The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren't really honest with one another. But what if they were? And so he writes—in a plain, green journal—the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It's run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves—and soon find each other In Real Life at Monica's Café.

It is an allegory of the times right now. People only show you want they want you to see...whether it be on social media, or in person. Not only do you not know what the real story is, but you are sometimes only seeing one chapter of someone's story. You can't judge your entire life on one snippet of what you see of another person's life. And I think we do that too much as a society, leading to anxiety, FOMO, and depression. I really liked these characters, even when I didn't want to and while the ending (like most books) left me wanting more, I was happy to see the outcome of them meeting and discovering the truth.

Title: The Authenticity Project

Author: Clare Pooley

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3Rq8kZQ

Rating: 4 Stars