I used to live in Scotland, so any book about this magical place has my immediate notice. Morag, through no fault of her own, was involved in a terrible in flight accident, and it has made her afraid to fly. This story is about her overcoming that fear, and what happens next.

Morag has met Hayden, who seems to be the man of her dreams. They are both lined up to get exciting jobs in Dubai and life should be perfect. But then Morag has to make an emergency landing on a small island off the Scottish shores. What happens next will affect the rest of her life.

I listened to an audio version of this book, and the narrator was delightful. Jenny Colgan's books are always very cozy, and make me wish I lived in small village where everyone knew each other's business, but looked out for each other. And she draws the scenery so well with her words. When I've read too many dark mysteries, I love reading a relaxing, gentle book like this. I am not a romance book lover, but I like the warm and fuzzy feeling that Colgan's book give. I would rate this 3.5 but will give it a 4 star here as that closely reflects my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Colgan, and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you prefer a window seat or aisle seat when you fly? I always love sitting in a window seat and getting to see what is happening when I am on an airplane. I’m finishing up my summer reads and read The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan earlier this month. I always love reading Jenny Colgan’s novels. I get swept away by the stories.

The Summer Skies is set in far northern Scotland. Morag McGinty has been born into a family of pilots. She works for a major airline, but after a near accident, she is working on being ready to fly again. During this situation, she has finally found a man she thinks she has a future with, Hayden. Together they plan on relocating to Dubai. Morag decides she can be the co-pilot on long haul flights and won’t have to face her fear of being the pilot in charge again. The family business is flying a plane service from island to island in northern Scotland. When Morag’s grandfather falls ill, she helps out by coming back home to help with the flying. Will she be able to overcome her fears of flying as the primary pilot again?

I always love how in Jenny Colgan’s novels, the primary character is a woman who is trying to find her way in the world. What does Morag really want for her future? She is not sure herself and it takes coming home and being put into a precarious situation that really makes her realize what is important. I love her side characters too – as there were many new and unique characters in this book. Another great element is the food. There is a mouth-watering description of bread in this book that made me want to go out and make my own home made loaf. The settings are also wild and wonderful as well. I really want to visit northern Scotland now. I wasn’t sure where this story was going, and I enjoyed the journey. I also have always loved aviation and enjoyed the elements in this story. I hope that it is the start of a lovely new series. I enjoyed reading this novel.

Book Source: Review Copy from NetGalley. Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have dearly loved Jenny Colgan's series (Cornwall and Scotland) and thought I'd give this stand alone a try. It has been similar to sitting down with an old friend! Morag is relatable yet also vulnerable and you cannot help but cheer her on as she discovers where her heart lies. The descriptions of the Northern Islands of Scotland are stunning and I can't help but wish I could fly there with Morag. A really lovely read.

I enjoyed this as much as I have any other Jenny Colgan novel. It's always nice to escape to a quaint Scottish island/town far away from where I currently live.

I love Jenny Colgan's books and this charming little book is just darling!!!!!!!!!! I fell in love with the characters and the beautifully described countryside while reading.

I adore Jenny Colgan's books and was thrilled to receive a Kindle ARC of her newest book! Previously I've devoured the "Little School by the Sea" and the "Mure" series as audiobooks, which provided the extra delight of a narrator pronouncing the Scottish vernacular with (what I assume to be) accurate enunciation. However, "The Summer Skies" as an eBook did not disappoint. True to her gift of capturing a strong sense of place, Jenny Colgan again created a reader's escape to the Northern Isles of Scotland. I enjoyed the unique character of a female pilot, which provided a new character POV I've not encountered in women's fiction. And of course, in true Jenny Colgan style, a storyline related to a love interested is expertly woven into the story. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and I am looking forward to reading future Jenny Colgan books!

A Jenny Colgan book always brings cozy vibes. The setting, her characters, the romance always heartwarming. They make you want to take a step back and slow down in your own life.

Morag's character fighting for the life she thinks she should lead and actually learning to live her life

Hoping for a new series.

A bit different setting than other books by this author, but remains an endearing lo setting. While the book begins a little slow, it soon develops into a heartwarming read about chasing what brings you peace and letting go of the expectations of others. Enjoyable read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. I enjoyed it, but struggled a bit. It started slow and never quite picked up for me.

The Summer Skies was so, so good. I always love Jenny’s books but this one was perfect for summer. As someone that grew up in a quiet, rural village around animals and birds… this book brought all of the feelings of home. Morag makes me want to be brave and go after my dreams…. Well done!

I really enjoy Colgan's books--from her heartwarming stories to her lovely but flawed characters. This one had a slow start with quite a bit of back story (perhaps a start to a series?) but it was so fun to be introduced to these new characters in the beautiful Scottish setting. Another funny, sweet and romantic story!

Another absorbing story by Jenny Colgan, The Summer Skies does not disappoint, and I think Morag and Gregor may be two of my favorite characters ever. The setting on Inchborn, a remote island off the coast of northern Scotland, is charmingly evocative in its wildness and the various moods of its climate. Jenny Colgan's gentle humor lightens some serious themes throughout the novel: bereavement, grief, severe anxiety, infidelity, aging, and the courage to change amongst them. Dolly the plane is almost another character in herself, and Gramps, Nalitha, Hayden, and even traveling acting troupe members Leopold and Boona all contribute to the enjoyment of the story. The changing relationships amongst the main characters develop nicely, and the family tensions and budding romance are sensitively handled as Morag finds the courage to understand and pursue what she really wants from her life. Recommended highly for lovers of women's fiction.

Overall, the story was not one that grabbed me and sucked me in. I think partly because we aren’t given much substance about the characters until late in the book. I don’t feel like I really got to know either character well, so happily ever after was a stretch for me.

I did appreciate that the story featured a woman in a male dominated profession. But being unfamiliar with Scottish names, I didn’t realize Morag was a woman until 2-3 chapters in.

Overall, I’ve enjoyed other books by this author more than I did this one.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

I have grown to be quiet find if Jenny’s books, and though this one didn’t quite live up to what I’ve come to expect from them, I’m still glad I read it.
Morag comes from a long line of pilots, so she feels right at home in the sky. That is until a closes call with another plane leaves her shaken and unable to get back in the plane, although she tells everyone that she’s fine. In the meantime m she meets Hayden, her dream man, and they make plans for their future, which includes moving to Dubai, which means she has to be able to get in a plane again, so Morag begins working on getting herself flight ready again. When her grandad falls ill she has to go back to Scotland and run the family business-small plane running routes among then islands, all is going well until a storm hits and she is forced to land on a remote island with only the introvert ornithologist Gregor to keep her company.
While this was missing the warmth and charm that is typical of Jenny’s books, I do hope this is the start of a series because I loved Gregor as a new book boyfriend and I’d loved to see Morag grow some more as a character.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan did not disappoint. The grumpy sunshine pairing mad me so happy. As well as the strong female friendship. It is about like most of her books finding herself and your dreams outside of others and facing your fears. I love this author and her writing style. Will continue to read anything she writes!

Jenny Colgan is one of those writers you always know will give you a nice story. They take places in locations I love (Scotland and Cornwall). It's a great thing in an author to know you will enjoy a book!

But this one has something extra. 100% my personal prejudice, but it has airplanes! And I love airplanes! Her descriptions of the planes and love of flying pushed this book past her other ones (for me!). I know she's not a pilot but she 10000% did her research for this book and made her main character believable without obvious inaccuracies (I don't know much about Otters so there could be some!).

The location also gave her lots of inspiration as well. In a way, that is my complaint of the book. She got so carried away with the settings, whether its the island, a plane, an airport that the descriptions could become a bit much and I found myself skimming alot of it. She also neglected some character development in favor of those descriptions. The relationship progressions are 1=80 with no clue why but maybe that just describes the main character. I feel I could go to any location in the book and find my way around but if I met any of the characters, I would not know who they are.

Still, this is not a book for your senior english thesis anyways. It is a book to sit back and enjoy and it does that in spades. Takes you away to a beautiful island via an awesome airplane,

I got an ACR from NetGalley in return for a fair review and I think I've done that.

Leave it to Jenny Colgan to create a few characters, an idea of how to bring them together, by making them care about each other, plopping it down somewhere in Scotland and voila - you have several hours of enjoyable reading. She never disappoints and The Summer Skies was no exception.

One of the things that made this book so readable for me was the interesting information about flying little planes and small independent airline companies. I think I knew that the reservation lady could be the problem solver, sometimes baggage handler and the passenger calmer downer, with a few other jobs thrown in but the character who played the part to perfection was hilarious as well. Equally interesting was the description and training required after an incident in the air and the emotional and psychological impact it can have. The “seen from the sky” descriptions of the northern islands of Scotland were artful. Then we get to the prickly ornithologist who of course may not be exactly what he seems and yes there is an education on the island birds as well as a chicken named Barbara.

All good and funny and well told and a large thank you to Jenny Colgan for a really special book. Thanks as well to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a copy.

The Summer Skies is sweet and funny, a terrific choice for upbeat escapist listening and reading. The gentle storyline, flawed but relatable characters, and sweet romance were exactly what I wanted in a summer read this month. The characters, setting, and situation all contribute to a delicious, delightful reading experience.

Aviation life ✅️ Romance ✅️ Comfort-read ✅️

Jenny Colgan is my go-to author for comfortable, feel-good reads. Once again, she did not disappoint! From someone who works in the aviation industry, I adored this book; there were many aspects from it that I took to heart. When you work in aviation, it’s so easy to get caught up in the go-go-go and rush-rush-rush. The main character, Morag, experiences this and, maybe without realizing it, craves something to slow her down. I understand that wanting of normalcy, something to ground you. Sometimes it’s quite necessary in the world of flying. Jenny Colgan projects these feelings perfectly in this story. My love for aviation and all it entails made this an easy, enjoyable read for me.

“I couldn’t deny the feelings of elation and fleetness which happened every time the wheels left the ground when a land-locked vehicle shook free, defied itself, did what humans had always longed to do, yearned to do, dreamed of—heading straight for the clouds like the birds did.”

Thank you NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of “The Summer Skies” by Jenny Colgan. 💕

Jenny has another gold star with this series!! From the very first page, i was completely immersed in the book. The writing makes it like a movie, you can picture every situation and the characters became my friends. The descriptions of flying, freedom, and nature's beauty made me forget "real" life for a bit. It took a bit to get going, but once it did it soared, just like Morag!! Highly recommended!