Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

72 reviews

readerette's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A well written story about two imperfect people trying to make their way in life, who find an imperfect love with one another.

If you are bothered by relationship drama, this may not be a story for you, but I enjoyed the philosophical musings of both characters enough to balance out the drama (I especially resonated with Aldo). I've never had exactly the thoughts or obsessions these two had, but some of their wonderings and worries definitely struck a chord for me that made the book quite an emotional journey.
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cnannery19's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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lauren_shilling's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I expected to enjoy this book, but not nearly as much as I did! It was beautifully written, first of all. The amount of utterly gorgeous quotes in this book is incredible. It's the kind of writing that has the ability to tackle super complex topics and ideas and explain them in ways that both make them make sense (if they need to make sense at all) while also emphasizing just how complex they are. I loved following these two characters. I will never forget about Aldo and Regan and their story. 
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nineinchnails's review

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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
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biobeetle's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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chaos_and_chapters's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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anapsc's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Even though this is a love story, I don’t think it’s a romance (in the traditional sense). 
And if you are a romance reader, I recommend reading the acknowledgements before starting the book!
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hollyleapurtill's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring 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

3.75

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writerres27's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

4.25 stars for Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake. I found the story very satisfying, real, and raw. I enjoyed the vulnerability of the story, the ability to see yourself within the characters (especially in their flaws), and the honesty of the plot progression. Love as a compulsion is a hard thing to capture without seeming flamboyant, but this book certainly does it. It hit me where it hurts in all the right ways, and I have highlights all over my copy.

Because the story is heavily character-driven, I will not be writing separate review sections for the plot and the characters, but instead will write one comprehensive entry.

This story explores the journey of two individuals, floating through life in their own troubled and often conflicting ways. Yet, when their paths cross, everything suddenly seems to make sense, and the things that don't make sense are now something to admire rather than something to...fix. Or avoid. Or destroy. No, these two unlock hidden portions of each other, Aldo finding an element of humanity he otherwise programmed out of himself and Regan discovering the safety necessary to be herself without pretense. Both find something to live for, to die for, something they did not previously realize was possible for themselves. They need it, and yet they are afraid of it. They want it, and yet neither truly has faith in it. Their journey takes twists and turns (pun intended), ultimately circling one central truth: through prosperity or destruction, they will always return Here. It may look different, the route may change, but Here, alone together in the Ether, they will always gravitate back.

Love can be ugly. It can be terrifying. It can be obsessive, compulsive, hyperfixating, addicting, earth-shattering, uplifting, revealing. Blake conveys all of this in its purest form, no sugarcoating or romanticizing (well...maybe a little. it is a romance, after all), just demonstrating. Feeling and understanding and allowing you to feel and understand it, too. This book shows the good, the bad, the ups, the downs, the challenges and rewards of seeking out a companion in the tumultuous, turbulent course of life, especially for those of us who are mentally ill. But in the end, regardless of what it took to get there, the characters are still better for it, and you close the book with a soft smile.
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moanareads's review against another edition

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5.0

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