This was a truly emotional and heart breaking of a read.

I found it to be a difficult read at times as it was emotional and very intense and quite sad in places. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it.

The author has excelled herself with this amazing story, the characters are so well written and thought out. You really feel for them and what they are going through.

Given the subject matter I really thought I'd struggle with this book but in fact it was the complete opposite as you are drawn into the story right from the first chapter and you can't help but want to know how it will all turn out in the end.

Warn engaging characters that won't let your attention waiver,. Keeps you totally in its grip until the very end.
Wonderful read

Sometimes you don't need original or unpredictable to make a great story. OK so I guessed the end at 36% (it was on my kindle) but that didn't stop me finishing it in a couple of days.

In the intro, the author boasts "I can write stories really quickly". I wonder if she took a little more time whether she could turn a good book into a great one? That doesn't detract from what it is though - an unashamedly simple, modern tale of the daily life of a normal woman.

I was invited to review this title, but have chosen to decline the invitation at this time.

Thank you,
Laura

This book broke my heart! It reminded me all too well of my own recent past! It's well written and highly emotional- I cried very much, Amanda gives a very accurate account of miscarriage! At least for me it was accurate, it reminded me of the feelings I had/have. I enjoyed Lucy's story but Jonah seemed patronising! But the family dynamic was very realistic, life often is stranger than fiction but here it comes pretty close! This book is a great but highly emotional read, enjoy with tissues!!

I really could not get into this book. I found the characters to be pretty shallow and uninteresting. The way Lucy and Jonah talked to each other was very juvenile. Lucy is close to 40 and Jonah is several years older than her. I just could not get into it.

And then when Jonah's teenage daughter comes to live with them and the way she treats Lucy? Ah, no. Not in my house. She is a spoiled little brat who does not clean up after herself and needs a severe talking to.

While I was not intrigued by any of these character, could not relate to them at all, I did finish the book.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

This book has many emotional factors at play -infertility, miscarriages, blended families, and teenage pregnancy. These are a lot of heavy topics for a story, and the book seemed to weigh me down emotionally at times. However, I persisted in my reading searching for the happy ending that I hoped to find. Overall, Prowse blends all of these story lines well.

Fairly average chic lit. After the whirlwind romance that seemed to lead to an unbelievably happy marriage I was just waiting for things to go wrong so was unsurprised when they did. It would make a good holiday read but not really challenging enough for normal reading.

I really enjoyed this book - the subject matter is something I have some experience of and felt it was handled very sensitively. The emotions that Lucy felt, also felt real to me and I could empathise with her story - the struggles adjusting to her new family set was also handled really well. The ending did the story justice and I would recommend this book to friends.

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Lucy Carpenter is happily married to Jonah; all they need to top their happiness is a baby. It’s not easy though, becoming parents is hard tough. Their journey through it is heart breaking and touching. From miscarriages to misunderstandings, there is everything.

On top of that there is Jonah’s teenage daughter Camille, who makes life for Lucy really difficult, until she confesses something to her. Lucy herself has another secret, all the flashbacks at the end of the chapters are connected to that. So this story also includes some mystery as well.

All this puts Lucy’s and Jonah’s relationship on a test and it all gets really emotional and touching. Amanda Prowse’s writing is sensitive and poignant. I really liked how the plot developed and it just flows beautifully.

Make sure you have a box of tissues close by, you need them.

The characters in this book are authentic and real and I really liked the mixture of them. Camille added another spark and even though I didn’t like her at the start, I really warmed up to her.

This is a complete page turner! The way Amanda Prowse includes these touching topics is incredible, another fantastic book by this author! This lady is SO TALENTED!

What a poignant and sensitive book this is. Dealing with the trauma and sadness of longing for a child, losing a child, this is indeed dwells on an emotive subject.
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Lucy and Jonah have a happy and successful marriage, lacking the one thing they both long for , a baby. One miscarriage after another leaves Lucy sad and disappointed. Their marriage begins to feel the strain.

Jonah's teenage stepdaughter comes for a prolonged stay, which does not help matters. She is cold and rude to Lucy and is pleased to cause trouble. The strength of Jonah' love for her supports Lucy all the way, and family relationships are eventually restored with a bit of a twist in the tale.

It is a very well written novel, combining sadness, grief and yet steadfastness all to make a family complete.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book. I would be disinclined to give it to a friend due to the sensitive nature of the story. But I will read it again.

This probably wasn't the best choice for someone totally uninterested in babies or motherhood... But it is well written and engaging, and would be a powerful read for anyone with a shred of maternal instinct.

I would like to start off this review saying that The Idea of You contains very sensitive subject matter of miscarriage that might be difficult for some people to read. If this is you, you probably want to skip this book. For others it might be therapeutic, for me it was eye opening. This book was full of heart wrenching pages, from what I gather from the author's note at the end, Lucy Carpenter is having some of the same struggles she has in reality. The Idea of You was full of sadness and frustration, but poignant and full of hope. It is interlaced with great humor and sweet husband, so that helped break up some of the more dramatic and serious scenes. I read the book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down, but some of it was really hard to get through because of how emotional a toll it can take on you. I recommend The Idea of You to anyone who enjoys drama or women's contemporary fiction.

Lucy Carpenter,career woman meets the man of her dreams and the biological clock is ticking away. What follows is an exploration of relationships,dreams and aspirations which will have any woman identifying and reflecting upon different aspects of this book.
You enter a world where you experience a myriad of emotions which culminate in some ugly crying due to the story being so well written and heart felt.
Parenthood in all its wonder laid bare for you to extrapolate your own meaning.
I loved this book. I loved the reflectiveness it evoked and the deep seating emotion that ensued. A must read.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to review.

Another brilliant thought provoking book by Amanda prowse. This author is a brilliant story teller. A baby would complete the family. Its the story of family and relationships and secrets. I know when I read one of Amanda's book I am in for a treat

The Idea of You

by Amanda Prowse

Lake Union Publishing

General Fiction (Adult) , Women’s Fiction

Pub Date 21 Mar 2017

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of The Idea of You through the publisher and Netgalley:

Lucy Carpenter is approaching her fortieth birthday and she has it all a new husband, a great career and the possibility of having a baby of her own.

Becoming a parent is much harder than either Lucy or Jonah imagined. Lucy endures heart wrenching miscarriage(s).

When her stepdaughter becomes pregnant Lucy is saddened by the fact it is not her.

I give The Idea of You five out of five stars.

Happy Reading.

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. The writing is fantastic and the characters of Lucy, Jonah and Camille are fabulous even though they each had their little flaws but then, don't we all? 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.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Great book I loved the story and the way it was written. I would read more from this author.

This beautiful book really pulled at my heartstrings, dealing with issues of loss and pregnancy very well. I thank Amanda for writing such an emotional novel and have recommended this book as a Spring 2017 read.