The Idea of Him: A Novel

By Holly Peterson

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Manny—a vibrant novel of love, life lessons, and learning to trust yourself

Allie Crawford has the life she always dreamed of—she's number two at a high-profile P.R. firm; she has two kids she adores; and her husband is a blend of handsome and heroic. Wade is everything she thought a man was supposed to be—he's running a successful newsmagazine and, best of all, he provides the stable yet exciting New York City life Allie believes she needs in order to feel secure and happy.

But when Allie finds Wade locked in their laundry room with a stunning blonde in snakeskin sandals, a scandal ensues that flips her life on its head. And when the woman wants to befriend Allie, an old flame calls, and a new guy gets a little too close for comfort, she starts to think her marriage is more of a facade than something real. Maybe she's fallen in love not with Wade—but with the idea of him.

Captivating and seductive, told in the whip-smart voice of a woman who is working hard to keep her parenting and career on track, The Idea of Him is a novel of conspiracy, intrigue, and intense passion—and discovering your greatest strength through your deepest fears.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9780062283115

Holly Peterson

Holly Peterson is the author the May 2017 social satire fiction release, It Happens in the Hamptons. In 2016, she curated an outdoor cooking book, Assouline's Smoke and Fire: Recipes and Menus for Outdoor Entertaining. In 2014, she published The Idea of Him and of the New York Times bestseller The Manny in 2007.  She was a Contributing Editor for Newsweek, an Editor-at-Large for Talk magazine and an Emmy Award-winning Producer for ABC News, where she spent more than a decade covering everthing from trials of the century to global politics. Her writing has been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, Town and Country, The Daily Beast, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle Decor, Departures and numerous other publications.

Reviews for The Idea of Him

[whitreidtan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Allie Crawford married her charismatic Peter Pan husband, Wade, was she in love with him or was she just in love with the idea of him? The idea that he would provide her with a safe harbor and financial stability? The idea that his impressive gravitational pull would always be there and she would be the only insider in that orbit? After more than a decade of marriage and facing hurdles that she never expected to face, Allie is about to learn more about her husband and herself and to figure out just what she wants out of life. Allie is fantastic at her job in PR but it's not what she ever imagined or wanted to be doing. She wanted to be writing her own fiction or screenplays, not writing copy to benefit the movers and shakers in the entertainment industry and society. Her husband, Wade, is the editor of a glossy topical magazine called Meter, and he has his finger in many New York City pies. They have two children and live a good life. They may not be as wealthy as Allie's clients or Wade's contacts and advertisers and Allie regrets the amount of time she spends away from her beloved children but they are content. Or at least Allie thinks they are. But there are cracks in the happy façade. Allie and Wade are struggling as a couple. The magazine is losing advertisers and Wade is fighting hard to stay relevant, both personally and professionally, in the recession. But this is a stressor that they could likely weather, until Allie finds Wade coming out of their locked laundry room during a party, followed shortly thereafter by a young and gorgeous blonde woman. She is incredibly hurt and angered. And this is not Wade's first indiscretion. As devastated as Allie is by her newfound knowledge, she agrees to talk to Jackie, the blonde woman, and she discovers that Wade's ever present evasions go far past simple infidelity. He's somehow gotten mixed up in something shady that includes Allie's blustery boss, Murray, and one of their clients, Max, a thugish Texas parking garage magnate newly released from prison for tax evasion. But Allie has no idea of the extent of Wade's involvement or what exactly all of this means for her and the kids. At the same time she is grappling with whether or not to believe and cooperate with this young woman, she is questioning the very foundations of her marriage. She is wildly attracted to someone in her screenwriting class and she flirts with an affair while steadfastly telling herself that all she wants is friendship. Her longtime best friend, soul mate, and perhaps the man for whom she should have waited is also suddenly more present in her life than before as well. And so many of her insecurities and desires about the competing men in her life are tied up with the early death of her father in a plane crash that Allie herself survived. Plain and simple, Allie is a mess; she doesn't know what she wants nor if she ever did. The novel's tension stems from several questions: what will Allie do about her marriage with Wade, what will she discover about his shady dealings with Jackie's help, and how can she finally be true to herself? Allie is a bit of a wishy-washy character so her first person narration can make the reader want to take her by the shoulders and shake some sense and intelligence into her. She makes bad choices and is forever second guessing just about everything and everyone in her life. Wade is a completely reprehensible, narcissistic character and that makes it tough to see how he stays the center of Allie's universe or why others are so drawn to him. Jackie's is cryptic and world-weary, something that is a bit out of character for a twenty something in graduate school, no matter how savvy. And how she stumbled on and was then instantly privy to the sort of information she feeds to Allie teasing, tantalizing piece by tantalizing piece is never even hinted at and feels quite unrealistic. There is no real question as to how the novel is going to end up so the characters would have to carry the plot, which they don't quite pull off here. The narration's time leaps forwards and backwards can be quite choppy and jarring although they do serve to explain why Allie is so willing to let life be dictated to her rather than making her own happy future. And there are just too many aspects being covered here. All of the issues in Allie's life might actually occur in a real person's life but in a fictional world, there's just one too many threads. There are questions of life/work balance here and how a woman can stand on her own two feet but the answers as provided are buried in a frustrating read that felt longer than it was. I wanted to like this one a lot but I just couldn't love it although others certainly have and do.

[arlenadean · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Title: The Idea of HimAuthor: Holly PetersonPublisher: William Morrow and CompanyReviewed By: Arlena DeanAge Recommended: AdultRating: 4Review:"The Idea of Him" by Holly Peterson was a good women's fiction read. Mary Crawford had a good life with two kids, happy marriage and wonderful job, but was this really true? No, it was not because she soon finds her husband in there laundry room with another woman and this was not the first time. Guess what...there will be more for Mary to discover. Will Mary be able to find answers to all of this and more before it's too late? Be ready for a interesting read however I did find this read somewhat chaotic a times and even complicated as the story seems to jump back and forth from the past to present. I will say the suspense that surround the husband, Wades dealing and all kept me very interested along with the jest of it all where we find from the read that Mary had previously relied on James,(another part of the story) then married Wade because he reminded her of her late father, and nearly jumped into a relationship with Tommy while still married. Another point to the read was seeing Mary befriend a least likely ally to learn the truth about her husband. Believe me when I say it was so good to see that finally Mary develops the backbone that was necessary to protect her and the children. Now, to fully understand it all you must pick up "The Idea of Him" to get the full picture of this read. It will be interesting to see how this mystery of exactly what all Wade was really involved.

[l_manning · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Allie is living a life most people only dream of. She has an important job at a high profile PR firm in New York City, is mother to two sweet children, and is married to a big-name magazine editor. Things begin to crumble around her though as she catches her husband sneaking off during a party and finds him in the laundry room with a young, beautiful blonde. The more questions Allie asks about her life, the more she discovers that maybe what she thought she wanted isn't really what she truly dreamed of. Allie must work to discover how to make her life truly her own and not just a reflection of what she thinks a good life should be.I was kind of split on this book. I found the story to be super interesting. Allie is around my age and in a similar position (married with kids), but she is really discovering that maybe what she hasn't isn't actually what she wants to have. This was truly a story about self-discovery and independence. In the end that was one of the things that also bothered me about Allie. I wanted her so much to just make a hard decision and then stick to it. I felt for what she was going through, but even if she had made a choice that was "bad" in her mind, I'm not sure as a reader anyone would have blamed her. She still would have had my sympathy. This was kind of the point of the whole book, but it did grate on me a bit.Other characters were delightful (and sometimes delightfully wicked). Tommy and his unorthodox screenwriting methods were very entertaining. My favorite person was probably the mysterious Jackie. As we slowly discovered who she was and what her place was in the story, I grew to respect her more and more. Sure, she had made some poor choices too, but she truly owned them for better or worse. That's someone I'd love to get to know. Overall, I did feel very drawn into the book from the start, and I did feel compelled to read it even if I didn't like Allie as much as I probably should have. I would recommend this book. It is not afraid to make Allie ask herself some really hard questions, and the answers definitely make one think about their own lives and circumstances. This was a very good read!Book provided for review.

[celticlady53 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Can you ever really trust your significant other?? Allie Crawford likes to think so, until she finds out otherwise. Allie is married to high powered magazine editor Wade and they have two small children. Allie works for a PR firm but seems to mostly placate her boss. She is good friends with a co worker and shares everything with this coworker, more than she bargained for. When her husband starts acting suspicious, she feels that he is cheating on her again. Then when a beautiful woman befriends her and starts to tell her things that she would rather not know about, her eyes start to open. She realizes that she fell in love with the idea of him and wants so much more.This is a story about a woman who seems to be under the thumb of the men around her, her husband, her boss, her childhood friend and a fellow student in her writing class. They all want something from her that she is not sure that she can give. The plot takes the reader on a journey of self discovery and finally figuring out what Allie wants for herself. She may lose certain things in her life but she will gain even more, her self respect.

[thebumblegirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit, I assumed that this book was going to be your typical chick-lit book: clueless girl fell in love with the wrong guy, breaks-up, picks up the pieces and proceeds to have a happily-ever-after. I was so very wrong - and that is a good thing. This book was not what I expected at all, within the first few pages I knew that it was not going to be easy to put it down, the writing is exquisite; I really, really enjoyed its fast paced storyline, the unexpected twists and turns, the realistic characters and the harsh reality of denial... Allie is a good mom, loyal wife and hard worker. Her world is everyone elses world, and she's been happy doing it all. Or so, she thinks she's happy doing it all. There's history, there have been signs, but she never pays attention to anything bad or negative for too long. For many years all she's done is run away from her past, her heartaches. And she's proud of herself for being able to push it all away and live a happy life... until she catches her husband in the laundry room with a gorgeous 20-something. What is she suppose to think? What do you think?.. You don't think something happened in there, do you? Something did happen in there... but its not entirely what you think, maybe a little... The mystery, the needing to know who this gorgeous girl is! We soon find out that her name is Jackie, and she knows things - she knows everything about Allie, her family, her finances, mostly her husband. Allie's world is crumbling, but Jackie asks her to hold on for a bit longer, trust her and in the end, she'll be happy that she did. How is Allie suppose to trust someone who has had a relationship with her husband? Who knows things that they shouldn't know? Who is so vague with information but yet so smart and honest? Let the page-turning novel speak for itself - I couldn't read it fast enough!I must say, as wonderful the story and writing is, it took me a few chapters to get used to these characters - but like in real life, sometimes you have to get to know people in order to understand them. Each character is extremely flawed - a few I completely understood why they were the way that they were. Allie's denial and wanting to stick up for her husband and all the men in her life was annoying at times - but she has her reasons and I could not hold that against her. The author did an outstanding job with letting us into her head with flashbacks and explanations. But, her husband Wade and her boss Murray where undeniably chauvinistic, mean, bossy and so much more. They annoyed me and I just wanted to scream. The author really goes in deep and shows the competitive side to business, and how that can control people's lives. She really outdid herself with the realism of it all! These people do exist and if a character gets under my skin that much, the author did her job! Especially depicting the NYC life, how busy and crass it can all be! There is a lot of swearing and sexual innuendos, you have been warned.Holly Peterson really understands the difficulties within unique and intense relationships and explores it all in great detail, heart with a splash of humor. This is more than just a beach read - it's a must read! Go enjoy it now!

[bookchickdi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Holly Peterson's newest novel, The Idea of Him, Allie is a PR whiz, toiling away for years for Murray Hillsinger and his clients, mostly people in the entertainment business who want a higher profile or who want people to forget their misdeeds. Her big project is the Fulton Film Festival, whose big investor is Max Rowland, a Texas garage magnet who just finished serving a prison sentence for fraud.She is married to Wade, the editor of a Meter, a Vanity Fair-style magazine that profiles big stars, and in the past broke big stories about corruption. Times are tough for Meter, like most print magazines, and Wade is struggling to maintain his position in a world where anyone who reads magazines reads them on their Ipad or tablet.When Allie catches Wade in their laundry closet with a hot young woman during a party she is helping Wade throw for Meter advertisers, she is devastated. She caught Wade cheating years ago when their young daughter was just a baby, but she believed that to be a one-time thing.She confronts Wade and he hisses that she doesn't understand, he'll explain later. Allie then chases after the woman, Jackie, who tells Allie that she wasn't having sex with her husband, but she was looking for a flash drive Wade had that she needed.Jackie weaves a crazy story that implicates Wade, Allie's boss Murray and his investor Max in some complicated financial scheme that she claims she will eventually explain to Allie, but right now she needs Allie's help.Allie is thrown for a loop; why should she trust this complete stranger whom she believes is having an affair with her husband? Jackie seems to always be around in the background when there is trouble; is she the cause or is she telling Allie the truth?Allie now wonders if she made a mistake marrying Wade instead of her best friend since high school James, who became a doctor working overseas to help children (think Doctors Without Borders). She and James still talk frequently, and they have a complicated past that began during a traumatic experience.She also is attracted to Tommy, whom she met in her screenwriting class. Tommy is young, hot and reckless and he pursues Allie relentlessly. There are a few explicit sex scenes that may leave readers hot and bothered.Given that this week's biggest story is about stock market manipulation as described in Michael Lewis's book Flash Boys, the timing of The Idea of Him with its similar theme is fortuitous. I confess that although my knowledge of the financial markets is rather limited, I found this storyline fascinating.Another theme is women relying on men to take care of them. Allie relied on James, then married Wade because he reminded her of her late father, and nearly jumped into a relationship with Tommy while still married. Will she take a step back and realize that she is strong enough to take charge of her own life? That is another interesting aspect of the novel.I have to say that I usually don't completely dislike characters, but I found Wade to be despicable. His behavior towards his wife was appalling and I found it hard to believe that Allie ever found anything redeeming about him. There is also another minor character who is just as awful, but to name her would be a spoiler; when you read it, you'll find out who she is.The mystery of what exactly Wade is involved in elevates this novel above the usual chick lit. I enjoyed trying to figure out who was doing what to whom and the resolution is satisfying. The setting is New York City, and Peterson nails the arrogant entitlement attitude of some of the one percenters.