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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
divorcefkshg8465's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It was easy to see through the eyes of the protagonist, because it was easy for me to judge the choices I might’ve made at every step in the relationship. Just as the public judged her, I found myself doing the same. I also found it weirdly believable. I still hated the ending, probably because I’ve done the same thing with past relationships myself, and I have a lot of lingering self loathing. So the book was successful in these ways. However, I hated the storyline and pretty much all the make characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
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
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
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
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
jamie_rich's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide attempt
achay91's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Stalking and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use and Suicide attempt
maddisonjane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- 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
I did not expect to love this book so much. I was hooked right from the beginning, I felt like I knew the characters personally and I was really rooting for them! I loved the representation of a 39yr old mother who is rediscovering herself. I loved Hayes and hope there’s a sequel so we can find out more about him as a person and how he grows in the future. Thank you Robinne for writing the story I didn’t know I needed!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
bookswithca's review against another edition
medium-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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment