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alysereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Oof. I wanted to love this book, but I didn’t. I found the writing nearly impossible to keep my interest because it was so flowery. So slow and the ending overall was unsatisfying. Felt unfinished.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Addiction
_charliesbooks_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Mental illness, Cursing, Alcohol, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
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
litleo's review against another edition
emotional
tense
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
4.0
I loved how intense they showed their love for one another but by the end there’s so much said about how they feel about one another and it’s just very complicated. I really wanted to love it but it was hard to get past some harmful plot points.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Addiction, and Toxic relationship
cooloquirk's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
clarelisabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
2.5
This book really fell flat for me. I was trying to get out of a reading slump and thought this would be quick and thought-provoking, and I was utterly disappointed. The middle third of the book, the conversations between Aldo and Regan, was the best part for me and I was totally on board. The last couple parts were confusing, frustrating, and completely backtracked on the character development we read up to that point. The way this book markets itself as a “love story” and “utterly romantic” is mildly disturbing to me since both characters (and the relationship in general) are deeply flawed and toxic. The writing style tries so hard to be deep and philosophical that I feel like any potency it had is lost in the complicated sentences, constant switches in structure, and overuse of academic jibber jabber. I see why this book was so enchanting to some but it was a huge miss for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse
gtutu5'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I didn’t know what to expect from this book because Jack Edwards spoke highly of it but when reading the blurb I couldn’t envision myself liking it at all! Nonetheless, I was surprised. The writing was sublime and I found the first few chapters enthralling and poetic. I loved how their relationship is developed at the start and how the reader gets a first seat to their relationship building, even before it becomes romantic. Sometimes two characters in a book fall in love and it’s not remotely believable, but I really enjoyed them together. I loved the buildup between their six conversations, and I found the church scene so wildly sensual, even though nothing happens. Again, the writing had me in a chokehold. Once the character got together and generally in the second part the pace was less effective, and also I didn’t enjoy a big chunk of the text being in 3rd person, I wish I could have been inside their heads instead. At times I wasn’t a fan of how codependency and going off your meds were portrayed and had i not read the acknowledgements i would be much more wary of it. All in all, the relationship or the characters may be quite flawed but I ended up rooting for them and enjoying it so much
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Addiction
Minor: Suicide attempt
lucyswarby's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Drug abuse
saoreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book takes you on some mind-f*ck emotional experience—the phases of falling in love that are not exactly defined in the usual ways—it speaks in another language, differing from the means of poetry or typical romance. There's truth and nonsense and ecstatic to an escalation that relentlessly pulls you forward to the center stage, not being a part of ridicule but being a part of one's imaginary world (2 worlds with the main characters)—absorbing to curating images of personas—is that really the person? or a made-up one? The concepts of change and obsessions with it, the repertoire of control and not having it at the same time. This book is posed with humor and sarcasm, making you psychologically challenged, and it was absolutely delivered with as much perfection as possible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Abandonment, Addiction, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
bia21nka's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Drug use
Minor: Mental illness