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Hot Air
A joyfully unhinged story of money, marriage, sex, and revenge unspools when a billionaire crashes his hot air balloon into the middle of a post-pandemic first date.
Joannie hasn’t been on a date in seven years when Johnny invites Joannie and her daughter to dinner. His house is beautiful, his son is sweet, and their first kiss is, well, it’s not the best, but Joannie could convince herself it was nice enough. But when Joannie’s childhood crush, a summer camp fling turned famous billionaire, crash lands his hot air balloon in Johnny’s swimming pool, Joannie dives in.
Soon she finds herself alighting on a lost weekend with Johnny the bad kisser, Jonathan the billionaire, and Julia his smart, stunning wife. Does Joannie want Jonathan? Does Julia want her husband? Or Joannie? Or Joannie’s beautiful little girl? Does Johnny want Julia? Does Jonathan want Joannie, or Julia, or maybe, his much younger personal assistant, Vivian, who is tasked to fix it all? A tale of lust and money and lust for money, Hot Air is as astonishing as it is blisteringly funny, a delirious, delicious story for our billionaire era.
Joannie hasn’t been on a date in seven years when Johnny invites Joannie and her daughter to dinner. His house is beautiful, his son is sweet, and their first kiss is, well, it’s not the best, but Joannie could convince herself it was nice enough. But when Joannie’s childhood crush, a summer camp fling turned famous billionaire, crash lands his hot air balloon in Johnny’s swimming pool, Joannie dives in.
Soon she finds herself alighting on a lost weekend with Johnny the bad kisser, Jonathan the billionaire, and Julia his smart, stunning wife. Does Joannie want Jonathan? Does Julia want her husband? Or Joannie? Or Joannie’s beautiful little girl? Does Johnny want Julia? Does Jonathan want Joannie, or Julia, or maybe, his much younger personal assistant, Vivian, who is tasked to fix it all? A tale of lust and money and lust for money, Hot Air is as astonishing as it is blisteringly funny, a delirious, delicious story for our billionaire era.
- GenresFictionContemporary
208 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 18, 2025
About the author
Marcy Dermansky
8 books29.1k followersMarcy Dermansky is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Hurricane Girl, Very Nice, The Red Car, Bad Marie and Twins. Her new novel Hot Air will be released in the spring of 2025.
Marcy has received fellowships from MacDowell and The Edward Albee Foundation. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey with her daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 11, 2024
This is the first book I have read by Marcy Dermansky and if her others are like HOT AIR, I am going to need to read her backlist stat! I love a quick paced tale with alternating points of view and am even more impressed when this is done in literary fiction. I just had to know what would happen after Jonathan and Julia's hot air balloon crashed into Johnny and Joannie's first date! The characters were so fully described that I felt like I had met them in real life. It was like reading a weird and witty dream about swingers. Think Indecent Proposal meets The Ice Storm with a dash The Hangover. This is set during the pandemic and surprisingly had a lot about Universal Studios in Florida.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy. Thoughts and review are completely my own.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy. Thoughts and review are completely my own.
August 26, 2024
Think Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, the 1969 film directed and written by Paul Mazursky . . . written in Dick, Jane and Sally short sentences in novel form with kids added in, where all the characters, at least in the beginning, seem to have a kind of Asperger’s Syndrome understanding in relationships.
This is a style that I’ve read in all of Marcy Dermansky’s work, only here it is even more heightened, and the effect is its own kind of music. Sometimes comical, sometimes sad.
Children’s book author Eric Carle was a family friend and he once said that he thought the whole human journey was about leaving home, epitomized by a child’s transition from home to school. I think Marcy Dermansky has an equally colorful (the cover is spectacular) twisted adult version of this theme in her books, and very much in this one where what starts out as stilted gradually reveals the gaping hole of need we all feel at some level, if we are willing to admit it—a hole of need and just wanting to fill it up with Home. Protagonist Joannie in this colorful drama of couples swapping, random sex, and a deflated hot-air balloon, personifies what we all are so desperately trying to hide—if not from others, from ourselves.
* I received an ARC of this book that is due out in March 2025.
This is a style that I’ve read in all of Marcy Dermansky’s work, only here it is even more heightened, and the effect is its own kind of music. Sometimes comical, sometimes sad.
Children’s book author Eric Carle was a family friend and he once said that he thought the whole human journey was about leaving home, epitomized by a child’s transition from home to school. I think Marcy Dermansky has an equally colorful (the cover is spectacular) twisted adult version of this theme in her books, and very much in this one where what starts out as stilted gradually reveals the gaping hole of need we all feel at some level, if we are willing to admit it—a hole of need and just wanting to fill it up with Home. Protagonist Joannie in this colorful drama of couples swapping, random sex, and a deflated hot-air balloon, personifies what we all are so desperately trying to hide—if not from others, from ourselves.
* I received an ARC of this book that is due out in March 2025.
September 23, 2024
3.5 stars rounded to 4 because it felt unhinged and I’m sort of confused about the plot and story in general but still somehow loved it and would recommend to others. LOL!
September 12, 2024
Marcy Dermansky has done it again! This book was weird, quick, and a lot of fun. Following Joannie, Julia, Johnny, and Johnathan was a wild ride. The pacing was fantastic. The story was outlandish but still somewhat believable. The characters were flawed in all the right ways. I personally love a story where nothing truly happens, so this one was right up my alley. I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for something quick and entertaining. Some may get confused by the characters names, but I thought them all starting with J was kind of genius. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for my hinest review :)
August 11, 2024
This had the most random sequence of events and like nothing really happened, but at the same time I was thoroughly entertained so that says something about the quality of the writing. For all the people who like weird shit. Felt similarly to how I felt after finishing big Swiss. Confused about the plot but pretty sure I enjoyed it. Interesting commentary on savior mindsets as well
September 24, 2024
I absolutely love the unpredictable journey that Marcy Dermansky's books take the reader on. Hot Air is no exception.
Joannie is finally on her first post-divorce date with Johnny. She is trying to determine if she can get past his terrible kissing when a hot air balloon piloted by a billionaire (who also happens to be her childhood summer camp crush) crashes into his swimming pool. What follows is a story full of terrible choices, awful people, too much money, and the Rainforest Cafe. I loved it.
While I wish the ending packed a little more punch, this is another excellent and unhinged book from the incomparable Dermansky.
Many thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Joannie is finally on her first post-divorce date with Johnny. She is trying to determine if she can get past his terrible kissing when a hot air balloon piloted by a billionaire (who also happens to be her childhood summer camp crush) crashes into his swimming pool. What follows is a story full of terrible choices, awful people, too much money, and the Rainforest Cafe. I loved it.
While I wish the ending packed a little more punch, this is another excellent and unhinged book from the incomparable Dermansky.
Many thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
September 25, 2024
Joannie is stuck: her first novel was successful, but she hasn't written anything since before the Pandemic. Her marriage has ended, and she and her daughter are just barely getting by. Then comes the bizarre first date in a very long time: there's a terrible first kiss with a sweet guy with a wonderful pool and then, abracadabra, a hot air balloon crash-lands in that pool. At the helm? Joannie's first crush, a foolhardy billionaire trying to impress his wife.
This maelstrom of coincidence sparks an equally chaotic swirl of desire set against the inevitable power imbalances bred by extreme wealth. Told in seemingly artless declarative sentences from the various perspectives of the four adults (each of whom has a name beginning with J) at the pool, in addition to that of the billionaire's nubile assistant. I found the novel by turns irritating and captivating. I'm an old-fashioned reader, and I admit, I like a redemptive character arc.
Each "narrator" sounded naive, underbaked, and even childishly self-absorbed to me. Yet still, are people not selfish and naive? Particularly in pursuit of id-ish desire? And each character pursues a desire: a longing to be a mother, the wish for home, carnal lusts, hunger for power, thirst for money, the desire to do good (and to be recognized doing good!), and, in the form of Joannie's daughter, the intense wish to go to Harry Potter's Wizarding World theme park.
Dermansky's masterfully (and deceptively!) simple style has earned her critical acclaim in earlier novels, and I have no doubts that this too will get plenty of attention.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.
This maelstrom of coincidence sparks an equally chaotic swirl of desire set against the inevitable power imbalances bred by extreme wealth. Told in seemingly artless declarative sentences from the various perspectives of the four adults (each of whom has a name beginning with J) at the pool, in addition to that of the billionaire's nubile assistant. I found the novel by turns irritating and captivating. I'm an old-fashioned reader, and I admit, I like a redemptive character arc.
Each "narrator" sounded naive, underbaked, and even childishly self-absorbed to me. Yet still, are people not selfish and naive? Particularly in pursuit of id-ish desire? And each character pursues a desire: a longing to be a mother, the wish for home, carnal lusts, hunger for power, thirst for money, the desire to do good (and to be recognized doing good!), and, in the form of Joannie's daughter, the intense wish to go to Harry Potter's Wizarding World theme park.
Dermansky's masterfully (and deceptively!) simple style has earned her critical acclaim in earlier novels, and I have no doubts that this too will get plenty of attention.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.
September 14, 2024
Hot Air is short, incisive, and engrossing. The multiple POVs work so well here and give the story a dynamic and intimate feel. The plot is funny and absurd, with a sprinkling of tenderness.
There is so much action packed into the story which takes place over a few days. Joannie is on a first date with Johnny (his kissing skills need improvement, but his home and pool are amazing). When their date is interrupted by a hot air balloon crashing into Johnny's backyard, Joannie is shocked to see that the people in the balloon include a well-known billionaire (and the first person she kissed decades ago during summer camp). The night takes an unexpected turn as the lives of Joannie, Johnny, Johnathan, Julia (and Vivian) intersect.
I'm a big fan of the author and her other works and absolutely loved this. Her characters are rarely likable yet I can't help but feel utterly pulled into their petty dramas. Recommended to everyone!
Thank you very much to Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this delightful novel.
There is so much action packed into the story which takes place over a few days. Joannie is on a first date with Johnny (his kissing skills need improvement, but his home and pool are amazing). When their date is interrupted by a hot air balloon crashing into Johnny's backyard, Joannie is shocked to see that the people in the balloon include a well-known billionaire (and the first person she kissed decades ago during summer camp). The night takes an unexpected turn as the lives of Joannie, Johnny, Johnathan, Julia (and Vivian) intersect.
I'm a big fan of the author and her other works and absolutely loved this. Her characters are rarely likable yet I can't help but feel utterly pulled into their petty dramas. Recommended to everyone!
Thank you very much to Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this delightful novel.
September 10, 2024
First off, thank you, NetGalley, for this arc.
If you’re into fast-paced books with nonexistent plots, this book is for you. It was a quick and easy read, but I don’t think this book was for me. This was my introduction to this author, but I wouldn’t say I liked how it was written. It felt too choppy and had short sentences. It was sometimes hard to focus because it kept jumping from one thing to another. One thing that confused me so much was all the J names. I got Johnny and Jonathan mixed up a lot and had to start the chapter over cause I was thinking it was another person. It was a bouncy ride from the book's beginning to the second it ended. The hot air balloon falls in the pool, and an old crush arises out of it on the border of a failed marriage to the suggestion of swinging. Do I need to go on? Overall, this wasn’t my cup of tea. For someone else, this might be a banger. No pun intended (or was it).
If you’re into fast-paced books with nonexistent plots, this book is for you. It was a quick and easy read, but I don’t think this book was for me. This was my introduction to this author, but I wouldn’t say I liked how it was written. It felt too choppy and had short sentences. It was sometimes hard to focus because it kept jumping from one thing to another. One thing that confused me so much was all the J names. I got Johnny and Jonathan mixed up a lot and had to start the chapter over cause I was thinking it was another person. It was a bouncy ride from the book's beginning to the second it ended. The hot air balloon falls in the pool, and an old crush arises out of it on the border of a failed marriage to the suggestion of swinging. Do I need to go on? Overall, this wasn’t my cup of tea. For someone else, this might be a banger. No pun intended (or was it).
July 30, 2024
I have yet to read a Marcy Dermansky novel I didn't love from the first word to the last and Hot Air is no exception. This novel is so unapologetically and pleasurably absurd. A billionaire and his wife crash their hot air balloon into the pool of a single father's home where he is having a first date with a single mother, writer, woman with thwarted desires. It becomes an impromptu slumber party and then much more because, it turns out, the single mother and the billionaire knew each other when they were teenagers. There's also the billionaire's fed up assistant with whom boundaries are blurred and his wife who maybe is over their marriage but maybe not. This novel is a romp, full of the witty, razor sharp prose characteristic of all Dermansky's books. I cannot recommend this novel enough.
September 13, 2024
Before I share my review, take a moment to look at that cover - I have never seen such a perfect cover!
I love everything Marcy Dermansky writes and this short book was no exception. Her characters, whether likable or despicable, are fully drawn people I want to spend time with - they become real to me. Joannie is a divorced mom and on a date for the first time in years with Johnny. She knows she could never have a long term relationship with with this man for many reasons, including that his name is so similar to hers. Then Julia and Jonathan - more J names - enter the picture in a clever way and the story takes off. This book made me chuckle. Loved the peek into the lives of bored rich people in contrast to the "regular people".
Grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.
I love everything Marcy Dermansky writes and this short book was no exception. Her characters, whether likable or despicable, are fully drawn people I want to spend time with - they become real to me. Joannie is a divorced mom and on a date for the first time in years with Johnny. She knows she could never have a long term relationship with with this man for many reasons, including that his name is so similar to hers. Then Julia and Jonathan - more J names - enter the picture in a clever way and the story takes off. This book made me chuckle. Loved the peek into the lives of bored rich people in contrast to the "regular people".
Grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.
September 29, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Marcy Dermansky's publishing team for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I don't believe I've ever read a book that I didn't enjoy any of the characters. The plot was unclear throughout and there was no depth in the plot or the characters. The beginning started out like the awkwardness and quirkiness of something that reminded me of the Great Gatsby and so I was convinced to continue but all the characters were selfish, entitled, and just awful. The same things were repeated and it perpetuated female cattiness over men that I just don't enjoy.
The ending was decent, but predictable.
I don't believe I've ever read a book that I didn't enjoy any of the characters. The plot was unclear throughout and there was no depth in the plot or the characters. The beginning started out like the awkwardness and quirkiness of something that reminded me of the Great Gatsby and so I was convinced to continue but all the characters were selfish, entitled, and just awful. The same things were repeated and it perpetuated female cattiness over men that I just don't enjoy.
The ending was decent, but predictable.
September 17, 2024
This is my first time reading a Marcy Dermansky book. After reading this one, I need to check out her backlist! The story line is strange and nothing really happens in the book but yet I really enjoyed it! The pacing, the characters and the writing are all so good!
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review!
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review!
September 28, 2024
I was glad to get this new novel By Marcy Dermansky thru NetGalley because I had read Hurrican Girl previously. Again I read this novel in ONE day! The story is as the blurb says “unhinged” and kept me enthralled through every page. An excellent author who knows how to grab your interest and create unique situations and characters.
October 1, 2024
I genuinely loved this book! Super fast read, wild pacing, juicy details throughout - it reminded me of a White Lotus-esque plot in the suburbs in terms of the tempo and odd turns. I was tickled by it through and through. Just a clean little book all around. Would recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
October 1, 2024
I had a lot of fun reading this one. While it’s not my favorite from the author, I still found it hard to put down. I loved the dynamics between the characters, especially the women.
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.
July 25, 2024
This was a wild and wonderful ride. I don’t want to describe it as a book club book, because it’s so much more than that, but all I want to do is talk about it with a book club. A+ read!
August 9, 2024
I never know when I write a book what it will. Sometimes the easier the writing comes, the less hard I work, the better it comes out. Which does not seem fair necessarily. I am excited for this book to come out into the world and find readers.
August 28, 2024
Did anything really happen in this book? No. Was it insane and did I love it anyway? Absolutely.
September 29, 2024
Every character was genuinely insufferable but I couldn’t stop reading. What an odd book!!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews