i can understand that if it’s not relatable to you, not for you, it would be a very difficult book to like. They'll need to face their fears and the fractures within themselves - and still love as if they've not broken. Perhaps the easiest to love character is Masso, Aldo’s charming, well-meaning father—a sharp juxtaposition from Regan’s mother who we see as highly judgemental through Regan’s perceptions—though even he warns Aldo that Regan is the type to burn someone up.

She copes with the dreariness of existence by living impulsively, imagining a new, alternate timeline being created in the wake of every rash decision. About the Author: Olivie Blake is the internationally bestselling author of The Atlas Six, Alone with You in the Ether, One For My Enemy, and Masters of Death. this is a character driven book and the plot is the characters lives so don’t go into it saying “omg it’s so pretentious” like that’s the point.Both obsessive, eccentric personalities, Aldo Damiani and Charlotte Regan struggle to be without each other from the moment they meet. While this book isn't necessarily a romance for me, its been a long time since I felt so connected to the characters AND the connection between them. Regan doesn't adhere to normal rules, always thinking of a better or worse outcome,bored with monotony. i know it says a love story on the front, but this book is very much about mental health + choosing to not be medicated for mental health conditions. I love that museum intensely and the pair having an affection for the Armory there as the place of their first meeting steals my heart.

But most notably, this sashaying of perspectives is like a needle threading the two together until, at the end, we witness them as a seamless whole viewed from the outside with a conversation entirely narrated of he said and she said instead of a duality of perspective. The craziest part about this story--through Olivia Blake's words, we ride all the rollercoaster of emotions Regan encounters. Her choice to abandon her meds is troubling, though Blake explains in the afterword that it is not meant as ‘ perscriptive’ and is largely based on her own experiences and struggles with medication after a bi-polar diagnosis. The perspective rotates between Regan and Aldo, offering both internal and external perspectives on each other creating more dynamic characters but also allowing us to detect inconsistencies that show how a self-image is often a slight fiction.

Told through prose that has passages so ethereally gorgeous it could only exist in service of love and with a dual narrative that threads their lives together, Alone With You in the Ether is a gorgeously interior and intimate portrait of difficult love that we can’t help but dive into even if it is destined to burn us down to ash as Blake’s storytelling beautifully cuts right into the troubled heart of matters as deeply as she cut into the heart of the reader. Blake delivers seemingly effortless storytelling that loops through exciting metafiction techniques, such as a whole host of narrators intruding in on the story in part 1, including an “overzealous Cubs fan,” or “an aging, arthritic man in possession of many books” as well as stage direction details. the narrative definitely gives off the vibe that its trying too hard, not to mention how inconsistent it is in a few different ways. I will not understand how this book is classified as a romance when it felt like a horror story in my eyes.

At many points, Regan is truly manic (not in the funny personality sense but as in DSM criteria mania sense), makes questionable personal decisions, commits a criminal act (this is never really addressed) and shapes her world entirely around Aldo and how him being a genius and wanting her somehow elevated her personal value. Following two vulnerable and flawed characters who come together to form a deeply unhealthy, sex-addicted, codependent relationship, this book left me baffled that people can romanticize and idealize the relationship between Aldo and Regan when I was actively rooting for them to separate and seek help. They are difficult characters but they still deserve to feel love and there were fleeting moments I felt this book was akin to Sally Rooney characters. i will cherish this book with every fiber of my being for the rest of my life and i want it engraved upon my heart.This is what I get when I go into a book expecting it to become a new favorite based on the synopsis and glowing reviews. and even though i have some issues with the narrative structure and style, i did find some parts of it to be inspiring. Olivie has penned several indie SFF projects, including the webtoon Clara and the Devil with illustrator Little Chmura and the viral Atlas series. the moment i read the last paragraph of this book, i thought ah, i would never find a book like this. is this a metaphor for something or a truly disturbing intrusive thought of someone who IS NOT WELL!