"The Idea of You" by Amanda Prowse

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. It is a quintessential chick lit. I am not a big fan of this genre as a whole, and am more likely to occasionally pick up a chick lit novel with a bit of self-deprecating humor a la Sophie Kinsella or Helen Fielding. The Idea of You is more of a "pull at your heart strings, but everything is honky dory in the end" kind of book. Our main character Lucy Carpenter is a successful 40 or 41 year old career woman, who meets and marries the love of her life and now desperately wants to have a baby. Getting pregnant is not an issue, however, she ends up having several miscarriages in the early stages of her pregnancy. I thought Prowse did a great job describing Lucy's feelings, her longing to be a mother, and the devastation she suffers with every failed pregnancy. I was a bit apprehensive in the beginning of the story that the entire book would center on miscarriages and Lucy's suffering in connection to that. However, the plot did develop a bit more. Her husband's teenage daughter from his previous marriage comes to stay with the Carpenters and from that point on I did enjoy the book a little more. I did like the twist about Lucy's past, and the development of her relationship with the stepdaughter. The novel does get a bit too sugary in places, but overall it is a solid 3-star read. I am glad I read it. It was definitely not boring, and if chick lit is your thing, do check it out.