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'The Idea of You', originally a book by Robinne Lee, has consumed all our lives and after watching the film with Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine fans want to know if there’s a book 2.
Warning: There may be spoilers ahead for The Idea of You.
The Idea of You may be the latest Prime Video movie that everyone’s talking about, but it was originally a book by author Robinne Lee released in 2017
The story follows Hayes, an international boyband star, and Soléne, a single mum 16 years his senior, who fall for each other at Coachella moments before he goes on stage.
It’s thought the film has stayed mostly very close to the ideas in the book, except they have a 20-year age gap in the original story, and the ending doesn’t have a five-year flash forward like the film does.
The jump forward has fans wondering whether there's a sequel to The Idea of You in the works, and whether there’s a second book. Here’s what we know.
Author Robinne Lee confirmed on Good Reads six years ago that a sequel to The Idea of You had been on her mind. However, at the time of writing, there’s no official confirmation of a follow-up book.
In a Q&A with her readers she wrote: “I had not intended to when I wrote this book. I ended it the way I thought the story should end. The way that felt most organic to me. But I understand many readers want more of Solène and Hayes, and if the demand was big enough, I would consider revisiting them.
“They are still very much in my thoughts. That said, The Idea of You would have to be a decent success for my publisher to come on board. So, your best bet is to spread the word.”
Well, look at her now!
And in her interview with Vogue in 2020 just as the book was flying off the shelves, she confirmed she does have ideas for a possible sequel but at that point it was just a few scenes because she ‘couldn’t get them out of her head’.
She told the publication: “I didn't want to write a sequel just to give them a happy ending. Pretty much right after I finished writing [The Idea of You], I started writing notes for what could possibly be a sequel, mostly because I couldn't get them out of my head.
“Every once in a while, I'll feel it really strongly, and I'll sit down and I'll write a scene or two, and I have a file that's getting longer and longer. I didn't kill them off for a reason,” she she laughed.
And while she confirmed she was working on another separate book, she didn’t rule out The Idea of You 2: “I’m kind of waiting to have more to say.”
Watch The Idea of You trailer
As the film gains traction online, Robinne has addressed the story’s constant comparisons to Harry Styles fan fiction after she said in an interview a few years ago the One Direction singer was just one of many inspirations for her character Hayes, along with Eddie Redmayne and Prince Harry.
In an interview for TIME magazine she pointed out that male fiction would never be branded juvenile. She wrote: “We don’t reduce their writing to fan fiction and attach a celebrity’s name for clickbait.”
While she may not have written a sequel just yet, Robinne has written her second book, which she confirmed on Instagram in March came after ‘three years of writer’s block, five years of torture and days of depression, anxiety, anger and self-doubt.’
Already, fans can’t wait to see more from this talented author.
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