Member Reviews

I was never one for romance or chick lit but I thought I should try something new. The story is okay and enjoyable, however thorough research should be done when including foreign cultures.

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Omg the humor, the dialogues, the characters, everything was amazing! Such a nice and quick read! I mean a lot of the things the main characters did were ridiculous but still believable!

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1.5 stars.
The story was not my cup of tea. The characters was a bit boring, bland and annoying. The story was a bit interesting, but not too much.

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2.5 stars, rounded up

Flying Solo was a quick, light, and overall entertaining read.

(none of the following is a spoiler, it is written in the blurb of the book, which basically tells you the entire story)
The novel follows Rachel, a young London lawyer whose life is completely "put together". She has ticked off all of her goals to reach by age 30 except one - getting engaged. One day she sees her boyfriend of six years outside of a jewelry store and presumes he is planning to propose. Little does she know that she will get a different surprise - he has quit his job and is planning to go to India to find himself. She follows him to India to win him back.

While I found this to be a pretty entertaining and fun read, there were some issues that I had with the book. Namely the impressions that are made of India. Although I have never been to India before, I am Indian-American and I do know quite a lot about Indian culture as a whole and the many sub-cultures within it (it's a gigantic country so no, all of India is NOT the same).

(slight spoiler ahead)
The one thing that irked me the most was one of the "seminars" that was put on at the Ashram that Rachel goes to which was about spirit animals - from my understanding, Spirit Animals are a part of Native American culture and have nothing to do with Indian culture so this inaccuracy really annoyed me. However, at the end of the novel, there is some mentioning of corruption of the Ashram and how it is a major money-maker for westerners who are trying to "find themselves" so this inaccuracy with the spirit animals could have been playing into that.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Zoe May for the gifted e-book in exchange for an honest review!

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Rachel thinks her boyfriend of six years is going to propose. Sadly, Rachel is in for a shock. Finding herself single, Rachel decides to follow her ex-boyfriend to India.

I enjoyed that the majority of the book was set in India. I found it interesting to read about the country, culture, food and customs along with a light-hearted romance.

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Could not find any sympathy in me for the heroine, who seemed way too clueless and somewhat insensitive, too. Plus the read dragged and they were still at the restaurant breakup scene and it was already 10% into the book. Sadly, not for me - could not connect with any point in there

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This book is right up my street and I’ve absolutely loved it. So much so that I only started it very late last night and have not been able to put it down as I was that invested in it.
It is written in such a way that I easily imagined the scenes and due to the brilliant descriptions, I felt like I was completely in the zone.
Rachel is such a relatable and loveable character that at times, I felt like I could actually be exactly like her in the situations she finds herself in.
There are some proper laugh out loud moments within this story that really tickled me. The most memorable involving a mediating session, a session channeling your inner animal (this was so funny), and one of the funniest bits involved Rachel trying to avoid embarrassment in front of Seb when a “lady toy” falls out of her case!
Zoe has put so much humour into this book that it made it so easy to read and so light hearted. This is definitely the kind of book I turn to when wanting a lighter read.

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This was my second book by Zoe May. I was very excited about this. With a tag line that said “the new laugh out loud romantic comedy” I was super excited to get into this book! I found this to be a quick, light read...but unfortunately I just didn’t find the laugh out loud humor in the book. And I found the ending to be kind of an abrupt ending with some unfinished and untold things. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

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I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. The pacing of this story is good. The characters are enjoyable. I enjoyed how this book is set in London and in India. I absolutely adore Seb and Priya's characters. I absolutely enjoyed this author's writing style. This ebook is in stores now for 2.99 (USD).

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I flew through this endearing romantic comedy and found it to be a good balance of witty and entertaining.

Rachel is pursuing her Life List and it’s going so very well except that she’s not yet married at 30 and her long-term boyfriend, Paul, has been dragging his feet. While the circumstances seem unsatisfying, they’re about to take a turn for the worse.

I loved the romp across the globe and the imagery of India and life at the ashram. The glimpses of culture clash between the tax-evading, cult-like guru organization and local Indians was interesting but treated fairly lightly.

I found the characters believable and mostly sympathetic although not developed very deeply. Some of the story seemed to evolve a little too quickly to be realistic and some aspects were left open-ended but altogether this is a light-hearted, entertaining book.

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This is my first book by Zoe May! I liked it, but it isn’t my favorite read from this summer. I love me a strong female lead and she definitely grew as a character throughout the story, I just wanted something more in the situations she found herself in. I felt the ending didn’t truly feel like a complete ending. This book had many great qualities though! The humor and dialogue were super fun and entertaining! Hilarious! I adored all of the cringe-worthy moments because that’s the realness I want in a character! I loved the setting taking place in India and the journey she has to self discovery. Not my personal favorite, but still a good book with a lot to offer its readers. The humor is this novel’s gold star!

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This is a fun take on the romantic comedy and a good summer read.

Rachel is desperately hoping and thinking that tonight is the night she is going to be engaged on London Bridge, after her and her boyfriend, Paul, who lives with her have had pizzas. It sounds lovely and romantic and what could be more perfect? Main character sounds like she couldn’t be happier and Paul sounds divine and he can even make up IKEA furniture – impressive as not all guys possess this magical skill.

Paul however walks into the pizzaria and announces he has quit his job. Right there and then. Done! That causes friction as the air of romance fades and then a bigger bust-up begins and what is assumed that Paul must have been feeling to lead Rachel to believe she was going to be proposed to that night, couldn’t have been further from the truth. It is the mammoth of all tantrums he throws and states he is off to India to think. Right there and then, man with potential is disappearing and fast to the point where, yes I do want to tell him to get a grip as his anger practically leaps off the page! So instead of rooting for them both, I find myself rooting for Rachel, which was rather enjoyable.

Amazingly, love is still there and Rachel would do anything to keep Paul and goes to Bangalore, India to find him. When in India and being shown to her treehouse, which sounds fun (minus the mosquitoes of course), she meets Seb, who has already “found himself” and is comfortable with life in India. Rachel, by contrast doesn’t really fit. Seb is more into Yoga, meditation and shakras. Rachel is more into shopping, even if her only possibility of shopping is in a gift shop. I enjoy how the characters are written to show their personalities and also that there’s at least one character you’d be championing for.
There’s humour, especially with Rachel just not getting meditation. She tried!!

There’s a darker turn, even darker than Paul’s mood and me as a reader wanting to at least chuck one of the meditation cushions at him. Guru Hridaya is also not all that he seems, so neither is the ashram.

There’s an unexpected and yet delightful end to what is a good summer read to sink into.

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This book was such a fun read! It reminded me a lot of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, where the character seems superficial at first but has a good heart and becomes a better person. There were some really funny moments in the book that made me laugh out loud. Perfect beach read. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest feedback.

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It just wasn't quite my cup of tea. The lasT third or so where she realized she can use her skills to help others was great, but I found the actual romance and relationship parts fairly lacking.

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Thank you NetGalley this was just hilarious.
I loved it.
The characters were well developed and I just fell in love with the story.
It is a feel good story about love, heartbreak and finding yourself.

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Rachel Watson was an extremely lovable character from the very beginning. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and was proud of the life she had created for herself and her partner, Paul. I giggled at the preparation she did in anticipation of Paul’s proposal, as it is the exact same way I’d react, if I suspected it was nearing very close to happening. However, Paul is not a man you would want to marry and if you find yourself with a man that resonates the same energy as Paul, please make your way to the nearest exit and run! There is one scene in particular that had me so agitated, I wanted to yell at my phone, “SPIT IT OUT, PAUL!!”. This man knows how to keep a woman on the edge of her seat and not in the bloody good way. To cut a long story short and not to give too much of the details away; Paul is a waste of space and time.

When a woman finds out that a man is a waste of space, accepting this fact and leaving it be really just isn’t in our nature, and so like any woman, Rachel is determined to follow Paul and show him that their life could be better, if he was just willing to give it a go – winding up in India to do so. Even though Rachel’s true intentions of travelling in to India was knocked back quite quickly, it couldn’t have been a more amazing spur-of-the-moment choice for her, in that she managed to do some much needed self-discovery and found herself having a much better time of it than Paul. Karma’s a bitch, right?

I absolutely flew through this book in one sitting – all plans I had for this one particular day were dropped immediately, so I could focus all my attention on Rachel’s story. Trust me, once you start, you won’t be able to stop! I’ve never travelled to India via a book before, so it was so interesting to get more of an insight in to the pro’s and con’s of what an Ashram entails and the type of people you will meet within an Ashram. I loved learning more about the Indian culture as well, as I’m not knowledgeable on that topic at all. Some of the activities that Rachel got involved in whilst staying in India, really did have me giggling and wondering if these were based on true stories from Zoe herself, other people or completely made up for the story.

Whilst this book was highly focused on self-discovery, Zoe did still treat us with a little holiday romance between Rachel and the gorgeous, Seb, who had an extremely interesting back story as to how he found himself in an Ashram. The connection between the two was instant and although the connection wasn’t necessarily romantic to begin with, Seb was still a great support in helping Rachel adapt to her two-week stay in India, opening her mind up to having more than a materialistic life. Speaking of that, I really enjoyed watching Rachel go from being more concerned about packing her designer clothes and heels, to then finding herself so enthralled with the world she had slowly grown fond of. I feel like I need a self-discovery holiday now because they always work out for the better!

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This was my first time reading this author and I found it an enjoyable and witty romcom.

Rachel is a workaholic with an obsession for interior design and a life list. She's eager to tick off the next item on her life list which is to get married to boyfriend Paul. Rachel is convinced that after 6 years together he is finally going to "pop the question" but instead he dumps her to go to India "to find himself"

Not wanting to give up on her relationship and dreams of getting hitched Rachel follows Paul to an ashram in India to try and win him back. Rachel and ashram life is hilarious and I was in fits of laughter as she attempts meditation and trying to find her spirit animal. Rachel went there to find Paul and win him back but instead I think she finds herself.

Thank you Netgalley and Zoe May for an excellent read

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Thank you NetGalley and Zoe May for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
This one was a great light rom-com, perfect for a poolside read. I finished Flying Solo in one sitting, it was a breeze! I enjoyed this book throughout most, though I wouldn’t say I loved it. I had a problem with the very idea of a woman chasing her ex across the world to a foreign country. That just screams crazy. I’m glad that this one went that find yourself route instead of the stalker ex girlfriend I was worried it would turn into.
The ending of the book was bad. It really brought the entire book down for me which was disappointing because we’d gotten so far, so good. This was one of those times where a blurb in the back to give readers a hint of what was to come would’ve been great. This just left me feeling like I didn't actually finish the book.

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What a fitting title for Zoe May who has literally flown solo with her latest publication as she ventures down the self-publishing route. This is the first of Zoe’s books that I’ve read and I admit…I felt that it was a slow start. BUT I kept going and once Sarah hit India it was just stunning…the story evolved, things went a little crazy, there was so much humour and it was just a fab read. I will definitely read some of her older publications now – and look at that cover! How eye-catching is that!?

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If you're in the market for a light-hearted romantic comedy, "Flying Solo" by Zoe May may just be for you! When first we meet Rachel, she's in London pondering big life questions. You know the kind...What home DIY project is next? Should we order in or eat out? When will my six years and running relationship with my live-in boyfriend Paul jumpstart to he PUT A RING ON MY FINGER status!?!? 😫 Quite soon, Rachel has far more to ponder when she spots Paul gazing at diamond rings in the jewelry store down the street from her law offices. When that moment is linked to his dinner reservation at the comfy, cozy Italian restaurant where they had their first date, Rachel is convinced she will be able to check ENGAGED BY THIRTY-ISH right off of her personal Life List.🥰

Suffice it to say, things DO NOT go according to her plan. For you see, Paul's life plan (which he reveals at the not so romantic, newly renovated pizza parlour🤣) is to "take a break"...to "find himself"...at an ashram... in INDIA!!!
"Nah-mma NOT gon aste!!" says Paul causing the jilted and totally unenlightened Rachel's heart to break. 😭

What ensues is a story that takes the reader, and Rachel, on a frantic and funny trip to India in search of answers and enlightenment. Zoe May engagingly wraps all of that up in the sights, sounds, smells, and cuisine of India's marvelous culture! Don't be surprised if as you read, you find yourself longing, just a little, for your very own Karma journey toward peace, lightness, and some really tasty biryani with some fresh baked naan. Namaste, y'all! 😌

Many thanks to NetGalley and Zoe May for the advanced digital copy of "Flying Solo" in exchange for an honest review. Om shanti shanti shanti.😊

#NetGalley
#FlyingSolo

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