Taking Flight

by Siera Maley

[Angie]

Taking Flight deals with lots of heavy issues, but without feeling heavy. There's always a sense of hope as Lauren works to get her life back on track, and unexpectedly helping the family she's been sent to live with. Lauren is the child of a Hollywood star and an alcoholic childstar. But when her mom dies, her father is found unfit to be her guardian after she missed three months of school. Now, she's shipped off to rural Georgia to live with the Marshall family who take in troubled teens and turn their lives around. Lauren doesn't want to be there, but soon she finds a reason to stay.

Lauren was a really great character. Her parents have been mostly absent from her life, even before her mother died. When Taking Flight opens, Lauren has already had her court date and is about to go out on one last hurrah. She goes out, gets drunk, and winds up in bed with her best friend, which is not exactly unusual. She's basically free to do what she wants, but that's not going to fly with David Marshall. Lauren has every intention of being a pain, but she falls into routine with the family, goes to school, helps on the farm, and actually opens up to David. She's not this stereotypical bad girl who's running wild because her parents didn't care enough and cocks an attitude with everyone. She wants to be respected, not just liked, and she actually puts in an effort with her new classmates, even the ones that others don't bother with.

Taking Flight is ultimately Lauren's story. She goes from throwing her life away, to finally caring about something and someone. But I was equally interested in Cammie's story. She's David's daughter and suppose to be like a role model (and babysitter) for Lauren. She comes across as this perfect girl, but Lauren sees through that. Obviously Cammie has secrets, and she and Lauren eventually fall in love. Lauren also helps Cammie be open with her parents about how she doesn't share their dreams for her future. Cammie is terrified of losing their love, but she's losing herself in the process. I loved how Lauren saw all this and wasn't afraid to stand up for her.

Taking Flight was just really great. The romance is sweet, and I enjoyed all of Lauren and Cammie's scenes together. But I do think I enjoyed their individual stories even more. I loved seeing both of them going after what they wanted, even if they didn't exactly have all of it figured out. There's also a lot of great discussion on appearances, such as the Marshall's looking like a perfect family from the outside, but they still have their own issues like anyone else.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.