📖My Thoughts📖

As always, I went into this book blindfolded. I didn’t read the synopsis, I requested it based off the cover and the title. I know, I know, that’s not the best method, but, I actually enjoy it. All I really look at is the genre so I can be prepared if need be. With that said, I’ll get right into it. Did I like this book? Absolutely! Why? It had its fun elements as well as the serious ones. I feel like it was pretty evenly balanced. We have the fake (but is it though?) relationship between Olive and Stella (love her name by the way), the unfortunate riff between Olive and her family, the very type A personality of Stella, which actually made me laugh a few times and the realistic nature of the book. It wasn’t always just fun and entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, I love that type of book on occasion just as much as the next girl, but having a variety of elements and not being completely submerged into the “unrealistic romantic fantasy world” was a nice change of pace. It offered some diverse elements that helped keep the balance on point. I enjoyed the fact that there were some real life conflicts presented that the readers were able to see not only how they were approached, but the outcome as well. There were a decent amount of spicy scenes, so if this is something that bothers you, I wouldn’t recommend you grabbing this one. There’s also a few other (potential) triggers including death of a loved one, sexism, isolation from family members, homophobia, anxiety and depression, as well as a few others. I really enjoyed this one, even if there were a couple times it made me want to cry.
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Andre Burke for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow, I loved Fly with Me! What an incredible debut novel by Andie Burke. Olive and Stella's fake dating story was well done, and I kept rooting for them. The spicy scenes were steamy! I'm also an adult Disney fan, so I loved that piece of the story, too! Being a healthcare worker, I appreciated how this book also addressed the terminal illness of a loved one (Alzheimer's) and a sibling with a brain injury. They were both well represented.

Loved loved loved. Andie Burke's writing reminded me of Meryl Wilsner, whom I also adore.

Fly With Me was spicy and sweet at some times and deep and emotional at others.

The banter was amazing, and I really enjoyed Olive and Stella's relationship.

Since this was single POV (Olive's), it was a lot easier to get to know and relate to Olive than Stella. I typically prefer dual POV and feel like I would've liked Stella more if I saw some chapters from her POV, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book at all.

I love this book. I though all the representation in it was perfectly done. I can't wait to read more by Andie!

A solid sapphic rom com. Burke crafted an emotional story that was heartfelt and quippy without reading like it's trying too hard to be those things. I find a lot of romcoms miss the mark and come off corny and childish but this is neither of those things. There are al lot of real, often heavy, problems and heartfelt emotion throughout the book that help it remain rooted in the read world. With that said if you read romance for a little escape this isn't the book for that. Both characters have a lot going on and, as mentioned, some heavy subplots, that make this book a little more emotionally heavy than a typical romcom, but let's be honest, it's hard to do sapphic romance without some heave backstories. Overall well done, curious to see what Burke writes next.

I wanted to like this book so badly, but every time I picked it up, I found myself hitting my head against the wall. I think the writing style just wasn't for me, and that's okay. I really like the concept of this one, and maybe I'll try again in the future, but for now, this book just wasn't for me.

A fabulous debut by my friend, Andie.

Fly With Me was just such an enjoyable read. The main character Olive is a bit of a hot mess but in very endearing & relatable way. It’s a cute & sweet romance with some depth but there’s some hilarious moments to bring light in during the hard parts.

Both Olive and the love interest, Stella, come in with baggage (relatable!) and I appreciated that all of it wasn’t used as a big reveal later on and both were upfront about it.

Fake dating is my favorite trope, but one of my grievances with it is when characters don’t spend anytime with one another outside of the arrangement. This didn’t fall victim to that. Their relationship is built largely on time spent outside of it and they meet and spend time with one another’s inner circle. I loved that their affections were built from time spent rather than just a few events that swept them up.

I adored the relationships outside of the romantic one (Derek 🩷). Other relationships don’t (or at least shouldn’t) come to a screeching halt just because you’re seeing someone. There were some storylines with other relationships that weren’t tied up neatly with a bow, which I know isn’t necessarily everyone cup of tea, but I personally liked it. Romance will not make everything drift away. It happens alongside life.

I’ll also say that Olive has great music taste, I appreciate the Brandi Carlile love.

It’s got all the S’s of romance for me: Sweet, swoony, sexy, and steamy. The steam comes later in the book, but trust that it’s open door.

Read if you like: opposites attract, fake dating, sapphic romance, mental health rep, open door romance, found family, bi MC, lesbian LI

What a great air time romance. New author and new love. It was funny, sweet and the banter was perfect. Must read especially if you like Mike High.

This was a very cute LGBTQ+ romance and I highly recommend it! The characters' chemistry was gravitating and I think this is a party read for someone looking for a lighthearted, read.

Friends to lovers, fake dating, opposites attract, LGBTQ romance. Does it get any better than that? This storyline had such unique elements with a Disney marathon and life saving video gone viral. Very cute, highly recommend.

My very first SAPPHIC story and it did not disappoint

I loved that this book had heavier topics than a typical romcom, it made the story more genuine and believable.
Moments of levity amidst the painful topics, as theres a certain kind of humour that can develop as we deal and overcome trauma.
The way that these two incredible women heal and lift each other up!
It was amazing

One of my favorite romance reads this year! It sucks you in and makes you laugh, cry, want to throw a few things, and believe in that romance that brings the sparks galore. I could have read a dozen more chapters or even a sequel. Fly with Me was perfectly paced allowing our couple's relationship, feelings, and dealing with everything going on in their life in a believably organic way.

It's so rare to find two main characters that charm you from Go. Olive and Stella are the perfect opposite-attract/fauxmance couple and their relationship hit so many notes that reminded me of people I know. The book kept it light and funny as our couple dealt with some heavy issues which were written thoughtfully in a way people who are caregivers and dealing with similar situations will appreciate.

I can't wait to see what Andie Burke writes next after such a great debut novel.

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

I feel like the flight anxiety trope has been done a few times. I wanted to love the characters and their struggles/how they grew, but this book fell flat for me.

This book ended up being such a nice surprise. The main trope featured is fauxmance and I liked how Burke handled going from a fake relationship to a real romance.

Olive, an ER nurse, is on a flight when she is tasked with saving another passenger’s life. The video of her heroics goes viral and she finds herself the center of attention. The pilot of the flight, Stella, wants to use the publicity to try and finally get the promotion she’s been after.

Not only does this deal with a fake relationship but there are several heavy issues that we don’t see a lot in romance. Olive, our main character, suffers from anxiety and is dealing with grief and loss over her brother that’s in a coma. There’s also family drama with both Olive and Stella that takes up quite a bit of time. There also happened to be an ex-girlfriend that liked stirring up trouble for Olive.

Even though there were some heavy moments, I liked how the author used humor to offset them. It wasn’t all doom and gloom and sad. Stella especially was good with calming Olive down and finding humor in things.

While I didn’t really care for Stella in the beginning (just a nurse!), she did eventually grow on me. She sticks her foot in her mouth quite a few times that left me shaking my head.

This wasn’t exactly perfect as it had some small issues. Like, I couldn’t understand how quickly the video went viral and how long it was talked about. Another thing, I thought it got a bit bogged down in the middle with their insecurities and self-doubt. I was also peeved that the relationship between Olive and her family was really resolved in the end. That issue actually felt more realistic but I selfishly wanted to see it fixed.

Despite the few issues, I really enjoyed this debut romance from Andie Burke. I’m excited to see what she comes up with next.

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness I absolutely adored this book. I was already sold on the premise but once Stella and Olive spent the first 25% at Disney, I was hooked. I loved both Stella and Olive and was really rooting for them to make it work as a couple. My one complaint is that I was hoping for more closure with Olive's family and Lindsay, who was truly vile. I'm excited to read more from Andie Burke!

This review is scheduled at the Lesbrary for Nov 11

"They were mirrors in a way. Both of them watching their loved ones suffer. Both unable to help in any meaningful way. Both coping—one with work and the other with a list. Both scared shitless of hurting the other one."

Content Warnings: Terminal illness, chronic illness, misogyny, toxic relationship, grief, traumatic brain injury

ER nurse Olive Murphy's fear of flying doesn't stop her from getting on a plane to honor her brother, but it seems her fear is misplaced. A medical emergency forces Olive to leap out of her seat and into action, only for the flight to get redirected. She would have missed the marathon she was meant to run at Disney if not for Allied Airlines pilot Stella Soriano: a gorgeous, type A woman who captivates Olive with a glance. They share a magical day at Disney together as the video of Olive saving a man's life goes viral (after all, she did TECHNICALLY save Mickey Mouse), prompting an uptick in positive press and sales for the airline. Stella sees it as an opportunity to earn her long-deserved promotion and asks Olive to play the role of her fake girlfriend as they generate more press. Can Olive stand playing a fake role when her heart is already on a one-way flight?

Get ready for a sassy, steamy, sapphic love story bound to soar into your heart. Andie Burke's debut novel has a little of everything; an insta-crush, fake dating (complete with a binder full of rules and research!), sharp and witty banter, plus some real and raw mental health rep. Between their anxieties, family responsibilities, and messy emotions, both Olive and Stella are relatable main characters you can't help but fall in love with. Sparks fly from the moment Olive and Stella meet, and Olive's mega-crush is adorable without making her seem adolescent. We gain a lot of insight into both characters' lives despite the fact that the story sticks with Olive's point of view, which isn't always an easy feat. The prose is descriptive but not overly flowery, but it's the character development that really flies off the page. I absolutely adored Olive's best friend, too (imagine Felix from Orphan Black).

Burke does a wonderful job of normalizing mental health conditions without it being the main focus. Olive's symptoms are as much a part of her as the heart-eyes she wears when Stella is in the room. After her (toxic) ex broke up with Olive because her anxiety disorder and panic attacks were "too much," Olive is afraid her symptoms will eventually scare Stella away. Meanwhile, Stella's responsibilities as her father's caretaker (who has Parkinson's) create the cracks in her type-A facade and show us why she's so committed to earning her promotion. Both characters encounter misogyny as well. While some readers might feel that there's too much going on, Burke carefully stacks these issues atop of one another. That's life; we're all juggling multiple conflicts, both internal and external. Read the quote I selected again. These women are mirror images of one another. Their struggles, while different on the surface, make it all the easier for them to empathize with and support each other. There's also no perfect, easy solution to the problems these women are facing because, again: that's life.

A part of me does wish this story split the POV, allowing us to see Stella's perspective. Keeping the focus on Olive ensured Stella's feelings for her remained hidden, but...come on. We all know where a sapphic romance novel is bound to end: with a sapphic romance. The "fake dating girlfriends with benefits" situation is where the story really gets messy. It's difficult to believe that Stella doesn't have romantic feelings for Olive at that point. The miscommunication trope is still my least favorite, but it lingers much too long in this one, leading to a not-at-all surprising third-act breakup. Even so, this remains the best sapphic romance I've read so far this year.

Recommended to fans of the fake dating trope, serious character development, and a heart-eyed, healing main character.

✨ The Vibes ✨
✈️ Fake Dating
✈️ Bisexual Main Character
✈️ Sapphic Ship
✈️ Panic Attacks/Depression/Mental Health Rep
✈️ Debut Author

Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I didn't realize how emotional this one would be but I am not complaining! I really enjoyed this but felt like Stella was sort of using Olive knowing that Olive really liked her... Could be just me but it did factor into my enjoyment unfortunately. 3.5 rounded up!

Very cutesy LGBTQ romance, definitely has a good amount of steamy scenes though! I wish there was more oomph to the storyline outside of the fake-dating stuff. I really liked the family conflict between Olive and her family and I wish we got more of that, in addition, I didnt feel there was much resolution to that story line aside from the death of her brother. Overall, I enjoyed and thought it was cute.

What happens when a flying-phobic ER nurse and a button-upped pilot fake date after an in-flight medical emergency? Fly with Me is the debut from Andie Burke that I didn't know I needed. I instantly fell in love with each character and the situation in which they met. The serious topics and the banters had me between tears and laughter throughout the novel. This was the sapphic romance I needed, and I can't wait to see what else Andie has to offer.

- Sapphic Romance
- Fake Dating
- Roadtrip to Disney
-Viral Event

I was provided an ARC of this novel, but I have purchased my own copy since. All my thoughts are my own.