THE SUMMER SKIES - Jenny Colgan
Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0-06-326042-9
July 2023
Fiction

Scotland - Present Day

Morag MacIntyre, first officer on a routine flight to Alicante with a plane full of holiday makers experiences a terrifying event when a small crop duster suddenly appears in front of them. As she and the pilot pull their plane higher, they witness the hapless smaller plane spiraling towards the ground. Later it's confirmed that the young pilot and his girlfriend died when the plane crashed in a field. Morag and the pilot must go through several medical and psychological tests afterwards, which Morag passes easily. However, deep inside she knows she's not ready to fly yet.

The third generation of pilots in her family, Morag returns home to the north of Scotland when her family informs her that her grandfather is ill. Not only do they want her there for her grandfather, but also because his business needs to keep running. His island plane service delivers supplies, tourists, medicines, and locals to and from some of the five hundred islands that swing towards Norway. Morag knows this is essentially why she's there, but her inner voice says she can't help. However, the needs of the family are important, and Morag agrees to be the first officer as long as she doesn't have to actually pilot the small plane. 

Morag has the opportunity of going back to flying the big passenger planes, hopefully on long flights. Her new boyfriend, Hayden, will be stationed in Dubai, and he'd like Morag to base herself there. But first, there are the needs of the islands. Things go fine at first with Erno, the pilot grudgingly doing all of the flying, but when a serious incident occurs, Morag's life takes a different route.

THE SUMMER SKIES is an outstanding, and entertaining tale of recovery, a change of perspective, and the realization that things can change for the better. Morag is tough on herself, questioning her reaction to the flight event, and wondering if she'll ever be able to fly again. But her toughness is tested again, and she'll find out what she really wants in life. 

Jani Brooks