I truly enjoyed this story and the heartbreaking mystery surrounding it. The dynamic between the two sisters was like watching a car crash. You can't look away but you're praying that everything works out for all involved. I loved the main character's devotion to finding out what happened to her mother and the little girl that was with her the night they went missing. Delving into the past and going on a literal journey with her sister made this so much than the average mystery. This is my first by this author but it certainly won't be my last. I highly recommend this to my fellow mystery readers that love an actual story with every emotion you can imagine. Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for this ARC.

This is a powerful and emotional read, set between America and Australia. A book about estranged sisters, family secrets, a missing mother and family love. I was totally engrossed from start to finish in this beautifully written, emotional novel. The descriptions and characterisations are excellent, I highly recommend the read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Twenty four years ago, American 12 year old Lily and 15 year old Iris Jorgenson and their mother Elsa spent nearly a year touring the east coast of Australia, joined by two other girls, 16 year old Grace and 4 year old Ellie, towards the end of the trip. One dark and rainy night in Queensland their mother and Ellie disappeared and neither were ever found. Lily and Iris eventually returned to the USA with their father, but later became estranged when Iris later married an Australian and moved to Queensland. Now their mother’s backpack has been found, and Lily feels the urge to revisit the trip they made with their mother to try to work out what happened that night.

This is a great road trip novel as well as a compelling mystery that also explores the bonds within families. Lily and Iris have barely talked in recent years and now they must reconnect while wrangling four children between them in a touring bus and searching for people and places they knew two decades ago. I loved that the descriptions of the towns and places that Iris and Lily visited were so vivid that they made me feel nostalgic those places I have also visited. The characters of the two sisters felt very real, with that battle between love and envy that sisters often have as they grow up. Lily is convinced that Iris knows something about the night their mother disappeared that she wouldn’t tell her before and is determined to find out what it is. Not only will they find out secrets about each other, but also some shocking truths about their parents and why their mother felt the need to leave her home. I was pleased that by the end of the trip Lily and Iris have a better understanding of each other on which to rebuild their relationship and on top of that, the unexpected ending was a sweet bonus making for a very satisfying and enjoyable read.

Birds in Flight by Anni Taylor was a really great story.
I was sucked in almost immediately and loved everything about it.
The mystery, writing, our characters, and the story.... It was all written so well and kept me engaged and wanting more.
The secrets, lies and family drama really hooked me.
I will most definitely pick up Taylor's next book in the future.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You Netgalley and Victory Editing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!.

Over two decades after losing her mother in Australia, Lily is returning to search for answers and the closure of knowing what happened that fateful night. She was just a child when she and her sister, Iris, were left alone in their holiday camper while their mother went out. But what only Lily knows is that Iris also left and was gone for hours. And to this day, she’s never told anyone where she went. Now Lily is determined to get Iris to open up about that night and provide the rest of the answers Lily has waited so long for.

She and her son travel back to Australia to reenact the year-long trip that the girls took with their mother. Even though it’s been so long, Lily believes this is the only way to figure out how and why her mother vanished. She wants to stop at each place she remembers them visiting, hoping desperately that some of the same people will still be there to answer her questions. You have to slightly suspend belief here because she does meet up with several people from that time. Not only that, but she also finds something that should have vanished or deteriorated long ago but just so happens to have been kept, is easily located, and becomes the key to solving the mystery.

Also, as a travel writer, Lily has the type of job where she can easily take time off to visit another continent for an undetermined amount of time, while her son is bullied in school and now gets a long reprieve. So yes, it’s convenient but still plausible. Iris is already in Australia because she moved back there as soon as she was an adult. So, Lily’s able to visit her before embarking on the trip with her son. The two families have never met because the sisters were estranged once Iris left to return to Australia. It’s not as confusing as it sounds and I absolutely loved how the ending was nothing I could ever have guessed! This is not one to be missed!

This is an excellent story about complex family relationships and the quest to find the truth. Elsa is the mother of two girls and has also been caretaking for another pair of sisters. One night Elsa and Ellie, the youngest, go missing. Twenty plus years later, Lily leaves the US to return to Australia in pursuit of answers. Definitely worth reading!

Anni Taylor has superbly crafted an engaging, compelling, compassionate story with exquisite plot lines woven skillfully throughout. I relished my time with this novel. Beautiful!

My thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the opportunity to read this fabulous ARC.

A mother and her two daughters leave their home in Pennsylvania to move to Australia. Mysteriously, their mother disappears with a young child that she has agreed to take care of. What happens there will affect the two daughters for the rest of lives. Fast forward to the present; a backpack belonging to their mother is recovered. Reuniting, the sisters set out on a trip, similar to the one that their mother had taken them on before she went missing to search for the truth. Family secrets will be revealed and a surprise ending that I did not see coming. I enjoyed this novel immensely and will recommend.

I was excited to read "Birds in Flight" from the cover and synopsis. The story of two sisters trying to find their mother and the child she vanished with one stormy night seemed promising,, and I was even more interested to read that they lived in a caravan. It started off well enough but then I felt jarred by the pacing, things would happen too quickly and others two slowly. Characters would do things that were not congruent with who they were described to be. Quite disappointing. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

a moving, beautifully written story of a fractured family. Two sisters go on a road trip to try to figure out what happened to their mother 24 yrs before and to the little girl she had with her. Lots of secrets, lots of complications and healing. And yes it is a mystery as well, as they try to know their mother through the trip and themselves

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I enjoyed this. Nothing too groundbreaking, but it kept my interest and was pretty well-written. The ending felt a little too neatly wrapped up, but still in the realm of possibility. Not really a mystery, but still an interesting tale.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

BIG thanks to both Victory Editing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Birds in Flight!

Expected publication March 7, 2023.

Birds in Flight is about sisters, family relationships, and dark, dark secrets. I loved this book and I did NOT want to put it down!

Lily and Iris's mother disappeared on a road trip 24 years ago, under suspicious circumstances and the sisters haven't had contact with each other since then. Lily lives with her son in Pennsylvania, USA, as a travel writer. Australia is the home of her sister, Iris. Floods have dredged up their mother’s backpack from the everglades and tantalizing clues have been uncovered. I'm not writing any more than that because I absolutely don't want to write anything that might give the rest of the book away!!

Birds in Flight is the first book by Ms. Taylor that I've read, but it won't be the last!

I really enjoyed "Birds in Flight" by Anni Taylor. In 1998 Iris and Lily's mother took them out of school in Pennsylvania and across the world to Australia on an unexplained road trip. At 15 and 12 years of age they were aware that their parents marriage was not happy, and the adventure definitely lifted a weight from their mother. She was full of joy they hadn't seen before and they soon took off in their caravan on a sightseeing trip with two young friends. One stormy night, their mother & little Ellie disappeared . The girls were returned to their father in the United States. Twenty some years later Lily decides it is time to return to Australia, reconnect with Iris, and find out what she can about her mother . There is a lot to learn

Thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Audible and Anni Taylor for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I can’t believe that I’m leaving the first review for a book. I can’t believe that I read a book with zero idea, with no any reviews given to it yet and by an author I have never even heard of before. I can’t believe that I haven’t read any books by this author. I can’t believe myself.

Well this book will definitely hold a good place in my mind and heart for what it was. This book is about two sisters, Iris and Lily who were not on speaking terms for two decades. Their mother goes missing when they were little in Australia and a secret that Iris is hiding, makes a drift in their lives. But when their mother’s backpack is found years later, they get back together and try to figure out what exactly happened.

This book walks mainly through Australia but give us a glimpse of America as well. I loved the description and depiction of Australian cities and I felt like I’m living their life. This book had so much emotions and revelations every other page. And had me gasping for breath.

I’m pretty sure that I am going to go digging through this author’s previous works and I won’t stop!

Two sisters unite to solve the mystery of their mother’s death. I was expecting more mystery earlier but it took a while to get there. I also didn’t connect with the protagonist.