The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson
| The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson | |
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| Category: Women's Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A more complex and thought-provoking story than basic chic lit: there's intrigue, conspiracy and glamour makin for a heady mix. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 384 | Date: September 2014 |
| Publisher: Harper | |
| ISBN: 978-0007233052 | |
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Allie Crawford seemed to have it made. She was married to Wade - the sort of man who made other women ‘’drool’’, had a job in a high-profile Manhattan PR firm and two kids whom she adored. What could be better? What could go wrong? Well, it looked as though something was going wrong when Allie found Wade locked in their laundry room with a decidedly glamorous blonde. There had been a bit of a blip in their marriage whilst Allie was breastfeeding their younger child, but Allie thought that Wade had learned his lesson and would be careful about hurting her in future.
Most women would be a little nervous with that back story but Allie had a bit of history herself. Her father died when she was young: she was in the plane with him when it crashed. Her mother was at home - wedded to a bottle - whilst her husband took their daughter away on a trip and quite possibly was also using it as an opportunity to further an affair he was probably with Allie’s best friend’s mother, who also died in the crash. Fatherless - and with a mother who was no support at all - Allie seemed to be looking for a father substitute as much as a husband or partner.
It’s painful to see Allie coming to the realisation that Wade has never been husband material. He loves his children and he seems to love Allie but his level of maturity is about on a par with the kids. ‘Deferred gratification’ is not a concept which he understands or could follow. Once Allie’s sensors spot the glamorous blond (who freely admits that she’s slept with Wade) in the laundry room she begins to see other troubling signs. There’s the $5,000 casino chip which Wade wants to hide - and the matter of their savings...
From being happy with her life Allie suddenly finds herself sucked into a world of conspiracy, intrigue and just a little temptation on her own part. Worst of all it really isn’t obvious who Allie can trust and although Wade might have seemed more like a third child than a husband, Allie’s got a fair bit of growing up to do herself.
If you’re expecting a nice easy read where man cheats on woman then man either realises the error of his ways or woman finds dream man then you’re going to be disappointed. Like real life this story is more complicated and there are a lot of twists before you turn the final page. It didn’t work out at all the way that I was expecting - but it did seem to be very true to life.
I’d like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
If this book appeals then we think that you might also like Holly’s earlier book The Manny
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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