The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson (3.5 stars)

About The Idea of Him

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (April 1, 2014)

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Manny—a vibrant novel of love, life lessons, and learning to trust yourself

Allie Crawford has the life she always dreamed of—she’s number two at a high-profile P.R. firm; she has two kids she adores; and her husband is a blend of handsome and heroic. Wade is everything she thought a man was supposed to be—he’s running a successful newsmagazine and, best of all, he provides the stable yet exciting New York City life Allie believes she needs in order to feel secure and happy.

But when Allie finds Wade locked in their laundry room with a stunning blonde in snakeskin sandals, a scandal ensues that flips her life on its head. And when the woman wants to befriend Allie, an old flame calls, and a new guy gets a little too close for comfort, she starts to think her marriage is more of a facade than something real. Maybe she’s fallen in love not with Wade—but with the idea of him.

Captivating and seductive, told in the whip-smart voice of a woman who is working hard to keep her parenting and career on track, The Idea of Him is a novel of conspiracy, intrigue, and intense passion—and discovering your greatest strength through your deepest fears.

Review

Allie Crawford has a great life on the surface; she has two amazing kids, a happy marriage, and a great job. But everything goes downhill quickly when she finds her husband, Wade, slipping into their laundry room with another woman. A cheating husband is bad enough, but there's much more for Allie to discover.

Someone close to the truth, and an unlikely ally, helps Allie uncover the secrets that have been bringing down her life without her even knowing. Will Allie find the answers before it's too late?

My feelings about this read are quite complicated. At times I was as frustrated as I was interested. I found the flow of the story quite jolting--it jumped back and forth between past and present events and even present story focus--but the suspense surrounding Wade's dealings kept me engaged.

Most importantly, I cared about Allie. She's a determined character who wants to get to the truth, even if it's not pretty. At first, she seems to want to keep the blinders on; but it's not long before she develops the backbone necessary to protect herself and her children. I was quite intrigued with the backstory regarding her father, but that was never fully explored to my satisfaction (and often felt misplaced in the story). Finally, I really wanted to know more about Jackie--Allie's unlikely ally.

In the end, I cared about the main character and wanted to know what happened to her. Not a bad reading day at all.

Rating: 3.5 stars

About the Author

Holly Peterson is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Manny. She was a contributing editor for Newsweek and editor-at-large for Talk magazine. She was also an Emmy Award-winning producer for ABC News for more than a decade, where she covered global politics. Her writing has been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, Talk, the Daily Beast, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and other publications.


Find out more about Holly at her website, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

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