Flying Solo

Flying Solo

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Flying Solo by Linda Holmes.

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Preview — Flying Solo
by Linda Holmes

Smarting from her recently cancelled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown of Calcasset to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety. Along with boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up at the bottom of a cedar chest. Laurie's curiosity is piqued, especially after
Smarting from her recently cancelled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown of Calcasset to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety. Along with boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up at the bottom of a cedar chest. Laurie's curiosity is piqued, especially after she finds a love letter to the never-married Dot that ends with the line, "And anyway, if you're ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling." Laurie is told that the duck has no financial value. But after it disappears under suspicious circumstances, she feels compelled to figure out why anyone would steal a wooden duck--and why Dot kept it hidden away in the first place. Suddenly Laurie finds herself swept up in a righteous caper that has her negotiating with antiques dealers and con artists, going on after-hours dates at the local library, and reconnecting with her oldest friend and first love. Desperate to uncover her great-aunt's secrets, Laurie must reckon with her past, her future, and ultimately embrace her own vision of flying solo. A woman returns to her small Maine hometown, uncovering family secrets that take her on a journey of self-discovery and new love, in this warm and charming novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over.
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Published
June 14th 2022
by Ballantine Books

0525619275
(ISBN13: 9780525619277 )

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(view spoiler) [Did anyone notice that this description in the jacket summary just seems ... wrong? "But after it disappears under suspicious circumstances, she feels compelled to figure out why anyone would steal a wooden duck" (hide spoiler) ]

James Corwin

I'm convinced that sometimes the people who write blurbs (& reviews!) don't even read the books...at least not all the way through! …more I'm convinced that sometimes the people who write blurbs (& reviews!) don't even read the books...at least not all the way through! (less)

Pam

I wouldn’t describe as that. She lives in Seattle and he lives in Maine. Hard to sustain a relationship with 3 hour time difference.

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Feb 15, 2022

Whitney Erwin

rated it
it was ok

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review of another edition

I really wanted to love this book but it totally fell flat for me. I have not read Linda Holmes previous book but I knew it was a New York Times bestseller, and I saw a lot of positive reviews for it. So when I saw this new book of hers coming out, I really wanted to give it a try. This book, unfortunately, just wasn’t a winner for me. The writing felt very amateur and the storyline was not interesting enough to hold my attention. There was nothing about this book to keep me excited and wanting
I really wanted to love this book but it totally fell flat for me. I have not read Linda Holmes previous book but I knew it was a New York Times bestseller, and I saw a lot of positive reviews for it. So when I saw this new book of hers coming out, I really wanted to give it a try. This book, unfortunately, just wasn’t a winner for me. The writing felt very amateur and the storyline was not interesting enough to hold my attention. There was nothing about this book to keep me excited and wanting to turn the pages. I did like that Laurie’s character was independent and very self aware. I’m sure others will enjoy this book and I still intend to give Evvie Drake Starts Over a try, but this one just wasn’t for me. Thank you, Net Galley and Ballantine, for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
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Jun 06, 2022

Mary Andrews

rated it
it was amazing

My fave book of the summer. I was a huge fan of Linda Holmes’ first book, Evvie Drake Starts Over, and Flying Solo, her new book, has that same sparkle, same warmth. Linda Holmes creates characters I can believe in and root for and want to drink wine with on a back porch in Calcasset, Maine. She writes about authentic families, and her dialogue is spot on, funny and real. Flying Solo is such a fresh, original take on romcom. Nobody does it better.

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Shelves:
library ,
romance-fiction ,
family-fiction ,
audiobook ,
read-in-2022 ,
humorous-fiction

"Flying Solo" by Linda Holmes is a Second-Chance Romance story! Laurie Sassalyn travels back to her hometown of Calcasset, Maine for the sole purpose of settling the estate of her spirited and adventurous nonagenarian Great-aunt Dot. She's looking at this trip as a getaway, of sorts, to distract her from the last-minute stop she put to her wedding plans and the cold, hard fact that she's about to turn 40. Laurie loved her Aunt Dot, but frustrated by the mountains of stuff to sort through from som
"Flying Solo" by Linda Holmes is a Second-Chance Romance story! Laurie Sassalyn travels back to her hometown of Calcasset, Maine for the sole purpose of settling the estate of her spirited and adventurous nonagenarian Great-aunt Dot. She's looking at this trip as a getaway, of sorts, to distract her from the last-minute stop she put to her wedding plans and the cold, hard fact that she's about to turn 40. Laurie loved her Aunt Dot, but frustrated by the mountains of stuff to sort through from someone living in the same house decade after decade. Deciding this monumental task is too much for one person to handle, she decides to call in a professional service. That's Laurie's first mistake! When the second mistake happens, things begin to get unexpectedly complicated, in more ways than one...or two! This author's previous novel, Evvie Drake Starts Over was a 5 star read for me and there is much to enjoy about this one, as well. I really like how the author works the main character's resolve to live her life on her own terms into the story. This is a second-chance Romance with a bit of Mystery and Humorous Fiction mixed in. It tops off with a couple of twists and a great ending. So, what's not to like? Mostly, what I'd like is to meet Aunt Dot! I want an Aunt Dot in my life, but I would settle for more depth to this character that is kept virtually invisible to the reader. I want to know about the escapades of this one-of-a-kind woman who lived such a long and remarkable life and I feel a little short-changed by the lack of her physical presence in the story. I listened to this delightful story via audiobook and found it to be another amazing narration by Julia Whelan. Her voicing is always spot on, in my opinion! I do recommend this book to readers who enjoy the Romance genre, as I believe this to be the perfect audience for this story!
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I do not really read "cozy" novels nor do I read a lot of romance. It's not that I dislike either, it's that I am looking for something pretty specific in my reading. I like to be surprised. Even in genres I read that have formulas, like mystery for example, I'm not happy unless the book manages to surprise me or take a trope in a new direction. If a romance novel breaks against the tropes too far, it's no longer considered a romance. But I love a love story so I am always looking for books that
I do not really read "cozy" novels nor do I read a lot of romance. It's not that I dislike either, it's that I am looking for something pretty specific in my reading. I like to be surprised. Even in genres I read that have formulas, like mystery for example, I'm not happy unless the book manages to surprise me or take a trope in a new direction. If a romance novel breaks against the tropes too far, it's no longer considered a romance. But I love a love story so I am always looking for books that are not quite romances, and I have found a really wonderful one here. Laurie has decided that she never wants to get married and she doesn't want kids. She's happy with these choices and she's built a life for herself. She has her choices thrown into sharp relief as she goes through her Great Aunt Dot's house after her death. Dot didn't marry and didn't have kids, so in a way Laurie is seeing her own future and has a chance to consider it more fully. Also complicating matters are her family and friends, who are happy that she's back in Maine for a while, as well as her high school boyfriend who is now a hot, divorced, good-hearted librarian. The path not taken now stands in front of her and she wonders if now she should take it after all. There are plenty of adventures along the way. This is a warm and homey novel, where you get to know the characters well and they are all good to each other and excellent at banter. It reminded me a little of Katherine Heiny's EARLY MORNING RISER, in the way it looks at life choices in a decidedly unromantic way while also relishing the quirkiness of small town life. I am a person who plans to spend the rest of my life unmarried, and I saw a lot to relate to in Laurie's thought processes. It was really heartwarming for me to see the way she stands up for herself and her inherent value. Some of her dilemma starts to feel a bit repetitive near the end, I would have liked less pondering and a little more time at the close, but it's a nitpick. I just want to emphasize that I do not really enjoy a lot of heartwarming and fuzzy books that make you feel good about things. Books about small town charm and all that. But Linda Holmes writes in just enough prickliness in her characters that I am happy to immerse myself in the world she creates here just like I did in EVVIE DRAKE. I read the first half of this in one sitting and probably could have swallowed it whole if I'd had a little more time.
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Shelves:
borrowed ,
returned ,
kindled-no-lend

I CHECKED THIS OUT FROM THE LIBRARY. THANK GOODNESS THEY EXIST. BUYING EVERY BOOK I WANT TO READ WOULD BE RUINOUS! My Review : There's something really wonderful about reading stories that center your own concerns. I'm older than most of these characters, younger than a few, but they're not just starting out, figuring out Life, for the first time. They're part of it, settled into it, and now...there needs to be More. Laurie and Nick dated eons ago, fell out of touch, and now that Laurie's back in t
I CHECKED THIS OUT FROM THE LIBRARY. THANK GOODNESS THEY EXIST. BUYING EVERY BOOK I WANT TO READ WOULD BE RUINOUS! My Review : There's something really wonderful about reading stories that center your own concerns. I'm older than most of these characters, younger than a few, but they're not just starting out, figuring out Life, for the first time. They're part of it, settled into it, and now...there needs to be More. Laurie and Nick dated eons ago, fell out of touch, and now that Laurie's back in their hometown to settle up her Aunt Dot's estate, she's back in touch with Nick because...well, because she wants to be. Because he wants to be, too. They're grownups with crack-ups in their pasts. They're adult children of people they love and care for. They're professionals and they're nice people. And they're still...again...relearning how to be...in love. With each other, with their wildly separate lives and their mutually exclusive homes. They are, in short, deeply relatable to me. This book came to me as a not-quite recommendation from a LibraryThing friend who read it and resonated to its companionate themes. I'm resonating to the, well, the desire to make a relationship work that has a lot of strange contours to it and that precludes cohabitation for the foreseeable future. But is still a full, fun, vibrant, living relationship. It's not that common to see this kind of thing in fiction, though I'm aware that it exists in reality. What happens in the course of Nick and Laurie's rediscovery of each other is a story that weaves together the best of humanity...generous, kind, unselfish souls sharing gladly all that they're asked for, looking for ways to give even more...and the worst, the dishonest and selfish impulse to lie and cheat and steal. In the course of that element of the story being resolved, in a believable way, these two main charatcers go on the real voyage of discovery inside themselves and in relation to the many, many people in their orbit. I found a lot to enjoy in this read. I laughed out loud at Author Holmes' trademark funny lines: “...we were pretty much out of cabinet space between the actual dishes and the food dehydrator he had bought himself and then used to make jerky a total of two—as in ‘one, two’—times.” “How was the jerky?” “Wretched. It tasted like wet cigarettes. We could have used it to repel raccoons.” –and– “...But yes, she started doing senior synchronized swimming at the Sarasota Y recently. She’s going to be in a recital. The theme is Hooray for Hollywood.” The sound Dot made was closer to a hoot than a laugh. “Good for her. Whatever it takes to get your legs over your head.” Fun, funny stuff that totally makes sense to someone who lives in an assisted living facility, and regularly talks about it to someone who doesn't. Author Holmes never stints on the real-life elements of her stories, so far at least, and we should all pray to the Muses she never tries to. The real-life stuff's not *all* fun, of course, and there's a lot of relatable material in that as well: “This is just a gruesome job. I feel so bad, like a grave robber.” {The reseller} nodded. “You are far from a grave robber. Remember, she had these things for as long as she needed them, and they probably brought her a lot of happiness. But they most likely won’t bring you any, so there’s not a lot to gain from your coming down hard on yourself because you want to let stuff go.” –and– “Nah. Believe me, you don’t want to get married if the marriage you’re going to have is not the same marriage as the one you’d like to have.” It's not deathless prose that stuns with its lapidary gleam and brilliance; it's the way your smarter-than-you friend with the sense of humor talks sense into you when you're falling off of/under/for something. It's comfortable, comforting, and relatable in the best ways. It's a book I'm glad I read by an author I'm glad is getting contracts. That's more than enough for me right this minute. It felt like a slightly selfish, wicked little gift I was giving myself, reading this pleasant tale about people like me with concerns I could relate to. Giving it a few hours made a whole bunch more of them more pleasant, and that's worth four starts and a thank you every day.
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3.5 stars I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over , so I was very excited for the chance to read this one early. Unfortunately, Flying Solo didn't quite hit the spot for me. I think if I had known the book was more women's fiction and less romance focused, I might have enjoyed it more. Things to look forward to: - I loved the overall message that romantic relationships don't need to fit into any box and that you can have a full and happy life without marriage/letting go of your independence. - A new type of
3.5 stars I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over , so I was very excited for the chance to read this one early. Unfortunately, Flying Solo didn't quite hit the spot for me. I think if I had known the book was more women's fiction and less romance focused, I might have enjoyed it more. Things to look forward to: - I loved the overall message that romantic relationships don't need to fit into any box and that you can have a full and happy life without marriage/letting go of your independence. - A new type of/alternate happy ending. I know it might not work for every reader, but it was refreshing to see. - Though not the focus of the novel, childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance are both romantic tropes readers will encounter. - Funny and witty banter and dialogue - There were plenty of lovable and quirky characters. I loved ride or die June and the sibling relationship between Ryan and Laurie. Nick was also amazing and him being a librarian was the icing on the cake. I loved those tender moments between Nick and Laurie (past and present). - The small nods to Evvie Drake here and there. The book takes place in the same town - Calcasset, Maine. I think what didn't quite work for me was the heavy emphasis on the duck decoy mystery and caper. It felt over the top and made the book lose focus. I liked Laurie, but she was so stubborn and set in her ways. I wanted more character growth from her and for the most part she never changed even after these experiences. Overall, this was an entertaining novel, but I didn't love it as much as I hoped. I both read and listened to Flying Solo and Julia Whelan is phenomenal as always. She truly is such a talented narrator and brings so much life to the characters and story. Audiobook Review Overall 3.5 stars Performance 5 stars Story 2.5-3 stars CW: grief, death of loved one (past), implied infidelity (past, secondary character), fraud, theft * I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book *
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I didn't like this quite as much as Evvie Drake Starts Over , but I really love Holmes's writing! Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
I didn't like this quite as much as Evvie Drake Starts Over , but I really love Holmes's
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