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marioosa517's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Death, and Grief
Minor: Sexism
itsheyfay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Infidelity, Gaslighting, Death, and Terminal illness
Minor: Body shaming
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book opens with the most heartwarming flashbacks to Laurie's precious relationship with her great-aunt, Dot. You immediately fall in love with the tenderness they felt toward one another and you see that Laurie's adult life was greatly impacted by Dot's influence on her as a child. There's this very nostalgic feeling that takes over right away. It's comforting, even.
Then you learn about the duck. Out of context, this sounds strange. However, the mystery of the duck is way more intriguing than you can even imagine. While the answer to this mystery wound up feeling slightly predictable to me, I did enjoy the journey to finding out more about the creator of the duck and all of the hijinks they had to go through along the way to reach this conclusion. It gave the story a well-rounded feeling and brought so much more depth to the secondary characters as well as the primary cast.
I was immensely pleased by the romance aspect of this novel. Laurie's second-chance romance is sweet, meaningful, and just a little bit sexy (in all the right ways). It's also a breakthrough for her. I absolutely loved watching the character development that took place as she fell in love (all over again) and realized what that meant for her life and the way she'd been living for so long. It was impactful and well-written. There wasn't an excessive amount of grandeur or fluff. It felt real.
I truly did love Flying Solo. I can see myself picking it up again and again as a comfort read. It's entertaining and creative, with just the right balance of humor and depth. I highly recommend it.
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Grief
Minor: Infidelity
leighannebfd3b's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcohol and Body shaming
atamano's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Gaslighting, and Grief
Minor: Infidelity
this_momma_is_booked's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I LOVED that she didn't stay in Calcasset at the end of the book because that would have been disingenuous to Laurie's character. Figuring out a relationship style with Nick that works for them is fantastic. I also liked the thread of mystery in the book (the duck!) and how there was a bigger theme of figuring out who we are, what legacy we leave behind, and who's going to be there to love and miss us when we're gone. Overall, I really enjoyed the book!
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Death
Minor: Fatphobia
prettiestwhistles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Grief, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, and Racism
purplepenning's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
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."
Graphic: Gaslighting and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Infertility, and Sexual content
Minor: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
mysterymom40's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Moderate: Sexual content and Gaslighting
Minor: Death, Infidelity, and Grief
izwit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Gaslighting