Introduction

When thirty-nine-year old Solène Marchand takes her daughter to meet her favorite boy band, the last thing she expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.

What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate and genuine relationship. When Solène and Hayes’ romance becomes a viral sensation, Solène must face how her romantic life has impacted the lives of those she cares about most.

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Excerpt

las vegas


I suppose I could blame it all on Daniel.

Two days before my planned getaway to Ojai, he showed up at the house in a tux with our daughter, Isabelle, in tow. He’d left the car running in the driveway.

“I can’t do the Vegas trip,” he said, thrusting a manila envelope in my hand. “I’m still working on the Fox deal and it’s not going to close anytime soon.”

I must have looked at him in disbelief because he followed that up with:

“I’m sorry. I know I promised the girls, but I can’t. You take them. Or I’ll eat the tickets. Whatever.”

An unopened package of Da Vinci Maestro Kolinsky brushes was lying on the entry table, alongside a set of thirty-six Holbein watercolors. I’d spent a fortune at Blick stocking up on materials for my artist retreat. They were, like the trip to Ojai, my gift to myself. Forty-eight hours of art and sleep and wine. And now my ex-husband was standing in my living room in formal black tie and telling me there’d been a change of plans. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. There are numerous examples in fiction—and movies—of older men–younger women couples, everything from Jane Eyre to Pretty Woman. But there are very few examples of the reverse. Why do you think that is?

2. Talk about the differences between the male gaze and the female gaze—is Robinne Lee reclaiming something for women that’s traditionally been the province of men? Or is she trying to create a new dynamic when it comes to romantic relationships?

3. Despite his being only twenty, one of the appealing things about Hayes is that he’s not a typical twenty-year-old. He may make pop culture, but he doesn’t seem mired in it. Do you agree? In what ways does he show his age? And in what ways does he seem more mature than his chronological age?

4. How does Solène’s opinion of August Moon change over the course of the novel?

5. Does Solène make the right choice at the end of the novel? In your opinion, does she have her priorities straight? Or is she in some ways martyring herself to her responsibilities toward her daughter?

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