3.75 Stars
I’m not really sure how to summarize my feelings about this book. It sure was a wild ride and I didn’t quite expect some of the directions this book took. I think it had some really interesting commentary on friendship and feeling accepted but I kind of expected some of the topics covered to go a bit further than they did. The writing in this book keeps you so captivated even with the insane premise and the author does a great job of bringing these characters to life, especially Linda. This was definitely a weird book but it also does a good job of highlighting some normal aspects of living.

Sky Daddy by Kate Folk was such a fun read.
A funny and adorable debut that melt me turning the pages.
The quirky characters kept me engaged and the writing was just great.

Thank you Random House for my free ARC of Sky Daddy by Kate Folk — available now!

» SYNOPSIS «
Linda loves planes. Like, REALLY loves planes. But she can't tell people about this, because they'd think it was weird. Unless it's on a vision board? No, still too much. But, the vision board thing seems to make the universe take note of her deepest desires, so maybe all Linda's dreams really CAN come true...

» REVIEW «
A thousand times, yes. This is my favorite kind of contemporary fiction. Unique, well-written heroine, found family pot points, completely unhinged premise. Linda wants to die in a plane crash? Because she's sexually attracted to literal airplanes? And thinks a fiery plummet to the death is a sign of undying affection? Great. Love it. Will she succeed? Well, that hardly becomes the point. Or does it? Just read it, you'll dig it as much as I did.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While this wasn’t a full 5 star for me, I really loved it a lot. I appreciate the heck out of a wacky book and bonus points for this being written so well.

Linda is truly a unique character and she was absolutely hilarious. Think of the monotone comedians who deliver killer jokes. Some of her inner monologue literally had me chucking out loud. But this is not in your face HA HA funny, you know? Very subtle and perfectly incorporated, for my sense of humor at least.

I adored Linda and Karina’s friendship and think this ended in the only way it really could have. Which is to say, I loved the ending, but others may not.

Great first full length novel from Kate Folk!!

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Incredibly funny and heartbreaking all at once. I loved the characters, and I could not put this book down. And that ending???? Amazing

A strange, yet not strange, book about a woman in love with an airplane. The book is about a woman who is a bit of a mess, trying to get through her life as an online content moderator while living in an illegal apartment in San Francisco. She spends the little money that she saves every month to fly on airplanes. An odd but compelling read.

I was nervous to start this book because I had such high hopes. I am happy to report: I absolutely loved it.

Sky Daddy had me laughing from the first page (not even the first chapter, the quotes before it!) Folk’s writing is so refreshing. Her sentence-level writing is so crisp. Everything feels intentional, which makes the story fly by (pun intended). I am weary of modern references, but Folk approaches them thoughtfully.

I loved spending time in Linda’s funky little head. I could feel the love and understanding the author has for her peculiar female lead, and I felt like I came to understand her, too. The ending even had me a little misty eyed.

Sky Daddy is for fans of carefully crafted writing and sardonic humor and for those who don’t mind rooting for some freaks.

This is “weird girl fiction” done so right. I will never enter an airport the same.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eArc, and thank you Kate Folk for this masterpiece!

In her self doubt of acceptance, Lindy creates a vision board of what she truly wants; she details it, sends it out into the universe - and hopefully her aluminum soulmate to love will be received in return. But maybe people will think she meant pilot?

A woman infatuated with idea of the love of an airplane is so wild and creative and works in such an endearing way. For the most part, Linda is a character you want to root for, with mannerisms of someone fresh in the world. Sometimes her cheeriness to overcompensate was a little much, like I needed a little discouragement from her, and her lack of really any growth or lack of understanding to want growth. And some cringey moments to be expected.

The story felt more than just the synopsis concept, until the last 30%ish, when Linda truly lets herself spiral. For a book with such a lighthearted premise, sadness for all Linda wanted for herself was my strongest reaction. But all her joy that came from her true desire, was almost enough to want to root for her to get what she wanted. But not quite. The ending was unexpected, but maybe, perfection?

...I truly have no idea what the f*ck I read. It's not as unhinged as some of the KU smut - this is both much less smutty and takes itself much more seriously. I'm really not sure what to make of it - I almost dnf'd at 17% but ended up being too curious and deciding to finish. Not sure it was worth it, but here I am.

Full review/commentary will be live at :

https://open.substack.com/pub/unobstructedspace/p/kate-folks-sky-daddy-and-the-pitfalls?r=s2xuw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

When I read the description for Sky Daddy I could not click request fast enough. This book technically falls under the weird girl category, but it’s so much more than that. Linda is a complex main character who just happens to feel a strong affinity towards airplanes. Linda is more than just a plane obsessed woman though. She has a job she enjoys, a best friend she works with, and she’s even willing to give online dating a try.

This book was weird and definitely goes there - I actually guffawed a few times while Linda was in flight and feeling ~*satisfied*~. She’s a character who was easy to understand and also feel connected to, despite our differences. Linda’s a bit awkward, but she’s not afraid to get what she wants and connect with others. The supporting characters here were all well-developed and fit a role in her life.

I haven’t read from this author before, but I absolutely will be picking up her short story collection. The writing was so good - clever, funny, and just ridiculous at times. Thank you, Kate Folk, for giving me something I will think about every time I board a plane in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a review copy. Please check out Sky Daddy on April 8th!

Where does one even begin with this one? I suppose I should start with a big thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy for what I know will be one of my favorite books of this year. Truly, this is my brand of strange, unhinged woman narrative and I could not put it down after I read the first chapter. Zany and delightful in the best way--long may Kate Folk reign!

It's quite bizarre and funny, while still being incredibly heartfelt and relatable.
I don't think it will be for a wide audience, but those of us who are sad little hopeless romantic weirdos, will absolutely love it. The ending was perfection.

THIS BOOK IS FOR THE GIRLIES WITH THE FLIGHTRADAR24 APP ON THEIR PHONE.

I ended up adoring this book. This is not your typical sentient object romance, but a story of true friendship and understanding. I absolutely adored Linda, and felt myself genuinely relating to her in many ways.

Every character in this book is written so complexly, while feeling as a caricature of people but also entirely truthful to humanity itself. Kate Folk has an amazing ability to actually make you understand and accept unlikable characters as they are. Incredibly heartfelt, and touching the ending had me tearing up a bit.

Just like Dave I’ll think of Linda every time I board a plane :^).

Thank you to NetGalley for proving me with an EARC.

Maybe the real plane crash was the friends we made along the way. <3
I was rooting for that little freak, Linda, and I was happy to see she had people in her life rooting for her too. In another version of this story, she would’ve been left to her own devices, alone and rejected. Not in Kate Folk’s version though, so I appreciated that. We all like to feel accepted, even weird girl fiction protagonists. It’s nice to actually read about them being accepted every once in a while.
‘Sky Daddy’ was really funny and absurd while never feeling like it was just weird for the sake of humor. Linda’s actions and decisions make logical sense for her (despite doing things in this book I’d never thought I’d read.) and I never felt like she was overly dense or infantilized.
**I’m about to vaguely talk about the ending here,** but just to say - It wasn’t for me. I hate to be left confused so I never like more ambiguous endings in general. That’s really only one paragraph though, verses enjoying the whole rest of the book so I guess it’s fine.

Also, I wanna make a vision board now.

Wow, I promise you have never read a book like this one! From the first page, I was intrigued. And then I stayed up WAY too late to finish this book BECAUSE I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! This was dark, but fascinating and I couldn't believe it. Read this book!!

I absolutely loved this book, and I give it my highest recommendation. Sky Daddy comes out next week on April 8, 2025, you can purchase HERE.

Call me Linda. My tale begins in January, when I was invited to a Vision Board Brunch hosted by my coworker Karina Carvalho. According to Karina, the vision boards, crafted from common drugstore materials, could be used to manifest anything a person wanted in life. I was receptive to the idea, as I'd always subscribed to the notion of an intelligent universe, a web of predestination in which we all were tangled. Only such a cosmic force could bring about my dream of marriage to a plane-what others vulgarly refer to as a "plane crash." I believed this was my destiny: for a plane to recognize me as his soulmate mid-flight and, overcome with passion, relinquish his grip on the sky, hurtling us to earth in a carnage that would meld our souls for eternity. I couldn't alter my fate, but perhaps, with the vision board's help, I could hasten its arrival.

I'll never look at planes the same

I have never once looked at planes with anything other indifference, but now I fear every time I fly I will think of this book. 100% great commentary on neurodivergence, grief, and lonliness, told in an extremely funny and engaging way.

But also about plane f******.

Yes yes yes!!

This is the type of literary fiction that needs to be published more often. Absolutely unhinged and commits to the bit in terms of its outlandish concept. Linda's sexualization of planes was absolutely hilarious and Dave, DAVE, DAVE is one of my favorite types of borderline lit fic villains in terms of his instability and how both of them are sort of cut from the same cloth of being stuck in a kind of adolescent stage in their lives.

Make Literary Fiction Fun and Quirky Again! This is why I loved All Fours and I think All Fours would be a perfect read after this!

I need everyone to buy copies of this book please and thank you!

Thank you Random House for this ARC! You have no idea how much this meant to me

As a flight attendant this book was so much fun for me! it follows Linda who is pretty normal except for one thing - she wants to marry a plane. I enjoyed following the story although it was honestly a lot less bonkers than I was expecting (I was thinking it would be something wild and surreal but it was a pretty straightforward story). I’ve heard great things about Folk’s short story collection for a few years so I should finally get around to that now

Sky Daddy was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025, but I unfortunately found it to be a bit bland - I wanted more weirdness!