This is such an engaging, tenderly crafted, beautifully written novel that speaks soul deep. The subject matter is painful and haunting but it is handled with dexterity and grace. Our main character, Lucy, has an ache in her heart which never entirely goes away, despite how successful her life looks on the surface. She has a burning longing to become a mother, a huge desire to conceive, though it seems to be thwarted at every turn. One miscarriage after another not only leaves her terribly sad, disappointed and reeling, it also begins to make holes appear in her marriage. All she thought she was certain of before becomes as uncertain as her ability to conceive.
As we read on (tissues at hand), we discover how she slowly starts to see motherhood, family relationships, secrets kept and finally shared, in a whole new light. And as she opens her heart to the love that already surrounds her, she comes to realise how parenting isn’t as limited a concept as she had thought it was. In opening up about her past, letting the light of truth into her life, growing wiser in her own understanding of things, she eventually reaches a place where the elusive happiness she sought is already a large part of her days—albeit shaped a little differently, but just as precious, nevertheless.

The Idea of You is a powerful story about family hope ,loss and motherhood .The writing is so beautiful and poignant,I felt so sad but also so elated at the end and it's true sometimes you can't have everything you want but as long as you are happy perhaps it doesn't matter so much .

The Idea of You

I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of this book and so would like to extend my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for that.

The Idea of You is a highly emotional read that centres round Lucy and her yearning to be a mother. We go on a journey with Lucy and her husband through this; a gut wrenchingly powerful journey that will lead to lost babies, step daughter's, the angst of blended families and how things aren't always as they seem. I don't want to say much more as I don't want to spoil anything for you as a reader. Just know that this is an amazing book and you don't want to miss out on reading it. 5 bright and shiny stars from me!

This story is well written and easy to read. The subject matter, whilst dealing with the events in many womens' lives is at times difficult to process. It connects on a very emotional level.

The Idea of You is a powerful story that should be read by any woman, no matter her age or circumstances. It’s also a story for the men in our lives, those who say they want to understand us better and truly mean it. It’s a story for blended families, for couples who want children even if they themselves are no longer in the bloom of youth. It’s a story that will touch hearts, open dialogue and perhaps make people think before they offer words of comfort or give sage advice of things they know nothing about.

It is quite simply a powerful story. One that will make you feel and think, cry and chuckle, and wonder how you would face such challenges in your own life.

I believe The Idea of You is a story that needs to be read, then shared with friends and family. I do not believe it’s one that a reviewer can or should tell you about in detail. To know too much lessens the impact of this family’s struggles, pain and outcome. What Jonah and Lucy face could easily happen to any of us readers, and already has for some. The little letters simply broke my heart, for I have written a few of them myself.

If you are looking to take a realistic journey that will change how you view life, then this is a story for you. I’d highly recommend this one.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This story is about Lucy Carpenter who has a successful career, but as she’s getting closer to 40 and single she feels she has no chance of getting the family life she so desires. Then she meets Jonah at her best friend’s daughters christening. After a short whirlwind romance they get married and try for a family of their own. Jonah already has a daughter, Camille, from his previous marriage but she lives in France. Unfortunately, Lucy suffers miscarriage after miscarriage. Whilst trying to deal with this and her very busy and stressful job, Camille is sent to stay with her father for a while.
This book was just not for me and I only read half of the book before giving up. I felt this book didn’t grab me and there was nothing for me to keep me wanting to read it. I couldn’t engage or sympathise with any of the characters, even though I have been through miscarriages myself, I still couldn’t connect with the book.
Although my experience of this novel is negative its not to say no one will enjoy it, as I’ve seen from other reviewers that they have loved the book and would highly recommend, this is just my personal review and feeling.

I always look forward to a new Amanda Prowse book and this one did not let me down. This is beautifully and poignantly written. I had tears in my eyes as I went on a rollercoaster of life with Lucy and Jonah.. This is a story which resonates with so many people.

Sit down and prepare to be there till the book is finished!!

I was invited to read The Idea of You by Netgalley and the publishers Lake Union Publishing. I'm not sure why as I exclusively read crime fiction but somehow, probably due to my incompetence, it arrived on my Kindle.

This is a heartwarming tale of Lucy, her husband Jonah and her teenage stepdaughter Camille who comes to visit. Camille is a disruption to Lucy's life and her attempt to have a baby of her own but it is Lucy's own secrets which cause the most disruption.

Although it is well outside my normal reading matter I quite enjoyed it although I found Lucy and Jonah's relationship a bit sickly the ending extremely trite. I liked Lucy's character as she is strong and not afraid to stick up for herself and her story is a sad one. I think it is a well planned and plotted novel with good pace.

I can't say I'll be rushing out to read another novel by Ms Prowse but The Idea of You was a pleasant change of style for me and I can see why her novels are popular.

This is a touching, beautifully written book. I laughed and cried with Lucy and a Jonah.

This is a very engaging book about a heartbreaking subject. Lucy and Jonah, who are newly married, want a baby. After several miscarriages, happiness seems so far out of reach for this couple. Jonah's daughter, Camille, comes to live with them over the summer and adds more stress to their lives. This is the story of how this little family learns to find happiness and love, even if you don't always get what you want. The Lord always has a plan for your life. Amanda Prowse does a very good job of taking the reader into this story and knowing the pain these characters are going through. Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union publishing for allowing me to read The Idea Of You by Amanda Prowse. Following is my review.
An inspiring and heartwarming story of love and strength that is necessary to move on after so much heartbreak.
Lucy's dream has always been to have a baby of her own. Jonah supports her through the loss of several miscarriages. This story will grab your heart and won't let go.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book after a slow start. This is the first book by Amanda Prowse that I have come across, it tells the tale of Lucy and her desperate attempts to have a baby. Running parallel to the main story is her history and as the story develops, we learn of her past too. The book tells of her developing relationship with Jonas
her husband and the turbulent arrival of his 17 year old, French, daughter in their lives.
A good story, very moving at times which develops convincingly and at a good pace. I'm going to track down some more of Amanda's books to read after reading this one, which has to be a recommendation.

A beautiful story.

A wonderful, wonderful read! I had not previously read anything by Amanda Prowse but after reading this book she goes onto my 'must read' author list. This story is beautiful and heart-breaking. Lucy seems to have the perfect life, a terrific, supportive husband, a great job and all they need now is to start their family. But as time goes on and Lucy does not conceive, she becomes more sad at the prospect of never having a child. Her husband, Jonah, has a daughter by his first marriage, but he sees her seldom as she lives in another country. Then she comes to stay with Jonah and Lucy and from there the story picks up the pace. This book had me in tears more than once, crying for all the characters. The characters are alive, warm, and totally believable. Can't wait to read more of Amanda Prowse!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a page turner and a very fast read. My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage so I could relate to some of the storyline in a very real way. While Lucy's reactions to much of her life events seem overly dramatic, I gave her a pass based on her past. But Jonah's were a bit puzzling to me. Didn't completely ring true. However, it was a good read and worth recommending to readers with an interest in happily ever after stories.

What a sweet book! I was aggravated at the husband character at times, how insensitive he was but it made this book seem real. This is real life, bad things happening to good people. I really liked how the author showed each characters flaws. Nice work!

I struggled with this book. I enjoyed some of it, but I felt that I never connected with Lucy, the main character.

I thought the scenario between Lucy and her mother was interesting and would have liked to have seen more of that. I also would have liked to have seen a little more of the development of Camille I thought that most of the characters seemed a little one-dimensional.

Lucy's secret was interesting, and I was pleased that it didn't end wind up becoming a cliche.

This tale is meant to be a tearjerker as we witness the heartbreak of forty-year-old newlywed Lucy who wants a baby with a terrible fierceness but cannot carry a pregnancy past the first trimester. Between chapters dealing with the here and now, we read Lucy’s poignant messages to a baby girl, her thoughts on what she and her daughter would be doing together if that were only possible.

Meanwhile her husband, Jonah, is supportive, but he is already father to Camille, a seventeen-year-old who lives with her mother but now comes to stay with Lucy and Jonah for a while. When Camille and Lucy don’t get along, Jonah seems to side with his daughter, and Lucy begins feeling isolated in her own home and eventually in her marriage.

A rather predictable event takes place, along with a somewhat surprising revelation, both of which turn Lucy’s marriage even further on its ear. It’s now up to her to either “put on her big girl shoes” as her chauvinistic jerk of a boss likes to say, or watch her marriage dissolve.

For me, this felt too much like a tearjerker for tearjerker’s sake. Miscarriage is not an unknown to this reviewer, and it’s nothing to make light of, but life goes on. It must. Unfortunate things happen in a lifetime, and how we handle them is the real test of character. Lucy’s continuous, obsessive dwelling upon what was not to be made it difficult to regard her as the strong, resilient woman she supposedly is, and I almost quit reading. Jonah was not a sympathetic character; I probably liked Camille better than anyone. At least she was a naïve teenager who had reason to be immature, and watching her grow was the best part of the story.

I just finished Amanda Prowse The idea of You.
Utterly Fantastic!   10 star ++
Had me in tears.

Amanda always puts so much raw emotion into her books and always challenges topics that are sensitive, in a way that's informative and passionate making it ok to discuss.
Amanda always writes from the heart and it shows as her writing style always has  such passion and strength.


This book is about a women's longing for a family, however mother nature has other ideas and she suffers several agonising miscarriages.
Luckily for Lucy she has a supportive and strong partner. Together they find the strength to carry on another day.

However all this is about to change for Lucy when Jonah's teenage daughter Camille comes to stay with them, bringing a whole lot of teenage drama.
Camille unknowingly comes between them, but Lucy is so full of grief she is struggling to bond with Camille.
They have a whole rollercoaster of ups and downs.
But soon a secret comes out bonding them forever making their little family unite once again.

I found myself so absorbed in Lucy's heart breaking  journey I didn't think how Camille must be feeling. 
It isn't till she starts to open up to Camille about her mother you can really see her vulnerable side.
You can see why she is acting the way she does and towards the end I was on her side and angry with Jonah.

When secrets come out Jonah doesn't exactly handle the situation very well and up until that point I was feeling very sorry for him being in the middle of Waring women as he literally could do nothing right!
But luckily for him he does redeem himself again, Thankfully as I feel their little family is very strong. Jonah is a great husband and very supportive and protective. A great role model.

This book is captivating and draws you in from the very first page. Although there is much heartache there is love, strength, courage and support and light at the end of the rainbow so to speak!

Plus there is a fantastic twist which I really wasn't expecting.
 It made everything make sense it tied up the whole story.
Even the style of writing made sense towards the end (the diary/letter paragraphs) which I wasn't 100% sure why they was being written.
I absolutely loved it. I didn't want it to end. I wanted more.

I can't begin to imagine how heart wrenching it is to have miscarriages and not being able to get the answers as to why this is happening.

But I truly hope that by reading The Idea of you it helps people to understand a little more about the emotions and grief people go through and their courage to get up and take small steps every day.

I cant recommend this book enough it's a gem of a book.
 
There is a fantastic twist and a whole lot of Sass from a teenage step daughter.
It's about family and new beginnings and the strength and power of love to carry on even when things are so tough and painful.

Thanks for the opportunity. Enjoyable read and I will post a review ASAP