Author: Linda Holmes
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Ballentine Books
Publication Date: June 14, 2022
Book Description: Smarting from her recently canceled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown of Calcasset to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety-three. Alongside boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up at the bottom of a cedar chest. Laurie’s curiosity is piqued, especially after she finds a love letter to the never-married Dot that ends with the line “And anyway, if you’re ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling.”
Laurie is told that the duck has no financial value. But after it disappears under suspicious circumstances, she feels compelled to figure out why anyone would steal a wooden duck—and why Dot kept it hidden away in the first place. Suddenly Laurie finds herself swept up in a righteous caper that has her negotiating with antiques dealers and con artists, going on after-hours dates at the local library, and reconnecting with her oldest friend and her first love. Desperate to uncover her great-aunt’s secrets, Laurie must reckon with her own past and her future—and ultimately embrace her own vision of flying solo.
With a cast of unforgettable characters and a heroine you will root for from page one, Flying Solo is a wonderfully original story about growing up, coming home, and learning to make a life for yourself on your own terms.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Linda Holmes famously from NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour is out with her second novel, and is quickly becoming one of my go to authors. Her books are so delightful, but she is so good at adding a complexity to her characters that just gives these stores so much substance.
Laurie has come home to take care of her beloved Great Aunt’s estate. Her best friend June is by her side through this trying time. And she has an instant connection with HS ex-boyfriend Nick who happens to be recently divorced.
Laurie hires a service to assist with the cleanup and while everything appears to be going swimmingly and she can return to Seattle soon, she comes across a strange item in her Aunt’s possession, a decoy duck. Laurie cannot understand why her aunt would have kept something like hurried. As she sets to uncover more about this artifact, a few shenanigans arise, that help drive this story.
Such a charming read, and I was sad it was over. I am so looking forward to Holme’s writes in the future.
Thank you NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Obsessed Bookaholic 