This was a decent, solid read, but I don't think it was very memorable. This is more of a character-driven novel, sometimes I like those types of stories, and sometimes they tend to drag. I think this book would've worked better as a novella rather than a novel. During the halfway point, the story started to become stale and stagnant. It's not a bad novel, but nothing special either.

Thank you, Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for the digital ARC.

Mouth to Mouth is structured as a story within a story. Two former college classmates, never particularly close, encounter each other in JFK airport, waiting out a delayed flight, and Jeff Cook, the more charismatic and successful of the two and a renowned art dealer, proceeds to tell the story of his relationship with Francis Arsenault, a man whose life he saved 20 years before in a drowning accident. According to him, he’s never shared the details with anyone before and we’re sucked into listening as he slowly describes first stalking, then being hired by Francis as a low-level employee and eventually becoming both his protégé and his daughter’s lover. As near as he can tell, Francis doesn’t recognize him as the person who gave him CPR but regardless, he sees something in the young man and grooms him as one might a longed-for son. But who is playing with who in this enigmatic friendship?
We’re never quite sure where Jeff’s story is taking us —why does he choose to share this now and is his version the truth or only the spin he’s putting on it? Regardless, I was mesmerized by the convoluted in-and-outs of how the lives of these two men, Jeff and Francis, become entwined, leading to a final page I could not have foreseen. I found myself pondering many open-ended questions after I finished this book. Questions of fateful encounters. Questions of free will and toxic masculinity and men who get off on controlling and manipulating women. Questions of how we tell stories about our lives and what makes a reliable narrator. Highly recommended for readers who don’t mind being challenged by a story that doesn’t wrap up with a neat bow at the end.

My thanks to NetGalley for access to an advanced reader copy. Mouth to Mouth releases January 2022

At first I wasn’t sure about this book. It was interesting enough to keep my attention, but nothing really blew me away until the ending. That alone in my opinion is worth the read.

“He’d dethroned the king, married the princess, and taken over the kingdom”.

A delayed flight at JFK reunited two college classmates. As they wait for their flight in the first class lounge they exchange pleasantries. Then one of the friends, Jeff Cook begins to share an account of an important event that changed the course of his life.

Jeff reveals how preformed CPR and ultimately saved the life of a drowning man. After the rescue, Jeff became preoccupied with finding out more about the man he revived. He discovers the man he saved was prominent art dealer Francis Arsenault. Jeff’s obsession leads him to secure employment at Francis’s art gallery.

Francis doesn’t seem to recognize Jeff, however, he sees something in Jeff that makes him become sort of a mentor for him. Francis shows him the ropes of the art world, and Jeff seems to flourish.

The events that transpired from here culminated in an ending that you have to read to believe.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The New York Times described Mouth to Mouth as an "enthralling literary puzzle" and I could not agree more. From inception, the reader is filled with a slow-burning sense of dread. While not a thriller in the traditional sense, there are moments when the story Jeff is telling just doesn't add up and you're left wondering where the truth really lies. The age-old question of what makes someone "good" and "bad" is told through a refreshing, mystifying lens and the dynamics alone between the narrator and Jeff are unsettling. Be sure to pick your jaw up off the floor after the ending!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: General Fiction

This is the story of two old acquaintances meeting for a flight at JFK airport lounge. Jeff Cook will tell a story that happened to him and changed his life. One day on the beach he rescued a man from drowning. He performed the CPR on that drowned man (that’s the reason this novel is titled Mouth to Mouth). But later he gets obsessed with that man and has to know whether he rescued a good man or made the world a big disservice by letting a monster stay alive.

The book is like a story narrated within a story. Don’t worry it is not confusing at all. The plot itself is simple yet it is the excellent writing that turns it into a page-turner. This is a general fiction that has thriller and mystery elements to it. You just want to know what is going to happen next. The story is less than 200 pages and the chapters are short making you fly through the book very quickly.

The only thing that we know about the second person to which Cook tells the story is that he is a writer. Jeff Cook by the end even gives him permission to write his story. But the surprise that comes like a shock to this writer and to the reader is the ending. Antoine Wilson did a great job with this story. I liked it a lot. This is one of the exceptional cases where I can call a book to be a slow burner but a page-turner at the same time! Strange.

Many thanks to Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, NetGalley, and the author Antoine Wilson for providing me an advance reader copy of this book.

I was immediately intrigued by the compelling and provocative storyline and many
questions began swirling around my mind. Why was it so important for Jeff to get to know the man he had saved? Why was now the right time to confess, what was the reasoning behind his admissions, when will he decide if he had said enough and how will he feel when the story is complete? It was as if Jeff was in a confessional, recalling his sins, hoping he would receive a worthy penance. I asked myself why Jeff would share his life story with a classmate that he hadn’t seen in twenty years who vaguely remembered him in the first place. His old friend was skeptical as to why Jeff chose him to divulge his deep, dark secrets. Was it because he was a writer and desired a literary opinion about his story or was Jeff searching for someone to reassure him that he did the right thing by rescuing the drowning man?

Jeff reminded me of Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window as he sat patiently in the coffee house waiting for a glimpse of the man he had saved, and I wondered how he would react when he finally came face to face with him again. I was confused at times as to where Jeff was going with his story and what purpose he had by finally rehashing the details of that snapshot of his life. Was his own life so boring that he desired to insert himself into someone else’s, hoping to fit in or become someone new?

As I was reading I felt as if I was a voyeur, patiently listening in to someone’s private conversation. I wasn’t sure what to do with what I had learned about Jeff as he poured his heart out to a stranger, over cocktails at the airport lounge. It wasn’t until the final scene of the book did I truly understand what I had just read. I was shocked, but not surprised about the finale of Jeff’s tale. I love a book that makes me think and question every passage and “Mouth to Mouth” did that and so much more.

3-3.5 stars

This one is interesting and conflicting for me because while I didn't particularly enjoy the writing style, it's written in a way that makes it hard to stop reading.

When two old acquaintances run into each other at the airport the one takes it upon himself to unburden his conscience by telling a story that he's supposedly never told another. Jeff was a hard character to pin down because while he tells you, the reader, and his acquaintance over and over again that he's a good person you wonder the whole time if he actually is or if he was and at some point a moral decision made caused him to no longer be. A possible case of an unreliable narrator leaves the reader the job of deciding fact or fiction, friend or foe. Fed at just the right pace to have you craving more of the story I was left feeling like I wasn't quite full.

Thank you to the author, Avid Reader Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story of a chance meeting in an airport lounge is an absorbing read, but it left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. There were interesting philosophical questions posed throughout, but all the characters were specialized to some degree in posing (and then being taken for) something other, "better" than they actually are. With the questions that were bandied about, I would have hoped for more depth rather than the social preening I was presented with.

Mouth to Mouth is a quick read that left me with mixed feelings. I found the narrator unlikeable yet I was hooked in by his story that is told to an old college acquaintance in a chance encounter at the airport. It's page turner that leaves you wondering what to believe right up to the very end.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Here is a story of two college classmates that reunite in the lounge of JFK airport. One would have never considered them friends back in the day but Jeff seems to think otherwise and delivers a wicked tale to his unassuming former classmate. A tale of him saving a drowning man and the repercussions that follow.

A story told within a story and one that at first glance may not seem all that interesting. It's an ARC I've had for months that I continued to pass over in my search of the next great book. Realizing that the publishing date was coming up soon I figured I could slip in one last novel into my 2021 reading journey and so chose Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson. What a surprise this was. I was absolutely captivated by this slow simmering story. Antoine Wilson writes with such eloquence it's to be admired. I should also mention that this book utilizes one of my favorite plot devices: Cliffhanging chapters, done perfectly! I would no sooner finish a chapter when that "just one more" mantra would start blaring through my brain. And that ending... Chefs kiss! 👌 Highly recommend! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for my complimentary copy.

3.5 stars

While Mouth to Mouth is described as "an enthralling literary puzzle" by The New York Times, I would personally describe the book as "a thriller that, to its slight detriment, is attempting to be literary fiction".

The book is certainly enjoyable thanks in part to Wilson's concise prose and use of short chapters, despite an somewhat clumsy introduction into the main action via the "narrator telling someone a story trope". While I was engaged for the most part, I constantly found myself thinking about how I would have enjoyed this book more if Wilson had leaned into the thriller aspects that are inherent in the text. To me, the tone of this book is so overwhelmingly philosophical that we are left with the mere bones of a mystery. This, in turn, diminishes the impact of an ending that reads like a quintessential thriller.

I wouldn't say that the book's identity crisis completely turned me off of it, but I think that anyone who picks up with this book thinking that it is strictly a thriller might be in for a bit of a rude awakening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

The story is a slow-burn but impossible to put down. While I really enjoyed the book, I was also glad it was short (under 200 pages). There were no unnecessary details or tangents. At times the book's narrator seems to go on too long, but it is part of his character.

There were moments when I wasn't sure if the book was making sense, but I'm so glad I kept reading. Then end is a surprise worth the wait!.

I will be suggesting this to readers who enjoy literary suspense and character driven stories.

Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson is a well-written, slow burn novel about a man's rise as an art dealer. While stuck at an airport in Europe during a flight delay, the unnamed narrator runs into a former college classmate, Jeff. He listens as Jeff unburdens himself with the strange story about the man whose life he saved years prior and the events that happened thereafter. It took a little bit to pull me in, but was quite fascinating and thought-provoking.

Jeff becomes intrigued by the man he saved and inserts himself in his into his world and begins working at his highly successful art gallery. The author does a wonderful job increasing the sense of uneasiness of Jeff's story and building tension. The novel explores social mores, class, how art is valued, and how much ego can play into success. I wasn't sure where the novel would go, but I was riveted.

Thank you Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🎉 MOUTH TO MOUTH will be out January 11, 2022 🎉

READ THIS IF YOU'RE INTO: morality plays, the dark side of the art world, and unreliable narrators.
________

POV: You’re at JFK waiting to catch your flight when you bump into someone you know from 20 years earlier. Your flight is delayed, so you follow him to the first-class lounge, where he begins to tell you a story he claims he’s never told anyone else…

Centered on our unnamed narrator’s chance encounter with Jeff Cook, his former UCLA classmate, MOUTH TO MOUTH is a story within a story. Jeff regales our unnamed narrator with an account of when he was, “through no planning or forethought on [his] part,” responsible for saving a man’s life.

Jeff’s story begins years earlier when he saved a man from drowning. A man who turns out to be none other than Francis Arsenault, a world-renowned art dealer. In the days following the rescue, he becomes *obsessed* with the man he saved. After learning the man’s identity from a lifeguard who was at the scene, Jeff inserts himself into the man’s life.

From that point on, what seems like a commendable story of a Good Samaritan turns out to be something much more sinister. This is one of those books where the ending will have you questioning everything that came before.

The plot of MOUTH TO MOUTH resembles a thriller. But, at its core, MOUTH TO MOUTH is a work of literary fiction about how we rationalize our lives (and control our narratives).

Honestly, I haven’t read anything like this. MOUTH TO MOUTH feels like a detective game with clues hinting at the storyteller’s truth. In between, MOUTH TO MOUTH throws you philosophical and existential questions, inviting you to pause and ponder.

Slow-burn at times but overall an intriguing read where the author’s attention to detail shines through and thorough; it’s also less than 200 pages!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for gifting me a digital copy of this novel by Antoine Wilson - 4.5 stars!

At JFK airport, the narrator of this book runs into a college acquaintance, Jeff Cook, who invites him to wait in the first-class lounge for their delayed flights. There, Jeff tells his story, possibly hoping that the narrator, a writer, will write his story. Years ago, Jeff saved a man from drowning on the beach and became obsessed with finding him. The victim, Francis, survived and was an art dealer. Jeff inserted himself into Francis' world, hoping for a spark of recognition or validation of his actions. The two continue along intertwined paths.

This is a short book and I really enjoyed it - especially that ending! An interesting premise - unloading oneself to an almost stranger, again hoping for validation or understanding. I liked the fact that we never learn the narrator's name - he is just a vessel for Jeff to tell his story. Thought provoking and well written.

This book is really interesting, very psychologically curious and twisty. It's certainly not a thriller but it unwraps itself with that same edge while having a completely different tone. The framing device felt clunky in a couple of moments but is ultimately a major positive in its own right and absolutely necessary to the tone of the story. Highly recommend.

Really compelling novel, I found myself so drawn into the backstory of Jeff that I couldn't put down the book. The art dealer theme has already been explored (see Donna Tart) but nevertheless I found Antoine Wilson's fresh voice and the suspense he built into the structure to make it interesting. Will check out future novels by this author!

If you’re in the mood for some virtuosic verbal ventriloquism try Antoine Wilson’s mesmerizing new novel #MouthToMouth made available to me by #NetGalley and #Avid Reader Press/Simon and Schuster. With its double narrator narrative ( sorry ) #MouthToMouth is not your typical story within a story.To even hint at the specifics of this tale would be an error - go in blind as I did, and let this devious story develop before your eyes or ears at Wilson’s unrushed pace . I will let you know that throughout it felt European and after much deliberation realized it reminded me of Herman Koch and Ian McEwan, two of my faves. In both The Interloper and Panorama City, Wilson’s first and second books, he proved that he can write. #MouthToMouth shows he can write with the best of them !

This book was both intriguing and a delight to read. There is something about this book that feels like a throwback in terms of tone. Mouth to Mouth is written in a nesting doll structure – a story within a story. The opening story that is then interspersed throughout the novel is about a narrator who is at an airport when he hears an old buddy of his from college, Jeff Cook, called over the PA. They haven’t seen one another in twenty years, but the narrator seeks him out, wondering what he has been up to. As they sit at the bar, Jeff begins to recount the second story thread about how he saved a man from drowning and then became infatuated by the life he saved and had to learn more about him and essentially inserts himself into his life, not letting on how the two men are connected. I loved this suspenseful novel about fate and boundaries. A gripping and psychosocial read. Thank you to NetGalley and to Avid Reader Press and Simon & Schuster for the advanced review copy.

Couldn’t put it down and haven’t stopped thinking about the two characters in conversation. Will be recommending MOUTH TO MOUTH to everyone!

Thanks.