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Spoilers for the film and Robinne Lee’s novel. Solène ends her relationship with Hayes because the attention around them is hurting her daughter and putting pressure on her family. Five years later, Hayes returns to Solène’s gallery. Her tearful smile makes a reunion seem possible, but the film ends before showing whether they get back together.
Why Solène ends the relationship
The breakup happens before the film’s final time jump. The relationship’s public scrutiny has affected Solène’s daughter, and Solène decides that continuing with Hayes is too difficult for her family. It is her decision to end things, shaped by the consequences her daughter is facing rather than by a lack of feeling for Hayes.
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The Idea of You | $10.73 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Idea of You | $21.24 | Buy on Amazon |
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What happens when Hayes returns?
After the breakup, Hayes asks Solène to consider the possibility of them again in five years. The film then jumps forward: Hayes comes back to her Los Angeles gallery, and the two see one another. Solène’s tearful smile suggests she is open to the possibility of reconnecting. But the scene stops there. It does not show them making a decision or resuming their relationship.
So, do Solène and Hayes get back together? The film does not confirm that they do. The ending offers a chance to begin again, not a settled happily-ever-after. Galitzine described the final moment to TVLine as “certainly uncertain.”
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Why the film’s ending feels hopeful
The filmmakers leave room for hope without resolving the couple’s future. Producer Cathy Schulman told TheWrap that they wanted viewers to leave thinking “happiness is possible.” Director Michael Showalter put the genre distinction plainly: “This is not a romantic tragedy. This is a romantic dramedy.” He said he wanted the ending to suggest the characters might find each other again.
That intention shapes the final scene: the reunion is shown, but its outcome is withheld. Hope is part of the ending; certainty is not.
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How the movie ending differs from the novel
Both versions have Solène end the relationship because of its effects on her family. The key difference is what comes next: the film adds the five-years-later gallery reunion, while the novel concludes with the breakup.
| Ending detail | Film | Novel |
|---|---|---|
| What happens to the relationship? | Hayes returns to Solène’s gallery after five years; the film implies a possible reconnection but does not confirm one. | The breakup is the conclusion; no later reunion is shown. |
| Why Solène ends it | Public attention around the relationship is affecting her daughter and family. | Solène also ends the relationship because of its effects on her family. |
| How the romance resolves | Open-ended, with a hopeful possibility. | Concludes with the separation. Solène tells Hayes, “Maybe it wasn’t you. Maybe it was the idea of you.” |
Author Robinne Lee has described the novel’s view of love as one in which profound feeling does not always overcome bad timing and real-life obligations. She also said she did not set out to write a conventional romance with an expected happy ending, but considered the book contemporary women’s fiction. Those comments speak to the novel’s approach; the film deliberately gives its ending a more hopeful opening. See ELLE’s comparison of the book and film endings.
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