about nothing. However, she managed to overcome my prejudices and I found myself not only laughing but empathising. The mother, teenage daughter relationship was well drawn and touchingly true, with all the frustrations and powerlessness this entails. I have to say, the mother was far more saintly and forgiving, and considerably more forgiving than I would be, particularly regarding the son's credit card transgressions. I can understand why the previous book was so popular and am sure that this one will be equally successful. It is very reassuring to see in print the evidence that all these strange and very mixed emotions are shared by other women. And laughing at the absurdities of our daily juggling acts is definitely better than crying.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was so observant to modern mid life dilemmas of women trying to juggle everything to keep family life functioning. Allison is very observant with characters who, may not be in one's own family/workplace or friends, but who I am sure we can all relate to. I found myself smiling with certain descriptions of people have in my circle. I realise this is a sequel and I shall have to track the first book down and would certainly read other novels by this author. She tackles the menopause brilliantly as with dealing with aged parents and teenagers and there is scope for a future book, ten years on with addition of retirement and grandchildren within the mix.

Essential reading for anyone who enjoyed I Don't Know How She Does It, this sequel is page-turning and cringey in equal measure, so accurate is Pearson's portrayal of the grind of daily existence. Shouldering the burdens of her entire family, Kate Reddy is back trying to keep the family ship afloat while managing an endless stream of every day disasters. I want to send a copy to every mother I know...