Books like “The Idea of You”

What to read after “The Idea of You” by Robinne Lee: a list matched by tropes, mood and atmosphere. Under each book you will see what it has in common.

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1
Birthday Girl
Penelope Douglas · 2018
Same genre: “Contemporary romance”
- Age Gap Romance
- Forbidden Love
When nineteen-year-old Jordan and her boyfriend have nowhere else to go, they move in with his father, Pike. Sharing the house, she finds in the guarded older man the steadiness her life has lacked, and they both fight an attraction that is off-limits by every rule that matters.
2
Part of Your World
Abby Jimenez · 2022
Same genre: “Contemporary romance”
- Age Gap Romance
- Forbidden Love
ER doctor Alexis is thirty-seven and boxed in by her wealthy surgical family's plans for her. In the small town of Wakan she meets Daniel, a carpenter and mayor nine years younger, and a casual fling turns into a love that neither of their separate worlds seems willing to allow.
3
The Sweetest Oblivion
Danielle Lori · 2018
Similar plot moves: “Age Gap Romance” and “Forbidden Love”
- Age Gap Romance
- Forbidden Love
Elena is the favoured, docile daughter of a mafia boss, expected to keep the family's reputation spotless. When her sister is arranged to marry Nicolas Russo, a feared Made Man from a rival family, Elena is drawn into his orbit against her better judgment. He is rude, dangerous and always near, and the attraction between them turns a family alliance into a scandal waiting to happen.
4
Funny Feelings
Tarah DeWitt · 2022
Same genre: “Contemporary romance”
- Age Gap Romance
Stand-up comic Farley and her grumpy manager Meyer have been best friends and secret crushes for years. When a television opportunity requires a stable image, they fake a relationship, and the line between performance and real love disappears.
5
Red, White & Royal Blue
Casey McQuiston · 2019
Same genre: “Contemporary romance”
- Forbidden Love
A public spat between the US president's son Alex and Britain's Prince Henry forces their handlers to stage a friendship for the cameras. What starts as reluctant damage control turns into late-night texts and a secret romance that neither man can keep hidden for long.
6
The Thorn Birds
Colleen McCullough · 1977
Similar plot moves: “Age Gap Romance” and “Star-Crossed Lovers”
On a sheep station in the Australian outback, Meggie Cleary grows up in the shadow of a family curse. She falls in love with Ralph de Bricassart, a priest whose ambition pulls him towards Rome, and the two stay bound to each other for decades by a love they can never openly have.
7
Hush, Hush
Becca Fitzpatrick · 2009
Similar plot moves: “Star-Crossed Lovers” and “Forbidden Love”
- Star-Crossed Lovers
- Forbidden Love
Nora Grey keeps her head down until her biology partner, the aloof Patch, starts appearing wherever she goes. He knows too much, says too little, and seems to want her for reasons he will not name. Falling for him means choosing a side in a fallen angel's ancient struggle.
8
The Charm Offensive
Alison Cochrun · 2021
Same genre: “Contemporary romance”
- Forbidden Love
Anxious tech genius Charlie is the reluctant star of a reality dating show, and producer Dev is tasked with helping him connect with the contestants. Behind the cameras their unlikely friendship turns into a romance that neither can script.
9
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Taylor Jenkins Reid · 2017
Similar plot moves: “Star-Crossed Lovers” and “Forbidden Love”
- Star-Crossed Lovers
- Forbidden Love
A young magazine reporter is chosen to write the life story of a fading film star, Evelyn Hugo. Over days of interviews Evelyn reveals seven marriages, a long-hidden love and the cost of the fame she built.
10
Love and Other Words
Christina Lauren · 2018
Same genre: “Contemporary romance”
As teenagers Macy and Elliot spent every weekend trading books in a closet and slowly falling in love, until one night tore them apart. Eleven years later they meet again in San Francisco, and the friendship and heartbreak they buried come rushing back as they decide whether to try once more.
11
One Day in December
Josie Silver · 2018
Same genre: “Contemporary romance”
- Forbidden Love
Laurie locks eyes with a stranger through a bus window and spends a year searching for him, only to meet him again as her best friend's new boyfriend. Across ten years of friendship, missed chances and other relationships, the two circle a connection they are never free to act on.
12
The Kiss Quotient
Helen Hoang · 2018
Same genre: “Contemporary romance”
Stella, a successful econometrician with autism, finds dating and physical touch bewildering, so she hires escort Michael to tutor her in intimacy. The arrangement is meant to stay businesslike, but their lessons turn into genuine feeling, and both must work through the past before they can trust it.