Fly Bye

by C.W. Farnsworth

The first time I saw Grayson Phillips, I fell. Tripped, to be specific. His seven-year-old self saved me from scraped knees and sentenced me to a fate of pining after my brother's best friend for years.
People change. Childish crushes fade. I'm an adult now, a doctor with more important things to worry about. I gave up on the boy next door ever loving me a long time ago.
Or so I thought...until he returns to our hometown on leave from the Air Force. For the first time, not everything between us feels one-sided. That doesn't make it matter. He'll take off soon-literally.
I'm a fly by to him. Nothing more than a passing interest. A distraction.
I know getting involved with him will mean saying goodbye to my heart.
I know I should say no.
I know I'll say yes.

Genres: Romance, Military Fiction, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Military Romance, New Adult

280 pages, Paperback

Published June 12, 2023

About the author

C.W. Farnsworth is the author of numerous adult and young adult romance novels featuring sports, strong female leads, and happy endings.

Charlotte lives in Rhode Island and when she isn’t writing spends her free time reading, at the beach, or snuggling with her Australian Shepherd.

Find her on Facebook (@cwfarnsworth), Twitter (@cw_farnsworth), Instagram (@authorcwfarnsworth) and check out her website www.authorcwfarnsworth.com for news about upcoming releases!

Reviews

[book bruin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't DNF this one. There were some sweet moments and I loved the "we've known each other since childhood" aspect as well as the brother's best friend trope, but there really wasn't much there in terms of connection or friendship. Gray and Evie never talked. They talked around things, had lots of sex (they did have sexual chemistry), and really never resolved any of their issues. Gray's hot and cold behavior got old really fast, but Evie's surprise and hurt feelings that this commitment phobic guy wouldn't commit really bugged me. Gray was a lot of things, but he was honest about that from the very start. The lack of Gray's POV really hurt the story and though we do get a snippet at the end, it was too little too late.

All the talk about Evie's virginity (why was the word "intact" used in the story??) was annoying, but what really killed it for me was having to hear all about Gray's sexual history. I don't care if he's had sex with OW/is experienced, but to be reminded of it throughout the story was too much. Perfect example - the reader is told (more than once) about his recent threesome. Then we get details like: it happened the night before he started things with the heroine, that technically he only had sex with one of them, and the other just sucked him off. *insert all the eye roll emojis here please* Oh and don't forget him texting one of his hookups to not come over, while in bed next to the heroine, after they had sex the first time.

I'm giving this one 2 stars only because it kept me reading and even through my rage, I didn't DNF.

CW: MMC has a strained relationship with his parents (especially his father), mentions of death of a friend during active duty, grief

OW/OM notes: there are a few scenes of OW and OM drama (from ex's, coworkers, old hookups, etc), MMC has extensive sexual history while FMC is a virgin, FMC kisses OM during separation, no sex with OW or OM during separation

*Read via Kindle Unlimited*

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I binge this book in 1 night? Yes I did. But this should surprise most people.

Read this if you life:
✨ brothers best friend / forbidden boy next door
✨ a brooding grumpy hero who is serving in the military
✨ a kick butt heroine who is doing her cardiovascular residency

You all know I love a grumpy hero. And Grayson was no different. Evie has had a crush on him since she was 7. Now she is back home for her medical residency and he is home on leave. Soon begins a secret friends with benefits situation that turns into so much more. The chemistry between these two is amazing. I just loved the little moments with Grayson and Evie.

The only thing I would change- I wanted Grayson’s POV. But even without it, I absolutely just ADORED this book.

[a 🔮 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first I heard of this author, when I read the blurb I stopped at “brother’s best friend” I didn’t know much else except the FMC was a doctor and the brother’s best friend was in the military.

I didn’t know what to expect, but this was not really it. I hoping for some pining/angst/ idk SOMETHING.

I wouldn’t say this book is good or bad its just there. I will say the things I did not enjoy outweighed the things I did.

Things I liked:
- most of the tropes, I did enjoy brother’s best friend, childhood neighbors
- The side characters were great
- Gray had some good moments/lines but he mainly belongs in the bottom list.
- Evie as a character had more good moments but still was infuriating a lot of the time.
- there were some cute moments…

Things I think could use some work/things I personally did not enjoy:
- Gray as a character was very flat to me. Having this be a dual POV could have made it better. We are constantly in Evie’s head and she’s guessing a lot about him
- Evie constantly guessing and not speaking as to what is on her mind was frustrating
- Their “we have problems, we fight about the problems, then we fuck the problems away, and then the problems are actually not gone” form of communication was annoying. Their miscommunication, well lack of communication really.
- They didn’t seem to have any chemistry outside of physical/sexual. BECAUSE THEY DONT TALK. A lot of Gray’s character depended on the fact that he’s known her for 20 years, because they barely talked when they were in person. Because of this its a hard stretch to believe he’s also been pining for her for 20 years.
- This is not a friends with benefits situation, Evie and Gray are not friends, this is more casual acquaintances who casually fuck have zero contact outside of that.
- I am not enjoying the use of “intact” to mean virginity. (Ex. “Does it bother you that I’m…intact?”) 🥴
- Let alone the lowkey fetishization of the FMC being a virgin “It’s hot, knowing no other guy has been inside you.” And this was AFTER the LI freaked the fuck out and insulted her for being a virgin. And the later did a half assed apology. 🙄
- I’m sorry the use of “foreign warmth” for his cum inside her 🤢
- The spice…

Anyway, you’re probably asking yourself, “if you didn’t like it why didn’t you dnf?” And I will answer that for you it was short and while I did not enjoy it per-say, I was entertained. Overall not a good or bad time, 2.5 stars rounding down for goodreads. I would read something else by this author.

[Fanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fly Bye no deja de ser una novela romantica muy sencilla, sin embargo, la pluma de la autora es bastante amena, lo que hace que los capitulos pasen sumamente rapido.

Obviamente no empece a leer esperando ningun Best Seller, tal vez por eso no me defraudo, mis expectativas eran nulas y llegue a pasar un buen momento leyendo.

El romance es bonito pero muy tipico. No tiene nada que lo haga destacar sobre otros libros con una trama similar, no obstante, fue de menos a mas.

Me falto que la autora profundizara en algunos detalles que para mi eran esenciales, pero en general, Fly Bye fue lo que esperaba cuando lei la sinopsis.

En fin, una historia simple. No es lo mejor del mundo pero entretiene y creo que la trama esta bien llevada. Puede que repita con C. W. Farnsworth.

2.75 Estrellas!

[Sarah~Book Obsession Confessions · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 STARS
✈️
I got pulled into Evie’s fascination and desire for Gray, the forbidden boy next door and her brother’s best friend.
I love this trope and I think the author did a beautiful job with this story.
All the youthful feelings of adoration and longing were conveyed so well.
The hope that Evie continues to secretly hold on to that Gray will truly see her and choose her continues into adulthood.
As adults they both are back in their hometown and there’s a shift between the two that turns into an affair with a time-limit.
I felt for Evie, it’s such an easy thing to understand even as I was cursing her naïveté for believing she could handle just sex with the only person she’s had strong feelings for.
Gray is closed off and behaves in a way that had me as enthralled and frustrated as poor Evie. He gives her and the reader emotional whiplash. He’s hot and cold. He lets her in a little just to slam the proverbial door on her.
I loved the way it kept me off balance, wondering how he really feels. I was on the emotional ride with Evie. I HAD to know how this would play out.
There’s passion and incredible chemistry between the two. There are moments of emotional connection that I loved.
I loved the little moments when Gray made me feel butterflies. I loved the peeks into his feelings, I began to really adore him and get an idea of why he behaved the way he did and what was holding him back.
I loved the mood, the emotions and the journey that I went on with these characters.
I love these characters and their story so much.
It has a poetic and emotional subtlety that made it such a pleasure to read.
I’m still feeling giddy over this story.

[Jenna ♡ (jennascornerrr) · Rating 2 out of 5]

shockingly underwhelming. i wanted to read a steamy book about brothers best friend who happens to be a pilot. what i got was a steamy book that lacked in plot and him being a pilot was referenced a handful of times :(

2 stars for smut and readability

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book in over a year and a half didn't disappoint!

I love the brother's best friend trope. I don't have a brother, so I think it's a fun little escape for me. I really liked Evie. She was a strong female character in love with her brother's grumpy best friend. I honestly would have given this book 5 stars had it been written in the dual POV. I needed more about Grayson and the way he was and I wasn't able to get it from just Evie.

Thanks to Deanna at A Novel Glimpse for the recommendation.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!!

This is a beautifully written emotionally charged story, which has family dynamics, friendships, challenges, tension, angst, humour, witty banter, heartbreak, intrigue, and love which all leads to an entertaining, unpredictable, heartfelt, and steamy addictive page turner.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

[jordan εїз · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars 🌟 THIS WAS SOO GOOD AND I THINK MY FAV SO FAR 💖😊✈️ i can’t describe how much i loved grayevie and i’m sad that there story was so short 😕 they were really fucking cute and i loved that they both loved each other for such a long time! i also love military romances & the brothers best friend trope, so this checked those boxes for me too ✅ love love loved this book and this couple sm 😇

[whatashisreading | missing the wing leader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im shocked at how much I liked this! It was so cute

[Samia · Rating 4 out of 5]

was pretty okay - a quick and easy read
kind of underwhelming to be honest
did not really like the mc

[Nour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gray & Evie
Tres léger,
Troisième livre de cet auteur que je lis, toujours dans le même style, de la romance toute simple (0 spicy)
Dommage que les métiers des deux personnages ne sont pas plus approfondis (pilote dans l’armée et cardiologue)

[natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ★

eviegray my tinies

[Kaetrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for AudioGals.

(received review copy from Podium Audio.)

Narrated by Courtney Patterson & Neill Thorne

Everly (Evie) Collins has just finished medical school in Boston. She’s returned home to Charleston to do her residency. She’s super smart so was able to graduate early. When she was five years old, Grayson Phillips and his parents moved into the house next door. Gray and Evie’s brother, Noah, became best friends. Evie never got over her crush. Fly Bye is their journey to a HEA.

Gray is a pilot in the Air Force and even though he is not based in Charleston, nonetheless has an apartment he shares with another friend. I don’t know why. There are quite a few things Gray does or says which didn’t make sense to me or strike me as plausible. For instance, one of Gray’s favourite things is “surfing a flat sea” (I believe that’s called “paddling”). I don’t think a fighter pilot is allowed to bring his girlfriend onto base and take her up for a joy ride in a jet. I don’t think fighter pilots on deployment get come home for 24 hours as “co-pilot” for a fellow pilot who has a family emergency. (It wasn’t stated explicitly but it was strongly implied that they flew a fighter jet 5000 miles for this.) So, yeah, there were things which were all for plot and not because they made actual sense.

Anywho, Gray is in town and Evie and he decide to have a fling. She’s a virgin because of course she is. He balks at first but then changes his mind and they bang a lot for about a month but from the beginning, Gray makes it clear he’s not a long term option. However, Gray’s words and actions don’t always line up and Evie becomes, understandably, confused. After Gray is deployed he calls her and tells her she is on his list of people to contact if something happens to him. That’s not what you’d expect from a fling.

Evie graduated early but she’s not Doogie Howser. Much of the time she came across to me as emotionally immature and this didn’t really gel with the rest of her character and the mettle it takes to succeed in medical school.

There was a little too much of nothing happening – a whole bit about Evie having lunch at work one day for example where nothing happened except she didn’t enjoy the anchovies repeating on her afterwards and bought an iced tea afterwards – that made my eyes glaze over.

I struggled with this listen. I was tempted to DNF it at times. However, I did listen until the end and there were some entertaining and engaging things in the book. Gray and Evie did have good chemistry and the section when they were in Beaufort (I’m guessing at the spelling here but it was pronounced Byew-fort in the book if that helps) was my favourite. Gray could be a real jerk at times but he could also be sweet and he did give good grovel.

The narration, by Courtney Patterson (except for the epilogue which was read by Neill Thorne), was very good even though at times I thought the material she had to work with was not. Her character voices were well differentiated and she had good tone, pacing and emotion. I’d happily listen to her again.

Neill Thorne’s narration was so brief it was difficult to really have an opinion on it. Good, I guess? The grade here is for Ms. Patterson though as she did the bulk of the book.

Fly Bye didn’t turn out to be my cup of tea but it has a 4.17 rating on Goodreads to I seem to be in the minority.

[alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

— 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

◦•●◉✿ 𝐅𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐲𝐞 ✿◉●•◦

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬 (h), has always had feelings for her brother’s best friend but never acted upon it because 1) He’s in the Air Force and hadn’t seen him for a few years and 2) She didn’t think he reciprocated her feelings and it could have ruined his friendship with her brother. 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 (H), is back in town and he isn’t ready for commitment. When Evie makes a move on him, they agree that it’s just sex and nothing beyond that. It’s difficult for Evie to separate her feeling and convince herself it means nothing, when deep down she wanted to mean something to him. For a while, Gray tells her that he isn’t interested in her anything beyond a fling, but eventually he starts enjoying her presence and loses interest in any other girl. Gray has to keep leaving back to his duties which leaves Evie heartbroken, but she accepts what he’s able to give.

◦•●◉✿𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 ✿◉●•◦

When he told her it was a mistake as soon as they had sex KNOWING she was a virgin, that was so disrespectful. He could have had the decency to be nice about it, but he automatically brushed her off and told her she knew what she was getting into. While he did warn her, it didn’t give him the right to act like an asshole. He redeemed himself yes — he didn’t talk to any other girls and was strictly with Evie but he was still not direct about his feelings. He would leave her hanging A LOT and have her questioning his intentions. He should have called, it doesn’t matter that he didn’t know what to say… at least let her know what you’re processing everything she said?? NO, he ignored her FOR TWO WEEKS and then came back like nothing.

I do believe that he’s had a thing for her ever since they were younger, but he didn’t love her until now. He did have some character growth and owned up to his wrongs and even asked to be stationed closer to her, so that really shows that he was serious about being with her. He’s also very patient and loves to listen to everything she says and understands that her job is demanding because it’s the same with his. I actually really loved them together despite all the miscommunication and his inability to talk about his feelings. I think it was the sneaking around that made it so interesting and had me hooked, especially when Emmett, Harrison, and Noah walked in on them in the kitchen 🫣. Another cute aspect was how Gray let Evie use his Jeep while he was away so she wouldn’t have to take the bus ❤️‍🩹 he’s so. For the most part, Gray got better throughout the book and showed that he was TRYING.

◦•●◉✿ 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 ✿◉●•◦

Noah, Evie’s brother was so sweet and protective. He honestly would have dropped Gray in seconds, but she didn’t want what she had with Gray to ruin their friendship. He was always checking in with her and making sure she was sleeping well and taking care of herself, since she works long hours as a Doctor. Also, Harrison and Emmett being so welcoming every-time Evie joined their hangouts and cared for her as a little sister 🤍. I love love love a found family and this felt exactly that.

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥, this book was really cute and I haven’t read the brother’s best friend trope in a while, so I forgot how good it was. I’m gonna go down a rabbit hole with this trope again 🤭.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 STARS

Gray drove me crazy with how terrible his communication was but I lived for the drama. I binged this book in a day and I don’t regret a single second. MMC is brother’s best friend and in the Air Force, FMC is a doctor and that combo made for an interesting dynamic. Typically, the miscommunication trope is a hard pass for me but I was so engrossed with the couple that I was devouring their story.

[HMS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this romance.

[SHARMIN QURESHI · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sooo soooo goooddd 😭😭😭 . You know when a book is amazing when you cry so much while reading it and you just shut off for about whole 15 minutes just to absorb it all and just to think about it and start crying again.... This book was IT for me .

That lingering stares , that lounging in eyes , that goodbye when he goes back to base camp for months and that bone crushing hugs and tears when he surprises you at your work place after being gone for more than a month and only two calls ..... Yeah that I crave in a book and this just made me so so emotional I am crying right now while writing this review and my vision keep blurring because of the tears .

This books has everything I look for in a book and what I feel . Because I'm a girl who cries when she hasn't seen him for a long time and I hug them so hard that we both stumble a bit and I always cry because I'm so much emotional and I care with whole my heart ( btw I'm single since a while 🫠🫠)


I'm just gonna say no just gonna scream READ THIS BOOK ASAP because it is devastatingly amazing and so so PURE .

[Natalie - FerryGoodBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there is one thing I know for sure, when Katrina (@theendbookclub) recommends a book I am going to devour and love it. Usually going into a book with a trope like this, I have a bit of trepidation because for me it either works or it doesn’t and in this instance it was amazing! I haven’t felt chemistry like Evie and Grays in a very long time and I haven’t had a story take over my heart like this one did in a while. All the years of pinning felt all consuming and made for amazing tensions filled scenes between Gray and Evie.

I loved that this author made their situation realistic and relatable without all the unnecessary drama. There was a lot of truthfulness to their story which made it so enjoyable for me to read. You easily became attached to not only Gray and Evie, but the rest of the supporting cast. I felt a part of their world and a part of this group and I was completely sad when the last page was read. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evie has had a twenty year long crush on her brother’s best friend Gray. It’s always been him. But Gray? He’s in the Air Force, a constant rolodex of girls that come into his bed, and a determined bachelor for life. Until one spontaneous semi-drunken kiss leads to a sex-only arrangement, but how will Evie’s heart survive this massive break when all is said and done.

AH, HOLY CANNOLI. This was SO good. As in SOOO good. As Molly put it, it was the brother’s best friend romance that I never knew I needed! It was just solid. Perfect. Loved Gray, Evie, and their relationship. I definitely swooned at the small gestures that showed Gray cared, laughed at their banter, and of course ugly cried when Evie’s heart was being shattered. Gah!

I recommend if you are in the mood for a bingeworthy steamy romance.

[Emily * ˚ ✩ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read!

*spoilers ahead*

The Characters: I like Evie a lot. I thought it was super how she was a doctor and smart. I felt like she experienced a bit of..revertigo? When you revert back to a younger version of yourself. Lowkey Gray sucks. Military men = red flag. I guess he was very upfront about what their relationship was but he proceeded to lead her on. I liked Nolan, Emmett, and the other friend a lot. I also liked Rose and the other residents a lot.

So this is feeling very similar to Like I Never Said. The FMC is well aware of how the MMC is.. still gets involved… gets disappointed…they make up with minimal groveling. It was fun to read but I felt like Evie deserved better (and I’m glad all the other characters agreed). But imagine how much of a power couple they’d be if they were both MDs.

I will note out of all the military branches air force is my favorite (cause of fast planes) so this is fine.

The Book Cover: it’s cute! I don’t mind the human.

Overall. It was a fun read!

[Camille 🪩 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gray and Evie

Surprisingly good. More sexual chemistry than actual communication but hey, binge read right ?

Quotes:

“I just had a free minute. So, I thought I’d call. I wanted to hear your voice. Just… tell me about your day.”

“As you know, I’m a very careful driver. It’ll be in perfect shape when you take it back. No accidents, I promise.” He’s silent for a beat.
“If you were in an accident, I wouldn’t give a fuck about the car, Evie.” (Him giving her his car when he’s on the call 😍😍)

“It’s always been you, for me.”

For someone who took the Hippocratic Oath, she doesn’t seem all that concerned about my ability to breathe.

“I know you’ve practiced writing Evie Phillips in notebooks a lot⁠—”
“All that matters is those years of practicing Phillips pay off. I have to sign my name on a lot of paperwork, you know.”

[michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo acabe en una noche, aiuda.

“You’re lucky I love you.”
“You’re lucky I love you.” Something about this moment—the blonde hair spilling over her shoulder, the dark wood backdrop of the bar, the happy gleam in her eyes—makes my chest tighten with the realization that losing Evie is not an option. Ever.
“Yeah, I am.”


“He’s…he makes me forget there are other people walking around in the world, you know?”


REST IN PEACE ME. RIP ME. I DIED DEAD.

[Matou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved Evie, the main character, but didn’t really connect with Gray, the love interest.

He fell quite flat and his character basically has 2 descriptive traits: A) being in the Air Force and B) being good at sex.
He did get better by the end but considering the length of the book, that’s not saying much.

Easy read but mid overall. Decent smut. I expected a lot more angst/heartbreak (or at least some depths) and got close to nothing of those.

Last 20% were good.

3.5 stars rounded down for GR

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

hot &cold

This was kind of annoying . Gray was really mean, and indifferent to her in the beginning. Cold. Hot, cold, then hot again. It was like this the whole book till a little over 80%. Then all the sudden gray had his head on straight. That was just annoying.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
It's not the best book ever and it does need improving but I was still entertained

[Amy Wilkerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

*clears throat* “Alexa play best friends brother by Victoria Justice”

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the brother's best friend trope, specially when the main character has had a crush on the love interest forever

this was SO cute <3

also love that this was set in Charleston!

[Sofie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Diana Aldama · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 ⭐️

Quick and easy read!! love her books how they’re just fast and simple read through! wish to have gotten grays POV but overall think was pretty good, wish we got more tho 🤍💞