The Idea of You: A Novel

THIS IS NOT A GENRE ROMANCE. I'm not going to spoiler tag this, but if you read romance, you go in with certain expectations, and I want you to understand, this does not fit the bill.However, it is an outstanding, exceptional women's fiction with a love story. Guilty-pleasure level indulgent to read, but with impeccably planned, layered writing.At first, I thought this book was just a very, very good version of the Cinderella trope--an extraordinary guy falls for an ordinary girl. The author deeply understands the emotional draw of that story type, and chooses unique, very effective moments to play that tale out. More than once I exclaimed to friends, "This is an author who UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT."But the deeper I got in, the more I realized it was more than QUAKINGLY steamy sexual tension and that flip-flopped stomach feeling of being The One He Chose when the "he" in question is larger than life on a billboard, so beloved that tens of thousands of people will SCREAM just upon sight of him.The first step the author took to elevate a great trope-driven premise was to make the heroine older than him, but instead of being dumpy or insecure, she's a gorgeous, French art gallery owner (seriously, if you think it's easy to be a female art gallery owner in your 30s you've clearly never tried). She doesn't fawn all over the hero and instead verbally spars instead of flirts, which makes for some very fun, very cutting flirting. She's unexpected, and she's not an easy sell. I'd love to see more heroines in genre romance with her kind of centered self-confidence.From there, the author uses the age gap to truly explore what it means to be a middle aged woman in American culture. She shines a light on how differently we all take it when it's a younger MAN instead of a younger woman. She uses Hayes to talk about what it's like to be incredibly rich and incredibly beloved for your art, but to get no respect for it because you're "just a boy band." Juxtaposed with the art Solene sells, which is much less successful and well known, but much more respected, it's a very interesting commentary on the way we as a society value, monetize, and consume different types of art.Having Solene trying to be a good mother to a daughter who idolizes the hero was also an interesting dynamic, and gave us a peek at how sometimes what you are enjoying for yourself isn't what you'd want for your daughter, and in that scenario, which idea is truly RIGHT.This was a thought-provoking read, with KILLER romantic and sexual tension. I appreciate that the author didn't have to state the conflict or manufacture anything. The situation itself seethed with tension. But most of all, more than anything, this was an INDULGENT, ESCAPIST, SEXY, ROMANTIC read. I kept sneaking back to get another page, and then another. It's one of those books you never want to be over because the experience of reading it is so lovely. I wish I had a hundred more just like it, to leap into when I just need a break from all the mundane "have to's" of adult life.Unfortunately, the end was memorable, but deeply dissatisfying, and it took it from a "I will re-read this a thousand times" to a "I really enjoyed this but I will not read it again."

This is a very well written novel but there is a limitation that needs to be addressed. First the title sums up the Hero. It is the IDEA of the hero that is presented here and not a fleshed out characterization. This is because there is no shifting point of view and so the reader does not acquire any sense of the romantic hero's interior emotional life. Nor does the novelist provide anything but hints as to this character's psychology. so if you want a truly fleshed out characterization of the hero this is not the book for you and you would do better reading works by C. Elyana Brooke, Barbara Delinsky, etc. This is not a deep psychological study of a hero who definitely has a "Mommy-complex." A shifting point of view would have given us a deeper understanding of the motivations of this character, but it would have undercut the artistic decision of this author to emphasize the idea of the hero in the gaze and perspective of the heroine.That being said, the characterization of the heroine is extremely well drawn, her motivations, psychology and interior emotional life are explained and detailed. It is probably one of the best characterizations that I have read in a contemporary romance/woman's fiction in a long time. The reader feels that she knows Solene and in the end it is that knowledge that makes the novel so gut-wrenching, when Solene after a lot of psychic pain and soul searching has to make a very mature decision. I have noticed that some readers have considered Solene a coward-- but that is not how she should be seen. She is very brave and also unselfish in her decision, protecting her family, her lover, and her emotional and psychological well-being, even when she knows that this decision will have consequences and long reaching ramifications that she does not want to experience. She finally acts like a mature adult after indulging her fantasy of youth. This shift in her world view brings her full circle shows her maturation and development as a character.The novel traces the poignancy of an impossible love in the glare of celebrity. In the end, this book will stay with you for days-- it is that provocative in its ideas. This author has raised many issues about women and power, the cost of fame, the choices that one has to make in one's life, the tension of maturity and youth, that make this book well worth reading. This one is not just fluff; it is a thoughtful exploration of the female condition.

I've been reading books for 40 years...I loved this book...the story is predictable to some extent, but it's a great read, keeps you guessing till the end, will they, won't they? A great summer read, sexy, thrilling...a good ride...daydreaming+++, haha....

Llegó en buen estado y llegó antes me gusta que llegó muy rápido

The story is interesting. Is new, sexy. But then.....SPOLER ALERT....Well, guess what? I liked the whole thing until I didn't. The fans were right to hate Solène for she is such a COWARD. Like, you cannot be happy because ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS are complaining about it? Your daughter is unhappy? Okay, I get it. But she cares about what her ex husband says? His friend? The fans? Since when a dildo in the mail is a menace? The problem was Solène. Not Hayes. She was too happy yo be true and couldn't believe it, so the problem was always Hayes. He didn't have a mommy problem. He was actually mature for his age (the only moment he behaved stupidly was in the end). The problem was that Solène never had approval from her parents. SO, when she found someone that actually thought she was amazing (and "approved" her) but family and friends dont approve, she thinks it is wrong and ends it. In the end, she is the villain, the one to blame. And that for a 40yr old shows how immature she is. I actually was hoping for him and the band to die in a plane crash, that would break my heart less than having an "heroine" that lacks bravery.I do hope the movie is better. Actually, that's why I bought this book. 🫠🤦🏻‍♀️

So I read the book after loving the movie... and I think every fangirl of any popband should read this. It was written so well i felt like I was actually experiencing it.

So far the best book of my life! Read it twice in one week and want te reread it again! So much pain of Solène in it…and so much ch more!