From Olivie Blake, the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six, comes an intimate and contemporary study of time, space, and the nature of love.

as unlikely as it sounds given the negatives i just listed, there are some true moments of beauty in this.Regan and Aldo fall into something far beyond existential, beyond the quantum physics Aldo obsesses over. The craziest part about this story--through Olivia Blake's words, we ride all the rollercoaster of emotions Regan encounters. for me, it had me fascinated from the third page, then almost shoved me out into another breakdown and had me so so stressed the whole time just to pull me back at the last minute, and at the end i’m still confused. This is, ultimately, a literary romance, one with grit and uncomfortable explorations into themes of mental health, co-dependency, compulsive self-sabotage and the ways the veil of illusion begins to slip as relationships progress and we must decide to crack or embrace that ‘ it is perilously wonderful to suffer so sweetly with you.

She works at a Museum, mostly as a guide, her parents are absent as hell, her mom-destructive and cutting, and her sister, too perfect for words. I will never understand how this is labeled as a romance when it left me horrified, concerned that impressionable readers will seek out toxic relationships similar to this, and the fact that therapy and medication is subtly made out to be the wretch in their relationship, the thing that’s holding them back?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.

i found myself looking forward to hearing their thoughts on different theories and ideas and learning something new. Alexene tripped and fell into writing after abandoning her long-premeditated track for Optimum Life Achievement while attending law school. If this is what it is to burn, he thought, then I will be worth more as scattered ash than any of my unscathed pieces. Blake aims for grand phrasing of emotions that land quite impactfully and, sure, it may be overwrought at times but that's exactly how obsessive love feels.and even though i have some issues with the narrative structure and style, i did find some parts of it to be inspiring. My Mom lives here now, and I'm actually visiting her while I was reading this book--all elements that elevated the story. 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. i don’t know how it is to anyone else, if it’s aggressively unrelatable or boring or weirdly paced, so don’t listen to me. Olivie has penned several indie SFF projects, including the webtoon Clara and the Devil with illustrator Little Chmura and the viral Atlas series.

I would have enjoyed it if Blake continued this style more through the book as I missed it, but once the characters are established it instead turns more inward as they attempt to have more of a harness on their own narratives. they were both dealing with a lot when they met, and the realistic portrayal of mental health was very much appreciated. Alone with You in the Ether explores what it means to be unwell, and how to face the fractures of yourself and still love as if you're not broken.

There are books that are written in such a beautiful way that it feels like no words can do my thoughts justice on this.