“THE IDEA OF YOU” by Robinne Lee

When I started reading this book, and I got to the scene where Hayes, the 20 years old singer of the band, flirts with Solène, the 40 years old mother of his fan, I wanted to stop reading because it was complicated for me to accept this type of relationship.
It was one thing when I heard gossips about older women taking into their bed younger men, but it was another thing to read about a love story between a 40 years old woman and a 20 years old man. It was a situation I couldn’t comprehend.

If the roles had been reversed, I wouldn’t even blink. I had read so many articles about men much older than their partners, with differences from 10 to 30 years, that nothing could surprise me anymore.

In the end, I conquered my “grandma” mentality, and I finished reading the novel “The idea of you”.
And I loved it a lot. 
Because Robinne Lee did an outstanding job portraying this couple’s love, she wrote with kindness and sympathy about their passion. Perhaps, Robinne Lee being an actress, she has seen a lot of stories like this in real life, so that’s why she had a better understanding.

Reading this novel made me understand how a couple like this can function in real life. Especially since, Solène, being 40 years old, is reluctant to start a relationship with the much younger man:
“I was not going to jump into bed with a rock star barely half my age because he’d winked at me at an after-party.”

“-I could be your mother, you know.
-But you’re not.”

Hayes admires Solène for her sophistication (“I love that you know so much about art.”), but he desires her for her sensuality (“God, you are so unbelievably sexy.”).

Solène gets his youth, the joy for life but also very fulfilling sex life. Enormous fulfilling sex life!!!
“The way he looked at me threw me.
This was not the plan. Not that I had one, really. But it certainly wasn’t to be turned inside out by this boy five minutes into our date.”

“He kissed me again, and again. And again. 

His mouth moving over my shoulder, toward my neck, to the crook just behind my ear. He breathed me in, and I could feel it in my toes. His mouth, his tongue, his teeth on my flesh. His hand moving up over the sequins of my top to stroke my throat, angling my head toward his.

He smelled of soap and Scotch, and he tasted… warm.

I turned to him, devouring his mouth.

And oh, the feel of his hair in my hands: thick and smooth and substantial.”

Kindle, 2018