'Gifted & Talented' is not at all what I expected it to be and that's a good thing. I was kind of worried it would just be insufferable people getting away with insufferable and highly criminal things. Which it was but not really. It's also not really about siblings but parents and parenthood and the type of siblings that creates. Basically, everything you think you know about this book from the summary is right but also wrong. Simple!

I mostly read this in chunks of 80-100 pages because I couldn't put it down, I just had to keep reading and find out what was going on. It was great, I loved the magic that's not really explainable and the fail siblings and their fail relationships. Really fantastic.

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

I loved the melancholy of this book. The messiness and the beautiful difficulty of this family drama. I also enjoyed that Olivie paints in parts of her short stories from Januaries. This showcases the intricacies of family dynamics and the refunding of one’s self in adulthood and how it always differs from what we envision as children. The drive and perfection from the oldest sibling, the casual aloofness of the middle child constantly searching for acceptance and understanding, and the breeziness of the baby in the family that feels constantly out of the loop from the other two. Each experiencing their own type of pain and longing to be loved for who they are. This story was beautiful and messy and perfect.

Olivie Blake has done it again. Every time I pick up one of her books, I know I’m in for a wild, immersive ride—and Gifted & Talented is no exception. Blake’s signature blend of chaos and razor-sharp storytelling pulls you in from the very first page.

This book was an absolute delight—watching these siblings self-destruct over their dead father’s company (and inheritance) was equal parts hilarious and gripping. Blake has a genius for crafting narratives that feel unpredictable yet perfectly controlled, making you feel like you’re right there in the room as the drama unfolds.

I found myself laughing out loud more times than I could count. The biting satire had me hooked, but it was the inevitable, spectacular collapse of these characters that kept me frantically turning pages. If you love messy, brilliant family dynamics and stories that crackle with wit and tension, this one’s for you.

Thank you so much to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mini Review – Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake

I’m still reading Gifted & Talented (almost done) but I already know this will be a 5-star read. Olivie Blake’s beautifully chaotic writing is done so well—it perfectly captures the messiness of ambition, self-perception, and relationships. As the oldest, I deeply relate to the pressure of being “perfect,” of always having to set the standard while juggling expectations that sometimes feel impossible. The novel weaves that struggle into its characters in such a raw and authentic way that it feels like reading a reflection of my own experiences. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds, but I already know this story will stay with me.

New Olivie Blake superfan

I love this quirky writing style so much. I'm obsessed. I can't wait to read everything she's ever written. This will make my top 10 of 2025 without a doubt.

Just know, these three quotes are all from the same book:

(she felt it might be rude to The Cat, the one she might one day adopt but wasn't currently ready for, as she was not yet her ideal person)

He was about to see her constantly in every crowd, he was about to memorize the divot between her brows, he was about to create an invisible, personal mood ring that would only change color depending on what [NAME REDACTED] did, said, or thought.

But that didn't mean you handed your dead lover's daughter a strap-on and said have at it girl, life's short.


I cried again looking through my highlights for this review. That is all, please go read this book.

For Fans of:
* Succession
* Knives Out
* Gifted kid burn out manifesting into varying levels of catastrophic magic

I'll be honest: I DNF'd this book. I found a lot of similarities between this and Masters of Death (also by Olivie Blake). To be transparent: I don't have any issue with Olivie's writing... it just doesn't work for me. I have a really hard time connecting with the characters/the story due to an overabundance of explanation and side stories. Ultimately, I end up feeling majorly lost in translation and disconnected. I think Olivie's books would make excellent movies/TV shows for people like me who really have trouble connecting with her writing alone. Thank you, NetGalley!

This was my first Olivie Blake book and was very excited to read this after some very enthusiastic reviews from the Atlas Six (which is sitting on my shelf currently). Although I personally DNF'd this book - I do honestly see the appeal and why people enjoy Olivie Blake.

I ended up DNF'ing this book as I found it difficult to connect with the characters and their experiences in any way that kept me engaged. The magic system was unique and interesting, but I unfortunately I could not get past the self talk/inner thoughts of the characters regarding their lives and experiences/understanding of the world around them. I found that I also had some difficulties picturing the characters and found myself feeling overall disconnected as I read through the book.

I think I am in the minority for this perspective and I hope that I will enjoy it on my next attempt. I know I will pick this back up as a book to read when I am in the headspace to have an uncomfortable relationship dynamic with the characters in this book. I just do not think this book was for me (at this time).

I appreciate the opportunity to review this advanced copy, and I plan to try it out again in a different headspace for the characters.

I rated 3 stars as I do not feel it was a bad book by any means. It was well written with a solid premise and therefore should not suffer based on my inability to connect and prioritize the book characters.

I will be limiting this review to Netgalley at this time.

I had trouble getting into this book originally, but once I started listening to the audiobook, I flew through it. This book strangely reminded me of my siblings and I. Fortunately (or Unfortunately), my father is not a billionaire and I have no magical capabilities, but their hot mess was a bit familiar. I ended up liking this book a lot more than I thought I would. It's funny, witty, and full of people you kind of hate but also kind of love.
The narrator also did such a great job and I highly recommend this book!

I was really excited for this book at first, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. I ended up having to DNF it. I'm not exactly sure why, but the writing style felt very off-putting, and I struggled to stay engaged. I couldn’t fully connect with the story or any of the characters, and every time I thought about picking the book back up, I just felt a sense of dread. I didn’t want to force myself through a 500-page book that I wasn’t enjoying, so I ultimately had to set it aside.

This was an enjoyable read! It wasn’t 100% my cup of tea but I still had a great time reading! Olivie Blake is always a must read author for me

This one took a minute to get going. I had no idea what was going on, but that was part of the point. Miscommunication is a main feature of this story, about a family that has no idea what’s going on when the person holding them all together - and all at arms length - dies suddenly, forcing them to face who they have all become and not become and how maybe the people they thought they were don’t matter, and maybe we are all lots of people. And maybe life really doesn’t promise you happiness. This one is going to need a re read as I am not 100% sure I got it, but that’s Olivie Blake for you! Would recommend for anyone up for a challenge, for a hit of magic in their tech, and for the terror of the human condition.

Well I just love Olivie Blake. Her voice is young, energetic, edgy, and funny. Her stories are diverse and ALWAYS full of unlikable characters. I am not a fantasy reader but the way Olivie Blake writes just sucks me in. I love her unique and original stories.

following the death of their father, three estranged siblings are forced to reunite to figure out who inherited the late thayer wren’s estate. there’s meredith, the eldest daughter whose biotech company has recently cured mental illness; arthur, the second-youngest congressman in history who’s currently not doing too hot with his re-election campaign; and eilidh, the former ballerina who began working for her father’s company after a life-altering injury.

i’m a simple girl: i see that olivie blake has a new release, and i read it. with the title of this book being gifted & talented, i was even more excited for this. i loved the focus this book placed on dysfunctional families and former gifted kid burnout. the siblings reminded me a lot of the roy siblings from succession, and i loved that show, so i think other fans of that show would enjoy this.

I absolutely freaking loved this one! Are you kidding me?! I will be thinking about the infamous Wren siblings for quite some time. They were some awful people but you both love to hate them and hate to love them. The character development was unreal (like SO GOOD) that I was literally crying at the end. The humor and wit was top tier. It was a long book but the random short chapters, scenes written as a play, and just overall chaos made it such a fun read. The plot twists were pretty wild too. I am honestly really sad that this one is over!

If you’re going into this expecting a fantasy book, just keep in mind that it was very light on the fantasy aspects - but as someone who reads almost only fantasy, it didn’t bother me at all.

Thank you so much to Tor for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Olivie Blake, and Tor Books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

What a read!! This was my first read of Blake’s, but I so see the appeal of her stories and writing; I’m excited to pick up more of her work moving forward. When I saw this compared to Succession (which I was late to the game for but ultimately ate up), I knew I had to read, and it didn’t disappoint. This book is exactly like Succession but with magic! I thought the family drama was so well-done, and the entire cast of characters was fascinating. Seeing the whole ins and outs of the Wren family and the people they brought into their orbit was an expansive story. Each character was larger than life, but I have to say I was partial to Gillian the most. There were quite a few twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and it kept me on my toes! I do need to mention that it is a long book, and there are parts that seem to drag. I also would be remiss to point out that I really did not understand the magic at all or how it worked or even the setting of the whole “magitech” industry. I would have loved to see some of the nearly 500 pages devoted more to explaining this, as I feel it would have enhanced the story even more. For that reason, I don’t think this book will be for everyone as it is long, slightly confusing magic-wise, and stuffed with unlikable characters lol. But as someone who was in it for great writing and juicy drama, I loved it!

I’m so torn over this book. I absolutely devoured the first two-thirds but it kind of lost me in the end. I don’t want to say why because of spoilers but it was just a little too nicely wrapped up. After all the mess the Wren siblings got themselves into, the ending was a let down for me.

There’s a really strong sense of narrative voice. The narrator is very tongue in cheek, which I usually find annoying but this time it was fun and cheeky. The narrator does reveal themselves deeper into the book and I think it was a fun reveal, one I did not see coming.

Meredith was my favorite POV. I loved the tension between her and Jamie and found her plotline to be the most interesting, followed by Arthur. Eilidh was my least favorite sibling and I found myself partly skimming her chapters. It’s definitely more of a character study than a plot driven novel, though there is plenty of actual plot that is also interesting.

This would make a really good book club book, albeit it is very long. Almost too long.

Reading this book feels like watching an HBO show in all the best ways (Succession, White Lotus), with a sprinkling of magic and of the Royal Tenenbaums. It's funny and weird and the characters are horrible, but in a way where you absolutely can't look away (again: Succession and White Lotus). I loved it.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up!

Thank you @torbooks for the gifted copy!

Gifted & Talented
Olivie Blake @olivieblake
Publishing Date: April 1, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was somehow my first Olivie Blake book, despite owning basically all of them, and I really enjoyed it!

Thayer Wren has died, leaving his three entitled dysfunctional children to inherit his tech empire and estate. There is family drama and sibling banter galore. The entire “plot” is watching these fools wait for the will to be read. Which takes 80% of the book to get to. Where the magic lies (pun totally intended) is in the character study centered around the three Wren siblings.

All three are so unlikeable but in the way that you feel for them even though you really don’t want to. They are a product of their privilege and the weight of the expectations that have been put on them their entire lives. They are dysfunctional, completely lack any self awareness, and they struggle with love in all its forms. Oh and they have Magic! But they have seemingly no control over it and it seems to be driven by their emotions, which are intense and fleeting at any given time.

This novel really shines a light on how amazing Olivie Blake’s writing truly is. The prose is lovely, the writing style is intelligent, and there is so much humor and sharp wit scattered throughout. You feel fully immersed into the psyche of the characters. The themes of family and love were done in such a clever way. In addition to the main characters, the side characters were all so purposeful. The character of “God” who is also the narrator was fantastic. The commentary and breaking of the fourth wall made the experience of reading this book unlike any other.

This book is not an easy read, but it’s a worthwhile one. It’s sharp, witty, and intelligent while also invoking emotion. There is spectacular character development and world building. There is family and love and romance. Just do yourself a favor and read it.

If Olivie writes it, I’m going to read it. She is one of the few authors who has such an uncanny ability to write intrinsically flawed and dislikable characters that you can’t help but feel sorry for.

It’s very rare to find a book where the plot is driven by the characters, but everyone that I have read from Olivie is exactly that. It’s a very difficult thing to master and manage to keep the reader’s attention, but I am always glued to the page.

This book was no different. I wanted so much to dislike the Wrens, but I found myself feeling sorry for them, and the way that they were raised that essentially turned them into the people they are in this book.

The addition of magic is nice but manages to not take center stage and instead allows coping with the loss of a parent to be the main focus.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor, and the author for an eARC of this book to review. 💙

Olivie Blake has a way of making existential crises feel poetic, and Gifted & Talented is no exception. This book is a sharp, introspective, and sometimes painfully relatable look at ambition, loneliness, and the identities we build for ourselves—especially when we’re young and desperate to be someone worth knowing.

The novel follows a group of graduate students at Oxford, each brilliant in their own way, but also deeply flawed. Blake excels at crafting characters who feel almost too real—messy, over-intellectualizing, and self-sabotaging in ways that make you want to shake them and hug them in equal measure. The academic setting is intoxicating, and the dialogue is laced with the kind of wit and self-awareness that makes Blake’s writing so addictive.

That said, this book is definitely more about character exploration than plot, so if you’re looking for something fast-paced, this may not be it. There were moments where the prose leaned a little too heavy on introspection, slowing things down, but the emotional payoff was worth it.

Overall, Gifted & Talented is a beautifully written, thought-provoking novel that lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished. If you love books about complicated, intelligent people trying (and failing) to figure themselves out, this one’s for you.