I loved so much about this short novel - something new, a different construct than normal, a twisty tale. Would definitely recommend to my readers. I did find myself wanting a little more opinion out of the woman narrator, but not a huge deal. 4.5 stars!

Well that was really fun! Waiting for their delayed flights in the club lounge at the airport, two old college acquaintances visit over lunchtime drinks and near-beers. This book is a
quick, written really well, that has the reader wondering what is the truth and who someone is vs who you thought they were. Really well done. Highly recommend. Heartfelt thanks to Avid Press did the advanced copy. I’m grateful.

Special thanks to Avid Reader Press and Simon and Schuster. for the ARC of this book.

I gave this book 3-3.5 stars. My 3 to 3.5 stars means its not for everyone.. I liked it enough to read it til the bitter end. No just kidding. I would've loved to give 4 stars but for some reason, I think I read something similar or saw a movie that went something like this book. Its about two guys who went to college together and were acquaintances at best. So... not close friends. The one friend, Chris, hears the name Jeff Beck called over the loudspeaker, but we never find out why he was called by name, we only know the flight was delayed. Chris seeks out Jeff to see if its the guy he saw a few times at college parties.

So they meet up and it is him, Jeff Beck. The book is narrated solely by Chris. Chris sees Jeff and hes dressed expensively, nothing at all like the old Jeff with long hair type of beach bum guy. Now Jeff is looking like he's done very well for himself and when the plane gets going, he will be in 1st class. Anyway, Jeff unloads this big long story about how he saved a guy's life, who was drowning on the beach, but never knew what happened to him, but he does find out his name and he is a big deal art dealer and curator named Francis Arsenault. Jeff gets curious about Francis because as the paramedics were loading him into the ambulance on that fateful day on the beach, he looks at Jeff and sort of waves to him. So Jeff goes on to tell hours and hours of how he starts to follow this guy Francis and slowly ingratiates himself into his life. Francis is a no nonsense guy who has a lazy eye, but also an "eye" for art . Soon Jeff lands himself a job at Francis's art gallery and the aloof Francis is always in and out and his business dealings are very shady, so Jeff knows he's kind of a wheeler and dealer, but no one ever mentions that fateful day when he almost drowns, much less Francis. He kind of wonders if Francis knows Jeff saved his life because some of the things Francis says can be taken two ways.

Soon after, Francis is treating Jeff better than his own employees that were with him for years, and compliments him often even though Jeff is merely a handsome face people see when walking through the door. So now, Jeff is more confused, because the aloof Francis is taking an interest in Jeff, bringing him along to art shows, where Jeff meets a beautiful girl named Chloe. They start dating and sleeping together, and then he finds out Chloe is Francis's daughter who he dotes upon but is very controlling of her, punishing her with lack of money, than buying her expensive things, and it seems his daughter is very important to him. Now Jeff is worried because the incident on the beach, never comes up, nobody else seems to know about it and now its a little late for Jeff to mention it.

I kept wanting Jeff to tell him, and the book seems to have a sense of urgency to tell or Jeff needs some kind of consolation that he did a good deed. But slowly, do we see the good deed he did take on a motive to get ahead in life? Also Chloe adores her father and her father adores her. Chloe and her mother put Francis on a pedestal where he doesnt belong. How close can they be if nobody has an inkling Francis was dead for 2 minutes before Jeff brought him back to life. Jeff can't figure out if Francis knows he gave him more years to enjoy his life or not and Francis keeps dropping more and more hints. Finally, the story comes to a high point where Chloe finds out her father isn't the man she's always put on a pedestal. For one, he cheats constantly, has shady art dealings and soon enough, everything comes to a head.

I guess at the end of the book I was looking for that wow factor, that never came. The book was interesting enough, but it leaves us with the question if Jeff wanted to be seen as a savior and rewarded for his actions or does Francis really know and Chloe is his reward? And why is Jeff unloading his story to Chris, who he knows is a writer and is he telling him this story of his life so Chris will write about it. Mouth to Mouth is a double entendre as well as Jeff gave Francis mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and also the story Jeff passes on to Chris is mouth to mouth. I feel like I saw this or read a story like this before of 2 people meeting in an airport but for the life of me I can't figure out where.. It kind of wraps up at the end, because as Jeff is telling Chris this story of how sinister Francis Arsenault is but is Jeff the truly sinister one? Also there is an art piece depicting how people climb the ladder of success and step on others heads to do it. Is this what Jeff is about the whole time?, seeing an opportunity and taking it to climb his own ladder to success?

I will probably think about this book for awhile....it left a lot unsaid, but you can infer from it what you will.

This book wasn't bad but I have to give it 3 stars.

In Mouth to mouth we follow our narrator meeting an old acquaintance, Jeff, at the airport and subsequently being told the story of the time Jeff saved a man from drowning. We as readers as well as our narrator get to see how the action of saving someone alter the lives of everyone involved.

In general I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick read and set in the art world, which I am always a sucker for. However, I struggled to actually care about where the story was going or what happened to any of the characters really which is why I am giving it a 3 star rating. Would still recommend this book for people, it just didn’t draw me in as much as I wished it would.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for sending me an advanced copy

Not what I was expecting and I had a hard time getting into it. I just don’t think this was the right book for me.

This entertaining book is one long conversation between two former acquaintances. The language is lively. The writing is good. I found it difficult caring very much about the story being told.

there is something unsettling and strange about this story, very much classic crime fiction and had me interested and intrigued from the start! It definitely does a good job of blurring so many lines which is what keeps the book engaging and readers wanting to know more.

Old acquaintances meet again....

Waiting for a flight at JFK airport lounge, two former classmates reunite, and one of them, Jeff Cook goes into a storytelling mode and shares a story that he has never told before. Its a story that changed the course of two lives, his and the man he saved from drowning.

This was a slow burn story that somehow captured my attention, though at times the narrative seemed a bit over done, a bit drawn out, but thats the point. Jeff becomes obsessed with the man he resusitated (Francis) and works his way into his life. Does Francis recognize him as the one that saved him? Will Jeff disclose this to him? Is one of them playing the other?

I had many questions throughout reading this short novel (192 pages). There is a bit of suspense and a surprise of an ending.

Its strange and unsettling. We are left with an ambiguious message. The kind you want to discuss with someone.

Recommend if you enjoy character driven, human psyche, irony and identity themes. A lot to think about here.

3.5 stars

In the first-class lounge at JFK airport, our narrator meets former classmate Jeff Cook, whom he faintly remembers. While waiting for their delayed flight, he listens to Jeff’s curious story that changed the course of his life: the moment he rescued a drowning man and how their fates became intertwined.

Mouth to Mouth is a slow-burn, suspenseful, and absorbing read. Antoine Wilson explores the complexities of our main characters’ psyche by blurring the lines of fact and fiction when a personal story is shared.

Wilson’s prose is clear and straightforward. He masterfully invites us to question human nature, second chances, opportunities, delusion, obsession, and fateful choices. Although I didn’t feel and relate to the characters as much as I wished I could, Mouth to Mouth is nevertheless an entertaining read exposing how our choices and motives can impact ourselves and those around us.
3.75✩

A great read - clever use of protagonists, setting and point of view. Loved the small details (some real headworms). Read it on a plane, and finished it on a stopover. The perfect setting for the book. Will look out for Antoine Wilson in the future.

Antoine Wilson has written an elegantly idiosyncratic book that provides a “picture-in-picture” narration of a story that had been purely internal until this telling. What starts out with a chance meeting of a writer and an old college acquaintance (at most) evolves into a story about empathy, curiosity, and the possibility of destiny. The narrative walks a tightrope between the vapid and vicious nexus of Hollywood and the art world while also staying deeply intimate and specific to a tiny corner of that universe. The author has a knack for crafting characters who take unnecessary risks and immerse themselves in the most intractable situations and then making their choices feel almost necessary. And the end… well, it makes you want to go back and re-read from the start.

She had been "...the first thing he thought of upon waking and the last he thought of before sleep descended". They had broken up. The beach parking lot was empty before sunrise. "The immensity of the ocean...[he stepped] barefoot on the cold sand, feeling a sense of liberation at his own insignificance." "Out of the corner of his eye-a dark form on the surface of the water-a swimmer making for shore...something was wrong...He knew with certainty that the crisis at hand was his alone to handle...one's interceding or not could equally represent fate."

A flight delay from JFK to Berlin was perfect for passing the time conversing with a fellow passenger. They were barely acquainted as college students at UCLA, 20 years prior. Jeff Cook, smartly dressed for success, asked our narrator to join him in the first class lounge to await the Berlin flight announcement. Jeff was a successful art dealer. The narrator would be traveling to Berlin, at his own expense, to drum up interest in his writing.

Jeff spoke of the incident occurring after college. "...through no planning or forethought...[he was] responsible for saving a man's life." While plying the narrator with constant food and drink, Jeff told his story. "He could have despaired, walked away, subtracted himself from the scene." He jumped into the ocean and pulled the man to shore, administering the CPR he had only seen on TV. Spectators watched...an ambulance arrived...the swimmer was whisked away..."Joggers and walkers gave him wide berth. None would meet his eye. Wrapped in a rough wool blanket, barefoot...shirtless, he must have looked like just another of the hard-luck cases, wandering aimlessly...".

Who was Jeff Cook? He claimed that this was a first telling of his story to anyone, 20 years later after the rescue. Why now? "...he had saved a man's life-had done the ultimate good deed-shouldn't he want to remember it?"

Francis Arsenault Fine Arts was located in Beverly Hills, Jeff recounted wanting to see the stranger whose life he saved. "I didn't want it to seem like I had come to collect anything...You don't save someone's life to collect a reward." If that be the case, why accept a job at the gallery and start to become indispensable to Francis?

"Mouth to Mouth" by Antoine Wilson is a fascinating literary novel. It explores the connection between rescuer and survivor and exposes buried secrets. There were many unanswered questions. Were Jeff and Francis good people? Were they users? Was the narrator truly the first person to hear the story? Were Jeff's recollections embellished based upon an audience? Was our narrator reliable? This thought provoking read is one I highly recommend.

Thank you Avid Reader Press/ Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this story and the ride along the way. It felt very Talented Mr Ripley in that you’re not quite sure who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy. Where is the line of morality? Are we all sort of bad guys?

Thanks to Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for the ebook. At JFK airport, during a day of delayed flights, the unnamed narrator meets someone from college, Jeff Cook, whom he barely remembers. Jeff takes him to the first class lounge and says what everyone dreads to hear: Sit back and let me tell you a story. But this turns out to be a fascinating tale. Right out of college, Jeff ends up saving an older man from drowning. Jeff tracks down the man and finds he owns a wildly successful art gallery. Jeff gets a job at the gallery and the older man sees something in Jeff and he takes him under his wing. This book is a wonderful take of chance meetings and second chances.

I hate when blurbs oversell a book. I think this would have been a more enjoyable story if the synopsis didn’t make it out to be a book with a huge surprise twist at the end. I kept waiting for something crazy to happen and it was not that kind of book.

Thank you for the Advanced Copy of this!
WOW! The writing in this is stunning. A captivating story from start to finish.
Highly reccomend.

So well written sophisticated with a bite.The author never fails to engage my interest each of hiss books are unique intelligent entertaining,#netgalley#avidpress

Antoine Wilson's books aren't at all similar to each other. They do not share a tone, a story structure, a narrative. This is a kind of superpower, although I had forgotten about it when I requested this book and inevitably, I was reminded that nothing is the same as it ever was. Thanks for the galley.

This book is CRAZY good! So smartly written,. It's a biting, enticing page turn with an eclectic cast of characters. .

Mouth to Mouth begins where all good stories begin…. the middle of an airport and a long flight delay. We meet our main character, an author, who is traveling to the land of a possible cult following of their books. When the flight is delayed, we meet Jeff, an art dealer who went to college with our leading man, and they sit together in the first class lounge where Jeff begins to word vomit a story over some drinks. The book then flips between the present day at the airport and Jeff’s past, taking us to a scenario where he saves a man’s life by giving him mouth to mouth and the events that unfold following that day.

It took me until the very last line of the book to figure out why this was being told from an outsider’s perspective instead of Jeff himself. I did enjoy the full circle of life in this novel.

The only part I did not particularly care for was Francis himself and the reasoning behind him becoming estranged from his family, but it was realistic. Overall I would say this was a good read, and I finished it in a day.