Robinne Lee

Oh, this book. Oh, this love affair. Hot, hot, hot!

My favourite trope in books is forbidden love/love against the odds and we certainly have this here with Solène and Hayes. They meet when gallery owner Solène takes her daughter to an August Moon concert. Hayes is one-fifth of the hugely successful boy band. The chemistry between them is instant, despite the fact that Hayes is only 20, half Solène's age. They embark upon an affair which sees them both jetting around the world to meet up show more but almost from the beginning this felt like something that surely couldn't last.

Like many people, I'm sure, I've had obsessions with famous singers or actors in the past. To me, this felt a bit like living the dream vicariously, of being the one singled out by a man desired by literally millions of women. But there's so much honesty in this novel about what it's like living in a goldfish bowl, with every little move analysed and reported upon, and being chased everywhere by teenage girls.

I wanted to love this book so much that I was almost scared to read it in case I didn't feel it. But truly, this is a wow book for me, so heady and intense. It's also full of steamy sex. I didn't quite have to fan myself but I wasn't far off. This story felt real to me, it felt like I was living through it, like it was a part of my life. I didn't want it to end and found myself eking it out. Apparently, the character of Hayes Campbell is partly inspired by Harry Styles and I can't help thinking this would make a great book to screen adaptation, perhaps starring the man himself.

If it wasn't completely obvious, I adored this book. It's a love story but it's also about a woman having the time of her life in her late 30s/early 40s and good on her. I really need to know what happens next for Solène and Hayes but even if I never do this is a story that will stay with me. I loved the rapport between them, the progression of their relationship. It's a very special read indeed. I could rave about it endlessly. I have the sweetest book hangover right now. show less

Romance novels don't all need happy endings. I've said so, over and over since I adopted the genre. This story has no happy ending, and to lift a quote from the cover, it slayed me.

We watched the movie adaptation of this about a week ago. During a mid-show snack run, I looked up the author, Robinne Lee, online and realised I already owned this book, although I hadn't read it.

I enjoyed the film, though I didn't like the ending much—no spoilers here. I needed something new to read, so I show more decided to start the book that night—unusual for me as it's usually the book or the movie, never both.

Solène Marchand is 39 years old. She is a divorced, single mom to twelve-year-old Isabelle when she takes her daughter to a backstage meet-the-band event at an August Moon concert.

August Moon is a "boy band"—five British guys adored by millions of teenage girls the world over. Hayes Campbell, aged 20, is singer, songwriter, and the guy who put the band together. There is an immediate spark between Solène and Hayes, one that leads to them meeting again soon after the event. They both flirt, and she resists taking things further until she doesn't. The romance between them quickly becomes hot and heavy.

Other than a few lines of dialogue and a pivotal scene or two, almost nothing in the book matches events in the movie. I loved this because it soon became apparent that I didn't know what was coming for the couple.

The book is Solène's story and told solely from her point of view, which is how I like my romance. I enjoyed the slices of her life between each encounter with Hayes, and while I have no frame of reference for being a single mother and/or running an art gallery, everything felt right.

The chemistry between Solène and Hayes is potent and delicious. The sex is fantastic, varied and plentiful, but I most loved the banter between them, in public and in private, and if you get a kick from filthy talk, you're in for a treat here.

And the ending? Well, it makes this not a romance by the popular definition of the term. It left me gutted. But that's life, I guess. If you can handle a downbeat conclusion, then know that the couple's journey is romantic as hell, and I have no hesitation in recommending it, whether or not you're familiar with the very enjoyable movie version. show less

Solène is 39 years old, divorced and mother to a twelve year old girl. Her ex-husband gifts the girl a meet and greet with her favorite boyband, August Moon, one of the hottest bands in the world right now (think Take That or One Direction). A few days after that, the main star of the band, Hayes, calls Solène at her gallery and asks her out. Solène is surprised, not only because he is so famous, but also because he is almost twenty years younger than her. Nevertheless she agrees to meet show more him, and they start a relationship that at first is mostly sexual, but that becomes more than that over time. There are many obstacles though: Not only their age difference as it is perceived by Solène and by society, but also their different schedules and life styles, and the fact that Solène's daughter is such a big fan of August Moon.

This was a much more serious novel than I thought. It deals with the way women above a certain age are seen by the world and the problems and views they must deal with, but also with the topics of trust, relationships, motherhood, stardom and fame. I expected a rather lightweight comedy and instead found myself gripped by a love story that was often hard to bear.

One aspect I must criticize is that Solène is very wealthy herself, so while I felt for her and could also identify with her to a certain extent, I would have preferred to read about a person living a more down to earth life. On the other hand, the plot might have been even more improbable in that case.

The novel is also very steamy, and while I don't mind that in general, it becomes a bit repetitive and I sometimes wanted to scream at Solène and Hayes to finally really talk instead of having sex again!

Apart from that, I loved this book, and I loved the characters and can't wait to watch the film. I know that the changes that were made in the adaptation are quite big, but I think they are for the better as far as I can tell right now - because another aspect I really did not love was the ending, and I can't wait to watch the film's more positive ending. The unhappy end is unnecessary in my opinion because they could have worked around their difficulties if Solène had been more open to that! show less

One of my favorite romances ever. It subverts as many romance tropes as is embraces. It's sexy and sweet and dramatic and seriously hot, and as much as it is the stuff of fantasy, and not real in the least, these are people I know.

I read so many romances where people get together with their girlfriends to eat junk food and watch reality television, and god knows that is not anything I have ever done or ever want to do, nor is it something any of my friends do. The book is filled with art show more world people. They are insular, for sure, but smart, well-travelled, well-educated, passionate about communicating in new ways. Luckily some of my friends are very much of that world, but willing to slum it with me. When we are together we do the things they do in the book, and talk about the things they talk about. And I love the way Lee talks about art. I am passionate about art. It is tied with friends and reading it the sweepstakes for what I spend the most non-wage-earning time on, so this is great for me. The main character, Solene is a 40 year-old art dealer who owns an LA gallery specializing in selling works by artists from historically underrepresented identities (she is also a mother of a tween and the ex-wife of a lawyer.) Not surprisingly, art is very central to the narrative. Yes there are references to brand name artists that anyone not in a coma knows like Picasso, Monet, and Van Gogh and to artists all reasonably informed people would know, like Basquiat, Hockney, Nevelson, and Twombly, but also knowledgeable reference to current art darlings like Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker. I especially adored the description of Olafur Eliasson's work. Lee is gifted at describing how the feelings that resonate from art are erotically charged (I am not referring to erotic art, I am talking about art that evokes sensory response.) There's a reason they keep you away from Henri Moore's work at the museum. People see Moore's work and feel the need to stroke it. I feel the same about Eliasson and others. I want to live in Eliasson's instillations. wrap myself in the cold mist of the best Pollack canvases, smell the flowers and decaying plant matter in the Water Lilies and curl at the feet of Jennifer Packer's subjects and settle in for a chat. That Lee gets this, and gets it onto the page is a wonder to me. Also, the relationship between Solene and Hayes, the boy-bander 20 years her junior who is the male lead, is not kitschy or creepy in the least. It is hot as fire, there are wonderful conversations about all sorts of things, and an embrace of great sex, great food, great art (as mentioned), great toiletries (really), great clothes, and a stark look at the good and bad sides of celebrity. And from page one you know it is going to break your heart. And alas it does. This book! Gorgeous. I made myself read slowly so I could savor it, and that is something I never do with romance. It is worth noting that Lee is a fantastic writer. This is not written like any romance I have ever read before. Lee and I are both former lawyers, and good lawyering requires evocative declarative writing that persuades without getting flowery. Perhaps surprisingly this really works in romance. Brava Robinne.

ETA:I just googled and saw that Gabrielle Union has optioned this and it is being turned into an Amazon movie. As I was reading I saw Rashida Jones and perhaps Joe Alwyn or a Twilight era Pattinson in the leads, but it appears it is going to be Anne Hathaway as Solene (name changed to Sophie, apparently French names are too exotic) with a script from Jennifer Westfeldt (no male lead yet identified but they have upped him from 20 to 24) . We shall see. show less