I was a huge fan of the author's first book Evvie Drake Starts Over. So I was very excited to receive the ARC for this book Flying Solo. Unfortunately, the book was a miss for me. The pacing was too slow and I just honestly didn't care about the plot, the characters, or what happened. I had no interest in this long journey about a wooden duck. It's possible that I had just come off of reading a few fast-paced books that I loved so this dragged for me. The author is a beautiful writer and the only reason I saw it through to the end. I do think the author is a great writer so if you are into a slower pace this would be for you. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I do not like writing this kind of review. I really liked Evvie Drake and love Linda Holmes. But this book... just didn't work. I get where she was trying to go with it, and I liked aspects of it. But the writing felt very flat to me this time, and it was not the charming and loving perspective I was expecting. The romance felt ho-hum and underdeveloped, with too much telling and minimal showing. I liked the hero and thought she was too wishy-washy for me to handle. I am all for independence! But don't bill this as a romance. It just really isn't.

Three stars because I love the duck. I love the idea of caring for your family who have passed, and living their legacy. But only three stars because this book felt stuck, just like Laurie. Maybe it's just me, and I had expectations set at an unreasonable level. But this just didn't hit me right, and I hope her next book is either completely different (and not billed as romance...) or just a little bit better.

Laurie goes back to Maine from her adult home in Seattle to clean out her aunt's home after she dies. She reunites with her childhood best friend and her high school boyfriend; and she makes other friends along the way. She learns a lot about her aunt, and the life she lived. This is a nice story about friendship and found family. #nprpopculturehappyhour #lindaholmes #flyingsolo #bookstagram #booklover #bookblogger #lovetoread #booksbooksbooks #readallday #takeapagefrommybook #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #foundfamily

I greatly enjoyed this book. An easy read, but with good emotional depth and characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes. Pub Date: June 14, 2022. Rating: 4 stars. I absolutely adored this author's debut novel, so I was thrilled when I received this e-arc of Flying Solo. I love this author's way of telling a story, it feels like a warm blanket with a cup of tea. It's sweet, packs a punch, offers life lessons and has a smooth storyline to keep the flow of the book moving along. In this particular novel, there is charm and mystery all wrapped up into one. Family history and romance are main themes in this novel. Read this novel if you are a fan of women's fiction with a dose of life. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #randomhouse #flyingsolo

I found this book quite refreshing. A woman who is comfortable in her own skin, who likes being in the company of a man, yet doesn't feel the need to rearrange her life to fit into his. Half mystery, half romance, all cozy, this is an incredibly relatable and enjoyable read.

Just okay. I like that the book reinforces and promotes the notion that women can lead perfectly interesting and fulfilling lives without ever getting married or having children. But the "mystery" aspect of the duck didn't feel high-stakes enough to get me invested, and I also doubt that practically perfect Nick would just be waiting idly by for Laurie who clearly isn't going to give him what he really wants. I liked the author's Evvie Drake Starts Over a bit more than this one. I really wish I had liked this one more -- it was okay (not bad!) but with some many great books out there not sure I would make this one first on your to-read list.

NOTE: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book in 2 days! Great plot driven story with a super fun mystery! I adored the Maine small town setting, little bit of romance, and great friendships! I really appreciated the focus of the book also feeling like an examination of self-discovery and really knowing oneself. Will definitely be hand selling this in our store!

This book was a breath of great air! I loved the characters and was glad to be back in coastal Maine after her last book. One thing O really appreciated was that the main characters were child-free by choice, something you don’t see much- especially in romance novels. Often it doesn’t come up, but the author made a point of bringing it into the plot, and in a way where is was not a conflict. I personally love being a parent, but lots of people choose not to be, and it’s lovely to see a love story with folks who have no interest in parenthood. I can’t wait for her next book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this early read of Flying Solo by Linda Holmes.

Laurie is a successful, almost 40, nature journalist who has returned home to Maine for the summer to clean out the house of her Great Aunt Dot, who died at the age of 93 the previous winter. While not planning to stay, she is happy to have time to reconnect with her best friend, her brothers, and her ex-boyfriend Nick, who is the town librarian. She finds lots of mementos from Dot’s long life, including a carved wooden duck decoy, which has been hidden at the bottom of an old chest. Her journalist curiosity aroused, Laurie tries to find out more about the duck. When she loses the duck under mysterious circumstances, she is left wondering about the duck – why it was hidden, why someone wanted it, and what should she do to get it back? In the meantime, she is enjoying time with her friends, and rekindling her romance with Nick, despite the fact that she has no plans to relocate back to Maine. She is perfectly fine being independent and “flying solo”, living her life on her own terms. If you liked Evvie Drake Starts Over (she and her baseball player get a name drop), you would probably like this one too. It’s about family and friends, about staying true to yourself, and about learning that there is more than one way to have a happy ending.

Okay, I’m not gonna lie, the duck thing was weird. I wasn’t into that story line, but once that ended (2/3 in), I was much more into it.

Not as good as her debut, but I will continue to read her books.

I made it to 56% into this book and am deciding to stop there. I have been reading it for over two weeks and just cannot get into it. I haven't connected to any of the characters, or become invested in where the story is going. The main character seems to have no depth, and isn't very relatable. I also have a hard time believing she would all of a sudden sell this duck that she has been so intrigued by to a guy who was obviously duping her. I won't post this to my social medias, but wanted to include my thoughts and feelings on it here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I really loved Evvie Drake Starts Over, so I was excited to read this one. Laurie is almost 40 and back in her hometown in Maine going through her recently deceased great-aunt's things. First of all, even though we never meet Dot, I loved her. I have an aunt just like her. This story takes us on a slight mysterious hunt for what a wooden duck means that Laurie finds. We also have a hot librarian/ex boyfriend and very fun side characters. All in all this book was just delightful and was light and breezy but had some feel good topics. I loved the ending!!! Felt super personal and realistic.

Also love that Laurie is plus-size!

I love Linda Holmes for her quirky sense of humor and her ability to craft female protagonists who aren't all about getting the guy. This one had a fun little mystery which I really enjoyed, but I wasn't a huge Laurie fan. I appreciate her independence, but she just came off as wanting all the good parts of a relationship without making any compromises. I think it's a great book club pick because I'm sure everyone will have different opinions! Loved the audiobook - Julia Whelan killing it, as usual.

Rating : 3 out of 5
Blurbs :
Smarting from her recently canceled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown of Calcasset to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety-three. Alongside boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up at the bottom of a cedar chest. Laurie’s curiosity is piqued, especially after she finds a love letter to the never-married Dot that ends with the line “And anyway, if you’re ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling.”

Laurie is told that the duck has no financial value. But after it disappears under suspicious circumstances, she feels compelled to figure out why anyone would steal a wooden duck—and why Dot kept it hidden away in the first place. Suddenly Laurie finds herself swept up in a righteous caper that has her negotiating with antiques dealers and con artists, going on after-hours dates at the local library, and reconnecting with her oldest friend and her first love. Desperate to uncover her great-aunt’s secrets, Laurie must reckon with her own past and her future—and ultimately embrace her own vision of flying solo.

With a cast of unforgettable characters and a heroine you will root for from page one, Flying Solo is a wonderfully original story about growing up, coming home, and learning to make a life for yourself on your own terms.

Thoughts : I don't usually read contemporary romance and I don't think this genre works for me. I did cried once during my reading experience but I don't think I want to read this kind of book anymore. It's just somehow flat for me. I don't feel anything towards this book. I don't even have any attachment to the characters but it's on me. If you're someone who might enjoy this kind of book, please do pick this book up!
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Flying Solo was such a lovely surprise. I wasn't sure what to expect from a book about a woman who finds a mysterious wooden duck in her deceased aunt's house. It's a deceptively simple, yet original, premise that kickstarts a wonderful book that had me turning the pages to follow Laurie as she tracks down the origins of this duck, learns more about her aunt and reconnects with her first love. Flying Solo has characters that feel real and are so, so easy to root for and relate to. I can't recommend it highly enough.

3.5
I liked this story about Laurie and her adventures/experiences as she processes her deceased aunt's home and belongings. I think it's always intriguing to think about life and how a lot of a person's history is gone when they die. Laurie's aunt has lead a full and interesting life from which some mysteries emerge. The investigation into Dot's past parallels with Laurie's personal search for happiness on her own terms. Holmes does a nice job using both stories to move the narrative forward.

Laurie returns to her home town in Maine to handle the estate of her great aunt Dot. While sorting through her aunt's personal belongings with an estate sale representative - mostly old photographs, nothing of great value - Laurie unearths a wooden duck hidden amongst Dot's possessions. She's told that duck has no value, but she wants to keep it for sentimental reasons - until the duck disappears under mysterious circumstances. Laurie and her high school boyfriend take off on an unexpected, and at times pretty silly, adventure to track down the missing duck...and to understand why Dot kept it hidden away in the first place.

Flying Solo is a story of second-chance romance, adventure, family, and self-discovery. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the author's first novel, Evvie Drake, but it was still an enjoyable read. I definitely will be keeping Linda Holmes' future books on my short list.

Laurie, facing 40,has been directed by her recently deceased great aunt, to clean out her house. She cannot do this long distance, but must return to her hometown in Maine. Great Aunt Dot never married, never had children and lived a life brimming over. During the clean out process, Laurie finds a wooden duck decoy in the bottom of a chest. Great Aunt Dot's house was full of things that meant a lot to her, so to find the duck decoy buried in a chest was most uncharacteristic. We meet an unscrupulous antiques dealer - he is very interested in the decoy, but why?

Laurie's best friend and former high school boyfriend, now a librarian, start investigating the antiques dealer. The more they hang out together, the more they renew their friendship with each other. So there is some rom-com in this story. Laurie is quite happy with her decision to never marry and never have children, so the friend may complicate the issue.

I read Evie Drake and thought it was okay, however, I enjoyed this story a lot more. I think the various elements of Laurie's story added to the total. It would have been interesting to meet Aunt Dot - maybe a story about Aunt Dot is in the works?

I was really excited to read this one as the initial set up was super strong but I couldn’t even finish it. I got 60% in and found myself not caring about the plot or a single character.