This book will create waves, I'm so sure of it. It wouldn't surprise me that it would be made into a movie, too. Put down your phones, quit sitting in front of your computer screens, get out of your house, and enjoy the faces and company around you... The Authenticity Project has a very YOLO ( 'you only live once') vibe. It's a very sweet, cutesy, if somewhat implausible, story told from multiple perspectives. Still, this definitely was a unique story with characters you couldn’t help but root for – and then, some twists and turns along the way.

Overall, I did enjoy this one and recommend it to anyone looking to read something that has heart and also restores your faith in humanity just a tad. It’s an uplifting, charming story perfect for readers who enjoy cozy books about small town neighborhoods and the residents who reside in them, and perhaps also for readers who enjoy “PostSecret”... Do you follow suit and share your own story and pass the journal on and leave it for the next person? Everyone lies about their lives. What would happen if you shared the truth instead? The one thing that defines you, makes everything else about you fall into place? Not, on the internet, but with those real people around you?I was quite looking forward to this book, even though I had read something along similar lines recently. The story starts with Monica, a café owner, finding a small green note book titled The Authenticity Project with the date. Inside are a few paragraphs asking, ’How well do you know the people who live near you? How well do they know you?’ And challenging people to share the truth about themselves. So it all sounded interesting. After reading the entry from Julian, Monica writes her own. And so it goes on as the book makes its way from one person to another. So the reader gets chapters from several different people and the interactions that form between these people. Let me just throw this one out at you.. and then you decide whether this is a book you would like to read...

Monica, the cafe’s owner, is a little dubious about unburdening herself in a notebook that will be read by strangers, but she has feelings she can’t express to anyone else. In addition to telling her secrets and leaving the notebook for someone else to find, she sets out to try and make a difference in Julian’s life. A group of strangers who live near each other in London become fast friends after writing their deepest secrets in a shared notebook. There are too many other books out there that move me to force myself to read something I don't enjoy.Julian is probably the one Pooley was counting on us finding the most charming. However, I found him to be a selfish git most of the time. His timeline also felt completely wrong. As in, a man his age would have been well into his 40s during the 80s and, therefore, his love for the clothes and music from that decade felt a little confusing and wrong. This is a story with a great big heart and a lot of humour. It’s a feel good read that will make you wonder about the stories of those around you and maybe encourage a little more kindness and understanding as everyone has their own authentic selves hidden inside and it may not be the image you see. Riley: an absurdly named grown man *from exotic Australia* with childlike sensibilities and a heart of gold! iPhones were the worst, with at least six gratuitous and unidiomatic mentions. My phone happens to be an iPhone, but like every Brit I know, I just refer to my “phone” or my “mobile”, regardless of brand (unless specifically making comparisons). Other product placement broke the flow, either because it didn’t ring true (Insta woman and After Eights) or because it was unnecessary (a list of six well-known relationship books, where one or two would make the point).

Julian calls his notebook The Authenticity Project. Do you think people are increasingly searching for authenticity in today’s world, and if so, why? Clare’s second novel - The People on Platform 5 (titled Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting in the USA/Canada) is published in Spring 2022. The story is told from the perspectives of six main characters. Which of these did you associate with the most, and why? Which character is least like yourself?Imagine you are walking down a deserted path and you come upon a bench and there is a journal left behind. No one is around. You can’t help yourself but feel invited to sit on this bench. Social media proves that many people like to share their lives and inner thoughts, authentic or not. However, it’s either for family and friends, or, with the exception of celebs, shared relatively anonymously. No one would write what these people write and then leave it so near to home, when strangers could identify them.