The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson

Allie Crawford would love to be a writer, but she instead works at a PR firm.  She would love to have ended up with her soul-mate James, but she instead ended up with Wade Crawford, a successful magazine publisher.  Life has not turned out quite as Allie expected, but she has two beautiful children and tries to make the most of it.  As Allie begins to suspect that Wade may be a cheater and may have some deeper issues, she begins to reevaluate her life and decisions and what she would like for the future. 

I found The Idea of Him to be a fast read.   I was interested in Allie’s story and enjoyed the mystery of finding out about her past including her father and lost love James.  I also wanted to know what secrets Wade was hiding.   Truthfully my favorite character in the novel was Jackie. She is a sassy lady with a secret past that is trying to at once to both motivate Allie and to use Allie to find out the secrets about Wade.  She is truthful about her mistakes and willing to move on.  My one problem with the novel is that I didn’t care about Allie or Wade as much as I should have.  Wade seemed slimy from the beginning and Allie annoyed me with her constant longing for James and her almost boyfriend Tommy.  I know she wasn’t happy in her marriage and suspects Wade of cheating, but when she admits to never really loving Wade and wants to cheat herself, I don’t have much sympathy.  Maybe I’m mean but I thought why don’t you just get a divorce so you can find someone else? 

Overall, The Idea of Him was a good summer read.  Read it for the mystery and great secondary characters.  If you loved Allie – let me know why – I would like to discuss!

Source:  Review Copy from William Morrow.  Thank-you!