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writerres27's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Cursing, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
moanareads's review
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Self harm
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Chronic illness, and Addiction
soulmates, love story, time, physics, math, academia, artistic, poetic romancejoensign's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Mental illness, Drug use, and Addiction
Minor: Abandonment
stellahadz'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"Can you love my brain even when it is small? When it is malevolent? When it's violent? Can you love it when it doesn't love me?"
A beautifully written story about two people who connect on an intellectual level and love each other intensely and passionately but destructively. I loved getting to know the characters, even the aspects of them that weren't likable, and I was rooting for them both to heal. I can't say enough about how brilliant Blake's prose is, right down to the acknowledgments at the end of the book; some might find it pretentious, but I love the way she captures the characters' thoughts and emotions. If you liked Normal People, you'll probably like Alone with You in the Ether.
A beautifully written story about two people who connect on an intellectual level and love each other intensely and passionately but destructively. I loved getting to know the characters, even the aspects of them that weren't likable, and I was rooting for them both to heal. I can't say enough about how brilliant Blake's prose is, right down to the acknowledgments at the end of the book; some might find it pretentious, but I love the way she captures the characters' thoughts and emotions. If you liked Normal People, you'll probably like Alone with You in the Ether.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual content
Minor: Drug abuse and Abandonment
miastr's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Drug use, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide attempt
sheilaghs_wheels's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.5
A book about love, but not a romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
haerin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
a love story that isn't romance, in my opinion. i don't think this book is for everyone, especially the way it's written. that being said, it ruined me in a way i cannot explain. i haven't read olivie blake since a couple of her dramione fanfics, and i'm glad this was my first step back into her world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Minor: Suicide attempt and Death of parent
paigehf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
dlrosebyh'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s only January, and it will be most likely impossible to find a better book than Alone With You in the Ether for the whole year. And that says a lot.
I refused to read this book for so long as I kept hearing mixed reviews. Some said that the romance was horrible, some said that the realism made them feel things. I also heard that it was insta-lovey, and I was like ‘no, thank you’.
Alone With You in the Ether is about two people who meet in the armory of the Art Institute by fate. Aldo is a PhD student who, before they met, uses compulsive time travel calculations to control his negative impulses. Regan, on the other side, is a bipolar counterfeit artist receiving treatment under court order. Those things remain the same following their meeting. But everything else is a little bit different. From the time they first meet, Aldo and Regan, who have both eccentric and obsessive personalities, finding it difficult to stay apart. Because of the facts—that she is a crafty liar with a history of self-sabotage, and he is a severely depressed, anti-social theorist—their dependence on one another grows more alarming as their love grows.
Now, if you have known me for a long time, you know that I love a good cry. And as someone who relates to Aldo in a deep and personal level, I definitely did. Truth is, if someone expects this to be a romance novel, then they’re expecting really different things. This love story was definitely not rainbows and sunshine, yet it was so raw and so mesmerizing. And I guess that’s because it’s literary fiction.
This is not my first encounter with Olivia Blake, and as someone who always heard how good the prose in this book is, I was DYING to see how godly it is, and oh. my. god. I felt every word injected to my veins. Every word was crafted perfectly. Literally no misses. Pardon, my beloved philosophers, but THIS is how you understand the human condition. If I was not busy with school, I, for real, would have never put this book down from beginning to end.
If you haven’t read this book yet, I really recommend it to you, and just give it a try. It’s definitely not for everyone, but there is beauty in it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Drug use
Moderate: Drug abuse and Addiction