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kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Author: Robinne Lee
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: June 13, 2017
T H R E E • W O R D S
Juicy • Angsty • Intense
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, takes her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band, she does so reluctantly and at her ex-husband’s request. The last thing she expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.
What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s disparate worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways in Paris and Miami. And for Solène, it is as much a reclaiming of self, as it is a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her new status has impacted not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Since her Princess Diaries days, I have always been an Anne Hathaway fan, so when I learned she'd be Solène in the movie adaptation of The Idea of You I added the book to my TBR. It also came highly recommended by several bookish friends and I knew summer time would be the perfect time to finally pick it up.
What started out highly engaging, soon turned to the same thing happening - them meeting up in a different city and having sex - from one chapter to the next. There is no denying the potential of the story, yet it lacked substance and I simply got bored with the repetitiveness of the the plot. The way the sex overtakes the narrative was disappointing.
I also had a hard time making a connection with the world they are living in. There is a lot of glitz, glamour, and privilege within the celebrity lifestyle, the L.A. setting, and all of the jet setting for their meetups, which makes their world seem way out of grasp.
Overall, The Idea of You had the makings of a smash hit, yet unfortunately it lacked the necessary substance. Despite making total sense, the ending was so abrupt I didn't actually believe it was the end. I did appreciate the author choosing to have the woman be the older of the two characters, and I'll be interested to watch the movie to see my thoughts on it.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• age-gap
• boy bands
• secret trysts
⚠️ CW: sexual content, divorce, bullying, stalking, alcohol, sexual harassment, cursing, suicide attempt, self-harm, injury/injury detail, blood, pregnancy, panic attacks/disorders
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Love, she said, was not always perfect, and not exactly how you expected it to be. But when it descended upon you, there was no controlling it."
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Self harm, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Pregnancy
divorcelauren_shilling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Moderate: Stalking and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicide attempt
mrsmoy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
tamsterdam_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
jamie_rich's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide attempt
shamelesslyash's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Stalking, and Suicide attempt
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“The Idea of You” did me in. I knew from the moment I discovered who the book was inspired by (iykyk), that I would have a total book hangover from it. For this reason, I think I put off reading it for awhile. Allowed myself some time to come to terms with… the idea of it.
The idea being that the FMC, a divorced mother of a tween, gets completely swept up in a globetrotting, all-consuming romance with the 20-year-old lead singer of the hottest boyband in the world. The very same one that her daughter is infatuated with.
Even if this wasn’t about Harry Styles—I mean, Hayes Campbell—I would have devoured it. Lee’s writing is so hypnotic, emotional, sexy, candid, witty, zealous. It felt like reading very well-written gossip, a fever dream, how the pages oozed with fame and lust and heartbreak and fantasy. The characters and their thoughts melting into your skin.
Time ceased to exist while reading this, and yet also caught up with me far too soon as I began to reach the end. Why must stories like these end? It’s really quite rude, but I guess I’ll live to read another day, somehow.
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
lschuchman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying and Sexual content
Moderate: Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Pregnancy
riella_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Stalking, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
amcghig's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment