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antidietleah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Sexual content, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
carlalaureano's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment
mels_reading_log's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
rhyanreads'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
4.0
Also, I'm not trying to be rude, but is Solène stupid? The way she doesn't seem to understand that she will go under a microscope when she is "secretly" dating the leading man of one of the most popular boybands? After everything that happened, she thought no one knew. They were in public, and she thought no one had any idea. PLUS, she was surprised that the fans were mean to her. LOL, does she live under a rock? She has a 13-year-old daughter who I imagine fits the kinds of crazed fan mentioned, so she should know what is to come.
Her daughter Isabelle was another character I could not stand. She lost her marbles when she found out her mom (age 40) was dating Hayes (age 20). Like, hello, little girl, that is illegal. However, I can't blame her because I wished I had married many famous boy band members when I was 13. But she should have gotten over that real quick with what happened afterward.
Overall I hated Solène because she wasn't ready to live the rockstar wife life like I am.
PS: this is spicer than I knew I was getting into and I recommended it to my book club HAHA🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Suicide attempt and Sexual harassment
aprescriptiontoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Sexual harassment
islamccormack's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The controversy of relationship stigma and dark aspects of fame were the framework of this book, and they were everything that I wish wouldn’t exist in our society. I actually don’t have a bad word to say about it, other than the ending which the hopeless romantic in me wanted to be happy but the other 80% of me knows that how it ended was the only real ending (hence the 4.5 star rating). But I’ve never had a romance novel like that be so sad. The nuances of especially Soléne’s character were almost like they’d become my own; it was so emotionally driven and I was so heavily a part of how she felt as the narrator. I felt very connected to her and the way she felt about every single aspect of this situation. And the complexities of messing up and giving in and hoping and being proven wrong and impulse and love and complication and boundaries and obstacles and harassment and heartbreak and fame and wealth and being torn and disappointment and embarrassment and her daughter’s struggles. It was everything. The amount of unanswered questions I have about so many aspects of the book just irks me so much as well (lol) hence the 4.5 stars again. I guess that this books ending reflects how love ends. Painfully, and with no real ending at all - just being. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. And so with that, I can’t really complain.
Also on the note of Hayes, he’s probably one of my most favourite fictional male I’ve ever read about and got to know. Yeah he’s not perfect and he was young but that doesn’t take away Lee’s EPIC character construction of him. He was PERFECT. His humour, his empathy, his kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, calm nature, intelligence, good looks (bonus) and his sincerity. Soléne’s attitude was more of a typical mother to me, but her love and passion for art and her friendship with Lulit and the gallery was a lovely touch and still made her independent and not cast in the shadow of their relationship.
I also loved that the settings were glitz and glam and this made for interesting locations and plot development for the reader. I love when things are set in Hollywood and glamour related places, but I do also see the dark aspects of that. This book definitely showed the bittersweetness of blind optimism in a very complicated social system when it comes to celebrities and their lives.
Saying that, it did get a bit repetitive and was a bit slow paced at times. They probably come of have cut out a few of the chapters because the same thing happened again and again. But the baseline of the story was still there, and the breathtaking electricity and chemistry of the sexual and romantic relationship was detailed, passionate, dark brooding and exciting. But also tender, loving and caring. I loved that it pushed age boundaries as well, because why should that matter? I think that despite it being one of Soléne’s insecurities, her age was the least of their worries to be honest. I think pressure and hate finally ate up the relationship, and the age factor could have become easier in time. Although I still think that being in completely different phases of life does make it very hard to be with people in large age gap situations. It really killed me the most though with her daughters suffering - people’s judgment and personal/social image was a really big theme in this book as to be expected but it just had no hope. I think that’s why this book is so sad. So much love and no hope that it could work. There were just too many factors that kept them apart in reality and their love wasn’t enough, which is something I never want to believe could be true but it can be for some.
So many complicated and hard factors to think about. And that’s why I loved this book; it made me think.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicide attempt
thatswhatshanread's review
- 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
- 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
readingwithtrey's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
1. Hayes 👏🏽 flippin 👏🏽 Campbell 👏🏽
2. The ending broke my heart
3. Read this book
That’s it. That’s all the review this one needs. Idk why I waited so long to read it.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Racial slurs and Pregnancy
sweetlikesadia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Pros :
💫I felt the emotions that characters felt e.g. blushing, sadness and anger; could envision scenes in my head.
💫You could sense the main characters chemistry and their love for each other.
💫Resonated with the female lead.
Cons :
📉Sometimes the book did drag and made me lose interest.
📉I found the female lead sometimes annoying, I became frustrated with some of her actions / decisions.
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Suicide attempt