⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (for sheer audacity) / ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (for my mental well-being)

So, I requested this book because my husband is an airline pilot, and I thought it would be hilarious. He’s out here flying actual planes, and I’m at home reading about a woman who wants to marry one. I will never look at an airplane the same way again.

Let’s set the scene: Linda is living the millennial dream (read: paying half her paycheck for a garage to live in) while moonlighting as the world’s most committed aviation enthusiast. But she’s not just admiring planes. No, no. She’s dating them. Emotionally. Romantically. Biblically. She has a thing for cockpit instrumentation that I simply do not have the emotional bandwidth to unpack.

Things this book made me question:
1. The structural integrity of Linda’s life choices
2. The FAA’s stance on human-plane relationships
3. My own ability to read this book with a straight face

And yet, somehow… I was riveted. It’s deeply weird but also kind of profound? Linda’s loneliness is palpable, her desire to be understood is strangely relatable, and the whole thing is just so earnestthat you almost forget she’s trying to literally wed an Airbus.

Final verdict: If you’ve ever looked at a Boeing 747 and thought, “You know what? I’d swipe right,” this one’s for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC!

This one might've been a little too much/far fetched for me. I think it was a little glorifying of a very real and sometimes debilitating condition people have in real life. I couldn't tell if it was trying to be informative or make fun of it and it didn't sit right with me.

I had a great time reading this. The narrator is a bit kooky, and the story had some surprisingly meaningful insights in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Leave any judgment at the door and fasten your seat belt for a wild ride!

Sky Daddy follows the main character, Linda, through her every day life. Which, for the most part, could be described as very average, boring almost. Linda lives in windowless garage she rents on the outskirts of San Francisco and works for a video-sharing platform moderation comments. There’s just one little thing that sets Linda apart from most people… Linda is sexually obsessed with planes.

If you love fiction that’s a little bizarre and unhinged, you should definitely add Sky Daddy to your TBR.

i'm so glad i no longer work at an airport (also, this book is coming out at the second worst time in 25 years for something plane related to be released lol)

this was so strange and yet at the same time, exactly what i needed it to be. it had me cackling and highlighting whole lines of text just because of how darkly funny it was.

so, our MC is named Linda, she works in content moderation for a modest wage, lives in a whole of an apartment, and she has a deep sexual obsession with planes. so much so that she believes her fate is to die in a fiery plane crash as that would signify a reciprocal love from this lifeless being.

that's all you really need to know before jumping into this book but it is so much bigger than that. this is a story about craving acceptance and platonic relationships and the lengths we'll go to feel fulfilled. it is such a compelling character study.

the ending was predictable but so surprising also. i love that i'm free to interpret it in different ways. i feel like i need to discuss it with someone to fully grasp what i just read.

just brilliant. i will definitely be reading this author's short story collection.

Weird girl lit-fic of the year! This follow Linda, a woman who is sexually attracted to airplanes. While obviously a silly concept (and parts of this are indeed very silly) it’s far from one note. It’s funny, moving, incredibly strange and full of insight. Anyone who has tried to conform while being so keenly aware of your differences will resonate with Linda’s character. I absolutely loved the female friendship central to the story and how their relationship progressed. Read this!

This book was kind of weird. I thought with a title like 'Sky Daddy' this might be a passenger or flight attendant crushing on a pilot or another flight attendant. It isn't I started and stopped a couple of times because I was a bit confused. I didn't think I was reading it correctly. Could this woman really have a crush on a plane? Like the metal shell that takes us to the skies? She does.

The writing is fabulous. After I got over my confusion...the story kind of flowed and it was a fun read. I had to find out what happened in Linda's life that made her want to havve a sexual relationship with a plane. That question wasn't answered, but it was good anyway. The author knows her planes and gives great backgrounds about them. As a million mile flyer...I know my planes too!

To sum it up...it was weird but fascinating.

“But no man could do for me what a plane could. What man could propel himself to a speed of 150 knots before lifting us to an altitude of 37,000 feet? What man could carry me across continents and seas, all while keeping me warm and oxygenated inside his aluminum torso? No man I’d ever chanced to meet!”

Sky Daddy follows a woman named Linda whose life goal is to get married to a plane — a phenomenon that others vulgarly refer to as a plane crash.

If the synopsis of Kate Folk’s debut novel intrigues you, you’re in for a treat. The concept is explored with a great amount of depth, and the scenes of Linda’s plane rides get… quite spicy? Additionally, there’s a surprisingly wholesome and tender friendship at the heart of this story that I fell in love with.

This is perfect for anyone who loves weird fiction. My biggest critique as a reader was that it felt a little too long and the scenes got repetitive. I think if this was 100 pages shorter or so it would’ve been an all time favorite for me, but it’s still a novel I highly recommend!

If you read the synopsis and thought to yourself, “wow, this sounds like a book I’d really love!” — pick it up and buckle your seatbelt, you are in for the ride of your life with this one.

Thank you to Random House, Netgalley, & the author for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads 3/24/25.

Review to be posted on Instagram on release week, and in my March monthly reading wrap up.

I am still constantly thinking about Kate Folk's short story collection Out There, so I knew her debut novel was a must read for me.
Sky Daddy is so bizarre and more than a little disturbing at times but it's also funny and endearing. Linda is sexually attracted to planes and believes that one will choose to marry her - by killing her in a plane crash. While trying to advance her relationship with a plane, she's also navigating the awkward world of friendships and human connections. Her friendship with Karina really felt like the heart of the book to me. And I just really loved Linda, crazy obsession and all.

Like Out There, Sky Daddy has stuck with me and I'm still thinking about the last line. It won't be for everyone, but if it sounds like this weird story could be for you, give it a try!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a ride from beginning to end. It's definitely a story that will stick with you and also make you look at airplanes differently. Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc,

I may be in the minority here, but I did not really understand this book. I thought this book was very strange and weird. Yes, I can see some people liking books that are strange/weird, but unfortunately. this book was not my cup of tea...

Well. This was weird, unsettling, and slightly unhinged.

Imagine modern dating, but make it existential horror, throw in some surrealist satire, and then add a bizarrely compelling but deeply unsettling relationship with a plane and you’ve got Sky Daddy. It’s like swiping right on someone who definitely has red flags, but you just have to see how it plays out.

The vibes? Uncomfortable, but in a good way. The writing? Sharp as hell. The plot? A fever dream, and I’m still processing.

TL;DR: If you love satirical dystopia, tech paranoia, and books that make you question your entire existence, give this one a shot. Just don’t expect a smooth landing.

I loved this book. The characters were well fleshed out, the plot never dragged. Linda was a well-balanced main character, an outcast, but not an archetype of one. I'll be thinking about this book every time I fly.

What a bizarre, hilarious and surprising sweet read this was.

In this book we’re following, Linda. A 30yo woman who is sexually attracted to planes and believes it is her destiny to “marry” the plane she met as a teenager - marry meaning eternally connecting to the plane via a crash.

Despite Linda seeming like someone you’d meet on a My Strange Addiction episode, she is a character with a strong sense of relatability and one that I couldn’t help but find endearing. Socially awkward yet charming, particularly in moments when she embraces her own weirdness.

On the surface this book is an odd one , considering Linda’s primary interest/attraction, however beneath that this book is tender in its exploration of friendship, acceptance and desire/fate.

Highly recommend for the weird lit-fic girlies!

This book was strange and heartfelt and unhinged and just plain (plane??) fun. As Linda tells us about her romantic and sexual attraction to planes and her aching desire to marry her soulmate plane (i.e., die in a plane crash), she's so earnest that you kind of start to hope it happens for her. The author writes these perspectives with a lot of empathy and you really get to understand Linda and the internal world she's living in. When Linda isn't in the sterile environment of the planes, she struggles with her need for friendship and human connection, especially regarding her relationship with her best friend Karina. As readers witness them navigate the ups and downs of love, friendship, and air travel, we have to ask - does fate hurry towards us or do we hurry towards our fates?

I was a little intimidated by the plot and description of this book but I’m glad I stuck around because this one was interesting! Linda’s obsession is not one I can relate to obviously but I can understand the deeper meaning and why. She is such an awkward girl and I really appreciate that because it’s so real. The writing was so easygoing and witty which made me appreciate a change in pace compared to other books. I’ve never been introduced to this author before but now I am curious about her other works.

4.5 stars, rounding up.

I loved Kate Folk's short story collection, "Out There", so I knew I wanted to read what sounded like a weird plane book. However, I didn't actually find this that weird -- and not in a bad way. I really enjoyed Linda's character. More than anything this felt like a story of someone seeking acceptance, even if they didn't realize it at first, and friendship. This is not a plot heavy story, there isn't a ton happening, but I was fully invested in where Linda's journey would take her!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-arc!

Kate Folk's short story collection Out There was such an unexpected delight for me, that I was so excited to see what she would come up with for a novel length idea. I hoped she would continue her knack for weird and out there (no pun intended) plots and Sky Daddy delivered. The concept is going to be a stretch for readers but stick with me- Linda spends her life working in content moderation for a company in the Bay Area. She's very good at it, but really is working through primarily to feed her monthly habit of flying from SFO to a regional hub and back. It is something she looks forward to every month. Linda is single and is really only interested in one thing-- planes. Yes, she is sexually attracted to planes. She anthropomorphizes planes (men) and feels a connection when she boards. She has her favorite models and has a strong connection to particular frequent wing numbers. She envisions she will meet her soulmate plane and they will become one by crashing together. Weird? Yes. But Folks just leans into the idea and I'm here for it. Linda tries to be transparent with friends about her desires, but also knows she will be stigmatized for it. Things of course start to unravel for Linda and her human relationships. It's a one of a kind read. I do wonder how this would be as a short story of novella because it was so hyper focused on Linda's desire, I felt like she was a bit one note of a character and wish she would have been fleshed out a bit more. But Folk is a must read author for me moving forward. Well done!

Thanks to Random House via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

What a book lol. I read this so quickly. It was funny and strange but also heartfelt and sincere. I loved Linda so much. You know how I always say I love Eileen and her weird gross quirks? That’s how I feel about Linda. You’re such an odd human but I can’t help but to route for you and love you. Linda is obsessed with planes…like is sexually attracted to planes. Sounds weird, but what makes me love this as opposed to sentient smut (no shame or shade!) is that this focuses more on why she has this obsession, where it came from, and how it has manifested into this irrational thinking. This book approached sadness and loneliness in such a unique way. As Linda gets closer to falling in love with a plane, she ends up making human connections along the way. By the end, you have to wonder if that’s all she really wanted. I also LOVED the side characters and those humans that Linda connected with along the way. I just really appreciated this book and can’t wait to hype it up more closer to pub day.

I'm still not sure what I just read. This book was just something else. I know I read the description when asking for it from NetGalley and there must've been something that spoke to me. Honestly, I'm glad it did. I normally don't read unhinged romances but this was a nice little treat. It was just the right kind of "wtf is going on" to keep you invested. I currently live in the Bay Area so a lot of the references made were fun for me. I also love to fly but not like Linda. Wow. Kate Folk really connected with the character somehow. I felt as though Linda was one of the most flushed out characters I've read in a long time. She felt like a friend. There was subtle touching on mental health which I was hoping would be a little part of the story. Linda is aware she's not quite right but doesn't mind but also internally battles with that.
This is a weird book to recommend to friends but I already have! Like I mentioned, it's just the right amount of "wtf" that keeps you reading. It ended the only way it could.

*Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an early copy in exchange for an honest review