Title: The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West    
Author: Sara Ackerman     
Genre: Historical fiction     
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

1927. Olivia “Livy” West is a fearless young pilot with a love of adventure. She yearns to cross oceans and travel the skies. When she learns of the Dole Air Race––a high-stakes contest to be the first to make the 2,400 mile Pacific crossing from the West Coast to Hawai’i—she sets her sights on qualifying. But it soon becomes clear that only men will make the cut. In a last-ditch effort to take part, Livy manages to be picked as a navigator for one of the pilots, before setting out on a harrowing journey that some will not survive.

1987. Wren Summers is down to her last dime when she learns she has inherited a remote piece of land on the Big Island with nothing on it but a dilapidated barn and an overgrown mac nut grove. She plans on selling it and using the money to live on, but she is drawn in by the mysterious objects kept in the barn by her late great-uncle––clues to a tragic piece of aviation history lost to time. Determined to find out what really happened all those years ago, Wren enlists the help of residents at a nearby retirement home to uncover Olivia’s story piece by piece. What she discovers is more earth-shattering, and closer to home, than she could have ever imagined.

I enjoyed this so much! The air race itself was terrifying to me—I’m claustrophobic and afraid of heights—but the story was fantastic. I loved Olivia’s sheer determination and guts, and I loved Wren’s adventurous spirit. The two of them were woven together so well, and I was eager to get to each chapter and find out what was going to happen. Loved the adventures, the secondary characters, and the romances, too. Highly recommend this read!

Sara Ackerman is a bestselling author. The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)

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