Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is maybe one of the weirdest books I've ever read... and that's saying something. I'm never one to shy away from weird, especially if they give me something to think about. Given Kate Folk's short story collection (Out There), it's unsurprising that she's managed it yet again.

To be fully transparent, I was sold on reading this before it even had a title or premise. I was that impressed by Folk's writing in Out There that I knew I wanted to read anything else she put out. However, I imagine anyone would experience some trepidation before cracking open a book that focuses on a woman's sexual attraction to planes.

And yet, here we are... deeming this a 4-star read.

I don't know if I can explain it, but... this was actually really good. Linda is one of the most unique and upsetting characters I've ever read. She spends a lot of her time feeling isolated from the world around her, seeking out connection with others and sort of stumbling her way through social interactions. I was reminded of Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman (which I later learned was an inspiration for Folk while writing this). In that case, the main character personified the convenience store she worked at; Linda does something similar here with planes.

And the whole time, you're sort of wondering, "why?" That answer is never fully, explicitly answered, but you get enough to know that Linda has a lot of deep-seated trauma she is grappling with. Why else would this fixation have developed? At the end of the day, I was less concerned with the fact that she attributed human attributes to planes and more concerned with her desire to someday "marry" one. In her mind, that translates to dying in a plane crash. Preferably aboard the airline of her choosing.

So, yes, this book is written from the perspective of a deeply disturbed individual who desperately wants to control the manner in which she dies.

That being said, there was a humor and light-heartedness to this book that kept me actively engaged the entire time. As sad and confusing as Linda could be, you can't help but root for her in her attempts to engage with other human beings (particularly her friendship with a co-worker named Karina).

One line, especially, struck me:

"This was what I'd wanted for so long, and thought was impossible -- to reveal my true self and be accepted for who I was."

Linda spends almost the entire book shielding herself from others, knowing that there's something inherently wrong with her; that she's not normal; that she won't be embraced. And yet, there are moments when she lets her guard down, believing that she can let others in, only to discover that no, she really can't. Her journey towards both self-acceptance and acceptance from others is a really enjoyable one, even if it is 100% strange and unlike anything else I've ever read.

Sky Daddy is a WILD book that became too cringe towards the 54% mark, which sadly led to me not finishing it. Every time I felt Kate Folk's book couldn't get more bonkers, it went there with something that had me highlighting and saying "OMG listen to this" to some friends. I likely may have finished if the plane turned into a person or was one of those shifter books but alas, not that type of novel.

I love that this book is an homage to Moby-Dick, which happens to be my all time favorite book. But it was a bit of a slog to finish. I've noticed a lot of the "deranged woman" type lit fic books have a similar voice that is very detached and clinical, and it doesn't work for me. I did like the theme of the vision board as a way to play with the idea of fate and creating one's own fate. Toward the end, the tension picked up as I wanted to know what was ultimately going to happen, but otherwise there wasn't a ton of plot and the tone kept the characterization from reaching a depth that would compel me.

I don't think this book can operate under the normal standards of "good" and "bad." I literally finished 90% of this book in a matter of hours because I couldn't put it down, even when I wanted to! It was just so easy to read, and truly engaging.

I questioned who this book is for, and it is giving that this book is bait for any reader picking it up thinking it was just going to be an unhinged read, and then the switch happens where they end up finding out more about themselves in the process of being immersed in this story.

It really did make me think: there could be someone in the world who is sexually attracted to planes! There is someone out there -- many someone's, actually -- whose freak is being matched perfectly, and that is totally their right. And do we boo them? Do we accept them? Live and let live, but poke fun as if they're on display in a zoo?

I would recommend this book for people looking for an engaging character study that is twisted, unconventional, and entertaining.

I tried to give this book a book, but I just can't. I'm all for weird books, I think they are super fun and silly, but this one was just too much for me.

Sky Daddy by Kate Folk piqued my interest with this unusual premise of a woman, Linda, being sexually obsessed with planes. Linda believes her destiny is to "marry" one of her plane suitors by dying in a plane crash, linking their lives for eternity. The concept is unlike anything I've read before. The author did a phenomenal job of making Linda's sexual attraction believable and serious.

This book will never allow me to see planes the same way again (no, I'm not suiting planes now, I'll leave that to Linda.) Beyond the main plot of Linda trying to find her soulmate, there was some depth within her work, family, and friend relationships. I couldn't stop reading this book, with its witty, awkward, and thought-provoking new perspectives. I understand that this book may not be for everyone, but I will be thinking about it for years to come. I appreciate how Linda was authentically herself throughout the book.

Girl, you had me as delusional in wanting this for you. Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Kate Folk for the ARC copy for my honest review. I honestly couldn't pass this up as I live Lit-Fic craziness, I work for an Airline, and I live in Salt Lake City. After finding out Kristen Sieh was the narrator I had to wait and get the Audio first, and I am happy I did as this is so Linda. Linda is a bit obsessed, delulu, and a bit out of touch with the world. This was quite funny and pulled me in.

Sky Daddy starts out as a story about a woman sexually and romantically attracted to airplanes (literally!!) and what seems like it might be a ridiculously unconventional exploration of romantic connection turns into something so much deeper.

Linda is one of the most compelling narrators I’ve read in a while- full of longing, blunt observations, and this aching desire to be seen for who she really is (while navigating trying to avoid being known simultaneously). I related to her at her core so often- her habit of sliding around a window seat aside. Her obsession with planes is strange, yes, but I also thought it was weirdly beautiful?

What really got me, though, was how the story shifts. Without spoiling anything: it becomes about connection, friendship, and carving out your own meaning in a world that doesn’t quite know what to do with you. Semi-remniscent of Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman with some sprinkles of The Pisces by Melissa Broder. I want more books like this!! The blend of navigating alienation, connection seeking, neurodivergency, and atypical romance just HITS. I will think about this book fondly forever.

I don't know how to explain the mixture of sweet and confusing and kind of horrifying that is this book. How do I even define the genre of this outside of "fun" and "unique." It's a one of a kind romance with a dark twist.

Linda is sexually attracted to planes and believes it's her destiny to "marry" one by dying in a plane crash. That it's the spiritual union of her and the plane. Linda never tries to make a crash happen, she just rides planes a lot waiting for her time, for the time that a plane will "choose her."

Along the way we meet the people in her life - the uptight family she rents a windowless garage room from, her coworkers, her dating prospects, even her family. Linda is odd, even without the airplane attraction, and often underestimates how much people genuinely like her. She's so afraid of being judged that she keeps an open mind about pretty much everything anyone else might be into, and tries not to hold people's mistakes against them.

A unique take on love, a beautiful exploration of friendship and forgiveness, and an ending you'll never forget.

Sky Daddy is a bold, offbeat novel that’s both unsettling and addictive. Kate Folk has a distinct voice - wry, observant, and often darkly funny - and she uses it to great effect here, especially in the way the book explores themes like identity, intimacy, and disconnection in the digital age. The protagonist’s inner world is rich and often uncomfortable (oddly relatable in some regards!), and the eerie tone keeps you slightly off balance... in a good way. Sky Daddy is thought-provoking, original, and genuinely hard to put down. A great pick for those who like their fiction to be unsettling and uncomfortable!

So, I had come across this book thanks to a book reviewer who is into weird lit. The premise sounded really interesting and it sounded like a mix of smut with weird lit. WOW! This book really pulled you in and it kept pulling you in at a quick pace. I loved it and I can't wait to read more from Kate Folk!

we love a woman who just lets her freak flag fly (no pun intended)

Linda, a content moderator for a video-sharing platform, lives a seemly dull life in her windowless Bay Area apartment. But Linda has a secret she holds close: She really, really loves planes. She believes it's in her destiny to "marry" a plane, which actually means meeting her “soulmate” plane and dying in a plane crash. Linda must decide whether to give up her dream and “be normal” — or chase it and live out her ultimate love story.

Boldly satirical and a little bit heartwarming, SKY DADDY is recommended for anyone who loves absurd and unhinged female main characters.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House for an advanced reader copy of #SkyDaddy.

3.75 Stars
I’m not really sure how to summarize my feelings about this book. It sure was a wild ride and I didn’t quite expect some of the directions this book took. I think it had some really interesting commentary on friendship and feeling accepted but I kind of expected some of the topics covered to go a bit further than they did. The writing in this book keeps you so captivated even with the insane premise and the author does a great job of bringing these characters to life, especially Linda. This was definitely a weird book but it also does a good job of highlighting some normal aspects of living.

Sky Daddy by Kate Folk was such a fun read.
A funny and adorable debut that melt me turning the pages.
The quirky characters kept me engaged and the writing was just great.

Thank you Random House for my free ARC of Sky Daddy by Kate Folk — available now!

» SYNOPSIS «
Linda loves planes. Like, REALLY loves planes. But she can't tell people about this, because they'd think it was weird. Unless it's on a vision board? No, still too much. But, the vision board thing seems to make the universe take note of her deepest desires, so maybe all Linda's dreams really CAN come true...

» REVIEW «
A thousand times, yes. This is my favorite kind of contemporary fiction. Unique, well-written heroine, found family pot points, completely unhinged premise. Linda wants to die in a plane crash? Because she's sexually attracted to literal airplanes? And thinks a fiery plummet to the death is a sign of undying affection? Great. Love it. Will she succeed? Well, that hardly becomes the point. Or does it? Just read it, you'll dig it as much as I did.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While this wasn’t a full 5 star for me, I really loved it a lot. I appreciate the heck out of a wacky book and bonus points for this being written so well.

Linda is truly a unique character and she was absolutely hilarious. Think of the monotone comedians who deliver killer jokes. Some of her inner monologue literally had me chucking out loud. But this is not in your face HA HA funny, you know? Very subtle and perfectly incorporated, for my sense of humor at least.

I adored Linda and Karina’s friendship and think this ended in the only way it really could have. Which is to say, I loved the ending, but others may not.

Great first full length novel from Kate Folk!!

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is hilarious, as I absolutely expected (I mean, even mundane things like when Linda forgot laundry in a washing machine had me cackling), but it’s also surprisingly authentic and moving (I even burst into tears once). I had a moment early on when I realized I felt so sad for a woman who longs to be with an AIRPLANE and can’t. A woman whose first love is a plane she calls by its registration number, N92823, which is out of commission and has been relegated to an airplane graveyard. I was rooting for lonely woman whose greatest dream is to be N92823’s runway bride, and I never thought I’d be so invested in such a thing, but Kate Folk made it happen.

Rather than grow increasingly unhinged over time, Linda bares all from the very beginning when she creates a vision board in hopes that the universe will guide her to the plane that will choose her as it’s soulmate. She reminds me a bit of Emily Austin’s characters, except she’s in her 30s and not a lesbian. She’s not at all attracted to people though, so she’s not exactly straight either. She’s a very unique person who just has a way of thinking that feels both strange and relatable. Something I personally related to was that though she struggled to make connections with and didn’t always see the humanity in people, she anthropomorphized more than just airplanes, at one point feeling bad about putting a lamp in closet because she wouldn’t be allowing it to shine as it was meant to. Her love of planes is similar in that she doesn’t just look at a plane and want to be with it. The planes have personalities. They respond to her in their own plane-like ways, just like the lamp has lamp behaviors. I thought that was extremely interesting as it gave a much deeper meaning to her attraction.

While it was easy to pick up this book thinking it would just be a fun, silly time, and I would have been happy if that’s all it was, I’m glad it was so much more. It provoked a lot of thought, especially about trauma and how far we go to chase nostalgia and better times. It forever changed how I feel about those people on documentaries who are in love with rollercoasters or their car or something. It made me wonder: does a book need a spice rating if the main character is turned on by airplanes? And it gave me a major hangover.

It also rearranged my brain a little bit. A few days after I read it, one of my friends said something about dating a bag of food, as in putting the date on it, and I thought he meant taking it on a date. Yep.

***I am currently working on a photo for Instagram, Threads, and my blog, and will update with links to those posts ASAP***

Incredibly funny and heartbreaking all at once. I loved the characters, and I could not put this book down. And that ending???? Amazing

A strange, yet not strange, book about a woman in love with an airplane. The book is about a woman who is a bit of a mess, trying to get through her life as an online content moderator while living in an illegal apartment in San Francisco. She spends the little money that she saves every month to fly on airplanes. An odd but compelling read.

I was nervous to start this book because I had such high hopes. I am happy to report: I absolutely loved it.

Sky Daddy had me laughing from the first page (not even the first chapter, the quotes before it!) Folk’s writing is so refreshing. Her sentence-level writing is so crisp. Everything feels intentional, which makes the story fly by (pun intended). I am weary of modern references, but Folk approaches them thoughtfully.

I loved spending time in Linda’s funky little head. I could feel the love and understanding the author has for her peculiar female lead, and I felt like I came to understand her, too. The ending even had me a little misty eyed.

Sky Daddy is for fans of carefully crafted writing and sardonic humor and for those who don’t mind rooting for some freaks.

This is “weird girl fiction” done so right. I will never enter an airport the same.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eArc, and thank you Kate Folk for this masterpiece!