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Almost Flying
In this unabashedly queer middle grade debut, a week-long amusement park road trip becomes a true roller coaster of emotion when Dalia realizes she has more-than-friend feelings for her new bestie.
Would-be amusement park aficionado Dalia only has two items on her summer bucket list: (1) finally ride a roller coaster and (2) figure out how to make a new best friend. But when her dad suddenly announces that he's engaged, Dalia's schemes come to a screeching halt. With Dalia's future stepsister Alexa heading back to college soon, the grown-ups want the girls to spend the last weeks of summer bonding--meaning Alexa has to cancel the amusement park road trip she's been planning for months. Luckily Dalia comes up with a new plan: If she joins Alexa on her trip and brings Rani, the new girl from her swim team, along maybe she can have the perfect summer after all. But what starts out as a week of funnel cakes and Lazy River rides goes off the rails when Dalia discovers that Alexa's girlfriend is joining the trip. And keeping Alexa's secret makes Dalia realize one of her own: She might have more-than-friend feelings for Rani.
Would-be amusement park aficionado Dalia only has two items on her summer bucket list: (1) finally ride a roller coaster and (2) figure out how to make a new best friend. But when her dad suddenly announces that he's engaged, Dalia's schemes come to a screeching halt. With Dalia's future stepsister Alexa heading back to college soon, the grown-ups want the girls to spend the last weeks of summer bonding--meaning Alexa has to cancel the amusement park road trip she's been planning for months. Luckily Dalia comes up with a new plan: If she joins Alexa on her trip and brings Rani, the new girl from her swim team, along maybe she can have the perfect summer after all. But what starts out as a week of funnel cakes and Lazy River rides goes off the rails when Dalia discovers that Alexa's girlfriend is joining the trip. And keeping Alexa's secret makes Dalia realize one of her own: She might have more-than-friend feelings for Rani.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 8, 2021
32 people are currently reading
3264 people want to read
About the author
Jake Maia Arlow
5 books423 followersJake Maia Arlow is a Stonewall Honor author and bagel connoisseur. They live with their girlfriend and loud cat in an apartment with no overhead lights.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
April 21, 2022
I've been trying to dive into more middle grade books that have queer representation and this is one that recently came on my radar. It definitely is a hidden gem of a book that details the experience of a young middle grade girl figuring her feelings for her first crush while being set against the backdrop of a theme park road trip. 4.5 Stars
Almost Flying follows Dalia, a roller coaster aficionado, who is determined to go to her first theme park and ride her first rollercoaster. Unfortunately, all of that gets derailed when her father reveals that not only is his dating someone, but he's engaged. Forced to build a relationship with her future stepsister, Dalia convinces her dad to let her join Alexa on her road trip to visit various theme parks across America. To make things even more interesting, Dalia wants to bring her new friend Rani. While the trip starts off fun and filled with adventures, things get more complex when Alexa's girlfriend joins the group. One of the most interesting aspects of this book was definitely the character development. Dalia has been sheltered most her life so spending time with Alexa, Alexa's girlfriend, and Alexa's gay best friend is a new experience. Arlow does a great job illustrating this sense of naivety within Dalia which further plays into her difficultly in being able to express that she may have feelings for another girl. By creating such a great and realistic cast, Dalia is able to look to them for support and guidance. There's also an interesting dynamic that is created between Dalia and Alexa. It's clear from the beginning that their parents didn't really take into consideration the effect their relationship would have on them. As a result, there is tension that exists between Dalia and Alexa that they have to work through. It isn't all pretty, but they end up encouraging and motivating each other in unexpected ways. The supporting cast is just as amazing, bringing unique and fun personalities to the story. And of course, the blossoming romance between Dalia and Rani is beautiful. Through their relationship they learn so much about each other, themselves, and the world around them. And Harlow makes sure to keep it real. There are some rough patches that they have to work through which is realistic of any relationship.
One of the highlights of this book was definitely the incorporation of the theme parks in the back drop. While this is a book about identity, new love, changes, and more, it also brings forward some really fun and interesting facts about rollercoasters. Dalia loves watching POV roller coaster videos so she's an expert at the various types and all the bells and whistles that comes with each. I was genuinely excited to hear her explain each single rollercoaster they went on. For some reason, it made me really excited for the summer (even if I don't plan on going to any theme parks). All the descriptions of the food and even the water park just set the right tone for this book. I wouldn't necessarily consider this to be a coming out story, but a young girl realizing that she has a first crush and the crush is on another girl. And like any other first crush, it can be hard to reckon with those feelings. This book was pure joy even through the difficult moments. To have an entire queer cast where the center of the story wasn't focused on trauma was extremely refreshing and fun. I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a new middle grade book to check out.
Almost Flying follows Dalia, a roller coaster aficionado, who is determined to go to her first theme park and ride her first rollercoaster. Unfortunately, all of that gets derailed when her father reveals that not only is his dating someone, but he's engaged. Forced to build a relationship with her future stepsister, Dalia convinces her dad to let her join Alexa on her road trip to visit various theme parks across America. To make things even more interesting, Dalia wants to bring her new friend Rani. While the trip starts off fun and filled with adventures, things get more complex when Alexa's girlfriend joins the group. One of the most interesting aspects of this book was definitely the character development. Dalia has been sheltered most her life so spending time with Alexa, Alexa's girlfriend, and Alexa's gay best friend is a new experience. Arlow does a great job illustrating this sense of naivety within Dalia which further plays into her difficultly in being able to express that she may have feelings for another girl. By creating such a great and realistic cast, Dalia is able to look to them for support and guidance. There's also an interesting dynamic that is created between Dalia and Alexa. It's clear from the beginning that their parents didn't really take into consideration the effect their relationship would have on them. As a result, there is tension that exists between Dalia and Alexa that they have to work through. It isn't all pretty, but they end up encouraging and motivating each other in unexpected ways. The supporting cast is just as amazing, bringing unique and fun personalities to the story. And of course, the blossoming romance between Dalia and Rani is beautiful. Through their relationship they learn so much about each other, themselves, and the world around them. And Harlow makes sure to keep it real. There are some rough patches that they have to work through which is realistic of any relationship.
One of the highlights of this book was definitely the incorporation of the theme parks in the back drop. While this is a book about identity, new love, changes, and more, it also brings forward some really fun and interesting facts about rollercoasters. Dalia loves watching POV roller coaster videos so she's an expert at the various types and all the bells and whistles that comes with each. I was genuinely excited to hear her explain each single rollercoaster they went on. For some reason, it made me really excited for the summer (even if I don't plan on going to any theme parks). All the descriptions of the food and even the water park just set the right tone for this book. I wouldn't necessarily consider this to be a coming out story, but a young girl realizing that she has a first crush and the crush is on another girl. And like any other first crush, it can be hard to reckon with those feelings. This book was pure joy even through the difficult moments. To have an entire queer cast where the center of the story wasn't focused on trauma was extremely refreshing and fun. I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a new middle grade book to check out.
July 16, 2021
hello!! i love this book!!
i very very rarely give middle grade 5 stars because (because of the simplicity) even though it’s my favourite age range of books (because of the simplicity) BUT this book!! is almost definitely my favourite middle grade book ever and i love it
ok so!! this book is about dalia who finds out her dad is engaged to a woman named vanessa and!! things lead to her having to go on a road trip with her future step sister and her friend from swim team!!
first of all, it made me Feel Things - i do not have a Great relationship with my dad but when i was younger every morning before school we would watch videos of water slides together so yes this book made me feel the Emotions
i loved the characters in this so much!!! all of them!! and there was a kinda found family thing going on in here which i loved!!
this is the type of book you can just TELL was written by a queer person because of the way the queer rep was written. there are so so many queer characters and i loved that this was a middle grade about a girl with a crush on a girl not having a crisis about her sexuality necessarily!! she just knows she likes this girl and that’s fine
i also just loved the plot itself - rollercoaster road trip. yes. it was weirdly fun to read about all the different rollercoasters and theme parks and descriptions of the food and stuff idk but it was GREAT
anyway!! if you like middle grade at all you should read this book!! actually even if you don’t you should still read this book
rep: Jewish sapphic mc, Persian sapphic li, Indian gay side character, mlm side character, bisexual side character, wlw side character, Jewish side character
i very very rarely give middle grade 5 stars because (because of the simplicity) even though it’s my favourite age range of books (because of the simplicity) BUT this book!! is almost definitely my favourite middle grade book ever and i love it
ok so!! this book is about dalia who finds out her dad is engaged to a woman named vanessa and!! things lead to her having to go on a road trip with her future step sister and her friend from swim team!!
first of all, it made me Feel Things - i do not have a Great relationship with my dad but when i was younger every morning before school we would watch videos of water slides together so yes this book made me feel the Emotions
i loved the characters in this so much!!! all of them!! and there was a kinda found family thing going on in here which i loved!!
this is the type of book you can just TELL was written by a queer person because of the way the queer rep was written. there are so so many queer characters and i loved that this was a middle grade about a girl with a crush on a girl not having a crisis about her sexuality necessarily!! she just knows she likes this girl and that’s fine
i also just loved the plot itself - rollercoaster road trip. yes. it was weirdly fun to read about all the different rollercoasters and theme parks and descriptions of the food and stuff idk but it was GREAT
anyway!! if you like middle grade at all you should read this book!! actually even if you don’t you should still read this book
rep: Jewish sapphic mc, Persian sapphic li, Indian gay side character, mlm side character, bisexual side character, wlw side character, Jewish side character
June 10, 2021
I've been tearing through the contemporary sapphic YA flood of books released recently and when purchasing an audiobook on audible I was recommended this, 'Almost Flying' a queer middle-grade debut from Jake Maia Arlow and I thought why not, I'm already to old to be reading YA so why not fully commit to my apparent endless adolescence. I also gotta say that I love that we have a book about queer middle schoolers, we all deserve representation in media.
Dalia is thirteen, she has a pretty achievable dream, to ride a roller coaster this summer but even that seems like it's not going to happen until an unfortunate turn of events in Dalia's view at least gives her an opportunity to make her wish come true. Her dad is getting engaged and she is going to have a step sister, who just so happens to be going on an amusement park road trip and Dalia gets to go along with her brand new friend Rani who just came into her life after Dalia lost her best friend to the popular girls at her middle school.
It's a really sweet story with some heavy elements.. divorce and parental abandonment looming large but of course the main event are the possible feelings Dalia is having for her new friend, and her relationship with Alexa, her new stepsister and her father who she might be losing to her stepmom.
It was just a wonderful experience overall, the main four characters are so sweet and so queer, the setting is perfect, solid representation, the angst is just right for a middle grade story and it's very genuine and true to life. Go read it, or as in my case, listen to it!
I also must mention Em Grosland who narrated the book, take a bow lady, you nailed it.
Dalia is thirteen, she has a pretty achievable dream, to ride a roller coaster this summer but even that seems like it's not going to happen until an unfortunate turn of events in Dalia's view at least gives her an opportunity to make her wish come true. Her dad is getting engaged and she is going to have a step sister, who just so happens to be going on an amusement park road trip and Dalia gets to go along with her brand new friend Rani who just came into her life after Dalia lost her best friend to the popular girls at her middle school.
It's a really sweet story with some heavy elements.. divorce and parental abandonment looming large but of course the main event are the possible feelings Dalia is having for her new friend, and her relationship with Alexa, her new stepsister and her father who she might be losing to her stepmom.
It was just a wonderful experience overall, the main four characters are so sweet and so queer, the setting is perfect, solid representation, the angst is just right for a middle grade story and it's very genuine and true to life. Go read it, or as in my case, listen to it!
I also must mention Em Grosland who narrated the book, take a bow lady, you nailed it.
January 23, 2021
It's hard to know where to begin listing the things that endeared me to ALMOST FLYING, Jake Maia Arlow's ever-so-touching middle grade debut. I devoured this one, sucked in from the very first page by both the premise and the voice... oh, and the roller coasters.
Like most thirteen-year-olds, Dalia hasn't quite figured out who she is yet, and her dad isn't making things any easier. He's just told her that he has a girlfriend, and that the two of them are getting engaged. It's all pretty awful for Dalia, except that her soon-to-be-stepsister, college-aged Alexa, is embarking on a theme park road trip with a friend, and Dalia gets sent along for some 'bonding.' The bonding part is every bit as awkward and forced as Dalia imagines it might be, but at least she gets to bring along her new friend, Rani. And at least she'll finally be able to try out the roller coasters she loves so much but has only ever experienced through online videos.
I love road trip novels, and I adore theme parks, so put those two things together, especially at a time when real-world travel isn't an option, and I'm hooked one hundred percent. You can smell the popcorn and sunscreen and funnel cake, hear the shrieks of the riders, and feel the lazy, sweaty summer boredom of waiting in line for the park's biggest attraction. Dalia's delightfully nerdy coaster obsession just shines on every page.
And so does her voice. I have such a soft spot for voicey novels, especially when the narrator is quiet and unsure on the outside, but screaming on the inside. The exquisite pain and tenderness and uncertainty of Dalia's first crush - made more challenging by the fact that it's on Rani, with whom she's sharing a motel room - is so beautifully drawn, and the family she ultimately finds will make your heart sing. The scenes where the young adult characters offer support, wisdom, and encouragement to Dalia as she realizes she has feelings for another girl just about broke me, they were so beautiful.
I loved this one from beginning to end.
Huge thanks to Jake Maia Arlow, Dial Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Like most thirteen-year-olds, Dalia hasn't quite figured out who she is yet, and her dad isn't making things any easier. He's just told her that he has a girlfriend, and that the two of them are getting engaged. It's all pretty awful for Dalia, except that her soon-to-be-stepsister, college-aged Alexa, is embarking on a theme park road trip with a friend, and Dalia gets sent along for some 'bonding.' The bonding part is every bit as awkward and forced as Dalia imagines it might be, but at least she gets to bring along her new friend, Rani. And at least she'll finally be able to try out the roller coasters she loves so much but has only ever experienced through online videos.
I love road trip novels, and I adore theme parks, so put those two things together, especially at a time when real-world travel isn't an option, and I'm hooked one hundred percent. You can smell the popcorn and sunscreen and funnel cake, hear the shrieks of the riders, and feel the lazy, sweaty summer boredom of waiting in line for the park's biggest attraction. Dalia's delightfully nerdy coaster obsession just shines on every page.
And so does her voice. I have such a soft spot for voicey novels, especially when the narrator is quiet and unsure on the outside, but screaming on the inside. The exquisite pain and tenderness and uncertainty of Dalia's first crush - made more challenging by the fact that it's on Rani, with whom she's sharing a motel room - is so beautifully drawn, and the family she ultimately finds will make your heart sing. The scenes where the young adult characters offer support, wisdom, and encouragement to Dalia as she realizes she has feelings for another girl just about broke me, they were so beautiful.
I loved this one from beginning to end.
Huge thanks to Jake Maia Arlow, Dial Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
October 29, 2022
This was a very heartwarmingly queer read that I would have loved to read in my early teens, much like our main character Dalia's age. It's a very cute, thoughtful story and I quite enjoyed it.
December 1, 2021
Read this in one sitting, it was so very cute
January 16, 2020
I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy of this book... I only wish this book was out already so I could tell each and every one of my friends to read it (which I will be doing, as soon as it's published)! Imagine yourself as a middle schooler, and imagine middle-school you being wrapped up in a book that tells you that all of the miraculous and tragic and confusing and wonderful feelings that you are feeling all at once, your rollercoaster of emotions, is all going to be okay. In fact, it's something to celebrate! Just like a Coney Island rollercoaster, this book is thrilling, exhilarating, and will have you laughing and screaming all at the same time. Jake's writing is somehow both nostalgic and ahead of its time. The characters envelop the reader as they tumble through a journey of love, friendships, heartbreaks, funnel cakes, and family, all the while, taking you in as a family member of their own. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!
Want to read
March 10, 2021March 09, 2021: found family, first queer crush, and roller-coasters? OKAY, sounds perfect.
May 26, 2022
This captured my entire heart, it feels like the perfect encapsulation of everything I love about queer Middle Grade books. Dalia is dealing with her dad getting engaged, having to try and get along with Alexa (his fiancée’s daughter), and potentially developing feelings for her new friend Rani. The story really kicks into gear when Dalia and Rani go on a road trip to a bunch of different amusement parks with Alexa and her best friend Dhruv.
Dalia’s main motivation for wanting to go on this trip is so that she can finally ride a roller coaster for the first time. The way that Jake Maia Arlow wrote about Dalia’s feelings on the roller coasters added so much to the story. Those sections have a lot of beautiful writing that reflect Dalia feeling joy and uncertainty about realizing she likes a girl and also feeling like her life is spiraling out of control because of the changes her dad is making.
I also loved how many queer characters there are in this book. Dalia is able to see queer relationships with the older characters and ask them questions and get advice. Alexa and Dalia’s stepsister-to-be relationship was another high point of the book for me. They don’t get off on the right foot and Alexa has a lot of anger that is unfairly aimed at Dalia. But I loved seeing how they were able to come together over the course of the story.
This was just excellent from start to finish. I can’t wait to read whatever Jake Maia Arlow writes next!
Dalia’s main motivation for wanting to go on this trip is so that she can finally ride a roller coaster for the first time. The way that Jake Maia Arlow wrote about Dalia’s feelings on the roller coasters added so much to the story. Those sections have a lot of beautiful writing that reflect Dalia feeling joy and uncertainty about realizing she likes a girl and also feeling like her life is spiraling out of control because of the changes her dad is making.
I also loved how many queer characters there are in this book. Dalia is able to see queer relationships with the older characters and ask them questions and get advice. Alexa and Dalia’s stepsister-to-be relationship was another high point of the book for me. They don’t get off on the right foot and Alexa has a lot of anger that is unfairly aimed at Dalia. But I loved seeing how they were able to come together over the course of the story.
This was just excellent from start to finish. I can’t wait to read whatever Jake Maia Arlow writes next!
December 7, 2024
why am i reading about 13yr olds kissing
December 31, 2021
It shouldn't come as a surprise at all that I loved this sapphic Jewish family-centered roller-coaster-road-trip book, but in case it still needs to be said: yes, I loved it. Dalia is such a wonderful main character, and the writing is so good at capturing exactly how she's feeling, even if she doesn't know how to label it herself all of the time.
I read this as part of the Hanukkah readathon I'm hosting, and it fits the intersectional, <1000 ratings, new-to-me author, 2021 release, and Jewish joy prompts.
I read this as part of the Hanukkah readathon I'm hosting, and it fits the intersectional, <1000 ratings, new-to-me author, 2021 release, and Jewish joy prompts.
September 9, 2021
The absolute sweetest, most heartfelt book ever about queer tweens, found family, friendship, and rollercoasters. It's about the thrill of your first crush and also the simultaneous thrill of getting to go on a rollercoaster road trip with them and about the ups and downs of being in middle school, sorting out friendships, and falling in love.
And I'd recommend it to anyone. <3
And I'd recommend it to anyone. <3
December 15, 2022
this might be the cutest book i’ve ever read. i love the plot of roller coaster road trip and i love how in both of this authors books that i’ve read there are massive nerds about things like roller coasters, birds, ancient fish - it’s so much fun. it has the right mix of middle school angst and kid excitement for things like roller coaster youtube videos and funnel cake for breakfast. there are a lot of queer characters in the book but it feels very natural to the story and not like they were just written in as queer just because they could be, if that makes sense. the description of what it feels like to have a crush but it’s weird because maybe your friends feels accurate but not in a way that would be completely overwhelming for a confused queer kid to read because while it’s new and kinda scary it’s not a big scary thing, it’s just different and kind of fun and exciting too. and i love that dahlia gets the opportunity to talk with sarah and alexa about it too, who get it but are older and make it seem less scary. most kids wouldn’t get that opportunity in real life and i love that kids who read this book can sort of get that through those characters. there are some heavier themes of divorce, parents getting remarried, and parental abandonment but again the mc is never totally on her own. also the author is literally my age which is so impressive. im so glad i got to read this book 💗💗
September 7, 2021
Dalia learns her dad has a secret girlfriend (make that fiance) with a college-aged daughter. How will the soon-to-be-stepsisters bond? On a weeklong road trip to various amusement parks, accompanied by Dalia's new friend (maybe crush) Rani. Dalia's obsessed with roller coasters, but she's never ridden one. Yeah, LOTS of stuff could go wrong on this trip.
August 8, 2023
I am SO happy young queer kids can read this and maybe spend wayy less time than I did wondering what all my feelings for my close girl friends meant. It's so painfully ironic reading this and wanting to scream "YOU'RE GAY", it's so obvious!! But I did all the same things and I feel so seen. Amazing, amazing, adorable book. So happy it exits.
July 25, 2021
Lots of driving today led me to finish the audiobook of Almost Flying by and this middle grade novel was overflowing with heart. First crushes, a blended family, and a roller coaster road trip - starring a cast of lovable, authentic characters.
5-star #mglit!
5-star #mglit!
July 14, 2021
Adorably awkward and disastrously gay love story that I wish I could have had access to when I was younger.
WATCH my full review here hahahahah I am Online and Off The Rails;;;;;
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WATCH my full review here hahahahah I am Online and Off The Rails;;;;;
https://twitter.com/undeadkazoo/statu...
July 11, 2023
Rep: Jewish lesbian mc, Iranian American sapphic li, Indian American gay side character, Latina bi side character, gay & lesbian side characters
February 20, 2023
Such a cute YA book that kept my attention from beginning to end!
December 9, 2022
Screaming! Crying! On a rollercoaster!!!
This was absolutely beautiful. I loved reading from Dalia's perspective, and really, truly felt for her the entire way through. This is what middle grade should have more of: queerness, Jewishness, and just so much honesty. Dalia's voice reminded me of myself in middle school, and I just couldn't help loving her with every fiber of my being. There were a couple moments I thought were a bit cringy, but I also attribute that to a middle schooler's lack of social awareness lol. Really a heartwarming story about allowing yourself to feel your emotions, express and understand yourself, and above all, about love. Love with friends, love with a special someone, and love with family. Love.
This was absolutely beautiful. I loved reading from Dalia's perspective, and really, truly felt for her the entire way through. This is what middle grade should have more of: queerness, Jewishness, and just so much honesty. Dalia's voice reminded me of myself in middle school, and I just couldn't help loving her with every fiber of my being. There were a couple moments I thought were a bit cringy, but I also attribute that to a middle schooler's lack of social awareness lol. Really a heartwarming story about allowing yourself to feel your emotions, express and understand yourself, and above all, about love. Love with friends, love with a special someone, and love with family. Love.
Read
December 27, 2021Such a precious middle grade novel with sapphic Jewish rep! Dalia is a 13 year old Jewish girl who, over the course of a week-long rollercoaster road trip with her soon-to-be stepsister Alexa and some friends, realizes she might be queer and is crushing on her friend Rani.
TBH Dalia's love of bagels really resonated with me, because I am Jewish and therefore love bagels with my whole heart.
Anyway, loved the queer Jewish rep & Dalia's journey to process her feelings about her changing family. I especially appreciate that Dalia learns that she has a right to be angry and to choose her family. This book was such a sweet celebration of first crushes, found family, Jewish & queer identities, friendship, & rollercoasters!
Rep: Sapphic Jewish main character, Iranian-American & Muslim supporting character/love interest, gay Indian side character, m/m side character, w/w side characters.
CW: Accidental forced outing, mentions of divorce.
More of my bookish thoughts here: Instagram | My Blog | Twitter
TBH Dalia's love of bagels really resonated with me, because I am Jewish and therefore love bagels with my whole heart.
Anyway, loved the queer Jewish rep & Dalia's journey to process her feelings about her changing family. I especially appreciate that Dalia learns that she has a right to be angry and to choose her family. This book was such a sweet celebration of first crushes, found family, Jewish & queer identities, friendship, & rollercoasters!
Rep: Sapphic Jewish main character, Iranian-American & Muslim supporting character/love interest, gay Indian side character, m/m side character, w/w side characters.
CW: Accidental forced outing, mentions of divorce.
More of my bookish thoughts here: Instagram | My Blog | Twitter
April 7, 2021
2.5/5 stars,
so disappointed since I thought I'd really like it but this was boring and stretched out for 300+ pages despite having no plot whatsoever.
rep: jewish lesbian mc, iranian-american li, indian american gay sc, bi/pan sc, jewish sc
content warnings: forced outing(not on purpose but still)
things i liked:
Dalia and Rani have a really sweet friendship/relationship and I love how figuring out one's sexuality is explored! While the word lesbian isn't used on page, there aren't any undertones of self hating and she accepts it as a part of herself and that's always nice to see
Dalia has to navigate through a messy friendship breakup that's so realistically and carefully handled. She often thinks about her ex-best friend and had some really complicated fellings that were just so on point I loved it.
It's effortlessly diverse and I love the normalization of queer identity; also desi queer rep always warms my heart and made me really happy so kudos for that<3
things i hated:
I despised Alexa being an asshole to a 12 year old kid because she's annoyed with her mom. A difficult relationship with your parents is not an excuse to be constantly terrible and snappy towards a child who's clearly not at fault here and it's just so annoying to read.
I hate outing plots so much and Alexa, a queer person, basically outs her sister to Rani and that's so easily resolved and forgiven?? If a kid trusts you and who tells you they aren't ready to come out and you make jokes about them kissing their crush in public, you should rethink your entire personality, just saying.
Also most of the adults including Dalia and Alexa's parents had no fleshed out personalities tbh. We are told Dalia's dad cares about her and loves her but he acts selfishly throughout the book and it's never called out till the very end and it's so frustrating!! Show me at least some good moments if you want for me to believe they have this amazing relationship.
I didn't like it enough to round up to 3 stars and it was pretty boring
Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.
so disappointed since I thought I'd really like it but this was boring and stretched out for 300+ pages despite having no plot whatsoever.
rep: jewish lesbian mc, iranian-american li, indian american gay sc, bi/pan sc, jewish sc
content warnings: forced outing(not on purpose but still)
things i liked:
Dalia and Rani have a really sweet friendship/relationship and I love how figuring out one's sexuality is explored! While the word lesbian isn't used on page, there aren't any undertones of self hating and she accepts it as a part of herself and that's always nice to see
Dalia has to navigate through a messy friendship breakup that's so realistically and carefully handled. She often thinks about her ex-best friend and had some really complicated fellings that were just so on point I loved it.
It's effortlessly diverse and I love the normalization of queer identity; also desi queer rep always warms my heart and made me really happy so kudos for that<3
things i hated:
I despised Alexa being an asshole to a 12 year old kid because she's annoyed with her mom. A difficult relationship with your parents is not an excuse to be constantly terrible and snappy towards a child who's clearly not at fault here and it's just so annoying to read.
I hate outing plots so much and Alexa, a queer person, basically outs her sister to Rani and that's so easily resolved and forgiven?? If a kid trusts you and who tells you they aren't ready to come out and you make jokes about them kissing their crush in public, you should rethink your entire personality, just saying.
Also most of the adults including Dalia and Alexa's parents had no fleshed out personalities tbh. We are told Dalia's dad cares about her and loves her but he acts selfishly throughout the book and it's never called out till the very end and it's so frustrating!! Show me at least some good moments if you want for me to believe they have this amazing relationship.
I didn't like it enough to round up to 3 stars and it was pretty boring
Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.
July 20, 2025
A heartfelt coming of age middle grade story featuring a young, roller coaster loving Jewish girl whose dad is getting remarried and her plans for a week of theme park adventures over the summer get derailed when her dad proposes she go with her soon to be older stepsister. Together with her new friend from swim team, her new step sibling and her college buddy, the four teens embark on a week touring different amusement parks and their various roller coaster attractions. I loved the cast of queer characters and the budding sapphic romance. This was a fun, lighthearted summer read that also addressed important topics like coming out to friends and family.
June 29, 2021
Almost Flying is such a lovely and honest story. The extreme/hardcore/confusing feelings that come with being a middle schooler are so clear that it made my heart hurt more than once. Grappling with anxiety (without even necessarily knowing what to call it!!) as a young teen is described in a way that was both recognizable and made you feel serious empathy with Dalia, no matter your age. I’m incredibly impressed. I don’t usually move toward middle grade novels, but the complexity and sincerity that Arlow writes with make the story gripping, unique, and unputdownable. I would recommend this to any human being from middle school grade and beyond.
July 3, 2021
Words can't describe how happy I am about more queer middle grade fiction. I loved reading about how Dalia was trying to figure out what it means to be a girl with a crush on a girl. I loved feeling like I was a kid at an amusement park again, reading about all the rides. The supporting cast of characters was great! I only wish Rani had been a bit more fleshed out. But a delightful read all around.
June 19, 2021
FANTASTIC! Simply, fantastic. This is a wonderful YA novel/coming of age story that really makes the reader empathize with the main character and get inside their ‘brain.’ So much is tackled here but somehow doesn’t feel as heavy as some of the themes may otherwise dictate. Well done, Jake!
I feel that this should be required reading for adolescents/teenagers and their parents!
I feel that this should be required reading for adolescents/teenagers and their parents!
November 28, 2022
Three words to describe my perfect middle grade novel: quick, fun, heartfelt
Three words to describe this book: quick, fun, heartfelt
I loved seeing Dalia come to terms with the world around her and her own feelings. I also found her love of rollercoasters very fitting for what she was going through(damn English is making me overanalyze this). My only issues were that I found it a little hard to get into and it was too idealistic for a book about real life.
Three words to describe this book: quick, fun, heartfelt
I loved seeing Dalia come to terms with the world around her and her own feelings. I also found her love of rollercoasters very fitting for what she was going through(damn English is making me overanalyze this). My only issues were that I found it a little hard to get into and it was too idealistic for a book about real life.
March 23, 2022
This book hit me in the feels! I felt like I was right there with Dalia as she experienced huge life changes, and personal revelations. Each character was perfectly imperfect. The cherry on the top of this book sundae was all the rollercoasters! (They even mention a local coaster)
May 3, 2022
wow, okay… this book was adorably queer.
super cute, and had a girl in red reference (that i noticed, mind you. my mom can vouch for me. i may or may not have screamed loudly about how excited i was.)
i totally recommend this book, it was an easy middle grade read.
byeee
✨🌈🛸
super cute, and had a girl in red reference (that i noticed, mind you. my mom can vouch for me. i may or may not have screamed loudly about how excited i was.)
i totally recommend this book, it was an easy middle grade read.
byeee
✨🌈🛸
September 30, 2023
I rate this book 4 and a half stars. I couldn't put it down! Almost Flying is about Dalia, a regular teenage girl. But then her Dad reveals that he's engaged and forces her to spend more time with her soon-to-be step-sister, Alexa. So, Dalia convinces her Dad to let her go on Alexa's trip, where she's touring all the major roller coasters in America. And Dalia brings along her new friend, Rani.
This is basically going to be the best trip ever because Dalia has never been on a roller coaster before, but she's in love with them and can't wait. Plus, Rani is, like, super cool. The only bad thing is that she has to spend time with moody Alexa, but whatever. It's going to be great.
Then, Alexa's secret girlfriend joins the trip, and everything gets kinda crazy and Dalia learns many things she didn't before her sheltered life. And she stars to wonder if maybe she might have feelings for Rani...
A great read for everyone, but especially middle graders, I recommend this book to people ages 11 and up for mature references. Enjoy!
This is basically going to be the best trip ever because Dalia has never been on a roller coaster before, but she's in love with them and can't wait. Plus, Rani is, like, super cool. The only bad thing is that she has to spend time with moody Alexa, but whatever. It's going to be great.
Then, Alexa's secret girlfriend joins the trip, and everything gets kinda crazy and Dalia learns many things she didn't before her sheltered life. And she stars to wonder if maybe she might have feelings for Rani...
A great read for everyone, but especially middle graders, I recommend this book to people ages 11 and up for mature references. Enjoy!
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