Book Description 

“A modern, tongue-in-cheek view…Fly with Me makes you laugh right before it makes you cry.” – The New York Times

A one-way ticket to love or a bumpy ride ahead?

Flying-phobic ER nurse Olive Murphy is still gripping the armrest from her first-ever take-off when the pilot announces an in-flight medical emergency. Olive leaps into action and saves a life, but ends up getting stuck in the airport hours away from the marathon she’s running in honor of her brother. Luckily for her, Stella Soriano, the stunning type A copilot, offers to give her a ride.

After the two spend a magical day together, Stella makes a surprising request: Will Olive be her fake girlfriend?

A video of Olive saving a life has gone viral and started generating big sales for Stella’s airline. Stella sees their union as the perfect opportunity to get to the boys’ club executives at her company who keep overlooking her for a long-deserved promotion. Realizing this arrangement could help her too, Olive dives into memorizing Stella’s comically comprehensive three-ring-binder guide to fake dating. As the two grow closer, what’s supposed to be a ruse feels more and more real. Could this be the romantic ride of their lives, or an epic crash and burn?

A sparkling and steamy Sapphic romance, Fly with Me by Andie Burke is filled with sharp banter and that sweet, swooping feeling of finding “the one” when and where you least expect it.

My Review 

I love the fake dating trope because it invariably involves two dopes who are so SURE that they can pull off their scheme without catching real feelings for each other. And of course, they ALWAYS end up catching feelings for each other. 

There’s also an opposites attract vibe here as well: Stella is very much a type A personality, and Olive is… not. Without going into too much detail, Olive’s personality has shifted since her brother’s accident and it has affected every facet of her life. But she’s willing to go along with Stella’s request for fake dating since it is 100% fake and not at all a real relationship. 

But of course, fake affection leads to acknowledging the real chemistry the two women have been trying to ignore since they first met. 

The overall tone of this book is light, although there are some heavy moments involving Olive’s family, especially her brother. There are several characters who display antagonistic behavior– and are the main source of conflict– but there isn’t really a single central antagonist. Stella and Olive are able to  lean on each other to deal with the toxic behavior they encounter. However, Burke demonstrates an aptitude for somber equal to the lighthearted banter and more fun parts.  

I would absolutely recommend Fly With Me. Stella and Olive have great chemistry and the fun fake-dating setup delivers a well-rounded narrative. This is apparently a debut novel, and quite frankly, a debut has no business being this good. I am definitely looking forward to Burke’s next book. 

I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley