3.5 stars!!

I really just love Marcy Dermansky’s writing. She has this way of writing complex characters in a shortish novel and I find it hard to put her books down. I really liked the format of this one of a story spanning just over a weekend and with an entire group of people who have just met. It was fast paced and so intriguing. I loved watching the characters start off with an idea in their minds of what they wanted in their lives, and then learning that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Can’t wait to read more from MD.

What a quirky, weird, quick little novel. I know the name choices were intentional (Johnny, Joannie, Jonathan, and Julia), but it still took an extra cognitive step for me to remember who was who. This was completely unrealistic (a first date was interrupted by a hot air balloon crash, which contains on of the first datee's first kisses when they were 14, who is also a very famous tech mogul?, which then turns into taking a group Florida vacation within the next 24 hours?) but kind of fun nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joannie and Johnny are single parents on a first date, trying to make things work; life, parenthood, a less-than-stellar first kiss, everything. Where at first it seems that surely their night together at Johnny's house is destined for boredom at best, an enormous hot air balloon (yes) crash-lands into Johnny's pool. Enter Julia and Jonathan, owners of the rogue balloon and the latter coincidentally being Julia's childhood crush and now wildly successful billionaire.

Suddenly, Joannie and Johnny's night just got a whole lot more interesting.

Joanne, Johnny, Jonathan, and Julia. Why, Marcy Dermansky, why? I should have known from the onset that my ability to keep really the only four important characters in this book straight would be my downfall. Having read and loved her novel "Hurricane Girls" so much it landed in my top 10 books of the year, I couldn't wait to get my hands on what I hoped would be another irresistibly offbeat slice of life novel offering up equal parts belly laughs and quiet, poignant moments. "Hot Air," unfortunately, missed the mark for me in a lot of ways. Yes, these wildly confusing characters are a train-wreck. Yes, there are some amusing moments throughout. But as a whole, "Hot Air" felt more out-of-touch than slice of life, and the story itself never developed beyond the "this is weird."

I haven't had this much fun reading a book in quite some time. Nothing really compares to the shock of having your first date interrupted by a hot air balloon crash. I loved the multiple POV chapters of the book so that you get the story from everyone's perspective. The author did a wonderful job of looking at how having/not having money affects your relationship with others. The characters are mostly likable and you get enough of the backstory of the ones who aren't likable to understand, a bit, why they are like they are. This would make an excellent book club book because the multiple character POV and the themes around money are excellent fodder for discussion. Now I need to go read the author's backlist!

"Hot Air" by Marcy Dermansky made me giggle. Characters who are unhinged and make some questionable decisions because they are unhappy make for some of the best reading experiences. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a quick, fun and engaging read! This novel was full of drama and messy characters that hooked me right from the start.

A Marcy Dermansky book is always a fun trip, and Hot Air is no exception.

This short novel, takes you down a rabbit hole and into the psyche of an unhappy and unlikely slew of characters, set over the span of a few nights. Amid the ugliness it manages to, somehow, be an utterly delightful read.

I just love that I never know what to expect next in each novel I’ve read of Dermansky’s (Hurricane Girl and the Red Car), except that I will always be entertained.

This was a very weird, fast book to read. It takes place over just a few days, starting with a hot air balloon landing in a backyard. It was funny and strange and enjoyable.

I gave this book 10 chapters and had to DNF. It is just not for me.

I'm sorry.

First the names of the characters "4 J's" Johnny, Jonathan, Joannie and Julia....why? It's confusing. Maybe it's explained later in the book but an editor should have discouraged this.

Second, the story is so stupid. A hot Air balloon drops from the sky into someone's back yard with a billionaire and his wife in the tow. (This was interesting) But then the billionaire wife says let's all sleep together and everyone is like ok. I guess people behave like this but not any I know.

I find the conservative bashing and Covid talk unnecessary and a turn off.

Life is too short to spend on bad books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The conceit was fine, however the execution lacked depth.

Joannie and Johnny are single parents on a dinner date at Johnny's house when a hot air balloon lands in Johnny's pool. The billionaires, Julia and Johnathan, that climb out of the balloon are arguing on their anniversary. So they all agree to partner swap. Okay...

The chapter switches narrators between chapters, which is a great idea in theory, however none of the voices is distinguishable from the other.

When a hot air balloon falls out of the sky and into a neighborhood pool, Johnny, Joannie, Julia, and Jonathan's lives are scooped up in interwoven couple drama mixed with heated desires. Alluring, snappy banter and quick sentences pull the reader in, and pages fly by as a few days pass wildly for the characters. Jonathan and Julia are billionaires, and they use their fortune absentmindedly to entice those around them for their own entertainment. Joannie, experiencing motherhood and writer's block, becomes entangled in the billionaires' promising adventures. Passionate and reflective, this novel is lighthearted, tantalizing, darkly humorous, and quick. Chapters told from alternating perspectives breathe the character's desires and confusion in charismatic, amusing ways. Ideal for readers that enjoy contemporary literary fiction and messy characters with big personalities. This book is an absolute hit and recommended for all collections.

Ummm I’m not even sure what I just read. First- it was short- novella/short story? The story was told in chapters - each given to one of the 5 adult characters and 1 child. It was almost written like a stream of consciousness. Very, very weird things happened. Some of the paragraphs didn’t even make sense from one to another. First these people (complete strangers) were acting like swingers and then they were on a flight to Florida with the kid? I literally don’t even know what the literary point of this “novel” was.

This was a whirlwind of a ride that I thoroughly enjoyed and flew through. Think All Fours by Miranda July meets Colored Television by Danzy Senna. Each character makes horrible decisions and is completely unhinged but in the best way. This short little novel is cringey from start to finish. Once you start you simply cannot look away.

This was both hilariously weird and compulsively readable. Despite both unreliable and unlikeable toxic characters, I could not not know how the story was going to end.

Joanie, a single mother and washed up desperate writer, finds herself on a passable date with. a wealthy man named Johnny. He invites her and her daughter Lucy to his home, and while Joanie finds Johnny to be just okay, she is quite impressed with his luxurious lifestyle. While Joanie is considering the pros and cons of continuing to date this average man, a billionaire and his wife crash their hot air balloon into Johnny's pool.

Instead of going home, the adults decide to have a little fun and see where the night takes them. This leads to a whirlwind of a weekend, full of poor decision making and bad judgement calls.

The characters are completely flawed but in a funny, satirical way. Even the Joanie's daughter is completely insufferable. The writing style is quite blunt, which I would not typically enjoy except that in this case it was the correct tone for the book.

This is a great take on the dangers of covetousness, hypocrisy, and entitlement. Especially as you realize that while the filthy rich are certainly guilty of this behavior, so too is the average person.

Bizarre in a good way, I liked it!

As a fan of Dermansky’s HURRICANE GIRL, I was thrilled to have a chance to get a peek at HOT AIR before its release. It did not disappoint. Dermansky writes sharp prose full of plot with characters with edges and flaws that make for interesting dives into the greater themes of the novel. HOT AIR is a novel that you’ll devour in a day. It’s about money, lust, marriage, and sex. A woman is on a dinner date at the home of a divorced dad from her daughter’s school, fantasizing about having the house and financial stability but mid on the date, when a billionaire couple crashes in a hot air balloon in the backyard pool. A whole lot of mess follows along with big questions about our relationship to money and other people. It’s a great read filled with complicated characters. A huge thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for an early peek at the eARC. HOT AIR releases March 18.

This novel is comparable to White Lotus and would be enjoyed by fans of the show. It main themes are class differences, power, gender, sexuality, race, and parenting. The book is tightly written and fast paced while also changing the perspective frequently. The novel is written in the close third person so it adds to its cinematic feeling. Overall, a quiet and enjoyable read but not the most groundbreaking thing I’ve consumed.

One misspelling toward the end of the book where the character is spelled “lucie” and “Lucy” as she was referred by throughout the novel.

This was not my typical read and I felt uncomfortable at times. Having children in this story is what made me so uncomfortable.
Since this book was not my typical read I don't think I could provide good feedback.

quick, quirky, and fast well-written lit fic about some very fun characters in a very fun setting. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky was a quick read about sex, money, marriage, dating, revenge and many unhappy people. I loved every minute of it

Seeing the chapter list I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep everyone straight but I quickly realized all the characters were distinguishable and I knew who was who. But seriously why so many J names?

I liked the cover and the story seemed interesting. It’s not what I’d normally read but I really enjoy this. It took a while to digest with so many emotions and new things popping up when I thought more about this book. I kept thinking about things as this story really stuck with me.

Thank you for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will update closer to the with my social media posts.

Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky
This one had an interesting concept.
Joanie and Johnie go on a date at his house, because she doesn’t have chidcare. A hot air balloon crashed in Johnie’s pool. The couple riding in the ballon consists of a man that recognizes Joanie from high school, and it goes downhill from there. There were some funny moments but the characters were entitled and annoying. The story line was choppy and the characters all had names that begin with “J” which made it difficult to follow. As the story was told from multiple points of view without good transition between characters, the story just didn’t flow well. It was like a stream of consciousness writing style. The story fell flat and was shallow without good character development and lots of bad decisions.
On a positive note, the cover is fabulous! 2/5⭐️
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book.