The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

This particular book masquerades as something and then when you are settled in believing the format, it turns on you as well as on all the people we have come to recognise. This is not a spoiler but a description of my own reading experience.

The story starts with a book, it has the title of ‘The authenticity project’ and encourages the person who picks it up to add a truthful account of themselves and pass it on. The reading of the previous entries means that they will be forced to reconsider their opinions of those people who came before. We have people at various stages of life, with different problems and insecurities. Each is introduced in two parts, one as individuals and another as entries in the book. Despite owning up to the idea of authenticity, people struggle to stick to changes. It is a very realistic take on how people behave, especially if they end up holding the secrets of another, sometimes even feeling like God.

The characters had their own distinct traits which are usually difficult to portray when there is such a large primary cast. I chuckled at a few instances and was not so enamoured by a few things but shed tears at others. The whole rollercoaster of emotions is built well in these pages, and if you like a more in-depth look into what makes people tick, this is definitely a book for you.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.