REVIEW: The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

OUR REVIEW:

I cannot stop thinking about this novel. I just can't. It provoked me so much that I kinda want to dive right back into it just to see what I missed the first time I read it. Then again, my heart is still broken and healing from my first reading so I don't know if I can handle it. All I know right now is that I went on a messaging spree and told a whole bunch of people that they need to read this book, STAT, so that I could have someone commiserate with. I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK, y'all. Hours after I finished reading this novel I'm sitting on the couch and I'm just struck dumb--mouth open, blinking, DYING. DYING.

To say that this novel was a pleasant surprise is like the hugest understatement I've made in months. I was skeptical that I'd like it (mainly because I'm a skeptic and I didn't think it would live up to the hype) but within pages Solene Marchand had me in her thrall. This character and her contemplation and questioning of what it means to be a woman, a parent, a friend, a co-worker, a lover, and most especially nearing middle age while taking on all of these roles resonated with me--really it was like a lightning bolt hit me with each page, each word, each reflection. I felt myself nodding, raging, questioning, and pondering with each meeting Solene had with Hayes. 

I was conflicted. So conflicted. (Truth be told, I'm still conflicted).

On the one hand, I completely understood her fears, her reactions, and her concerns about how being with Hayes would impact the world she'd created for herself and her daughter and her job. I could easily imagine how overwhelming and scary and exciting being caught up in his world must've felt.  On the other hand, I felt myself wanting to push her to tell society to piss off--to embrace this experience and revel in it. I wanted her to do what any man in her position would've done...has done...to do what she wanted and not let what society or others thought have any place in her relationship. I see-sawed through both reactions all throughout my reading. I'm still not sure what I think. Is it better to be selfless or selfish in this case? Ughhhh. I'm struggling. Truly.

So, fast forward to the ending. It hurt. It still hurts. I'm NOT OVER IT. Once again I'm conflicted. I get it. I understand it.  Buttttttt, I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Actually, that's a lie--I do know how I feel about it. I feel like I want a sequel. I have a feeling I won't get it so I'll just have to imagine one that works for these characters, but damn it all to hell, I'm want more of their story. (And even in wanting a sequel I'm conflicted--I like the realism but I want the magic).

Anyway, this was a completely amazing and heartbreaking way to start my reading for 2018. I hope all of my reads this year make me as crazy as this one did.

BUY IT ON AMAZON.

SYNOPSIS:

Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles, is reluctant to take her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band. But since her divorce, she’s more eager than ever to be close to Isabelle. The last thing Solène 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 and genuine relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways in Paris and Miami. For Solène, it is a reclaiming of self, as well as a rediscovery of happiness and love. When Solène and Hayes’ 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 romantic life has impacted the lives of those she cares about most.

Find Robinne Lee on her website.