I think the subject of miscarriage and adoption is sensitively dealt with in this book. The main character, Lucy, has to deal with this, along with a tempremental teenage stepdaughter who moves into her house.

I'm surprised in some ways that she remains sane. One thing I wondered about, she didn't seem to have many female friends to share the burden with, just an over enthusiastic colleague. This was a sad thing too.

It was a very easy read and I very much enjoyed it. I have not read her books before but will now as the story will stay with me. Not glamorous or flashy, just real. That's a r

Lucy is obsessed with having a child, it is her goal, and when she finally meets the right man and quickly gets married, she is on her way. The path was not smooth or easy, paved with miscarriage and recriminations over the baby she had given up for adoption. Life became even more complicated when her husband's daughter Camille comes to live with them and has her own little boy.

Lucy learns to love Camille and the baby...guess they live happily ever after, pretty trite, which was how I felt about this saccharine book. I was disappointed in this novel.

My reviews are posted to Amazon.com and Goodreads.com under my name Judy Christiana.

I was chosen by Netgalley to read this book for an honest review. I joined Netgallery about a year ago and requested a book at that time. I was denied and was sort of turned off at that point. I did not request another book from them. Then this week I received an email that I was chosen to read this book. It was a total surprise and I accepted the book since I believe in fate.
I am not sure on what basis I was chosen, since that site does not know much about me. In my opinion, this book is definitely geared to women and I would add, probably women close to 40 years or older. So I guess that is why I was chosen.
I read the synopsis and it was appealing to me. I thought it was about a working woman juggling a marriage and children. It is a bit about that, but really more focused on a woman that wants a child with all her heart and can not carry to term to give birth.
That being said, I am in a group of women that made a decision to not have children, so I don’t really identify with the character’s desire to have a child. I wanted to state that, since it would seem that I would not like this book so focused on having a child. That was not the case. It shows how wonderful this author is, that I was so drawn into the story and the lives of the characters. My heart was broken for Lucy. At times I adored her husband, Jonah and at times I really disliked him. I disliked Jonah’s daughter, Camille almost during the entire book. I finally understood her near the end.
This was the first book that I have read by this author, Amanda Prowse. The story she wrote was so emotional and I was consumed by it, wanting to read constantly to find out the ending.
The characters are imperfect, as all people are in real life, that made the story believable. I cared about them, knowing that they tried but failed to make the correct decisions in their lives.

I do not write a summary of the book in my reviews, since a synopsis is always shown already.

I just finished the book. I liked it. At times I did find Lucy always the victim. It was well written and I was happy the ending was not as predictable as it could have been.

I loved this book by Amanda Prowse! I was given an ARC via NetGalley. I went somewhat blindly into this book only knowing to have some tissues on hand, so I knew this story was going to have the potential to gut me. I thought the story might progress a certain way, but the surprises and twists kept coming. This story of what defines a family and what to do with its pitfalls truly leaves you cheering on for Lucy's happily ever after. I loved this quote from the book: "This man I met - a wonderful man - picked up the snow globe of my life and gave it a really good shake". This book is a page turner that's very difficult to put down!

A story with heart about a woman wanting to be a mother, a secret and how it effects her life and relationships. I wasn't sure when this first started whether I would continue but the story slowly pulled me in - a book about family and relationships.

The Idea of You is a lovely, heartfelt, compelling story that I read in one day! Lucy is a forty-year-old woman, happily married to Jonah, longing for them to have a child. Dealing with disappointment after disappointment becomes even more difficult with the arrival of Jonah's teenage daughter, Camille. This book takes us on a poignant journey with Lucy and her family as they deal with the changes in their lives, forging loving relationships, and a devastating secret that Lucy has kept buried for decades. A wonderful insight into all the different ways a woman can become a mother, and what makes a group of people a family.

I was pre-approved by NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book so I thought I would give it a try even though I usually struggle with contemporary books deal with difficult issues. This kind of story takes a certain nuance for me to appreciate. Unfortuantely, I didn't find that here - it was just too sentimental for me and the dialogue felt stilted and unrealistic. I should have passed on the opportunity.

No review for this title as I was auto approved for the title but unfortunately it doesn't fall into the general genres of the books that I like to read and review on my blog.

This is a story about a woman trying to become a mother and struggling with every obstacle that life threw in her way.

I liked the book, I really did. From the start it was filled with so many emotions. My heart ached for her and everything that she was going through. I am not a mother and I had never went through anything similar to what was written in the book, but while I was reading I felt so connected to Lucy. I felt her pain, sorrow, yearning and her happiness. I liked the end of chapters with notes/letters dedicaded to her baby.

All I have to say is that this is a truly beautiful story full of emotions and really beautifully written.

~Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.~

Amanda Proswe's The Idea of You was a bitter sweet read for me. Lucy's strength in dealing with her pain past and present is phenomenal. She ends of using her inner strength to help her step daughter Camille face a difficult situation. In the end everyone benefits from Lucy's selflessness.

This book really wasn't for me and I must have requested it by mistake as it was an automatic download. I don't want to add a bad review just because I made a mistake on Netgalley and downloaded a book that is not written for me. I know I'm the wrong audience for this novel but have no doubt it will be hugely successful..

The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse

This was a poignant family drama that was a feel good read with human realism. Lucy meets Jonah and they have a small wedding. Just the two of them with two witnesses. Jonah has been married and divorced and had the big wedding and three layer cake and the works and it didn't work out. This time around he wants to keep things simple.

The two have everything they could ever dream of and more except a baby of their own. When Jonah's sixteen year old daughter Camille come to live with them every thing changes. Camille is standoffish to Lucy who bends over backwards to welcome Camille. Camille is purposely cruel to Lucy who is going through a rough patch.

This book was written to be a very realistic blended family with everyday trials and tribulations. It is a book that is a cozy read with likeable characters but not too pollyannaish. I loved this story and I think the author is very talented. This is the first time I have read anything by this author but I highly recommend her for writing women's fiction and delving into the issues women unilaterally share as humans. I haven't told you what the plot is about but I can assure you that you are in good hands reading Amanda Prowse's work. She has published over sixteen novels and is worth pursuing for something to keep you glued to the pages throughout the book. Five Stars

Thank you to Net Galley, Amanda Prowse and Union Lake Publishing for my digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Another fabulous book by this wonderfully empathetic author. A very difficult subject but sensitively handled. An easy 5 stars from me.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. What a sweet and moving story. I have no idea how many tissues I went through. Lucy is a career woman, but longing for a family. Her day comes when she's meets and falls in love with Jonah. Now comes the trials of getting pregnant. This hit on a personal level for me as I have seen friends go through fertility issues. When her step daughter comes to stay, a whole dynamic happens. I wanted to strangle Camille initially, but getting this young girl was beautiful. Get some tissues, your favorite spot, and curl up with this fabulous book.

A lot of people look at the lives of family and friends thinking they have it all. Nobody knows exactly what goes on behind closed doors, their life might look perfect from the outside, but maybe they are craving something that you take for granted. This book follows the ups and downs of Lucy's life as she copes with married life and a teenage step daughter. This book takes you through every emotion and brings up subjects close to a lot of people's hearts. A great read that I recommend

Lucy is nearing 40 years of age, has a fantastic career and a wonderful new husband. She is the happiest she's ever been, the only thing missing from her life is a baby of her own. This book deals with some very difficult subject matter, so you may want to bring along tissues for this heart wrenching roller coaster ride. After recently having multiple miscarriages, Lucy is grieving the losses of her babies while preparing to finally meet her teenage step daughter, Camille, who is coming for a visit. Cam clearly doesn't like Lucy despite everything she does to make Cam feel welcome and at home, which throws her already strained marriage into further turmoil.

I personally have never experienced Lucy's pain, I do have friends and family members that have been through similar circumstances and the way Amanda allows us to journey inside Lucy's head and better understand what she is feeling was very enlightening. Often times, well meaning friends and family will say the wrong thing and cause more pain than comfort.

Lucy grows a lot by the end of this book and there were interesting reveals about her life which you will most likely see coming as we get many clues along the way. At times, I noticed the dialogue didn't feel completely natural and neither did her husband's reactions in certain situations, but Amanda's story telling made up for it and the book was hard to put down once I got started. This isn't a book I would recommend to everyone, but I would recommend it to anyone who may relate to the subject matter.

Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I started this book without reading the blurb - so I didn't know what I was getting into with this novel. What I found was a beautiful story of love and loss, of family, and what defines "motherhood" in all it's heartbreak.

The narrative chronicles Lucy's journey to become a mother with Jonah, the man she met and married late in life. After several setbacks, Jonah's teenage daughter comes to live with them and Lucy has to find her role in this new family. What is uncovered is a long-held secret that nearly breaks them all apart.

Emotional and hopeful read! One that makes you question the concept of family, motherhood, and the importance of pulling back the curtain to expose what's really there...and appreciating what you have.

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Knowing that 'The Idea of You' dealt with baby loss, a subject very close to my heart, I began to read with some trepidation, nervous at how the subject would be handled. But I needn't have worried as, in Amanda Prowse's capable hands, it was dealt with sensitively and with great empathy. I didn't always like Lucy and Jonah, or the way they dealt with things, but that made them all the more real and believable to me. And from my own personal experience of seeing loved ones grieve the loss of a much wanted baby, I recognised and empathised with so much of what they went through.

As the story progressed and more details of Lucy's past emerged, I grew to understand and empathise with her even more, so much so that I went from sometimes wanting to shake her to wanting to envelop her in a gigantic hug. With a cast of supporting characters who you quickly come to like and care about, this is a book full of heart and family values. Beautifully writtten with such a wonderful depth of emotion, 'The Idea of You' is not only a story of heartbreak and loss, but also one of hope.

A highly recommended 5 star read.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. You are going to cry so have tissues close by when you read this story. Lucy Carpenter has the perfect job, the perfect husband, and is pregnant with their first child. Her husband Jonah has a teenage daughter, Camille, from his first marriage whom he did not get to raise but he sees her occasionally. After a devastating miscarriage, Lucy and Jonah are struggling with the loss when they find out Camille is coming to visit for the summer break. Lucy is excited to meet her and throws herself into redecorating the spare room for Camille to use. When Camille arrives and makes it clear she is not the least bit interested in a relationship with her step mother, Lucy feels the threads of her seemingly perfect life unraveling. With a mother who she was never close to, a sister who adores her, and a years old secret that she can't seem to share with even her loving husband, Lucy struggles to find happiness in a now stressful life. In between each chapter is a letter Lucy is writing to someone, a child, sharing her thoughts and feelings with. Is it to the child she lost, or is it simply to the idea of a child she might someday have? This is a beautiful story, I thoroughly enjoyed every word!