What a remarkable and turbulent read this was (no pun intended)! I loved the story of this gutsy flight attendant and her motley crew of associates and will never look at the aero industry in the same way!

Above and Beyond was a fun memoir about life as a flight attendant for private clients. As you would imagine this was a lifestyle that is very different from the “average” 9 to 5 job. I enjoyed the descriptions of the luxury jets and the elaborate requests from the ultra-wealthy clients. I was really surprised to see the wonderful friendships that developed amongst the flight crew and especially the flight attendants. I expected much more of a “mean girl” element and the supportive friendships was a really nice surprise.

Saskia did a great job telling her story. Really enjoyable read!

This book is riveting. Saskia is a high-end flight attendant and the book chronicles her many years in the industry. I found it so fun because of the descriptions of the places she traveled to and the lives of super-rich people. This book reminds me of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" if it was a reality show on Bravo. Thanks for the ARC.

Wow what an eye opener to how the "other half" live! Even though this is non-fiction, it was written and came across as fiction. It was an easy read and definitely came across as if it was reality TV, which usually isn't for me, but I loved this book.

I just completed Above and Beyond by Saskia Swann and Nicola Stow. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest opinion. Well I loved this memoir. Saskia’s life as a flight attendant in service to the ultra wealthy was fascinating and entertaining. I was amazed at the hours and the tasks the job entailed. Saskia is funny and smart and presents a unique voice. I gave this 4 stars and if you love memoirs this one is super fun!

Thank you @netgally for my review copy. I though this would be really intriguing. Unfortunately, I was bored reading it. It read like reality tv show which I am not a fan of and it was a struggle to get through.

A guilty pleasure of reality show antics, Above and Beyond is a rollercoaster of wit, intrigue, culture, and class issues.

Saskia Swann is a flight attendant to the mega-rich. With her job comes a range of highs, from staying in luxury hotels, allowances, and designer clothes to the unexpected lows of being asked to do things outside the job description.

Swann and Stow do a fantastic job creating a story arc, making this non-fiction novel read more like fictional storytelling. The story is well thought out and entertainingly executed, even fascinating. Saskia as a character is funny and relatable. Above and Beyond does a remarkable job of showcasing class differences while also suggesting that money cannot bring you happiness. Some of the wealthy billionaires Saskia encounters appear unfulfilled and lonely.

If you like Gossip Girl and scandalous reality TV, Above and Beyond is a must-read.

I really enjoyed this read! It was a fun, salacious insight into the life of a cabin flight attendant. It had some great stories and was a great easy read!

Loved this book! Such a salacious beach read into the secret lives of private jet flight attendants. Well written and truly captivating!

Thank you NetGalley, Saskia Swann and Nicola Stow and Lume Books for the ARC of Above and Beyond. This is my personal review.
This book was a fun ride on a private jet and learning what goes on in this ultra exclusive world that most of us will never experience.
Going from hardly being able to pay her bills to the world of billionaires is a real eye opener.
Saskia tells us about her life without hiding much about what she saw, heard and did.

After reading the synopsis I knew I was going to enjoy this book! Saskia Swann gives us the inside look at working as a Flight Attendant on private jets for millionaires and billionaires. She started on commercial airlines, but the real money is working on the private planes. Let’s pop some champagne!

Wow does this book get interesting! From mistresses and wives to the dynamics in power, money, and misogyny within the industry.

Read this if you enjoy Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Below Deck, or watching the Real Housewives jetting off on glamourous private jets!

This book was meant to be an eye opening look at what really goes on in the world of private flight attendants but I was here for the drama. It read like a big budget film script!

The writing style read like your best friend retelling her story. It was simple and filled with details that the right audience would enjoy (i.e.. lots of name drops - fashion designers, jewelry and champagne etc.)

I do have questions about this “tell all” when there was repeated mention of tight NDA’s signed with all her employers. Did they expire? Did the stories change enough that the people aren’t identifiable? If that’s the case, how much of this is true? I enjoyed it regardless but had these questions on my mind.

With Saskia, you get a peek inside the world of billionaires, private jets, ridiculous requests and crazy waste of the wealthy. The book starts off interesting as Saskia learns what it is like to go from mainstream airline flight attendant to highly-screened flight attendants of the ultra-rich. Unfortunately, Saskia falls under the spell of the money and the lure of being taken care of by one of her billionaire bosses (which did not seem in character with the woman she was at the beginning of the book). She learns and eventually does grow, but I was frustrated with her.

I've flown privately in several corporate positions and at certain airports, you do see tripped out airplanes, security guards, limos and everything she describes and it does make you wonder, who is in that jet? If you've ever been curious about what goes on behind the scenes with flight attendants, you may enjoy this book...it's a lot like reality TV though...which is not my kind of thing.

#AboveandBeyond #NetGalley

This was a fun read about a world I know nothing about, the world of private jets told by a Flight Attendant on those private flights. Saskia opens her story explaining that she, like so many 20-somethings, was buried in debt and unsure of what to do. Also, like so many 20-somethings, she had been in a job (commercial flight attendant) that did not pay what one might expect for such a demanding position. A chance encounter leads to a position as a flight attendant on a private jet. Saskia does a wonderful job describing the opulence and, oftentimes, ridiculous nature of the jets and people who own them. She is honest about her feelings about the luxury as well as her experience as things take a maybe unexpected turn, though there was some decent foreshadowing in the story.

At times, the writing is a little disjointed, but overall, this was a really enjoyable book. It was a quick read that kept me entertained. Yes, it is a memoir, but reads more like fiction.

A fascinating peek into the life of a private flight attendant. Fast moving, heartbreaking at times, and never a dull moment.

I love the whole premise of this book, and it reads easily. Saskia Swann seems to have an eye, or the luck, to see the next thing in her life coming, rather than just waiting around to see what life is going to toss to her. Saskia is loving her job as a private flight attendant, and her coworkers a great deal. Things get a lot shakier once she learns what her current boss is expecting her to agree to. The books shows some behind the scenes looks at different lifestyles and cultures of the high flying. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, authors Saskia Swann and Nicola Stow, and the publisher.

Above and Beyond is a tell-all novel that reveals the glamorous life of being personal flight attendant on private flights. Saskia is a young, beautiful woman who is wildly in debt. She enjoyed being a flight attendant on commercial flights but finds that she does not make enough money to pay for her lifestyle. She meets a random stranger in a bar who hooks her up with a contact for becoming a personal flight attendant. Soon, she is swept into the life of the insanely wealthy and the goings-on of their above the clouds life.

This book was completely fascinating to me! I love reading memoirs and learning those small details about people that you would not normally know. I could not put this book down. I couldn't wait to read and learn more about Saskia and her life in the clouds. I enjoyed the writing and the details in the novel. I also felt like the chapters flowed well and that it was a quick and enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book and give my honest review!

Loved this book. Couldn’t put it down. Entertaining and funny. Crossing my fingers it is made into a movie.

This was almost a guilty pleasure type of read for me - I felt like I was peeping at a whole lot of stuff that I shouldn't have access to. It grabbed me fairly quickly, it's a really interesting life story and although I had to google several terms - I was able to keep up with what was going on. There were several times that I wanted to talk to Saskia as a friend, sometimes give her warnings and often times wanted to punch a few people in the mouth lol. I don't fly, I'm not rich and this is so far outside of my personal life that it would be easy to view it as fiction. I enjoyed the friendships that she made throughout her time w Pavel (even if I didn't like him at all). All in all, this was a pretty good read, would def recommend!! I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you like voyeuristic stories then you’ll love going along with Saskia as she recounts her time as a private jet attendant. There’s the typical wealthy clients outrageous activities, but there’s also surprising realness and friendship you can see with her coworkers who quickly become lifelong friends. That aspect makes this memoir more approachable and less showy which you might expect due to the nature of her job. It’s an engaging escapist read.

In the past, I loved reading memoirs about the adventures of « trolley dollies » from the heyday of commercial aviation back in the 50s and 60s. A TV documentary even fascinated me enough to write my own fiction novel about air hostesses and this incredibly exciting way of life. Needless to say that when I stumbled upon this new « modern-time » memoir on NetGalley, I knew I would immediately dive into it and really enjoy this read. What a rollercoaster of emotions! Saskia Swann has had a pretty hectic life and it’s definitely worthy of a book (I’m sure it would even make a good movie given the multiple dramatic twists and turns). It was a vivid, gripping account of the highs and lows of this decadent lifestyle. She doesn’t sugarcoat the more difficult parts of her adventures (it was at times very heartbreaking to read about her struggles), but it gives so much depth to her tale, you get a good sense of how far she’s gone. I found her final words in the epilogue very inspiring. A great message for strong women out there. Don’t be scared to chase your dreams, blaze your own trail and live an extraordinary life!