A review by stitchsaddiction
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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.