Come Fly With Me by Helen Rolfe - Book Review

Series: The Skylarks #1

Publication Date: 22nd May 2024

Genre: Contemporary Fiction  

4 Stars 

One Liner: A heartwarming story of second chances 

Maya is a pilot with the Whistlestop River Air Ambulance team. It was her childhood dream of becoming a pilot and working for an important cause. She finds satisfaction at her job even if her personal life is messy, no thanks to a controlling ex, a disapproving father, or a son stuck between two parents. 

Noah had a great life in London until his world crashed with his sister’s death. He became the guardian of his niece, baby Eva, and has no idea how to be a parent. The shift to Dorset is his attempt to bring up a child while doing what he loves – being an emergency specialist paramedic.

Maya and Noah are on the same team. They seem to like each other a lot. But can they hope for a second chance at happiness with so much baggage weighing them down? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Maya and Noah. 

My Thoughts: 

I’ve been waiting to read the author’s book for a long time. Starting a new series seemed like a great idea. 

While the cover is adorable and lighthearted, the book is a little heavy with many tough themes like a controlling ex, the loss of a sibling, new parental responsibilities, etc. Of course, some sweet and humorous moments provide some relief. 

This is what we’d call women’s fiction with romance as a side plot. The focus is more on the characters and how they overcome the various issues in their lives. They are also flawed, which makes it easy to understand their fears, vulnerabilities, and decisions. 

Most of the side characters are good; some are more memorable than others. Some of them will go on to have books of their own, so what we get here is enough for now. There are a couple of nasty ones as well.

The narration starts slowly but picks up pace after the first quarter. We need this time to settle into the story. The dual POV also helps see the situations on both sides. The connection between the characters is gradual, even if the attraction is a bit instant. This works well for the plot. 

I loved the scenes detailing the air ambulance and how the teams operate. It was fascinating to read about it. The hardships and troubles are also shown, like negotiating bad weather conditions, fake emergency calls, lack of landing space, etc. 

The storyline is predictable but it goes with the genre, so no complaints. Eva is a cutesy little doll (who can be super cranky too). Though she is just a baby, we cannot imagine the book without her. Can’t wait to see her grow up as the series progresses. 

To summarize, Come Fly With Me is a lovely book about second chances, resilience, healing, moving on, and finding the strength to do the right thing. I’ll be reading more by the author for sure. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. 

#NetGalley #ComeFlyWithMe