The conceit was fine, however the execution lacked depth.

Joannie and Johnny are single parents on a dinner date at Johnny's house when a hot air balloon lands in Johnny's pool. The billionaires, Julia and Johnathan, that climb out of the balloon are arguing on their anniversary. So they all agree to partner swap. Okay...

The chapter switches narrators between chapters, which is a great idea in theory, however none of the voices is distinguishable from the other.

When a hot air balloon falls out of the sky and into a neighborhood pool, Johnny, Joannie, Julia, and Jonathan's lives are scooped up in interwoven couple drama mixed with heated desires. Alluring, snappy banter and quick sentences pull the reader in, and pages fly by as a few days pass wildly for the characters. Jonathan and Julia are billionaires, and they use their fortune absentmindedly to entice those around them for their own entertainment. Joannie, experiencing motherhood and writer's block, becomes entangled in the billionaires' promising adventures. Passionate and reflective, this novel is lighthearted, tantalizing, darkly humorous, and quick. Chapters told from alternating perspectives breathe the character's desires and confusion in charismatic, amusing ways. Ideal for readers that enjoy contemporary literary fiction and messy characters with big personalities. This book is an absolute hit and recommended for all collections.

Ummm I’m not even sure what I just read. First- it was short- novella/short story? The story was told in chapters - each given to one of the 5 adult characters and 1 child. It was almost written like a stream of consciousness. Very, very weird things happened. Some of the paragraphs didn’t even make sense from one to another. First these people (complete strangers) were acting like swingers and then they were on a flight to Florida with the kid? I literally don’t even know what the literary point of this “novel” was.

This was a whirlwind of a ride that I thoroughly enjoyed and flew through. Think All Fours by Miranda July meets Colored Television by Danzy Senna. Each character makes horrible decisions and is completely unhinged but in the best way. This short little novel is cringey from start to finish. Once you start you simply cannot look away.

The plot centers on a group of characters who are forced to share space with one another after a billionaire and his wife crash their hot air balloon into the middle of a first date between another couple. I was immediately intrigued by this premise, as well as the striking cover. Most of the characters in the book are extremely wealthy, and all of them are, more often than not, insufferable and self-absorbed. Despite their mutual disdain, however, there is an undeniable attraction between them—much like the morbid fascination one might feel for a trainwreck.

Dermansky excels at capturing the often inappropriate inner monologues of her characters—exposing their struggles with desire, self-image, failure, wealth, status, and narcissism. The novel does a brilliant job of showcasing how the ultra-rich frequently suffer from a “savior complex,” not out of any genuine desire to help others, but to elevate their own self-image. These characters, in the hands of a lesser writer, could easily become loathsome; yet Dermansky imbues them with moments of vulnerability that offer brief glimpses of tenderness, humanizing them in small but meaningful ways. Still, they remain irritating and shallow.

That said, I did find it difficult to understand some of the characters' motivations, as the shifts in their behavior—from one line to the next—often felt abrupt and inconsistent. While I appreciated the brisk pacing and the book’s short length, this pace sometimes left the character dynamics feeling underdeveloped. Nevertheless, due to its lighthearted subject matter and beautiful cover, this book could easily become a popular beach read during the summer months.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author (Marcy Dermansky), and the publisher (Knopf) for an advanced copy. Thoughts and review are completely my own.

(Will be sharing to my Instagram closer to the publishing date)

This was both hilariously weird and compulsively readable. Despite both unreliable and unlikeable toxic characters, I could not not know how the story was going to end.

Joanie, a single mother and washed up desperate writer, finds herself on a passable date with. a wealthy man named Johnny. He invites her and her daughter Lucy to his home, and while Joanie finds Johnny to be just okay, she is quite impressed with his luxurious lifestyle. While Joanie is considering the pros and cons of continuing to date this average man, a billionaire and his wife crash their hot air balloon into Johnny's pool.

Instead of going home, the adults decide to have a little fun and see where the night takes them. This leads to a whirlwind of a weekend, full of poor decision making and bad judgement calls.

The characters are completely flawed but in a funny, satirical way. Even the Joanie's daughter is completely insufferable. The writing style is quite blunt, which I would not typically enjoy except that in this case it was the correct tone for the book.

This is a great take on the dangers of covetousness, hypocrisy, and entitlement. Especially as you realize that while the filthy rich are certainly guilty of this behavior, so too is the average person.

Bizarre in a good way, I liked it!

As a fan of Dermansky’s HURRICANE GIRL, I was thrilled to have a chance to get a peek at HOT AIR before its release. It did not disappoint. Dermansky writes sharp prose full of plot with characters with edges and flaws that make for interesting dives into the greater themes of the novel. HOT AIR is a novel that you’ll devour in a day. It’s about money, lust, marriage, and sex. A woman is on a dinner date at the home of a divorced dad from her daughter’s school, fantasizing about having the house and financial stability but mid on the date, when a billionaire couple crashes in a hot air balloon in the backyard pool. A whole lot of mess follows along with big questions about our relationship to money and other people. It’s a great read filled with complicated characters. A huge thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for an early peek at the eARC. HOT AIR releases March 18.

This novel is comparable to White Lotus and would be enjoyed by fans of the show. It main themes are class differences, power, gender, sexuality, race, and parenting. The book is tightly written and fast paced while also changing the perspective frequently. The novel is written in the close third person so it adds to its cinematic feeling. Overall, a quiet and enjoyable read but not the most groundbreaking thing I’ve consumed.

One misspelling toward the end of the book where the character is spelled “lucie” and “Lucy” as she was referred by throughout the novel.

This was not my typical read and I felt uncomfortable at times. Having children in this story is what made me so uncomfortable.
Since this book was not my typical read I don't think I could provide good feedback.

quick, quirky, and fast well-written lit fic about some very fun characters in a very fun setting. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky was a quick read about sex, money, marriage, dating, revenge and many unhappy people. I loved every minute of it

Seeing the chapter list I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep everyone straight but I quickly realized all the characters were distinguishable and I knew who was who. But seriously why so many J names?

I liked the cover and the story seemed interesting. It’s not what I’d normally read but I really enjoy this. It took a while to digest with so many emotions and new things popping up when I thought more about this book. I kept thinking about things as this story really stuck with me.

Thank you for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will update closer to the with my social media posts.

Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky
This one had an interesting concept.
Joanie and Johnie go on a date at his house, because she doesn’t have chidcare. A hot air balloon crashed in Johnie’s pool. The couple riding in the ballon consists of a man that recognizes Joanie from high school, and it goes downhill from there. There were some funny moments but the characters were entitled and annoying. The story line was choppy and the characters all had names that begin with “J” which made it difficult to follow. As the story was told from multiple points of view without good transition between characters, the story just didn’t flow well. It was like a stream of consciousness writing style. The story fell flat and was shallow without good character development and lots of bad decisions.
On a positive note, the cover is fabulous! 2/5⭐️
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book.

Four messy characters with names that start with J. A nice, short read. It was a little confusing to keep track of the characters since their names were so similar. I really liked Hurricane Girl, but struggled a little with this one. Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you so much for making this available to read.

Imagine a hot air balloon crashing in the middle of your first date in seven years, right after a god-awful kiss. It turns out your summer camp fling and his wife were sky-high celebrating their anniversary when they suddenly took a dive into a pool and ruined your awkward date. Do you cut your date short and run, or decide to sleep over and have a strange, unpleasant adult sleepover?

This is what happened to Joanie, and she stayed, possibly because she was wet from jumping into the pool to save Jonathan, a love interest from her past who probably was a much better kisser than her current date. The only thing good her date had going on was a lovely house with all the comforts Joanie and her daughter were missing. Marcy Dermansky places the reader in the middle of the action with her novel Hot Air. The unexpectedness of the situation is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. You are sure to encounter turbulence, and frankly, it is a hell of a good time.

Multiple POV's take us through the events that happened during that weekend. Each chapter focuses on a different character, letting the reader see more than what the characters actually show to each other. Their desires, choices, entitlement, ambition, and resentment make these characters highly complex. It made me consider that this mess was not just pure entertainment but also a reflection of ourselves. Dermansky allows space for the reader to connect with the characters in this hot mess. Anyone dealing with divorce or a struggling partnership rooted in disagreements over wanting different things can identify with some of these characters. The relatability of these characters is what makes this novel so engaging. Moreover, if you feel stuck, Joanie is such a great example of catching wind of life's crazy moments and being proactive in the creation of the life you envision for yourself.

Hot Air is an easy read that is fast-paced and stirring. You either like these characters for their drama or hate them. Regardless, you are sure to be entertained by them. The novel's entertaining nature is bound to keep you hooked from start to finish.

Be on the lookout! Dermansky's novel comes out on March 18.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This was a fun and very quick read. I hated all of the characters, but I couldn’t stop reading it. I was very impressed by this! It was definitely an odd book, but I am so happy I read it. I wish that the names of the characters didn’t all start with J (this was very frustrating). Originally, this book started out very strong but then the characters got on my nerves. I wish they were just a little more likeable. Still, good and quick read.

Joannie is a divorced single mother to Lucy. She's on a post-lockdown first date with Johnny when a hot air balloon crashes into Johnny's pool, immediately derailing their date in unexpected ways. The balloon is coincidentally (and inexplicably) carrying a childhood acquaintance from Joannie's past (John the philandering billionaire) and his wife Julia. But after that unusual inciting incident the story seemed to turn into a series of justifications for bad behavior and poor choices. This was a story about a group of unhappy people who didn't quite know what would make them happy, all of them seemed simultaneously stuck but also in flux. There was tension surrounding everyone's behavior, which helped a bit to keep the reader's attention.

That said, ultimately I wasn't the right audience for this book. I had to DNF at 30% because everyone was increasingly unlikable (minus the children) and I couldn't fully engage with the story. The book was described as satire and "blisteringly funny" but I think I missed a lot of the nuances that made it funny. The satire I could see, though, and there was a clear class divide between Joannie and the others. The writing was simplistic and straightforward, and clearly expressed each character's thoughts and motives. The story was pretty easy to follow even with multiple POVs. If you enjoy reading books in which unhappy people try to ease their ennui by making impulsive and self-serving decisions then this is the book for you. It's possible that the book improved further in, and because it's an ARC it also may be different from the published book. But based on what read I gave it 2.5 stars rounded up to a generous 3 stars. Publishes March 18, 2025. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC of this book, this was my honest and objective opinion.

This was my first time reading Marcy Dermansky, and Hot Air definitely makes an impression. The premise alone—a billionaire crash-landing his hot air balloon in the middle of a post-pandemic first date—is enough to grab your attention, and the story just gets wilder from there.

Joannie’s dating misadventures spiral into a chaotic weekend involving her childhood crush-turned-billionaire, his gorgeous wife, and a tangled web of desires, jealousy, and hilariously awkward moments. It’s sharp, satirical, and unapologetically messy.

While I enjoyed the absurd humor and biting commentary on wealth and relationships, I didn’t feel particularly connected to the characters. They seemed more like players in a farce than fully developed people, which made it harder to care about their outcomes. That said, the chaotic energy kept me turning the pages.

If you’re in the mood for something irreverent and over-the-top, Hot Air is worth checking out. I’m curious to see how Dermansky’s other books compare.

Just finished Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky, who has been one of my favorite authors since I read her book “Twins” a teenager. I was able to get an advance proof from NetGalley but I plan to buy a copy as well.

This book is a wild ride, full of chaos, comedy, and the painfully honest inner thoughts of a group of very different people. And also an undercurrent of disdain for the rich? Maybe I just projected my own feelings there 😅 but definitely some tasty commentary on racism/sexism/classism as well as relationships and parenthood. Marcy Dermansky writes flawed human hilarity in the most matter-of-fact unflinching way and I think that’s what makes this story…float. 🎈

⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: This book is about several unhappy people all in different lanes in life. I laughed a few times, especially at Julia's ridiculousness and Johnny's inability to read a situation. Joannie was mostly pathetic but strangely, I wanted her to prevail and maybe learn some life lessons. But overall, everyone in the book is fairly unlikeable. Even Joannie's 8 year old daughter.
The book is set near the end of the pandemic and some of the language and issues brought me right back (masks, school online!) While that was realistic, the rest seemed not so much from the very beginning--like what neighborhood doesn't notice a hot air balloon crash landing in suburbia? And Joannie's constant need for something (anything) seemed off to me.
My interest held and when they got to Disneyland for a bit but I was waiting for more with Julia and Joannie. Finished the book quickly but it was somewhat like a Seinfeld episode: some laughs, definite annoying people, bad choices, and not much focus.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

4.5 stars

Here's a book with a wild premise but sets up the story perfectly! A woman, who is a single mom, and a man, newly divorced, meet up at his house for a first date post-pandemic with their kids playing inside. During a clumsy first kiss, a billionaire literally crashes his hot air balloon in the pool.

What follows is a character-driven novel that explores self-worth and happiness. Is it status, money, control, role as a parent/spouse? These characters think they know but couldn't be more wrong! Each seems to want what they others have, even when the others are all so clearly miserable.

I found this to be a quick read (finished in one day!) and I loved the messiness of it all. Steer clear if you need likable characters!

I think knocked it down a half star because the character names were ridiculous… Joannie, Johnny, Jonathan, and Julia. It had to have been intentional but IMO not necessary!!