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tuckysinclaire's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Death, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Religious bigotry and Lesbophobia
bnwolgamot's review against another edition
5.0
It definitely wasn’t perfect - I got frustrated with Olive and her avoidance as well as her inability to really stand up to Lindsey - but I enjoyed the two of them and their relationship so much that it got 5 stars from me anyways. Esp bc I suspect I was supposed to be a little frustrated at times. Special shoutout to Olive bringing cake to the first party and also karaoke.
Whoever wrote the blurb for this book did Andie Burke a disfavor bc this book is a lot more emotional, a lot more real, and a lot more bittersweet in the best way that is totally left out of the happy go lucky blurb for the book.
Whoever wrote the blurb for this book did Andie Burke a disfavor bc this book is a lot more emotional, a lot more real, and a lot more bittersweet in the best way that is totally left out of the happy go lucky blurb for the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Terminal illness
Lots of deep discussions of end of life care. READ AUTHOR’S WARNING AT BEGINNING OF BOOKhmatt's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were parts of this that were very cute, and I think the characterization of the MCs were pretty well done, but I was disappointed by the flimsy fake-dating. It felt sloppily inserted into their otherwise much darker, more challenging (and WAY more interesting) lives. I also wasn't a fan of how the author repeatedly side-steps describing important events by inserting a plot twist - this is hard to describe without spoilers, but it's something that I noticed after it happened more than twice. It felt lazy, and I guess laziness is the main issue I had with the book. The gay-is-okay is a little on the nose at times, and there is a very bad trope-y stalker ex plot that doesn't get resolved!!! that I would describe as lazy too. It makes for a weird balance when these bits intersect with the nuanced, well-done exploration of tough topics like mental health and terminal family illness. I felt these serious bits were well done most of the time, but even some of these don't get resolved at the end .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Biphobia and Religious bigotry
cgoedel's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I was looking for a lighthearted queer romance, but was surprised to find really emotional situations and nothing too cliche even though it was full of typical tropes. I wish there would've been a little more closure with a couple conflicts, but this is my new favorite romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexism and Religious bigotry
Minor: Transphobia and Sexual harassment
dianafraser17's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
1.5
This book is in the wrong genre IMHO. It's largely a book about caregiving, grief, and loss - which is not to say romance or love cannot coexist or happen during those activities, but rather that those activities supercede the pacing and dynamics of a romcom structure.
I skipped 100 pages in the middle. It's deeply sad and anxiety-producing amidst stalker tendencies, family feuds over a loved one's final wishes, and sexism. Are the depictions of those things accurate? Yes. Are they a great space to foster or provoke romcom plotlines? Not really.
There are also some cruel things said to one another that they gloss over to get to the ending, and I don't love that.
Mostly I'm sad, disgruntled, and unsatisfied, and need to go calm down.
I skipped 100 pages in the middle. It's deeply sad and anxiety-producing amidst stalker tendencies, family feuds over a loved one's final wishes, and sexism. Are the depictions of those things accurate? Yes. Are they a great space to foster or provoke romcom plotlines? Not really.
There are also some cruel things said to one another that they gloss over to get to the ending, and I don't love that.
Mostly I'm sad, disgruntled, and unsatisfied, and need to go calm down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, Child death, Stalking, Terminal illness, Death, and Emotional abuse
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Olive and Stella were such compelling characters. i like that the romance engaged with the other real life concerns in a way that enhanced the story. parts of the story felt i bit like checking of a list rather than being essential to the story, but the strong ending really tied everything together in a very satisfying way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Cursing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Terminal illness
wanderonwards's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin for sending me an ARC of this title. I received this copy for free and this review contains my honest opinions.
Fly With Me was a decent debut: I enjoyed the writing style and liked the meet cute romance between two lovable main characters. This book tackles some heavy subjects, and while I usually gravitate to lighthearted stories, I thought these subjects were handled with compassion and balanced with the romance plot so they never felt overwhelming.
However, some of the plot choices weren’t my favorite and for a book that’s projected to be 384 pages, I wish things felt both more developed and more resolved by the end of the story. This book tries to tackle so many different things, which means some things progressed too quickly and many things never really got the attention and development they deserved. Thank you again to the publisher for sending me a free ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Terminal illness
Minor: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Car accident
liligilsoul's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Dementia, Death, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Homophobia, and Grief
lololovesthings's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 stars!
"Fly with Me" by Andie Burke is the kind of book that hooks you from the very first chapter. From moment one, I was enraptured with Olive and Stella's story, obsessed with finding out whether their fake dating scenario would pay off for them. I *love* a good fake dating scenario, and this story really handles the situation well! This book has a lot of heart, some drama, some tears, and some laughs. The connection between Stella and Olive starts out slow but ramps up as the story heads towards its conclusion. Personally, I think it veered on the side of lust more than the side of love, but it didn't turn me off or away from the story. Some of the miscommunications between Olive and Stella bothered me, but not so much that it hindered my enjoyment of the book. I loved the side characters, including Olive's best friend and Stella's dad. There are also some truly deplorable characters here, like Olive's ex-girlfriend and Olive's awful mother. All of these characters are extremely well-written and fully flushed out. They all feel lived-in as characters, and I appreciate that they feel realistic. Also, this is not just a surface-level story. It also deals with some very heavy, very deep subject matters, including sexism, misogyny, homophobia, car accidents, traumatic brain injuries, a fear of flying, panic attacks, long-term illnesses like Parkinson's, and death. The storyline involving Olive's brother broke my heart. It even made me tear up. My heart broke for Olive as she's torn between doing what's best for her brother and letting her mom have her final goodbye the way she wants it (even though she's totally in the wrong). As someone with an intense fear of flying, I related to this story on a deep, deep level! All in all, this is a cute story that is deceptively deep. It has wonderful characters and contains terrific chemistry and banter. Chelsea Stephens brings these characters to life with her excellent audiobook narration.
Thank you to NetGalley, Andie Burke, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
"Fly with Me" by Andie Burke is the kind of book that hooks you from the very first chapter. From moment one, I was enraptured with Olive and Stella's story, obsessed with finding out whether their fake dating scenario would pay off for them. I *love* a good fake dating scenario, and this story really handles the situation well! This book has a lot of heart, some drama, some tears, and some laughs. The connection between Stella and Olive starts out slow but ramps up as the story heads towards its conclusion. Personally, I think it veered on the side of lust more than the side of love, but it didn't turn me off or away from the story. Some of the miscommunications between Olive and Stella bothered me, but not so much that it hindered my enjoyment of the book. I loved the side characters, including Olive's best friend and Stella's dad. There are also some truly deplorable characters here, like Olive's ex-girlfriend and Olive's awful mother. All of these characters are extremely well-written and fully flushed out. They all feel lived-in as characters, and I appreciate that they feel realistic. Also, this is not just a surface-level story. It also deals with some very heavy, very deep subject matters, including sexism, misogyny, homophobia, car accidents, traumatic brain injuries, a fear of flying, panic attacks, long-term illnesses like Parkinson's, and death. The storyline involving Olive's brother broke my heart. It even made me tear up. My heart broke for Olive as she's torn between doing what's best for her brother and letting her mom have her final goodbye the way she wants it (even though she's totally in the wrong). As someone with an intense fear of flying, I related to this story on a deep, deep level! All in all, this is a cute story that is deceptively deep. It has wonderful characters and contains terrific chemistry and banter. Chelsea Stephens brings these characters to life with her excellent audiobook narration.
Thank you to NetGalley, Andie Burke, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
jazzyjbox's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Fly With Me is a romance that hits on hard topics with grace.
Olive is a nurse who is terrified of flying. On her first flight, a passenger has a major allergic reaction, and Olive saves him, but the flight is diverted. The co-pilot, Stella, then offers to drive Olive to the original flight destination. They spend the day together and have a wonderful time. The video of Olive saving the passenger goes viral, and Stella gets the idea for her and Olive to fake date while they're featured in interviews and such. Olive wants more, but she's terrified her anxiety disorder will push Stella away, a fear fueled by Olive's jealous and toxic ex. Meanwhile, Olive's brother is in a coma and she's fighting with her family to honor his wishes. Stella's dad has Parkinson's and she's trying to achieve Captain before he gets worse.
Olive's anxiety and struggles were so well-portrayed. As someone who struggles with similar things, she was really relatable. I loved her support network but couldn't stand her family. I'm not usually a big fan of single-perspective romance, but this was done pretty well.
Olive is a nurse who is terrified of flying. On her first flight, a passenger has a major allergic reaction, and Olive saves him, but the flight is diverted. The co-pilot, Stella, then offers to drive Olive to the original flight destination. They spend the day together and have a wonderful time. The video of Olive saving the passenger goes viral, and Stella gets the idea for her and Olive to fake date while they're featured in interviews and such. Olive wants more, but she's terrified her anxiety disorder will push Stella away, a fear fueled by Olive's jealous and toxic ex. Meanwhile, Olive's brother is in a coma and she's fighting with her family to honor his wishes. Stella's dad has Parkinson's and she's trying to achieve Captain before he gets worse.
Olive's anxiety and struggles were so well-portrayed. As someone who struggles with similar things, she was really relatable. I loved her support network but couldn't stand her family. I'm not usually a big fan of single-perspective romance, but this was done pretty well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Terminal illness
Minor: Death