"The Idea of You" by Robinne Lee

Genre: Romance/ Fiction
Publication: June 2017
Format: Kindle
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

From Goodreads: 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.

My Thoughts: I should probably wait to write this review until I have had time to formulate my thoughts, but I can't. I just finished the last page and I am desperate to talk about it. The Idea of You was captivating and so beautifully written. There are so many times when I will pick up a book and from the first page I just know it's going to be just "okay"... nothing that will stay with me over the years. This was not one of those books. These characters broke my heart and they will stay with me. The older I get the harder it becomes for me to find characters that I can relate to in my life, and I'm only 29. I know it's out there, but I just don't find a lot of literature for this phase that I'm in. I'm not going to say that I can completely relate to Solene, because I'm a decade younger than she is, but the aspect of getting washed out by just being someone's mother... I think that's something that every woman feels at some point. The fact that she is cautious and guarded with her heart... I just felt like I understood her. I also completely loved the fact that she had her whole life going on in addition to falling in love with this 20 year old guy. She didn't just start living her life once he entered it. Solene has a life worth living. She loves what she does and she is passionate about it. You have no idea how refreshing that was for me. So many times I will read a romance book and it's poor girl has no life or no money until she meets a man. That wasn't so for Solene.

As for Hayes, well I'm completely and utterly in love with him. I'm not going to lie, I have a huge secretive guilty pleasure crush on Harry Styles and every time I pictured Hayes I was basically picture him. Maybe the author was channeling him? Or maybe not. Regardless, Hayes stands on his own as a character. He isn't perfect. He has flaws and he's charismatic and basically everything you would expect someone in his line of work to be. The point is, he felt real. They all did.

I bought this an e-book, but I can tell you now I'm already going to be purchasing the paperback version to add to my bookshelf. It instantly became one of my favorites and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good story, especially a good real love story.

Rating: 5/5 Stars