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A review by cody
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
emotional
reflective
slow-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
3.5
i read the last bit of this book while listening to Beach House’s Depression Cherry, unintentionally lining up the endings perfectly, and it was an experience 😮💨
as for my feelings toward the book as a whole, idk.. it didn’t quite reach the levels i wanted it to. there were a multitude of attempts at poignancy and quotability but not too many successes for me. I also don’t love that the NPC narration only appeared at the beginning and the end of the novel; that made it feel like a gimmick. Blake’s writing has a lot of potential tho, and it didn’t feel as pretentious as it probably should have.
writing aside, the story/relationship itself was captivating. Regan and Aldo felt destined to be together, though the relationship also felt doomed to end catastrophically, and since this is clearly not meant to be a traditional romance novel, i was very much worried as to where the pair would wind up. but i actually love the way it wrapped up, especially after reading the acknowledgments (which might be my fav part of the book lol). though i will say I would’ve liked to spend more time with Regan and Aldo as individuals, not as the two parts of this pair. also was never really able to grasp the
significance of hexagons, but that’s probably a reading comprehension thing
so overall, book good. i <i> adore </i> the concept, even though the execution left a bit to be desired, and i appreciate the commentary on mental health & treatment. i wish this had a bigger impact on me!!
3.5
as for my feelings toward the book as a whole, idk.. it didn’t quite reach the levels i wanted it to. there were a multitude of attempts at poignancy and quotability but not too many successes for me. I also don’t love that the NPC narration only appeared at the beginning and the end of the novel; that made it feel like a gimmick. Blake’s writing has a lot of potential tho, and it didn’t feel as pretentious as it probably should have.
writing aside, the story/relationship itself was captivating. Regan and Aldo felt destined to be together, though the relationship also felt doomed to end catastrophically, and since this is clearly not meant to be a traditional romance novel, i was very much worried as to where the pair would wind up. but i actually love the way it wrapped up, especially after reading the acknowledgments (which might be my fav part of the book lol). though i will say I would’ve liked to spend more time with Regan and Aldo as individuals, not as the two parts of this pair. also was never really able to grasp the
significance of hexagons, but that’s probably a reading comprehension thing
so overall, book good. i <i> adore </i> the concept, even though the execution left a bit to be desired, and i appreciate the commentary on mental health & treatment. i wish this had a bigger impact on me!!
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug use and Suicidal thoughts