4.7 rounded up


Lanie and Ridley, the Frequent Fliers. The way they met, was definitely a meet cute. They both have their own personal things happening in their lives and trying to survive through.

Lanie, my girl. I understand that you're trying to prove that you're strong and that you can handle your cousin and bestie getting married - but you didn't have to let them run you through the dirt like a pushover. her mama? tuh, She singlehandedly ruined Lanie. ooooo, I really don't like Gemma, at all. She behaved in a way that everyone else around her and Jonah enabled. Gemma knew Lanie's feelings for Jonah but jumped in that mix anyway. Both of them are to blame for that. Just nasty. And Ridley, sir. Therapy!!!

Now, the storyline was decent, the blossoming love and friendship between Lanie and Ridley. MY GOODNESS!!! I love the twists, the conversations and vulnerabilities they shared with each other.

My Heart.

Tropes:
Forced proximity
Age gap
Single dad
Death of a spouse

We're introduced to Lanie on her way to England from NYC to attend her cousin's engagement party. During her flight, she connects with a handsome but grumpy Dr. Aronsen who is a single father, widower, and physician researcher. They're shocked to run into each other on the flight back to NYC and their relationship blooms while traveling between the two places throughout the story.

Lanie and Ridley had so much potential, but their chemistry just wasn't there for me. I struggled to stay engrossed in their relationship and was frustrated and a bit annoyed with the way that Lanie allowed her family to treat her-- especially her cousin. I did enjoy the concept of the FMC and MMC connecting while traveling between the two cities and the representation of different cultures!

Overall, this was not necessarily what I expected, but an okay read if you're okay with a slow burn that really focuses on character development and not plot. I'm definitely interested in checking out other works by this author as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to review Frequent Fliers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this review copy. This was a really great read and I really loved the character building. This was a fun story about loss and finding yourself and love again.

This was such a layered romance with heart, humor, and a fresh premise. I loved how the characters grew both separately and together, and the travel setting gave it a breezy, escapist vibe. A thoughtful, feel-good story about connection and timing.

This was a cute read with a fun meet-cute and likable characters. It's not a story that will stick with me months from now, but I enjoyed it in the moment and definitely wanted to keep reading!

Great read! First read from this author. This book makes me want to read more from this author. Kept my attention and interest until the end.

I had high hopes for this book but it wasn’t landing for me. I kept starting and stopping , thinking maybe I was in a reading slump, however it just wasn’t keeping my attention. The characters were okay but not totally likeable , also a few gaps in the storyline. It wasn’t terrible but don’t think I would revisit it again.

Lanie is on a flight from New York City to London to help plan her cousin's wedding (to Lanie's childhood crush) when she ends up seated next to an infuriating, but interesting man.

Ridley is returning to London to be with his daughter after spending some time working on medical trials when he ends up seated next to a beautiful woman that challenges him.

The two spend much of the flight talking...and as the two discover they are both traveling between New York City and London frequently, a friendship (and maybe something more) begins to develop.

It's a concept I really enjoyed: two characters meet on a plane and develop a relationship while flying that soon spills over to every day life. The characters are well-developed and their relationship is realistic in that it isn't perfect and they each come with baggage...but the story was a bit slow and dragged a times--dwelling a little too much on some of that baggage.

If you like slow-burn romance, you'll like this one, but I tend to prefer stories that are a little more fast-paced.

Book: Frequent Fliers
Author: Noue Kirwan
Format: Digital
Genre: Romance
Places Featured: London, England and New York City, New York
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 (rounded down)

Respectfully, I hated this book. The writing style was off to me. Additionally, all of the characters sucked. I have never read a book with this terrible of an FMC and MMC before.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 but rounded up

I really wanted to love this. but it fell a little short for me. I liked the writing style. I did get lost at times during the travel jumps (but it could have been the arc copy not being clear)

Lanie lives in NY. Ridley lives in London. They meet on a flight and as anyone can guess, a relationship is somewhat formed. Both have their own issues and there's an age gap.

Reading this as someone who can relate more to Ridley - I found Lanie difficult to root far. Ridley's backstory was messy, but was nicely connected. Lanie had layers upon layers of issues that felt like a checklist of problems rather than them tied together. I wanted Lanie to find her voice much sooner. The story had so much build up and then the ending felt a little rushed and presented with a nice bow at the end.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but the beginning didn't have enough to keep me intrigued. I got about 30% into the book and set it down. Now almost 40% in, the pacing of this book is just a little too slow for me, and I am just not invested enough in the character despite such an interesting plot.

This was just ok? I wasn't enthralled with their story and felt it hard to root for them as a couple. But love the representation!

I ended up skipping a lot of parts as I just wasn't as engaged with the book as I wanted to be. I didn't get a sense of chemistry between the FMC and MMC and didn't feel pulled into their stories. While I get that miscommunication is a very real thing IRL, it sometimes got a bit too much in the book. WHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!!

Thanks to Canary Press for the eARC; all opinions are my own.

I really liked this and thought it was an interesting take on a long distance relationship. I did have to wonder how much each of those flights cost for FMC since she was just an assistant though. But overall, a good love story and liked seeing the different character arcs.

A contemporary romance that explores love, family, and self-discovery. With rich character development and emotional depth, the story offers a compelling journey of personal growth and unexpected connections. Kirwan’s writing is engaging, making it a great read for romance fans who enjoy nuanced relationships and heartfelt storytelling. While the pacing may feel slow at times, the novel’s warmth and authenticity make it a rewarding read.

Overall: 3.75
Spice: 3

A tense interaction during a flight leads you to finding the love of your life. We take multiple trips from New York to London while the FMC and MMC become comfortable with moving on from past relationships and stop letting their family control there life. It was great love story going from strangers to lovers.

Lanie and Ridley meet on a plane ride from New York to London. Their first impressions aren't great, but after a few hours things start to get interesting and they start to click. Several flights later, and they might just be falling in love. This is a cute story with good characters.

Whimsical in the age of dating and getting to know another person. This book is a beautiful representation of creative work; the love and the banter was a theme I have loved and since admired.

2 5 stars

This just didn’t work for me. The only reason I made it through was because it was an arc.
The writing style just wasn’t for me. The FMC was a doormat and a cry baby. The MMC had no charisma. And together they had not one ounce of chemistry 😩

I also didn’t like any of the other characters. Everyone one of them was insufferable and got on my nerves 😟

There were definitely some aspects of this book I enjoyed. The romance between the main characters, Lanie and Ridley, that develops as they travel back and forth between New York and London was a fun concept. I also really liked the banter between Lanie and her family—it added some humor and warmth to the story.

That said, I had a hard time connecting with the main characters. Lanie, in particular, could be quite immature at times, which made it difficult for me to like her. The communication (or lack thereof) between Lanie and Ridley was frustrating, and it felt like a lot of unnecessary drama came from their failure to just talk things through. The rushed ending didn’t help either, leaving me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

While there were some entertaining side characters, I didn’t really care for Lanie’s cousin, Gemma, and I found Ridley to be somewhat one-dimensional. He seemed like a nice guy, but I didn’t feel like I got to know him deeply. The ending wrapped up too quickly for my liking, and some parts just felt a little unrealistic.

Overall, while the concept was fun, the lack of communication between the main characters and the rushed conclusion made this a bit of a frustrating read for me.