REVIEW: Love in Plane Sight by Lauren Connolly

In Love in Plane Sight by Lauren Connolly, Beth Lundberg has chased her dream of becoming a pilot since she was in her teens. Currently a waitress at a local diner, she spends as much time inhaling every detail about planes and aviation as she can during her (non-existent) downtime. So, when the chance came up to have *free* lessons she should have been jumping for joy. The problem? Beth’s instructor would be George Bunsen, her half-brother Shawn’s best friend, who treats her like she shouldn’t exist. After begrudgingly agreeing, she wishes she hadn’t climbed into the Cessna’s cockpit with George because their first flight together goes horrifically wrong when the engine fails.

‘George feels like a true instructor.
And I’m trying my best not to be hot for teacher.’

George’s impressive skills in maneuvering the plane safely onto the highway affects Beth in ways she never imagined. Not only does she still want to continue her lessons, but she’s also somehow now crushing on George. Not cool. Especially when she realizes that behind his quiet, calm facade is a man who has the best laugh in the world–and is sexy as all get-out. Not that Beth wants to pursue anything romantically with George. Or so she tells herself. Because when multiple truths come out in her family life and she has to figure out how to make a new path forward, she can see it including George for many years to come. If they can make an agreement about her flight lessons and his role in them.

“George Bunsen,” I try to keep my voice lighthearted to cover up how much what he said affected me. “I think you have a crush. On me.”
He smirks over his shoulder. “If you only think I have a crush on you, Beth Lundberg, then I need to try harder.”

If you enjoy heated banter, an enemies-to-lovers vibe, and a good helping of family drama then LOVE IN PLANE SIGHT will be a fun novel to lose yourself in.

“Tell the truth. Blow everything up. Sometimes what’s left after the chaos is better.”

CW: View Spoiler »Misogyny, sexism, loss of a parent, cancer, suicidal thoughts and suicide, anxiety, emotional abuse. « Hide Spoiler

Lauren Connolly has a knack for creating characters who seem so real they nearly leap off the pages. That was definitely what we had in LOVE IN PLANE SIGHT. While it was mainly told from our heroine Beth’s POV–one chapter was from hero George’s POV at the end–Connolly did such a great job detailing each person’s emotions and reactions that I think readers will get completely swept away. The heavier subjects (and there were several) were handled carefully. And they added depth to Beth and George’s wild path to a relationship where it seemed like everything was against them.

Beth was another fun, quirky, lovable heroine from Connolly. I cheered her on from page one to realize her dream of becoming a pilot–and to find a way to balance her time working, helping her moms fix up their run-down house, as well as have a social life. If you’ve ever had to pinch pennies then you’ll understand Beth’s main concern in life: lack of money. She did tend to take a lot of responsibility on herself while not always communicating any issues to her loved ones. But it came from a place of love. Beth simply wanted her mother to remain healthy after some terribly rough years. So, if that meant she had to take on the financial burdens at home and work two jobs, so be it. Beth’s loyalty to both her moms and her half-brother Shawn was amazing.

George was a bit tougher to understand at first. He seemed stoic as well as frustrated each time Beth was in his vicinity, like he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. But things shifted as they spent time together during her flight lessons. George had very good reasons for how he acted around Beth. And once they really started to communicate, the flirting and banter between them was everything. It reminded me a bit of Christina Lauren’s quick back and forth between their characters where things change rapidly from slightly sarcastic to sexy in a heartbeat. I just adored Beth and George together. And I hope readers fall for them too.

QOTD: Is there anything you’ve dreamed of accomplishing that you haven’t found time for or had the chance to do yet?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: December 16th, 2025 | Berkley |

With her brother’s grumpy best friend—and her longtime nemesis—as Beth’s flight instructor, her pilot lessons could be a plane disaster or their first-class ticket to forever.

Mayday. Mayday. Engine failure.

When flying with George Bunsen, the last thing Beth Lundberg wants is to be horny in the cockpit. But when her first ride-along dives toward disaster, the perpetually stoic George is forced to execute a skillful emergency landing, and Beth is horrified to find herself with an adrenaline-fueled crush on the pilot. She’s even more shocked when her brother’s best friend offers her discounted flight lessons—possibly out of guilt for almost killing them.

And despite George’s annoying habit of departing any room the moment Beth enters, she really wants to accept. No matter that it’s an egregiously expensive hobby, or that her waitressing wages go right toward her mother’s medical bills, or that she’s already in debt up to her eyebrows. Flying is Beth’s dream, and she could use her private license to earn real money.

The more time they spend navigating the sky, the more the turbulence between George and Beth dissipates. But Beth has seen the burning wreckage that comes from mixing business with pleasure—plus, she’s been keeping a secret that, once revealed, will send all her relationships into a tailspin. Can she really take a risk on romance when her pilot career isn’t even off the ground?