REVIEW: THE IDEA OF HIM, BY HOLLY PETERSON

 

 

 

Allie’s life took a very traumatic turn when she lost her father at age sixteen. So much might have been different otherwise.

So when she met charming and charismatic Wade a few years later, she turned away from the man she’d believed was her soul mate to marry him.

Now she is at a crossroads, with two young children, aspirations to become a screenwriter, and a frustrating public relations position that requires working with questionable characters.

At that very point, she is also studying Wade’s actions and wondering if she can believe anything he says. He, too, seems mixed up with nefarious individuals and lies too easily to be believable.

Will she have to extricate herself from the marriage in order to salvage her integrity? Will there be any money left after the maelstrom of dark doings? And why does the gorgeous woman named Jackie openly confess to an affair with Wade, and then confide secret activities to Allie as if they are now best friends?

I had a hard time liking any of these characters. The secrets, betrayals, and downright dishonesty of most of them felt repugnant. I couldn’t believe that Allie was hanging in despite her instincts. Was she still clinging to Wade because he represented the missing father figure in her life?

The Idea of Him: A Novel was the kind of story that had its moments, but overall I could not wait to finish it. Perhaps this is a book that could be enjoyed by readers who delight in the manipulations and the games. For me, that fascination only took me so far. 3 stars.