A book that resonates.

Refreshing advice, insight and opinion from The Pool (including writers such as Lauren Laverne and Sali Hughes), with an introduction from Sam Baker, co-founder of the platform. This book is subtitled "Strong Opinions from Smart Women", and that's exactly what you get.

Written by a group of thought empowering women, the book tackles many powerful yet sensitive subjects such as sexual harassment in the 21st century. Not only do these women tell stories of their pain, they give advice and opinions in an honest but truly interesting way.

With each woman writing small sections it is easy to pick up and read it when you get a spare chance, as well as letting you read the stories which really interest you. It is original, inspiring and empowers women to stand up for what they deem right.

I’d encourage all women to read it whatever your age.

Lucy

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This is a wonderful collection of essays that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. All the authors are passionate about the topic they have written about and each essay was so inspiring. I turned the pages in anticipation and devoured this book. There are topics to suit every woman including work, beauty, health, self-esteem, and more. The stories are show and sweet but each one will leave you thinking and they're all relatable. I had never heard of The Pool before but since reading this book, I have visited the website and found even more great articles. This is the perfect book if you don't have a lot of time to read or you like to dip in and out. It's positive, affirmative, and I know I will be re-reading it time and time again.

A book for all women, this collection of essays on topics ranging from health and lifestyle , to relationships, body confidence and work and career advice is so relatable, and one I would recommend to women of all ages. The book is broken into broad sections as outlined above, and within each topic, a variety of people from all sorts of backgrounds have their say. At times funny, at times sad, but always on point, these people and their experiences show us that no matter how alone we feel, we are all part of something bigger, and somewhere out there is someone who understands what we are going through and that sometimes its okay to not be okay.
Excellent, a real must read.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher,all opinions are my own.

Utterly inspiring, relevant and timely - something I'd recommend for all women (and men) to read, this contained some excellent first-hand experiences and life lessons.

A brilliant book for anecdotes, information and a great look at current affairs. Whether you are a regular reader of The Pool or curious to find out what it is about you'll enjoy this collection

Profound and powerful. A great book to pick up and reread during a book hangover. I didn’t love everyone’s opinions or writing style but that’s the joy of this diverse book.

The Pool is a website written by women, for women. It has lots of articles on every different subject you can think of, written by various different writers and journalists. It's basically the website for women who need advice on just about anything, or want to read articles and opinions of other women for inspiration, support or just to keep up with what's going on.

This book is basically a smaller version of The Pool website. A number of the writers from the website have contributed a few pages of their thoughts on various different subjects, including the female body, sex, work and anything else a woman might have a strong opinion about.

For me this is a book to dip into when you need inspiration, or something to really get your teeth into. It provides interesting opinions, shared experiences and lots to think about. It says a lot of things that all women think or experience, but not many of us will talk about.

This is a very powerful and interesting book. I would recommend it to all women who have ever needed another woman to tell them they're not being stupid, and it isn't just them - we're in it together.

I've loved The Pool's journalism right from the start. Funny, honest, intelligent writing about life, relationships, careers, family, beauty and fashion from some fantastic women writers, much of it with a strong feminist perspective. And an interesting business model too - founded by Sam Baker (journalist) and Lauren Laverne (broadcaster) and tapping into a lot of freelance writing talent. This is a model that has supported women fitting their writing around family and other commitments, and has provided a brilliant platform for emerging voices.

To celebrate their third anniversary, the website has published Life, Honestly (review copy from Bluebird), a collection of some of their best writing. If you're a regular reader of The Pool you will recognise most of these pieces, and there won't be much here for you. But Life, Honestly stands well as a snapshot and collection of contemporary women's writing. Freed from some of the commercial constraints of women's print journalism, which relies on puff pieces, advertorials, and pernicious body-shaming, The Pool has given us a better insight into what it's like to be a modern, professional woman in the 21st century.

Witty, authentic and passionate in turns, reading Life, Honestly is like talking to your girlfriends over a glass of wine.

Goodreads rating: 4*

I love reading articles on The Pool and this is a fab collection of some really great work! It covers all sorts of topics ranging from work, friendship and love to money and being a mother. It's an extensive collection that thoroughly examines what it means to be a woman, and all the different ways that life affects us. The articles are really accessible and easy to read too, found myself speeding through them!

A little different from my normal reads, but actually quite enjoyable. I had never heard of ‘The Pool’ before but I soon learned that it is an online forum for women from various backgrounds to write articles, essays, anecdotes on a variety of different subjects, of things that are personal to them.

This collection of tales is varied and interesting, written by some strong, smart and some what opinionated women this book makes for a empowering read.

I might be tempted to venture onto the Pool website.
4 stars

I feel like the person at the party that does not get how everyone has so much fun. I had not heard of the pool before and although I like the idea and aim of it all, the essays collected in this book just left me a bit cold. Most of them were very brief, most of the discussion points I heard before and mostly better argued. So to me it felt, it was aimed at people who don't read a lot of journalistic items and essays. So I guess it would be a great introduction for those, from a journalistic point of view, however, I felt this was a bit poor.

A fascinating, funny and frank collection of opinion pieces from super-smart women. I was inspired, humbled and entertained, throughly enjoyable.

A great book full of articles about relationships, sex, money, parenting, work and much more. Perfect for anyone who need a little boost and help for the different areas of their life.

Absolutely cracking, so many intelligent, interesting, funny, thoughtful articles and I just can't even.

I found this a great book for dipping into. Particularly useful for younger women facing the minefield of 21st century dating, work, relationships and parenting with insightful articles on a whole range of other subjects. Recommended.

I really enjoyed this collection of essays and enjoyed its intersectional nature, featuring issues and writers from a range of communities, not just middle-class white women. Put into sections that feel sensible, with no essay or section so long it gets boring, these are great reads which I would press into the hands of any woman who doesn't already read The Pool. I have to say that as an occasional reader with a photographic memory, I did recall having read some of the pieces already.

Read more in my blog review, linked below https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2018/10/24/book-review-the-pool-life-honestly/

I hadn’t heard of The Pool but this collection was thought-provoking and engaging. Naturally, some views resonate more than others but this was a great collection to dip in and out of.

An enjoyable collection of essays which really had me thinking and inspired me to make changes in my own life. Some were particularly moving, almost uncomfortable to read, but honest and raw.

Interesting collection of articles/essays covering a range of topic affecting women. It is like an anthology of all the articles you ever found relatable, profound or thought provoking, or that you wanted to share with your friends. Not much else to say about it - some of them are really good, some a little bit more meh.

This is a well written account from women, of their different life experiences and is a book you can dip in and out of easily.

It's separated into chapters that then explore various female issues: domestic abuse / gender issues / mental health, however, none in any great depth and a bit 'preachy' for my liking. Some of the views resonated and some didn't, but, that's where I think it adds value, a good mix of voices that would form a solid basis for debate in a book club for example, just not a particularly riveting read alone.

I hope it helps some women and if it does, it's been worth it. Just not a book I particularly enjoyed, although, if read as a compendium to 'dip into' it's a worthwhile read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.