book review the idea of you

The Idea of You Ending, Summary & Spoilers from the Book, Explained

Following a controversial ending and the Amazon Prime video movie adaptation trailer of The Idea of You being released, here is a summary of the romance novel.

Robinne Lee's novel The Idea Of You hit bookshelves in June 2017 and was a smash hit among romance and fan fiction readers. This led to a film adaptation getting greenlit on August 22, 2022 starring Anne Hathaway, set to release on May 2.

The narrative revolves around Solène Marchand, a mother and esteemed art gallery owner in Los Angeles. She is drawn to a much younger British popstar, who her 12-year-old daughter adores... yikes.

The Idea of You Book Summary

In the Idea of You book, a single mother, Solène Marchand, accompanies her 12-year-old daughter Isabelle to an August Moon concert in Las Vegas where she meets the founder, lead singer, and songwriter, Hayes Campbell. 

Despite their age difference, they feel an instant chemistry and flirt heavily. They have a sexual encounter after a work trip in New York, and she tries to end the relationship due to the pressures of Hayes' fame. 

However, Hayes declares his commitment to her and invites her to join him for the next month in the south of France. 

Later, Lulit Raphel, Solène's closest friend, cautions her about Hayes possibly engaging in relationships with other sexual partners. In addition, her ex-husband Daniel warns her of the damage this new relationship could have to their daughter.

In Chapter 8, they celebrate her birthday in Paris and Hayes shows a newfound knowledge of art and expresses his growing love for her. Hayes makes plans to rent a home with her in Los Angeles, while Isabelle angrily confronts her mom about the rumors regarding their relationship.

Solène and Hayes later meet for the weekend in Miami, but she struggles to trust him after encountering two of his former partners and learning about their relationship being written about on a gossip site. Because of the pressures of his fame, she tries to end the relationship but he refuses and declares his commitment to her. 

They travel to New York for a documentary premiere, where Hayes publicly kisses Solène and introduces her to his parents. She confides in her mother about the relationship before meeting Hayes in Anguilla. 

However, compromising photos of them are released to the public, causing Solène to feel ashamed and return home. 

For Hayes' birthday, they go to Aspen and Solène finally confesses her love for him. During Hayes' tour in South America, Solène faces harassment and death threats. 

In Chapter 16, Solène ultimately ends the relationship again due to their age difference and her responsibilities as a mother, despite him saying he quit the band. Reluctantly, he leaves and Solène ghosts him over the following months.

What Happens During the Ending of 'The Idea of You'?

Unfortunately, The Idea of You ends with Solène and Hayes not getting back together.

The realization during Chapter 17 left many fans upset by the book's ending and put into question whether or not the streaming film would alter their fate.

Fans mention this specific passage from the end of the novel, where Solène explains how Hayes tried to keep reaching out but she "resisted responding" because she "made a choice" even though she still loved him:

“He called me. In the beginning, every day. Multiple times. Although I would not answer. And he texted. At first often, and then every few days or so. It went on for months. These little messages that would paralyze me. And to which I resisted responding. Because I had made a choice. I miss you. I’m thinking of you. I still love you. And then one day, they stopped. Long, long before I had stopped loving him.”

Readers were left heartbroken by the ending, some even say that it lowers how they would rate the book.

While many were drawn in by the engaging storytelling and the main characters' reliability, their investment in the story was shattered upon reaching the final page.

This blindside, unlike many traditional romance endings, turned into frustration and cautioning others to approach it with tempered expectations to avoid similar disappointment.

Due to this outpouring of issues with the book's ending, there is hope for the movie to give readers what they initially wanted out of Robinne Lee's romance novel.

The Idea of You begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video on May 2.

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THE IDEA OF YOU

by Robinne Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2017

A fascinating, thought-provoking, genre-bending romantic read.

When Solène Marchand takes her 12-year-old daughter to a concert by the hottest boy band on the planet, she doesn't expect to fall in love with one of the singers.

Middle-aged art gallery owner Solène hasn’t dated since her divorce, but when her ex-husband buys their daughter and a group of her friends tickets to Vegas and a backstage concert experience, then backs out at the last minute, she steps in as escort. The five guys in the wildly popular English boy band August Moon appeal to women of all ages, but Hayes, the brains behind the group’s success, flirts with Solène at the concert meet and greet, invites them to a party after the show, then pursues her once she gets back to Los Angeles. He’s only 20 and he’s incredibly famous; his attention is flattering and heady. The two fall into an affair that’s supposed to be light and easy, but before long they can’t ignore their intense emotional attachment. Solène is hesitant to tell her daughter, but when she procrastinates, Isabelle learns about it through an online tabloid, which damages their relationship and leaves Solène open to censure from her ex. Then, once the affair goes viral, she experiences the darker side of Hayes’ fan base. What started out as a jaunty adventure turns into an emotionally fraught journey, and Solène must decide what she’s willing to risk for her happiness and what she won’t risk for her daughter’s. Actress Lee, who appeared in Fifty Shades Darker , debuts with a beautifully written novel that explores sex, love, romance, and fantasy in moving, insightful ways while also examining a woman’s struggle with aging and sexism, with a nod at the tension between celebrity and privacy.

Pub Date: June 13, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-250-12590-3

Page Count: 384

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Review Posted Online: April 3, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017

ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

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IT ENDS WITH US

by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2016

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...

Hoover’s ( November 9 , 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.

At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.

Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016

GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

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by Colleen Hoover

SEEN & HEARD

LOVE AND OTHER WORDS

by Christina Lauren ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2018

With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.

Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.

Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.

Pub Date: April 10, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018

GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

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by Christina Lauren

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The Idea of You

46 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-17

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

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Essay Topics

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Summary and Study Guide

The Idea of You (2017) is Robinne Lee’s debut novel, which chronicles the passionate relationship between the female protagonist , Solène Marchand , and a younger man, Hayes Campbell . A “sleeper success,” Lee’s novel skyrocketed in sales and popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to advance in sales every year since its publication due to a prominent internet presence. Rumored to be inspired by former boy band member and current solo artist Harry Styles, The Idea of You taps into a fervent fanbase. In 2022, a film adaptation went into production with Anne Hathaway starring as protagonist Solène Marchand. The film is due for release in 2023.

The Idea of You draws on modern-day issues around female roles and identity, celebrity and privacy, sexual power and changing attitudes in the wake of the #MeToo movement, and age-gap relationships. The novel is divided into a series of chapters set in various—mostly glamorous—locations across the world, drawing on the aspirational aspects of modern celebrity, as well as revealing its darker side. These aspects come together to create the themes of Reality Versus Fantasy , Society’s Disregard for Aging Women , and The Complexities of Celebrity . The Idea of You belongs to the genre of romantic fiction. Characteristic of this genre, it combines humor and pathos to tell an emotional human story. The Idea of You is told in the first person in the voice of Solène.

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This guide refers to the St. Martin’s Press e-book edition of The Idea of You .

Content Warning: This guide and the source text contain references to unwanted sexual comments and touching, sexual violence, and self-harm.

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Plot Summary

When her ex-husband Daniel must go on a last-minute business trip, Solène Marchand, a 39-year-old single mother, must accompany her 12-year-old daughter Isabelle and her friends to an August Moon concert in Las Vegas. A popular boy band, August Moon features five British members. Solène meets 20-year-old Hayes Campbell, the band’s founder, lead singer, and songwriter. The two feel an instant chemistry and flirt heavily, despite Solène’s reservations due to their age gap.

Five days later, Solène reluctantly meets Hayes for lunch. They connect, and Hayes confides that his first sexual experience was with an older girl—the sister of his bandmate and best friend, Oliver Hoyt-Knight .

Two weeks later, Solène attends a work trip in New York and meets Hayes in his hotel room, where they kiss. They meet again later that night and have a sexual encounter, breaking Solène’s three-year celibacy streak since her divorce. When Solène panics over their age difference, Hayes comforts her and invites her to join him next month in the south of France.

The next month, Solène lies to her family and travels to France to see Hayes. Solène experiences the immense lack of privacy that comes with Hayes’s fame. After a day of yachting, they have passionate sex. When she returns to Los Angeles, Solène confides in her best friend and business partner Lulit Raphel about her relationship with Hayes. Lulit encourages Solène to continue enjoying sex with Hayes but warns her about the possibility of Hayes having multiple sexual partners.

Later that evening, Hayes promises to inform Solène if he sleeps with anyone besides her. The next morning, he accompanies Solène to work and purchases one of the pieces featured in her gallery. After visiting Isabelle at camp, Solène meets Hayes in New York. The pair travel to the Hamptons with Oliver and his girlfriend and enjoy a weekend of sex and their growing emotional connection. One day, Oliver enters their bedroom when Solène is alone and changing. Solène grows suspicious of Oliver’s intentions.

Back in Los Angeles, Solène’s ex-husband Daniel confronts her about rumors regarding Solène and Hayes; he warns about the damage they could inflict on Isabelle. Hayes attends an opening at Solène’s gallery and purchases a work of art that she loves. He has it delivered to her home, and the two have sex in front of the art without a condom, which signifies Solène’s growing trust.

In Chapter 8, Solène travels to Paris to attend an art fair and celebrate her birthday with Hayes. On the trip, Hayes demonstrates a newfound knowledge of art and expresses his growing love for Solène. While Solène continues to struggle with the publicization of their relationship in the press, the trip ends with Hayes referring to himself as Solène’s boyfriend and gifting her a diamond bracelet.

Hayes makes plans to rent a home with Solène in Los Angeles. They argue when Solène must keep Isabelle due to a last-minute business trip. Hayes takes Solène to dinner while Isabelle remains at home. Upon seeing Hayes and Solène kiss in the driveway, Isabelle angrily confronts her mother and does not speak to her for a week. To help, Hayes speaks to Isabelle and invites her and her friends to the premiere of the August Moon documentary in New York.

Solène meets Hayes for the weekend in Miami. After encountering two of Hayes’s former sexual partners, Solène struggles to trust Hayes. Solène learns that her relationship with Hayes has been written about on a gossip site. Solène attempts to end the relationship due to the pressures of Hayes’s fame. He refuses and declares his commitment to her.

Solène and Isabelle travel to New York for the premiere of an August Moon documentary. At the after party, Hayes kisses Solène publicly. Oliver continues to make advances toward Solène. Hayes introduces Solène to his parents and warns her that the new publicity surrounding their relationship will lead to an influx of criticism from his fans. After the premiere, Solène struggles to follow Hayes’s advice and not read the comments about their relationship. Isabelle alerts Solène of a video on the Internet of her and Solène with Hayes in New York.

For Christmas, Solène and Isabelle travel to Boston to see Solène’s parents. Solène confides in her mother about the relationship before traveling to Anguilla to meet Hayes. Hayes confesses his love for Solène and brings up the possibility of having a child; however, Solène wants to prioritize her work. Later, they learn that photos of them engaging in oral sex on their boat have been released to the public.

Ashamed, Solène returns home. Isabelle is anguished over the photos and regularly undergoes teasing from her peers from that point forward. For Hayes’s birthday, Solène and Hayes travel to Aspen. Solène finally confesses her love for Hayes. In Chapter 14, Hayes returns to attend the Grammys, as August Moon has been nominated for two awards. Early in the morning, Solène discovers a distressed 16-year-old girl in the hallway after having sex with one of Hayes’s bandmates. Hayes and the band leave for their tour in South America.

While August Moon tours South America, Solène grapples with an influx of harassment at the gallery and at her home. She receives multiple death threats and mysterious packages in the mail filled with sex toys and warnings to leave Hayes. Solène searches for her name on the Internet and discovers multiple hate pages dedicated to her. She flies to Argentina to join Hayes on tour. Oliver continues to act suspiciously, and Solène confides in Hayes. Minutes before they are to perform on stage in Brazil, Oliver and Hayes fight over Hayes’s past sexual relationship with Oliver’s sister. When Hayes alludes to Oliver’s possible attraction to Hayes, Oliver fractures Hayes’s nose.

Solène travels to New York for business. After losing a prospective artist due to her newfound reputation, Solène breaks. She decides to end her relationship with Hayes. Hayes begs her to wait until she travels to Japan for a visit.

Solène travels to Japan in Chapter 16 and undergoes continued harassment from crowds of fans. On the last day of her trip, Solène ends their relationship. In the last chapter, Solène nurses her heartbreak at home. Isabelle comforts her mother, who encourages Isabelle to maintain an open heart for love. Without notice, Hayes arrives at Solène’s home later that evening. They have sex. When Hayes informs Solène that he has quit the band for her, Solène chooses to end the relationship again to free Hayes from the limitations inflicted on their relationship by their age difference and her responsibilities as a mother. He reluctantly leaves and attempts to contact Solène for months, but she refuses to respond and continues to love him from a distance.

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The Sleeper Hit of the Pandemic? A Three-Year-Old Romance Novel Inspired by Harry Styles

By Michelle Ruiz

In the absence of actual travel in 2020, there is a journey on which newly-minted Harry Styles fans can still embark. Maybe you’ve been wooed by the technicolor orgy of the “Watermelon Sugar” video , or the resplendent Gucci dress moment . You've tumbled down the YouTube and TikTok rabbitholes, bought an official “Treat People with Kindness” water bottle, downloaded the Calm app to hear his throaty voice lull you to sleep (though some people find it sensual to the point of distraction). And, somewhere along the way, on the advice of at least two friends, you pick up Robinne Lee’s The Idea of You , the three-year-old romance novel inspired—at least in part—by Styles, and lose whatever was left of your mind.

With How Stella Got Her Groove Back vibes and Fifty Shades of Grey quantities of (deftly-written) sex, The Idea of You , originally published in 2017, is about Soléne, a sophisticated, French-born art gallerist and 39-year-old, divorced L.A. mom who, improbably, falls for Hayes Campbell, the 20-year-old British frontman of her teen daughter’s favorite boy band, August Moon. Hayes is uncommonly kind and dimpled, possessing a face insured by Lloyd’s of London that Soléne likens to a Botticelli angel. Sound familiar?

Along with the explosion of Styles's fandom this year, The Idea of You is experiencing a resurgence. Sales of the book increased 20 percent over 2019, according to St. Martin’s Press, but have climbed every year since its publication, making it a bonafide sleeper hit. It has found an obsessive online fanbase—the self-anointed #HaySolNuts (a mash-up of the main lovers’ names)—fueling a passionate word-of-mouth campaign. The book has inspired a private fan group on Facebook (described as “virtual wine and chocolate” by one member), a dedicated fan club helmed by a Elle UK editor, August Moon tour t-shirts , and virtual maps documenting the haunts and hotels (from the George V to Miami’s Casa Tua) frequented by the characters.

“I've watched it grow from this tiny little baby book,” says Lee, a Yale University and Columbia Law graduate and actor who has appeared in films like Hitch , Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. She is speaking from Los Angeles, the chirping of her family’s pet cockatiel in the background.

The steadily increasing success of The Idea of You is in many ways not that surprising—not just because of Styles's ballooning celebrity, but because it is a 362-page, sensual salve from the pandemic. It turns out there is no escapism like reading about a nearly middle-aged woman embarking on a glittering, global love affair with a thoughtful young sex god. The Idea of You is full of bougie, vicarious travel—from the South of France to Paris to Japan—along August Moon’s world tour route.

No fewer than three Harry-obsessed friends urged me to read The Idea of You. “Prepare your heart,” one warned. I failed to, staying up past 2 a.m. on a school night, listening to the audiobook (read by Lee, whose voice is appropriately sultry). After finishing it, bereft, I called said friend to process, needing to remind myself that the characters weren’t real. I promptly sent copies to two more friends, and urged another to read it. (Days later, she texted me from the airport, blaming me for getting her aroused in public.)

Such an affecting book—no matter the genre—deserved greater mainstream notoriety. But The Idea of You is also rooted in socio-cultural commentary about aging and a woman’s worth. “This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles,” Lee told me. Nor was it ever intended as a classic, fuzzy romance.“It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.”

After two decades in Hollywood, Lee, now 46, knew what it was like to be marginalized. Auditions waned; roles shifted. “You're no longer the hot one. You're not the girlfriend. You're not even the hot wife now. You're the mom,” she said. “It really broke my spirit, and I was angry about it, and so a lot of that went into this book.” A fictional artist at Soléne’s gallery wins raves for a video-installation “exploring how women of a certain age cease to be seen.” Soléne’s ex-husband remarries; Hollywood tropes would have had her eating Ben and Jerry’s under the covers, in mourning. Instead, she is the elder in a May-December relationship, with a youthful Botticelli angel ministering to her on a yacht in Anguilla. It’s electric, triumphant, to read.

In Soléne, Lee gives voice to a sometimes unspeakable restlessness among women and mothers in particular: “I wish I didn't have to be this pillar of strength," Lee said. Sometimes, “you want to just live the way you've lived when you were in college, or your early twenties, when you freedom and you never have to think of anyone but yourself.”

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The book's origin story is rooted in this feeling that life for older women can be more than the sum of their obligations to others. In 2017, Lee told blogger Deborah Kalb that when her husband Eric was away on business, she “was up late surfing music videos on YouTube" and "came across the face of a boy I’d never seen in a band I’d never paid attention to. … It was like…art.” A thorough Googling session, led her to the discover that “he often dated older women, and so the seed was planted.”

Lee began researching One Direction, and at times her work began to feel downright eerie. Lee wrote a scene about a Christmas jaunt to Anguilla, during which paparazzi capture Soléne and Hayes in a compromising position on a yacht. Months later, a similar (though decidedly more PG) scenario played out with Styles and Kendall Jenner. After Lee wrote a memorable, vulnerable sex scene set on a midcentury dining table, Styles released his first solo album, including a track titled: “From the Dining Table.”

Styles may have been her initial muse, but he is one of many who shaped the character of Hayes. (When I ask Lee if Styles inspired the novel, Lee pauses: “Inspired is a strong word.”) Prior to writing The Idea of You , she spent six years on a semi-autobiographical novel about a past relationship she had with a younger guy. That novel never sold, but she borrowed from its male lead, who was mature, sophisticated, worldly and smart, to write Hayes. “I made him into my dream guy,” she told me, “like Prince Harry, meets Harry [Styles],” plus a couple of ex-boyfriends, a little of her husband, and a dash of Eddie Redmayne.

“I've watched it grow from this little baby book,” said author Robinne Lee of “The Idea of You.”

It never occurred to Lee to skimp on the sex. In a story about a woman reclaiming her sexual identity, she saw that as short-changing the characters. Some of Hayes’s lines are, word for word, derived from Lee’s diary in the 90s, a place where she chronicled every last erotic detail of her own experience. Throughout The Idea of You , she revels in vivid descriptions of sexual pleasure, but always with the goal of advancing the dance between Soléne and Hayes. “I had a rule when I was writing that I was not going to make them physically naked if they were not emotionally naked,” she said. “Every single sex scene has to reveal something about him or about her that was going to be intrinsic to the story.” Lee cites the first time the couple has sex without a condom, on the aforementioned midcentury dining table, signifying they’d become exclusive.

The Idea of You was never released in hardcover and it never appeared on the bestseller list. It was branded as a mass-market paperback, a distinction often relegated to popular fiction by women for women that is centered in romance and sex. The Idea of You costs $16.99, about $10 less than hardcover books deemed upmarket, or more highbrow. “To me, I was writing literary fiction,” Lee told me, “it was just going to be a little more on the D.H. Lawrence side than not.”

But Lee is also acutely aware of the way books brimming with sex can be overlooked and diminished. There is a meta moment in The Idea of You , when Soléne praises August Moon’s vibrant pop music, and its teenage fans, but also seems to be advocating for the book itself. “We have this problem in our culture. We take art that appeals to women—film, books, music—and we undervalue it. We assume it can't be high art. Especially if it's not dark and tortured and wailing,” Lee writes. “We wrap it up in a pretty pink package and resist calling it art."

The inclusion of explicit sex scenes is often the distinguishing factor, one publishing source told me, between mass-market and literary fiction. Lee recalls a a graduate of the famed Iowa Writer’s Workshop opining that “when you're writing literary fiction, you can write sex, but you shouldn't have any emotion attached, because once you start attaching emotion, then it becomes more like romance,” she said. “I'm sure a man came up with that.” There is still a certain intangible value accorded to popular fiction by men and traditionally aimed at men—sci-fi, mystery, horror, thrillers—that eludes the romance genre. The ability to scare the reader or grip them in suspense is a skill, but, as Lee's book demonstrates, so is the ability to turn them on.

“Everyone's husband got laid the month they read my book,” Lee laughs—including hers. “I felt like I was having this affair in my head,” she said. “I’d finish a scene and run into the bedroom.”

Like Soléne, Lee is finding her own second life as an author and creator. The Idea of You has been optioned for a screen adaptation by Gabrielle Union’s production company, I’ll Have Another, with Lee as a producer. “It’s still happening as far as I know,” Lee told me. “That's all I can say at this point. It's still in development.”

The Haysolnuts ask, almost every day, about an Idea of You sequel—a prospect Lee has long opposed. “I didn't want to write a sequel just to give them a happy ending,” she said. Now, however, she vacillates. “Pretty much right after I finished writing [ The Idea of You ], I started writing notes for what could possibly be a sequel, mostly because I couldn't get them out of my head. Every once in a while, I'll feel it really strongly, and I'll sit down and I'll write a scene or two, and I have a file that's getting longer and longer.” She’s even done research for the maybe-possibly project. "I didn't kill them off for a reason,” she laughs. Lee is currently working on another book, but she’ll no longer rule out The Idea of You 2 : “I'm kind of waiting to have more to say.”

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• Book Reviews

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee – Book Review

Published 25/06/2021 · Updated 25/06/2021

The Idea of You

THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS HAYES CAMPBELL.

To the media, he’s the enigmatic front-man of a record-breaking boyband.

To his fans, he’s the boy of their dreams.

To his label, he’s gold-dust.

And to Solène Marchand, he’s the pretty face that’s plastered over her teenage daughter’s bedroom wall.

Until a chance meeting throws Hayes and Solène together . . .

The attraction is instant. The chemistry is electric. The affair is Solène’s secret.

But can it really stay that way forever?

Review by Stacey

When single parent, thirty-nine-year-old Solène Marchand accompanies her young daughter and a few friends to see their favourite pop group, August Moon, in Las Vegas, including a meet and greet with the band, the last thing she expected was to catch the eye of one of the members, nineteen years her junior and for a secret love affair to begin.

At first, the young and dashing English Hayes Campbell just wants to take Solène out for lunch, but it isn’t long before the pair are meeting up in secret across the world. Hiding their ‘meetings’ from friends and family the only people who know about them are Haye’s bandmates, their girlfriends, and staff.

But as time goes on is this just a simple fling, two people hooking up, or have they crossed the boundary, and can they keep their love affair secret when Haye’s is in one of the biggest bands in the world, adored by millions and has journalists and fans following his every move?

I wasn’t sure going into this book whether it would be for me or not, but I picked it up at 5 am one morning when I couldn’t sleep and before I knew it I was a hundred pages in and loving it. In the beginning I thought, like Solène did that the age gap, her being old enough to be Haye’s mother he was just playing the field and had scored himself an older woman. However, the two really worked together and fitted well.

About halfway through the book, I did start to wonder if the whole story was just going to be about the pair hooking up in different locations, them enjoying each other’s company in different hotels, beach houses, etc and my interest started to drop as I wanted more. I began to tire of the same old, same old, but then the book took a different direction, and boom I was back intrigued again.

The plot is sexy and full-on. The pace ebbed and flowed, at times it felt so slow, then other times it felt like it was going at warp speed. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about the ending. I have mixed feelings about it too, as it felt a little short but then I didn’t see any other way for the book to end.

The Idea of You is going to cause a big stir this year. I can see some people finding their new book boyfriend in Haye’s Campbell or his bandmates. I wouldn’t be surprised if I see this being adapted for the big screen in the future as it has the kind of plot you can perfectly visualise and characters that are in a situation I doubt happens often but were completely realistic within it.

*When I wrote this review I didn’t realise the book had been commissioned for adaptation already.

Purchase Online From:

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com.au
• Waterstones
• Bookshop.org

Author Info

A graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, Robinne was born and raised in Westchester County, New York. As the daughter of Jamaican parents of African, Chinese, and British descent, Robinne has long had an affinity for travel and the arts. Her past endeavors include working as an Editorial Assistant for ELLE Magazine, both in New York and Paris, writing celebrity profiles for the now defunct youth culture magazine, TELL, and running a music management company.

Robinne has numerous acting credits in both television and film, has served as a producer on various independent films and regularly speaks on panels and writes for trade magazines regarding the roles of women and actors of color in the industry. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

What did you think of ‘The Idea of You’? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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This book sounds good. And we kind of have the same name, LOL mine is Robin Leigh.

This sounds delish. What a pleasant surprise, I love when that happens

Looks like this is another book I’ll have to pick up before it’s turned into a show/movie 🙂 Great review!

definitely sounds interesting.. the author and book both are new to me so will be sure to check this out

The Idea of You is SO up my alley!!

Thanks Robin. Glad you like the sound of the book. Wow to having the same name.

Thanks DJ, it was a good surprise and had me reading at warp speed to get thought it.

Thanks Megan. I think you would really love this book. I found it amusing that I could see it being made into a movie then to discover that it was already in the works.

Thanks Vidya, Glad I have introduced you to a new book and author.

Thanks Kate, glad you like the sound of The Idea of You. I think you should definitely read it.

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Book Review: ‘The Idea of You’ by Robinne Lee

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee My rating: 5 of 5 stars “The Idea of You” by Robinne Lee is an unexpected well-conceived story about an older woman falling for a boy band member. It sounds like a fantasy ripped out of the tabloids, but it captures the complexities of such a relationship and how the world reacts to it. Solene Marchand is dealing with the emotions before a 40th birthday when she gets stuck with taking her daughter, Isabelle, and friends to an August Moon concert with backstage access in Las Vegas. As the teen girls stay enamored on the British boy band, Solene finds herself flirting with the bandleader himself, Hayes Campbell. While living her life as an LA art dealer, Solene meets up with Hayes when he’s in town as he flies her out to where he is until they have a full-blown love affair that surprisingly develops into an authentic relationship. Except Solene feels the relationship threatening her art gallery business with her partner Lulit, her relationship with Isabelle, her relationship with her ex-husband Daniel who’s of course having a baby with a 30-year-old model, and her reputation in general with fans sending threatening messages via social media and postal mail. But Solene and Hayes try to beat the odds amid the craziness.I’ve been disappointed with some of the recent women’s fiction/romance books because in many cases the issues and characters become stereotypical and the storyline is forced into a happily ever after. This book actually shows the progression of a modern-day fairy tale relationship and the rockiness that comes with it. The ending is refreshingly unexpected yet emotional. The writing is fantastic, which again in other recent works seemed to be either missing or the only upside to the book. What’s great about this book is the reader travels with August Moon, a fictional mashup of One Direction/The Wanted/and all those other recent boy bands out of the U.K., since Solene gets a first class ticket and hotel suite with Hayes everywhere. It covers Aspen, Miami, Malibu, Paris, Tokyo, the Hamptons and so many other destination cities, so it feels like you’re there admiring the scene though Solene and Hayes spend a lot of time in their suites. Also, the stakes of the romance are high. Not only are Solene’s relationships feeling the heat, but so are Hayes’ with one of his bandmates vengeful of destroying the romance and past hookups continually making appearances around the world. Overall, there are great elements throughout the story, and the book is a great piece of women’s fiction with serving up the steamy sex scenes and drama on every corner. And Lulit is the best because she’s Ethiopian, and we’re rarely in books, especially books like these, so the whole time I envisioned her as me, and that was fun. View all my reviews

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A Novel Glimpse

A Quick Look Into Books

Review: The Idea of You (Robinne Lee)

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

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. 

Robinne Lee is a talented author. Her words and sentences were beautiful without being flowery. There was this tone that carried throughout the entire book. I don’t know how to explain it other to say that it made me feel everything Solène was feeling. Lee is also a talented narrator. Her voice was Solène’s voice. She brought her character to life in the best way.

As for the story… Well, it’s about an almost 40-year-old divorcee who meets a 20-year-old boyband member when she takes her daughter backstage at his concert. Solène and Hayes embark on a clandestine affair that is somehow both sultry and sweet. Hiding things from her loved ones and the world isn’t easy, and Solène has to deal with what that means for herself and those closest to her. There are a lot of uncomfortable emotions and choices to be made. I couldn’t help but love Solène and Hayes despite their flaws. Solène’s POV is the only one in the book, and I kind of wanted Hayes’ too, but this book was more powerful with just Solène’s.

I want to say more about my thoughts and feelings, but I don’t want to give anything else about this book away. I guess I’ll wrap up with a couple of things. 1. That ending. If you have read this book, you know what I mean. Can I get a book from that point in Hayes’ POV? 2. In some ways, this is a romance. In other ways, it’s not. I wouldn’t want to slap the women’s fiction tag on it because that is not what it feels like to me.  The Idea of You  crosses over genre boundaries for me with its tone and subject matter.

13 thoughts on “Review: The Idea of You (Robinne Lee)”

I’m intrigued by the way you describe it as a romance but not. Hmmm. I’ve only read one other age gap romance where it was the woman who was older. Glad this one was such a win for you!

Yes, it’s a romance, but not. Thanks!

Yes! A May-December where the woman is the December. Love it!

Have you read it? I would recommend it.

No, I have not, but I am glad it’s on my radar

Great review! Sounds like a wonderful story, and I’m curious about that ending!!

Thanks! It wasn’t what I expected… I won’t spoil it in case you or others want to read it.

I don’t know why, but the synopsis for this kind of made me laugh. I guess I pictured the time my Mom took me to an N Sync concert as a kid lol. I’m glad you enjoyed the book, though!

If the guys were 20 in N Sync is would be just like that! LOL

I hope there will be another book with Hayes’ POV. This sounds like a good read though the age difference between the MCs had my jaw drop a little lol. Great review.

I really need that Hayes’ book or a sequel! Thanks!

I’m a little bit late to the show and only read the book over the weekend. Can totally agree with you. The writing is beautiful and just draws you in. The idea of an older woman with a young guy was kind of foreign to me in novels, although I love the in real life. But the book is a lot more than just the romance. I like the topics that the author brings to the table. That women over 40 aren’t seen anymore, that fiction for women is worth less and always gets packaged with a pink wrapping. I think what counts is, if a book makes me happy. And this one did!

I read this one late, too! Better late than never! I’m glad this one made you happy. It was very complex in all those things and was interesting how it all played out.

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robinne lee

When Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, takes her adolescent daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band, she does so reluctantly, at her ex-husband’s request. The last thing she is expecting 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 in various cities quickly evolves into an impassioned relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as they navigate each other’s disparate worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways. And for Solène, it is as much a reclaiming of self, as it is a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter, the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her new status has impacted not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her.

praise for "the idea of you"

"Actress Lee, who appeared in Fifty Shades Darker, debuts with a beautifully written novel that explores sex, love, romance, and fantasy in moving, insightful ways while also examining a woman’s struggle with aging and sexism, with a nod at the tension between celebrity and privacy. A fascinating, thought-provoking, genre-bending romantic read." - Kirkus Reviews

"Not only is this romance a fun ride, but it also draws on themes of celebrity and sexism that will give you something to think about after you're done." - Bustle, Best Fiction Books, June 2017

“Lee starts the story off with a somewhat outrageous scenario: The 39-year old mother of a teenage-boy-band-obsessed daughter and the 20-year-old boy band member enter into a relationship. She makes the readers believe that not only could it be possible, but it exists and is true and real.” - RT Book Reviews

“Captures what fame looks like, and how it affects us all...a fun, juicy love story!” - Elizabeth Banks

“An O-M-G page tuner that literally sucks you in from page one to the last few words. I found myself yearning for more, needing, really, to know what happens next... it's that good.” - Gabrielle Union

"An honest and elegant book about modern love in the age of uber-celebrity and social media. - Hill Harper, author and actor

the idea of you

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Must-read love story: the idea of you review.

Summary (from the publisher):

What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s disparate worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways. And for Solène, it is as much a reclaiming of self, as it is a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their 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 new status has impacted not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her.

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I feel like The Idea of You is one of those under-the-radar books that although you don’t see it too often, once you come across someone who has read it, they have nothing but LOVE for it! I first heard about The Idea of You through Bad on Paper . I think in an episode in the beginning of quarantine, they had recommended it as a great binge-read to take your mind off real life for a while. The book was also one of their book club picks in 2019, and it always seems to be their go-to book hangover cure/’need something to read’ recommendation.

The best way to describe The Idea of You ? Forty-year old mother, Solène, takes her teenage daughter to a boy band concert (alla One Direction), where during a meet and greet, she meets and then begins secretly dating the band’s twenty-year old heartthrob, Hayes. Robinne Lee confirmed in her interview with Bad on Paper that the book was definitely a bit inspired from One Direction, as well as other famous male singers like Ed Sheeran. I may have or may not have told one of my book-loving, One Direction, Harry Styles fan of a best friend to immediately pick The Idea of You up.

The Idea of You was such a refreshing and unique, aka scandalous, contemporary romance read! There was such a fantastic balance between Solène and Hayes’ relationship and all the drama that came with it. Basically, every central conflict is caused by the age difference between the pair and how that age difference, not to mention that Hayes is the most famous boy band member on the planet, affects a lot going on in Solène’s life. How can she possibly explain to her thirteen year old daughter that she’s in love with her favorite celebrity crush, not to mention one that is half her age?

I feel like Solène and Hayes’ age difference and its conflict was not so much about the age difference itself (although people and Hayes’ fans definitely have a lot to say about it), but more so about Solène having a teenage daughter who is in love with Hayes’ band, August Moon. It was really hard for me as a reader to figure out who I felt more sympathy for, Isabelle or Solène.

I’d say that the first half of The Idea of You is all about Hayes and Solène getting to know each other before their relationship is thrown into the spotlight.Although Solène experiences a lot of inner turmoil, I liked that the reveal of their relationship and its after-effects don’t take up the entire book. There’s also plenty of steammmmm, to say the least, between Hayes and Solène from the beginning of their relationship to the book’s very end.   While yes, Solène does worry throughout if her relationship with Hayes will actually work, there’s no denying that there is chemistry between the two. Between having STEAMY romance scenes throughout, the age scandal, the setting, and the ending that has left many readers in tears, Robinne Lee definitely broke the formulas I expect in my romance books. I think she really nailed it all! I also just want to add that I DID enjoy the ending and thought that it felt very true and realistic (yes, I realize that this book’s premise is unrealistic) to what Solène was feeling.

Readers definitely have to suspend some disbelief when going into this one, as Solène -who does seem to have a lot of money from her work as an art gallery owner- basically jets off all around the world to wherever Hayes is and doesn’t get caught for quite a while. I really loved the glamour. I was fun to see Robinne Lee’s take on the world of boy bands and fame. The story really just made for a really fun and addicting adventure. I managed to read  The Idea of You  in under two days because I seriously could not put it down, especially once Solène and Hayes’ relationship is aired to the world.

Overall, The Idea of You lived up to the hype. Robinne Lee perfectly executed all of the book’s elements, from Solène and her daughter’s relationship, her relationship with Hayes, the fandom, the glamour, the chemistry, the setting, all of it! I really did like the way it ended … but I wouldn’t mind a sequel or at least another book by Robinne Lee. If you’re looking for something unique in the world of romance reads this summer, I recommend checking The Idea of You out.

Have you read The Idea of You ? Would you want a sequel? What romance books have you been reading lately? Share in the comments!

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Pretty Mess Reading

Book Blog, Unapologetic, Unfiltered, Honest

The Idea Of You by Robinne Lee

FUCK. MY. LIFE. The Idea Of You by Robinne Lee gave me way too many feels and I’m 100% sure if that was a good or bad thing yet.

Can I say one thing before we really get started? I almost had a twenty-year-old BAE (Before Anyone Else). I mean it. Hayes may only be twenty but he almost had me rethinking my previous life choices of not dating younger men. He’s even a Brit who rocks #BlackLivesMatter T-shirts. How can I not want to sit on his face? – Okay. Let me stop before I get ahead of myself.

I’m going to be honest with y’all, I’m a little bit salty at the ending. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved the book and I don’t feel like it was a waste of my time but I didn’t appreciate that ending at all. The ending had me on the pissed off side for a minute but I stopped to think about it was the most realistic ending I’ve read in a long while.

I’m going to be a little bit messy here but it’s not because I didn’t enjoy the book, it’s because I did.

Let’s hear with the author has to say, shall we?

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.

*************************************************************************

At some point, this story stopped being cliche or taboo and became a pure love story. The author takes us on the same path as Solène and Hayes as though we were living it right along with them. Their love, their passion, their pain, their heartbreak become the reader’s same love, passion, pain, and heartbreak. This story goes far beyond the stigma of age, it’s a true and pure love story. It just happens to be a love story of an older woman and a younger man. When an older man becomes involved with a younger woman, it’s accepted. When an older woman becomes involved with a younger man, it’s frowned upon.

Solène is beautiful, smart, and sexy. She is also 39 years old and someone most 20-year-old pop stars are quick to look past. Except for Hayes, a sexy British boy band member who finds himself gravitating to Solène.

They say opposites attract and if we are going by age differences here Solène and Hayes are complete opposites. Plus, Solène has a 12-year-old daughter who happens to believe she is in love with Hayes herself, like many other young girls around the world.

So, what’s a woman to do when she finds herself in that situation? Of course. . . sleep with him – too bad that decision was going to change to course of their lives that no one could have predicted. The real question here was, how much would that decision affect those they loved as well?

“You afraid?” He asked. I nodded. “So am I. But I’m all right with that. If I get hurt, I get hurt. It happens, right? Someone always gets hurt. But I don’t want to miss out on us because I was afraid.”  –  Hayes

I can’t remember the last book I read that made me want to find a way for two people to be together when the odds were stacked against them so much. The author does such an amazing job of creating the world of Solène and Hayes. I honestly felt like I was there with them as they traveled throughout the world getting lost in themselves together – or in the idea of each other.

I’m to keep it real with you. If I saw a world-famous twenty-year-old rock star with a thirty-nine-year-old divorcee with a 12-year-old kid. . . I might judge for a minute. But let me point out that that judgment was only for a minute. I make it a point never to assume I know what’s going on between two people. I would also be of the mindset that it won’t work out in the long run and creating an opinion would be a waste of my time and I don’t like wasting my time.

I’m just being honest here. I know that’s a fucked up thing to say but I’m just keeping it real.

So look-it – I’m 34. I’m a mom. A wonderful mother BTW. Just a quick FYI. I’m married. I’m immature and I fucking love it. I have one life and I refuse to spend it like an old hag who takes everything too seriously. With that being said, if I were to date a man twenty years younger than me I would go to prison and that’s nasty as he would be fourteen. But if I was a thirty-nine-year-old woman and dating a twenty-year-old (which I couldn’t see happening because I’m not into younger guy) the perfect 20 years old would be Hayes.

Hayes is my inner cougar’s BAE.

But sometimes age isn’t just a number, sometimes it’s just a life fact. That same life fact caused a lot of hurt and turmoil for the ones around Solène and Hayes. . . and each other. At times, The Idea Of You was so painful to read. I shed real tears.

“How did we get here? This was only supposed to be lunch, remember? This was only ever supposed to be lunch.” “You,” he said, his voice frayed, foreign. “Me?” “You. You let me unfold you.” –  Solène/Hayes

It’s time for the big questions.

Do I recommend this book? Yes, but not to everyone. You can listen to my 5-minute quick book review podcast to find out why here .

Will I read another book by this author? Yes and no. You can listen to my 5-minute quick book review to find out why here .

I actually didn’t get messy at all with this one. I kept it all the way pretty . I’m so proud of myself. *happy dance*

TTYL, lovers. . .

Remember to follow all things messy. . .

If you’ve already read The Idea Of You by Robinne Lee, test you knowledge in this 1 minute quiz.

Test Your Knowledge – The Idea Of You by Robinne Lee

 The Idea Of You by Robinne Lee is one of my favorite reads of 2018. If you have read the book and enjoyed it as much as I did let's have some fun with it. 

Test your knowledge of all things Solène and Hayes in a 10 question quiz for a little fun.

Take this quick 1 min quiz to test you knowledge.

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Hey there! I'm Danielle! I just a girl who loves books. I love books so much that I talk about the stories like they are real. Who knows? Maybe, they are real to me. I do love the book world, it's way better than reality. . .sometimes. . .because. . .I'm also a proud mama bear, wife, and mother!

7 thoughts on “ The Idea Of You by Robinne Lee ”

Wonderful review Danielle!

Thank you so, so much!!! xoxo

Fantastic review Danielle♥♥

Well got damn…

You are really into your books down to every small detail…

I wish my attention span was as good as yours. lol!

Non the less you have my full support even if I’m not a big reader!👍😊

I think I might need rehab. I get way to attached to fictional characters! 🙂

No rehab… Not at all… Rehab is for people like me. Lol.😂

but hey… it’s great to have interest in something like this…

Now or days people are so into other bull shit that it’s killing them and here you are. Verry rare….

A passion for books and interesting ones to… Eather way no rehab for you… Just be glad for you! Your different!👍

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The Idea Of You Book Review

September 13, 2019 / 0 comments

When Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, takes her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band, she does so reluctantly and at her ex-husband’s request. The last thing she 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 relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s disparate worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways. And for Solène, it is as much a reclaiming of self, as it is a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their 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 new status has impacted not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her.

Liezel’s Thoughts:

A friend read this book and mentioned just how fantastic the writing was.  So, I decided to pick this one up and even with the forewarning, I was still reduced to tears. I was utterly devastated by this book.

Some would say they couldn’t relate with the heroine, Solène Marchand – but I certainly did. The idea of finding love again at her age appealed to me. It was obvious that the age gap was going to be awkward but despite Hayes being in a “boy” band, he acted so much more mature than expected.

Thrust in a fake world at that age don’t you think he deserved a relationship that was real? It was as if Solène was his solace. The way things were described I believed that they were star-crossed lovers who eventually would find their way. Hopefully, the author won’t leave us hanging and give these two their much deserved HEA.

The Verdict:

About Robinne Lee

Robinne Lee is a Los Angeles-based actor, writer and producer. A graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, Robinne was born and raised in Westchester County, New York. As the daughter of Jamaican parents of African, Chinese, British and Arawak Indian descent, Robinne has long had an affinity for travel and the arts. Her past endeavors include working as an Editorial Assistant for ELLE Magazine, both in New York and Paris, writing celebrity profiles for the now defunct youth culture magazine, TELL, and running a music management company.

​Robinne has numerous acting credits in both television and film, most notably opposite Will Smith in both Hitch and Seven Pounds, Don Cheadle in Hotel for Dogs, and Jennifer Garner in 13 Going on 30. She recently completed shooting Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, playing Christian Grey’s trusted COO, Ros Bailey.

​An inactive member of the New York Bar, Robinne has served as a producer on various independent films and regularly speaks on panels regarding the roles of women and actors of color in the industry. She is an avid runner, a mediocre ballet dancer, and a huge fan of cheese.

​Robinne currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

​The Idea of You is her first novel.

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Maryse's Book Blog

Following my heart, one book at a time...

Book Review – The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

May 27, 2018 By Maryse 23 Comments

The Idea of You: A Novel <— BREAKING NEWS UPDATE!!! THIS IS GOING TO BE A MOVIE ON AMAZON PRIME starring Anne Hathaway (coming in May 2024!!)!! 😮 😃

Okay WOW. My heart is literally POUNDING right now, and I swear and I pray that this is not the end of this incredible, intense, seemingly impossible (but SO AMAZINGLY POSSIBLE!!!!) love story. OH. EM. GEE. This captured me and the more it went, that harder I was hooked.

I’ll admit, the minute I heard older woman/rock star, I was excited!! The ultimate fantasy come to life. But then I realized “boy band” and not ever having been into the whole boy-band thing, I shied away. I didn’t think I could relate. But boy-band lover or not, DO NOT let that stop you from immersing yourself in this one.

It will take you away, in every way.  And not always in the best of ways, but could we expect anything else in such a public, demanding, fantasy-life? With all odds against them? This is THAT journey and OMG what a journey it was. Is? I won’t say much more on that front. Love it or hate it, it will make you FEEL.

Oh, the insistence that I read this and the recommendations were frequent and adamant, and I couldn’t resist any longer.

Marion: Anyone in a book funk please read The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. It’s guaranteed to re – awaken all your emotions . Feels for days! …I’ll keep shouting it from the rooftops, anyone in a book funk read “The Idea of You”….leave all judgement at the door and just enjoy the ride lol!!!! Northernstar: Just finished The Idea of You and I have no words….ugh! I want more!! The writing was fantastic and the banter between Sol and Hayes was so funny. This is definitely a 5 star books and in my top of 2017. I know I’ll be thinking about this book for days to come. Susan: The Idea of You!!! I wish I could experience it for the first time all over again!! I told you!! You won’t be able to put it down. The idea of a boy band book did not appeal to me but I am so glad I did not allow that to deter me from reading it. That ending. Ugh!!! I want more so bad. Everyone has to write reviews for this book when they read it and get the word out. The author said that she had a sequel in mind but it’s up to her publisher as to whether or not it gets done depending on how well the first book does. I’m still thinking about this book!!!  …Forbidden romance. Older woman, younger man/boy. This is the author’s debut novel and she hit it out of the ball park. You have to read it. You will not be disappointed. I want a second book. Traci: I read the Idea of you a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely loved it! Definitely a 5 star read. I loved Hayes. He’s my new book boyfriend. I want to read it over again. I rarely do that. I hope there are more books about the main characters and the other guys from this author. Enjoy! steph: I’m STILL thinking about it which is a rarity in my world. I loved EVERYTHING about this book. The story, the characters, the romance, the art, the language, the ending. Everything. R.: …I swear it’s like book crack. …Really well done and addictive! I couldn’t put it down…unless you count the times I threw it down, and by “down” I mean into my wall where there’s now a slight dent. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So what’s it about?

Solene is a 40-year old divorcee, raising a 13 year old teen (Isabelle). She’s from an affluent upbringing and living a very solid, charmed life despite the divorce, and even on semi-good terms with her ex. Even though he left her for a younger woman, and there is still that hurt and betrayal lingering…

It grated on me. That no one would question him moving on. Him marrying and impregnating someone more than ten years his junior. Because that’s what divorced men in their forties did. His stock was still rising. His power still intact. Daniel had become more desirable, and I somehow less so. As if time were paced differently for each of us.

Even though, occasionally, his self-centered needs thrust her into the duty of leaving her own personal/business life aside to accompany her daughter to events he planned.

Which is how she met “Hayes”. Having to accompany her daughter and friends to the biggest boy-band concert of the year (WITH backstage passes for the meet and greet) was more of an annoyance, but she stood resolutely, doing her best to temper her reaction to all of the ear-piercing  squeeeees and trills of the excited girls, and rolling her eyes at the “boy band” antics.

That is until one of the most popular members set his sights on her.

She was somewhat disarmed at first, humored but not about to let herself be deluded or taken by his subtle innuendoes,

There was something about him in that moment. His ease. His accent. His cocksure smile. Disarming.

…but when he made contact a few days later with her at work, she realized she was dealing with a whole other level of interest. Hayes was into her.

And Hayes was only 20.

Grabbing a bite. With a twenty-year-old. From a boy band. Under what circumstance might that ever be construed as acceptable?

And now the story begins. Can you imagine?? Yes. You can.

“This is insane. You realize that, right?” “Only if someone gets hurt.” “Someone always gets hurt, Hayes.”

And this one takes you there. Through ALL of the various incredible and incredulous moments that can happen when you’re dating one of the most famous members of a HUGELY famous boy-band.

“Can I give you some advice? Ignore it. It’s going to get worse. It’s going to get really bad.” I turned to him. “What do you mean? How bad is it going to get?” “It’s going to get bad.”

Pasts. Rumors. Paparazzi. Gossip blogs. Groupies. Rabid vicious fans. Jealousy from ALL angles.

“…don’t let the rock star rubbish get to you,” he said, lying down again. “Because it’s not real, it’s crap. It’s like this idea and it’s not who I am and … I’m always going to be real with you, okay?”

And then of course, throw in the age difference. And the fact that her daughter has NO clue what her own mother is up to (dating the very band member that she loves the most).

*spoiler alert* *spoiler alert* *spoiler alert* *spoiler alert* *spoiler alert* *spoiler alert*

*Okay it’s not really a detailed spoiler, but a reaction that can lead you to some perceptions, and I’d rather you go in as blind as you can… so skip this part if you like the whole shebang to come at you as a surprise!*

*spoiler alert* *spoiler alert* *spoiler alert* *spoiler alert*

PLEASE. PLEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!! MORE. MORE!!!! What an acute and profound ending, and how fast and furious it came. Abrupt. Crushed me.

Lindsay: just finished The Idea of You and it is fantastic. I just got the chills after reading that last sentence. Very well done.

YES. Lindsay!!! It is one of THOSE!!!!! Those last lines that just ties the book together and makes it that much more incredible and intense!!!!!!

D.G. The Idea of You…loved it until I hated it! Never had a book put me in a bad mood while on vacation at that! …I am still harboring ill will toward this book. Geez!!! Jan: DG I’m with you. I struggled with The Idea of You too. I know many have loved it, but it’s not for everyone. Susan: …Not sure I am happy with the way it ended because I want more!!! Claudia: Guys you must read The idea of you by Robinne Lee! Just finished it and couldn’t stop, had to read it straight through! Crossing fingers there is a part 2! Northernstar: I’m still thinking about “The Idea of You” by Robinne Lee. One of her tweets stated that she was “thinking about a sequel”. What’s to think about?! Just do it – LOL

It shut me down, but the way it happened is so fitting. Perhaps the eternal optimist in me is … expectant. 😉

I could not stomach the weight of that just yet. The idea that with us there could be no happy ending.

OLDER WOMAN/YOUNGER MAN AGE GAP!! And it's going to be a movie on Amazon Prime AND it's #12 ON ALL OF AMAZON KINDLE right now & this one rocked our WORLDS a few years ago.

In fact this is from my 4.5 STAR BOOK REVIEW :

".. .4.5 stars!!! This is EXACTLY the kind of whirlwind romance I want to indulge and lose myself in. So incredibly overwhelming, and yet I can’t get enough !"

Karon: Really though, this book had many of us in knots years ago and continues to. ❤️ There are not enough re-reads to fully absorb this book.❤️

Stephanie: ...I love the book and didn't want the movie to ruin it. But it looks good!

OH MY.... it all makes sense now!! Coming to Amazon Prime Video and it has Anne Hathaway!! <--- I LOVE HER and I LOVED this book ( my 4.5 STAR BOOK REVIEW ) . I. CAN'T. WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kim: The trailer is out for the movie! It looks so good!

Charity: eeek!! can’t wait!

➔➔➔  Looking for more of my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star and 4 star reviews. 😀

➔➔➔ Love this trope? Check out more of my older woman/younger man age gap and/or celebrity romance f eatures and reviews on my blog!

So glad you finally read it and liked it Maryse. Solene and Hayes’s story is one that has stayed with me almost one year after reading it. Brilliant writing by Robinne Lee.

God I loved this book so much. The writing for me was just stellar. Five plus stars for me.

I found the writing and flow excellent, too!!!

I absolutely loved and devoured this book but had such a lump in my throat they way it ended!!! I still feel unsettled. We HAVE to have a sequel. It was such a moving, beautifully written story,

Ok Maryse, I just finished this book. I honestly don’t know what to think. At first I was icked out by the 20 yr. old boy bander thing, because I have a 20 yr. old son. Then as I was reading along, I’m like this could work. This guy really loves her and she loves him. It’s so genuine and real. GAH! Then real life gets in the way with her daughter. I was actually cursing that kid for getting in the way of her Mom finally finding love. Then, I was like that could be your kid, how would you feel?! I just have to throw my hands up and shake my head. The ending came so fast and abrupt. I kept tapping my iPad until it was at the end-end and still kept tapping! That couldn’t be it! But it was! WHAH!! This author better be writing a sequel to this. I’m in bad shape here. This can’t be the end. This relationship cannot be left like this. I think I’m crying as much as Hayes did. Okay….I’m slinking off to bed now…sadly.

I am RIGHT THERE WITH YOU Robyn. We need a sequel. This is one that I’d easily devour for relief (or more angst if need be). 😉 *snort*

YAYYYY! I LOVE THIS BOOK!! So glad you read it!!! I hope that there is a book 2!!!

Me too Christine!!!! That last quarter had my heart in my throat, and tears brimming the entire time. LOVED!!!!

Omg!!!! I literally just finished this and I’m soooo angry, I feel like I invested hours and that’s how it ended.., ugh!! I loved this story I thought it was great. Do we think she made the right decision?!! IDK!!! I would love for a sequel, but I still reeling from this. *gasp*

Lauren… the sequel will heal. I just KNOW it. And I feel it, down deep inside, that the sequel is in the works. The author needs healing too. 😉

Lauren- I feel exactly the same way! It makes me angry to invest so much time and emotion into a book and then get to that ending. What the! I agree Maryse, that second book will heal our broken, ravaged hearts. We need to petition this author for a second book or I might have to write it myself! And we don’t want that, I’m not a writer that’s for sure.

Absolutely loved this book. Was in such a funk and devoured it. The writing is fantastic… I’m all meh again now… LOVED IT!!!

I love this book, love Hayes and Solene, is the sequel coming out???

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book!!! Can anyone suggest another book of this caliber to read next? I need the book high to continue. Let me know…Thanks!

Yes Jen, Arianne Richmond wrote a 5 book series: The pearl Series that is very similar to “The Idea of you”. Happy ending though! Happy reading

I need there to be a part 2. Hayes and Sol CANNOT end like this…It ruined my 14 hour flight! Come on Robinne…give us more………..

I purchased “The Idea of You” when it was first released for publication, but just began reading it during the pandemic. Could not put the book down, it was interesting, intriguing, absorbing and enticing. I developed so many feelings throughout this book, that when it ended I was like a crazed woman….No no no this can’t be the end! I got right on the internet looking for the publication date for the sequel. I found nothing…unbelievable!! I’m starting a campaign for the sequel! Robinne PLEASE?

Melinda, I believe there will be one!! 😀

Maryse, you have made my day! Now the waiting….I hope not waiting and waiting…& WAITING! But, I will WAIT! Robinne Lee is an excellent writer, and the voicing in the Audible version exceeds excellence. Thank, you, than you.

If I’m still waiting for “Freed”, I guess I can wait for “The Idea of You” sequel

Please this story should be a sequel cause I can’t have it ending this way

Omg this book! Somehow I missed this a couple of years ago and just read it last week! I was hooked. Read it all in one sitting. Loved, loved, loved it….until the end. This book should’ve come with a warning on that ending! I need a sequel!

Den of Geek

The Idea of You Director on Bringing the Book to the Big Screen With Anne Hathaway

The Big Sick director Michael Showalter and Anne Hathaway bring a new rom-com to SXSW about the world’s greatest pop star… and the mother of his biggest fan.

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This article appears in the SXSW 2024 issue of   Den of Geek   magazine. Check out all of our SXSW coverage  here .

There are meet cutes, and there are meet cutes. And then there is the ballad of Solène Marchand and Hayes Campbell: the fortysomething single mother chaperoning her daughter at this year’s Coachella and the boy band superstar who’s headlining the show. Such are the twists and quirks of the heart, as well as The Idea of You , a beloved romance novel by Robinne Lee turned one of the buzziest new comedies at this year’s fest.

Arriving with no less than Anne Hathaway as Solène–an actor who is no stranger to romantic comedies–and Red, White & Royal Blue ’s Nicholas Galitzine as the pop star, The Idea of You might just be South By royalty, with director Michael Showalter previously bringing The Big Sick to Austin in 2017. In our chat with the director for Den of Geek magazine, Showalter also compares his latest effort to Notting Hill and the cult of Harry Styles fandom. 

Were you a fan of Robinne Lee’s novel before this project came along?

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It came to me as a script. So I became familiar with the novel after I already knew about the movie project. But as a fan of romantic comedy , I’m always looking for a romantic equation that feels like something that I haven’t seen before, a new area to explore. So I loved the idea that, in this moment, we’re all intrigued with these various, different pop stars, both male and female, and their various, different love lives. So the idea of this somewhat older, divorced mom finding herself entangled with the biggest lead singer of the biggest boy band on the planet just felt like a really fun world to explore in terms of the genre.

Some folks have speculated that the novel’s pop star is inspired by Harry Styles. Did you get a sense of that?

You’d have to ask Robinne Lee. I wouldn’t want to speak for her. But I think, for myself, there’s a lot of interest in Harry Styles. He certainly bears some similarities with Harry Styles. He’s British and not what you would expect him to be. He reveals sides of himself that are refreshing. And I think that’s what seems appealing about Harry Styles; he’s breaking some expectations. So I feel like there are definitely some similarities there… but it’s sort of an amalgam of everything.

Styles is such an interesting one, particularly for me as a Brit, because he came up through a reality TV show and was this ordinary British kid who suddenly became this incredible megastar.

And that’s what happens in the movie. What’s interesting about [Galitzine’s] character is that. He has a line in the movie where he says, “On the same day I auditioned to be in the boy band, I also auditioned to play Tiny Tim in a local production of A Christmas Carol .” And he says, “If I’d gotten the play, I would’ve done it, and someone else would’ve been me in the band. Who would I be now?”

Even though he is this huge, giant pop star, like you said, part of what makes him a vulnerable character is that there’s a little part of him that knows that it sort of happened in this strange way, and he questions on some level, “Am I a real artist?” … One Direction was going to happen with or without Harry Styles, and that’s something interesting to think about.

It’s interesting that it is about an older woman and a younger man because, largely speaking, we don’t see that in films very often.

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I like making movies that are entertaining and commercial, but that also say something about our society in some small way. There’s a double standard, and we see it where older men date younger women and get a high five for it. But there’s some skepticism when it’s an older woman and a younger man. It’s treated with skepticism or ridicule, calling them cougars. It’s a real double standard.

The internet [in the movie] and the social media of fans—everybody has a very strong opinion about it. There are forces outside the relationship that are trying to break them up, essentially. Almost acting like she’s Yoko Ono. Is she going to break up the band? So that’s part of the story—to ask why we have such a strong reaction when the roles are reversed in this situation.

You mentioned Notting Hill , and I definitely got vibes of that. It’s wish fulfillment, isn’t it, in Notting Hill ? 

Yes, and it is in this too. This is also wish fulfillment. Like, older women lust after Harry Styles. There is a uniquely strong sort of relationship that I feel an older female audience has with Harry Styles. There’s a feeling that he sees their beauty, and he’s attracted to older women basically [laughs]. He sees them as sexual beings, so there’s reciprocity there. So there is wish fulfillment; there is a sense of what it would be like if this hot young guy who’s a major star, just like in Notting Hill , fell into your life?

What is different is that in Notting Hill , Hugh Grant is Julia Roberts ’ number one fan. In our movie, she doesn’t even recognize him when they first meet. So the audience knows who he is, but she doesn’t. And that’s part of what he likes about her, actually. He’s so used to being treated a certain way just because everybody knows who he is, and here’s somebody who actually doesn’t know or particularly even care that he’s such a big star. She’s not just gonna fall into bed with him because he’s Hayes Campbell.

The Idea of You is the closing night film at SXSW, screening on March 16. It opens in theaters on May 2.

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The Idea of You Trailer: Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine Get Swept Up in Steamy Romance

The romance, an adaptation of the 2017 novel by Robinne Lee, is on Prime Video May 2

Anne Hathaway gets into a whirlwind romance with Nicholas Galitzine in their new movie.

On Wednesday, Prime Video debuted the first trailer for The Idea of You , an adaptation of author Robinne Lee's 2017 novel of the same name .

According to a synopsis, "When Solène (Hathaway, 41) must step in to chaperone her teenage daughter’s trip to the Coachella Music Festival after her ex bails at the last minute, she has a chance encounter with Hayes Campbell (Galitzine, 29) and there is an instant, undeniable spark."

"As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for."

 Amazon MGM Studios

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The book and its movie adaptation has received considerable attention from fans who liken the character Galitzine plays, Hayes, to Harry Styles in his One Direction days.

The Idea of You 's author Lee has dispelled the idea that the character is directly based on Styles in recent years, though.

"This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles,” she told Vogue in 2020. “It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.”

The Idea of You is co-written by Jennifer Westfeldt and Michael Showalter from Lee's novel. Showalter, known for 2017's The Big Sick and 2021's The Eyes of Tammy Faye , is directing the movie.

Aside from Hathaway and Galitzine, the movie also stars Ella Rubin, Reid Scott, Annie Mumolo, Viktor White, Raymond Cham, Jaiden Anthony and Dakota Adan.

The Idea of You is on Prime Video May 2.

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Breaking news, anne hathaway, 41, labeled a cougar for ‘the idea of you’ with nicholas galitzine, 29: ‘disgusting’.

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Some viewers can’t stomach the idea of it.

Anne Hathaway’s newest film, “The Idea of You,” divided social media users on Wednesday following its trailer debut.

Based on the 2017 romance novel by Robinne Lee of the same name, the movie follows single mom Solène Marchand (Hathaway, 41) who attends Coachella with her daughter only to have a chance encounter with the dashing Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine, 29) from the fictional band August Moon.

“As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship,” the plot synopsis reads. “And Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for.”

The sizzling trailer featuring the “Devil Wears Prada” and the “ Red, White & Royal Blue ” stars divided many on social media.

“I’m so weirded out by this,” one critic wrote. “But I’ll probably watch it anyway.”

“Anne Hathaway as a cougar in a movie? Of course I’m going to see it,” joked a second person.

“It’s disgusting,” a third user seethed . “It’s disgusting to see her acting with someone who looks 20 years younger.”

Others took issue that Hathaway was cast in general.

“How much did they pay Anne for this my god,” tweeted one person.

“What kind of crime did Anne Hathaway commit to agree to make a film like this,” lambasted another. “For the love of God, you know, what a shame.”

“I plan to take this deep inside me,” laughed a user. “My most sincere congratulations to the man who convinced Oscar winner Anne Hathaway to play a MILF who makes out with Harry Styles.”

“I’ll be sitting but I still wonder what they said to Anne Hathaway to convince her to make a film based on a fanfic,” pondered another.

One savvy social media user also pointed out a plot hole from the teaser.

“Obsessed with the fact that the whole reason she meets him is because she takes her daughter to Coachella and yet said daughter is virtually nonexistent in this trailer,” they wrote . “NEVER let your kids get in the way of your torrid love affair with fake Harry Styles.”

Before being picked up by Amazon Prime Studios, “The Idea of You” exploded in popularity thanks to the fan-fiction writing site called Wattpad , where users discussed the book as a tribute to Styles.

Once the book was officially published by St. Martin’s Griffin, Lee, 49, slammed the idea that Hayes is supposed to represent Styles.

“This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles,” Lee told Vogue in 2020. “It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.”

“The Idea of You” debuts on Prime Video on May 2.

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The Idea of You - Official Trailer

Check out the trailer for The Idea of You, an upcoming movie starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine.

Based on the acclaimed, contemporary love story of the same name, The Idea of You centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.

The Idea of You streams May 2, 2024 on Prime Video.

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