This one surprised me. It had been sitting on my shelf for years and years and when I finally took it down, it hit me in the way Fante hit me when I first read him. Hawke is the real deal, a writer. I have not read much fiction for years, but this one startled me awake. It hums and vibrate with the energy of a young man on the edge. The words sing and zing and tumble all around you. Yeah, this book.

The characters weren't relatable. I didn't find myself to like ANY of the characters in the book. I kept reading, assuming that something more was going to happen, but it never did.

I think Hawke was my first movie star crush growing up. Read this book in high school.
He manifests so many great projects, that he makes me proud to say such a thing.

Easy to read but soooo misogynistic and male gaze-y it was actually painful. Every character is insufferable and every other line of dialogue was an eye roll. The narrator is the epitome of toxic masculinity but it’s excusable bc he misses his dad AWWW :( bitch grow up. BAD IDEA.

Well, that was unsatisfactory. The main character was completely unlikable and cuckoo. The best thing about it was when I was finally done reading.

Ethan Hawke should stick to acting.

I loved this book. I've read it numerous times. I totally believe this is an autobiography of Ethan Hawk!
Highly Recommend.

I found this novel disturbing and brilliant. William, the main character and narrator of the story, is an actor who’s as narcissistic as he is ridden by self-doubt. He was absolutely unbearable and it’s clear from the beginning why Sarah, the woman he falls in love with, feels confined by him the minute they start going out.
Hawkes depiction of a relationship getting one-sided and obsessive is really well written and intense.

Joskus kirjat joista ei ennestään tiedä mitään, yllättävät positiivisimmin. Kuten tämä Kuumana, jonka poimin ilmaishyllystä vain sen takia, että rakastan Ethan Hawkin Rakkautta ennen… -leffoja. En tosin odottanut, että näyttelijä osaisi kirjoittaa. Mutta osasi.

””Olen päättänyt yrittää olla haaskaamatta energiaa muiden ihmisten halveksimiseen. Lisäksi yritän olla suhtautumatta elämään kilpailuna. Jos pystyn näihin kahteen ja lisäksi onnistun pysyttelemään alkoholistiparantoloiden ulkopuolella, luulen että pärjään ihan OK.””

Kuumana oli upeasti kirjoitettu elämänmakuinen tarina riipivästä rakkaudesta, nuoruudesta ja New Yorkista. Hawke toi kirjassa herkän tarkkanäköisesti esille monenlaisia tunteita, nuoruuden tuskaa, lapsuuden traumoja. Rakastin tätä kirjaa.

Olen viime aikoina myös huomannut, että kirjan tunnelmaan pääsee aivan eri tavalla sisälle, jos lukiessa kuuntelee tarinaan sopivaa musiikkia. Tätä lukiessani kuuntelin mm. Willie Nelsonia ja Bob Dylania, levyjä jotka mainittiin tarinassa.

I actually finished this in one sitting and I must say that it was a definite page turner. I tried to see the rating here first before reading this because I wasn’t expecting that much from the actor Ethan Hawke. After reading the first few pages, I knew immediately that he was a very good storyteller. There was depth in his characters as well as the plot. Reading from the main character’s perspective and his hopeless romance with a mysterious woman makes it an enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book more than I expected to. I had to get used to it for a page or two and then I got sucked into the story.

It shows a guy who's obviously spiraling down a worse for wear mindset and his behavior steadily grows more toxic along with it. Ethan really shows you William the way he is unadulterated and raw with all of his flaws and disgusting behavior. It's all the cliches of a guy doing all the bad things to get his girlfriend back and becoming abusive with it in the progress. Although some reviews just shoot it down, I think it's important to consider that this book shows the viewpoint from a toxic guy, the way he thinks and believes he has to be. His fear of being considered gay because he can't get Sarah to love him back again is something I see recurring in a lot of young men. If you can't score, you're a f*gg*t- but also if you genuinely open yourself up. It's very interesting to see this from the man's perspective in this story because it shows the dilemma he faces but doesn't try to wash away just how horrible he is. Ethan never tries to shy away from that portrayal and only shows the context and the circumstances William is in. It's not an excuse, it's his story and as the narrator, William believes himself to be the protagonist. If you don't like a protagonist who is flawed, pretty toxic, and not the loving and standard nice guy, then this book is not for you. I really enjoyed Ethan's direct writing style and the weirdness of some scenes. It felt real.

William, ein 20-jähriger Schauspieler in New York erlebt mit der spröden Sängerin Sarah seine erste grosse Liebe mit allen Höhen, Tiefen und emotionalen Nöten. Sie möchten sich so gerne lieben die zwei und doch geht alles den Bach runter.

I admire Ethan Hawke, he is such a fantastic author/actor. ''The Hottest State'' is a raw vision of a 21 year old who feels lonely, doesn't the path he has to follow in life and this girl Sarah changes his life. However, Hawke shows us how difficult love is and life itself reflected on a young boy who didn't know his father well and had a life full of difficulties.