I wasn't able to finish this. The writing style just didn't work for me -- was this supposed to be a screenplay?

Thank you for providing me a free advanced copy of this audiobook for an honest review! This was just not for me, truly, but I think a lot of people will love it! But I was mostly confused and struggled to keep attention with a more complex writing and plot and listening to the audio actors…

First of all, this audiobook was very well done and I listened to it in one day. Having flipped through the actual book and seeing the way it’s written (switching between first and third person and rambling), this is the only way I could enjoyably consume this book.

However, this is the third book I’ve given a try from Olivie Blake and I think it’s time to admit defeat - she is not for me, I am not her target audience.

Regan and Aldo meet by chance and, as is so often the case, it changes the trajectory of both their lives. With Aldo’s obsession with mathematics and time, I was definitely expecting this book to go more of a magical realism or even Blake Crouch-esque alternative universes and time travel route. So a lot of disappointments are because of my expectations.

I don’t find Olivie Blake’s characters to be likeable, and seldom are they relatable to me. Again, that is my experience and your mileage may vary. But the combination of writing and characterizations come across as very try hard and pretentious, to a distracting degree.

DNF

The writing style really didnt work for me as audio. I may pick this one back up once I have the physical in hand,

Thank you to netgalley and rhe publisher for providing me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Alone With You in the Ether by Olivia Blake

This was a complex romance novel with very flawed characters. Regan and Aldo cross paths at the art institute this was a by chance meeting. This is where the story starts Regan is an art thief and Aldo is a math genius. Aldo does math calculations in his head he uses them to explain everything. Regan seems to not be happy with her life she is seeing a therapist and she has major issues with her parents.

The characters are so flawed that they do not know how to have relationships that are successful. In both sides the parents seem to be over critical not as much from Aldo dad but he still puts inputs into his relationships. These two are grown but because they are flawed other people are involved to keep them going. They both seem to be a danger to themselves but in different ways. I thought the two are similar in a lot of ways they both do not do that well with people. Neither of them have real friendships. They both move in and out of relationships and only use the person for some form of stimulation.

They both start off as just friend Regan gets stimulation from Aldo's knowledge she likes his story telling knowledge like the bees. Aldo likes that Regan inquires about these topics and listens to him. They through the ether find stimulation in each other.

Mrs. Blake writes a complex story with complex but flawed characters I found myself with my head spinning around keeping up with the two characters. It was dizzying for me at times but that sometimes makes for a good story. What I got from this story is life is complex, people are complex and families are complex which is a true fact. Aldo calculating everything but in the end does the numbers show him the way? Regan is a thief it feels like that in all aspects of her life but without drugs can she move towards some sort of normalcy and break her normal patterns?

The audio book was narrated by Dion Alexander; Eliza Foss; Emma Paige West; John Pirhalla; Olivie Blake; Robb Moreira; Steve Wagner; Sura Siu; and Tim Campbell. I was able to distinguish each character from the voices which allowed each character to come to life. This was a four star read for me. I recommend this book to people who love complex romance that can be messy sometimes or flawed.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for a free audio copy of Alone With You in the Ether for an honest review. All opinions express in this review are my own.

This book took my breath away. It is one of the most chaotic, unique, manic, beautiful, romantic and heartbreaking books I have ever read. 100% not your average romance novel. Alone With You in the Ether will be in my heart for awhile and has solidified itself as one of the best books I’ve ever read. 10/10 recommend.


Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. The audio performance narrated Narrated by Dion Alexander, Eliza Foss, Emma Paige West, John Pirhalla, Olivie Blake, Robb Moreira, Steve Wagner, Sura Siu and Tim Campbell was beyond amazing!

Alone with You in the Ether was everything I thought it would be and so much more. I already knew I enjoyed the author's writing style but the prose in this book still blew me away. The pacing was a little chaotic at times but even that was part of its beauty. It fit the personalities of the characters perfectly. The characters in this story felt so real. They were beautiful and awkward and manic and flawed. The minor interactions that Regan and Aldo shared blew my mind. I learned more about them in a single paragraph of hand holding than I learn about most characters throughout an entire book! This is easily one of my favorite books I've read this year. I don't think I'll be able to get bees and differential equations and quantum formulas out of my head for a very long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Glorious. Divine. Excellent. I love this book with all my heart. Not a day has gone by where I don’t think of Aldo and Reagan. The mental health rep felt so close to home I feel so seen. I love them, I love it, I love Olivie.