This is such a lovely book. I did not want to put this down. Emotional and tear jerking at times but totally drew me in. A must read.

This just wasn't for me at this time and I hope to go back to it at some point in the future. I would definitely still recommend it to friends who I think would love it!

An enjoyable different side to Olivie Blake’s writing.
I prefer the Atlas Six, but she can turn her keyboard to romance quite well.

𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵? 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦?


I first encountered Olivie Blake when I was reading fanfiction and knew without a doubt they were a born writer. Regardless of any difficulty they faced getting the plot from the mind to the page? It would be worth it because she was born to create.

I loved that fanfiction, I came away from the Atlas Six series with my thoughts in a whirlwind and promptly wanted more from Blake.

My love of their world-building and ability to make readers familiar with a place they've never been is once more done to perfection so Chicago comes to life for us this time in Alone With You in the Ether.

Not only is this a love story, but it's also a book that places a focus on mental health in a delicate and often profound manner and how it can not only affect the person suffering from it but how it can impact relationships whether it's familial, romantic or friendships. Even now, mental health is often neglected or misinterpreted in media, and still deemed to be something to hide away and pretend isn't affecting them.

Regan fascinated me with her ways of seeing the world and people and her almost dismissive yet blasé way of viewing everyone. Her way of coping with the dreariness of everything around her is to almost play make-believe or make an impulsive decision regardless of the outcome that could occur. She's complex and feels out of place in the world and yet, she also comes across as being delicate and breakable.

This is a character-driven book that will cause you to experience a plethora of emotions. I found myself crying, and angry and often smiling softly at the love Arlo and Regan have for one another and some of the words they utter to express their love and fears over falling in love.

Alone With You in the Ether was everything I hoped for, and so much more. It displayed Blake's love of writing, exploring people's emotions and the fragility of humanity.

This was an interesting read, as it felt so different to Blake's other writing - not just The Atlas Six but also Masters of Death. I personally wasn't a fan of the intervening narrative voice, or the formulaicness of the romance.

2.5 stars

Charlotte Regan is a volunteer tour guide at an art museum who has been in trouble for making counterfeits.
Aldo Damiani is studying for a PhD in maths and is obsessed with bees and time travel.
When the two meet, they are instantly drawn to each other.
Aldo and Regan both have their own struggles, but can they make things work between them?

I wasn't a big fan of the previous book that I read by the author, but I decided to give them another go and requested a copy of this book on NetGalley.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. It felt rather messy at times, but it was also very honest about mental health struggles.
I didn't feel that I particularly connected to either Aldo or Regan, but out of the two of them I preferred Aldo. I did find Regan to be an interesting character at times, and I did feel for her, but I didn't find her very likeable.
The plot was mixed for me. I definitely preferred the first half as it felt like not much happened during the second half and I lost interest a little.
I struggled with the writing style at times, especially at the beginning, and I wasn't sure I would even end up making it to the end.
I am disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but I have to admit that I did go into this book thinking that I probably wouldn't love it.

Overall, this was a mixed read.

I’ve heard a lot about this author and everyone has been raving about her but this book writing style was a bit too chaotic for me and at times I would get confused which character is talking. I can understand the understory and tried to get through it but the style was a bit much for me

I always look forward to Blake’s writing. I found this heavier than usual to read, but it really is a piece of art

This book broke my heart and left me a sobbing mess! But I loved every second of it. It covers some heavy topics but it is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read.
It will stay with me for a long time

review: alone with you in the ether by olivie blake

if Normal People and One Day broke you, then this book will do the same

I have been putting this book off for so long as I was praying it wasn’t overhyped and thank god my senses were incorrect because I genuinely loved this one. This book was written in such a beautiful and unique way and I loved how the main characters were complex yet they both understood the other even if at times they had no clue what the other was saying.

Regan and Aldo’s love was so intense in this book. It highlights how messy and complex love is but that even those with the most messed up brains can find their soulmate and have someone who just “gets it”

I would highly encourage everyone to pick this up 🫶🏻

I loved this book! Olivie Blake’s writing is beautiful and just captivating. I felt so connected to the characters stories and the representation of mental health was so well done. This book will definitely be one of my all time favourites and I can’t wait to read more by Olivie Blake!

Olivie Blake is one of my must-read authors. For me, her genius lies in her ability to weave wonderful stories around mind-blowing science. This is the first time I’ve given less than 5 stars to one of their works. I found I struggled with the chaotic style of writing, although that “chaos” is absolutely integral to the story and the influence behind it. The author’s notes at the end were enlightening and maybe if I’d read them at the beginning, I’d have had a more receptive mind.
However, I’m sure it’s just down to my comprehension and I still highly rate the obsessive romantic storyline.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

I do not get why so many people love this.
The whole thing was just a bit of a mess in my eyes. It was a struggle to keep up with the plot direction as the story jumped around all over the place, plus there was a large volume of dialogue around deep and existentialist topics that lost me completely. I didn't really gel with the characters either which then resulted in me not particularly caring about how their stories progressed. I've since found out that the author also wrote The Atlas Six; a book that I also really struggled with. Maybe I should take it as a sign that their writing isn't for me...?

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I can absolutely see why this book - why any of Blake's books - are not for everyone. She writes very densely layered prose which is structured, beautiful and very cerebral. Instead of giving you a clear narrative in the characters' inner monologues, we are treated to a very poetical (and occasionally pretentious) look at every single doubt fear and thrill even when one thought contradicts another. In many ways, this book reminds of the difference between love songs and songs with love in them. In folk terms a love song never has a happy ending. In fact chances are there will be a tragic close. Whereas a song with love in it, might end happily but is perceived as being lighter and having less depth. This is a love song in prose format not a romance (which by genre conventions should have a HEA).

And this book is not just about two people meeting and making an unlikely couple. This is about the mess each whole person brings to a relationship; about the difference between sex and intimacy; about how need can become confused with desire or love. There's a deep spiritual element to this which does not express itself in religion because the other person is god and guess what, god can leave you. It leaves nothing to the imagination. Every mean and magnificent thought is explored in ruthless detail. Every aspect of a relationship is laid bare. Except joy, Having read almost all of Blake's books now and being newly surprised by how much I love each one, I can honestly say that she writes amazing love stories which somehow excise the simple aspect of joy from the equation. For Blake, love is burning and suffering and screwing up and being locked in as much by flaws as by perfections. It's intense and it never turns that intensity down. It's always an interesting thought experiment. The characters are always complex and interesting. And it's always cathartic and just slightly exhausting. I wasn't sure about this one initially but once again the author worked her magic an I was enthralled. I read the book in a day.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5211078769

This is my fifth Olivie Blake book, so I thought I knew what to expect, but it turns out to be very different from the others. This is no elaborate fantasy series but instead a very short, simple book with a narrow focus on the blossoming relationship between two ordinary people. It manages to be both gorgeously romantic (and I'm always a sucker for romance!), while recognising the bumps in the road that any real relationship has to contend with, and how those can be exacerbated when one (or both) of the partnership is managing a mental illness. The writing around these issues is sensitively done, and feels very true to the author's own struggles with a mood disorder, which she acknowledges in a moving postscript.

On the downside, the two lead characters don't quite ring true as real people, being closer to exaggerated, glamorous caricatures (stunningly beautiful artist meets brilliant mathematician etc. etc.). That type of characterisation works well in a fantasy series, but holds up less well in what is intended to be a real life setting. And they also have the slight navel gazing quality that rocks up in some of the authors other books. Beautifully written as they are, I think some of the (at times repetitive) internal monologues could have been ditched here and the book might have been stronger for it.

That said, a very moving and interesting book. And definitely one for the hopeless romantics out there.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free review copy.

Apologies for the delay in this review, i have been battling ill health.

Great story, lovely setting, enjoyed the charcters and the story very much. I thought it flowed really well and it was a really good read.

I just have to accept that Olivie is just too clever for me. This didn’t hit the mark at all. She’s way over my head! Atlas 6 was fantastic but I can’t get away with anything else..

My thanks as ever to Netgalley and the Pan Macmillan Marketing Team for the copy..

Loved this!
Messy characters, a messy situation, super relatable! Really enjoyed this, potentially more so than any other romance read I have read this year.

Olivie Blake has a way of making you fall in love with her characters within seconds. I was so invested in both the characters and the relationship between them. I loved the ending of the book as well, which made the story feel like it had come very full circle, and therefore was very satisfying. Overall, a great book with enough emotional ups and downs to keep you invested the whole way through

I wasn't sure that I was the target reader for this, but the quirky characters wormed their way into my brain and I became invested in their journeys. Some parts were more difficult to enjoy, but they were necessary to the overall arc of the story. Some of the writing was simply beautiful and emotionally complex.