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Love is in the Air #1

Love is in the Air

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Please note this was previously published as Ruby Shoes and Airline Blues

Dream job. Dream shoes. . . Dream man?

When bubbly Ruby Hanson lands a job as a flight attendant with Celestial Air, it’s a dream come true. For as long as she can remember she’s wanted the thrill of adventure — and the gorgeous red shoes that go with the uniform!

If only her boyfriend, Richie, would support her. Instead, he tells her she’s not pretty enough to be a stewardess and replaces her trusty car with a banana-yellow moped.

But Ruby makes Bananarama part of her adventure and it soon becomes a feature on her Instagram feed. As does swoonworthy First Officer Milo Fraser.

Milo may have all the women falling for him but the more they cross paths the more Ruby realises he’s not the player she thinks he is. Especially after he saves her, mid-panic attack, on her very first day.

Then, just after her career takes off, Ruby loses everything she’s been working so hard for. Abandoned by Ritchie, it’s Milo who comes to her rescue (again).

Ruby may have been planning on the high life, but perhaps the adventure she’s dreamt of is much closer to home.

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2024

40 people are currently reading
58 people want to read

About the author

Jackie Ladbury

8 books13 followers

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5 stars
40 (32%)
4 stars
33 (26%)
3 stars
23 (18%)
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18 (14%)
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9 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Kaila.
444 reviews11 followers
May 20, 2024
Love Is In The Air is described as a "laugh out loud, opposites attract friends-to-lovers rom-com".

Ruby has finally gotten the job she has long desired - a position with Celestial Air. She has dreamed of being a flight attendant for the airline and wearing the stunning red shoes that go with the uniform. Ruby believes this job could change everything for her and her boyfriend, Richie, and put them in a much better place. Richie, on the other hand, thinks otherwise. He is not on board with Ruby being a flight attendant and as a result, his thoughts and actions get the better of him and start to drastically affect their relationship. Ruby starts to dread being home with Richie, knowing that everything will either lead to an argument or her feelings being hurt. Luckily, with this new job, she starts to find her happy place. She has her dream job and she is making friends, one being a dreamy pilot named Milo. Milo is the complete opposite of Richie. He is friendly, caring, supportive, and most importantly, he seems to get Ruby and her quirky ways. He has a fun side and appreciates her company, and is always there to rescue her from panick attacks & self-wallowing! Ruby starts to feel herself falling for Milo, but how can she when she has Richie?

This book was alright, although I can't say I loved it. Ruby did have quirky and silly ways, making a joke every now and again mainly when she was in uncomfortable, awkward situations, but this book was not laugh out loud funny. It was also hard for me to understand the "opposites attract" aspect of it because I didn't feel Ruby and Milo were much of opposites. Ruby was just very self-conscious and had the lowest self-esteem, whereas Milo was confident in himself.

I would say this book is not for everyone. It's easy for Ruby's character to be disliked because she has no backbone. She has a terrible boyfriend named Richie, who is so condescending and puts her down every chance he gets. He is verbally and mentally abusive and the main cause for Ruby's low self-esteem. Although this can be very upsetting and frustrating for the reader, I personally found it helped add a lot to her character's development and how much she has grown by the ending. By the end of the novel, Ruby isn't afraid to admit that the relationship with Richie no longer serves her and doesn't think twice about giving him the boot! Milo did not have much of a turn-around character-wise, but we got to see another side of him that he did not show at work. This discovery supported the fact that Ruby and Milo were getting more and more comfortable around each other. By the end, Ruby does take a few losses but ends up with even greater wins!

Thank you NetGalley, Joffe Books, and Jackie Ladbury for this ARC!
Profile Image for Cortney Burnham.
74 reviews8 followers
May 25, 2024
SIGH. I really wanted to enjoy this book but I felt bored? I found that many chapters and scenes just dragged on. There for parts that made me laugh (shoes catching on fire lmao), but overall I didn't love many of the characters. Maybe because I feel like it was so surface level. Despite not loving it, I pushed myself to finish the book and I did like the ending where I feel like our main character's ex finally got some karma. Thank you to NetGalley and Choc Lit for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
686 reviews19 followers
September 2, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Choc Lit for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Cringe worthy. I barely made it a third of the way through the book before stopping in disgust. Ruby is made out to be a stupid door mat who lets her Neanderthal boyfriend get away with the most ridiculous actions. The male airline employees were all sexist. This is supposed to be a "laugh out loud feel-good romantic comedy"?? Yikes.
Profile Image for tals.
167 reviews8 followers
July 1, 2024
The plot sounds amazing I just don’t think it was executed to its full potential. I found the characters dull, cringy and really unlikeable.

★★
Profile Image for Andrea.
36 reviews22 followers
May 10, 2024
Ruby is a plucky, unlucky girl who uses her occasionally ill-timed humor as a coping mechanism. BUT, she’s also a girl with big dreams—big dreams that include a pair of bright red heels and a winged pin on her lapel.

I think the premise of this book is very good. It was entertaining to see some of the training and behind the scene details of what it takes to become a flight attendant. Unfortunately, a lot of those scenes dragged. We do meet a few fun characters during those moments, but I think they could have been edited back and still have the same impact.

Perhaps my biggest struggle with this book was the relationships. When I initially saw the cover, I thought it was strange that there were two men. There was even a moment when I wondered if it was a “why choose” or “love triangle” trope, and I guess it was a love triangle in a way. The pilot, Milo, is definitely the relationship you’re rooting for but for some reason Ruby stays with her horrendous boyfriend, Richie, for roughly 80% of the book. Even the last chapter before the epilogue features her ex instead of our endgame leading man. Richie is a horrible person from beginning to end. You are begging Ruby to drop him, and there are a few times where you think it might actually happen, but she returns to him again and again. It becomes infuriating, which isn’t something you want for your romance novel.

Ruby herself is a bit of an odd duck. In some ways, she’s pretty relatable. We all have those moments where we say the wrong thing or make a fool of ourselves. We all find ourselves scrolling instagram a little too long. We all occasionally have jealous or shallow moments. The issue comes when those moments are seen again and again to the point where your character seems less relatable and more cringy.

As a few technical notes; there were some terms or idioms that were unfamiliar to me, and the single quotation marks (‘) vs double quotation marks (“) took me by surprise, but I was able to adapt to it quickly. There are also one or two formatting issues (example: no page break on chapter ten) in the ebook version.

Overall, I really wanted to like this book. The blurb really drew me in and the cover is eye-catching. There were moments of the story that I really enjoyed! Unfortunately, the pace was just too slow for me, and the characters and their relationships just turned me off.

Thank you to NetGalley and A Joffe Books for providing a copy of Love is in the Air in exchange for honest review. All thoughts and options are my own.
Profile Image for M Soh.
764 reviews9 followers
May 5, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I’m a little conflicted about Love is in the Air. On one hand it’s a cute and funny romance book, following Ruby as she comes out of her shell and starts to realize her dreams. On the other it’s fairly basic and even for a light romantic comedy, which I expect to have often unbelievable plot progressions leading to the happy ending, this was a little too fantastical.

Ruby is a doormat with no self esteem and shallow but ultimately a good person. She is with her boyfriend Richie who is a straight slug but who she just doesn’t leave despite him being a little b in every way. When she finally gets her dream job for a small airline (because the shoes. That’s the main reason it’s been a dream, to start) she starts to make friends and even meets a too good to be real seeming guy in Milo, giving her a taste of how life can be without Richie as her Center. Ruby made me angry by continuing to stay with Richie but outside of that and her extremely low self esteem she was sweet and (perhaps inadvertently funny). The supporting characters were a little flat but rounded this book out well. The premise was great and I did wish it spent more time on hidden knowledge around being a flight attendant.

Outside of all that this is a book I’d pick up if you have the time and want to stay a bit on the surface. It could have been really great if only it didn’t bludgeon you with Ruby’s very low self worth (either lean in to how this occurred, and how she comes into her own in a more realistic way or keep it more subtle) and developed its secondary characters to be more realistic.
Profile Image for Sue Wallace .
7,399 reviews140 followers
May 18, 2024
Love is in the air by Jackie Ladbury.
Book 1 of love is in the air.
This was a good read. I did like the cover. I liked Ruby. Ritchie, I really didn't like him at all. I liked Milo and Lucy. I loved how they were with Ruby. I did love the fire safety scene. I did like how Milo was with Ruby. This was an easy read , and after I got into it after a slow start, I read pretty quickly. I did love the ending, and I am looking forward to the next book. 4*.

Blurb.
When bubbly Ruby Hanson lands a job as a flight attendant with Celestial Air, it’s a dream come true. For as long as she can remember she’s wanted the thrill of adventure — and the gorgeous red shoes that go with the uniform!

If only her boyfriend, Richie, would support her. Instead, he tells her she’s not pretty enough to be a stewardess and replaces her trusty car with a banana-yellow moped.

But Ruby makes Bananarama part of her adventure, and it soon becomes a feature on her Instagram feed. As does swoonworthy First Officer Milo Fraser.

But, just after her career takes off, an incident at work leaves Ruby’s dreams in tatters. Abandoned by Ritchie, it’s Milo who comes to her rescue.

Ruby may have been planning on the high life, but perhaps the adventure — and the man — she’s dreamed of is much closer to home.

Format – Kindle

Publisher – Joffe Books

Publication Date – 21 May 2024

Genre – Women's Adventure Fiction

Author – Jackie Ladbury

#jackieladbury #loveisintheair #joffebooks #womensadventurefiction #bookaddict #bookstagram #bookaholic #bookcommunity #booklover #booknerd #bookobsessed #booktour #blogtour #bookreviewer #bookstagram #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookreviewerofinstagram
4 reviews4 followers
June 12, 2024
This review is based upon an ARC provided by NetGalley and Joffe Books. Minor spoilers ahead.

This book had a cute plot and fun settings, but ultimately the characters weren't strong enough to carry it.

The main character, Ruby, felt underdeveloped and inconsistent. I think it was somewhat intentional on the part of the author, since the character is undergoing turmoil and learning to be decisive and figure out what she wants her life to look like. But at times it made her inner monologue hard to follow, and there were moments where it felt like the author just forgot what we'd already learned about the character (eg. a previously established fear of fire became a fear that...monsters were hiding in the fire?).

There are two main male characters: the boyfriend, Richie, and the love interest, Milo. Richie is so awful that you root for Milo for the sheer fact of not being Richie. Milo is handsome and rich, but it never felt like he and Ruby ever got to really know each other well enough for me to be invested in their HEA.

Had this not been an ARC, I probably would have DNFed.
Profile Image for Diamond.
94 reviews
May 26, 2024
The idea behind this book was great. Unfortunately, the execution wasn't. This took way longer to read than it normally would. I found myself constantly bored while reading this. There were a few scenes that were entertaining but ultimately not enough for me to enjoy the book.

This is about Ruby who is in a toxic relationship with her boyfriend Richie. She starts a new job at an airline company that causes a lot of issues in the relationship. She meets another man, Milo, at this new job. During this, its a lot of back and forth of whether to stay in the toxic relationship or move forward with her life.

Ruby annoyed me for most of the book. I get the idea of losing self esteem because of being in a toxic relationship and constantly struggling with self worth but the way Ruby came off was very whiney and immature. I also didn't feel the connection between her and Milo. It felt very forced.

I will say that I did enjoy the last chapter and the epilogue.

Overall, this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
4,145 reviews22 followers
November 17, 2024
This was my first time reading something by this author. It's a cute story that blends humor, heart, romance into a charming, feel-good story. Ruby is a determined heroine who isn’t afraid to chase her dreams—even when life doesn't always go as planned. She fulfills her dream of becoming a flight attendant, but her boyfriend doesn't support her and pretty much dismisses her accomplishment. This is where First Officer Milo comes in. Although he has a reputation of being a Ladies man, as Ruby gets to know him more, she learns that is not an entirely accurate description of him. As their connection grows, she sees a more caring and considerate side of him.
Although a lovely romantic comedy, the story is also about finding strength, discovering what truly matters, and embracing love when you least expect it. If you're looking for a heartwarming romance then this is definitely one you will want to pick up.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.
8 reviews
May 17, 2025
This had such a good potential but just fell flat. The characters are all quite unlikeable and there were scenes and parts of the story that dragged on for so long while others were barely touched on. The first quarter of the book is about Ruby training to be a cabin crew and how she overcomes her fears and it’s been her dream since she was a teenager, then she qualifies and there’s nothing about the job. We then read about Richie who is the worst boyfriend but she lets him walk all over her because she hasn’t got the confidence to say no, but this is the same person who has the confidence and courage to go for the job she wants even though Richie is completely against it. She knows he’s controlling and nasty but doesn’t bother to stand up for herself with him even though she says she’s in love with Milo. The whole Ruby/Milo storyline was annoying, too much second guessing and not enough communication and it was so predictable they would end up together. Not sure I’ll read the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Isabelle D.
437 reviews
May 9, 2024
This is not a new book (its first version was published under a different title before the author signed with Choc Lit) but it was new to me, and I'm happy that this new publication gave me the opportunity to read it.
I liked Ruby even if she was a real doormat putting up with her boyfriend's verbal abuse for longer than I would have expected (which I think made the way she talked to him in their last scene even more satisfying), and I really enjoyed following her as she started her dream job as a flight attendant... and got to know the handsome pilot she met on her first day of training because of course, it's a romance.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lindsey Menschik.
56 reviews17 followers
May 17, 2024
Thank you, Netgalley, for giving me the chance to read this book early.

Overall, I would say this book was your mainstream rom com. Ruby is our down on her luck main character. Just when things start to look up for her, everything falls apart. There are a lot of cringy things that Ruby does and says. Ritchie, her boyfriend is terrible! It would have been amazing to have Ruby have a Taylor Swift "Whoes Afraid of Little Old Me Moment " Instead Milo the hunky first officer that inevitably rescues her and saves the day. Don't get me wrong I liked Milo but things could have gone a different way and made for a more engaging story. However, over all I enjoyed the book. I probably won't continue on if there are sequels but it's an OK read.
Profile Image for EVANGELIA  MARAGKOPOULOU.
722 reviews8 followers
May 6, 2024
A sweet and funny story . Ruby is finally is going to became a flight attendant with Celestial Air but her boyfriend is not supportive at all . He is controlling and he always criticize her . She for the first time in their relationship doing what she really wishes and she is happy . When one of their training days she has panic attack the person who helps her is Milo the handsome captain . When an accident happens and she gets fired from her job Milo is there for her again .
I received this book from netgalley and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .
Profile Image for Maddi Girling.
82 reviews
May 22, 2024
This review has spoilers!!

This book had a good baseline. I struggled when Ruby wouldn’t leave Richie. He really made my blood boil, I felt like shouting at him. I really enjoyed reading about the training, relationships with the other crew and the day to day of being a flight attendant. Was sad when she got fired especially when that’s the job she wanted for so long but happy it worked out for her in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
235 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2024
Did I find this book enjoyable? Yes. Did I love it? Ehhh…I liked it.

Ruby has always wanted to work for an airline and she has her dream job and is going through training. Her life has been pretty small and right now it’s becoming much larger with this opportunity. Rubys boyfriend Richie is a right jerk and that’s me putting it nicely. I wanted to shake Ruby. I wanted to scream at her. There are definitely parts that felt like it went on forever.

Thank you #netGalley for the advance copy.
Profile Image for *BookarazziBookNook* Kristin B.
404 reviews3 followers
May 18, 2024
DNF 19%

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Boring, this was so boring.
I couldn’t get into the story and the characters were not likable.

The author tried too hard to be funny with banter and dialog and it was just cringy.

Blatantly abusive boyfriend? No thank you.


Profile Image for Liv.
968 reviews5 followers
May 20, 2024
I loved the idea of this book, but not so much the finished product. There was very little in it that was fun, or romantic, and the bulk of it was downright cringey. None of the characters worked for me, and I rushed through to the end as quickly as I could manage.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Profile Image for Shannon Marie.
240 reviews3 followers
May 23, 2024
This book had a really interesting concept, but I feel like the plot fell a little short.
It had cute, rom com vibes, but the characters weren't really likable.
It was a quick read, but I'm not sure I would read it again.
I feel a little bit disappointed because it sounded like it would be a good book.
181 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2024
A book for all who enjoy a romance with a twist. The story from an abusive relationship to a free spirit is a lovely one. You will fall in love with Milo and Ruby and will be rooting for them to get together. A non romanticised look at air crew and their training and life which I found fascinating. Read and enjoy.
Profile Image for Becka.
404 reviews5 followers
June 2, 2024
I didn't love this and I couldn't quite put my finger on why.

Parts of it seemed so real and yet other parts were just completely ridiculous.

It really did drag on and kind of skimmed over the fact that Ruby was in an emotionally abusive relationship, I feel like this didn't get the air time or closure it needed. And the ending just seemed absolutely absurd.

Not the book for me.
Profile Image for Cam.
250 reviews
dnf
August 18, 2024
I DNF’ed at about 20%. I tried but I just struggled to much. I could not get into the writing style and the character was just immensely annoying… she already knows her boyfriend is a moron but isn’t doing anything about it, and dreams about a guy she’s just met they had 2 talks like he’s Prince Charming.
Profile Image for Jillian Wentworth.
62 reviews6 followers
August 28, 2024
DNF
This book wasn’t it for me. I love a light, fun romance, but this couldn’t keep my interest. I will keep it in my GoodReads shelf for the future, in hopes i can revisits and maybe it’ll strike a nerve sometime later.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffre books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
9 reviews
May 22, 2024
great book

What a great story made laugh and feel for Ruby as her life went from good to wonderful
Well done
Profile Image for Alwaysreading.
142 reviews
October 15, 2024
A light, lovely romance! This is a quick read and is fast paced. Would definitely consider reading more from this author!!
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