Crash Into Me

by Robinne Lee (Author, Narrator)

In a complicated marriage and raising her children in Los Angeles’s toxic playground of privilege and power, Cecilia Chen is struggling to find her real self among the many labels assigned to wife, mother, artist, daughter.

Until the moment she crashes–literally–into the Anouk Ferrand. It’s been twenty years since she last encountered the enigmatic model on a photo shoot in Mexico.

And it’s this chance second meeting that will upend Cecilia’s life.

Seeing Anouk again forces Cecilia to revisit their brief time together and question where she truly fits in. Can the renewed intensity of her explosive physical and emotional entanglement with Anouk finally give her an answer?

In a sharply observed evolution from her blockbuster debut, The Idea of You, Robinne Lee delivers a completely new, propulsive story layered with desire, power, and identity.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Summer Reads, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Beach Reads, Book Club

13 pages, Audible Audio

Expected publication July 7, 2026

About the author

ROBINNE LEE is the bestselling author of The Idea of You which has been translated into two dozen languages and was adapted into a record-breaking feature film for Amazon Studios. Her second novel Crash into Me will be released in July of 2026. A graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, Lee is also an actress and producer with numerous credits in both television and film. She currently resides in Paris with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Lindsay L]

DNF at 23%

Too artsy and fashion focused for my liking. A main plot point is highly implausible for me so I cannot buy into the entire premise. This is not for me.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

[Kelani]

The way that The Idea of You has been living rent free in my head 😭😭 I will count down the days until Robinne Lee delivers another masterpiece

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more than a romance: a searing look at identity and the 1%.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Robinne Lee’s Crash Into Me (releasing 7.7.26), and my best advice is to go into this one blind. While I expected a standard romance about growth and change, Lee delivers something much more complex. At the heart of the story is the ill-fated, unexpected reunion between Cecilia Chen and Anouk Ferrand. After twenty years apart, a chance meeting forces them to confront a past they both swore to bury.

The romance is just the tip of the iceberg. We follow Cecilia, a Jamaican-Chinese immigrant who has spent two decades in France, as she relocates her family to the alien landscape of Los Angeles, while her husband Francois directs the next big Hollywood film.
Watching her navigate the Hollywood elite while grappling with American realities, such as gun culture, racial profiling, and the isolation of being the only Black woman in the room, was incredibly moving.

“To be a negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost all the time.”

The relationship between Francois and Cecilia is strained - there's a backstory that is complicated, unsure of itself, and on the brink of collapse. Cecilia is discovering who she is as a mother, wife, and in a talented career as a photographer. But what truly defines her? How important is it to be a woman of color who stands on her ground, and has to do it all?

"We don’t lose our beauty. It simply changes. this for the first time, wrinkles and all. I think about actresses who have been in the limelight for twenty, thirty, forty years—and my heart aches for them, a little. Because they’re constantly being compared to their younger selves.”

While this book takes place before a certain election occurs, it has a lot of resemblance to what is happening now. I learned a lot about the different cultures and races in the islands, colonization, and how we perceive the rich and constantly evolving people who have come from the islands around us.

"A series of portraits featuring mixes of West African and English and Scottish and Irish and German and Chinese and Indian and Syrian and Lebanese and Taino and Arawak.."

“We’re not safe here,” I say, my voice soft. “The way their politicians talk about immigrants, Fran . . . And these frightened, armed police . . . We’re not safe. Your kids are not safe.”

This is a propulsive, deep dive into complicated marriages, the weight of status, and finding love in the wreckage of the past. Robinne Lee is a master of her craft and I cannot wait to see what she does next!

Thank you St. Martin for the ARC! #CrashIntoMeNovel #RobinneLee #StMartinsPress

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

•Slow burn
•Forbidden romance
•Second chance romance
•Dual timelines

3.75/5⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️


Thank you to St Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio for graciously providing me advanced copies in exchange for my honest reviews. Robinne's narration was amazing, as always!

[Jamie Rosenblit · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you picked this up expecting The Idea of You 2.0, toss out your expectations. I'm not quite sure how to categorize this, there are romantic, erotic elements, but it is not a romance. It fits more in women's fiction with exploration of race and class and how that impacts raising children. Unfortunately, this missed the mark for me.

Thank you to St. Martins for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Maren’s Reads]

DNF @ 18% : I can see the beauty in this book. The prose is raw and lyrical, and the stream-of-consciousness quality is a technique many enjoy. However, the pacing on this book is slower than I enjoy, and it’s the one thing that’s preventing me from being able to fully lock in to the story. I have put it down and started again multiple times, only to have the same unfortunate issue. This makes me incredibly sad given its ranking at the top of my most anticipated books of 2026.

🎧 I absolutely loved Robinne Lee as narrator of her debut novel, but I cannot help but feel that her more monotone narration only served to enhance the pacing issue I was already having.

I think those who enjoy quiet, everyday literary fiction will love this one. If it’s been on your radar, and this is the type of book you tend to gravitate towards, please give it a try.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies.

[Nikole (literarily_occupied) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars

As a long time fan of The Idea of You (OG Hayesolnut since 2018 👋) I could not wait to read Robinne's next book.

Crash Into Me has some similarities to TIOY in that the lead is a successful woman in the art world who has made a name for herself in a field traditionally dominated by men. But, there are many differences as well, such as the exploration of a sapphic romance and experiencing the life of a woman of color as told through a dual timeline.

Crash Into Me did not utterly shatter my heart like TIOY, but it did evoke a gamut of emotional responses that were deeply impactful.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and St. Martin's Press for the digital Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kelsey McGee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Idea of You is in my Mount Rushmore of romance novels…

Naturally, I am extremely disappointed by this as it was the book I had been looking for the most in 2026. I did not enjoy this. It was not at all a feel good romance book. It was mostly about how class and race affects motherhood and raising children with a sprinkle of politics mixed in. Which of course was not feel-good in the slightest.

I would have read a nonfiction book if I wanted to remember how bad the world is right now.

[Lianna Cohen (GetLitWithLianna) · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★

Wow. This completely blew me away. It’s a powerful, thought-provoking look at womanhood, parenthood, society, and art…and it was nothing like I expected in the best possible way.

The writing is so immersive and emotionally real that I felt like I was living inside the story. You don’t need to share the characters’ exact experiences to feel deeply connected—this book makes you feel everything. It’s surprising, different, and has really stayed with me. Highly, highly recommend. Another smash hit for Robinne Lee ❤️

[Lindsey Innocente · Rating 1 out of 5]

It hurts me to do this but I have to DNF. I am not having a good time. Actually I’m having a really bad time attempting to get into this. There are entire sentences in French. I do not speak French. This is affecting the plot quite a bit. It is so art and fashion focused and I’m just not vibing with that at all.
There is so much focus on race and politics right out of the gate. I just do not enjoy, unfortunately. It just feels like a lot of effort to even want to pick the book up.


I genuinely hope this book finds its audience but if you want to read this bc you loved TIOY, I’m not sure this will be a winner.

Thank you SMP & Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Amee]

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. I requested Crash Into Me because I adored The Idea of You, and authors name stuck out to me. Unfortunately this wasn’t for me. DNF @ 30%

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 30%

I got this as an ARC and tried so hard to power through it but I couldn’t do it. 100 pages of the main character describing how rich and attractive and talented all the people in her life are with no actual plot. Not for me :(

[Zehava (Joyce) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely my most anticipated book of 2026. The Idea of You, Robinne Lee’s first book, is one of my favorite books of all time. Some people like to write that book off as some silly story about a boy band but at its core it is a very deep story. If you listen to Robinne Lee talk about writing that book (which I have done…..for hours 🫣) you know how seriously she takes her craft and her characters. Her fans have known for years that she was working on a second book and now it has finally arrived. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy but I was almost afraid to read it. When you go into a book with these kinds of expectations how is it possible for the book to ever live up to them?
So this rambling preface aside, I really really liked this book. It is not the Idea of You. It is not a romance at all but it is a look at the life of one woman, who has everything you could ever want, but still she feels like she is an other, like she has no place and does not fit in. Cecilia Chen is a successful photographer married to a Hollywood superstar director, with 2 children. She has the beauty, the money, the looks, the status, but she finds herself floundering when she moves from France to Los Angeles for her husband’s work. She meets a woman from her past and they embark upon a torrid affair that brings up painful memories for both of them.
This book explores so many themes: belonging, casual racism, marriage and fidelity. In some ways I didn’t like Cecilia. She was hypocritical in her anger towards her husband and his infidelity while engaging her own affair, and some of her concerns about raising a family in America seemed pretty hysterical and disconnected from reality. I also didn’t think that the past storyline in Cabo added all that much to the story and the ultimate (drawn out) reveal didn’t really amount to much. Despite any of these complaints I could still tell how much Robinne put into this story and I really appreciated it and enjoyed it and was in a good amount of suspense about how it would end (this honestly could have been a killer thriller with some different editing.)
I read part of this book and listened to a lot of it on audio. Listening to this story in Robinne’s voice adds an entire layer to this story that I really loved. She is an actress so it makes sense that she would be an excellent audiobook narrator, but she is certainly one of the top in the business. Robinne, narrate more books!
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and Macmillan audio for advanced electronic and audio copies of this book.

[Lexi E]

Well, I'm officially dnf-ing one of my most anticipated reads of 2026 at 35% and I'm feeling quite conflicted about it. I went into this knowing it would be nothing like the Idea of You, and was totally fine with that, but the ramblings on of rich, talented people with endless descriptions everyone's looks, and designer items just got so repetitive and vapid.

Lee's prose is still stylish and elegant, but I'm afraid this novel has a case of the "Trying to Say Something About Literally Everything". Simply put, there is commentary entirely too many subjects. It got exhausting to parse through opinions on wealth/the 1%, colorism, sexual orientation, gun violence, raising non-white children in the US, immigration, infidelity, and SA in passing breaths with little to say about each topic (the conversation surrounding raising non-white children in the US was probably the best in the novel, but was still not drawing me in).

I was further annoyed by the journal entries posing as flashbacks, written in a way that felt nothing like journal entries.

The final straw for me was Cecelia's hypocritical attitude, I simply couldn't be in her head any longer. Her constant complaining of not wanting her children to be raised around the 1% while being incredibly pretentious and the constant mentions of designer items in her inner monologue. There's commentary on motherhood but when her husband mentions that she might hang out with other moms and her response was to scoff and ask she should exchange cookie recipes with them. GIRL YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!

[Sarah (heartfeltthrills) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.75 stars rounded up mainly because this genre felt too new and me not in the right mind space at the same time*

Who am I anymore reading this very languid, artsy, mature romance that is entangled in fuzzy traumatic memories?! Totally out of my wheelhouse but am glad to have given it a go nonetheless.

Portraying rather delicate romances, feelings, experiences, identities, ethnicities and lives that don’t fit in neat boxes. Representation matters. This book is a valiant attempt at lifting the veil to unravel this beauty in midst of the other mundane things that continue all the same.
“The whole world within. So inspiring.”

“You’re going to be okay,” she says to me. It’s not a question. “Awful things happen, and we heal.”
“Twenty-seven isn’t sexy. Twenty-seven is a toddler who can’t run without falling down. Life doesn’t get exciting until thirty-six.”

How and where do we belong when we don’t? Will we grow wherever we are planted? Or is that a quality only few possess? Isn’t everything beauty and our consumption of it?

Such a thought provoking read, I see you Robinne Lee!

Thanking St. Martin’s Press for gifting me this ARC through NetGalley for my honest review.

[Dori Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Robinne Lee’s first book, The Idea of You, though I didn’t love it the way others seemed to. Still, I was excited to read her next book. Unfortunately this fell flat for me. I got into it quickly but by 20% I was bored. I started skimming, which is never a good sign. I also don’t love the short sentences and felt disconnected from the story. Other review say it eventually picks up but I gave up before finding out, though I did skim further and still felt bored. Life’s too short and all that.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Kelly (miss_kellysbookishcorner) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title: Crash Into Me
Author: Robinne Lee
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.00
Pub Date: July 7, 2026

I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies from St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Layered • Frivolous • Sensual

📖 S Y N O P S I S

When Cecilia Chen finds herself in an accident shortly after a move to Los Angeles, she’s shocked to recognize the swan-necked beauty in the other car as the Anouk Ferrand. It’s been twenty years since she last encountered the enigmatic model on a photo shoot in Mexico. And it’s this chance second meeting that will upend Cecilia’s life.

In a complicated marriage to a French film director whose career—once seemingly so allied with Cecilia’s as a photographer—has catapulted beyond hers, and raising her children on the westside of Los Angeles, a toxic playground of privilege and power, Cecilia is forced to take stock of her emotional history. From an early love—a Connecticut establishment foil to Cecilia’s Jamaican immigrant upbringing—that she’d thought was true, to the many stages of life with her husband François, Cecilia questions where she truly fits in. Can the intensity of her explosive physical and emotional entanglement with Anouk finally give her the answer?

💭 T H O U G H T S

Crash Into Me was a highly anticipated 2026 release, and one of the books I thought I would find myself recommending readers add to their summer TBRs. Unfortunately, that will not be the case and this one truly missed the mark.

First off, I'll be completely honest in saying I struggle with the infidelity trope and it is central to the plot here. As a result, I felt zero emotional connection to any of the characters from the very beginning and really didn't care what happened to any of them. Because of this it made it extremely difficult to want to pick it back up anytime I put it down.

Secondly, the author had trouble picking a lane, simply trying to do too much! Because so much is being covered at once, the pacing suffers greatly and every storyline sort of gets lost in the shuffle. Taken individually each storyline offered something important, yet as a whole they were too much. To say the book needed an extra polish would be a definite understatement.

And to top it all off, the payoff at the end wasn't all that satisfying and left me wishing for my time with this book back. I understand what the author was trying to do, yet the execution just wasn't there.

While I typically enjoy a memoir read by the author, in this case, Robinne Lee's narration of her own book left a lot to be desired. It's read in a flat and monotone voice, which was maybe the point with these wealthy and spoiled characters, but she truly fails to bring any emotion into her own story. As a result, I was kept at an emotional distance throughout the entire book.

In a nutshell, Crash Into Me was overwritten and an actual chore to get through. Marketed as a romance, the romance actually takes a back seat to the social commentary on marriage, race, and class. In my opinion, it felt like attempting to cram two books into one and coming up short. At this point, I just think this author is not for me.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• rich people
• complicated relationships

⚠️ CW: infidelity, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, sexual content, sexual assault, body shaming, fatphobia, classism, racism, racial slurs, sexism, drug use, overdose, suicidal thoughts, car accident

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"And I begin to think that whatever detours we have taken these past few years - whatever meandering journey through art and muses and infidelities - maybe all along we've been heading toward the same place."

[ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn]

This one is such a difficult review for me to write.
I've been so excited to read Crash Into Me since I got an early copy months ago, but I decided to read it closer to publication. I am a huge fan of TIOY. SO much so that I’ve read it multiple ways (audio, ebook, physical book) and have reread it again and again. With how well that book was written and the emotions it evoked in me, my expectations for the sophomore book from Robinne Lee were extraordinarily high. Unfortunately, this one did not work for me. The characters and story itself felt so disconnected and like it was trying to include a lot of different messages. From racism to classism, to affairs to raising children, to sexual assault, there was just a lot of ground to cover and overall, it just felt off.

I both read an ARC and listened to the ALC and felt like I was pushing myself to get through it. While the narration from the author herself captured the overall essence of the protagonist, I was still left not connecting with the story itself.

[Jackie]

I kept waiting for the moment this would pull me in, and it just never did. Not for lack of trying either, I went back to it three separate times on audio, thinking maybe it was just a timing thing, but the connection I was hoping for never showed up.

It came down to feeling a step removed the whole way through. The characters didn’t quite land, and the story never fully drew me in, which made it hard to stay invested.

I’m not writing Robinne Lee off. I’d definitely give her next book a chance and hope it’s one I connect with more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Michelle’s Library]

Dnf 60% in. I was really excited about this book because I absolutely love The Idea of You but I just don’t really understand the point of this book. Cheating on your spouse because he cheated on you? Get a divorce. Go to therapy.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Idea of You fans, take note: Robinne Lee’s second novel is not a sequel, but it may be even better.

If you’re expecting a follow-up, this isn’t it. Instead, what you get is a true women’s fiction masterpiece. Its writing is rich and layered. Robinne Lee’s writing has a way of pulling you in, bringing every moment and emotion to life. I went into this book blind and recommend that you do too!

The story opens with Cecelia experiencing a small “accident” that quickly becomes the catalyst for a turning point in her life. From there, the timeline spans 1996 and back to 2015/2016, weaving past and present together in a way that feels seamless.

Through Cecelia’s eyes, as a naive young woman in 1996 and later as a mother of two navigating life years later, Robinne Lee explores complex themes like marriage, infidelity, identity, race, and age. At its core, the story is about rediscovery and the lasting impact of relationships, especially when Cecelia reconnects with someone. I don't want to give away the book; just trust that Robinne Lee has once again written a thoughtful, emotional, and beautifully written book.

This one will stay with you long after you’ve finished.

[Emily Barnes Carnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give 2 star reviews, but this one was hard for me to get through. I normally finish audio books pretty quickly, but this took me a while because I wasn’t excited to see what happened next.
I didn’t expect this to be a “happily ever after”, but most of it was just depressing to me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced copy audio version.

[Katie Herklotz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dang, can Robinne Lee write a book or what?! I don't normally write long reviews for Goodreads, but seeing the lukewarm reception to this book makes me want to evangelize it any way that I can.

Cecilia is a Jamaican American photographer living in Paris with her filmmaker husband and their two young children. When they move to Los Angeles for her husband's job, Cecilia has to adjust to a very different speed of life. She reconnects, in a dramatic way, with a woman from her past named Anouk. She met Anouk, a young model, years ago on a photography set in Cabo and something goes down between them and around them. When Anouk is brought into Cecilia's life again and brings so much of her past to light, Cecilia is caught between past and present.

I think die hard fans of The Idea of You might be disappointed, but I really hope people give this a try and click with this story eventually, because there is SO much Solene in Cecilia. It really felt like Cecillia was living in the same world as Solene, it felt like they could have been friends or neighbors. These kind of atmospheric details made both books magical to read, so I hope people will realize that similarity, even though it isn't the same kind of romance. This is for readers who find themselves ruminating on their past relationships, what could have been, and why it wasn't.

There was so much tension in this story and I never really knew where the story was going, in the best way. There were points that almost felt like a thriller, I was so on the edge of my seat. Lee is such a master of observation and writing about things you know in your body but have never really thought about before, if that makes sense. She has such astute observations about culture, race, age, and being a woman, I really would recommend this book to anyone!

[Emory McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I love Robinne Lee’s debut The Idea of You and was so excited when her sophomore novel was announced! It feels so good to read her writing again - she has such a specific voice.

If you go into this expecting it to be like The Idea of You you are setting yourself up for disappointment. I recommend wiping Hayes & Solene from your mind before diving in (though Cecilia does have hints of Solene and the setting (art, fashion, wealth, etc.) will remind you of aspects of TIOY).

This is a story about race and identity and class and fidelity (or infidelity). There is romance but it is not a love story. Celine was a compelling and frustrating POV! She felt so tangible to me despite having never so much as bumped shoulders with the upper-upper class.

Though at times meandering and tedious, this is a great read. Particularly if interpersonal dynamics are of interest to you.

I will say, I’ve heard enough about France though.

Welcome back, Robinne Lee! I missed your words!


Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

[Andrea C · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked:
* The writing is beautiful, poetic, intelligent, and sophisticated.
* It thoughtfully explores themes of beauty standards, aging, race, racism, and raising mixed-race children.
*I found social commentary meaningful and worthy of discussion.
What i disliked:
* the plot was weak and the revenge storyline underdeveloped.
* The ending was disappointing and lacked resolution.
* The romance was flat and emotionally lacking, definitely not nearly as passionate as the idea of you; AND expecting another sexy, romantic story like The Idea of You will likely be disappointed.

* Content warnings:
* Cheating/infidelity.
* Sexual assault.

thank you to the publishes for this ARC!

[Jodi Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I adored The Idea of You and while this book is completely different I loved this as well. I don’t want to give too much away because it is best to go into this blind, but this is not a romance at all. It is about a woman coming into her own after a betrayal in her marriage. But it is really about wealth, privilege, classism, sexuality, racism, politics, and is a little bit of a thriller. You can not put this down when you start it.

[Jess Svajgert · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: July 7, 2026

I’ve read The Idea of You multiple times because I love it and was so excited to receive an ARC of this one, alas���

15% in and…what is this even about and why am I reading it?! I am wildly bored and uninvested.

30% in and okay, something is happening.

45% in and everyone is just having affairs? Ew.

52% in and I just can’t anymore.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

It absolutely pains me to write this review because The Idea of You changed my life. One of my favorite books of all time.

I received the ARC of this one through NetGalley and IT WAS PAINFUL. I could never get into the story and often felt like I was reading another language. Which sometimes I was, since it would have whole sentences in French and I don’t speak French. I tried so hard with this book but I eventually just gave up and said it wasn’t for me.

[LAE · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not the book I was expecting when I picked it up but I loved it nonetheless. I love RL’s writing. Her descriptions of art and fashion are beautiful and true to the characters she creates. There are parallels to Solene and Cecilia. Go in with an open mind. It did not disappoint. 🙏🏻

[lianna]

dnf @ 20%

i genuinely still have no idea what i’ve read up to this point and i think part of it has to do with the fact that there are entire sentences in french. i could sort of guess with context clues but even then things weren’t clicking