Flying Home

Incredible.

“…only minutes had passed since her plane was forced out of the sky, and the world changed.”

THIS BOOK!!!
As someone who is typically not overly emotional—maybe even aloof—I do not say this lightly or much. But wow … to say this was an emotional rollercoaster would be an understatement.

This was a much-anticipated read after Flygirl and Angel Flight—I might have to re-read them, indulge in a full-trilogy binge now. These are definitely re-read-worthy books. Despite the wait for book 3, and the high expectations I held for it, still, I was blown away at times.

Early in, I had to appreciate that this book put me right back into the 1990s/early 2000s—mix-tapes, “high-end” Fossil watches, 😂, I also enjoyed ‘traveling’ into Boston during the ‘Big Dig’ era; as this is when/where I grew up, I found it to be hilariously accurate.

For maybe about halfish of the book, there was so much drama, it sucked me right in and I noticed that I missed it when I put it down. It had me up reading till 9 a.m. on more than one occasion. Yes, I said nine. I can’t even be mad at the author though—totally worth the sleepless days.

There’s all different types of drama, and at least one is likely to invoke some sort of feeling from every reader, whether it’s the family drama, the couples-drama, the scandalous bits, BFF drama, work drama … arrogant ‘boys club’ attitudes women are subjected to in the workplace … the absolute injustice(!), or another aspect. Tris really has her hands full … people from her past returning … sabotage … tough decisions to make on both the job and the personal fronts … and more. There’s no way I could list it all, there’s so much going on. I loved every minute of it… and as I said, this was only in the first half!

“ Tris wasn’t a hijacker. She wasn’t a victim. She was the Captain of an airplane, and today, there were the lives of comrades to honor. Not all the fallen were dead.”

We get to that fateful time in 2001 and … even though I’m old enough to have lived through 9/11, and thought I knew generally what to expect, I couldn’t have. At least since I’m not a pilot, but possibly no one could. As is so brilliantly depicted here, everyone’s experience of this life-altering event is likely unique.

“It’s gonna get worse. Flying as we know it, that’s over.”

It definitely gave me more perspective into some things during this time, being a pilot, being stranded, the uncertainty, the FAA discussions/ decision-making process. It did an absolutely excellent job of capturing the real terror, anger, confusion and devastation that was in the air/ everywhere during this time. (As someone who was in Boston at this time: my best friend flying out of BLA on AA on that day, and I don’t think I knew a single person who didn’t lose someone on one of those flights. And still, Kardon truly brought all of those feels and the general vibe that was in the air here at this time right back to life.) My heart raced, my stomach churned, my draw dropped, my heart sank right into my gut, and rose up into my throat … again and again. She truly did this expertly. Reading this book was such an adventure, and so real.

Oh, and can we not forget how perfectly, infuriatingly she captures what it’s like to be a woman, working in a setting ruled by men. (Among other nonsensical social issues that I’m still even too riled up about to properly mention.)

“When did being a female pilot get easy? When did the battles stop?”

While these could be read as standalones, I highly recommend reading not only this, but all 3 books, in order, for maximum experience..

5 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Technically speaking:
✈️ The book’s in need of a line-edit, but that’s expected, since I was lucky enough to read an advance copy.
✈️ The cover is obviously stunning.
✈️ The book is written in third-person POV, with alternating POVs—I enjoyed this style, as the reader gets all the incite, often knowing more than the characters themselves.

I’ll be sure to acquire the final version so I can indulge in this read again and again. I expect the audiobook will be epic, and might even listen to that as well. Have I mentioned this is a recommended read? What are you waiting for—run, don’t walk to your favorite book vendor.