Fridays I’m In Love: The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
Welcome to Fridays I’m In Love, our new meme for romance reviews! For the first post, I am sharing my thoughts on The Idea of You by Robinne Lee.
Most of these reviews will be adult romance books and of course we will be sharing them on Friday. I am thrilled to be reading more lately, but I will admit to reading more adult romance. So Kelly decided we needed a new meme, to stand out from our usual YA reviews. We hope you are enjoying our new adventures!
Review
I’m going to admit something here, as a 41 year old sometimes it’s hard reading about the escapades of twenty-somethings in love in the New Adult books lining my shelves. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy a good romance set on the scene of a college campus but every once and awhile I think it would be nice to read about someone just like me, (older, with life experience and maybe a kid). That’s where the sublime, The Idea of You by Robinnne Lee comes in.
I’ll admit when I read the premise, 39 year old single mother and art gallery owner falling in love with a 20 year old member of a world famous boy band, I gave a little side eye. However, as I became immersed in this story I could not put it down. Why was I having issues? Men engage in May December romances all the time?
Solene is witty, she’s sophisticated, she could be a woman I know. It was the realism even in a story that seems so far fetched that turned me on my head. Not only does Lee nail the nuances of LA, working mothers, and the art scene but she deftly describes, in almost terrifying detail, what it truly means to be famous. Spoiler alert, it’s kind of a horror show. Watching this romance take form over the backdrop of screaming fans, exotic locations and hotel rooms was truly unique.
However, that is not what makes this book special. What makes it special is how realistic both main characters truly are. What makes Solene so fascinating is she is at home with her power. She is a sexy, successful woman in her own right and never loses sight of how bizarre her attraction and connection is with Hayes. The fun is watching her finally succumb to the realization that what she thought was just an interesting fling has turned into something much more precious.
Then there is Hayes Campbell. 20 year old lead singer of Harvest Moon. Let’s go through the hot damn check list shall we? Over 6 feet, British, sexy bed head hair, maturity well beyond his years, knows his way around lady parts.
Hayes could have become a caricature and I admit my mind started to envision a certain floppy haired member of One Direction but instead what materialized was someone self assured with traces of vulnerability. He knew what he wanted and he went after it. The flirtatious banter back and forth between the two characters was a major highlight:
“Tell me what you told the maitre d’, how was he able to identify me?”
-The Idea of You
Hayes opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before shaking his head in laughter, “You’re tough.”
“Tell me.”
“I told him…” He spoke softly, slowly, leaning into me. “I told him I was meeting a friend, and that she had dark hair and haunting eyes and would probably be dressed very well. That she looked like a classic movie star. And that she had a great mouth.”
I sat there, still. “Is that figurative or literal?”
“The mouth?”
“Yeah.”
“Both.”
He was so close to me then I could smell the scent on his skin. Some sort of sandalwood or cedar. And lime. It threw me. The way he looked at me threw me. The was not the plan.
This story wrecked me in the end. Without spoiling I related to Solene so hard with some of the decisions she had to make and that’s where the value of having a female lead that’s 39.5 comes into play. They have experience and wisdom that cannot be found in characters that are 20 and 21.
If you’re looking for a smartly written, sexy, and unique love story that will stick with you well after you close the final page, definitely add this to your must read list today.
