I absolutely loved The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar! I instantly fell in love with the characters and could not put this book down. Salazar writes a wonderful historical fiction novel about the WASP (Women's Air-force Service Pilots). Throughout the story, Salazar painted a picture of the women and their service during World War II; whether surviving the attack of Pearl Harbor, giving flying lessons, or ferrying planes around the country, these women provided a service to their country when the men were overseas. Salazar has written a great novel and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for her next book!

I received an electronic ARC from Harlequin-MIRA through NetGalley.
Though there are some historical inaccuracies, the story pulls the reader in to the lives of women pilots during WWII. Told from first person perspective. Audrey Coltrane always wanted to fly. Her life goal is to purchase the airstrip in her hometown; relationships are not part of the plan.
The book starts in 1941 with her training military pilots in Hawaii. She meets a fellow pilot, James, and they establish a friendship though hints of wanting more come through clearly. Salazar tastefully takes her characters through the horror of the Pearl Harbor bombing and treats those killed with dignity.
From there, readers see Audrey move through grief and find methods of coping with life's stresses. The remainder of the book moves through her time in the Women Airforce Service Pilot program during the war. Her relationship with James develops through letters and silence. The obligatory decision about waiting for him or dating another man is handled realistically. James' plane crashes in Germany and the tension and fear come from Audrey waiting to hear about his fate. She also loses her best friend in a plane crash during this time. These losses bring the reader in to the time period as this was the norm during WWII.
Following the dissolution of the WASP program, she returns to run her airfield; feels called to go to France and search for James; comes to peace with him missing, and returns to run her airfield. James arrives after being found and healing physically.
The epilogue provides a brief summary of their life together and brings the reader to 1980 when their daughter becomes part of the first women graduating from the Air Force Academy.
A tender story with historical information woven through. The romance is secondary and does not overpower the main points.

What a stunning book from first-time author, Noelle Salazar. When I turned that final page, I couldn't help wanting more. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to such well-written characters. I will absolutely recommend this book be purchased at my library and all libraries! The Flight Girls would also be a wonderful book club pick!

A stunning book by this author. I love it when I learn about little-known history. These women were beautifully described and I hated for the book to end. What a wonderful picture of courageous women! A must read for book clubs with so much to discuss.

I didn’t want to put this one down! The characters were so real, and the situations were amazing, yet completely believable. There were no long feminist rants, but the inequality is prominent in the writing which added to the story instead of distracting like is often the case.

A pleasant book with an engaging story and likeable characters. The agony of war and its many losses are juxtaposed along side the interior struggles of the main character, Audrey. Both ring true and give you plenty to keep you turning the pages to the end.

This book was so good. I already told all of my friends about it. It was moving in the best ways! I wept and laughed and read it twice! The characters were believable and like able. I was rooting for “Dallas” the whole way through!. My only complaint is that it was too short! I loved it. Loved it. Loved it!