The Girl Who Took Flight

The Airline Girls #2

by Lizzie Page

Air hostess Lola has made her home in the skies, starting afresh after losing everything. But when her past comes calling, can she face it head on – or will it destroy everything she’s worked so hard for?

England, 1948. It’s been ten years since Lola arrived from Germany as a scared, trembling Jewish refugee. Even now, she can’t think about the family she lost back in Berlin, or her heartbreak will destroy her.

Instead Lola looks to the the new family she’s found working in a job she adores as one of England’s first airline stewardesses, and the butterflies she feels around handsome pilot Brian – even if the thought of opening her heart again terrifies her. But when news of the Berlin Blockade reaches England and the Allies decide to provide supplies to the desperate people of Berlin by air, Lola’s boss offers his fleet to the cause.

Lola’s chest squeezes painfully tight at the thought of putting herself in danger to help the country that took everything from her. But when she sets foot on German soil once more, will confronting her past open up old wounds – or finally help them heal for good?

An emotional, uplifting and inspiring historical novel that will break your heart and then put it back together again. Perfect for fans of Sandy Taylor, Call the Midwife and Come Fly With Me

Genres: Historical Fiction

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 6, 2026

About the author

Hello and thank you for stopping by.

I love reading ALL the books, and I've always loved reading the adventures of women in the past so it seemed natural to me to write historical fiction.

I live with my family by the sea in South East England. And with my dog. How did I forget my dog? I enjoy traveling and lived in Japan for several years. I've had lots of different jobs from waitressing and teaching to admin and bingo-calling - but being a writer is my absolute favourite.

I hope my novels help shine a light on the achievements, love and relationships of twentieth-century women, and that the books are entertaining and moving.

I'd love to hear what you think - feel free to send me a message on twitter @LizziePagewrite or on FB or leave a review here.

Happy reading,

Love Lizzie xx

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun]

Although this is book two in the Airline Girls series, it can stand alone.

I was amazed at the author’s ability to balance the FMC’s background and emotional choice with a rich historical account highlighting the Western Allies response to the Berlin Blockade. With a multitude of wartime fiction available, books with a unique setting or event stand tall. This historical fiction story is one such book. I found myself thinking about the difference responding versus reacting makes in deescalating a situation and about how some wartime victims handled survivor’s guilt and/or the call to defend themselves yet again.

We could all do with a reminder to stay true to ourselves and to consider responding when our human nature wants to react. The FMC is given an opportunity to ‘turn the other cheek’ and to right a wrong. When the past comes calling will she be pulled back into her circumstances or will she look beyond and remember who she is and what she represents?

Lola’s role, and her subsequent healing, in this unprecedented airlift is inspiring.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Sue Plant]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

its the 2nd book in the series and it can be read as a stand alone

ohhh man this one hits all the spots just right... catching up with everyone and then getting into the next part of their stories and this one is about lola

her journey back to germany and what she finds there... and what can she do......

its a compelling read that wont release you until the end....

looking forward to the next book by this author

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50)]

The Girl Who Took Flight
By: Lizzie Page
Pub Date: August 6, 2026
Publisher: Bookouture

I love this series. This is the 2nd in The Airline Girls series. The First was “The Airline Girl”.
England, 1948
Ten years ago, Lola arrived in Germany as a Jewish refugee. Sadly, she lost her family in Berlin. She is now working as one England’s first airline stewardesses. She is smitten with Brian who is pilot. She has been trying to move forward. As of news of the Berlin Blockage reaches England, her boss offers their fleet to help with supplies. Her heart is pounding and memories are coming back. She has to return to Germany where she lost everything.
Full of emotions, and will tug and every emotion. Will she be able to heal and help when needed?
I hope the author continues this series. This author knows how to tell a heartwarming story and I was invested in the characters.

[Emma Robinson]

Heartrending and compelling – I loved it!

Having really enjoyed the first book in the Airline Girls series, I couldn’t wait to read Lola’s story. From the very beginning I was hooked by perspective on life in England during this period and the social and political history that shaped it.

Lizzie Page’s prose is always fluid and a pleasure to lose yourself in and I learn so much about history – and the forgotten women who played a vital part in it – from her books. There was something special about Lola, though and I find that I can’t get her out of my head. She has a deep moral compass and compassion, but also a feisty and determined spirit, that makes her both compelling and easy to love.

Page doesn’t shy away from giving us the reality of life in this period, but manages to do so with a light touch that is honest but keeps the narrative positive and hopeful. Her books always teach me something about the past and yet give me something to reflect on in our current situation. This is what makes her such a gifted writer.

I am now desperate to get my hands on the final book in the trilogy. I want more of Lola and Audrey – but cannot wait to see what Lizzie Page has to reveal about Cheryl!

[Leona]

This is the second book in the Airline Girls series but it can be read as a standalone.
The story revolves around Air Stewardess Lola. Lola has had a very tough life arriving from Germany as a Jewish refugee, ten years have passed as it’s now 1948 and she’s now working in her dream job. Then when things change and the airline offers to help the people of Berlin, Lola feels she has no choice but to help. This was at times a heartbreaking read but it also showed courage and compassion during awful times. Whilst this isn’t a fast paced read it’s one that had me captivated from start to finish.

[Sarah (BookedMyShelfSolid)]

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for the eARC of The Girl Who Took Flight by Lizzie Page, expected publication August 6, 2026. All thoughts are my own. I rated this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars on Goodreads.

As someone who reads a lot of WWII historical fiction, I love finding books that explore the aftermath and years following the war. The Girl Who Took Flight fits that perfectly.

Lola Klein and her brother Saul are German Jews who escaped to England on the Kindertransport in 1938, leaving their family behind. Years later, Lola has become a Dream Girls airline stewardess and finds herself returning to Berlin during the Berlin Airlift, a place she promised she'd never go back to. Once there, she's forced to confront the city she fled and the memories she left behind.

This is the second book in the Airline Girls series. While it absolutely works as a standalone, I wasn't fully invested at first. There was quite a bit of background on Audrey and Cheryl, Lola's best friends and fellow flight girls, and I found myself wanting to get deeper into Lola's story. I also initially wondered if this was YA and even looked it up because the tone felt younger than I expected. There's nothing wrong with that, it just wasn't what I was expecting.

Once the focus shifted to the Berlin Airlift, I was hooked. It's such an important moment in history that I feel often gets glossed over. I have similar feelings about the Kindertransport, it's another chapter of history that deserves far more recognition. I actually wished there had been even more emphasis on it in this book.

My favorite part of the story was watching Lola wrestle with the conflict of returning to Germany, a country that took so much from her, while also feeling an undeniable need to help the people still struggling there.

The historical research shines throughout the novel. In addition to the Berlin Airlift and the Kindertransport, I also loved the smaller historical details woven into the story, including the mentions of Dutch Olympic champion Fanny Blankers-Koen, which helped bring the late-1940s setting to life without ever feeling like a history lesson.

This isn't a nonstop, action-packed historical fiction novel. It's a character-driven story about healing and resilience after unimaginable trauma. If you enjoy historical fiction that explores the lasting effects of WWII long after the fighting ended, I think this is one worth picking up.

[Brenda]

Lola and Saul had arrived in England from Germany, with the Kindertransport back in 1938, and after learning their parents and grandparents hadn't survived, they both looked forward in their lives. Lola had joined the group of first airhostesses at the airport in Southend, and loved it. Her time in the sky was exhilarating. But when, in 1948, The Berlin Blockade happened, with the Russians doing their worst, the Allies decided to help the starving people of Berlin with supplies dropped from the air. Even though the Nazis were the ones who'd killed her family, Lola felt a need to help. Flying to Hamburg, then on to Berlin, was both terrifying and exciting. The people she met were desperate; some could be evacuated, the others received supplies.

Lola knew she had it in her to help; meeting Keren and Peter, both young children, saw her determined to rescue them. But could she? And where would she take them if she could? Her two air hostess friends - Audrey & Cheryl - were her family, both different, but the three of them were as thick as thieves. Did they approve Lola and what she was doing?

The Girl Who Took Flight is the 2nd in The Airline Girls series by Lizzie Page and I really enjoyed it. And I have just discovered #3 is due out early in 2027! Lola is a courageous character, although a little naive - she's only young. The setting of Southend was wonderful, the airport, although new, was easy to picture among the beaches and countryside. An excellent historical which I recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for my digital ARC to read and review.

[Teresa]

Book 2 in The Airline Girls series focuses on Lola Klein who those who have read the first book will remember as one of the original air hostesses hired by Dreamgirls Airlines. The series is set in Southend airport outside London in the late 1940's, when air travel began to take off after WWII. Lola, Audrey and Cheryl are the 3 original hires by Dreamgirls and The Girl Who Took Flight picks up where The Airline Girl (Audrey's story) left off. Eleven year old Lola and her 10 year old brother were part of the kindertransport that sent thousands of (mostly Jewish) children from Germany to Great Britain in 1938-1940, rescuing them from Nazis but separating them from their families and now, after more than a decade in Britain, even with the war over, they have no desire to ever go back and nobody to go back to. Lola has made a good life for herself, but when the Soviets block all rail, road and water access to Berlin, she worries WWIII is going to break out. Instead, she finds herself part of the Berlin Airlift while also navigating major changes in her personal life. The tone of the story is a little detached, but that works well because I think that is how Lola feels about most things, given her history. I enjoyed the historical components: I vaguely recalled learning about the Berlin airlift, but this story brought it to life. Lola is smart and independent - she helped lead the fight against the marriage bar that prevented married women from working as air hostesses - and makes for an interesting and engaging heroine!

[Angela Brown]

This is the second book in the series about Air hostesses immediately after WW2.
I had read the first but it would be perfectly possible to read this as a stand-alone.

I was fascinated by the history and the story of the Berlin Airlift - I’m too young to remember this but knew that Berlin was a divided city. It must have been horrific to be isolated in the middle of a country that had lost so much to War (as indeed Britain had)

I found it hard to like Lola Klein. It can’t be denied that as a Jew in Nazi Germany she had seen and been subjected to so much, travel to England with her brother and loss of her family often not knowing what had happened to them and having to imagine. But she seemed so self centred. She didn’t even want her brother to have his own life it seemed to me.

Once again the research that Lizzie Page had done was exemplary and the book is well written. We know that there is at least one more to come as we find out Cheryl’s story. Bound to be totally different to Lola’s. Who by the way does redeem herself slightly by the end for me.

A different take on post WW2 life

[Monica Mac]

This is the second book in the series about the Airline Girls, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

Lola was a German refugee a decade ago and when she gets the chance to go back to Berlin as an adult, she hesitates, not knowing if this would be the best idea, emotionally speaking. Her brother doesn't understand why she would want to go at all, since they have no family other than the two of them, but Lola is conflicted.

When the airline that Lola works for decides to take part in the Berlin Blockade, which consists of dropping supplies off to the starving inhabitants and taking some people back to England, she is a natural one to ask, although her boss has an ulterior motive for wanting to help out.

Interesting storyline, with the author describing very well the difficulties that still faced Europe, even though WWII was officially over, and the attitudes that people had towards Jewish people.

This was a good book but I wasn't quite as emotionally invested as I was whilst reading the first one. Not sure why.

4 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

[Christine]

I tremendously enjoyed this second novel of the series (can be read as a standalone as well!). Again, the author wrote about a topic which is very sensitive, and she did it with much warmth as well as delicacy as well. Topics such as Berlin after WWII, seen through the eyes of a young Jewish woman who had come to England on a Kindertransport; Germans seen through the eyes of the same young lady: what thoughts go through her mind??? Should she help those people? Were they (still) Nazis? What about the children? I don't even mention the survival's guilt !!!
Indeed, through her job as an air hostess and her secretive boss, Lola is sent to Tempelhof airport in Berlin in 1948 to do what exactly????
Many questions will be raised which will have a deep impact on her lufe now and later...
A great novel with meticulous historical research which will move the reader, and bring her/him to reflect on guilt, forgiveness (?) and hope for a peaceful future.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

[Caroline’s Page~Turners]

Lola, an air hostess, finds solace in the skies after losing everything. As a Jewish refugee from Germany, she carries the deep sorrow of losing her family in Berlin. The war has left an indelible mark on her heart.

Lola cherishes her role as one of the pioneering airline stewardesses. However, when her boss volunteers his fleet to supply Berlin with much needed supplies, Lola is torn. She hesitates to risk her safety for the country that took her family from her.

“The Girl Who Took Flight,” a heartwarming and inspiring tale by Lizzie Page, weaves a captivating narrative of hope and family. I was enthralled by the story and couldn’t put it down, eagerly anticipating the unfolding events.

The story left me breathless as I witnessed Lola’s courage and determination when she returned to Germany. It resonated deeply with me, touching my heart and leaving a lasting impression. I highly recommend this inspiring story to anyone seeking a tale of resilience and hope.

Grab your copy today!! https://amazn.so/GirlWhoTookFlight

[Jacqui]

Lola came to England as a refugee with her brother on the Kindertransport. Now she's built a life as one of England's first air stewardesses. When news of the Berlin Blockade comes through, the Allies decide to provide supplies to the desperate people of Berlin. When her boss offers their fleet for support, Lola decides to offer her support. She heads back to Berlin for the first time since she left. Will it open old wounds or heal them?

I enjoyed this sequel to the Airline Girls. This one focused on Lola, who was a Jewish refugee who lost all of her family except for her brother, who came to England with her. It was an interesting perspective on life as a former refugee and moving on after the war and losing her family.
She and her brother had different ways of dealing with their lives post-war. I'm looking forward to the next story in the series.

Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author for this arc.

[DianeLikesToRead]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I am so glad that I found this series! This is the second book and can be read as a standalone, but you will enjoy the whole series!
After fleeing Nazi Germany as a child, Lola Klein is a stewardess with a British airline. She is navigating life in a new country without her family.
It’s 1948 and the Russians started the Berlin Blockade. Lola’s boss decides to help with the Berlin Airlift and drop supplies to the poor people of Germany. Lola summoned all of her courage to go back to Germany.
I have never read a book about the Berlin Airlift. I appreciate the research that went into the story. But it was a true story that was character driven, and did not read like a history book. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#The Girl Who Took Flight
#LizziePageBookTour #NetGalley #Bookouture #NewBook #ILoveBooks #BookLove #Bookstagram #SummerRead

[Patty]

3.5 stars

This is the second book in the series, can be read as a stand-alone.

Lola and her brother were lucky enough to be evacuated from Berlin as children. Now an adult and working as a flight attendant for Dreamgirls airline, Lola never expects she will return to Berlin, that's all in her past now. But when the Berlin Airlift begins and her always-scheming boss decides to give up his airplanes for the effort, he also volunteers Lola to participate. Of course he has other reasons but since those are spoilers I won't say.

I liked this story, admired the main character's bravery, but I found that the story moved a bit slower than the first book. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series that I presume will feature Cheryl, the boisterously outgoing member of the trio of Dreamgirls.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

[Melissa * bookedwithmel]

I was excited to continue with this series. I like that it’s set post WWII. It’s a little different than the last one, but I liked that. We get less about the girls as a group and more about just one of them.

This is Lola’s story. I really enjoyed getting more of her story. We learn about her past and her family. She’s hesitant to get invested in any kind of romantic relationship. She just wants to work and spend time with her friends but she’s constantly surrounded by men who are interested in her.

While the girls wait for the new Dream Girls planes, Lola volunteers to help with the Berlin Blockade, when England and the Allies provided supposed to Berlin. It was hard for Lola to return to her former home, but part of her had to do it. She needed to come to terms with her past in whatever way she could.

I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy of this book.

[Dawn Lawrence Read_with_Lola]

I really enjoyed this book the 2nd instalment in the Airline Girls series. It was lovely getting to know Lola better, the author is so good at writing sensitively when the subject is difficult. Lola is loving working as a flight attendant alongside her friends, fairly early on she has a very bad experience on a flight which shakes her to her core and brings back memories of having to flee Germany as a child. The story follows the girls through their ups and downs. It can be read as a stand alone but I would start with the first book. A, because it’s brilliant and B, because you will get to know Audrey’s story. It’s an interesting read, it’s set after WW2 has ended but the war is still affecting the world they live in. Highly recommend, Lizzie Page is such a great author!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. Publication date 6 August 2026.

[Paula]

The Girl Who Took Flight by Lizzie Page is another one of the air hostess’ stories. This time it is Lola who came to England from Germany before the war. Now she has a new life and a new job in post WWII 1948. It is a time of change after the war. Being an airline stewardess is part of the changes taking place with Lola loving her new career. Looking at life from Lola’s perspective is a fascinating one since her memories of leaving Germany are not good. Having to face those memories and come to terms with them is a sad, and truthful but also uplifting story. She has faired better than many still in occupied Germany. I liked how she still thought well of most people even when they were not good or deserved any help. An exceptional story of the lasting effects of the war but also the resilience of many including Lola.

[Karen]

The Girl Who Took Flight is book two in The Airline Girls series by fabulous author Lizzie Page.

This captivating story centres around Lola, who was evacuated from Berlin to the UK with her brother in 1938. Following the end of World War II, she joins the Dreamgirls team alongside Audrey and Cheryl. Lola struggles with the distressing news of the Berlin blockade imposed by Stalin. She grows increasingly worried when Mr Liker, her boss, decides to help the people of Berlin. Is she brave enough to return to the city that took her family because of their faith?

Once again, Lizzie has taken me back to the 1940’s and drawn me into the Dreamgirls team! I love how she has captured the essence of the period, so I could envisage myself being there. I’m eagerly awaiting book three ……

Grab your copy today!

[Sue Garland]

THE GIRL WHO TOOK FLIGHT is the second novel in the Airline Girls series by LIZZIE PAGE but it can easily stand alone. It is a well thought out novel with interesting characters and a moving story about a young air hostess, who escaped Berlin during WW11 on the Kindertransport with her younger brother Saul, and who becomes involved in the Berlin Airlift, which gives her a new outlook on life. I love the way the author brings out Lola’s feelings for us…….
The book is interesting and emotional and a really good read, which opens our eyes, not only to the horrors of the Nazi regime, but also to the aftermath of the war, which is often forgotten.
I was given a copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

[Elaine Briggs]

This the second book in this series but you don’t have too have read the first.It is 1948 just after WW2 has ended and Lola Klein an air hostess with .Lola and her brother Saul who were Jews left Germany on the Kindertransport in 1938 and Lola said she was never going back. Lola then finds herself going back to Germany to help with the Berlin Airlift to help the poor people that were suffering shortages of everyday things.Lola goes through many emotions as she lost so much when she was last there.I really enjoyed this book as it told you more of what happened to Germany after the war finished.

[irene currie]

Emotional

What a terrific storyline thoroughly enjoyed reading it from the start to the end how Lola overcame so much heart break from being small with her brother Saul getting brought out of Germany to live in England without parents then getting her dream job and once again being in the thick of it Lizzie as always tells the story straight from the heart this is the second in the series the first was amazing and so is this all I can say is if you haven't already read them then you should personally I can't wait for the next one in the series to come out so looking forward to it five stars plus

[Jillean Ansley]

Not sure why I gave it two stars, just didn't want to be too negative. I bought this book at the same time I bought the first one in the series. Was not enthusiastic about the first one and if I hadn't already bought it, never would have after reading the first one. I started this story but too hard going, I was not interested in it rambling on about Germany, Russia, etc. I began flicking through the pages then gave up completely. Not for me. I know about history and WW2, don't want to read anymore about it. I want something entertaining.

[Janilyn Kocher]

Setting the book against the backdrop of,the Berlin Airlift is a good narrative.
I haven’t read much historical,fiction about the airlift so it was a good choice.
Sophie is determined to have her career and remain close to her brother.
I thought a relationship was possible with someone but was bitterly disappointed with,how that turned out.
Airline travel was changing rapidly and Sophie is next door to the action.
Thanks NetGalley and Bookouture the advance read.

[Sherralynne Smith]

Lovely story

I loved learning more about Lola. Her bravery is exemplary and her desire to support Germans still living in post war Berlin is heartwarming.

Highly recommend this story. Looking forward to part three of this series in the coming months.

Thanks Lizzie, from a New Zealand fan.

[Jess Keast]

This is quite different from the first one and I thought I wouldn't enjoy it as much. But, it's so immersive I was invested the whole time! It introduced me to events after WWII I had no idea about. At times the drama was so tense, what a roller-coaster! But I didn't want it to end.

Can't wait for the third one!




My thanks to NetGalley for the advance ebook copy.

[Booklover BEV]

Southend England 1948.
Air hostess Lola Klein from the dreamgirls.
This was such a very informative read through every page.
The girl who took flight is unique as Lola experiences the world from a whole new perspective.
Brilliant read unabled to put it down.

[Kimberly Sullivan]

I had read and enjoyed the first novel in this series, so I was happy to join the second to follow along on the early days of passenger airline travel in England.

This novel follows Lola Klein, one of three airline stewardesses we meet in the first novel. Lola came to London as a child, an evacuee from Berlin before war broke out. Today, Lola serves as a stewardess and travels around Europe, spends time with her fellow stewardesses and best friends, watches her brother withdraw as he begins to build his new life, and navigates a potential love interest.

But as the Soviet Union places a stranglehold on Lola’s former hometown of Berlin, she observes as airlifts begin to ferry in needed supplies. Soon enough, Lola is brought in on some of the missions. In doing so, Lola grapples with a return to a country she vowed never to step foot in again and is forced to come to terms with her painful past. The story unfolds between Lola’s present and her childhood within Berlin’s Jewish community, increasingly under threat by the Nazis.

This is an enjoyable and well-researched novel, which can easily be read as a stand-alone. I highly recommend this novel and he series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

[Dee Groocock]

Review of advanced copy received from NetGalley and the publisher.

This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone.

It’s been ten years since Lola left Germany on the Kindertransport and came to England with her brother. Working now as one of the first airline stewardesses, Lola struggles when she finds out about the Berlin Blockade and wants to help out in some way.

When her boss offers his fleet to help drop supplies, Lola has to face her past and go to Berlin again for the first time since she was a child.

It was lovely to be back with Lola, Audrey and Cheryl again. Although this is mainly Lola’s story, the other two still have a role to play in this book.

I found this to be an emotional and inspiring story, and my heart went out to Lola. I enjoyed seeing her grow and develop throughout the book.

[Staceywh_17]

Book two in Page's Airline Girls series took me back in time to a post-war London. A time of hope and healing.

Rich in historical detail you can appreciate the author's meticulous research of the time period. This coupled with her world building of the era enabled the story to come to life.

The characters had emotional depth, were bonded by survival, and were easily investible.

And the book? The book was absolutely flippin' fabulous. I really enjoyed the time I spent in the company of Lola, and getting to know her on a deeper level.