Creo que mi principal problema con los libros de romance es que por mucho tiempo he creído que los romances siempre tienen los mismos clichés, dos personas se conocen y automáticamente surge algo entre ellos desde el segundo en que se ven, desde la primera página sabemos que terminarán juntos porque nada será suficiente para separarlos ya que están destinados a estar juntos aun en contra de las más absurdas situaciones. No me mal entiendan, me encanta cuando nuestros dos protagonistas terminan juntos y me llena de esperanza y felicidad que, a pesar de todo lo que pase, el mundo terminará por unirlos solo que creo que sí me gustan plots más realistas y no solo el idílico cuento de hadas. Entiéndanme, nunca fui fan de Disney.

Dicho esto, me encanta cuando encuentro historias diferentes, y un poco más realistas y este libro me pareció bastante interesante de leer.

Laurie Sassalyn recientemente canceló su boda, y ha decidido que no quiere, o no necesita casarse para ser feliz. Por cosas del destino tiene que regresar a su ciudad natal en Maine para manejar las propiedades de su tía abuela Dot, una mujer de espíritu aventurero que vivió hasta los noventa años. En este lugar no solo encontrará secretos de Dot que la sorprenderán, como una carta de amor a un desconocido que nunca fue entregada.

Pero no es lo único que encuentra, ya que Laurie se reencontrará con un viejo amigo del pasado, con quién tal vez pudo haber pasado algo más.

El libro nos habla mucho sobre encontrar la felicidad en nuestra independencia, no es necesario casarse para ser feliz, también nos habla sobre segundas oportunidades y quizá esto fue una de las cosas que más me atrajo de la historia.

Laurie me gustó, aunque no pude sentirme identificada del todo con ella. Creo que esto fue lo que hizo que el libro no terminara de encantarme, a pesar de haberme entretenido mucho.

Seguro voy a querer leer más de la autora y desde ya quiero leer su primer libro.

I had a great time reading this book. This book is less of a rom-com and more of a book about grief, second chances, a caper and finding love on your terms. ⁣
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I think it’s great that this shows a different kind of love. While I didn’t completely understand it, I’m glad to see a different perspective. ⁣
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Laurie is an independent woman who wants to have love and companionship on her own terms. To her, that means you do not have to always meet halfway. She was not willing to leave her established life and she did not want her sexy librarian to leave the life he built. ⁣
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They made their relationship work for them! I see this being more common nowadays, especially in more mature love stories. I think it’s a great thing to show!⁣
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The caper is low stakes and silly but entertaining. It was a minor plot but enjoyable nonetheless. I loved her spirited Great Aunt Dot who we learn about in stories from family and friends. She was a rebel for her time!⁣
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Thank you to @randomhouse @ballantine for the gifted galley

There is something truly special about a story of a women in her 40’s, who decides to take charge other own life and own her choices after a life of trying to meet others expectations and often experiencing disappointment. Trying to deal with her cancelled wedding, Laurie get the opportunity to start anew when her great truly fabulous great-aunt dies and she is tasked with handling her estate and all that goes along with it. Sad, but good timing for her to get away and regroup emotionally and figure out what is next up for her. A little mystery, a lot self discovery, interesting people, self acceptance all themes that make this an absolutely lovely engaging read.

Laurie returns to her home town after her favorite aunt passes away and it is obvious no one else in her family is willing to do the dirty work of going through her aunt's belongings and getting the house ready to sell. When Laurie discovers a wooden duck, tucked away in a closet, along with a pack of handwritten letters and photographs - she begins to wonder how much did she actually know about her aunt and the spinster life she seemed to live? Add an old-flame in the form of the local librarian (who has a superman curl of hair that is just too cute and melts Laurie every time she sees it), along with a best friend and many other wonderful characters - this book was beyond charming and as cozy as a cup of warm tea. Holmes is a master at dialogue and I love a mature romance - you really want Laurie to have it all, but Holmes also makes it clear that Laurie moving back into her home town, to be with her first love, will not make her happy.... so what is Laurie to do? I love the quickness of the duck mystery and everything that unfolds from there.

I really, really loved this. I loved Laurie and Nick, June and Ginger. One of my favorite aspects of this book is that the drama and turmoil didn’t come from within the family. I’ve read so many books lately where the drama was between a parent and child or with a sibling, so it was refreshing that the author chose a different angle for the plot. I wanted to know what happened with Dot’s duck, and I stayed fully interested the entire time.

**My only complaint, for lack of a better word, is that I would have loved if this book included a POV from Dot’s life, weaving back and forth with the present to tell the story.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the overall story and learning bits and pieces about Dot’s life along the way. I also loved the dedication from the the author about the women in her family. I also thought it was pretty well written. I just think the story was a little slow at times so it look a little longer for me to get into it. There is a little bit of romance between the main character and her ex-bf from high school which was cute.

I would probably recommend to a friend.

DNF. Unfortunately, this was a book I started multiple times but could just not get into. I loved this authors last book but this one just didn't hook me. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, it was just not a good fit for me as a reader. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

I really enjoyed this one. It had a fun story, good characters, romance, a small heist, and more. I didn't want to put it down.

NPR / Books We Love

Pop Culture Happy Hour host Linda Holmes follows up Evvie Drake Starts Over with another charming tale from idyllic Calcasset, Maine. Staring down spinsterhood at 40 after calling off her wedding, Laurie Sassalyn temporarily returns home for the thankless task of cleaning out her beloved great-aunt Dot’s home. Having long aspired to Dot’s adventurous lifestyle, Laurie unearths a mystery in the form of a cunning wooden duck decoy. Holmes whisks readers on a down-to-earth art heist that’s twistier than Ocean’s Eleven, balancing second-chance romance with the reminder that families’ good daughters and single aunts should never apologize for putting themselves first.

This story has it all: romance, mystery, a little suspense and some great laughs. It’s a cute story about a woman turning 40 while trying to find her place and fighting hard to not fall in love.
The audio was well done and though the ending fell a little flat for me I think it’s worth the read.

I LOVED Evvie Drake Takes Over and I'll be honest and say I was hoping for a bit some more of the same, which in this case would not be a bad thing.

Even though this book was enjoyable and had a bit of everything... romance, mystery, history and decoys, it left me wanting for more.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and the author, Linda Holmes for an advance copy of this book. I had previously read Evvie Drake Starts Over and thoroughly enjoyed it so I was excited when this title was announced. I did really enjoy this one as well. Flying Solo follows Laurie, an almost forty year old woman who has recently canceled her wedding and has returned to her small hometown in Maine to help clean out her recently deceased great aunt's home. While cleaning out the house Laurie learns about the exciting life that Aunt Dot led as well as figuring out the next steps in her recently upended life.

I enjoyed Laurie as a protagonist and felt that her motivations were well explored. She could be stubborn at times but I never felt overly frustrated with her. I enjoyed Nick as a second chance love interest, although the small town librarian might be an overused trope. And of course I have to mention THE DUCK!! The beginning of the duck mystery really had me engaged. I loved the hijinks involving the duck and our favorite con man Matt. However, I felt the end of the mystery was a little bit of a let down. I understand the message that the answer was trying to get across but I think it could have been better executed.

Overall, I thought this was a solid four star book but I prefer Evvie Drake.

I need Linda Holmes to write more books. I loved Evie Drake and Flying Solo. Flying Solo goes into if being alone is an acceptable lifestyle. This story proves you can have a romance story that is not too gushy. THe aspect of the mystery wooden duck moves the plot along and is a catalyst for bringing in conflict. I really enjoyed hearing about Laurie's Aunt Dot and her traveling lifestyle. This book was very entertaining.

I read this author's first book, and had hoped I would like this one as much as that. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. This story seemed to drag on and it really wasn't very interesting. The main character goes back to her aunt's house, discovers a wooden duck, and decides to investigate the origins behind it. She also falls for her old boyfriend but can't be with him because she lives on the other side of the country and isn't sure if she's the "marrying type." Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Linda Holmes has a way of writing that immerses yourself in the pages & you don’t even realize it until you’re half way through the story. This particular novel is quirky, surprisingly emotional, adventurous, and wholesome. I found myself grieving with the characters, but also hopeful to uncover the mystery. It’s a perfect summer read when you just want to escape.

I was really hoping for more with this book. I feel like it just fell flat for me. The story about the duck was really the best part of the book but I wanted more from some of the characters. I wanted to know more about their history. This could have been great it missed the mark. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an eARC of this book.

What a fun entertaining mystery and romance thrown into one. I quite enjoyed this story.

A small town librarian and a quirky out of towner who is back for a bit find a second chance at their high school relationship. I'm a sucker for second chance love stories.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced readers copy as well as the advanced audiobook.

Laurie's beloved great-aunt Dot has died and left her house full of decades of memories to be cleaned out. So she travels back to her hometown in Maine to clear it out, and in the process reconnects with her high school boyfriend Nick. The two discover a mysterious painted duck that leads them to more adventure than they bargained for, as they also work to figure out their feelings for one another. Just like in her debut, Holmes has a talent for creating richly drawn characters who are warm and feel real. Her dialogue sings, and the chemistry between the friends here really works. The romance didn't work as well for this reader, and the "stuff" with the duck started to drag a bit, especially near the book's end, but on the whole this was a pleasant read. Loved reading about a forty year old unmarried and childfree woman who was absolutely at home in her skin and in her life.

Laura is on the brink of turning 40, back in the hometown in Maine she left behind, going through all of the STUFF collected over a lifetime that her unmarried, child-free aunt Dot left behind. When she finds an intricately carved and painted decoy duck, it sets her off on an adventure to know her aunt - and herself.

I absolutely loved this book. A second-chance romance between 40-year-olds, an independent woman who doesn’t think marriage has to be the goal, obsessing over an item like a wooden decoy duck and just feeling like you have to get to the bottom of something… Yeah, give me all of it. Highly highly recommend. One of my favorite quotes that really resonated with me: “… and that thing in your head that makes you want to understand everything kept poking you and poking you until you figured it out.” I really identified with Laurie even though on the surface we are pretty different!

One last thing I want to mention is this book casually included diversity in a way I really loved. The main character is a size 18, one of her siblings had severe struggles with mental illness, and her black sister-in-law doesn’t feel comfortable visiting her super-white hometown. All of these things were mentioned so casually, in a way that made them feel normal - which they are normal parts of life so it was refreshing to see that in a book in a way that didn’t feel overly-contrived.

Thank you so much to Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing Group for the copy via NetGalley. This book came out already so you can read it now!

Thank you for the opportunity to read hit novel. I could not connect with the characters and did not finish.