I snagged this largely because this cover is so striking. This book is described as "joyfully unhinged" and that feels right. It actually felt very similar to The Most - novella-length, no plot, all unlikeable character vibes, and even the themes of marriage in trouble, money, sex, and revenge are repeated - but The Most was just better written in my opinion. I think reading these so close together didn't do this any favors because it didn't feel as fresh.

Listen, my expectations for Dermansky are high! She’s one of my absolute favorite writers-inventive, witty, surprising. I was so excited for a new novel from her! My one gripe is her books are usually too short. This one didn’t help. Clocking in just over 200 pages, it felt more like a novella. I thought we could have explored so much more here! The bones of the story were good even if all of the characters were pretty unlikable, but it felt rushed, and a little bit more surface-level than I’d like, and therefore I feel a bit duped. 2.5 stars rounded down, partly because I had such high hopes, and partly because I feel we could have been given so much more to chew on had ideas and the story been expanded. The cover though, is fantastic, I have no qualms about already declaring it one of my favorite covers of 2025; I just wish the novel inside was at least 100 pages longer.

this was such a quick and fun read. i can be pretty hit or miss when it comes to multiple POVs but i think it really added to this cast of characters.

Joannie, Julia, Johnny, and Jonathan are brought together after an absurd hot air balloon crash and everything that follows is messy, funny, frustrating, and makes this characters feel all the more real because of their flaws.

i had a fun time reading this but think i would have loved it even more had it been more unhinged.

I went into Hot Air with high expectations, as Marcy Dermansky has a knack for creating sharp, offbeat stories, but this one fell somewhere in the middle for me—solid yet not particularly memorable. It’s a quick, engaging read with moments of wit and quirkiness, but it lacked the emotional depth or narrative punch I was hoping for.

That said, Hot Air is not without its charm. It’s the kind of book you can breeze through effortlessly, and Dermansky’s clever observations keep you turning the pages. While it didn’t quite hit the mark for me, I can see how readers looking for a breezy, character-driven escape could find it enjoyable. A solid 3.5 stars for an entertaining, albeit middling, read.

Joannie’s life takes a strange turn when her childhood crush, now a famous billionaire, literally crash-lands back into her world. The setup is undeniably whimsical, and the author’s commitment to the absurd premise lends the novel its most delightful moments. Scenes involving Jonathan’s hot-air balloon catastrophe and the resulting weekend of dysfunction—complete with tangled relationships and shifting desires—are entertaining, even if they occasionally veer toward over-the-top melodrama.

The cast of characters is eclectic and unpredictable, but their relationships and intentions are so intertwined that investing deeply in any of them becomes difficult. Joannie’s dilemma—caught between Johnny, the awkward but kind lousy kisser, and Jonathan, the larger-than-life billionaire—is engaging at first. Still, it lacks the emotional depth to resonate fully.

The novel skewers wealth, privilege, and desire with a biting wit, offering moments of sharp commentary on the absurdities of modern life. However, the humor is hit or miss; while some lines land perfectly, others feel forced or too self-aware.

Overall, Hot Air is a light, playful read that embraces its chaos, even if it doesn’t always channel it into something cohesive.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date March 17 2025

Have you read Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky? If you have and you liked it, then you’ll also like this. I can’t speak for her other novels. If you haven’t read Hurricane Girl, then may I ask if you like weird unsettling plots with even weirder and more unsettling characters? If so…

The set up for this is so good. Struggling author Joannie is on a date with a rich guy named Johnny, who she’s not really into, when a hot air balloon crashes into his pool. This hot air balloon is carrying billionaires Johnathon and Julia. Joanie, Johnny, Johnathon, Julia, and a hot air balloon. It sounds like it’s plucked from a Dr. Seuss book. And this all happens in the first two or three pages, by the way. It’s ridiculous in the best way and just becomes more so. I think this one, like Hurricane Girl, is a great buddy read or book club pick. I’m absolutely going to read more of her backlist titles.

Wealth, love, desire, and revenge. All highly unlikable characters. Short sentences. Short chapters. Multiple pov’s. Post-pandemic.

Have you read anything else by her? What did you think?

Thank you to @netgalley and @knopf for the gifted e-ARC.

Totally unexpected…. Crazy storyline and a bit unhinged. Way too many J names. None of the characters are likable except poor Tyson. Quick short story about a crazy first date that escalated into a bizarre trip to Universal Studios. I expected the story to go different directions at a few points.

What a quirky little read. Four characters, all with almost the same name, end up sharing space because of a hot air balloon accident. Feelings and interests are explored. Some dark, some amusing, some complex. I’m not sure I loved it, but it definitely kept my interest. If you like esoteric storylines, awkward situations, and flawed characters, in an easy to read package, this might be up your alley.

Read as an arc from the publisher. Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf.

Joannie, Johnny, Jonathan, and Julia come crashing together (literally) in this fast-paced romp of a story. Told through six different perspectives (the four J's plus Joannie's daughter - Lucy - and Jonathan's assistant - Vivian), the structure keeps things moving. I blew through the book in a day!

The story kicks off with a hot-air balloon crash, followed by some revenge partner-swapping sex to explore themes of marriage and motherhood. Next, some characters display their savior complexes. Lastly, throw in a trip to Orlando, FL' and have the characters all gratefully crash-landing back in their own lives. There are moments of blistering self-awareness, twist-in-your-seat awkwardness, and just plain ridiculousness and I, for one, couldn't look away. The ending is satisfying (I love me a positive ending!) even as I never cheered for any of these pretty awful characters. It was just FUN.

I needed a thoughtful and still-literary, but fast and fun read to break me out of a slump and "Hot Air" delivered!

this book was entertaining. Somehow the characters were all soooooo so so annoying and made the worst choices and decisions they could. I hated all of them. Yet somehow, the book was not terrible, it was still enjoyable. I like some of the things about covid/pandemic times and how it was relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This book felt as surreal as the pandemic did. I'm reflecting on it, and like the pandemic, I find myself asking, "wait, what?!" Every character, even the children, are detestable. Their choices are wild and unexplainable. Yet somehow, I didn't hate this book? I just felt like I was in a strange dream that didn't quite make sense but was still overall pretty entertaining.

If you like schadenfreude, you’ll like this book. All the characters are a little bit unlikeable but also sympathetic. Their downfalls were kind of delicious.

*4.5!!!! First and foremost - as a former Universal Orlando VIP Tour Guide... I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. I was kicking and giggling throughout. Which sounds very vague without much context, but once you pick this up and read it, you'll know. It does get quite messy with the main plot overall, but that's what makes it so fun and interesting.. Its just messy. Human emotion is messy. This is my 2nd Marcy Dermansky novel and it did not disappoint!! Love Marcy's writing and emotion on relationships and the human connection. Its all very raw and vulnerable. Excited to see what Marcy does next.

Thank you, Netgalley and Knopf for the digital ARC.

LOVED THIS! Hurricane Girl was my top read the year it came out and so I squealed with delight when I was gifted a copy of HOT AIR. Every single word, character, plot choice made me giddy. The plot is hilarious and odd and enthralling. The characters find themselves in a situation I could never even think up and I was there for it. There's a hot air balloon, there's a billionaire, there's old friends, new dates, and an incredible Assistant - and then some. Brava to Marcy Dermansky for another brilliant book. Thanks to the publisher for the copy!

Marcy Dermansky : Messy-ass GenX Women :: Anna Dorn : Messy-ass Queer Millennials

If you know this going in, or you have read any of her work in the past, you know what to expect.

Which is the following:

• Messy-ass women that are almost entirely unlikable, but make for compelling reading nonetheless.
• An inordinate amount of messy-ass women swimming.
• Terrible decisions made by messy-ass women; you will want to scream at them "the fuck is WRONG with you?!" but you will keep reading in order to hopefully find out the fuck, in fact, is wrong with them.

My oldest read this review as I was writing this. "Oh, so like if Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was a book? No wonder you loved it!" Yes, exactly. That kid gets me.

I've read the majority of Dermansky's oeuvre, and would slot this solidly in the upper middle. It doesn't top Bad Marie for me, but really...what could?

Lots of fun, will be forcing this on people as an excellent poolside read (heh) when it's released in time for warmer weather.

This is a truly odd book with eccentric characters.

Joanie is going on her first date in a very long time. She can’t find a babysitter so the first date is a dinner at Johnnys house. His son will be there anyway and they can hang out. Joanie isn’t experienced at dating and she thinks it’s not going well when suddenly a billionaire crashes into Johnnys pool. Jonathon is trying to safe his troubled marriage with a hot air balloon ride but the wind picks up and him and his wife end up in Johnnys pool. The night starts off weird and just gets weirder as it goes on.

As I’m reading this book I am enjoying it and wondering what will happen between this group of people. The book held my interest and at the end I liked it. I felt like its message was to appreciate what you have in life because we all struggle with something.

This book was bonkers! It's a quick and breezy read, but overall, I had mixed feelings about it. The writing style is what irked me the most. It's very satirical, but not everyone can write that certain genre. It's very tricky to pull off, and I don't think the author succeed. I wish the tone and prose were done in a more simplistic way. The tone is so over-the-top and juvenile sounding. The characters didn't feel like grown adults. They felt very adolescent and immature. The scenes and situations were so extreme. None of the plot felt fully realized. This book is not supposed to be taken seriously, but I just couldn't completely say it was a slam dunk. I needed more character development and a more cohesive storyline. It's a mixed bag for me. The cover art is absolutely stunning though. Wow!

Thank you, Netgalley and Knopf for the digital ARC.

I couldn't put this book down. I love the way Dermansky writes her POVs from all types of perspectives, not just main characters. What would have made it a 4.5 or even higher was any sort of epilogue or conclusion to the paths crossing but I really enjoyed what we got.

After reading Hurricane Girl by this author, I was automatically sold on any books from her in the future. In Hot Air, we follow four characters - Joannie, Julia, Johnny, and Johnathan - as their lives intertwine after a hot air balloon accident. Told in multiple POVs with very short chapters, this was a quick and quirky read with messy characters and interpersonal relationships. It wasn't as unhinged as Hurricane Girl, but it had the same sense of humor and vibe - messy, funny, silly, absurd.

The characters are all quite self-involved, a bit unlikeable, but very real. Their lives and motivations are messy and self-serving but interesting in a voyeuristic way. Since it's a short read, some of the dynamics between characters aren't fully explored, but I still appreciated what was explored.

Recommended for fans of slice-of-life literary fiction on the weirder side. For fans of Melissa Broder (The Pisces, Death Valley), Mona Awad, Ottessa Moshfegh.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

This was a super fast read. I wouldn’t say it was an easy read because it was very confusing at times with the names of the characters (Joanie, Jonathan, Julia, Johnny) and the the multiple POVs.

This book was a roller coaster ride or maybe a hot air balloon ride. I did like the overall message of the book, I just wish there was a little more depth to the characters.

While this book was not for me, definitely think there are readers who will enjoy this type of genre and writing.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!