Stream The Idea of You

Seeing a book I've loved since 2019 come to the screen

I first read The Idea of You in 2019 following

Becca Freeman

’s recommendation on Bad on Paper Podcast. I remember it so distinctly—I read it on the subway on my way to volunteer at the temple where I used to work. Julianne and I had signed up to help with their overnight shelter. I headed home in the early morning, tired from sleeping on a cot, and instead of going to sleep, I sat at the kitchen table and finished the book. I’ve read it 4 or 5 times since then and every time, I discover something new. I’ve gifted it to friends and family, I own two copies because I wanted the UK cover. I talk about it in my DMs, I’m in a Facebook group for fellow fans where author Robinne Lee shares updates. You get the picture: I love this book.

My original copy is well loved

If you’re unfamiliar, it’s about a very glamorous art gallery owner and single mom named Solène Marchand who meets Hayes Campbell, a boy band star, at a concert where she is chaperoning her daughter. The two begin a whirlwind global romance that’s sexy and poignant and so much more. Honestly, order a copy before you read any further.

Author Robinne Lee is also an actor and her friend, Gabrielle Union, acquired the rights to the movie many years ago. Since then, it’s gone through changes (at one point they were going to change Solène’s name to Sophie, so glad they didn’t) and become a movie starring Anne Hathaway. You can stream it starting today on Amazon Prime (and it’s at a few theaters).

Given my years of obsession, I was not going to wait to see it. I didn’t get invited to any screenings (clearly I need to be louder about my feelings on the internet) but Hillary’s friend Mariah found a screening at the 92nd Street Y last Sunday. Hillary got us all tickets while I was in a meeting and I’m so glad she did. Watching the movie in a room of other fans was a blast and even better, the event included a talk back with the producers: Anne Hathaway, Gabrielle Union, Cathy Schulman, and Jordana Mollick.

After you finish The Idea of You, read Gabrielle Union’s two memoirs. They’re great

I wanted to share some favorite insights from their conversation as well as my thoughts on the movie (it’s good).

First, how is the movie?

I think they did a really good job of keeping the soul of the story, with some changes to make it a more accessible movie. Solène’s a little more relatable (In their review, Claire and Erica posited her character does Rent the Runway, her book character had a designer wardrobe she fully owns) and lives in Silver Lake. I did like one navy matching set she wears, but it could be from Quince. The timeline is condensed, her daughter is older, and the ending is more open ended (that’s all I’ll say). Anne Hathaway in press has been saying that they made the movie for everyone, with women over 35 at the front of the line. The dynamic between Solène and her ex-husband is very compelling (he’s played by Dan from Veep) and I liked having her daughter be older so they could talk about things in more depth.

The chemistry with Hayes was there—when I saw the casting I was a little skeptical, especially because he played a very different character in Red, White, and Royal Blue (he was blonde and a prince). I wish they had given him better fake tattoos, but he had depth and I could believe Solène would be intrigued by him. They had a good meet cute at Coachella, which a Silver Lake mom would take her daughter too (not book Solène, but they are sisters, not twins).

Finally, the music was really good. The theater cheered at the opening song and the original music from August Moon was written by a songwriter who wrote One Direction hits. The cues added a lot to the story. I’m already planning to watch the movie again and am so glad I could see it in a collective. Book readers definitely reacted at certain moments and hearing those reactions added to the fun. Have a watch party!

Robinne Lee was not involved in the movie but she and her husband both get producer credits. This book came out in 2017 and it’s a huge reminder that things take time to build. Her Instagram post from the premiere really moved me! I will definitely watch the movie again and read the book many more times—they’re different but I’m glad both exist.

Now, what did I learn in the Q&A?

A lot! Making movies is hard, especially in this genre. Gabrielle Union brought the movie to Cathy Schulmann of Welle and they developed the project in house, which is very expensive and time consuming. They eventually got Anne, who everyone calls Annie, on board as the star and producer and then sold it to Amazon in a bidding war. This all took years. I do wish it was going to theaters before streamng but a bidding war is a bidding war!

Anne is a student of the book! We can thank her for getting that name swapped back and for making sure the scene in a NYC hotel room made it in. She referred to it as a feel-everything movie, rather than a feel good movie and I like that. Her performance was partially inspired by Diane Lane in Unfaithful, which I want to see. She also really loves this project and has compared the audience reaction to how she felt at the