Review: "My Chance to Fly" by Samantha Tonge

My Chance to Fly by Samantha Tonge
Published August 2026 via Boldwood Books
★★★

Una's life is regimented, and that's just the way she likes it. She's open with her best friend and with this mother, but with really nobody else: She keeps her communication direct and to the point and avoids doing anything new. So flying to southern Germany on a whim is not exactly in character...

I picked this up because, as much as I love travel books, they don't often take the characters to Germany, and I was curious about what Una's experience would be like. I enjoyed her time in Germany—she gets to do some things that a lot of tourists don't necessarily get to experience, and Konrad, her German contact-turned-paramour, is good company. It's probably lucky that they turn out to be a good fit, because it could be awkward if he kept wanting to do things together and she really wasn't into it, but generally he comes across nicely. It's also interesting how much her interactions with Konrad bring Una out of her shell—less a matter of "he's the one who really sees her" (which is good! I'm not a fan of romance in which, you know, only he sees the beauty behind her glasses or whatever) and more a matter of...he's the catalyst for positive change in her life.

On the one hand I find the premise a little silly (fly hundreds of miles in the hopes that a specific bird will show up?), but on the other hand it's sweet. Life throws a few unexpected wrenches at Una, including one that forces some...different questions than she necessarily expected to need to answer. I didn't mind that (didn't see that particular twist coming until shortly before Una did), though I didn't love the way things with her parents resolve (felt a bit 180). There's a fair amount of German sprinkled throughout the book, and for the most part it's solid; nice that it goes beyond "ja" and "nein".

All in all, a fun romance that takes readers somewhere new, and I can't argue with that.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.