Come Fly With Me by Camille Di Maio

 

My thoughts

This was an unexpected delight. I've not read anything about being a stewardess before and this was so good and so well researched. You could tell that a lot of love went into writing this novel. It was a book that will stay with me a good while. 

Two women who could not be more different. Both wanting to escape their lives. Their pasts. One from an abusive tyrant of a husband. The other from her overbearing father.

Judy was married to man who loved to put his hands on her. He didn't want her to have any friends or family. Not even children. As that would take away from him. Her life was to revolve completely around him and what he wanted out of the marriage. She had to give up all of her hopes and dreams. He was a smooth talker when wooing her. He captured her heart completely and then changed after they married...

Beverly came from wealth. She never lacked for anything. Other than the love she craved from her parents. It was like she was an accessory for them rather than their child. At times her mother could be warm but for the most part she just seemed to ignore her daughter. Her father had her life all planned out. Get married to a rich man and let them combine power. Beverly had other ideas. 

Both young women wanted to become Pan Am Stewardesses. Each for very different reasons. They become the very best of friends in their journey. Claiming to be sisters even though they were not related. They were both only children. Both wanted to find a better kind of life. One with happiness and real love.

This book gave me so many good feels. A little bit of tears too. Ok a lot of tears at one point. Deep love that would last a lifetime. I laughed and cried. I felt such hope for these two young women. They were the perfect match. They rooted each other on no matter what lay ahead. They complimented each other. They both found love and happiness. Then tragedy hit. One was lost... 

This story is told from each ladies point of view. You get to know them well. This book was so good. So emotional in every way. I learned a lot about being a Stewardess for Pan America in the sixties. The author did a great job of researching and letting you know in her Author's Notes at the end. Don't miss that part. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #LakeUnion, for this ARC.

About

It’s 1962, the dawn of the jet-set era. Hope takes flight for two Pan Am stewardesses navigating an adventurous new life in a novel about love, friendship, and escape by the bestselling author of The Memory of Us and Until We Meet.

Welcome to a glamorous gateway to the jet age.

Judy Goodman and Beverly Caldwell have different reasons for putting continents and oceans between themselves and their disparate pasts, but they have the same desire—to earn a coveted position on an elite team of stewardesses for Pan American Airlines. For Judy, running away from an oppressive marriage in small-town Pennsylvania is a risk she must take. And for Beverly, leaving behind the gilded cage of New York society will allow her to pursue a future of her own making.

Embracing the culture, etiquette, and strict rules of a thrilling and unpredictable new world above the clouds, Judy and Beverly are bound for faraway destinations and opportunities that other women dare only to dream about. But as they build a deep friendship, encounter love and danger, and discover what’s truly important, Judy and Beverly must also confront the secrets that could change their lives all over again—and forever.