This book wasn't for me. I thought from reading the description it would be something I would enjoy reading but it didn't live up to the expectation I had. I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank you Netgalley that I had been preapproved for an ARC copy of this book.. The Idea of You is truly heartbreaking and beautiful. I can relate to her story. I felt connected to the characters throughout the novel.

I loved this, I cried with it and felt the pain and the love within.
Starting a family sounds so simple but it's fraught with fear and loss. This follows Lucy and Jonah on their romance, marriage and hopes for a child.
Jonah has a teenage daughter Camille from a previous marriage who comes to stay. To say these are difficult times is an understatement. Struggling to be a step mother to Camille while the ever pressing need to be a mother herself, Lucy feels her marriage fracturing
This is a book of love, how hard it is to find, how easily it can break and how wonderful it is when you find it
Amanda Prowse is the queen of women's fiction

Prowse knows how to get to the heart of a woman's struggle and sucker punch you in the gut with the depth of her feelings. Lucy was very easy to connect to - as a career woman, as a mother-in-waiting, as a daughter, a sister, a stepmom, and a wife. I was amazed at how easily I flowed up and down with her passion and her despair. Although her current stressor was the miscarriage (and how it amplified her past pain), I found her struggle to be totally relatable to other mothering issues as well (divorce, custody, etc.). What surprised me the most was that while I typically felt her pain and sympathized with her, at times I was ready for her to be "over it" already yet. As I dig back into my own mothering struggles, I realize how those around me who wanted to be sympathetic could be "over it" when I kept going on and on and feeling my pain. I kept waiting for the surprise ending where she got everything she dreamed of, and was actually pleasantly surprise that Prowse held true to the storyline of struggle and real recovery. There was no magic wand, no fairy dusted solution; there was real loss, real grief, and real acceptance. Lucy is one of the most relatable women I've read.

“The Idea of You” follows Lucy, a 40 year old woman who has recently gotten married to Jonah, after meeting him at a baptism. They are blissfully happy as a married couple and she is recently pregnant. Things are about to change and their lives are completely shaken up. Lucy suffers a miscarriage- and then another not far behind. Jonah has a daughter from his first marriage that he learned his ex-wife was having after the divorce papers were signed. Camille is 16, about to turn 17, and she and her mother have been fighting- Jonah offers that Camille can come stay with them for the summer.

Camille shakes up Lucy’s life in a lot of ways; she is difficult to handle and seems to resist every move Lucy makes to welcome her into her home and life. Lucy is struggling with her own miscarriages and finding her place in a world that was not quite what she anticipated. Jonah is deep in denial about his daughter and to an extent about his wife and her feelings. The book changes tone drastically about 2/3 of the way through, as Camille brings some news and we get a bombshell about Lucy that throws a wrench into everything- this is the real turning point of the book.

Lucy felt very real and three-dimensional as a character, and I felt for her with every step of the journey. It was a really emotionally difficult book to read for this reason. The first 2/3 and last 1/3 of the book almost felt like a completely different story to me- I was a bit shocked by the revelations and how poorly it was all handled (mainly by Jonah). Jonah’s character seemed to change a lot for me there. He was a less developed character, and I wasn’t sure I really ‘got’ their relationship in general, as we hardly see much from him- the story focuses pretty much entirely on Lucy and her feelings.

Overall, I am not sure how much I liked the book. It was well written, albeit difficult to read emotionally, and I did read until the end to see how things would turn out, but Lucy feels a lot of despair and it’s pretty catching. It also undergoes a pretty big shift which seemed a little odd to me/changed the tone/feel of the book. I don’t think I would read again or recommend to my friends. I think this one is just middle of the road for me.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I like variety in my reading and so when the publishers of Amanda Prowse’ The Idea of You offered me a review copy I thought from the description that it would make a change from the genres I usually read.

Amanda Prowse is a popular author, described by the Daily Mail as the ‘queen of domestic drama‘. And I can see from the numerous 5 and 4 star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads that many readers love her books.

The Idea of You is mainly about relationships motherhood, and it is emotionally charged with the devastating effect of miscarriages, but apart from that I was not convinced that the characters were real. The dialogue seemed to me to be forced and not true to life and so I felt as as though I was on the outside looking in and at times the characters of Lucy and her teenage stepdaughter, Camille, seemed to merge into each other.

The narrative is interspersed with letters Lucy writes and for a while it’s not that clear who she is writing them to. But reading the Prologue along with other clues that Amanda Prowse drops in along the way about Lucy’s past, gave me a good indication of who it was, so it was no surprise when the recipient is finally revealed. I also thought the story of Camille was too predictable given Lucy’s situation. And the ending left me with rather a sickly aftertaste. In fact I found much of the book is too cloying for my liking.

I received a copy of "The Idea of You" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Amanda Prowse for the opportunity to read this book.

The author of this book has a beautiful way of writing. She describes the situation or scenes in a descriptive, yet easy-to-read style that allowed me to quickly read this book.

Unfortunately, the topic just didn't work for me. I haven't personally experienced it so I don't have the visceral connection to the story as many other women would.

I look forward to reading additional books by this author as I definitely enjoy how she writes! This is a lukewarm recommend due to the subject matter.

This is a hard one for me. I am a woman that could not have children, felt the burning need, adopted a baby a couple days old. So I totally relate to this story from begin to end. I felt the emotions all over again while reading this book. The book took me on an emotional roller coaster. I felt the book was well written and I recommend the book.

I received an electronic copy of this book via Netgalley.

Other reviewers have given fairly comprehensive synopses, so I will not repeat their efforts here.

This story is full of hope and heartbreak, challenging family dynamics, and a lot of delightful, at least to this American, British flavoring seasoning the whole.

The story didn't send me reaching for the tissue box as it did other readers, perhaps because I have not personally been in the same situation as the protagonist, or even close to it. But I was absorbed nevertheless. I would caution potential readers that if desperate longing for a baby foiled by repeated miscarriages is the story of their life, this book might be a bit too painful to read. Otherwise, I can recommend it wholeheartedly, and I plan to look up other books by this author.

an ok read

This is the first book I have read by Amanda Prowse. The characters and story are so realistic that you need to keep a tissue near by for the tears in your eyes and give your own children a big hug. This was a book I just could not put down.
The story is filled with conflict, tension, integrity and sensitivity.
Highly recommended this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Also for introducing me to a wonderful new author and her writing.

I can't believe that this is the first book I've read by Amanda Prowse! It certainly won't be the last. This is a compelling read full of emotion, heartbreak and family love. I could not put this book down and read in just 2 sessions. A real page turner. Thank you Netgalley

manda Prowse has done it again. The author writes about real life, uncomfortable, hard as hell to talk about issues but does it in such a way that a) I am blindsided by the "twist" and b) manages to pull me in and keep me riveted until the end of the story.

I usually read books with plots that never happen in real life. Vampires, magic, insta-love, hot studly dudes falling for overweight nerdy girls; you know the stuff my daydreams since I was 16 were made of. But Prowse's byline has become an automatic want to read for me and there's none of that in her books. Her last one dealt with eating disorders while this one deals with family and lost dreams.

The best part of this book was probably the last 1/3. Sometimes we get the life we've been dreaming of but it doesn't exactly happen the way we want. It's a great lesson and I'll be thinking about this one for a while.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. My review is not influenced by anyone but myself. The Idea of You came out today and is available through Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.

An emotional heart wrenching story of love and loss and a woman desperately wanting a child. This story is sensitively written and touching. It teaches us what we want, but to be grateful of what we have.

Somehow, I started this book and the next time I looked up, I was halfway through and totally hooked! A moving and interesting story of Lucy. Im glad the ending was a happy one yet not the one I was expecting. Another Great novel from Amanda prowse!!

Lucy Carpenters 40th birthday is approaching and she hopes she will finally have it all. A wonderful new husband, Jonah. She has a successful career and she now has a chance of a baby of her own. But the reality of becoming parents proves to be to much harder than they imagined.

This is a really I optional read. The characters are believable. Amanda Prowse has a writing skill that pulls you in within the first chapter. This book will leave you an emotional wreck. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author Amanda Prowse for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jonah & Lucy Carpenter are very happy with their life together and look forward to having a baby of their own but it does not seem to be what life has in store for them. Jonah has a daughter from another marriage who comes to stay with them at sixteen. Does Lucy have to be a birth mother to be a good mother? Events in their life brings her to be able to see where she can find her place that will make her happy with her life and f realize how needed she is to both her husband and step-daughter.

I would like to thank Amanda Prowse, Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for sending me this book for my honest review.
Review By Stephanie
4.5 Stars
I got an email from Lake Union with this amazing book, I read the description and was hooked! I wanted this book to be as good as the description…..and it was!
The Idea of You is a gut wrenching, emotional roller coaster yet beautifully written novel about love and loss and motherhood. As a mother I must say…..have a couple boxes of tissues handy you will need it!
Jonah and Lucy live the perfect life; they are deeply in love so it was an easy discussion to start a family. But sadly growing their family wasn’t as easy as they hoped. Then Camille comes to stay with her father and Lucy for an extended holiday. Camille instantly hates Lucy for no reason..well I guess the reason is she isn’t her mother.
The Idea of You was amazing! It takes you on a journey of this marriage while it is dealing with things that make you wonder if love is enough to keep these two together. Jonah and Lucy are an amazing couple, they are just so relatable and this makes you root for them throughout the book! I look forward to reading more from Amanda!

With her fortieth birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter thinks she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn’t be more perfect.

But becoming parents proves much harder to achieve than Lucy and Jonah imagined, and when Jonah’s teenage daughter Camille comes to stay with them, she becomes a constant reminder of what Lucy doesn’t have. Jonah’s love and support are unquestioning, but Lucy’s struggles with work and her own failing dreams begin to take their toll. With Camille’s presence straining the bonds of Lucy’s marriage even further, Lucy suddenly feels herself close to losing everything…

This heart-wrenchingly poignant family drama from bestselling author Amanda Prowse asks the question: in today’s hectic world, what does it mean to be a mother?

My Thoughts: In an opening prologue, we are swept back to Lucy’s past and an event that will hover over everything that happens to her afterwards. The event is somewhat ambiguous, and we don’t learn all the details until later.

I felt such sadness for all of Lucy’s dreams that are lost, one by one, and also for the unfortunate timing of her stepdaughter Camille’s arrival. Camille is often rude and volatile, but then, just as we decide to hate her, she turns on a dime and becomes appealing and vulnerable.

What will happen when Camille faces her own troublesome crossroads, needing support from parental figures, and Lucy is in a position to offer a unique brand of assistance? How will Lucy’s revelations impact her own marriage? Will Lucy’s secret past open up the lines of communication with her mother?

Set in and near London, The Idea of You gripped my emotions from the beginning, as I rooted for Lucy and Jonah, and then for Camille, as they each hoped and dreamed for a cozy and happy life.

The characters felt like real people, all of whom I wanted to know. A 5 star read, and recommended for those who enjoy family drama, with plenty of issues to address.
***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley.