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kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
Title: The Idea of You
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."
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."
Content Warnings
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
divorcememoirsofabooklover's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
i enjoyed the ending but the story and characters and writing were cringey. there were a few interesting themes touched on but overall wasn’t a massive fan. typically not a great fan of this trope anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Stalking
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pedophilia
kdailyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing
chelle22's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Stalking, and Alcohol
enchantingreads_rosyreviews's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
“Love is this very precious thing, Izz. It’s this precious, magical thing. But it’s not finite. There’s not a limited amount of it out there. You just have to be open to allowing it to find you. Allowing it to happen.” I was not entirely sure that I believed this, but I needed her to.
To be completely honest, I read this book simply because the movie was coming out. I didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t know it existed. However, once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down! The author writes solely from the FMC’s POV, leading the reader into a world of name-dropping artists, designers and brands, while taking us along a whirlwind affair with a rockstar as they trek all over the globe. The whole world feels sophisticated, which I assume will translate well in its film adaptation. But it’s the romance between these two characters, Solène and Hayes, that sucks you in from the start! Although it seems like the world and their own minds doubt their union’s strength, they can’t help the magnetic pull towards one another. Their relationship grows organically and beautifully… I can’t wait to see the movie because I liked this book.
"...being scared and torn, at the same time elated that I’d found someone who had taken the time to know me, and all the little things that made me so very happy. And how I did not want to let him go... 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."
🎤
This book was not what I expected: I predicted it would be a fun story about an older woman living out a fantasy everyone has about dating a young boy bander. I hoped there would be some discussion about the double standard of older women dating younger men (they're "cougars" & are belittled in society) as opposed to older men dating younger women (who are celebrated as being "the man" & their masculinity gets a boost). I wanted to live in a fancy, celebrity world with lavish parties, backstage access, hotel suites, and private planes. Which this book definitely delivered.
However, it surprised me because it felt like a realistic version of this fantasy playing out. Both characters were forced to examine their identity in society: a single mom, career woman, dating a younger man & an overworked younger man dating an older woman, adored by thousands of fans, dealing with imposter syndrome or feeling like he's not being taken seriously. But they also had to deal with the realities of their relationship & everything that came with that: constant trotting around the globe, media & fandom attention, questioning the reality of feelings developing & managing how those closest to them were dealing with their relationship. And I appreciated this surprising realistic spin on a fantasy dream. It felt like Robinne truly and honestly answered the question: what if he saw me from the stage and we fell in love?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Sexual content, and Stalking
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicide attempt
hollynicole04's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Sexism and Violence
queencleo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I don't know how to rate this because on the one hand, it's smutty 1D fanfiction and I DID NOT KNOW THAT and it's got all the hallmarks of Fifty Shades and I hate it, zero stars
But on the other hand, I can't wait to watch the movie and look it's well written, even all the sex, and I got so invested in the drama and then I just ended and what? No thank you, that's heartbreaking take your 5 stars
Read if you like 1D. Read if you like fanfiction. Read if you like Fifty Shades of Grey. Especially read if you liked If This Gets Out. Read if you love a good monologue about invisible women, the double standards of age gap romances, or about the elitism of art
But on the other hand, I can't wait to watch the movie and look it's well written, even all the sex, and I got so invested in the drama and then I just ended and what? No thank you, that's heartbreaking take your 5 stars
Read if you like 1D. Read if you like fanfiction. Read if you like Fifty Shades of Grey. Especially read if you liked If This Gets Out. Read if you love a good monologue about invisible women, the double standards of age gap romances, or about the elitism of art
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Stalking
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Self harm, Violence, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
britwalsh16's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked this book, I really did, I’m glad I read it, especially before watching the movie, & now I can’t wait to watch the movie. But just there’s something about it that’s left me unsatisfied.
Obviously I expected them to break up in the end, and as much as I got to the point where I wasn’t sure if they actually were going to end up breaking up or not, it still didn’t surprise me when they did.
But I feel like we just needed more. Like an epilogue of both of them finding love again years down the road or just something more. What happened? Like we didn’t get any closure. The relationship ended, & then a paragraph later, the book was over. What happened? It just feels incomplete.
The paparazzi don’t just go away over night, everything didn’t just go back to how it was before. Solene probably got more threats & crazy fans blaming her for breaking Hayes’ heart. Nothing is that simple. So what happened. Where’s the closure and the ending? 🤔
But I feel like we just needed more. Like an epilogue of both of them finding love again years down the road or just something more. What happened? Like we didn’t get any closure. The relationship ended, & then a paragraph later, the book was over. What happened? It just feels incomplete.
The paparazzi don’t just go away over night, everything didn’t just go back to how it was before. Solene probably got more threats & crazy fans blaming her for breaking Hayes’ heart. Nothing is that simple. So what happened. Where’s the closure and the ending? 🤔
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
hyena's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Sexism, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Stalking and Sexual harassment
bring_me_a_book's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment