Jane Start is a one-hit wonder. A decade ago, she covered a rock legend's lesser-known song, and it catapulted her to fame, especially after a particularly suggestive music video went along with it. She came to regret the way it all started when her second album, the one she wrote herself and that more closely matched the style she really wanted to achieve, flopped. At the beginning of This Bird Has Flown, we find Jane living largely in obscurity. She's been recently cheated on and then dumped by her longtime partner and the only gig she's been offered, the one that can get her off her parents' couch, is playing a bachelor party in Vegas. While demeaning, the experience unexpectedly leads to more pleasant adventures. From an all-nighter with a decade-younger Australian pop star to a flight to London holding hands with a kindly English professor who helps with her fear of flying, Jane finds herself with some optimism for once, even if her songwriting still isn't going anywhere.

Jane finds herself mooning over Mr. Airplane aka Tom, and a fling commences with semi-serious vibes behind it. Jane likes that she and Tom are sort of mysteries to each other, and it's a relief to feel like a catch. In her ebullience, she even gets the spark of an idea for a song... But a girl gets jumpy when a protagonist is blissfully happy before even a third of the book has come and gone. It's a known factor that said protagonist is an impulsive serial monogamist, so consider my stress level then. Now imagine the most frustratingly seismic romantic miscommunication, but what if it was a gaping hole where communication should be instead? For the whole relationship.

The thing is that they fall into bed and in love with each other with ease, but Jane has a massive jealousy spiral about Tom's exes, and one in particular, who they almost never talk about. Desperate to be the cool girl who's easy breezy about such things, she suppresses it all while letting her thoughts about his beautiful, accomplished past lover hound her. I fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to my feelings on this one. On the one hand, there's a lot to be said for a story about how women learn to make themselves as untroublesome to others as possible. And that's even before you consider the fact that she's had a recent experience haunting her when it comes to the fidelity of a loved one. It might actually make sense for her to seek reassurance from surrounding parties rather than the lover in question. It's easier to trust. On the other hand, it's a maddeningly slow train wreck to watch play out.

How to describe the spice on this one? It's far from chaste but essentially closed door. The main hiccup in making an easy classification is that Jane reads some smut (helpfully provided on the page for the reader to enjoy along with her) that is very much ~not~ closed door. So do with that what you will.

One part of the ending bothered me. It's a side note, and that's actually the problem. A big emotional moment is thrown into the margins out of nowhere, but it doesn't have any teeth. It felt like something that should affect me, but instead, it's swept under the rug in the rush of Jane getting her career and her romance sorted out. I don't think I can forgive that. Along with the absolutely horrendous miscommunication, these two factors conspired to give me a nerve-wracking time. I think readers who have a passion for music and how it's made will find something to love here as well as those who like an emotionally messy protagonist. It's also worth noting that Jane is Jewish, so there's that bit of representation that could be meaningful to someone. Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for my copy to read and review!

I was so excited to see this book. I adored the Bangles and was looking forward to other creative ventures from Susanna Hoffs.

This rom com is her debut work. It features Jane, lead singer of aband with a one-hit wonder and Tom, a British professor. Their slow burn romance was sweet with a nod to Jane Eyre.

I did enjoy this book. For a first novel, I thought it was a winner.

The parts of this story do not mesh. The story about meeting on the plane, the ensuing romance and clashes with his ex, while full of over blown emotions, at least sort of makes sense.

But then Jonsie is thrown in. We NEVER understand why everyone is under his total control We never understand why Jane does anything she does with him. Nothing at all about the entire Jonsie part of this book makes any sense for how the characters behave or think.

Odd book

This book ended up not being for me, but I know so many who will like it! I loved the cover and especially the note about Gilmore girls in the authors blurb!
I featured this book in a book haul.

This Bird Has Flown is a bit of fluff with a light plot. Some characters are fully formed, while others just appear with the slightest outline (even if they seem important to the story). I enjoyed Hoffs's writing style, but the story was lacking.

I struggled to get into this book, however I think it would be a hit for Bangles fans! I have tried reading it a few times, and am moving this into my DNF stack.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for my honest review.

Reading this book felt like a glimpse into Susanna Hoffs' life at the height of her music career. I was often left wondering how much, if any, of the story was inspired by real events and people, which was both fun and somewhat distracting. Jane as a character is an enigma in that her maturity level seems to vary by scenario, a trait somewhat explained by her personal history. I really felt for Jane and her struggles, and I was rooting for her and Tom the entire time. It got a little slow in places but the parts where it picked up held my interest enough to keep going, and I'm glad that I did.

Drawn to this book solely because of the author (Bangles forever!), but it turned out to be a worthwhile read!

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. By 20% in, I had zero interest in the main character or plot. I was very intrigued by the cover & description. Wished I liked it more

Good story for music and romance lovers. It was interesting to read a book by a musician and I enjoyed the developing story.

Such a fun read! I've always been a Bangles fan, so I was extra excited to discover this read. This book is fun, playful, steamy and such a great escapist read for anyone who isn't a rock star or in the music business!

This was probably my favorite romance read of 2023.

Jane Start is broke and recently single musician whose one hit wonder 10 years ago continues to plague her existence. When a series of events on a plane trip introduce her to an intriguing Oxford professor, Jane is attracted and inspired. But both of them keep a lot of secrets and as Jane’s past reaches into her present, complications arise.
It’s frank, funny and steamy with a very British vibe. The insider view into the entertainment industry and all the musical references are a huge plus. Highly recommend. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advanced readers copy of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a tough read for me. I liked it in the beginning but it started to fall flat about half way through. It felt like it could have been "more". Overall an ok read

As far as debut novels go this wasn't TERRIBLE but the character development was seriously lacking. Jane is a stock character that never really grows or changes over the course of the story and the supporting characters are just straight up forgettable. Overall, This Bird Has Flown is a disappointing read. It is a well-intentioned novel with some nice moments, but it is ultimately let down by its underdeveloped characters and predictable plot.

My reading tastes might continue to change over the years, but I’ll always be in the mood for stories like these. Definitely one riveting read for me.

I wanted to love this book. I idolized Susanna Hoffs and wanted to support her as an author as I have supported her in music. Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. I didn't really like Jane, nor Tom really. The setup had lots of potential, but the story itself didn't take off.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

2.75 out of 5. I automatically requested this ARC as I am a huge fan of the Bangles and a book written by Susanna Hoffs I had to read. This might be a case of not all pretty voices are meant to narrate, I read this book fluctuating between the physical book and the audiobook and the voices were just not working for me, especially the male Tom one. I liked the concept of the book but i really did not understand the spark - why did she fall in love with him? Was it just physical?. I understood his attraction to her but here he barely said a word and its the love of her life. Insta love is a trope I am noy a fan of. There are some cool aspects, especially all the behind the music scenes, and that's where the author clearly shows who she is as she has all the inside info for it.

Side note: it was pretty obvious Jonesy is based on Prince and prince wrote one of the standouts of the Bangles so is art imitating life here? i want to read the non fiction stories of Susanna with Prince and all his behind the scenes drama!

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The book blurb hooked me immediately. Unfortunately, the story itself was not very compelling. Thank you NetGalley for the advance ecopy.

I really wanted to like this book. I put it aside a few months ago and then revisited it this past week but couldn’t get past the first few chapters. I really didn’t like the writing style.