Book Review: The Authenticity Project

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley is a fairly quick read and one that you can pick up and put down at your leisure. The story follows Julian, Monica, Hazard, Riley and towards the end, Alice too as they try to be more authentic with those around them. It starts with Julian leaving a notebook at Monica’s café and in it, he’s written his deepest truth and the story unfolds from there as each character finds the notebook with a new story in it.

The story is fairly predictable and from early on I thought I knew the ending. (I wasn’t totally right but I wasn’t far off either). There were a few major surprises including one that felt so left field that I had to put the book down to process it. Two of the biggest twists, unfortunately, fell flat and didn’t quite leave the lasting impression that the buildup promised. It also has a few fantastic one-liners like "preparation is the key to highly-effective spontaneity" and "he wished Alice would stop talking in capital letters."

It’s a light story with some substantial themes included addiction, depression, and loss. I particularly love how the book made even the side characters feel like complete characters with their own struggles, strengths and storylines. While this book will sit happily on my bookshelf, it isn’t one that I will pick up again anytime soon or feverishly recommend to friends. Is it a good read? Yes, without a doubt it is but don’t expect to be reading until the early hours because you’ve gotten lost in its pages.