Real Rating: 3.75* of five

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_%26_Carol_%26_Ted_%26_Alice" target="_blank"><i>Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice</i></a> for modern times. A bit prim and a lot heteronormative for my taste.

I'm not mad about it, also not mad I read it. Some decent one-liners in here.

Hot Air begins with a bang - Joannie and Johnny are on a first date in his backyard when a hot air balloon crashes into Johnny’s pool. Even stranger is that the balloon pilot, Johnathon, is a famous billionaire and Joanie’s first kiss. Johnathon’s balloon adventure was supposed to be a romantic surprise for his wife, Julia, but, to be honest, Julia is rather sick of her husband’s antics. One night together soon turns into a weekend as their lives become even more entangled.

This book immediately sucked me in and before I knew it I was 30% of the way through. I loved how the author chose to tell the story from so many different points of view. Everyone was kind of terrible, but in seeing the weekend through their eyes they all made sense and felt real to me. Hot Air definitely kept me entertained and I wanted to see how the story would end, but then it was just over. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I still ended up feeling a little let down at the end as everyone just carries on with their lives as expected. But maybe that’s the point.

I really did enjoy this author’s storytelling and engaging writing style. I’m happy to see they have a backlist to explore and I look forward to reading from them again on the future.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for a review copy.

HOT AIR: A NOVEL seems like an over-reach on the title; this is a short book closer to a novella. The time frame is a short weekend plus and the setting might be just called ‘lifestyles influenced by extreme wealth.’ The characters are well-developed and their POV is completely explored and given voice. The problem is the characters are by turns privileged, entitled and annoying; they manage to break things and people in their world without regard for outcomes. Author Marcy Dermansky has created a clever little book and her imagination provides food for thought. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I enjoyed the writing and the multiple POVs and the premise is interesting. I found myself asking, what was the point after finishing it though.

This book definitely keeps the pages turning, but by the end it feels like a bit of a waste of time. The short, choppy sentences were annoying, and the fact that none of the characters are likable in any way also got on my nerves. I don't mind unlikable characters as long as there's something interesting about how they're interacting. That was here, but it was repetitive. Nothing surprised me and at the end I was just left kind of....blah.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance reader's copy of this book.

I enjoyed this thought provoking and offbeat novel by Marcy Dermansky. Joannie is on a first date when a man she knows from her past and his wife crash their hot air balloon into her date’s swimming pool. The couples end up partying together and stay the night. The book spans a few days in their lives and takes on the different character’s point of views.

Such a unique read! Quick and quirky--glad I got to read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Marcy Dermansky!

Hot Air starts with an intriguing premise — a billionaire and his wife crash their hot air balloon into a swimming pool, setting off a chain of events that ties together an eclectic cast of characters. While the setup is undeniably fun, the execution falls a bit flat. The story had potential for chaos and clever twists, but instead, it plays things a little too safe. By the end, everything wraps up a bit too neatly, leaving the whole experience feeling somewhat forgettable. An entertaining read, but one that doesn't quite live up to its promising concept.

3.5 stars! I've enjoyed some of Marcy Dermansky's books in the past, so I was extra excited to read HOT AIR! I really liked her sharp, witty writing and the messiness of these characters. The story is described as "joyfully unhinged," which I think is definitely apt—it has its moments of being "weird" and chaotic, but is undeniably entertaining throughout! Overall, I would recommend this one for an good, quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.

When I saw the amazing cover for Hot Air, I immediately NEEDED to read it. It starts off with a bang. Well, kind of. A hot air balloon crashes into someone's backyard. It's the meet cute of four characters whose names all begin with the letter "J" (something I found hilarious, especially when Dermansky even points out how ridiculous it is). And we follow these characters along for a few days as they entangle and disentangle their lives. Dermansky's sharp and witty writing had me hooked and laughing out loud in the beginning. I did feel the story lost steam at some point and left me wanting a bit more from it. It raises many interesting topics such as wealth (how the rich spend it and the desperate decisions one makes when they don't have it), marriage, sex, parenthood and success. It's a quick read with messy and somewhat unlikable characters.

3.5 Stars! I'd definitely read another book by Dermansky..

I wanted to start this review with a list of which character was the most hateable, in order - because every character in this small story was quite detestable. However, the number one spot changed with each perspective we got, so that list would actually be quite challenging to make. I will say, this speaks to Dermansky's writing abilities, as I found myself rolling my eyes and scoffing at the ridiculousness of every character at least two to three times, if not more. The story is quick and punchy without much "point" - rich people behaving badly. Entitled people being entitled. A fun travel or vacation read if you're into those sort of things. 3 STARS.

This title comes out Tuesday March 18th. Thank your to NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC

This is a short book about a hot air balloon that crashes into a swimming pool in a backyard during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the house, a man and woman are on their first date (with their kids watching movies inside the house). In the balloon is an extremely wealthy couple. The crash begins a whirlwind few days in the lives of these people. I feel like the short length left me needing a bit more.

The prose had a brittle intensity that kept me at arms length from the story. Dermansky always writes with bite and directness but usually the heart of the characters keeps beating strong and that heartbeat was missing for me here. Bad Marie remains my unsurpassed favorite of Marcy Dermansky’s novels.

Johnny and Joannie are on a first date when a billionaire she knew as a kid crash lands in the pool with his wife… on his hot air balloon.

This was an interesting story that flies by but warning, it’s not a book for prudes! It’s like every character had their own hang ups about themselves and each other and had them acting out in new ways. I loved their conversations and interactions with each other and being privy to their thoughts as the perspectives changed. This is definitely a unique read.

“A hot air balloon in his backyard. A beautiful woman literally asking to come into his bed. No games, no foreplay. It has been a while. Dating was so much work. How could he say no?”

Hot Air comes out 3/18.

This was such a good read and a total trip and largely enjoyable. I love some morally questionable characters. I love a goofy hot air balloon opening. I love stray cats! Marcy does not miss!!!

Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, and Marcy Dermansky for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Marcy Dermansky’s Hot Air begins with a hot air balloon making an emergency landing in a backyard pool. Joannie is on a date (her first in some time) with Johnnie (a terrible kisser), the owner of the backyard pool when her now ridiculously wealthy childhood first kiss, Jonathan, and his wife, Julia, abruptly end their romantic anniversary air balloon ride with a watery ending. The quirkiness and absurdity continue as Julia suggests she and Joannie swap partners. The plot gets even more complicated when Julia becomes obsessed with Joannie’s daughter and takes the two on a vacation to Universal Studios to visit Harry Potter world.

A big fan of Dermansky’s Hurricane Girl, I was very excited to read Hot Air. Readers who enjoy stories that are truthful, just a little absurd, and coincidental will enjoy Hot Air.

This was a weirdo of a book with each character more unlikable than the last one you met. Each characters motivation seemed to be “why not” because nothing else truly made sense, not that I’ve ever hung out with billionaires or crashed a hot air balloon into a pool that my childhood crush stood beside.

As a quick, one-sitting read, I guess this book is technically a novel, but I think it falls in that grey area between novel and novella. There are a lot of characters and POVs in this book. Despite it being so short, I feel like we really got fully-formed characters with good character arcs. None of the characters were particularly likable, BUT I really liked not liking them. 😅 I enjoyed how messy, raw, and chaotic this book was.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

This book made me feel dirty from the beginning and never really stopped. It felt yuck throughout and left me with the same feeling upon ending. The cover and description enticed me, but there were no real redeeming qualities, other than that it was a short and quick read.

The premise of Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky is unique - Joanie and her daughter are on a first date at Johnnie’s house in LA when a hot air balloon lands in Johnnie’s pool. The balloon contains Jonathon, a billionaire and his wife Julia. Coincidentally, Joanie and Jonathon went to camp together as teens and shared a kiss. Once I got all of the J names straight, I grew to love this slim novel. Dermansky has created unlikable characters who you still manage to root for. In particular, I really wanted Joanie and Vivian, Jonathon’s assistant to find their way. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading Dermansky’s backlist. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an advanced readers copy of the book!