The premise of a hot air balloon crashing into a fraught, fragile situation grabbed my attention as did the beautiful cover for HOT AIR by Marcy Dermansky. However, the world of the uber-rich and their insatiable desires and lack of personal agency quickly soured this light read for me. I did not understand nor empathize with a single character, so as well-written and wonderfully plotted as the story was, it failed to hold my attention and interest. Maybe if I had read it in one fell swoop, sitting by a pool with a tall, cool drink of something delicious, it might have struck me differently. What little I do know of the ultra-wealthy does ring true throughout this novel, but it's a world that fails to enthrall me even in a train-wreck-watching perspective. I received a copy of this novel and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

I enjoyed one of Marcy Dermansky's previous books, and had seen discussion of this one on social media, so I was excited to receive an early copy - but sadly this book did not work for me,

I can see some people being turned off by the subject matter of partner swapping, but that part didn't bother me at all -- I found the characters to be incredibly unlikeable and the whole plot felt really farfetched. The description of it sounds like something I typically enjoy - but it didn't work for me in execution.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

The publisher calls it “a joyfully unhinged story of money, marriage, sex, and revenge,” which honestly feels like an incredibly polite way to challenge me, personally. It is a quick sprint of a novel, gloriously messy people making gloriously messy choices, with threads of power, relationships, ego, and parenthood tangled up in all the right ways. It’s absurd, tumultuous, and somehow still manages to say something sharp beneath it all.

Things kick off when billionaire Jonathan and his wife Julia crash their hot air balloon into a stranger’s backyard pool. Unfortunately for Johnny, who’s mid–first date attempt with Joannie, it’s his pool. From there, the plot spirals exactly the way you hope it wouldn’t: through swinger culture, down to Universal Studios Florida, and into a series of increasingly poor decisions made with impressive confidence. Told from the rotating perspectives of all four characters, it’s a front-row seat to people making bad choices with great enthusiasm, all in pursuit of connection, meaning, or just a better story.

This book had me chuckling and wincing, sometimes in the same breath. The writing style has a compulsive, punchy rhythm, daring you to even try putting the novel down. The characters? Disasters, each one vain, chaotic, arrogant, and somehow still magnetic. You know they’re making terrible choices, you know they’ve earned the fallout, and yet— there you are, hoping they come out of it with just a little dignity left, if not an outright happy ending.

Effortless and clever, a perfect read for those who enjoy basking in the uncomfortable choices of others.

Every character in this novel is damaged. They come together as a result of a bizarre accident. The two couples desire to swap partners is overwhelming. The two children are overlooked. Two days turn into a nightmare. We are privy to their thoughts and machinations. An interesting look into the lives of the rich and not rich. My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book

A fantastic quick read. All of the characters are flawed and unlikeable, but the book was a delight.

The plot centers on a group of characters who are forced to share space with one another after a billionaire and his wife crash their hot air balloon into the middle of a first date between another couple. I was immediately intrigued by this premise, as well as the striking cover. Most of the characters in the book are extremely wealthy, and all of them are, more often than not, insufferable and self-absorbed. Despite their mutual disdain, however, there is an undeniable attraction between them - much like the morbid fascination one might feel for a trainwreck.

Dermansky excels at capturing the often inappropriate inner monologues of her characters - exposing their struggles with desire, self-image, failure, wealth, status, and narcissism. The novel does a brilliant job of showcasing how the ultra-rich frequently suffer from a “savior complex,” not out of any genuine desire to help others, but to elevate their own self-image. These characters, in the hands of a lesser writer, could easily become loathsome; yet Dermansky imbues them with moments of vulnerability that offer brief glimpses of tenderness, humanizing them in small but meaningful ways. Still, they remain irritating and shallow.

That said, I did find it difficult to understand some of the characters' motivations, as the shifts in their behavior - from one line to the next - often felt abrupt and inconsistent. While I appreciated the brisk pacing and the book’s short length, this pace sometimes left the character dynamics feeling underdeveloped. Nevertheless, due to its lighthearted subject matter and beautiful cover, this book could easily become a popular beach read during the summer months.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author (Marcy Dermansky), and the publisher (Knopf) for an advanced copy. Thoughts and review are completely my own.

This book is pure chaotic fun—in the best way. A hot air balloon crash kicks off a whirlwind of drama, desire, and dysfunction, told through a cast of characters who are messy, ridiculous, and weirdly relatable. It’s sharp, quick, and totally unhinged at times, but Marcy Dermansky somehow makes it all feel oddly profound. Perfect if you love your literary fiction with a side of absurdity and sass.

The premise to this short little novel sounded right up my alley, but unfortunately it was a little too odd for me.

I’m always blown away by Marcy Dermansky’s ability to dig deep into the dark side of human nature and HOT AIR did not disappoint. Joannie is on a first date with Johnny when billionaire Jonathan and his wife, Julia, crash a hot air balloon into Johnny’s pool. The four of them end up spending the night together and it turns out they all want something from one another. The characters are messy and unlikable but entirely human and I loved how the alternating perspectives allowed us into their heads to see why they behaved a certain way. A scandalous, fast-paced, and engaging character study that takes place over the course of a few days and offers a unique perspective on class, sexuality, motherhood, and toxic relationships.

3 ⭐️. these characters were messy and funny and such a fun time. nothing happens and yet we learn so much about the inner psyches of these characters..

ty to knopf publishing and netgalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just crazy in a good way?

If you love a character study of a book, boy are you in for a treat with this one.

Joannie is on a first date with Johnny, having dinner at his house, when all of a sudden her childhood crush (who happens to be a tech billionaire now) and his wife crash lands their hot air balloon in the middle of Johnny’s swimming pool. And that is only the start to the craziness that ensues!

There’s money, there’s Universal Studios, jealousy, swimming pools, stealing and so much more.

One of the things that makes this book so interesting is that the chapters switch between the characters. Sometimes that can be confusing at first with some books, but not this one. You definitely know who everyone is from the beginning.

Each person is equally unhinged and truly unlikeable in their own way. Just when you’re starting to like someone, they do something terrible, and just when you think someone is bad, you start to like them. It’s absurd and is seriously a testament to Dermansky’s writing.
3.5 stars thank you to NetGalley and Knopf publishing for an arc.

I have loved previous books from Marcy Dermansky (Hurricane Girl), so I was delighted to receive a copy of Hot Air. Dermansky does do readers wrong, however, with the character names in this one: Joannie, Johnny, Julia, and Jonathan. Her witty and satirical writing style is perfect for these times.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I was sure this book would be my jam because I love weird girl vs the void litfic but it just really didn't work for me.

Joannie, a newly divorced single mom, is on a bad date with her neighbor when a hot air balloon crashes in her pool. A billionaire, Jonathan, and his philanthropist wife, Julia, step outside. Joannie knew the billionaire from a summer camp kiss in childhood. Confusingly enough, her bad date was named Johnny. Rather than being charming, I found the similarity of their names hard to follow.

I liked Joannie and related to her sad ADHD girl struggles, but I found all the characters to be kind of bland. The most interesting thing about them was that they were unlikable. The couple then decides to try swinging and Jonathan and Julia don't even like Joannie but they decide to adopt her and her kid as pets for the day and they go to Universal Studios on a whim.

My other main issue was that I just wanted this to be more bizarro. Sad people having sex with people they don't like isn't weird enough for me. I also found the prose kind of clunky and simplistic; I didn't care for the author's writing style.

I kept reading because I hoped it would get weirder so maybe I just had the wrong expectations for this book. I couldn't decide between 3 and 4 stars but too many things didn't work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was... odd. I was immediately drawn to the book from the cover, but was able to really fall into the story inside. The character depth in unusual situations was very well written.

I am DNFing. I'm so sorry but the writing was so annoying to me. I couldn't stand the amount of times the name Joanie was repeated. I also just couldn't even fathom what was happening.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

Hot Air is a bizarre story full of messy characters making bad decisions. I guess there are themes about motherhood and money, and figuring out what is really important in life. Unfortunately, I never felt attached to the characters. I was just reading words on the page. The writing felt detached and cold. I almost DNF'd several times, but it was short and so weird that I had to know how it ended.

An interesting premise but I just couldn't get into this one. It just didn't have any characters or a plot that could keep my attention and I ended up DNFing. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. Perhaps just a wrong book wrong time situation.

For me, this is a classic case of, "don't judge a book by it's cover" which is vibrant and attention grabbing. Combined with the racy and fun description, I was sure I was in for a treat when I received an ARC of Hot Air. Boy, was I woefully mistaken. Every character is horribly selfish and unlikeable, the writing is overly simplisic with sentences that resemble, "see spot run". And, the four main characters being named, Joannie, Johnny, Jonathan and Julia became annoying rather than cute. The sex scene with the child in the room pushed me over the cliff and I just couldn't care what happened anymore.
What started as an entertaining story with promise, turned into a strange stream of conciousness diatribe by each character that left me wishing I'd dnf'd this book. Thankfully, it was only 208 pages.

Hot Air follows a group of people in a messy situation. They navigate relationships, parenting, and grapple with right and wrong. This book is a quick, fun read, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading about people trying to find their way.

Wow! This was bonkers and everyone sucked (in a juicy way) and it was wild fun. I really hope you’re not supposed to root for any character because i really didn’t. I felt bad for the kids involved for getting caught up in the adults’ mess. This is a look at people’s needs and wants, with twisted and distorted views of morals and how actions affect other people. But it was entertaining!