A charming book - set against the backdrop of the little known role of female pilots at the start of the US involvement in WW2. Would encourage those who enjoy learning more of the untold history of women to check it out.

I’ll start this out by freely admitting that I seem to be in the minority opinion on this one. I read a lot of rave reviews and went in with super high hopes, ready for a WWII story with a lot of substance and a strong, interesting female protagonist. What I got felt more… fluffy romance set against a dark backdrop.

The book definitely plays lip service to the idea of a strong female lead, but it doesn’t really feel like it goes beyond that. Audrey is not like other girls because she likes to fly planes and doesn’t want to get married and have babies. The only reason she doesn’t want to get married and have babies, by the way, seems to be because it’d be nearly impossible to find a husband who would “allow” her to keep flying. I think this really gets at the heart of my issue with Audrey: that her love of flight really felt like her singular defining character trait. She never starting feeling like a person to me. I love that she had an unconventional passion for a woman of the time, but that’s not enough on its own to make her an interesting character.

Another reviewer on Goodreads also pointed out some anachronisms in the novel. This truly isn’t something that bothers me as a reader (barring something ridiculous like if Audrey were to suddenly pull out a flip phone) but for readers who are super into the accuracy of their history, it’s bound to ruffle some feathers.

The romance, while it took up a bigger part of the story than I would have liked, was fine. I liked that Audrey found someone who shared her passion and there seemed to be a huge amount of respect between the two of them, especially considering the normal power dynamics of a relationship in the time period. This felt healthy and sweet, if a bit predictable (although what romance isn’t?) My only real qualm with the romance aspect of the book was that I’m not a huge fan of the basic concept of the story, which was: “girl who adamantly never wants to get married discovers she just hasn’t met the right man yet!” I think The Flight Girls will appeal to romance fans far more than historical fiction fans, which seems odd given the premise and marketing of the book.

The Flight Girls is a story with a lot of potential that, while it missed the mark for me personally, seems to be a huge hit with a lot of readers. Pick this up if you’re in the mood a light read, but don’t expect hard-hitting historical fiction that makes you think. This is Noelle Salazar’s debut novel, and I do think she has tons of potential. I’m excited to see what she writes next!

This book addresses several problems/concerns of Juana: new stepdad, moving, leaving friends, and weddings. It emphasizes family with the fun and support that comes from them.

Juana is a young girl and Lucas her beloved dog. The story is written from Juana’s POV. This allows her to state in a short sentence(s). The writing is fluent even though the writing style changes from lists to narrative and back. Some words in the book are in Spanish. It allows children to recognize and pronounce the words in an English written story. I used my tablet to look up the translations of words I was not familiar with. What a great way to be introduced to the Spanish language within a story.

The illustrations are fun, bright and comical. They are attractive and contain a variety of items to be identified by the child.

This is a good book containing lessons about the importance of family over the inconveniences they cause. I recommend it for general reading, as well as when a stepparent or new dating partner is introduced.


I received an ARC from Candlewick Press through Goodreads in an exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

I had already read about the women flyers at this time, so I had a background on what women were allowed to do and what they had to fight for. This made the story very entertaining. I really liked the way the characters were drawn and how the troubles were written for them. I found it realistically portrayed.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

As a high school social studies teacher I love learning about the parts of history that isn't always known and The Flight Girls was so good! I absolutely loved learning about the Women's Airforce Service Pilots during World War II. I can't wait to share some of this new information with my students when we talk about this time period.

The story that Noelle Salazar created was heartfelt, informational and beautiful. I can't wait to read more from this author!

An excellent choice for historical fiction fans who like a touch of romance in their reads, THE FLIGHT GIRLS is a compelling and well-researched story of WWII WASPs. Audrey makes for a compelling heroine, and her friendships with the other women pilots are some of the highlights of the novel.

At best, this is a quick read romance, the very definition of a Beach Read. At worst, it is a disappointing historial novel, lacking in real detail and focus on the character development of some predictable characters functioning in the unusual circumstances of being World War II WASPS, women charged with ferrying airplanes across the country so that thy can then be flown by male aviators to Europe.

Audrey Coltrane is stationed in Hawaii, training raw recruits to fly planes that will take out the towns and villages of Europe and engage in Pacific battles. Audrey is a non-comformist with a lot of family money and prestige. Daughter of Texas oil money, Audrey is a non-conformist. Not for her, home, hearth and kids. She wants to buy the hometown landing strip and function as a singleton for the rest of her life.

In Hawaii, in addition to meeting lots of "gal" friends (I'm sorry. That's the only way I can think of them) she meets one James Hart, a dashing career military officer. There is instant attraction although both vow to be just friends. Then Pearl Harbor hiots (literally and figurativel). Audrey does some keen flying to ourfly the "Japs" and to distract th enemy from zeroing in (I'm sorry, the puns keep coming) on James' plane. Once they are down on the ground, theey live through the horror of Pearl Harbor Day, an event that ties them together forever.

However, James has to go serve on the European front and Audrey joins the first para-military group of American women flyers, the WASPS.

The great disappointment to me was that this was a great opportunity for the author to really examine women's role in the war effort. Instead there are a couple of slights ("A woman is flying that plane?"), some grab-a## that barely qualifies as sexual harrassment by today's standards and an ordinary ending such as might be found in a war movie of the period.

I finished the book quickly, and I didn't NOT enjoy it. Every now and then, a non-challenging book is a good thing. I just think that the author did a disservice to rich material.

THE FLIGHT GIRLS by Noelle Salazar
Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this wonderful book!
Historical Fiction. THE FLIGHT GIRLS follows our main character, Audrey Coltrane, a young lady born into privilege and with a passion for flying. It happens to be 1941 and she has signed up to train military pilots in Hawaii. She of course meets a dashing officer but is determined to be an independent woman. Then, one sunny Sunday morning in December…...
This is only the beginning of her action-filled adventures. She serves in various capacities throughout the war and is there for the formation of the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
A fascinating, exciting, and emotional read!
I had heard about the W.A.S.P. program, and vaguely remember them finally getting recognition (yeah, what was up with that? It’s downright embarrassing that my government and military thought so little of the dedication, talent, and sacrifices of these women!). There were so many of them!
My father was one of those born with a passion for flying, so I recognized the reality of that.
There was good character development. Her fellow pilots at each base and the other people she met along the way were from many different backgrounds. The only ones that I didn’t like were the ones I wasn’t supposed to like.
Thanks to the author for her truckloads of research. I’m eager to see what she writes next.

Opening in 1941 on the lush shores of Oahu, The Flight Girls shows how pioneering some women were in flight before the WASPS (Women’s Air Force Service Pilots) entered service. Audrey Coltrane is in the Hawaiian Islands serving as a female flight instructor for the military. On December 7th, she and another crew were in the air when the Japanese attack came. From that point, Audrey finds herself bound to fellow pilot Lieutenant James Hart even as the war takes them to different parts of the world.

In the year that follows, James is off to war while Audrey returns homes. When the call for women pilots finally arose, Audrey joined the cause and trained as a WASP. Much of the middle part of the novel shows the life in the WASP training program, from daily instruction to new-found friendships to challenges faced. Within this program, Audrey finds hope within the war now that she has a role to play. And her friends are there to support her when James goes missing in action. Then once the novel transitions to Audrey having an active WASP role, readers will see the challenges she faced working in a man’s world and how she overcame.

I was enthralled with this novel. Historical details, strong women, flying, and well-written. What more can I ask for? Readers will follow Audrey’s emotional journey and feel her pain, love, and joy. When she is flying, readers will also learn to love the open sky. And the novel well-addressed the challenges that faced the women in regards to sexsim in the military. In addition, the relationships between Audrey and her friends show the strong ties that bonded the women of the WASPs together. And the ending helped show just how pioneering the women were, especially in the face of adversity.

Audrey has always wanted to fly! Her dad taught her when she was very young and this led her to train military pilots. She meets a young Lieutenant and their romance is just beginning. Then the bombs rain down on Pearl Harbor. This changes the course of their lives for several years.

Audrey is a great female character. She does not follow the norm of society, due to her mother’s great dear distress. She becomes a flight trainer for the army and meets Lieutenant Hart. But, they are JUST FRIENDS! He is a great guy…heck I partially fell in love with him. They do not realize the extent of their love for each other until Lieutenant Hart is missing in action.

I enjoyed the rich history of this story. I knew a little about the flight girls but Noelle Salazar really expanded my knowledge. I did feel like the conversations were a little stilted and spoke the obvious. But, it is still a good read with LOTS of action and anticipation. It basically has a little bit of everything…war, romance and adventure.

I met this sweet lady at Book Expo. She is over the top nice!

I received this novel from Harlequin-Mira books for a honest review.

ARC kindly provided by netgalley and publisher. The opinions expressed within this review are purely my own.

Rating: 2.5/5

If you are the fan of historical fiction who likes plots that are focused on relationships/romance with some historical information added throughout, then this book is just for you. The plot follows Audrey Coltrane, the daughter of a Texan oil tycoon who's one dream in life is to purchase her own airfield and fly as she pleases. She vows to not be distracted by men until she meets Lieutenant James Hart in Hawaii, where she is a government contractor, teaching army recruits to fly planes. Their stay is cut short by the attack on Pearl Harbor where both must part ways. In sum, the book is about Audrey and her life in Hawaii, followed by her joining the Women Airforce Service Pilots program. She meets a lot of interesting and amazing women, loses friends along the way, and experiences sexism first hand due to her occupation. I was able to appreciate the historical portion of the book and wished the author had not decided to focus 70% of the book on Audrey's relationship with Lt. Hart and the way she pined after him.

I gave this book 2.5 stars because I felt like there was no climax, the end goal that the main character dreamed of was frequently brought into question, and she spent half of the book either pining over a man or feeling guilty about being interested in another one. I appreciated the attention to describing what day to day life would have been like for these women, but I felt like it was too detailed, dragged on too long, and the focus on flying and overcoming sexist scenarios was put on the backburner. I would have liked it if the author would have either decided to make this book a romance, a coming of age book, or a book focusing on the lives of the many women Audrey meets (which, if I may add, are too many and you end up losing track of who is who/ end up not giving any one or other much significance) and their fighting to help the war effort while battling sexism at the same time. I felt like this book was a battle between all three of the aforementioned, rather than a seamless blend of it all.

A powerful novel with a rich historical background! The WASP served a vital part during WWII as this novel emphasizes throughout. This story of the training, friendship and lives of these women as depicted in this story will captivate readers. The underlying love story will tug at reader's hearts. But the interactions between the women, their strength and determination is the true story. Highly recommended!

First time author Noelle Salazar has a winner on her hands with The Flight Girls, the story of women who flew military planes on contract (i.e., not as members of the Armed Forces) before and during WWII. These were brave and gutsy women who were treated badly despite their sacrifices for their country. By using Audrey as the narrator, Salazar brings the reader into the joys and perils of their missions as well as into the passion each woman had for flying, despite the many obstacles. I have several quibbles with the book, but none of them are worthy enough to reduce my rating. Although the use of ‘Girls” in the title depicts well the culture of the times, it contributes to the demeaning nature of their lot. Of more concern to me, though was the dual nature of the story, which inevitably involves a romance or two. Salazar;s writing is much stronger when she tells the main story; it is considerably weaker when she turns to romantic interests. The women’s feeling are sometimes juvenilized too much for my taste. On the one hand she portrays very strong women who, on the other hand, are often unable to express their feelings with any thoughtfulness. The difference is jarring and does not ring quite true. I hope that her future novels concentrate on what she does best - telling the stories of women whose sacrifices were underrated and dismissed.

Perfect for fans of historical fiction that includes romance. Set during WWII, it's the story of Audrey, who wants nothing more than to fly planes. She's training male aviators on Oahu when she meets James but she's initially less interested in him than she is in her work. She's got good friends, notably Carole Ann, among the other female pilots. You know that 7 December is looming in the background and when it comes, Salazar addresses it head on and with a very well done depiction not only of the day but also its aftermath for Audrey and the others. Audrey picks herself up and joins the transfer program, ferrying war planes around the US even as James is shipped overseas. Will these two find their way back to each other and what about Carter-a navigation instructor Audrey meets while in training. There is as much romance here as there are details about the planes but know that it's a well written novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a very good read I'll recommend to fans of the genre.

It's hard to believe that this is a premier book for this author. The writing is perfection and certainly seemed like it was written by a seasoned author. It was engaging, entertaining, and educating. The WASP pilots provided an integral piece for success in a terrible war. The settings and characters are memorable. You find yourself cheering on their successes and sympathizing with their failures. A great read that was hard to put down and sorry to see it end.

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher for my honest opinions.

Wow! I loved this story about female pilots in WWII.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

A historical fiction about female pilots set during world war 2, well researched and written i couldn't put it down and finished in one day I highly recommend

On a crowded beach in Oahu, four women enjoy the sun and their time off from training Army pilots. But it's October 1941 and their lives will soon be derailed by the catastrophic attack on Pearl Harbor. Audrey Coltrane, a born flier, joins the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) performing the ferrying service of delivering planes across the country to help support the war effort. Well written historical fiction always makes me want to learn more and this book did just that. I, like the author, had heard of female pilots in WWII but not much. My interest was sparked immediately learning about these unsung heroes from WWII who served and sacrificed for their country without benefits or official military status. Noelle Salazar, did an excellent job of creating well-developed characters and a realistic story of life, loss, war and love based on these extraordinary women. I highly recommend this book!

An insightful look at women's contributions during the war all wrapped up in a beautiful and appealing story. Lovely to read.’