In 1947, photographer and war correspondent Janey Everett arrives at a remote surfing village on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to research a planned biography of forgotten aviation pioneer Sam Mallory, who joined the loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War and never returned. Obsessed with Sam’s fate, Janey has tracked down Irene Lindquist, the owner of a local island-hopping airline, whom she believes might actually be the legendary Irene Foster, Mallory’s onetime student and flying partner. Foster’s disappearance during a round-the-world flight in 1937 remains one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries. At first, she denies any connection to Foster. But Janey informs her that the wreck of Sam Mallory’s airplane has recently been discovered in a Spanish desert, and piece by piece, the details of Foster’s extraordinary life emerge: from the beginnings of her flying career in Southern California, to her complicated, passionate relationship with Mallory, to the collapse of her marriage to her aggressive career manager, the publishing scion George Morrow. As Irene tells her story, Janey’s past gathers its own power. The duel between the two women takes a heartstopping turn.

In the last year, I have read several books about women aviators, so I was happy to receive this ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing. This is a very well written book with a lot of twists and turns. I highly recommend it, especially to those interested in early aviation, especially of the women involved.

I am a long-time Beatriz Williams fan who has read all of her books and loved each one. Her Last Flight takes place during two timelines.....this technique is the author's trademark and works well. This is the first of Ms. Williams' books that I had difficulty becoming invested in both the storylines and the characters. About halfway into the book, I became fully absorbed and could not wait to find out how the story was going to end! All in all a very good read! Thank you NetGalley and Facebook's Book Club Girls Early Read Program for the ARC!

Highly recommend. Here’s why: Nostalgia and sentimentality seem to be themes in life for me these days. With the pandemic, economic and social challenges that we are living through in the first half of 2020, I find myself drawn to and escaping with fiction that looks back to what we naively like to think as a simpler time. We didn’t live back then and things had to be more difficult than these days of convenient everything, but hindsight, in my opinion, seems to soften the edges of times before me into an idyllic mist. This story isn’t set in easier times as the timelines both precede and follow World War I. Our main character, Irene Foster, is a pioneer for women in aviation and her journey is legendary all of the world. Her mentor, first co-pilot and eventual lover, Sam Mallory is an established pilot, stunt pilot and also an aviation pioneer. He’s also unhappily married (with a beloved child) and an alcoholic by most perspectives. Our parallel post-war story is the journey of a tenacious journalist who is determined to find out what happened to Irene who was lost on a race around the world as well as Sam who was flying in the conflict in Spain.

The story is beautifully written and evokes that nostalgia I’ve been rolling around in. Books that draw you in and displace your current situation are the best kind in my mind. Reality is always right there where you left it when you finally turn off the Kindle, so no, I’m not sticking my head in the sand. This story was great. I didn’t think it was too sappy or too sparse in the way it sets the scene, transports you to a different place and time. I felt like the language reflects movies I’ve seen based in those times, so the dialogue seemed true as well. I loved the characters as they are realistic, flawed human beings. Our narrator is unreliable, the sneaky journalist who drinks and loves to much (if you get my meaning) trying to unravel these mysterious disappearances and she thinks she has solved it all and found a story that will prove her intellect and skill. She has the scoop of the century or does she?

I like that this book was inspired by Amelia Earhart. The character of Irene, especially in the early years when commercial flying was just a dream, is richly portrayed as a risk taking daredevil. There are some gaps in the story-- I wish I would have learned a little more about Irene, especially about her time learning to fly.

This is a small point, but there are flashbacks within flashbacks which is a little disorienting for me, especially in an e-book. Also, there is a person mentioned mid-book called “Landon” who is Landon?

All in all this is an enjoyable historical fiction novel. There are secrets and twists that were very well written. I guessed some of the secrets about midway through, but the big surprise at the end I did not see coming!

Recommend for fans of aviation and historical fiction. 4/5

This is a phenomenal story about a wartime photographer’s search for the truth involving a lost pilot. There is mystery, suspense, romance, and historical significance with settings that become part of the story. The characters are so well-developed that I felt deep, personal connections with all of them. There were so many surprises that I gasped out loud several times. The author brilliantly unravels all the layers in perfect timing, and the story ends in a most satisfying way...although I hated to see it end and say goodbye to the characters. This is the first Beatriz Williams book that I’ve ever read, but it won’t be my last. She is a master storyteller. I can’t wait for the publication date, so I can recommend this to all of my friends. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this literary masterpiece with me in exchange for an honest review. You have a winner with this one! Wish I could give it 10 stars!

The Last Flight is such a great book - hard to put down! I have only read one other book by Beatriz Williams and this is definitely my favorite. I love the historical aspect and that the main character is a female pilot. The author did a great job of keeping my attention. Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow & the Book Club Girls for an ARC of Her Last Flight.

I’m normally a huge Beatriz Williams fan but this just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect with either main character and didn’t really care what happened to them. Even the twists didn’t interest me as much as they normally would. Her writing is beautiful as always, but it wasn’t enough to save this one for me.

This is an amazing book that will suck you in to the lives of Janey, a photojournalist who is searching for answers about the pilot Sam Mallory who disappeared 10 years earlier, and Irene, a woman with a mysterious past. I honestly could not get enough of this book and spent a whole day that I was off reading it.

If you like historical fiction with lots of action and romance, you will love Beatriz William's latest! Her books are not to be missed!

I’ve occasionally read books about female pilots and have always enjoyed these stories. So, I was pleased to have been granted an ARC of this copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed the adventure of this story as well as the dual timeline between Irene the female pilot and Janey the photo journalist. I enjoyed some unexpected plot twists. At times, I literally felt like I was holding onto the edge of my seat. I had no idea how this would end so that was refreshing too.

Having read this, I am definitely interested in reading more from this author.

I felt like this is Beatriz Williams. best book to date! I fell in love with the lead character right away. The pivoting of the storyline from present day to 20 years earlier is seamless and not easy to perfect. A very interesting read with a twist at the end. Totally unexpected.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Beatriz Williams and while her upper echelon character-based novels aren't my favorite, I love when she turns her attention to historical fiction. She pays attention to every minor detail and pours herself into research, which is evident in her writing. This book was a joy to read and I feel I've learned so much reading this book. It's destined to be a huge hit this summer.

I was immediately transported to this time when flying an airplane was new, and magical, and unknown, and heroic. Especially for a woman! I can see how other-worldly it would be to see the headlines about Irene Foster's flights in your newspaper, to follow along with her flights and races and crashes. What I enjoyed most about Her Last Flight was how well-done the dual narratives were. Each time period really had its own strong voice, easily taking you back and forth between the two. For all their flaws the characters were still immensely likable and I felt really invested in their story.

I have read most of Ms William’s books. This is the best one in my opinion. The story kept me engaged and guessing until the end. The historical aspects of the story were very interesting. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I received an ARC from The Girlfriend book club and Netgalley for an unbiased opinion.
#netgalley #beatrzwilliams

From the first page to the last, this is a book you can't put down. It is a great historical fiction book centered on women in the early days of aviation. Beatriz Williams never disappoints and I look forward to each and every book she writes. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams is an amazing historical fiction novel centering on two female characters, Irene Foster, a famous female pilot in the late 1920s/1930s, and Janey Everett, a photojournalist in the late 1940s writing a book about Sam Mallory, Irene's flight partner. Both characters are strong, complicated women whose upbringings and past experiences influence their life trajectories. I loved how the author weaved the women's stories together. There were several plot developments that actually made me gasp out loud.

This book had elements of mystery, romance, adventure, and tragedy. I definitely give this book 5 stars. I haven't read any of Ms. Williams' other solo novels, but I'll be sure to pick up others now.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow/HarperCollins for the ARC. I'll be sure to recommend this book to all of my reader friends!

I was given this book as an ARC by Negalley and the William Morris Agency. I gave this a rounded up 4.5 stars. This was an intriguing book based on Amelia Earhart. The book starts withia young woman, Janey Everett, is arriving on a Hawaiian Island researching a former aviator and Spanish War pilot, Sam Mallory. She meets several on the Hawaiian Island that knew this aviator through a friend, Irene Lindquist who was a female surfer and pilot. Sam had taught her to be a pilot and they won several races together..The story continues from there.

Beatriz Williams wrote a remarkable historical fiction novel based on the lives of these two characters, Irene and Sam

4.5 Beautiful Stars!

This was so beautifully done with threads that were interwoven and knitted together so well that most of it I didn't even see coming. I absolutely loved the historical details about planes and those brave pilots that really laid the foundation for flight today from both women and men alike. Truly an engaging story that kept me eagerly turning the pages as each story unfolded over time. And thought this wasn't about Amelia, I can totally see the similarities in these two characters and the whatifs of everything that happened on her fateful last flight.

This is the first book by Beatriz Williams I have read, and it certainly will not be the last. This novel was inspired by Amelia Earhart and other early aviators who pushed the boundaries of what airflight was at the time.

Janey Everett is a photojournalist working on a biography of famed pilot Sam Mallory in 1947. She tracks down another pilot and close associate of Sam's, Irene Foster, who had disappeared in flight ten years earlier. Not only does Janey attempt to unravel Irene's secrets, but her own past is hurtling into the present.

I enjoy novels with back-and-forth timelines and those with a book-in-a-book, and this novel combined those in a way that kept me turning the pages. I will be recommending this to who enjoy twists and turns.

Janey Everett, photojournalist, tracks down famous pilot Irene Foster who disappeared years ago and many thought dead. Janey is really interested in the pilot that taught Irene to fly, Sam Mallory. The story takes the legend of Amelia Earhart and imagines what may have happened to a female celebrity pilot who went missing. it also explores love and family and secrets and pain.

Beatriz Williams’ Her Last Flight tells the story of Irene Foster, a famed aviatrix during the late 1920s and 30s, who disappeared in 1937 during the first Round the World Air Derby. What a mystery!
I enjoyed how the author expertly wove together the points-of-view of the two time periods. The earlier time period of the 30s uses 3rd person, told in book format about Irene; whereas, the latter period of 1947 is told in 1st person through the view of Eugenia (Janey) Everett, a photojournalist who tells Irene she is researching a novel about pilot Sam Mallory. Janey accomplishes her goal of finding the true relationship between Irene and Sam and reveals surprises for the reader along the way. Those surprises were eye opening!
Williams illustrates the importance of an individual understanding the behavior and personality of a loved one. Janey matures and becomes a better person for this understanding.
Beatriz Williams has again created a Wonderful historic fiction novel.