"The Idea of You" by Amanda Prowse takes us into the lives of Lucy and Jonah Carpenter who are in their mid-thirties and the early years of their marriage trying to have a baby. Lucy's desire to be a "mum" nears obsession. She and Jonah enjoy fulfilling careers in London. Lucy continually has trouble becoming pregnant. To add to their stress, Jonah's sixteen-year-old daughter comes to live with them because his ex-wife says she can no longer control her.

Lucy is the main character of the story. The reader shares in her joys and disappointments, her victories and defeats, and the strengthening of her personality. Added to the emotional dimension, Lucy's opinionated mother and sister's family live nearby.

Prowse weaves an interesting story full of tension and surprises. This is a well-developed story. I couldn't put it down.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I hold Amanda's books in such high regard that I hope I'm never dissapointed with each new title...as if it was ever in doubt! Yet again another honest, heart rendering, thought and feelings provoking book that just endeared itself to me with every page. Another brilliant instalment from who is now one of my top authors

Thank you Netgalley. A truly beautiful story. Not my usual type of book but I loved it all the same. It's an amazing love story which had me drying my eyes a few times. A definite must read.

A well written story of a woman trying to have it all. A career, a home and family. She is almost 40 and is ready for a baby. She had found the man of her dreams, married him and wants the family to complete her happiness.
After 3 miscarriages she isn't so sure she will ever be able to have het own child. Her husband's daughter comes to live with them and inadvertently turns up pregnant. She is building a family, but not like she ever imagined. However, a family is made up of all kinds of people. And she is learning to be grateful for the family she has.
A poignant story that has you hoping for the best for everyone. Keeps you entertained.
5 Stars

I've not read an Amanda Prowse book before so don't know if they are all written in the same way but I struggled with the fact that this felt very much like a themed novel. Pick a topic - in this case motherhood- and then explore it in as many ways as you can. It did cover a lot of the angles, but I wasn't convinced by a lot of the characters, their actions and emotions, although I can imagine this proving a real tear-jerker for some readers. Even having gone through some of the situations in the storyline, reactions to them did not ring true for me.

Thank you to Net Galley for sending me a copy to review.

A good read addressing a very sensitive topic. Early on in the book I felt quite emotional and thought of my friend who had been through a similar situation. As we progressed though I just wanted Lucy to grow up. Yes, her personal circumstances were very sad and all the angst and anguish she experienced genuine, but aside from that I felt her whole attitude was "me, me, me", seeking attention from Jonah, and reacting to Camille like a spoiled child rather than a 40 year old stepmother. However, when we find out her real backstory, which is hinted at throughout, then I felt she was excused, and the tears came once again. And she did grow up in her treatment of Camille, coming through for her when it mattered. A strong story of relationships, family dynamic and dealing with emotional hell.

This was different from my usual reading genre, but although slow to start, I did enjoy.. Lucy's story starts in a hospital and continues through out her life until her 40's. She met and married Jonah late in life and 'has tried had to give his a child, unsuccessfully. She's blames herself but is forever hopeful. And that's how this book felt, that no matter what happens, there's always hope in the end.

Sweet family drama type book that I enjoyed reading. This isn't really an intellectually stimulating story but it appealed to me and my sentimentality. I like stories that weave in and out between the past and present but are still easy to follow. Set in England, the main character is not perfect but she grows a lot throughout the book. Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.

Excellent story! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

I loved this book and it has finally helped me regain my reading mojo!
Beautifully and sensitively written giving an insight into a difficult topic. Heart-warming.

I loved this book, made me think about a lot of things women have to face with regards fertility and having children but good to have a happy ending

A real page turner, love this type of novel. Will definitely look out for Amanda Prowse in future

This is an emotional and beautiful story. The longing of a woman to be a mother but after several heartbreaking disappointments, she realizes and accepts the fact that she can be a mother to someone she has not given birth to. As a woman who had that struggle, that's what made it feel so real. There are some surprises, several heart-wrenching moments, and also some moments of joy that make this a very enjoyable book. I would highly recommend it to others.

This is the first book by Amanda Prowse that I have read. After reading The Idea of You, I will definitely be reading more of her books.

​Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+
Favorite Quote: “I paid from the dress they had located, and watched as they wrapped it in tissue, before placing it inside little bag. I didn’t want to bring it home, in case anyone found it, so I carefully laid it on the wall of the car park where I had left my car. I hoped, I still hope, that someone found it and a little girl got to wear it. A little girl like you.”
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. This did not influence me in any way.
As Lucy approaches her 40th birthday, she seems to have the perfect life. A great marriage, a cozy home, a successful career, and now a chance to begin trying for her own baby. Life couldn’t be anymore perfect. But when conceiving is harder than Lucy thought and when her stepdaughter comes to stay with them, Lucy is constantly reminded of what she feels she’ll never have: a child of her own. When her own failing dreams and her step daughters attitude combine, the results make Lucy feel as if she’s losing everything she’s ever worked towards.
I don’t typically read adult novels, especially adult contemporary novels, but something about this book drew me to it so I decided to give it a try. Generally, this book was an enjoyable novel. The quality of writing was excellent, albeit it was wrote by an author I assume to be British so some of the terms the characters used were a bit unfamiliar to me, but I dug deep to my Doctor Who vocab and came out knowing most of the phrases used lol. The plot development is well thought out and it keeps you guessing til the end. The book is also very insightful. It’s primary objective is to shed light on miscarriages, which is something not a lot of people talk about. It’s a hard subject to approach, which is why a lot of people refuse to discuss it, but the women and men who have had to go through miscarriage shouldn’t have to suffer in silence. More acceptance on the matter is needed and I think this book does a good job at showing how miscarriage can effect everyone. The book also offered insight on what it means to be a mother. A few years ago I stumbled upon this YouTube video featuring women who were walking different paths in their life. Some were mothers who had children of all ages. Some of the mothers were old, some were young. Some of the women were grandmothers and some were stepmoms. Some were pregnant or were trying to conceive. Some had miscarried and some had experienced a still birth. The message was clear: no matter your walk you are a mother. If you’ve wanted, tried, or had a child you’ve been a mother. You’ve also been a mother if you’ve been a stepmom, a surrogate, or a grandmother. Motherhood isn’t defined as the ability to have children, it’s defined by the ability to love the children in your life, love the child who hasn’t come yet, or love the ones who couldn’t stay long. This book is a perfect companion to that YouTube video in that it teaches you about the different types of mothers you can be.
While this book is so beautiful, I did find issue with the pacing, some of the characters, and the ease of reading. I felt the pacing was a bit awkward at times. There were random shifts in time throughout the book and sometimes it wasn’t stated how long of a jump the reader made, which left me confused as to the time line. Lucy and Jonah’s character development also confounded me at certain points. I was amazed at how a nearly 50 year old man could behave like a child and how a nearly 50 year old woman could have thought that secrets were something she could keep in a marriage. I felt both of these characters were childish at times and I sometimes wondered how reliable the narrator (Lucy) was thoughout the novel. I felt some of the things that happened were biased in Lucy’s favor, but this bias was resolved at the end of the novel. This is why I gave the rating a 4.5 rather than a 4, the characters did develop and some of my issues were resolved by the end of the novel. The ease of reading was also an issue I found with the book. It’s not that the writing is bad, quite the opposite, but I felt the material was that in which it might be very hard for some people to read, especially those who’ve suffered the lose of a child at any stage. So, just to forewarn you, you might cry.
Overall I liked the book! This is a new release and I believe you should check it out if it sounds interesting to you! Definitely a must read for anyone who’s had kids or is thinking about having them.

Lucy is a 40-year woman who has worked her way up the corporate ladder and finds herself wanting more. She meets Jonah, they marry and begin trying to start a family. Things don't go as planned. Her desire to have children doesn't mean she wants to start with a teenager, which is exactly what happens when Jonah's daughter moves in. As is sometimes the case, the daughter and stepmother do not always have the best relationship. Lucy struggles to make things work with her marriage and "daughter". and in the end has to make the decision to do what is good for her.

For the soft-hearted, grab your tissues. This book draws you in from the very beginning. It is a definite page-turner and spiced with emotion (maybe more with someone finding themselves in similar circumstances to Lucy). The characters are believable and the situations are also realistic. It can, and probably will be read in an afternoon.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Amanda Prowse for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book showed the courage of women and the most important thing of all - family. A well-paced book with well-constructed characters and interesting storyline.

I thought The Idea of You was a lovely gentle read. Amanda Prowse offers readers a family story that unfolds easily. Her characters are layered and interesting. The story itself moves smoothly and the plot is well crafted. I appreciated Ms. Prowse's take on what makes up a
"family, motherhood and fatherhood." I found the book to be an entertaining read.

I found this book to be so real and honest, The characters are very human and their behaviours and emotions had me feeling connected to them very quickly into the story. It' is aheart wrenching at times, but without being over dramatic in any way, just offering a realistic description of the loss and giving the reader the opportunity to step into their shoes. The ending was for me perfect, there could have been any number of ways to finish the story. Another fantastic read from Amanda

Lucy appears to be successful from the outside, she has a fantastic career and a beautiful apartment but she doesn't have a partner to share her life with. At a christening though, this all changes when she meets Jonah. Theirs is a match made in heaven.

What would complete Lucy and Jonah's relationship is a baby however this proves to be rather difficult.

Add in Lucy's difficult relationship with her mother, a step daughter, a younger sister with a perfect nuclear family and the cracks start to show. Plus Lucy is harbouring a secret.

Having never read but having heard of Amanda Prowse I was intrigued to find out what ‘The Idea of You’ would be like. I was pleased to find that I enjoyed this four star read.


Nearly forty years old and having what seems to be a great life coming together with a new marriage and a pregnancy Lucy’s life starts to go not as planned. Even though she has Jonah by her side things become strained. When her new husband’s teenage daughter from a previous relationship comes to live with them Lucy finds that her life gets turned upside down and she struggles with it.


Lucy and Jonah are a strong couple but but they can only take so much and with the addition of Camile Lucy has to deal with things that she never imagined. Struggling as she has to work on her relationship with Camille and dealing with the miscarriages Lucy has to find a find a way to keep herself going.


This was a story of building and sustaining relationships. It was an emotional read that was at times heart breaking, touching and filled with a strength and resolve to get back up and continue when life knocks you down again and again. I enjoyed reading this book as it was well written and flowed well. I will definitely be reading more from Amanda Prowse.


I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.