Well, y’all, I joined the bandwagon. I read The Idea of You after numerous suggestions from practically everyone in the book community, at least in my little Romance neck of the woods. After reading, I can see why so many women love this story, but I can’t say it appealed to me in the same way. Sure, the writing was excellent, the story was captivating, and I truly didn’t want to put the book down until I finished the last page. My issues are purely personal to my tastes and do not reflect on anything the author did “wrong”.
However, I have to say, someone had quite the crush on Harry Styles. I’m not much of a boy band fangirl, so this novel definitely broadened my horizons as far as that subject is concerned.
This story made me think, which is something I really love about books. I like forcing my mind to open to different possibilities and perspectives. After finishing this novel, I can see why some women would prefer to date younger men. Oftentimes, women are not in control of their relationships and feel vulnerable to their male counterparts. If a woman’s trust has constantly been betrayed by men her age and older, it only makes sense she may try to venture toward the cradle, so to speak. Younger men are appealing to women because she can truly hold all the power in the relationship, simply by the years of experience under her belt. Men are the heartbreakers, but not always in this case.
I found this novel to be an interesting look at celebrity. I never truly considered how little control celebrities have over their own lives, especially the mega-stars. The world is at their fingertips, yet they have no real freedom. They are shuffled from place to place like children caught in the middle of a nasty divorce. I can only imagine how damaging the lack of privacy would be to a person’s psyche after a number of years. Unfortunately, the negative elements of everyone on the planet knowing a celebrity’s face bleed over into every aspect of their lives and those of their loved ones. It is heartbreaking to imagine. We often think celebrities have it all, and never stop to consider how difficult their lives could be.
I really enjoyed these unique and interesting looks at topics I haven’t had a lot of experience reading about. Unfortunately, the things I didn’t like or relate to made me give this book a lower rating. While I can now empathize with the rich and famous in a new and unexpected way, I didn’t enjoy reading about the lavish lives of many of the characters. It’s completely unrelatable and over-the-top to me. Money, fame, and brands matter little in the big scheme of life. Many of the affluent descriptions put me off and came across as snobbish.
I also found the story to be slightly repetitive and overly sexualized. While I was eager to figure out the conclusion of the book, I would have enjoyed more of a story and less description in the bedroom (and other areas). This is a purely a personal preference, but something I wish I would have researched more about this particular novel.
I was invested in the characters, felt their emotions, and was deeply saddened by the ending – so much so that I dreamt of the characters after I finished reading. However, there were more than a couple things I didn’t like as well, making me stick with a middle-of-the-road rating of three stars.
If you’re eager to jump on the bandwagon, a fan of One Direction or other boy bands, or all about that cougar life, this may be just the novel for you.
Ashes Books & Bobs 