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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
divorcequeencleo'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
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
Solene is a 39 year old divorced mother of a 13 year old girl. Being the great mother she is, she takes her daughter and her friends to see their favorite boy band. When the girls get to meet the band, she stands back to watch the girls have their moment. That’s when one of the 20 year old boy band members starts laying on the charm and flirting with her. I mean, what could really happen? She’s twice his age, it’s not like it could be anything real. Right?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
shamelesslyash's review
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Stalking, and Suicide attempt
harperhoney's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
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