I love Jenny Colgan books & this was no exception! Morag is a pilot who has had a scare with another small plane that almost hit the one she was copiloting in. Sent on a leave, she returns home to help with the family business of running a tiny plane from island to island. While there she finds herself, true friendship and her way in life. I hope there is a sequel! Many thanks to NetGalley, Ms Colgan & Avon & Harper Voyager publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Flying is in her blood. Morag is the 3rd-generation pilot in a family whose one-plane transport company serves a string of tiny islands in the northernmost UK. While her grandpa flies the plane, Morag has moved away and built a career flying commercial airliners around the world. It's a minimalist existence, only fully lived in the cockpit where she follows the rules as if they were oxygen, reveling in the restrictions and never putting down roots anywhere. Until her grandpa falls ill and she must return home to carry on the transport business. After crashing on a tiny island in a bad storm, she finds refuge in the old caretaker's house and becomes an unhappy roommate with the gruff professor who is there for the season to study birds. The storm was a bad one; it knocked out power to the mainland as well. Morag and Gregor are stuck with each other for the duration, and during that time, her eyes are opened to the way she's been skirting life. At the end she must choose: return to her cardboard existence or reap the richness of her family's legacy?

This is a great story, and I think it's Colgan's best yet for her skillful use of metaphor and the rich descriptions of a pilot's experience. (My previous faves were Sunrise by the Sea and 500 Miles from You for their emotional depth.) Morag is an exquisite flyer, with passion, instinct, and skill. However, she's avoiding life, narrowing it down to a total focus on flying. When the professor shares his analog, organic world with her, she has a chance to immerse herself in an authentic life, and it's so richly drawn, you can practically taste the homemade bread.

I love Colgan's humor (the goat! the chicken!) and she's so good at depicting things metaphorically. For this book, she did a ton of research as to flying, and it's hard to believe she's not a pilot herself. Lastly, there are some magnificent scenes in the story that are worthy of a big-screen movie, so adventurous and breathtaking that I'm still savoring them. I wish I could tell you but don't want to spoil it, so you'll have to see for yourself.

I can always count on a Jenny Colgan book to be a comforting read. This was not my favorite. I had a hard time connecting with the main characters and the flying aspect, but it was still an easy breezy read.

This was a great book about self-discovery and finding peace where you least expect it. The characters were wonderfully written and the setting was gorgeous. Very entertaining!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for advanced copy, and I leave my review freely

Morag McIntyre comes from a long line of pilots. Her family runs a small island hopping business among the small, remote islands of northern Scotland. Morag wanted more. She left the island for the opportunity to fly the big jets, until an incident on a flight leaves Morag anxious and unsure. Home for a break before she moves on to a new assignment, Morag helps out by flying a few runs., During such a run, an unexpected storm forces Morag to make a rough landing on the beach of the tiny island of Inchborn. Mostly off the grid, Inchborn is home only to a deserted abbey, a bird watching station and the lone inhabitant who cares for it all. Gregor is an ornithologist who finds peace and solace watching the many species of birds on Inchborn, tending his vegetable garden and conversing with his chickens and his goats. He favors the simple life. Spending time with Gregor leads Morag to question the direction her life has taken.

I found the first half slow going. It seemed every turn of the page had Morag reliving the incident that caused her anxiety. The reliving became repetitive, to the point I became numb to Morag's feelings about the incident. I would have liked to have seen her have a confidant, someone with whom she could share her feelings, seen more of her interaction with her family, maybe learn a little more about her background, . The tale took a decided turn when Gregor was introduced. I loved his character, his simple way of looking at life. The way he stayed positive and accepted the things he couldn’t change and changed those things he could.. I also enjoyed the way the writing became more descriptive when Morag came to the islands The author's words painted vivid pictures of the plane, the sky and the islands. Her description of the tropical storm Morag was trying to outrun brought the wind and the rain to life so that you could almost feel the plane as it was buffeted on its way to the ground.

Gregor's calm, acceptance of events and his ability to find a work around to any problem contrasts starkly with Morag's constant motion, her inability to accept things as they are.. It is this contrast that opens Morag's eyes. The author gives the reader a lot to think about, offers new ways to look at the world around us. And gives us as readers new ideas to think about. It's worth pushing through the first half of the book to get to these ideas.

Morag, a third generation pilot, is involved in an incident involving a small plane. The airline requires counselling before allowing her and the pilot back in.the air, but Morag is haunted by the death of the pilot and his friend.

Morag, who started a relationship with the HR representative, is called home to fill in for her sick grandfather. Their plane has room for 16 and Morag will.be on the crew with her hilarious best friend, a pilot (who hates flying), and their passengers.

For me this is where the story really picks up. I love quirky characters and this book is loaded with them. The story is original and the plot is well thought out. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it.

#TheSummerSkies #NetGalley #HarperCollins #JennyColgan #Avon

I have complicated feelings about this book. Normally Colgan's books are warm and cozy reads with quirky characters and a cozy if somewhat dilapidated setting. This was a bit different for me. For starters I was never quite certain how I felt about Morag or Gregor. On first meeting I didn't really like either of them and by the end I still wasn't sure I liked either of them but at the same time I could relate to Morag and was rooting for them. I also found that it had a bit of a slow start. I didn't care much about the history of McIntyre Air and didn't enjoy the pre-Scotland part of the book where the focus was just on Morag. I honestly was considering DNF'ing it.

But then something happened. I'm not exactly sure when it happened or what changed but suddenly I realized it was 2 in the morning and I really didn't want to put the book down even though I had a busy day the next day. I wanted to find out what happened next and how the story continued to progress. When I finally made myself put the book down and get to sleep I couldn't wait to pick it up and get back to Inchborn island the next day.

I can't say this is my favorite Colgan book and I can't say that I ever really grew to love Morag or Gregor but I did end up really enjoying it. It has a bit of a different feel than the usual Colgan book and I'm so glad I stuck with it through the slower part. This was an entertaining read with unusual characters and a unique premise.

Wonderful!

This book made me feel like I was back in Scotland again! I spent some time there several years ago, and while I was in a much more populated area, the wildness of the landscape, the raw beauty has stayed with me, and the author absolutely described it to perfection.

Morag is suffering PTSD, although they really don't call it that. Gregor is an island caretaker, living for months at a time on a tiny island to observe the bird population. When Morag's plane is stranded, she and Gregor work up from hostile to friends, sharing meals and sometimes deep conversations. Morag has some time to think about her future career choices, does she want to carry on the family business, or strike out as a long-haul pilot in Dubai? Read it to find out, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

The Summer Skies is Jenny Colgan’s newest stand-alone Women’s Fiction title. There is a little bit of romance in this story, but no profanity or sex scenes. The pre-publication blurb doesn’t accurately reflect the story. The Summer Skies is mainly a character development story, told in two parts over a short period of time.

20-something Morag MacIntyre is a fourth-generation aviator from the northernmost Scottish isles, working as a First Officer for an airline based out of London’s Heathrow Airport. She’s also the heir apparent to her retiring grandfather’s island-hopping plane service. The islands, reaching almost to Norway, rely on their ancient plane to deliver mail, packages, tourists, and the occasional high-dollar sheep.

When a flight that Morag is co-piloting is involved in an incident that results in a small airplane crashing, Morag and her pilot, Bob, are temporarily grounded. Once Morag is determined “fit” to return to duty, she begins a relationship with the airline’s psychologist consultant. Hayden gets a new assignment in Dubai and encourages Morag to get qualified on larger jets and follow him there.

A week before Morag’s test on the larger airliner simulator, her grandfather, Murdo, becomes ill and asks her to temporarily take over his island-hopping route. Morag co-pilots alongside Erno and carries a planeload of colorful passengers to their destinations and drops off a large trunk to an ornithologist on a government-owned bird sanctuary island, Inchborn. Meanwhile Callum Frost, a large airline CEO, approaches Morag and offers to buy out Murdo’s route/business.

The next day Erno has a heart attack mid-air during a storm and Morag is forced to land the plane on Inchborn Island. A medical helicopter rescues Erno and their other airline employee, Nalitha, but Morag is left stranded on the island. Morag is able to find her way to safety to the quarters of Gregor MacAleese, the reclusive ornithologist from Glasgow. Morag has no way to communicate with the outside world since the storm knocked out power on the northern islands. Over a few days she establishes a friendship with Gregor and the island animals, while working to save Murdo’s beloved airplane, Dolly, and make repairs to equipment on the island.

Morag expects to be rescued off Inchborn pretty quickly, but she is anxious if it will occur before her appointment in London. She has major decisions to make regarding her future with Hayden and her career goals. Meanwhile she quickly adapts to the tranquility of Inchborn and its natural beauty. There is some suspense in the story: “which man is Morag going to choose?” and “will she be able to save Dolly?”

I am a big fan of Jenny Colgan’s books. Her writing style is unique: descriptive run-on-sentences, but it works for her. I enjoyed The Island series and 500 Miles from You but The Summer Skies blows her previous books in the dust! The story is engrossing and the characters are wonderful! Even the animals and the airplane, Dolly, are interesting and integral to the story. Her colorful descriptions made me feel like I was sitting right there, watching and listening to the action.

As an American, I was unfamiliar with all of the character names except Jamie, Morag’s older artist brother. This was a good thing, because I didn’t have any preconceived notions about the characters, and the author’s descriptions brought them to life. I highly recommend this book to all readers, especially anyone who enjoys bird-watching or airplanes.

I received an advance review copy (ARC) from Avon and Harper Voyage and NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved getting a glimpse into Morag’s life as a pilot on the Scottish islands. I felt transported into the world Jenny Colgan created with her beautiful descriptions of the islands and the wonderful characters. The story is humorous but also thought-provoking as we see Morag out of her comfort zone. I really enjoyed seeing Morag and Gregor at first clash but then bond over the reason they love their very different professions. This novel is cozy, comforting and unique. It has a bit of a slow start but it picks up and soon you won’t be able to put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for a review.

I have grown quite fond of Jenny Colgan novels. This story was sweet and suspenseful. I really liked all the characters and enjoyed a book set in Scotland as I haven’t read a book from that region in a long time so it scratched that armchair traveler itch. It was interesting learning about Morag and the pilot aspect as I once thought about going into flight school. I also learned what an ornithologist was (someone who studies birds) which I always love when a book can teach me something new. Morag currently has a boyfriend but like all romance novels there’s always someone with their hand up to be added to the love triangle lol. I actually really liked Gregor and I feel I’m starting to enjoy books centered around natural disasters and survival in close proximity together.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book.

I actually ended up really enjoying this story so much more than I was initially expecting. I really thought that Morag was actually a bit funnier and cooler than she probably gave herself credit for. I thought that the way that Morag and Gregor first met was actually very funny in retrospect and it couldn't have been more perfect. Even though Morag and Gregor didn't have high opinions of each other at first, the differences that they first had with each other slowly helped them to like each other and build bridges.

I had some suspicions of Hayden when we first met him and I wasn't proven wrong, but I thought that his explanation of himself was a bit sad and seemed within character of him. I'm glad that Morag was able to see past his explanations and moved on.

All in all, this was a very good book and makes me want to go visit the archipelago off of Scotland. (I don't need that much convincing to go to Scotland though.)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views are my own.

5/5 ⭐️

Jenny Colgan never disappoints! I can’t put her books down. This story was very sweet. I loved the amazing characters and loved the setting. Can’t wait for more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the arc of this book.

I love Jenny Colgan's writing style, the characters she creates, the settings, etc and this book was no exception! The story, however, felt a bit heavier than what I normally expect from this author. Not that it is a bad thing, just a little surprise. Perhaps there is more caution in a story of a pilot who is questioning herself than a baker? And with a family business all intertwined throughout the story, that adds some seriousness to the situation. Basically, this book wasn't as quirky or campy as many of the Jenny Colgan books I've read. I really enjoyed it and loved the characters she created! It still made for a great escape from reality and I would visit Morag and her islands again!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jenny Colgan for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Summer Skies coming out July 11, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Morag MacIntyre is a Scottish pilot from the remote islands that make up the northernmost parts of the UK. She’s a third-generation pilot, the heir apparent to an island plane service she runs with her grandfather. The islands—over 500 dots of windswept land that reach almost to Norway—rely on their one hardworking prop plane to deliver mail, packages, tourists, medicine, and the occasional farm animals. As the keeper of this essential lifeline, Morag is used to landing on golden beaches and tiny grass airstrips, whether during storms or summer nights. Up in the blue skies, Morag feels at peace with the elements.

However, she doesn’t feel that same peace on the ground. Morag wonders if she truly wants to spend the rest of her life in the islands. Her boyfriend Hayden, from flight school, wants her to move to Dubai with him, where they’ll fly A380s and say goodbye to Scotland’s cold, dark winters.

Morag is on the verge of a life altering decision when an unusually bumpy landing during a storm finds her marooned on Inchborn island. Inchborn is very off-grid, home only to an ancient ruined abbey, a bird-watching station, and a population of one: Gregor, a visiting ornithologist from Glasgow who potentially has the right perspective to help Morag navigate her course.

I pretty much have every book by Jenny Colgan. I love her writing. This book felt different than her other cozy romances, but I loved the plot and island setting. It was a fun summer book. I thought it was interesting and different that Morag was a pilot. It’s rare in novels. The forced proximity plot can be fun. I thought there was a little bit of fluff in the beginning that wasn’t necessary to the plot like the first guy. I would’ve liked a little more with Morag and Gregor.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves cozy romances!

This was such a cozy and charming book. The beginning felt a bit slow, but once the plot progressed to the island of Inchborn, I was fully invested. The remote island setting was so atmospheric, and sounded like a beautiful place to be. The descriptions of the gardens and cliff&beach views were truly fantastic.

I really enjoyed Morag as an MC, and appreciated the way her anxiety towards flying was treated. I loved her attitude and the love she had for her family and home. She and Gregor were fun together, and their chemistry, though a slow burn, felt natural. There were times where the meanness/attitude between them seemed a little much, but overall that wasn’t a huge deal.

This was just what I was hoping to read when I picked up this book.

Although I missed Jenny Colgan's regular characters, I enjoyed going back to Scotland with Morag, who flies for a commercial airline but needs a break because of an incident that has left her doubting her skills. She returns home and while flying her grandfather's small plane between remote Scottish islands, finds herself crash landing in a storm. She lands on an island where the only temporary inhabitant is a grumpy ornithologist. The storm knocked out any way of communication to other islands so the two are stranded. Predictably a romance develops. This is an entertaining read although it seemed more superficial than her other books. I did enjoy it and would recommend it to romance readers. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this in return for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan.

Morag is the latest (and first female) in a long legacy of pilots from the MacIntyre family. She has grown up flying the Scottish Isles off the coast of Northern Scotland alongside her grandfather whose family business includes one prop plane and delivers packages and people to and fro between islands. It is her family’s expectation and hope that Morag will take over the business once her grandfather retires; however, she has bigger plans in mind. She is making a name for herself as an up and coming co-pilot at a large airline on the mainland, when a terrifying incident grounds her for several weeks until she can prove to her company she is ready to fly again. It is during this time she meets the perfect man and receives an opportunity to interview for a huge promotion to fly longer routes, including Dubai. Morag can’t believe how her life is coming together to be everything she has dreamed. However, just when she is ready to begin this new season, she receives a call from home that her grandfather’s health has taken a downward turn and she is needed to keep the business afloat just for a few weeks. What happens during these weeks will alter Morag’s course from what she thought she always wanted to what she never knew she needed.

I have always been a Jenny Colgan fan, so receiving this ARC was so exciting for me! I truly loved everything about this story and felt transported to the Scottish Isles through Colgan’s writing. Morag is a fun character who is a little spoiled, but very real. Her struggle between family obligation and “living her own life” is such an accurate description of what it can sometimes feel like to be a daughter and a granddaughter. Hayden and Gregor are perfect catalysts for each other as Morag’s love interests, but my absolute favorite character of this book is Barbara who always seems to know exactly what to say. Overall, I loved The Summer Skies and recommend it for anyone looking for a fun and happy beach read! Perfect summer book!

The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


A new novel from Jenny that keeps her readers happy. She has yet to disappoint me.
Easy read about generations of pilots to take to the skies. When it looks like trouble, you can't stop reading it. You need to find out what happens next and you will be on the edge of your seat.

I received an advanced copy of this book for my honest review from NetGalley

🌫🛩🌩Excellent, unexpected turn for a Colgan work🐔

The story of Morag, a female pilot from a family of Scottish island-hopping aviators, took a few chapters to grab my interest. It was so different from the previous novels that I'd read and adored by Jenny Colgan about small Scottish community life. Yet, after the first few chapters, I was totally captured by her evocative descriptions of the wild island setting, plot and characters.

Morag is recovering from a traumatic near collision in the air that took two lives and looking to transition in her career while worrying about the future of her grandfather's small air service in Northern Scotland when she encounters Gregor, the solitary ornithologist caretaker on Inchborn Island. Gregor and his animal menagerie, especially Barbara the chicken, brought heart and humor to the story, and Morag's crisis of confidence and battle with the elements were gripping stuff. And the sparks that fly between Morag and Gregor as they learn to coexist through a super storm and its aftermath made for a terrific adventure. This novel had loads of emotion, action and wonderful character development.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.