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nikogatts's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I swore off this author after a disappointing experience with one of her earlier books, but a friend suggested I give Alone With You in the Ether a try and I'm glad I listened to her. Olivie Blake's strengths are clearly in character work, so a contemporary setting with a couple of characters turned out much better than the seven-plus characters and underdeveloped fantasy world of The Atlas Six.
I would characterize this book like I characterize Wuthering Heights (a famous line from which is paraphrased in Part 6 of Ether): not as a romance, but as a love story between two mentally unwell, deeply insufferable people. Alone With You in the Ether is the story of Regan and Aldo and the process through which they fall into an all-consuming love. The author does not shy away from the main characters' insecurities, unhealthy fixations, challenging family dynamics, or cycles of toxicity; instead, these behaviors and relationships are portrayed with the type of honesty that more people should utilize in real life. As their relationship solidifies, Aldo and Regan's bad habits interact -- not being amplified, not disappearing, but coexisting in a way that seems to suit both parties. It would be almost romantic if I didn't find the people involved just so exhausting and their mutual love a bit scary in its obsessiveness. Like with Cathy and Heathcliff, I don't like either of these characters, but their story was compelling.
The one theme that irked me was Regan's relationship to (and avoidance of) psychiatric help. I understand that the author of this book has a similar mood disorder and, like Regan, chooses to live without medication, and she states in the afterword that she's not advocating for others to make the same choice. But I went down a path similar to Regan's when I was younger, believing that it was more "authentic" and creatively freeing to not take medication, that medicating my anxiety and depression was somehow suppressing and stifling me. Eventually, I realized that emotions being "authentic" doesn't make them healthy, and I was able to function much better once I found a medication that worked for me. So while I acknowledge where this part of the story originated, it still rubbed me the wrong way and I'm glad that (without spoiling anything) Regan's approach to her treatment kind of evens out by the end of the book.
I gave this a 3 (point 25-ish) for the above reasons, and because the writing, while good from sentence to sentence, dragged on in some places. The conversations in third person were the worst -- while it's an interesting play on back-and-forth dialogue, it got irritating when the "talking" went on for pages.
I would characterize this book like I characterize Wuthering Heights (a famous line from which is paraphrased in Part 6 of Ether): not as a romance, but as a love story between two mentally unwell, deeply insufferable people. Alone With You in the Ether is the story of Regan and Aldo and the process through which they fall into an all-consuming love. The author does not shy away from the main characters' insecurities, unhealthy fixations, challenging family dynamics, or cycles of toxicity; instead, these behaviors and relationships are portrayed with the type of honesty that more people should utilize in real life. As their relationship solidifies, Aldo and Regan's bad habits interact -- not being amplified, not disappearing, but coexisting in a way that seems to suit both parties. It would be almost romantic if I didn't find the people involved just so exhausting and their mutual love a bit scary in its obsessiveness. Like with Cathy and Heathcliff, I don't like either of these characters, but their story was compelling.
The one theme that irked me was Regan's relationship to (and avoidance of) psychiatric help. I understand that the author of this book has a similar mood disorder and, like Regan, chooses to live without medication, and she states in the afterword that she's not advocating for others to make the same choice. But I went down a path similar to Regan's when I was younger, believing that it was more "authentic" and creatively freeing to not take medication, that medicating my anxiety and depression was somehow suppressing and stifling me. Eventually, I realized that emotions being "authentic" doesn't make them healthy, and I was able to function much better once I found a medication that worked for me. So while I acknowledge where this part of the story originated, it still rubbed me the wrong way and I'm glad that (without spoiling anything) Regan's approach to her treatment kind of evens out by the end of the book.
I gave this a 3 (point 25-ish) for the above reasons, and because the writing, while good from sentence to sentence, dragged on in some places. The conversations in third person were the worst -- while it's an interesting play on back-and-forth dialogue, it got irritating when the "talking" went on for pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Minor: Infidelity and Abandonment
kimzeyk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Beautifully written, even while I found it somewhat anxiety-inducing being inside of the characters’ heads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Infidelity
Minor: Addiction, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
nclausel25's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use and Infidelity
seastheday's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I suffer from mental illness but I’ve dealt with it for years and have an understanding on it and how it affects my life. I think this book may be dangerous to those that don’t fully understand their mental illness or are new to understanding it. The authors note at the end should be a prologue, explaining her reasoning for writing the book. I would definitely steer clear of this book if you are feeling manic or hypomanic.
The book itself is interesting enough to finish. I didn’t want to DNF it. But sometimes the stream of consciousness (you are constantly in the characters thought process instead of formed thoughts) caused the book to be confusing at times. I believe this was done to show the mental illness and how it affects the brain. However, I don’t think it was done in a way that is helpful or inspiring. I ended the book feeling almost sad and annoyed. Annoyed at the characters and the conclusion to their stories. Again, I think this is a dangerous book to read if you are mentally ill or have had crisis’ recently that you have not worked though.
The book itself is interesting enough to finish. I didn’t want to DNF it. But sometimes the stream of consciousness (you are constantly in the characters thought process instead of formed thoughts) caused the book to be confusing at times. I believe this was done to show the mental illness and how it affects the brain. However, I don’t think it was done in a way that is helpful or inspiring. I ended the book feeling almost sad and annoyed. Annoyed at the characters and the conclusion to their stories. Again, I think this is a dangerous book to read if you are mentally ill or have had crisis’ recently that you have not worked though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Infidelity, and Chronic illness
e_riahh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual content, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Cursing
nineinchnails's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
this wasn’t as pretentious as i was expecting. it felt more like blake just used a few big words and flowery prose and it scared off a certain demographic but that’s just me! i really, really loved this. i don’t think it’s perfect but it came really close and scratched a very specific itch for me. it reminds me of normal people (one of my all-time favourite novels) a little but there wasn’t as much depth from aldo as there was with connell so i left this feeling slightly disappointed. the writing style is a little inconsistent but it could be intentional and it does work well for these characters + this story.
this story probably won’t work for people who can’t stand a “no plot just vibes” situation but i was loving it!! even if it is SLIGHTLY pretentious, i would rather a book tries too hard than doesn’t try at all. also i loved all the math stuff despite hating math most of my life. it feels like the phenomenon where someone u care about is obsessed with something super boring but it makes them happy so u love hearing them talk about it. i will definitely reread this when i get the chance because i don’t think i was in the mindset to enjoy it to the fullest this time
this story probably won’t work for people who can’t stand a “no plot just vibes” situation but i was loving it!! even if it is SLIGHTLY pretentious, i would rather a book tries too hard than doesn’t try at all. also i loved all the math stuff despite hating math most of my life. it feels like the phenomenon where someone u care about is obsessed with something super boring but it makes them happy so u love hearing them talk about it. i will definitely reread this when i get the chance because i don’t think i was in the mindset to enjoy it to the fullest this time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Addiction, Suicide attempt, and Drug abuse
Bipolar disordernefariousbee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Mental illness
podanotherjessi's review against another edition
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I am convinced this is the perfect book for someone, but it is absolutely not me. I knew very quickly that I didn't really like this book, but I just couldn't seem to stop it. So I'll say one thing for this book, it is compulsively readable. You can't look away, much like a train wreck.
The one thing I really liked - and the main reason it's not much more lowly rated - was the writing style. It's like definitionally overwritten, but that works for me. I'm very glad the narrator interjections were dropped after part one. Once past that, the writing is really creative and conveys a lot about the characters.
Almost everything else I felt neutral about at best.
Regan feels like such a textbook manic pixie dreamgirl, but I can give this book some credit in that the story doesn't follow the stereotypical plot. But neither character felt like they grew at all in this story. They actually seem to regress, which can be great if it feels intentional, but in this book it felt like the reader was supposed to celebrate the self-destruction of the characters.
But that I could forgive. What I just can't get over in a book that advertises itself as a romance is a romantic pairing I don't root for. I hated this romance. It was incredibly toxic and never felt like love. It felt like obsession and infatuation and not meant to last. And worse, the book made it out that I was the problem. "If you think this is unhealthy, then you just don't get it" was all but said verbatim both in the novel itself and in Blake's author's note.
I do appreciate that not at the end overall. It's clear this is a very personal novel for Blake. But I just couldn't get over the flaws I saw. I didn't even start on the medication and therapy representation in the book. I think this will be a wonderful book for a lot of people, so I don't want to universally un-recommend it. But I just didn't like it much.
The one thing I really liked - and the main reason it's not much more lowly rated - was the writing style. It's like definitionally overwritten, but that works for me. I'm very glad the narrator interjections were dropped after part one. Once past that, the writing is really creative and conveys a lot about the characters.
Almost everything else I felt neutral about at best.
Regan feels like such a textbook manic pixie dreamgirl, but I can give this book some credit in that the story doesn't follow the stereotypical plot. But neither character felt like they grew at all in this story. They actually seem to regress, which can be great if it feels intentional, but in this book it felt like the reader was supposed to celebrate the self-destruction of the characters.
But that I could forgive. What I just can't get over in a book that advertises itself as a romance is a romantic pairing I don't root for. I hated this romance. It was incredibly toxic and never felt like love. It felt like obsession and infatuation and not meant to last. And worse, the book made it out that I was the problem. "If you think this is unhealthy, then you just don't get it" was all but said verbatim both in the novel itself and in Blake's author's note.
I do appreciate that not at the end overall. It's clear this is a very personal novel for Blake. But I just couldn't get over the flaws I saw. I didn't even start on the medication and therapy representation in the book. I think this will be a wonderful book for a lot of people, so I don't want to universally un-recommend it. But I just didn't like it much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Infidelity
crystalsbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book has touched me in the way that no other book has before. it was like looking into a mirror reflected into a mirror and on and on. olivie blake is a beautiful writer and her writing and characters feel real in a way that makes you never want to put the book down.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Sexual content, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Mental illness
katiesbeengone's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Domestic abuse