Frequent Fliers

Complex personal struggles, family drama, and a slow-burn romance are the ingredients for Kirwan’s tepid second novel (after Long Past Summer). Melanie “Lanie” Turner’s life is a mess: her best friend and lifelong crush is marrying her cousin, and she’ll be spending the months leading up to their U.K. wedding flying back and forth over the Atlantic to fulfill her duties as “their best mate of honor.” Anxious, heartbroken, and convinced of her own inadequacy, she doesn’t expect to find an connection with her handsome—but rude—seatmate, medical researcher Ridley Aronsen. Focused on his job, which frequently takes him from London to New York, and stepdaughter after the death of his wife two years prior, Ridley does not have finding love on his life’s plan. But as his path continually crosses with Lanie’s mid-air, their initially inconsistent and awkward interactions evolve into a deep friendship and eventually love. The romance moves at a snail’s pace as the plot mostly focuses on Lanie’s and Ridley’s painful backstories and lives away from each other. Readers will need considerable patience to get through this one. (Aug.)