This is a very interesting look at the family dynamic as three siblings gather for Christmas after the death of their mother. It's real and touching and relatable.

This story centers around an extended family gathering for the first Christmas without the matriarch of the family, who apparently was the glue that had always bound them together.. Three adult children, their spouses and 5 grandchildren are the focus of the novel, along with a side story of a young mother and her child, connected to one of the spouses who is her social worker. Many conflicts, complicated relationships and family struggles are covered but the ending while not prettily tying up all loose ends, shows a renewed connection and closeness between the characters. My only wish was that the book was longer in order to more fully develop the characters and their backgrounds. I sometimes felt it a bit rushed, like Tess’s relationship with her mother which seemed to be somewhat abusive but then seemingly glossed over later in the story.

I read Flight by Lynn Steger Strong last December but didn't finish writing my review, so Christmas in July it is.

This is a character-driven story of grief and family dynamics. It's the first Christmas since their mother died unexpectedly, and siblings Martin, Henry, and Kate and their families are (awkwardly) gathering to observe the holiday. The siblings and their partners have very different personalities, and without their mom as the common bond, there's all sorts of conflict, chiefly deciding what to do with her valuable home - keep it in the family or sell it.

In addition to focusing on the family members, the plot includes Quinn and Maddie, a family who are clients of social worker/sister-in-law Alice. There's so much the author could've explored with the main family that at times it feels distracting to have them involved, but the plots eventually merge together.

Based on reviews from fellow readers, I tempered my expectations and made a list of the many characters. Both served me well, and I appreciated this novel. Little did I know when I read this that my family would experience its own grief when our father died in January 2023.

While the plot takes place over three days in December, it can be read any time of year.

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the review copy of this novel.

I ran into some personal issues and was unable to read the book or write a review....my apologies to the publisher.

Three adult siblings, their spouses, and their children gather together for Christmas, bringing hidden resentments, personal struggles, and marital conflict with them. It’s hard to explain why that scenario seems cozy to me, but it does.

It’s the siblings’ first Christmas together since their mother died, so instead of going to Florida, the group is headed to Henry and Alice’s spacious house in cold and snowy upstate New York. Each couple has its own issues, though they tend to revolve around money more than love, and for the most part, more than their children. Though the novel sticks to third person, it follows the point of view of the three women, plus an additional character, a young mother who is one of Alice’s clients and is struggling to stay clean and keep custody of her child.

Despite always being present, the conflict and tension somehow doesn’t overwhelm the novel. It runs through the background, just like it does when many families get together at the holidays and, like Kate and Tess, drink wine and pretend to like each other more than they really do. What will feel even more familiar is the characters’, who are all in the vicinity of their early 40s, struggles to come to terms with themselves and their lives. Alice’s story is perhaps the most poignant; she gave up on trying to have a baby and create art at the same time. There’s the disappointment of finding themselves middle-aged and not quite what they thought they would be, or of dealing with poor choices. Or, as Kate says, feeling like you never really decided anything, that most of life just happened. (Lest this sound too negative, a crisis comes along and helps to bring the family together and forget about most of their petty annoyances.) The one character who could have been more fully developed - though it might make this a different book - is the deceased mother, whom we learn about anecdotally.

What really makes this book stand out though, is Strong’s writing style. It’s spare, her sentences simple and to the point. Each on its own may sound like nothing special; taken as a whole, it’s surprisingly descriptive. Dialogue is the same - seemingly ordinary, it packs a punch. Present tense brings a sense of immediacy. Strong also skillfully makes sure that we hate no one and idolize no one - because they’re just like us.

In my opinion, Lynn Steger Strong is one of the writers working today on the topics of women's ambition, inner lives, desires, and so much more. I absolutely adored WANT, and FLIGHT is just as strong as it takes on family, loyalty, and growing up. I really enjoy how Strong teases out the inherent drama and stakes of people living their normal lives, just as she did in WANT. And of course, her sentences and language are just beautiful on a line level. Another lovely, insightful read.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

OK OK. Lynn I'm sorry I love you. But this book did not have my interest at any point. I think I've just read about so much family drama that nothing really compels me anymore. It reminded me of The Nest but with lower stakes. I think it could have been, like, a fun holiday movie on Hulu, where there's more prestige than a Hallmark movie. But I couldn't finish it. I'm sorry!

This was one of the books I was most looking forward to this fall and it did not disappoint!

This is the story of three siblings who have just lost their mother and they are getting together for Christmas for the first time since she’s died. Each sibling has their own issues going on, but there’s also the question of what to do with their mother’s house. They come together when a local mother and daughter need help.

This was a great character driven, family drama. I loved, loved, loved it and missed this story when it was over.

Thank you #netgalley and #marinerbooks for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Flight was an interesting story with several POV that occur after the matriarch passes away. The author made the characters relatable and interesting. It was a fantastic book on how each person struggles with grief, especially the in-laws of the matriarch, Helen. This was a short enjoyable read that I completed in one day.

This book is a family drama. The characters aren’t the most likable, but it is a little relatable. This is a great domestic fiction book for anyone who loves that type of book. I enjoyed this one and couldn’t put it down.

Flight. i've waiting to review this because I just couldn't get into the books bones. I continued reading until about 3/4 through but had to stop. Other reviewers loved this one, so perhaps I was in the wrong head space for this one.

I read Flight by Lynn Steger Strong in December and realized today that I never reviewed it. Flight is about a trio of siblings, two older brothers and their younger sister, who, along with their spouses and children, celebrate their first Christmas after the death of their mother. While I enjoyed this book, it was perhaps a bit too literary for me. I was excited to read it because it was compared to The Family Stone which is one of my favorite Christmas movies. And while both stories explore the sibling relationship, Flight didn’t have the warmth that The Family Stone has. The siblings in Flight are floundering. They are experiencing hardships professionally and personally, their relationships are struggling, and they are trying to figure out how to move forward without their mother, who held the family together.

I did like the glimpses of the sibling relationship but wanted more. I liked the relationship with the spouses but the siblings seemed to be left out of those.

I think Ms. Steger String accomplished conveying the feeling of untetheredness these grown children were feeling now that their anchor was gone. This book would be a good movie; the drama and the scenery would lend itself well to the theater.

Overall, this was a good story. If you like literary fiction, try this one.

Thank you to #netgalley and #marinerbooks for the e-copy of #flight.

Thank you Harper Collins for this free e-read. I was really looking forward to this one and the story was very good, the author kept me intrigued. However, I wanted more. I wanted more chatter development, more details. I felt the end was rushed and that it needed an Epilogue to truly wrap up all of the storylines.

Three siblings and their families gather to celebrate Christmas in upstate New York. They get together every year, but this holiday is marked by the notable absence of the siblings’ mother who died eight months earlier. As the family gathers they are reminded of all the ways their mother held them together, most notably through the Florida home where they grew up. The beginning of the book is a whirlwind as the author introduces readers to her large cast of characters: the three siblings, their spouses, and the kids. Steger Strong alternates her focus from one adult to the other, exposing their issues, concerns, and anxieties. The central tension between the group is revealed early, when one of the couples announces their desire to move to the Florida house rather than sell it, and although there is much consternation about this, the stakes never feel as high as they probably could. A smaller family lives a couple of miles away consisting of a young recovering addict mother and her smart precocious daughter. Their social worker, one of the in-laws back at the big family house, has fallen in love with the girl after discovering that she can not have children of her own, and becomes entangled in their emergency on Christmas Eve. I enjoyed this book for the messy family dynamics and the fleshed out characters but would have enjoyed the book more if it had stayed at that. There was nothing about the story that I didn’t like and everything was written exceptionally well, but I think it could have been stronger without the addition of the outside mother and daughter, which would have allowed Steger Strong to spend more time in the quiet, dysfunctional, and intricate lives of her central characters.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and read it during my Christmas holiday. I thoroughly enjoyed this feel-good read.

Following the death of their parents, Henry, Kate, and Martin, along with their spouses and children gather at the home of Henry and his wife to celebrate Christmas. Three siblings, all at different places in their lives, families and careers come together to celebrate the holiday previously celebrated in their late mother's home. The home is central to much of the story as each sibling has their own thoughts on how the estate should be divided, given that not direction was left for them.

The simply written story included a small plot line regarding another family and their missing child. This was woven through and probably could have been left out, allowing for more time to develop the family relationships/drama of three siblings.

Three adults, their spouses and children gather to celebrate the Christmas holidays for the very first time after the mother passed away. The book focuses on the usual drama that occurs at any family gathering but is further complicated by grief and this desire to recreate the memories of past Christmases with the mom.

There is grief, resentment, conflicting expectations and even a missing child to add to the chaos.

I found the premise behind the book to be very appealing, but I just didn't fall in the love with this one and struggled to connect with so many characters and story lines.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It was not a long book but seemed long. Three adult siblings spend Christmas at Henry's house in New York. It is Henry, Kate and Martin's first Christmas without their mother and the first Christmas not in Florida. The three families come together carrying the baggage from their youth and this is multiplied by each of their spouses and kids. It was okay but the description was more interesting than the book. Four stars for the organization of the book but not the story.

Siblings and their spouses come together for the holidays without their beloved matriarch. Inner turmoil and rivalry is pushed aside to address a life or death situation. Believable and engaging.

Although this book has a lot of characters, it is a heart-warming story. The family members are struggling as can happen not only around the holidays, but everyday. It is a feel-good story.