I enjoyed The Idea of You. The storyline has an accompanying storyline told in 'flashbacks' which I found very intriguing and helped to build the emotion through the book. The main characters felt rounded and it was easy to connect with them and feel the rollercoaster of emotions they were experiencing. My only comment is that I found the conversation at times a little stilted... I just don't know anyone that talks like that! I would have given 3.5 stars but NetGalley doesn't allow for half stars.

Wow another great book from Amanda prowse

This was a fab read about how they overcome horrible situations they face as a family past and present. But shame there was not much of a happy ending for Lucy seeing as she was longing for a baby thought she would not give up that easy, apart from that a great read.

Thanks Amanda prowse

Lucy, 39 is desperate to be a mum and so is thrilled to meet and fall in love with Jonah, but things get a bit tricky when his teenage daughter comes to stay. It's a bit hard to like Lucy as she is sickly sweet and some of the other characters are often irritating. The dialogue isn't always convincing plus there's an awful lot of someone saying something twice in the same sentence - e.g. I'm going to do something, I am which irks a bit. Very descriptive though of Lucy's troubles and you can sympathise with her, up to a point. A bit of all sorts in this book, feel good factor, sadness and happiness too. I liked it.

This book was very poignant in telling Lucy's story. I felt Lucy's heartbreak when she would have her miscarriages but what troubled me is that they never thought to look at the other options like surrogacy and adoption or anything like that if she was so desperate to have a baby. I was drawn into all of the characters and happy with how this book ended.

An emotional read. Lucy is desperate to have a baby, but has a miscarriage. The pain of her loss and desire to have a baby are captured well.

Both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Amanda Prowse knows how to write an emotional story. However, I found the main character to be incredibly immature (she's supposed to be in her late thirties, I think, not 17) and I wanted to smack her every time she whined about how she was "falling behind in the race" to get a man, get married, have a baby, etc. There are other examples, but they might be a bit spoilery. Lucy did seem to grow up a bit by the end and her character didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this book.

Not too bad, but really not for me. I skimmed a lot.

Beautiful, heart-breaking and touching story where love will be tested and strength is needed to handle what life brings you.

Lucy finally feels the pieces of her life are falling together. She has a great job and is happy married to Jonah and what would make it complete in mind is a baby. Unfortunately she has multiple miscarriage and is trying to keep herself from breaking down. As she is struggling to deal with this on her own Jonah’s daughter, Camille comes to stay with them. Lucy has to figure out how try to build a relationship with Camille and not feel like an outsider in her own home while dealing with the lost of her baby.

An emotional story which I enjoyed reading. A story of family, love, lost, forgiveness and starting over. Pick up your copy and let me know what you think.

Interesting book about Lucy and her wanting to become a mother. Sad to read about the miscarriages but it is good for writers to address this issue. So many women suffer and do not think other women go through this. .

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Amanda Prowse, and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.

This was an excellent novel, with a little romance, angst, and humor and a story not glaringly obvious. Amanda Prowse is an author I will follow.

This book is essentially well written, but for me, it took a little while to warm up.

Not an easy book to read at times, I did struggle to maintain a connection with Lucy. However, once I got deeper into the book, I found I was able to relate to her more, particularly with some elements of her relationship Camille which resonated on a deeper level.

The various character interactions were very well observed. No sugar coating or perfect partnerships. Here, the descent into muddy waters is dealt with unflinchingly.

Yes, I did have a bit of a cry. But that was, I think, to be expected.

A poignant but ultimately enjoyable read.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

An emotional roller coaster of a read. Real page turner. As always loved Amanda's book. Highly recommended

The Idea of You is a family drama about a woman trying to have a baby and getting to know her new step daughter. The story is set in present day London and told mostly in third person. The main character, Lucy, has a successful career, but wants to have a husband and a child more. Early on in the story, she meets and later marries, Jonah. Lucy and Jonah try to have a baby, but Lucy suffers a couple miscarriages which leave her devastated. Meanwhile, Jonah’s 16 year old daughter, Camille, comes to stay with them for the summer. Lucy has to deal with her losses, her desperation to have a baby, and having a relationship with her step daughter. Lucy and Camille do not always see eye to eye causing some drama and truths to come out.
The story has a fair pace, okay characters and a well-described setting. The story is sad at first and moves slowly when Camille arrives. Lucy was not the best character, she was very self centered and took offense to anything that the other characters said. To Lucy, almost everything single Camille said was an insult to her. She was just so obsessed on being a mother that no one and nothing else mattered that much to her. Camille, Jonah, and the other characters were well written. The author describes the settings very well also. No overly racy or violent scenes. This book was not really enjoyable due to Lucy being such an unlikable character and the whole idea that a woman cannot be completely happy unless she has a child. I did not really enjoy this book and would not recommend this book. Fans of family drama stories may like this book.

Once again Amanda Prowse has written a beautiful book.

The story tells the tale of Lucy and Jonah who are trying for a baby, but Lucy has a miscarriage. Not long after Camille Jonah teenage daughter comes to stay with them. A beautiful story of love, loss, happiness and family.

A poignant exploration of a woman who 'has it all' but feels bereft because she can't have a baby. If you enjoy a domestic setting that explores a character's emotions in depth, then this will suit you.

This book is well written. It is based around a very tough subject-miscarriages and how they affect the entire family. Lucy is the main character and all she wants is a baby. Lucy and Jonah have both been married before. Jonah has a teenage daughter from his first marriage. Lucy really wants her and Jonah to have their own child. The emotional roller coaster is hard on Lucy and everyone around her. At times this is a hard book to read but I'm glad I did. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

The book was okay but a bit slow moving for my liking.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. It is a quintessential chick lit. I am not a big fan of this genre as a whole, and am more likely to occasionally pick up a chick lit novel with a bit of self-deprecating humor a la Sophie Kinsella or Helen Fielding. The Idea of You is more of a "pull at your heart strings, but everything is honky dory in the end" kind of book. Our main character Lucy Carpenter is a successful 40 or 41 year old career woman, who meets and marries the love of her life and now desperately wants to have a baby. Getting pregnant is not an issue, however, she ends up having several miscarriages in the early stages of her pregnancy. I thought Prowse did a great job describing Lucy's feelings, her longing to be a mother, and the devastation she suffers with every failed pregnancy. I was a bit apprehensive in the beginning of the story that the entire book would center on miscarriages and Lucy's suffering in connection to that. However, the plot did develop a bit more. Her husband's teenage daughter from his previous marriage comes to stay with the Carpenters and from that point on I did enjoy the book a little more. I did like the twist about Lucy's past, and the development of her relationship with the stepdaughter. The novel does get a bit too sugary in places, but overall it is a solid 3-star read. I am glad I read it. It was definitely not boring, and if chick lit is your thing, do check it out.

Well, Amanda Prowse has done it again! Another heartbreaking, poignant, warm and wonderful book! I cried from the first page but by the end, they were happier tears. Fear not, this is not a spoiler. Another must read from my go-to author!

I have not read any other books by this author so I was interested to see what sort of books she writes.
This story is about a difficult subject - miscarriage & to begin with although I found the "letters" rather self indulgent & off putting I stuck with it.
The character of Jonah didn't always seem consistent - he was deeply in love, mature & successful but he flew off the handle & seemed to over react.
I'm not sure that I would recommend this book but I am interested in reading more by this author.