Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Alone with You in the Ether

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

129 reviews

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.

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kassandrahernandez482's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If you have lived a privileged life and are depressed looking for love, you might find this book is for you.
The language around the sex scenes was crass. More than a love story, it seemed like the characters are fetishizing each other. The writing style was also unconventional. I was entertained, just wouldn't reread or recommend.

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crystalsbookshelf's review against another edition

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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.

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paigeinthepages_sg's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

5.0

A story of love, art, math, time, and bees. A study of what it means to be human and to be loved. This novel by Olivie Blake now holds the title of my favorite book. Blake's unique style shifts throughout the book, allowing you to see the story unfold from different angles. I found it impossible not to adore Aldo the theoretical mathematician and what he learns from the elusive Charlotte Regan in six conversations.

This is the first book I have ever tried annotating and it was an incredible experience, I found myself wanting to underline half the book. Here are some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes:

"Was it contrived, god descending from machine, or was it because she had been vacant where he was vacant, and therefore both would inevitably seek to be filled?"

"He contemplates formulas and degrees of rationality and they all turn into her. He thinks about time, which has only recently begun, or at least now feels different. He thinks: The Babylonians were wrong; time is made of her."

"Yes it is perilously wonderful to suffer so sweetly with you"

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