DNF. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite work for me, so I didn't manage to finish it. I might try again in the future, but for now it wasn't the right book for me.

I feel kind of meh about this book. Our main character Lucy is kind of a selfish brat - even more so than a normal 15 year old. She treats her family awfully and makes a situation that's not really about her all about her and she runs away to Maine to go to her estranged grandfather. The only part of the book I liked is the the time she spent with her grandfather.

While the ARC provided to me was a sneak peek, consisting of the first ten chapters, it was enough to give me a glimpse into the storyline and a feel for the characters and plot.

Touted as a Young Adult novel, the writing and behaviour of the teenage characters felt more like middle school age children, and I must say that completely threw me off. This in itself created a disconnect between the characters and the storyline and it prevented me from fully connecting and caring for the characters, and as a result not fully enjoying what could have been a solid Young Adult read.

Not sure I would recommend it with so many other relevant and inspiring novels of the same genre out in the world right now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for providing me an advanced digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

I'm not sure what to think of this book. I feel like there were so many plot points that didn't fit together and I couldn't put the book down but only because I wanted to know how everything fit together and why it was all put in the book. It seems like McCarthy took two or three stories and just smashed them together to make one, and I don't think it worked.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

I don't think its fair for me to give a critical review, as I have not finished the book. However I found it to not be to my taste at all.

Just Fly Away is the story of a young girl who discovers that she has a half-brother that lives close by. She is angry and upset that this has been kept secret from her and her siblings, and shocked to find that the half-brother is the result of her father's infidelity. She struggles with forgiveness and acceptance. An interesting story, that reflects real-life family drama seen so much today. A good read!

I was very interested about this book as it was a female lead writen by a male author, which was a refreshing change from the normal female writing about a female, but the writing itself didn't grab me. I did not finish this book.

Algonquin Young Readers and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Just Fly Away. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Lucy Willows had a premonition on the boardwalk, while having a family day with her Mom, Dad, and sister Julie. The next day, the secret that her Dad had been keeping for years was revealed, leaving Lucy reeling. Lucy just cannot seem to move past the betrayal, leaving her to distance herself from her father and the rest of her family. As curiosity takes over, will Lucy's forays to the other side of town help fuel her feelings of abandonment and cause her to act rashly? Will a new friendship, as well as a possible relationship, be enough to help Lucy through troubled times?

Just Fly Away is the coming of age story of a teenager, lost, confused, and hurt after a huge betrayal by her father. As she struggles to make sense of her life as it is, Lucy takes an eye opening journey that changes everything. The book has a good plot and characters, but there is nothing that really sets it apart from the similar YA fiction novels that dot the shelves. I like Lucy for her courage, for her willingness to speak her mind, and for allowing herself the time to process the bombshell that has shaken her family. Just Fly Away was a good read and one I would recommend to other readers.

I admit probably would not have read this of not written by Andrew McCarthy. It was OK and easy enough to read but never really goes anywhere.

Sadly I couldn’t quite get into the story about Lucy and her family. I found that she was pretty egoistical and had a hard time understanding that she reacted the way she did. Sure, it’s never nice to find out about your parents not being as perfect as you thought they might be. But she Lucy was just rude and took things too far. There were never one moment she had doubts about doing something wrong. She went on like a bulldozer, knocking everyone out of her way. She never tried to hear her parents out. And why didn’t the parents just made her sit down and have a talk? Maybe if you’re grabbing the book because you have trouble in your home life, then you might find it enjoyable.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers!

Andrew McCarthy was always my favourite brat packer, so I couldn’t resist requesting his YA novel from Netgalley. It took me too long to get to it, so I apologise that this review isn’t out before the book, which was released on March 31, just a few days ago.

I have been interested in comments at GR that basically say ‘why is this middle aged man just now starting to write from a young girl’s point of view?’ I found an interview with McCarthy on the Publishers Weekly site, and think he answers some of these questions quite satisfactorily.

The story itself is not new, but the 15 year old protagonist Lucy is fresh and flawed. She is quite immature, and doesn’t handle the abrupt change in her family life very well. She seems to immediately ditch her one friend and take up with another which leads to her meeting Simon, a goofy, wise boy, who swiftly becomes an anchor to the angry lost Lucy.

McCarthy’s style is factual and descriptive. Lucy’s narration tells us she is angry with her father and her rebellious, often selfish actions reflect this. It takes a lot to warm to her, and I found I was halfway through the book before I liked her. But I did like Simon straight away, and thought McCarthy created other interesting and authentic secondary characters, who add depth to the novel, including Lucy’s grandfather and her younger sister who is hiding a secret of her own.

Lucy’s literal and figurative journeys show how unpredictable and fragile life can be. She spends a lot of time in her own head, sorting through her emotions, and she often falls short of our expectations. I wanted her to be less judgmental and more forgiving, but ultimately she proves to be a worthy and admirable hero. She’s actually quite strong and when she finally listens to the people around her, Lucy is also compassionate and pro-active. There are a couple of scenes with Thomas that are quite affecting.

Thanks to publishers and Netgalley for approving my copy to read.

Recommended to readers who like their contemporary stories full of ups and downs, characters who don’t behave how they should, and a quirky and sweet romance. Family is the main ingredient here, and Lucy’s shows the importance of communication and the dangers of keeping secrets. There is some sexual content and some reference to drug use, but it’s not gratuitous or condoned.

Released in the US last week, March 28.

Lucy is a regular 15-year-old. She has what she considers a normal family. Her parents are happily married. Her younger sister is rather quiet but very into musicals. She seems to spend most of her time in her room, singing and listening to musicals. Life turns upside down when she overhears her parents talking one night. They sit the family down and tell them that their father is also the father of a little 8-year-old boy named Thomas. Lucy is thrown. How has her mother stayed with him? Who is her father, really? She separates herself from them, especially her father. She starts a relationship with her friend’s brother Simon, who seems to have some social issues, but is really a good guy. One night, she decides to go by herself to visit her grandfather. He is her dad’s dad and they didn’t have the best relationship. She hops on a train, a bus, a lot goes on to get there. Lucy spends time with a man she hardly knows and when something unexpected happens, things change for Lucy and her father.

Yes, this is THE Andrew McCarthy. I enjoyed his last book, which was nonfiction, and went into this one with a little trepidation. How can a man in his 40’s, speak the words of a teenage girl? I don’t know why I think it would be hard for a man to write in a woman’s voice, when I don’t think it’s hard for a woman to write in a man’s voice. That is my own sexism I suppose. But he did really well with Lucy. There were times I was very upset with the way she acted towards her parents but then again, that happens a lot with teenage girls. (Not mine, thank goodness.) And I had to wonder why she was able to roam all over the town on her own. (Maybe I was just very overprotective.) I loved her slow progression into more understanding of everyone involved. I also loved her time with her grandfather. She is at the age where she can start figuring life out for herself. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to her search for that. The chapters are very quick and move the story along at a good pace. I enjoyed it very much and hope he writes more fiction.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Algonquin in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy is selfish and self-absorbed, I couldn't connect with her on any level. She isn't very mature which I can understand, she is only 15 years old, she hasn't got it all figured out but with her it's a different kind of immaturety. She treats her entire family badly and doesn't give them the chance to explain themselves, gosh, there is so much wrong with her.

The characters are also not complex at all, just shallow characterization. The book's synopsis gives too much away, or better phrased: it doesn't happen much more and I sure as hell don't know what the family's secrets and lies were supposed to be. I am very disappointed by this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for the opportunity to read this ARC!
I don't believe I would have requested this novel if it wasn't written by Andrew McCarthy. I saw that he wrote a novel and was happy to receive a copy. Andrew McCarthy is one of my favorite actors and I really wanted to support him. But, that being said I am definitely glad I did.
This novel began a bit of a drag. It was just like all others; same whinny teenager that has some obstacle to overcome she can once again be "normal". When we were introduced to others characters such as Simon, I began to really enjoy it. I really appreciated that Andrew McCarthy added Lucy's parents and her grandfather. And guess what, they actually cared and we're involved!
Overall, this was a great contemporary that has real emotion and life lessons. I look forward to reading more from him.

JUST FLY AWAY by Andrew McCarthy (coming March 28, Algonquin) explores family secrets and is a very quick read. 15 year-old Lucy and her younger sister, Julie, discover that their Dad has another child: their half-brother, 8 year-old Thomas. Lucy deals with this revelation by being angry with both parents – for her Dad's involvement with another woman and her Mom's acceptance of it. Lucy is a very immature and certainly self-involved character who want to "just fly away" and eventually she ends up in Maine, spending time with her grandfather. JUST FLY AWAY is a debut novel from a bestselling memoirist, actor and director recommended by Booklist and School Library Journal for students in grades 7-10.

Posted online with reviews of other YA titles

Fifteen-year-old Lucy’s happy normal life is thrown for a curve when she learns she has an eight-year-old half-brother, the result of a brief affair her father had. Lucy is understandably angry and decides to run away to her grandfather despite the fact that she hardly knows him and he lives half way across the country.

I had mixed feelings about the YA novel Just Fly Away by author Andrew McCarthy due partly because I was never able to connect with Lucy and partly because the story seemed disjointed in parts. It often felt like vignettes pasted together which seemed to offer promise and then went nowhere, seeming to serve no real purpose within the story. The most interesting part of the story is the relationship that quickly develops between Lucy and her grandfather.

Or perhaps the problem is mine – I am, perhaps, too old to appreciate teen angst or to be able to relate to the idea that parents must always be honest with their kids about every lurid detail of their lives. Still, if the story didn’t exactly work for me, it is well-written and I suspect it will resonate with its intended audience which is fair.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Lucy is fifteen and enjoying what seems to be a happy, normal life with her parents and younger sister when she has a bombshell dropped on her: her father has an eight-year-old son with another woman. And they live only a few blocks away. When Lucy learns of this news, she is incredibly angry at both her parents: her father for cheating on her mother and keeping the secret, and her mother, for passively remaining with her father and not telling her daughters what happened. Lucy wants to return to happier times, but she finds herself unable to move past her father's news.

I didn't love this book and for a while, didn't think this would even get up to a three-star review. It did grow on me by the end: mostly due to Lucy's relationship with her grandfather, who was perhaps my favorite character in the novel. Alas, I never really connected with Lucy, and I didn't completely find her voice authentic. The beginning of the novel was quite slow, and there were a few points where I wasn't really sure I wanted to keep reading. It's really a rather sad and serious book, and it seems to meander a bit, with no real ultimate point. The overall plot, as well as the small details, seem to veer off on weird tangents. Do we focus on Lucy's anger at her father? Or her growing up, exploring boys and teenage life? Or maybe her grandfather and his strained relationship with Lucy's father? Often, there were many times where I found myself wondering why the author felt the need to include certain details, or include a particular plot point.

At times, Lucy felt incredibly self-involved, even for a teenager, and I wasn't sure if her anger--which seemed to be meant to serve as the main plot device--was really that justified. As I said, when the book shifts and Lucy comes into contact with her grandfather, it did pick up, and I found myself enjoying it more. This could be perhaps because Lucy felt less time focusing on her father's betrayal, and we could get to know her a bit better. Still, I would have liked to have seen more character development, less tangents, and just a better developed voice for Lucy. This one barely grazed 3 stars for me, but it is McCarthy's first novel, and I can see some potential here.

Lucy was a typical pain in the butt teenager who overheard some thing that she was not intended to hear and in doing so, discovered that her father had a child, during his marriage, with another woman. He has no relationship with the child. Learning this made Lucy question everything about her life. She has never met yer brother and is more than a bit freaked out by her father's affair, by the fact that she has a brother in the same town that she has never met, by the need to continue to keep this secret and finally by the fact that her sister seems rather unaffected by it all. Lucy wants everyone else to feel the pain and disorientation that she is feeling, as I said rather a typical teenager in an untypical situation.
Well written and interesting read.