Frequent Fliers

by Noué Kirwan

Her life is up in the air—literally…

Lanie Turner has some loose ends:
• A nearly complete PhD.
• A job she basically enjoys.
• And a lifelong crush…that she’s almost gotten over.

On a trip to reunite with her family in England—and said crush, Jonah—Lanie intends to take care of one of those items. Her favorite cousin, Gemma, is engaged…to Jonah. And they want Lanie to be both their maid of honor and best "mate" at the wedding. It’s the perfect opportunity to prove the pitying gazes wrong: she’s over Jonah. Really.

As Lanie commutes between New York City and London to help with wedding prep, she befriends her handsome seatmate. Dr. Ridley Aronsen—a widower and single father—is prickly at first, but feisty Lanie reminds him of a more carefree time in his life. And after a steamy layover in Iceland, the pair take a direct flight from seatmates to lovers. Ridley even agrees to be her plus-one for the wedding. For once, everything seems to be falling into place.

But Lanie’s used to getting hurt, and Ridley finds opening up difficult. And how will a long-distance relationship even work once Lanie’s back in NYC permanently? It’s easy enough to shrug off another loose end…after all, life’s problems seem tiny from thirty-five thousand feet in the air.

“Heartfelt and romantic, Noué Kirwan has crafted an authentic love story about family—both born into and created—and the power of forgiveness that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last sentence.” —Tracey Livesay, author of American Royalty

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Friends To Lovers

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 13, 2024

About the author

I'm a Bronx native, raised bicoastal. I'm a UMass Minuteman, who currently lives in Harlem, New York. And when I'm not consuming copious amounts of media: binging TV shows, devouring movies, hoarding comic books and inhaling romance novels, I'm writing, dreaming up all sorts of interesting lives and passionate loves.

Reviews

[Noué Kirwan]

Hi Folks!

I'll make this quick since no one wants to see the author around these parts. I just wanted to say a couple of things and then I'll get out of your hair. First of all, thank you for reading my little book. I really appreciate it. Secondly, and I apologize to anyone who came away confused, while I believe there are some light-hearted moments in the book (or at least that was my intent) Frequent Fliers is NOT a romcom. I noticed enough people remarking that it didn't feel like one that I felt compelled to clear that up.

I'm super sorry if you came into your reading experience expecting that. But this is a women's fiction/contemporary romance like my previous novel, Long Past Summer. I truly hope that clears up any confusion.

[Wobilba · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 5 stars

This just didn’t work for me. The only reason I made it through was because it was an arc.
The writing style just wasn’t for me. The FMC was a doormat and a cry baby. The MMC had no charisma. And together they had not one ounce of chemistry 😩

I also didn’t like any of the other characters. Everyone one of them was insufferable and got on my nerves 😟

[WellReadAndRatchet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew I’d love this as a frequent flyer and romance girlie! It started off so cute and I was thoroughly invested. I did started losing interest when the slow burn was burning way too slowly in my opinion. I thought I had enough and then it picked it right back up the next day. We had progress! Ultimately, I ended up enjoying this cozy little romance.

[Rachel (ray.readsandlistens) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 50%
I really wanted to like this book at some point it wasn’t enjoyable anymore.

The MMC has the personality of drying paint. The FMC was really immature at time.

At the same they talked about didn’t didn’t communicate.

HOW DOES AN ADMIN AFFORD TO TRAVEL BACK TO FORTH TO ENGLAND ALL THE TIME???

I really loved all the culture references and full diversity of every character.

f narrator did a good time but many time I could never tell what was dialogue and what were thoughts.

m narrator was completely monotone and tone deaf.

[chasc.taylor_reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars ✨

The characters were stiff as a board with ZERO chemistry. Lanie, our FMC was quite insufferable, childish, and insecure. The MMC, Ridley isn’t much better. Zero charisma is found within the pages of this book. There’s no one to root for in this. The writing didn’t really work for me either. Two stars because I finished (mostly because this was a book club pick)?!

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tropes:
✈️ Forced proximity
✈️ Age gap
✈️ Single dad
✈️ Loss


✈️ Melanie finds herself unexpectedly seated next to Ridley on her flight to her cousins wedding. They meet several times like this over the course of the book and their relationship builds from there.

✈️ Melanie’s struggling with her love life and her career all while Ridley is trying to navigate dating after the loss of a spouse while being a single dad.

✈️ In this book you’ll learn about each character and the struggles they face and how they overcome them.

💭I personally had to push myself through this book. Overall it was just bland to my taste. I wanted more sparks and less little details that seemed to be there just to fill the pages.

[Amber Raelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first saw this book, I thought it would be a perfect book for me. However, I struggled to get through this. Lanie and Ridley didn’t keep my attention. Most of all, I’m not a fan of Lanie allowing her family to run all over her. The relationship between Lanie and Ridley was just okay. I do like that we get to see both of their POVs, but it wasn’t enough to make me love this book. However, this book could be perfect for someone who loves slow burn and messy drama! It’s a cute book, but I hate that I couldn’t enjoy it more. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars ⭐️

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a heartfelt, dual POV, strangers to lovers, single dad romance that has two people meeting on a plane, eventually becoming friends and later more as they keep bumping into one another in the air. Frequent trips from NYC to London, England see these two constantly forced together. Full of heart and humor, this was a fun read and definitely lives up to the hype. Recommended for fans of authors like Denise Williams. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

[reyhaninwonderland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything was pissing me off

[Allena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd like to say a huge thank you to The Hive for sending me a physical copy, and NetGalley for the e-arc.
4.75 🌟
One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was how realistic the dynamic felt between Lainey and her family, as well as with Ridley.
The author did such a wonderful job on building Lainey's character. There were some times that I got frustrated with her thought process but as a person with anxiety it was clear as day that the reactions are so relatable.

Frequent Fliers was a book I knew I needed just by the blurb "Catch flights. Not feelings." Flight attendants say this daily LOL. Lainey our FMC is from the Bronx and is traveling to and from London for her cousin's wedding. To a man that was her best friend, who she was head over heels for. Drama and I loved it.

Her first flight is when she meets Ridley. This very handsome, put together, prestigious asshole after he rudely passed by her to get to the gate. He ends up being her seat mate. Ridley is a widower, and single father with his own at home drama. He's flying to and from NY for his work.
Honestly I think Ridley's character was pretty spot on for a widow. Seeing my mom go through this, it was something deeper that I understood. The relationship between him and his daughter Beatrix is different than you'd expect. It was refreshing to see this man be everything for his daughter and in turn showing Lainey the type of man he is.

I highly recommend this romance. There is some heavy themes of grief, abandonment, and self reflection. The plus size rep, anxiety rep and the the story was wrapped up so nicely.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lanie is dreading her flight to England. She is on her way to reunite with her family at her cousin Gemma's engagement party. The only problem is Gemma is engaged to Lanie's best friend and crush, Jonah. On her flight, she meets the handsome but prickly Dr. Ridley Aronsen. Ridley is a widower and single father. Lanie believes she will never see Ridley again but is surprised when she runs into him at the airport for her flight home. As the two frequently travel from London to New York, the two develop a friendship and maybe the start of a possible romance.

This book kind of left me on the edge on if I truly enjoyed this or not. I read Frequent Fliers back in September but every time I tried to write a review, I had mixed reactions. There were aspects of this book I enjoyed. A romance forming between the main characters while they travel back and forth from New York to London was a fun concept and I loved the banter between Lanie and her family. However, I had a hard time liking the main characters. I felt that Lanie could be very immature at times and there seemed to be a severe lack of communication between Lanie and Ridley. The unnecessary lack of communication between the two characters and the rushed ending left me frustrated. Maybe this book wasn't for me, but I would like to read other books by the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to review Frequent Fliers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[LJane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars, listened as an audiobook. There were parts of this book that I loved and hated. Overall I definitely enjoyed it, but I think my rating can't be higher than this because of the parts that I got caught on. I did love how real it was - the way the main character's relationship developed from friendship to more. However there were parts of this storyline that suffered from my least favorite thing.......characters just NOT COMMUNICATING!! However, this didn't sink it for me. Some plot holes (Why she dropped out of the PhD program, the root of her anxiety attacks, etc). But overall I enjoyed the ending and the growth in the characters!! Definitely looking to read more by this author.

[Jerney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cuteeeee 🥹

I found both MC to be well rounded, beside their connection they had lives and struggles of their own
Liked that both characters weren’t always perfect/said the perfect thing directly, things need time

Lanie her struggles and her view of things because of past experiences and her mom felt so real 💕


🎧 audiobook

[Rivka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on the recommendation of my dear friend Mercy and it did NOT disappoint. I felt like I was reading two live adults falling in love, it was sweet and cute and had me giggling while also having some genuine heartfelt moments. Like Noué Kirwan really slayed with the family dynamics is all I'm gonna say.
In conclusion, this has all my love, and romances are so cute and I've missed the genre.

[Mylene · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Her life is up in the air - literally” is the perfect way to put it.

This book was a slow-burn, and definitely felt like it dragged on at times, while nothing and everything was happening at the same time. The title felt a bit misleading - I expected more light and fluffy travel time... airport time, flight time, exploration time, and while there were hints of that, the story focused more on the separate lives of Lanie and Ridley.

I developed a love-hate relationship with Lanie throughout the book. Her family and friends seem like they just pity her, but she seems to be a bit of a pushover for them. She would bend over backwards for her EXTREMELY toxic cousin, Gemma, and her long-time childhood crush, Jonah, and in turn, they would completely bash on her, yell at her and take advantage of her. Yet she would forgive them instantly, and continuously fly from NYC to London to basically put their wedding together because they couldn’t be bothered by doing it themselves. But when it comes to Ridley, the widower single-father who’s top priority is his daughter, Lanie throws temper tantrums for not coming first in his life, she communicates horribly, she acts like a lovesick teenager and she expects him to go above and beyond for her - including neglecting his teenage daughter who is still mourning the loss of her mother. Don’t get me wrong, Lanie would have moments where she would redeem herself, but overall, she felt like a very sad character.

Although the ending may seem to be unrealistic, I enjoyed that the story ended on a happy note. We are taught that love knows no boundaries and to never give up hope, for whatever is meant to be will be.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kirwan for the ARC copy for my honest review.

[Megan (megs_bookblog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frequent Fliers by Noue Kirwan
Rating: 3 stars
Pub date: 8/13

Thank you so much to Harlequin and Netgalley for my complimentary copy! After reading and loving this author’s first book, Long Past Summer, I was so excited to get an early copy of this one.

Lanie Turner finds herself in a tricky situation when she heads to England. She’s been in love with her best friend, Jonah, forever, only to find out he's engaged to her cousin, Gemma. To complicate things, she's asked to be the maid of honor and best "mate" at their wedding.

On the flight over, Lanie meets Dr. Ridley Aronsen, a widowed single dad. There's an instant connection, but it gets awkward when she sees him wearing a wedding ring. It turns out that Ridley's not married; his life is just complicated. As Lanie travels back and forth to England to help with wedding planning and Ridley navigates single parenthood, they slowly get closer.

The book does a great job of showing two people figuring things out as they go. Lanie's unlucky in love and has some issues to work through, while Ridley's learning to open up again. It’s a very slow burn, and these characters have a LOT going on. They spend a lot of time living separately, and I would have liked to see them spend more time together.

Lanie is hard to like at times, and I couldn’t connect with her character as much as I wanted to. There were some entertaining side characters, but I’m not a fan of Lanie’s cousin, Gemma. And while I liked Ridley, I feel like he was very one dimensional. The ending wraps up too quickly, and a few parts feel unrealistic.

Overall, this is a sweet story about finding love and healing. If you like a slow-burn romance, you should check this one out!

[Drama Mama Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anybody else think both of these main characters needed to go to therapy instead of bed with each other? Laney just felt so immature and her family, all of them, were mean, especially Gemma. No wonder she was insecure. But when Laney couldn't recognize she needed to leave the house when her lovers' teenage daughter got upset because she caught them? Ma'am come on. Plus, towards the end of the book I got whiplash trying to keep up with all of the plot twists needed to wrap up the book with a bow.

I liked the setup of transcontinental lovers and the female narrator was great (the male narrator was monotone)

[Bee 🐝 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frequent Fliers: A Black Romance Novel by Noué Kirwan was one of those books where the concept grabbed me immediately. The idea of revisiting unresolved past relationships midair? Reality TV meets second chances? Yes, please. I went in expecting messy emotional chaos, tension you could cut with a boarding pass, and maybe even a few soft moments of growth or closure.

And while the structure was interesting, three separate but thematically linked stories, the execution didn’t hit quite as hard as I hoped. I liked that each couple had distinct dynamics, but I never felt fully immersed in any of them. The emotional depth was there, kind of, but I struggled to connect. Some characters felt underdeveloped, or like they were going through the motions of reconciliation rather than earning it.

It also didn’t help that the pacing dragged at points, especially in the middle. I found myself checking how many pages were left, hoping for something to shift or surprise me. Instead, things unfolded in a pretty predictable way. Not necessarily bad just... safe. There were a few standout lines and moments that almost got me in the feels, but they were too fleeting to really stick.

That said, it wasn’t a total miss. It’s a quick read, and the core idea was original enough to keep me from tapping out. But ultimately, it lacked that spark, the one that makes me want to text someone immediately after finishing and say, “You have to read this.” I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. It just kind of... existed in the middle.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman makes regular flights from NYC to London to help plan the wedding of her cousin to the man she has always loved. A widowed doctor must make regular flights between London and NYC to oversee a medical trial. Sparks fly on their first shared flight, but each will need to deal with family expectations and the lasting impact of previous relationships in order to forge a lasting connection.

The novel had a well-executed plot and fully-developed characters. Some elements could have been explained a bit better, such as what precisely happened to cause Lanie to drop her PhD studies (it's touched upon briefly, but no full back story), and why she has panic attacks (she has coping strategies, so she likely sought therapy at some point, but there's no explanation as to a root cause). Overall, I enjoyed the connection between the main characters, the setting, and the personal growth arc for Lanie, as well as for some other characters (Gavin's redemptive arc was a pleasant surprise).

Recommended for fans of Charish Reid, Jane Igharo, and Krystle Zara Appiah.

I received an Advance Digital Copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

[Jacque Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! I don’t really care for a “omg my childhood crush that I never had any emotional claim to because i didn’t share my feeling is marry someone else?!” situation — but it was really interesting that her cousin was the one marrying her childhood crush! I found the whole family situation of them feeling sad for the FMC interesting since everyone was in on it, but almost enabled the unfounded sadness.

MMC was grumpy to start. I’m more of a cinnamon roll MMC gal, so his actions annoyed me. He’s widowed with a child, and tries to make himself seem like his daughter comes first, but actions didn’t always align with that so it made the 3rd act breakup confusing.

Their connection was cute, but I also didn’t see anything that made sense for them to be saying I love you.

I listened to this in audiobook format and had a hard time understanding the male narrator.

This review looks really negative, but overall I enjoyed this book and despite not relating to or justifying the conflict, it was well written and ultimately the HEA flowed well.

thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Donnakay'sBookWorld · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute read about the FMC Lanie opening herself to the possibility and ultimately finding love again. Lanie is a professional who has suffered from self-doubts that were forced upon her by her mother and society. After a bad experience in her educational pursuit, and being continuously looked over b her crush, she has given up hope on ever being enough. Along comes Mr Straight forward and serious, who unwittingly develops an unexpected connection with Lanie while seated next to each other on a flight.

I enjoyed seeing the MMC in his role as a now single father while navigating the loss of his spouse. The romance in this novel is definitely a slow burn, but the pace of the story definitely picks up after the two MMCs get together. There is also some family drama surrounding the wedding with Lanie and her favorite cousin (i wanted Lanie to curse her out).

All in all, it was a cute read after getting over the slowish start.

Thank you, Netgalley and The Hive for proving access to this novel.

[Bree’s Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a super cute airport romance. I loved getting to know Lanie and Ridley throughout the story, and I especially appreciated that the chapters switched between their point of views. I was immediately drawn to Lanie’s situation. Seeing her try to navigate all of her underlying emotions while trying to be there for her two favorite people definitely had my attention. Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but feel for Ridley, who, as a widower, was just trying to do right by his daughter, but also not shy away from potentially finding love again. One thing I enjoyed throughout this book was that even though the main storyline was seeing how Ridley and Lanie connected with each other, there were also subplots for what Lanie and Ridley were both going through in their own personal lives. I think this definitely made it a well-rounded and more enjoyable story overall. Without spoiling it, there was one thing I wish was done differently, but other than that, I really enjoyed this book, and it was a very cute story!

[Olivia Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5 Stars

I think this book did a good job of handling a single parent dating. I also enjoyed the realness of the family relationships and the display of how emotions can tend to build up overtime and eventually boil over. Overall, a cute story that I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would after the first couple of chapters. The time hops were a bit disorienting, but I do think they helped to progress the timeline in a more reasonable feeling way than how many other romances seem to progress extremely quickly.

[Rayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

I liked this book but the fact that it took me nearly two weeks to read means that it didn’t enthral me and pull me in the way that some other book have. I usually blow through books in few days.

I did like both the main characters and the premise, but it felt long. There was a LOT of family baggage on both sides. And the massive blow up between the FMC and her cousin just before the cousin’s wedding should have had way more fall out to be believable.

One last thing… the formatting was really bad… random spaces where there should not be any in some places and spaces seemingly missing in others made it sort of disjointed but since this was an ARC, that didn’t figure into my actual rating. It may, however, have interfered with my enjoyment just a tad.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

[Disgusted Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book bad. Maybe because im a sucker for a slow burn, but I seriously did not want to finish this.

Now I love my family as much as the next person but ain’t no way am I spending $300+ for constant round-trip flights from New York to London over a span of 5 months just to plan someone elses wedding. That is insane to me. Thats the most unrealistic part of this whole book.

[~My Book Obsession~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the way they fell into friendship so easily. I love that they are both seeking but are scared to get hurt again. It’s one’s second chance to find another great but different love. While it’s the others first chance to find true love. .
This book is a very slow burn so if you aren’t in the mood for that skip this until you are.
Lanie is a sweet person who has had terrible luck with men.
Ripely is a man focus on his career and taking care of his teen daughter. Love after loss is not really on his mind. But Lanie changes all that


~ I received this an ARC of this book for an honest review. This plays no part in how I rated or how I felt about this book. ARC received via Netgalley~

[Jameil · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I really enjoyed the central love story. The secondary love story felt incomplete. How do your two closest friends get engaged and it blind sides you? Their lack of communication wasn't appropriately resolved and I never believed the friendship between the three of them. Jonah sucks and Gem isn't much better.

[Lisa Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable romance read that struck a good balance between being lighthearted but also dealing with real relationship issues between partners, friends, and family without being too heavy. I was fully rooting for the female lead from start to finish.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jumping jellybeans Batman! This book was a train wreck (ironic since it mostly takes place on airplanes).

The FMC sucks, she’s been pining over a man who had sex with her ONE TIME when she was 19 and she’s nuked all her relationships because she’s still in love with this loser. But now this loser is marrying her cousin and her whole family is treating her like she’s about to have a mental breakdown because of the wedding. Tbh someone should have institutionalized her a while ago because this woman is insane!! The MMC is not much better, he spends most of the book wavering between being freaking rude to the FMC and sniping with his stepdaughters bio father. The convoluted custody battle plot-line was horrific! The MMC is described at this perfect father yet he never once thought to talk to his daughter about his new relationship???

Also, you never really find out why this woman didn’t finish her PhD. It’s insinuated that it’s due to her anxiety but also that it was due to institutional racism and funding cuts. The rest of the book does a lot of telling instead showing so it’s infuriating that we never get a clear description of WTF HAPPENED! But no worries, at the end she gets a job at Berkeley as a teaching assistant???? BUT is still not committed to finishing her dissertation.

Maybe my brain is rotted by all the Ali Hazelwood STEMinist books but good lord this was a bad depiction of “academics” and an even worse depiction of love. Literally giving this a whole extra star tho just for the daughter character, Bea. She was cute and the only one who was appropriately acting like a teenager.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit too long