Title: Love in Plane SightAuthor: Lauren Connolly
Pages: 400
Publication Date: Dec. 16, 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Synopsis:
With her brother’s grumpy best friend—and her longtime nemesis—as Beth’s flight instructor, her pilot lessons could be a plane disaster or their first-class ticket to forever.
Mayday. Mayday. Engine failure.
When flying with George Bunsen, the last thing Beth Lundberg wants is to be horny in the cockpit. But when her first ride-along dives toward disaster, the perpetually stoic George is forced to execute a skillful emergency landing, and Beth is horrified to find herself with an adrenaline-fueled crush on the pilot. She’s even more shocked when her brother’s best friend offers her discounted flight lessons—possibly out of guilt for almost killing them.
And despite George’s annoying habit of departing any room the moment Beth enters, she really wants to accept. No matter that it’s an egregiously expensive hobby, or that her waitressing wages go right toward her mother’s medical bills, or that she’s already in debt up to her eyebrows. Flying is Beth’s dream, and she could use her private license to earn real money.
The more time they spend navigating the sky, the more the turbulence between George and Beth dissipates. But Beth has seen the burning wreckage that comes from mixing business with pleasure—plus, she’s been keeping a secret that, once revealed, will send all her relationships into a tailspin. Can she really take a risk on romance when her pilot career isn’t even off the ground?
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Love in Plane Sight is a fabulous contemporary romance! I loved the characters and romance, as well as the messages. The story follows Beth as she learns how to pilot a plane with the help of her brother’s best friend, whom she loathes, George. Their time starts off rocky, literally and figuratively, as the pair finds themselves in a plane crash and landing on a highway. What a way to start the book!
The strength of this story is the relationships – friendships, romantic relationships, mother-daughter, and sibling relationships. Beth has a lot of great connections (and a few terrible ones) that are richly developed and explored. Her relationship with her brother really stood out to me. I wish I had a brother like Shawn who would have monthly book clubs with me and supported me in life. Shawn is sunshine in human form. Love him!
The love story between Darla and Beth’s brother is fantastic too, especially if you like opposites-attract romances. Shawn is so captivated by Darla, and he has such golden retriever vibes. It’s hard not to fall for him, as Darla realizes. I think. Her brutal honesty and in-your-face attitude are refreshing to Shawn, considering the fake world he comes from. There are some despicable people in his business, and it’s no wonder Beth and George have negative feelings toward it.
Beth and George have a fantastic enemies-to-lovers, brother’s best friend romance. Though they’ve known each other for years, it’s been at a distance, as Beth knows George doesn’t like her. But Beth learns quickly there’s more to George than she realizes, and as she gets to know him, she sees that her preconceptions and beliefs about him might not be accurate. He’s got a lot of depth, and I like how his layers are slowly unraveled over the course of the story.
The story highlights gender biases and sexism in the workplace, the abuse of power, economic disparities, toxic masculinity, and more. There are some really good messages about family, communication, and learning to trust others, which I enjoyed. Beth, in particular, shows a lot of growth as she faces the adversity that comes with working in a diner and wanting to work in a male-dominated career. It was infuriating to see what she had to deal with, but it also wasn’t surprising. I liked how these serious elements are balanced well with more lighthearted parts. It made for an entertaining read.
I really enjoyed this read. It was romantic and charming, with some great humor, excellent side characters, strong messages and relationships, and love stories that are easy to root for. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
I turn to my date, enjoying the sparking gray eyes staring down at me. “If Darla kills Shawn,” I whisper, “I think he’ll just come back as a ghost and haunt her and not even realize he’s dead.”
Then I watched Beth take off over two hours ago and almost passed out on the tarmac from worry. Gettysburg Regional Airport. I silently chant the names of the airports she’s flying to. Greater Cumberland Regional Airport. Winchester Regional Airport. Then home. To me. That woman flew off not only with my heart but also every single one of my internal organs. I am a panicking shell of a man as I sit in the airport lobby and stare at my cell phone.
- brothers best friend
- enemies to lovers
- grumpy/sunshine
- he falls first
- found family
- only one bed
Lauren Connolly is an award-winning author of contemporary and magical romance stories. She’s lived among mountains, next to lakes, and in imaginary worlds. Lauren can never seem to stay in one place for too long, but trust that wherever she’s residing there is a dog who thinks he’s a troll, twin cats hiding in the couch, and bookshelves bursting with stories written by the authors she loves.
This one sounds fun! And that cover is so good