Allison Pearson Books in Order (Updated March 4, 2026)

Allison Pearson is a British journalist and novelist. Her fiction output is small and easy to navigate: two connected novels starring Kate Reddy, plus one separate standalone novel.

If you want to avoid spoilers and follow character changes cleanly, read the Kate Reddy books in sequence.

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Choose your starting point

• If you want the ongoing storyline: start with I Don’t Know How She Does It.
• If you want a one-and-done novel: pick I Think I Love You (standalone).
• If you’ve already read Kate Reddy #1: go straight to How Hard Can It Be?

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The Kate Reddy novels (same continuity)

Read these in order. Book 2 is built on where Kate ends up in book 1.

1. I Don’t Know How She Does It (2002): Kate Reddy tries to keep a high-powered finance career and motherhood from collapsing into each other, and the personal compromises here define her entire arc.
2. How Hard Can It Be? (2017): Years later, Kate is back facing a changed world and changed priorities, with the story assuming you already know the relationships and consequences established in book 1.

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Standalone novel (separate continuity)

This does not connect to Kate Reddy, so it’s safe to read anytime.

1. I Think I Love You (2010): Set around 1970s teen fandom and first love, it follows a different cast entirely and uses pop culture obsession as the engine for a coming-of-age story.

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Publication order (everything)

1. I Don’t Know How She Does It (2002): The original Kate Reddy novel that introduces the core relationships and the “price” of balancing work and family.
2. I Think I Love You (2010): A standalone shift in setting and tone, focused on adolescence, longing, and memory rather than adult domestic logistics.
3. How Hard Can It Be? (2017): The return to Kate Reddy, written to land hardest if you remember where she started and what she gave up.

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Recommended order for most readers

1. I Don’t Know How She Does It (2002)
2. How Hard Can It Be? (2017)
3. I Think I Love You (2010) (anywhere, since it’s standalone)

If you only plan to read one book, start with I Don’t Know How She Does It for the most representative entry point.

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Novellas, short stories, and extras

No reliably established Kate Reddy novellas or short-story tie-ins are consistently listed in standard bibliographies under this author’s fiction. If you spot short ebook items credited to “Allison Pearson,” verify the author carefully, name collisions in catalogs are common.

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Latest release status

As of March 4, 2026, the most recent widely listed novel by Allison Pearson remains How Hard Can It Be? (2017), with no firmly confirmed upcoming fiction title consistently announced across major publisher listings.

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FAQ

Do I have to read the Kate Reddy books in order?
Yes. Book 2 continues Kate’s life and will spoil outcomes and relationship developments from book 1.

Is I Think I Love You a Kate Reddy book?
No. It’s a standalone novel with a separate cast and timeline.

Why do publication years sometimes differ?
Different territories and formats can show different release dates. For reading order, the key is the Kate Reddy sequence above.

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Bottom line

For a clean, spoiler-safe path: read I Don’t Know How She Does It, then How Hard Can It Be?, and treat I Think I Love You as a standalone you can add whenever you want a separate story.