Fear of Flying by Kate Allen [Book review]

Firstly I would like to say a huge thankyou to Book Sirens UK and Kate Allen for allowing me a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts of the book.

Blurb

Liv has lost everything.

She now has no family, no college education, no direction, and no plan. Well, she does have a plan - to dull her pain with alcohol and pull herself together long enough to make a trip to Scotland to scatter her aunt’s ashes.

A chance encounter on the flight to Europe leads to a lasting friendship that Liv comes to rely on above all else.

But as Liv grapples with the tragedies of her past, is there room in her broken life for another person?

My thoughts

This is a very well written character driven story. Hitting a lot of strong themes throughout - death, fear, loneliness, mental health, depression and love.

Kate and Collin are raw characters who grow throughout the story independently and together.

A chance meeting on a plane during a particularly terrible time for Kate leads to a long and meaningful relationship with plenty of ups and downs along the way.

There were times that I became genuinely frustrated with Kate and her inability to allow anyone to help her as she spiralled down into the depths, but at the same time my heart broke for her as I know how debilitating mental health can be and she had suffered a lot of trauma. She was very well written and detailed. Collin was the anchor she needed to keep her floating on the surface whether she realised it or not.

All in all this was a great story of growth and development of characters as they faced trials and the hurdles of life. A powerful friendship that was meant to be, to keep them both from sinking.

This was not an overly light read but there were some tender moments and it made me appreciate life and the people I have around me ❤ everyone needs someone to hold onto.