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kmsander4's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I had hoped I'd be able to look past the 1D fanfic-ness of this one but it reeks of the band and Harry. And while I'm a fan, it felt weird in this context. Weird enough that I kept calling Hayes Harry.
The storyline is fine but just fine. I won't run and tell anyone to read it, but I'm glad I finally dove in so I can watch the movie now and compare all of the changes they'll inevitably make.
The storyline is fine but just fine. I won't run and tell anyone to read it, but I'm glad I finally dove in so I can watch the movie now and compare all of the changes they'll inevitably make.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Stalking and Sexual harassment
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
mrsmoy's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
triple_m's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The beginning of this book definitely grossed me out, with how often Solene thought of Hayes as a “little boy.” The age gap is pretty extreme and I don’t really think the gender roles being reversed makes it any less inappropriate.
This book was way too slow. While Solene did have valid concerns, all she did was wallow in them and ultimately never made a damn decision about anything. So much of this book was spent inside her head battling the same issues over and over and over again.
I never really felt like they fell in love, nothing seemed that special about their connection besides great sex.
And then, the ending…what’s the point of reading a romance where the characters end up utterly heartbroken and alone? And the complete lack of epilogue was crazy.
I think with some edits this could’ve been a compelling literary fiction novel. Robinne Lee has talent as a writer, but this book is not romantic.
This book was way too slow. While Solene did have valid concerns, all she did was wallow in them and ultimately never made a damn decision about anything. So much of this book was spent inside her head battling the same issues over and over and over again.
I never really felt like they fell in love, nothing seemed that special about their connection besides great sex.
And then, the ending…
I think with some edits this could’ve been a compelling literary fiction novel. Robinne Lee has talent as a writer, but this book is not romantic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying and Stalking
elderwoodreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book really pleasantly surprised me! I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would especially because last year I read a book heavily influenced by this one and hated it. The ending was a little abrupt for my tastes but the book overall was excellent. Super fun and light read that still explores real emotion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Moderate: Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Infidelity, Blood, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
sassper17's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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: Bullying and Sexual content
Moderate: Stalking and Sexual harassment
lucyatoz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
"Everyone in the world knows his name. But it's you he wants."
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, which is soon to be a major motion picture, is about Hayes Campbell, a singer-songwriter in a famous boyband, who meets Solène, the Mom of a tween fan who gets to met him at a Las Vegas concert meet and greet, and it quickly spirals from bit of flirting to a full on passionate love affair! However, it isn't long before Hayes' status as one fifth of the band August Moon leads to challenges in their relationship and Solène is torn between being a lover to someone half her age, and being Mom to Isabelle and a co-partner of a successful art gallery in LA.
This story is racy in parts, although the overall tale is about woman on the cusp of her 40th birthday, following a messy divorce and the prospect of her ex-husband getting remarried to a much young woman, discovering that there is more to life after 40!
I own a copy of this book and listened to it on Spotify. I read this for prompt "by a Black author in your favourite genre" for the 52 Book Club mini challenge February 2024.
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, which is soon to be a major motion picture, is about Hayes Campbell, a singer-songwriter in a famous boyband, who meets Solène, the Mom of a tween fan who gets to met him at a Las Vegas concert meet and greet, and it quickly spirals from bit of flirting to a full on passionate love affair! However, it isn't long before Hayes' status as one fifth of the band August Moon leads to challenges in their relationship and Solène is torn between being a lover to someone half her age, and being Mom to Isabelle and a co-partner of a successful art gallery in LA.
This story is racy in parts, although the overall tale is about woman on the cusp of her 40th birthday, following a messy divorce and the prospect of her ex-husband getting remarried to a much young woman, discovering that there is more to life after 40!
I own a copy of this book and listened to it on Spotify. I read this for prompt "by a Black author in your favourite genre" for the 52 Book Club mini challenge February 2024.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Stalking, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
oxfordcommas91's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.0
I got pretty much what I was expecting with this book - middle aged woman falls for young, hot, British boy band member and they embark on an epic romance across the globe while navigating the pitfalls of fame (ahem, crazy fangirls, anyone?). There isn’t much depth here, but as long as you go in knowing that, it can be a good palette cleanser between more serious books or help get you out of a rut. I read it quickly and at times the dialogue was difficult to get through. It could have been intentional on the part of the author to express the difference in emotional intelligence and maturity between the two characters, but Hayes (our leading man) felt like every dude bro you ever met at a college party. He has a very limited vocabulary (I wished I’d counted the number of times he just said “Hiiiii” in the book) and a one track mind for… ahem. The spice was good and I respect the fact that the author swerved on the stereotypical Hallmark movie ending. There were some plot lines that were left just gaping at the end but if you’re able to turn your brain off enough, I suppose it was fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Stalking, and Alcohol
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Toxic friendship