“They were one of the most iconic couples of the nineties,” writes author Amy Odell of Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt. They were both beautiful and stylish, and they had the same shag hairstyle for a while.

Odell reveals fresh information about their affair in her new book Gwyneth: The Biography, a fascinating look at the 52-year-old star’s life, which is featured exclusively in this week’s PEOPLE.

In 1993, Paltrow auditioned for the romantic western Legends of the Fall, which led to their first meeting. Although she didn’t land the job (Julia Ormond did), their relationship blossomed, leading to Pitt’s proposal to cast her as his wife in the 1995 thriller Se7en.

Paltrow was also given a role in Feeling Minnesota, which stars Keanu Reeves. Unsure which to accept, Odell writes, “She spoke with a friend, who responded, ‘Well, who do you want to date, Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves?’ Gwyneth selected Se7en and Pitt, while Cameron Diaz accepted the Feeling Minnesota role.”

After two years of dating, they were engaged in Argentina in December 1996.

“Her dad [Bruce Paltrow] loved Brad,” Odell adds. “Her friends adored Brad. They believed he was the nicest person.

Nonetheless, the article claims that Paltrow was concerned. “Gwyneth expressed doubts to a crew member [while making the 1996 film Emma] that Pitt was right for her and admitted she had a crush on Hugh Grant.”

“He was brought up very religious, in Missouri,” according to Odell. “It’s simply a whole different world than hers; growing up in Manhattan and going to Spence, I believe she believed he wasn’t intellectual enough for her. She believed she was brighter, more educated, and more sophisticated.”

The book also includes an interview Paltrow conducted about the divide between their cultures. “Brad and I have very different upbringings,” she told the journalist. “So when we go to restaurants and order caviar, I have to say to Brad, ‘This is beluga, and this is osetra.'”

They parted up in mid-1997. When Paltrow spoke on the Call Me Daddy podcast in 2023, she said that she ended their engagement because she wasn’t ready to marry, adding that she was still “totally heartbroken when we broke up.”

“It was the right thing at the time, but it was incredibly difficult,” Paltrow revealed. “There were a number of things that had happened; he was nine years older than me—he knew what he wanted, he was ready to do it, and I was kind of all over the place.”

” I thought, ‘Oh my God, not only am I not ready, but I’m not living up to the standards again.'” “It was a familiar refrain I had about myself,” she explained.