Title: The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West
Author: Sara Ackerman
Genre: historical fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: February 6, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Adventurous • Informative • Inspiring

📖 S Y N O P S I S

1927. Olivia "Livy" West is a fearless young pilot with a love of adventure. She yearns to cross oceans and travel the skies. When she learns of the Dole Air Race—a high-stakes contest to be the first to make the 2,400 mile Pacific crossing from the West Coast to Hawai'i—she sets her sights on qualifying. But it soon becomes clear that only men will make the cut. In a last-ditch effort to take part, Livy manages to be picked as a navigator for one of the pilots, before setting out on a harrowing journey that some will not survive.

1987. Wren Summers is down to her last dime when she learns she has inherited a remote piece of land on the Big Island with nothing on it but a dilapidated barn and an overgrown mac nut grove. She plans on selling it and using the money to live on, but she is drawn in by the mysterious objects kept in the barn by her late great-uncle—clues to a tragic piece of aviation history lost to time. Determined to find out what really happened all those years ago, Wren enlists the help of residents at a nearby retirement home to uncover Olivia’s story piece by piece. What she discovers is more earth-shattering, and closer to home, than she could have ever imagined.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I was initially intrigued by the cover of The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West but the synopsis is what actually hooked me. I wasn't aware of Sara Ackerman as an author before discovering this one and as her details in her author's note at the end, this is her first book set outside of the WWII historical fiction subgenre.

Told through dual timelines, this story touches on the general history of women in aviation, while specifically focusing in on the Dole Air Race - a race across the Pacific from California to Hawai'i - a topic I'd never heard of before. It contains a lot of history, a slight mystery, and a touch of romance that all combine in an enjoyable manner.

I greatly appreciated the Hawai'i / California setting. The author has a way of bringing the Hawaiian landscape to life - at times I felt myself right there with the characters. Olivia and Wren, the two main characters, share similar characteristics and backgrounds, each having their own fierceness and determination.

While the two timelines are certainly necessary to move the story along and connect everything, it takes awhile for them to converge in a way that makes sense. In fact, the more recent timeline wasn't as engaging (until the end) as the flight timeline, simply because it didn't have the same amount of action and suspense. For this, the narrative felt a tad disjointed, even though I knew the timelines would connect in some way.

The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West was a refreshing and different historical fiction read. The characters themselves may have been fictional, yet I feel as though I learned a lot from this story, which is one of the reasons I enjoy picking up historical fiction. While this was my first read from this author, it won't be my last. In fact, I'm looking forward to reading her first contemporary romance The Maui Effect which released earlier this week.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• novels inspired by true events
• learning about little known historical events
• strong female characters

⚠️ CW: death, grief, infidelity, misogyny, sexism, panic attacks/disorders, dementia, alcohol, injury/injury detail, plane crash

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Old people were like icebergs, she realized. All you saw was the tip, but beneath the surface there was this long and full life lived."

"Some things stay with you forever, in a place deeper than memory."

I love how this book unlike the authors other books takes place before/after WW2 unlike her other titles. I also enjoy how she researches and writes about these different periods of times. Livy’s story definitely had some struggles when it came to breaking into a field dominant by men but her determination was admirable and helped “break” ground in the story. I also love how Wrens story unfolded and the connection that was built between Wren and Livy. I also love how the focus was on the 2 women and not on their relationship with a man but on growing.

Loved this. I really enjoyed everything about this. I loved the story completely. It will stay with me for a long time. I appreciate that the author has very strong voice - one I really enjoy.

I do not think I was the targeted audience for this book as I could not get into it at all.

The writing was fine but the story didn't hold my attention.

This was my first read from Sara Ackerman and I look forward to more from her in the future. The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West is heart warming and quirky at times but a story that leaves you rooting for the main character.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

While I expected to enjoy this book, I did not expect to become so invested in the outcome of the air race and the outcome of all of the participants. I found myself thinking about them at odd times throughout the day (and night) when I wasn’t actively reading.

The story is told in alternating timelines, with the past in Olivia’s point of view, and the present in Wren’s. I really liked both characters.

Olivia is such a strong female presence. She became a pilot when it was unheard of for women, fought to enter a daring race that most men couldn’t handle, and proved that she had what it takes. She cares about the people around her, loves her family, and can hold a grudge if hurt. I loved her strength, and her interactions with other key characters, such as Millie and Heath.

Heath seems a bit mysterious, though incredibly supportive of Olivia. He is her champion from the beginning, though he hurt her badly in the past. I was really rooting for him the entire way.

Felix was a bit harder for me. I think ultimately he was a good guy, but he took advantage of Olivia in a lot of ways and I think she was way too forgiving of him.

Millie was a good friend to Olivia, but I feel like she presented the opposite image. While she was daring and adventurous, she leaned more into her female wiles to get her way in things. And participating in the race as a passenger seemed a little attention hungry to me.

Wren is also a strong woman who is determined to make it on her own. While she isn’t as daring as Olivia was, she still takes chances in moving to the out of the way land he inherited. She doesn’t shy away from hard work, is curious and intrigued about the past, and doesn’t let anyone treat her badly.

Finally there is Pono. I really liked him, He seems gruff but is a softy underneath. He has his own demons to work out, but is supportive of Wren and helps her tackle the hard stuff.

The characters all really worked their way into my heart, and I was stressed for the resolutions on some of the plot lines. But the ending was perfect in my opinion, I loved the way things came together.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley as part of the HTP Book Tours in exchange for an excerpt post during the tour event. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book. Alas, I think the moment passed before I got a chance to read it. I was DYING to read it when I requested it, but then it took quite awhile to get approved. By the time I was able to review it, I wasn't in the right mood for this type of book anymore.
I read the first few chapters and it didn't grab me. Nothing wrong with the writing or the story, just not the right book at the right time. Hopefully, I'll be able to come back to it in the future when it will hit right.

This was my fourth book by Sara Ackerman.

It wasn’t my favorite by Ackerman. It I still really enjoyed the book.

I liked the dual timeline used in The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West. I enjoyed Wren’s character and watching her unravel the truth about Olivia’s life. I was invested in figuring out the truth about Olivia and her flights.

This was just so well written and I look forward to more books by Sara Ackerman.

What I loved about this book:
1. Love a historical fiction book with strong female characters.
2. Learned something new - wasn't aware of the Dole Express Race.
3. Loved the descriptions of Hawaii - beautifully done!

What I wished was different:
1. Had some slow parts that might need editing.
2. Not really a fan of dual timelines but this one did work by the end of the book!


I received a copy of The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West by Sara Ackerman from HarperCollins and Edelweiss Plus in exchange for an honest review.

Historical fiction at its finest! This book was a merge of fact and fiction with a real-life deadly transatlantic race and an imaginary female navigator. Heroine Olivia West’s story was so believable, I was shocked to discover that she wasn’t based on an actual person. That was disappointing because I was invested in her and wanted to learn more about her background. She kept pursing her dreams at all costs and that was admirable. It was bold of the author to write about a totally fictional character based on a true event. The plot was fast-paced and the characters engaging, which kept me turning the pages. Another winning book by this talented author. I can’t wait to read more of her works!

A huge mahalo to Harlequin Trade Publishing and author Sara Ackerman for an advanced reader copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for this honest review.

The Uncharted Life of Olivia West
Sara Ackerman

1927 Dole Air Race ~ Dual timeline ~ Historical fiction ~ Strong women ~ California ~ Hawaiian Islands ~ Inheritance ~ Dogs ~ Love ~ Pilots ~ Adventure ~ Romance ~ Death ~ Well-written characters ~ Beautiful settings ~ Macadamia nuts ~ Inspired by real events ~ Highly Recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC; all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I was really looking forward to this book but unfortunately I couldn’t really get into it like I wanted to. I found the dual storylines awkward at times and think the Wren storyline was not really needed at all. Just having Olivia’s would have been enough in my opinion. Sorry but I can’t recommend this one as much as I wished I could.. it is worth the read if you’re interested in this bit of aviation history.

This story was engaging as you followed the path of both Olivia West and Wren. Olivia was on a race team for the Dole Derby race to Hawaii. That part of the story was set in the 1920s. Wren is a modern woman who has inherited the estate of her great aunt. Wren's story is set in the 1980s. Wren is an artist who makes lighting fixtures. As she says, they are fantastic, but they don't provide a steady income. She supplements by waitressing and other odd jobs. On the Big Island of Hawaii, she finds part-time work at an assisted living facility and she grows to enjoy the residents.
Thanks to Sara Ackerman for a fun story which is based on a true event.

With dual timelines and perspectives, THE UNCHARTED FLIGHT OF OLIVIA WEST tells the story of two women separated by generations, but with an unlikely connection. The past timeline is set in 1927 and features navigator and pilot Olivia West. She participates in the Dole Air Race (Olivia's character is fictional but the race took place in real-life) from California to Hawaii. I loved Olivia and enjoyed this past timeline so much more. This book probably would have been four or five stars had it been strictly historical fiction. But, I did enjoy how past and present eventually collide and the stories wrap up.

The Dole Air Race is something I knew nothing about so it was interesting to learn about and I would like to read more about it. So I appreciate the author bringing the event to my attention!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Wonderful historical fiction read about second chances, pushing boundaries, passionate women, finding your family roots, romance and stunning Hawaiiani landscapes.

This book was inspired by a plane race from the west coast to Hawaii across 2,400-miles of the Pacific Ocean in 1927. The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West is a dual timeline story about two women - Livy West, an aviator in the 1920s on the West coast and Wren Summers who inherits land on the big island of Hawaii in the 1980s.. There is a big contrast in the lives of these two women. Livy is very passionate about flying and that is all she wants to do. Women flying planes in the 1920s was not widely accepted by the public. In contrast, Wren seems lost and is just trying to find herself.

The two stories come together as you read the book. For me the ending was really special. I also enjoyed reading about Wren as she uncovered the family she did not know. You need to read this one.

I loved how the characters were connected in this story. This is full of found family. women rising above, and discovering our true power. I highly recommend to any historical fiction fans!

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

This was an amazing book that kept me on edge, weaving stories through time that brings two timelines together. A great read and it should be a movie.

I don't know if this book hit me really hard because I was arguing with my grandma or because I was on my period, but this had me so emotional. I love historical fiction, especially ones that rewrite history focusing on female innovators. While Olivia West wasn't real, learning her story, her determination, her love, her passion. All of it made me swell with intense joy and tears.

I highly recommend picking this up if you need a book that is simultaneously uplifting and heartbreaking. You will also learn quite a bit about aviation and the Hawaiian language which was really fun.

I have read and loved every book Ms. Ackerman has published. She is without question an auto-buy author for me. Unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me and I did DNF it about 40% of the way through the book . As with all her novels, Hawaii is the focal point, but this time we've left WWII. Learning about the Dole race was interesting, but my lack of interest in planes and the slow pace of the novel was more than I could handle. If you enjoy planes and aviation history, or are just looking for a light novel with a bit of history, as I hesitate the call this a true historical fiction, I would highly recommend.

This was a good story, and about something I had no knowledge on. I flew through the audio book but just didn’t get attached to Wrens story. I loved Olivia’s though, and loved learning about the early days of flying.