Today I am excited to be joining the blog tour organised by iread book tours with a review of FlightLog by Suz. The full tour schedule can be found here. Besure to enter the Giveaway further down the post!
Book Title: FlightLog: The Novel Adventures of a Stewardess Wannabe Who Becomes a Flight Attendant by Susan Humphrey
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 338 pages
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit, Memoir(ish), Coming-of-age
Publisher: Majuscule Press
Release date: August, 2022
Format available for review: print (US), ebook (EPUB, PDF), audiobook (audible download)
Tour dates: Mar 6 to Mar 24, 2023
Content Rating: PG. A few romantic encounters but light on the details. Reference to tobacco use.
“It was 1978. People didn’t have home computers, video players, or answering machines. We rented our telephones from local phone companies and hand-wrote letters. The terms ‘politically correct’ and ‘African-American’ had not been coined. ‘Eating disorders’ and ‘alternate lifestyles’ were not yet common household phrases. Only strippers wore thongs, which made perfect sense to me, as they only caused one to gyrate their hynie in a desperate attempt to dislodge the bothersome wedgie.”
So writes Sherri Van Ness, an unassuming girl from the burbs of Kansas who’s about to embark on the adventure of her life when she signs up to become a stewardess. But it’s much more turbulent than this doughy-eyed 19-year-old ever imagined as she tries to navigate past grouchy passengers, fly-by-night relationships and the unforgiving, relentless, humiliating, monthly weigh-ins. Some dreams come true. Others require a vomit bag.
That’s not to say Sherri doesn’t enjoy herself. Au contraire! There are friends to be made and men to be made and the maid who made up her room in New York is so nice!
Yes, the work is difficult at times and the money isn’t always good, but there are perks: free flights and an endless supply of tiny vodka bottles and salted peanuts (peanut allergies hadn’t been invented yet.)
Like Dorothy Gale sans Toto, Sherri leaves Kansas and finds herself amidst a cast of characters as strange to her as the Scarecrow and the Munchkins were to Dorothy. Her whirlwind journey takes her from innocent, insecure stewardess to mature and confident flight attendant. Or does she?
Book your flight now with this very enjoyable read, put your seat back in the upright position, and enjoy the ride!
BUY THE BOOK:
AMAZON ~ Audible
BAM ~ B&N ~ Bookshop.org
add to goodreads
My Review
The author of FlightLog has worked as a Flight Attendant and her experience really shows in the detail of this book. In fact it often reads like a memoir rather than a work of fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all about Sherri Van Ness’s adventures as she trained to be a flight attendant with Gateway Airlines at the end of the ‘70s – and then during her career, based out of New York. It was really interesting to learn about all the different escapades that the flight crew got up to on their layovers and the juicy gossip about the varied characters made it very difficult to put this book down!
The main character is extremely likable – a hard worker who is friendly and personable – she always seems to have a witty put down to hand, and a smile for all of her customers. Everyone who meets her falls for her personality and appearance and appreciates her hard working nature. Her life in New York is full of glitz and glamour despite her thinking of herself as a normal girl from Kansas.
I equally enjoyed the secondary characters, from fabulous Maurice, determined Danny, to glamorous Jeanna and Alex, and the gorgeous men Sherri finds herself hooking up with.
Each of the chapters is given the name of a popular song from the decade in which the story is set and song lyrics are peppered throughout the narrative – I really enjoyed this original idea and found myself singing along with some of them.
FlightLog was a really quick and fun read which didn’t require much concentration – ideal for a flight or vacation read!
US Giveaway
About the Author
Susan Jo Humphrey, the daughter of a diplomat, was born in Izmir, Turkey where she lived for three years. She also lived in Korea and Thailand, before returning home to the US with her family as a teenager. She has traveled all over the United States, and has called several parts of this country ‘home.’ Her many airplane rides as a child convinced her she must one day become a stewardess.
Suz was a flight attendant for thirteen of her twenty-five years with UAL. She began penning FlightLog with the help of the Naperville Writer’s Group, outside of Chicago. There, she published in their annual pamphlet, had a humor piece printed in an online magazine, and contributed many articles to local newspapers. At the time of publication, she is busy working on FlightLog II.
Away from the keyboard, Suz loves yoga, reading, cooking, listening to music and playing her guitar. She still enjoys mapping out travel to faraway places she’s never seen, as well as planning return trips to her favorite spots.
She currently lives in Southern California and has two grown children. Today, she’s in healthcare, where she’s worked since 2014. Suz was the ‘baby’ of her flight attendant classes – and the ‘senior’ student in her nursing classes. She’s eager to write that story as well: a novice baby-boomer RN begins her dream career as a travel nurse – just as a pandemic breaks out!
Sue's Musings 
Thank you Sue! It’s ‘Suz’ author of FlightLog. Truly want to thank you for taking the time to read and share my new (first) book! Please know how grateful I am and how much I appreciate your time and your post! Sincerely, Suz
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Thank you for visiting and for the lovely comment, Suz!
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