High Flying

High Flying is the thrilling adventure of one brave girl named Skylar. Skylar lives with her grandfather, Jessop Haines, and shows signs of suicidal tendencies and depression. She cuts herself often. The book opens with Skylar feeling lonely and helpless. To top it off, her best friend, Roxy, gets a boyfriend and can’t spend as much time hanging out with Skylar anymore. Skylar seems to grow up overnight after a fatality occurs that is close to her. She runs away from her grandfather’s house and decides to become a pilot. Fast forward five years and Skylar is training to be a stunt pilot with her friend Jake Brennen and his surrogate father, Ethan. During her first show, something happens and Skylar is thrown into the past. It is there that she meets her father, Dylan, as he was before he died in a plane crash. She also meets her mother, Lily, who is pregnant with Skylar. The adventure that ensues opens up the story and its characters in a very original fashion. Jessop Haines is not just the mean grandfather Skylar knows but someone who has some very dark secrets. As Skylar becomes more and more embedded in Dylan’s life, she finds herself in dangerous situations. These are situations that can possibly change the future.

I really enjoyed reading High Flying because it was so fast-paced. The characters’ narratives were intertwined without making the story confusing. The one thing I found to be slightly unrealistic is that at the beginning of the book Skylar is so mentally unstable, but when she gets thrown into the past she almost becomes a different person. She is brave and strong and knows exactly what to do in all the scenarios she gets caught up in. Of course, much had happened over the five years that had passed in between running away and becoming a pilot. That part of the story would have been nice to know to bridge the gap in personalities.

I have always enjoyed time-travel adventures, so this was a nice surprise. The descriptions of the scenery, cars, and planes when Skylar goes back in time really give the book an authentic feel. The characters are linked extremely well in the past and present, giving the reader the connection that is needed in time travel stories. High Flying is a book that makes you think about the past, present, and future. With brilliant characters and a plot that keeps going full steam until the end, it is a must-read for anyone who loves a good adventure.