Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Flying Solo

Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes

4 reviews

laheath's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Journalist Laurie has been living life on her own terms in Seattle. This was her plan all along after growing up in a noisy, busy house with four brothers. She returns to her small hometown in Maine to help settle the estate of her great aunt, Dot, taking the burden off her parents and aunts, and off her brothers who would not be interested since they did not share a personal relationship with Dot. As she goes through personal belongings and pictures, she discovers a commonality and a family secret, and with help from old friends, new friends, and her first love, she sets out to solve the mystery and right a wrong. Along the way, she learns more about herself and what she wants in her life. She comes up with a solution that seemingly enables her to have it all, but it felt too one-sided to be sustainable, in my opinion. Although I felt the ending was unrealistic, I still enjoyed the storyline.

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crystalleighwrites's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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quasinaut's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Gosh, I loved bits and pieces of this book, but there were certainly parts that didn't work for me.

Some stuff I liked: Laurie and her friendships with June and Nick and Daisy, the evolution of these relationships (as well as Laurie's understanding of her own independence), Nick's research skills and library commentary, and the nefarious discovery and resulting caper/heist.

On the other hand, the overall premise didn't feel quite right to me. I found it odd that Laurie would be left so on-her-own by her family to clean out Dot's belongings. Her brothers couldn't each come for a few days? Where are her aunts?

Also, just because something is tucked in a box doesn't mean it was intentionally hidden away and therefore special. I was surprised Laurie let the duck go over momentary embarrassment (especially since she originally wanted to keep it regardless of its value). Maybe I'm just being nitpicky! But I wanted everything to fit together a bit more cohesively than it did for me.

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purplepenning's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

I love a book that brings in elements of various genres, even though it makes it hard to shelve and can invite harsher reviews due to an expectation gap. I rarely write reviews in response to what others are saying about a book, but I feel oddly compelled to clarify: This is decidedly "women's fiction," if that label retains any meaning, and "white women's fiction" at that. But along with the heartwarming, feminist, midlife story of a woman returning home to a small town in Maine to clean out the house after her favorite, never-married, great-aunt dies, there are elements of mystery and romance. It isn't a mystery and it isn't a romance, but it's a story that could appeal to readers of either genre who occasionally dip a toe into general or literary fiction when the right book comes along. I like to dip a toe, especially if it's for the rare general or literary specimen that has hope for a satisfyingly happy ending, like this one.

Things I loved:

The friend group. Some reviewers found the dialogue and banter a *bit much* but it's what drew me in and kept me around until the mystery of the duck and deeper personal development kicked in. Yes, the dialogue is a bit more witty and polished than you might get in real life, but these are writers and librarians and long-time friends. I've been in and around such groups often, and it felt spot-on to me. Thoroughly enjoyed eavesdropping on them.
The journey the duck takes us on. I don't care much about wooden duck decoys and couldn't really engage in the beauty or artistry of it, but of course it's not really about the duck. I enjoyed the heck out of the ride from secret relic to thrilling intrigue to sweet, complicated, empowering truths.
The uncompromising compromises. Life and personal needs are complicated and sometimes, for the sake of the story or harmony or whatever, those complications are forced into a tidy box, or rolled over with toxicity positivity, or wallowed in for the good misery of it all. That wasn't the approach here. Yes, there was some angst, but complications are allowed to be complicated and solutions are allowed to be creative, and I appreciated it.
The sexy librarian guy and the friends-to-lovers/second-chance-romance vibes. I'm not understanding any of the hate for the sexy librarian guy. Research is definitely one of my love languages, so Nick is prime book boyfriend material.
The representation. The non-issue presentation of Laurie as a size 18 was refreshing. And so were the multifaceted, non-infantilizing portrayals of the over-80s characters.
The whole Scooby gang feel to the investigative/researching/mystery aspects. And every single time Laurie thinks "This f*cking guy."

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