I received this e-book to read and review The Idea of You by author Amanda Prowse. This is the first book I have read by the author Amanda Prowse. The book description sounded interesting but vague. When I started reading the book I wasn't sure if it was starting in the present, the past pr the future. I didn't figure out that it was about the past until over half way through the book. I think that with the author doing the prologue like this when you start with chapter 1 you are distracted with moving forward with the book. As you are trying to figure out the prologue. That being said I think that its a great story idea and even with being fiction I think many readers could feel like its a work of nonfiction. The author did say with every story she writes there is a little truth in it. After you get halfway through this book the stories and plot seem to pick up speed and flows very well. I was glad that I stuck with this book, its a great read and can remind readers that they we cant change the past. But we can make sure others learn from our past mistakes. and look towards the present and future.

Brilliant book. Excellent main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

As I read this book and followed Lucy's journey through miscarriages and heartbreak, I found myself, on many occasions, moved to tears. It was beautifully written and so moving, throughout. A very emotional subject, written about with feeling and encompassing the wider issues which surrounded the extended family. To say I 'enjoyed' a book with such sad subject matter, seems strange but it definitely moved me and gave me a deeper insight into something which I personally, have had no experience of.

Thank you to Net Galley, Lake Union Publishing and Amanda Prowse for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is filled with so much heart. Lucy Carpenter, the main character, has a good life. Newly married to a man who adores her, a job she's passionate about and plans for a baby are everything she wished for. Things don't turn out exactly how she'd hoped, and the author handles this sensitive subject with great care. Lucy finds that she can still have a happy life, even if it's not the one she envisioned.

I loved the dynamics between Lucy, the step mom and Camille the 16-year-old step-daughter. Spot on!

I just love discovering a new-to-me author who already has other books published. I'll be sure to read more from Amanda Prowse.

I finished The Idea of You a few days ago but I have found this review quite hard to write. Yesterday was Mother’s Day in the UK and I thought about this book a lot, thinking of the women who would be struggling with the day, thinking of babies that they hadn’t got to hold in their arms.

Lucy is aware of her clock ticking when she meets Jonah, he is slightly older and has a teenage daughter from a previous relationship. They fall in love and get married and both agree that they want to have a baby and are overjoyed when Lucky quickly falls pregnant. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and Lucy lost the baby with an early miscarriage. Subsequent pregnancies ended the same way, each time breaking Lucy’s heart in two.

Since I finished this book I read that the author has personal experience of miscarriage and this did not surprise me, the way that Lucy feels after each loss is so raw and real and I know that many readers have shed many tears reading The Idea of You.

But that doesn’t mean that The Idea of You is a depressing read, there is a lot of love and courage and inspiration in the book. When Lucy’s stepdaughter comes to live with them she struggles with the relationship while at the same time coping with her losses. Lucy has to find an inner strength that she didn’t know that she had while coming to terms with what is happening and things that happened in her past. There is a lot of healing in this book.

What I liked was that this book didn’t have your typical happy ending that so many other books would have, yet the ending is still happy. Whether you have experienced miscarriage or not, this book will give you plenty to think about.

Thank you to Amanda Prowse and her publisher, Lake Union, for the opportunity to read and review The Idea Of You.

Thanks to Net Galley for inviting me to read this beautiful story by Amanda Prowse who is a new author for me. I was immediately drawn to Lucy who was recently hurt by her boyfriends breakup with her and marrying her cousin. Lucy is feeling like her chances for marriage and motherhood are quickly passing her by. All of her friends have babies, which Lucy desparately wants, when suddenly she meets Jonah at a christening, who sweeps her off her feet and they get married. Finally feeling happy she looks forward to having children but is devastated in losing a baby at her first try. Lucy's husband has a teenage stepdaughter Camille who comes to live with them for the summer and tensions begin to mount and events happen that reveal secrets from the past. This story tore at my heart, brought many tears, and some of my own memories, yet is is heartwarming in the way that Amada Proswe writes with a section interspersed throughout of how Lucy writes a letter to the daughter she wants that is heartfelt. There are many moments of joy, and hope among the struggles that make this book one I highly recommend for any women who has wanted children.

This is the first Amanda Prowse book I have read, and I find that it is her 16th novel, so I have a lot of catching up to do as I absolutely loved her style of writing. The book flowed beautifully and I couldn't wait to reconnect with it each time I put it down, it was like catching up with an old friend.

Although Lucy has a very successful career, her love life hasn't been so good. With an ex who is now married to her cousin and no suitable man on the horizon it seems she has no chance of a baby of her own. Until she meets Jonah.....

I felt so much for Lucy during this book, not only for her personal struggle but when Jonah's daughter arrives I think i would have walked out almost immediately. Seemingly pushed out of her own home and every kind gesture she makes turned against her. Throughout the book there are letters that Lucy has written which give another insight into her struggle. So much depth achieved by so few meaningful words - with fully rounded characters that you can identify with.

Although not a "happily every after novel" in lots of ways that satisfied me more as it was a real true to life tale. It would have been easy for the writer to do the usual tying up of loose ends - but I loved it even more for its raw honesty. So many difficult subjects are dealt with in this book with sensitively and honestly.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Negalley for an advance copy of the book for review.

There is such poetry and emotion in this book. A typical example is this view on babies born too soon – “The little promises made of love that grew wings and took flight before they had a chance to become anchored in this world.”

So much heartbreak, so much loss, so much anticipation, so much hope and despair. The MC’s idea of a baby and the subsequent child and woman she would grow into is idealistic. She cannot see beyond the pink bows, and laughter and cuddles, to the reality of actually having a child. That is, not until her stepdaughter comes to visit and she sees that parenting, for all its wonder and joy, can be full of heartbreak and conflict and unfulfilled expectations. Lucy imagines all the good things about being a mother and it takes her stepdaughter to make her understand the reality.

The hook this story hangs on is Lucy’s desperation and determination to become a mother, the yearning to have a child of her own, with all its and downs, hardships and joys. The inevitability of events is heart-wrenching, and as the story unfolds and the reader sees what none of the main characters can, makes what happens all the more poignant.

The novel is laden down with guilt and remorse, longing and sadness, brief joy and the desolation of loss – “the feel and memory of this baby girl would weigh her down for eternity”. How beautiful and how sad.

But despite its subject matter, I felt uplifted and hopeful at the end, and thoroughly enjoyed the emotional journey this book took me on.

Best get the tissues out, though.
I cried. A lot!

Wanting a child with your husband is a reasonable desire and Lucy wants a baby very badly. She and Jonah conceive three times, with each conception ending in miscarriage in the first trimester. Lucy is heartbroken. Jonah is upset but already has a teenage daughter from his previous marriage. His teenage daughter comes for the summer at Lucy's urging, but things are not so great between Lucy and Camille. Learning to live together proves challenging.
I definitely relate to wanting a child so badly. I felt that I could not bear to live if I did not have a child of my own when I first married at age eighteen. I now realize that I could have lived a fulfilling life without children, but the young me did not feel that way. I did have a miscarriage scare when I was early in my marriage and it was devastating to me. I became absolutely hysterical once I was away from the doctor. I really enjoyed this book and I felt it handled infertility and adoption well, but I am very emotional and I cry while reading many books and seeing movies, and I only cried once briefly during the reading of this book. I just felt that the author did not quite hit that deep part of me that completely connected with the characters, Lucy and Camille in particular. I really liked Lucy. I felt great empathy for Camille. I just felt something was missing in the emotions of the characters. I needed MORE. The final portion of the book seemed to cover too many loose ends in a quick fashion and left some important details out.
I highly recommend this book and think readers will anxiously return to finish the book as I did. I give this book a 4 star rating.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley and I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this novel.

I was pre-approved for this book so I'll admit it wasn't a book I was looking to read nor was I familiar with the plot although that did not contribute to the rating. I found the book to be a bit emotionally overwhelming. I don't like to include spoilers in my reviews but I will say that it was just wave after wave of emotion in this book. So much so that I actually put the book down for a couple days because I just couldn't take it anymore. The characters are also a bit superficial and not as developed as I thought they should be for this type of novel. The emotional "growth" of all the characters felt very rushed and at the end it seemed like the author was trying to give the reader the happy ending she thought they wanted.

I did like the way the authors wrote. Her writing style is really easy to read and understand but maybe on the next book work on developing the characters a little bit more.

I received an arc copy of this book for an open and honest review.

Oh wow oh wow this book had you gripped from start to finish.
It is emotional, happy, sad, frustrating and oh so real, so in touch with the real world with none of this fantastical everything will have a fairytale ending because it doesn't. Not everyone gets all they want and this book really demonstrates that but also shows just how deeply secrets can damage us and those around us if held on to long.
It also shows the strength of a person and teaches you how to be grateful for all you do have and not everything is greener on the other side!

This is a heart tugger of a story about 39 year old Lucy, a strong, professional woman, who yearns to be a mother. Happily married for over a year to Jonah, her life finally seems to be perfect. But her reality is one of heartbreak - she suffers through multiple miscarriages, when her greatest desire is to hold a baby of her own, to be a mother. While coming to grips with her own life, she must also deal with her teenage step-daughter, who comes to live with them and creates havoc and stress in her life and marriage. It deals well with a subject that brings great sorrow to too many women, and I suspect younger women or women who have experienced the pain of miscarriage will sob throughout the story. For me, the story was excellent, and gave me insight into the continuing pain these women feel. Several revealing incidents from the past are revealed at just the right time. But the writing was just a little too simplistic for me to thoroughly enjoy or to rave over, and it was very easy to figure out what was coming next in several places. Still - a great story, very moving and uplifting, and I am so glad to have had the chance to read it. Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Amanda Prowse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.75 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. I could feel the sadness that Lucy had suffered with the miscarriages, it's not talked about often enough even though sadly it is a occurrence for some people. The characters worked well together, with the step daughter's dislike one that can occur and the twist that Lucy had been through another event in her life, had locked it away, and this made sense of the letters she was writing at the end of most chapters.

A lovely, emotional story of love, loss & family.

Superb storyline & relatable characters make this a great read. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone

Thank you for the invitation to preview and critique this book and I hope to do justice with my review.Ms. Prowse's story encompasses the joy and heartaches of a couple very much in love, and showcases how sometimes love just isn't enough to prevent hurt and trauma from knocking at your door.Lucy is recovering from a previous , longstanding relationship that hasn't quite been severed when she meets Jonah, and a connection is made.These two eventually marry as predicted,and all is bliss until Jonah's daughter, Camille from a previous marriage comes for a visit that turns out to be more than.During the turbulence of Lucy trying to cope with a manipulative teenager, she is dealing with her own personal, recurring heartache and failures,and feels the support of her husband waning.She feels alone and adrift and fears that she has made another mistake.We see the fragility of emotions that once were thought to be strong and enduring , now faltering at the first sign of trouble.We see that we can never be one hundred percent certain of anyone, and that we never truly know even the person closest to our hearts.We find that people are full of surprises and don't always react the way we envision, to any specific situation, and this can cause self-doubt.I cried for Lucy while thinking she also needed to do some growing up, I detested Camille's actions even while giving allowances for her immaturity and felt disgust and frustration with Jonah and his responses to his wife's concerns.But all is not lost as epiphany abounds and rose colored glasses are exchanged for three-dimensional ones, and life presents us with another chance for redemption.I had hoped for a different outcome for Lucy on the baby front ,but I can accept that she has found a happy place and is content. The supporting cast of characters provided some distraction from the issues in Lucy's household, and while I understand that forgiveness can open the door to healing,I was not completely ready to forgive her mother so quickly.This was a truly evocative book with few typos and a whole lot of feelings and I enjoyed the time spent reading it.Thank you Netgalley for the privilege to get my virtual hands on this book and would definitely read more from and recommend this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read and review.

I recently was offered the opportunity to read The Idea of You and jumped at the opportunity as I could relate to the age of the main character, Lucy Carpenter, who is on the brink of turning 40.

See, I will be 40 in a few shorts months myself and therefore in a similar age bracket.

Yet, that is probably where the similarities end, as I have been happily married for over 10+ years and also a mother to two young girls.

Lucy, however, meets and becomes newly married to Jonah Carpenter. Very quickly, it is shared that Lucy would love to become a mom, but over the curse of the novel Lucy has trouble conceiving and even struggling with miscarriages.

She also has to welcome Jonah’s teenage daughter in their home. It is the pressures of real life with her step-daughter, miscarriages and more that finds this story dealing with all matters of the heart.

While again my life may be a bit different at this point, I still couldn’t help getting involved and even endeared to Lucy and her story, which is fraught with love, but struggles, too.

While not earth shattering by any means, still a worthy story that was told. Therefore, recommend. (Originally reviewed on Goodreads).

The Idea of You is an excellent book about a woman who on the surface has it all,good job,loving husband and family with her sister and mum but has she really ? Lucy and Jonah are happily married but they both yearn for a baby to complete their happiness but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be as easy as it sounds and when Jonah's daughter from his first marriage Camille arrives from France to stay a while things start to go awry for Lucy.She finds it hard to fit into her role as step mum and when Camille meets Bex she decides to stay on in England much to Lucy's dismay.A rollercoaster of a story ensues which had me thinking how the book would end and all in all an excellent book from Amanda Prowse,a good solid 4 star read.

I was automatically sent this book but reading the synopsis, its not one I care to read. Thank you

“I often wonder what your voice might be like.” Amanda Prouse’s book The Idea of You quickly grips you with a woman’s desire to have a baby and the struggles she faces to do so. Lucy Carpenter finds happiness with her second husband and utter joy at a pregnancy just after. This is quickly shattered when Lucy suffers a miscarriage. This is the first book that I have read by Amanda Prouse, but soon after beginning this book I understood the popularity of her books. She writes in a way that the reader is unaware of the words, only taken in by the story. I felt an immediate connection with the main character, even though I could not relate to most of her life circumstances. I read this book in one sitting because I could not put it down. It will keep your interest until the end and is worth the read. I received a digital copy of this book from Net Galley for my honest review.

I loved iit, if you've ever lost a baby then you can completely understand and empathise with this book, its put the heart break and mind games that losing a baby can bring into better words than you could imagine. I hope the author hasn't ever lost a baby but the way she portrayed the feelings was spot on.
This is the first book ive read by Amanda prowse and I will be looking for more of her books.