This was one of my favorite reads so far this year.

The book is set in the early 1960s. It’s told in two points of view: Beverly and Judy who are both flight attendants for PanAm.

Both women want to become part of the prestigious and competitive job of being a PanAm Stewardess but for very different reasons.

I loved both of these characters. I loved their backstories. I loved the portion of the book while they are working as stewardesses. I also loved the present time line which also tells part of the story.

This book has friendship, romance, and a look at life as an international stewardess in 1962.

I was initially drawn to this book because I love reading/learning about this time period, the golden age of traveling, the allure of plane travels and being a stewardess. I loved the TV show about the PanAm stewardesses starring Margot Robbie, so I knew I would enjoy this novel. And it was lovely to be reeled into the story from the get-go. It's pleasant to read and filled with excitement. A solid piece to indulge in for some escapism.

I enjoyed this book about the Golden Age of travel in the 1960’s. I enjoyed following the story of two Pan Am stewardesses. I thought the early and later parts of the book had the strongest storylines and the middle dragged a bit. Overall, an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars

I’ve read a couple nonfiction books about the Golden Age of air travel and enjoy learning about this period in time and culture, so Come Fly With Me was a book that hooked me pretty easily. Both of the main characters, Judy and Beverly, saw employment as Pan Am stewardesses (as flight attendants were known in the 60s) as a form of liberation from their previous lives. However, with the sexism and double standards rampant in the industry (weight requirements complete with regular weigh-ins, makeup regulations, and a ban on married stewardesses, to name a few), it was a reminder that while it provided a good job opportunity for a lot of women, progress was, and is, always a process.

I thought Judy’s backstory (escaping an abusive marriage) was more compelling than Beverly’s (spurning her old money family and what would have practically been an arranged marriage), and the subplot involving Beverly’s estranged family seemed a little half-baked and contrived, as if the author realized Beverly needed another storyline and decided to throw in some Polynesian relatives she didn’t know about. The ease with which Beverly’s cousins welcomed her and desired a relationship felt a bit far-fetched. I am recalling being dragged to family reunions as a kid and the tacit obligation to get to know distant relatives solely because we were related, so maybe I’m being a little cynical.

Come Fly With Me could probably be classified as a historical romance, although the amount of spice was minimal to nonexistent. But there was a fair amount of slow burn romance that developed, which I think was more satisfying than if the book had been a more stereotypical mattress romp of stewardesses going to bed with all the hot passengers and captains.

The book was clearly well-researched with lots of historical details and Pan Am history included. Even the major drama at the end was based on a real Pan Am crash. So while sometimes the events of the book seemed exaggerated for dramatic effect, there was a lot of factual information included. This book was equal parts fun Jet Age historical fiction and tug at your heartstrings drama.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

I am a sucker for Pan Am themed media and this book really did that era justice. The two congruent stories played well off of each other and made this a lovely read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Come Fly with Me by Camille Di MAio!

I thought this was an enjoyable read. It was well written, and there was good character development. It was clear early on that one of the main characters was going to die but it was not clear how this was going to come about until the very end of the book. Overall, there seemed to be a lot of plot at the beginning and end of the book but the middle felt a bit slow and meandering.

Come Fly with Me is a fun book about Pan American flight attendants in the 1960's.

This story is about two women with very different backgrounds that end up being flight attendants and best friends. They both want to leave their current life for very different reasons and start over with Pan Am. Both women dream of traveling the world and this job is perfect for them. There is a lot of fun romance along the way.

The characters in the book are well developed and fun. The chapters are told from the POV of each of the two main women characters during the 1960s. There are also chapters in the current time that are from a woman that is not named. There is a lot of detail about the lives of the women before and after they decide to change their lives. These details make the pace of the story slow. There is a lot of information in each chapter but not a lot happens in that same chapter. But the book is still good.

Come Fly with Me by Camille Di Maio is a historical fiction novel rich with romance, travel, and the power of friendship. Set in 1962 when people took travel seriously and being a Pan Am stewardess was very glamorous, it rated as high as a TV star and model.

Come Fly with Me is an engrossing novel! It is wonderfully written, fabulously researched, and richly evocative. Do not miss reading Di Maio Author's Notes at the end. She also includes wonderful questions at the end for Book Club should you decide to choose this book for your next book.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Review
✈️ 🛩 🛬 💺 🛫

Come fly with me.

Camilla di maio.

Simply a phenomenal story, one that takes you back in time. One that takes a woman away from an angry husband. Freedom. Friendship.
Love and loss.

A wonderful storyI didn't want to end.

Camille Di Maio
Phenomenal story I loved it.

Flying seemed so glamorous in the sixties and I just loved this story of Bev and Judy! Becoming a Pan American stewardess is quite the career for the women who make it. Back when women still were not very well accepted in the workplace, this was the place that wanted women and accepted women but under very strict rules. Back when women were still very much housewives, this career was for the young, single beautiful women who hadn't yet settled down for marriage and children. It was very insetting to read about the strenuous training they had to go through and that often most only lasted a year and a half. This novel follows Bev and Judy, two women from two very different backgrounds who become best friends and keep each other's darkest secrets. I loved that each had such a different background and reason for obtaining a career as a stewardess. I also really loved all the history that was also woven through this novel during the early sixties. Flying sure has changed since over the last sixty years! This is one of those novels that I didn't want to start because I didn't want it to end. I just knew I was going to love it. Thank you to the author for the complementary novel and to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the tour invite. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

A blast from the past...early sixties when it was glamorous to be a "stewardess" and fashionable to smoke cigarettes, even on a plane! I love learning about this time period just before I was born but oh how things were different then! The author paints a seemingly accurate picture of the settings, lifestyle and roles of women at the time. And the story itself revolves around friendship, family and overcoming tough circumstances. Not the best book I've ever read but I enjoyed it. My thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing a digital copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

4.5 rounded up

I have always found the flight attendant profession interesting. I know it has changed a lot since this time period but I loved following both Judy and Beverly through their training and beyond it. The friendship and connections made just warmed my heart. There was a little mystery with how the story was told and it made it even more emotional in my opinion. I loved these characters and could not put it down.

Thank you @camilledimaio__author @suzyapprovedbooktours the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy.

I really enjoyed this novel. Two women from very different backgrounds apply to be stewardesses on PanAm in the early 1960's, Beverly and Judy. They become close friends while going through the rigorous training, then move in together in a "Stew Zoo" in California. The book showed how much has changed in women's rights and in our culture since this time, I appreciated that much of the book showed women achieving their goals and enjoying adventures in exotic locations. I felt like I had gone along with them..

The book was nicely balanced out with some darker topics. Judy is a victim of spousal abuse, though none is actually depicted in the novel. Judy is shown successfully getting away from the situation and starting a new life. I found this storyline uplifting and positive.

At the beginning of the book, we know that one of the two main characters has died, and the other main character is scattering her ashes on a beach in the South Pacific. The author did a very nice job of not letting the reader know which character is which until very late in the book. This kept me intrigued and guessing, in a good way.

Overall, a great book for a women's book club or vacation reading!

Thank you for a ARC NetGalley, I loved this book and theme. The time frame, the Pan Am experience, and the story that went along with it. Two women who came together from two different worlds to join the Pan Am world. It was great. Beautiful in its description of places, experiences, and of course relationships. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy a time piece.

This was a fantastic read - truly transports you to the 60s and pulls you in to the allure of a life in the skies. The story is one of friendship and strength and is both uplifting and heartbreaking. I couldn’t put this down and loved reading about both the characters and the gorgeous locations these women were able to travel to. Wish I could jump back into this story for more.

1962 and the beginning of the glamorous world of jet setting. Judy and Beverley had widely different reasons for joining Pan Am. Judy to escape an abusive husband and Beverley to avoid being pushed into a marriage by her overwhelming father who expected her to conform to high society norms. Both girls overcame many obstacles - Judy hiding her marital status because married women were not allowed to join. Her husband Henry she knew would not take her desertion well, and she knew he would leave no stone unturned to get her back. Beverley had to prove to herself that she could manage on her own, no easy task for a girl who had endless accounts paid for by Daddy.

We follow their adventures, we see them finding love and we see a tragic end for one and the other growing old gracefully.

The story was an emotional and sensitively told. One was drawn into the glamour of flying (I still think it is so!). At the same time it was a personal story of two very young women who were bold enough to step into this new world.

I loved having the opportunity to read this as an advanced copy of this novel from Net Galley. My mother was a stewardess for United Airlines back in the 60s so I jumped at the chance to read this book. Being transported back to age of when corporations could still tell you what to wear and how to cut your hair, how to wear your make up. All for the picture-perfect woman, it was more like a beauty pageant than being a stewardess. Back when everyone dressed up to take a flight and it was a privilege to travel by air. This story shows the lives of two very different women and their experiences with Pan Am. We have Beverly Caldwell who had a privileged life in New York, seemingly having it all except she wanted something more. Then there is Judy Goodman, also wanting something more leaves her safe normal life in Pennsylvania.
Beverly and Judy were not only flying towards something new but also leaving something behind. The contrast between the career and lifestyle expectations for young women in the early 1960s and today was fascinating. I appreciated the author’s message that it’s never too late to make a change and take a chance.
This is my first novel to read by Camille Di Maio and I really enjoyed it. She has the ability to draw you in and care the characters and create an amazing story. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Frank Sinatra’s beloved song plays an important role in the plot of Come Fly with Me. The locations named in the lyrics are connected to the goals of main characters, Judy and Beverly, as they become stewardesses for the international airline known as Pan Am. The details of training and testing add to the suspenseful individual quests of each young girl to escape from current life. Success at Pan Am will secure Judy’s escape from her husband and Beverly’s yearning to find out who she is on her own, without her wealthy father in control. Di Maio garners readers’ empathy for Judy’s desperation through her backstory told to new friend, Beverly. Likewise, Beverly reveals an interesting, mysterious relationship with her mother’s hairdresser. Each an “only child,” but with opposite father figures leaves plenty for readers to discuss. There is comfort in the girls’ developing romantic relationships, even one with Texas ties, but always the sinking feeling that plot twists are coming, keeping suspense and anticipation, even a worrisome feeling, hard to tamp down.
In Come Fly with Me, The Golden Years of Air Travel, is itself a character. Remember when people treated flying with sophistication and appreciation? Known as the Jet Set Age, readers are whisked between Miami, San Francisco, Honolulu, and even French Polynesia, while served in first class- along with the Beatles? The stories of flight are filled with ample themes for readers to explore-women friendships, career or lifestyle expectations, roles of mothers, and influence of fathers.
Soar the skies in Camille Di Maio’s long awaited Come Fly With Me. Prepare for takeoff during the early years of international air travel with Pan Am and the blue globe logo lovingly known as The Blue Meatball. Keep you seat belt buckled…

"Come Fly with Me" by Camille Di Maio transports readers to 1962, the dawn of the jet-set era, following the lives of Judy Goodman and Beverly Caldwell—two women from vastly different backgrounds who share a common desire to escape their pasts.
Judy, trapped in an oppressive marriage in rural Pennsylvania, and Beverly, suffocated by the expectations of New York’s high society, find their way out by becoming flight attendants for the prestigious Pan American Airlines.

Di Maio masterfully paints a vivid picture of the glamorous yet demanding world of 1960s flight attendants, highlighting the challenges and adventures the protagonists face as they travel to exotic destinations and forge a deep friendship. The novel weaves themes of love, friendship, and self-discovery, keeping readers engaged until the very last page.
A compelling read that celebrates the courage to reinvent oneself and the power of authentic connections, "Come Fly with Me" is perfect for those who enjoy stories of female empowerment set against richly detailed historical backdrops.