Caleb and Ava meet in an airport and are stuck together in a series of encounters. They're both rude and dislike the other, but sexual chemistry leads to a layover hook-up in Chicago. Then, through more coincidences, they end up together in Boston. They decide to embark on a sex-only relationship which devolves as time goes on.
I think it would have helped if we got some of Caleb's POV because he was pretty obnoxious for most of the book, then suddenly did a 180 degree at the end without much explanation. Otherwise, there was a lot of sex and drama without much relationship growth. I usually like Ms. Young's books but this one just fell flat. ( )

I loved this romance with age 30-something characters, people established in their careers, and hurt from past loves and betrayals. Ava and Caleb start out as almost enemies, become casual lovers and then there is a rocky road to the HEA. The journey was just as good as the destination. I liked Ava's friend Haley, and Caleb's brother, Quinn. Possible couple? Samantha Young has only matured and gotten better as a writer. I'll always read her. ( )

*contains minor spoilers*

Ava Breevort is having the worst week ever. While grieving the loss of a childhood friend, Ava ends up sitting next to the rudest, and handsomest, Scotsman she’s ever met while flying home to Boston. However, when a steamy layover in Chicago brings new and exciting thrills, Ava and Caleb decide to keep seeing each other, casually, during his temporary stay in Boston. But Ava soon realizes she’s developing feelings for Caleb, and he might just be staying in Boston longer than he thought!

First of all, I have never read Samantha Young before and I must say, she’s very descriptive. Distractingly so. I found myself reading pages and pages of backstory and details for a minor character or event in the middle of a scene that I completely forget what’s going on in the chapter. And ultimately, I felt like the backstories and side stories just didn’t flow together well. It’s like, here’s a backstory that explains this, and here’s a side story that will emphasize that. And to me, it just seemed like Ava and Caleb had been brooding all those years, not moving on in any way, until they met each other.

Also, Ava is a victim of everything in her past. She was neglected by her parents, her fiance cheated with her best friend, and all her other childhood friends took their side and shunned her. Then her ex comes back and tells her he never got over her and had been cheating on his wife with women who looked like Ava, so now she’s blamed for his mistakes. Ava is always the victim, always innocent, and all her current flaws are caused by her fear of the past. It’s too much. And then, *deep breath* she works this high end job where she needs to look expensive and she complains that the only thing she can wear to accomplish the look is to wear the diamond tennis bracelet her ex gave her because she can’t afford anything nice even though she pays $4000/month in rent and has a million pairs of designer shoes *exhales.* WHAT. Same thing with Caleb-- tragic background where he’s completely innocent, but became a jerk because of it.

That being said, the story was fun enough to read. It’s got the bickering I enjoy and even has some tearful moments. Young also takes a risk by incorporating a sensitive social issue toward the end which could be seen from both sides of the coin. The plot is pretty well structured, and the side characters are interesting. There was even an opening for a sequel, but I haven’t heard anything about it as of yet.

Overall, I gave it three stars. Samantha Young knows how to tell a story, but the main characters were stuffy and brooding, and the descriptions were too distracting. I might check out some other works from her in the future, but I’m in no hurry. ( )

*I AM A PART OF SAMANTHA YOUNG’S REVIEWER TEAM AND WAS PROVIDED AN E-ARC OF THIS BOOK. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY HONEST OPINION*

Samantha has always had a way with words, and for Fight or Flight, she continued to shock us readers into our graves. This book had heartbreak, cringe (the good kind!), romance, relatability, and so much more.

This book was HOT, to say the absolute least.

Getting addicted was no surprise, and it was bound to happen.

Ava is a character that we all know and relate to. She’s been hurt once before and isn’t willing to risk another chance. But that little risk happens to mutate into something uncontrollable, something that she can’t deny: Caleb Scott.

A little side note to our protagonist/antagonist’s name: He’s Scottish, and his last name is Scott. I don’t know if that was intended or not, but it did get a little giggle out of me.
This book brought out emotions that have been well dimmed over the past few weeks, and I was so excited to find myself falling into that reader-is-going-to-die-from-not-getting-enough-of-the-book-to-read phase.

One of my favorite quotes from this book was during a scene where Ava was being sought after by a group of pigs, as I have taken to calling them.

"There was this obnoxious misconception that women only dressed well to attract a mate... some of us were just obsessed with clothes, shoes, and makeup and liked to look good... for ourselves. Shocker."

This quote really stood out to me. In this day and age, we have movements like #MeToo, which pushes all sexual violence victims (ie: assault, harassment, etc.) to not be ashamed, to share about their stories if they’re comfortable and safe enough to do so. I have unfortunately been added to the list of people—though thankfully nothing as awful as rape—and quotes like these really matter to me, as I am still dealing with it.

Though this book doesn't really dive into anything really related to this topic, I couldn't help but highlight this quote and bring it up.

Now, some of you may be wondering why I chose to use paper planes instead of actual planes, as the characters in this book had many adventures on planes throughout the story. And the reason behind that is that, while reading, I found myself humming to the tune of Jon Bellion’s Paper Planes song. One of the lyrics in particular I felt could really match up to this book, and it goes like this, “But love came like a hurricane and we were just a paper plane / I know we tried to fly away, yeah /But we were just a paper plane…”

I hope that didn’t spoil anything.

While I loved just about everything in this book, there was one problem I had with it: waaaayyy too wordy. I know books are supposed to have lots of details and be super out there, but for a lot of the dialogue, the characters were talking up to seven sentences at a time. And while I found the details to be great, I also found myself skipping over some of it just because of how lengthy and wordy it was.

Though I will say—Samantha, once again you have stunned me with this book. I loved the characters without a second’s hesitation. They were well developed and coordinated, and everything mushed together as it should. The plot was well thought out and written, and I did enjoy shedding a few tears. Tissues are for the weak! Let them dry, people!

All in all, I give Fight or Flight by Samantha Young 4.5/5 stars. I do still highly recommend this book and congratulate Samantha on yet another release. This beautiful thing deserves love and attention, people! Go buy it and don’t let it sit on your shelves. I WILL BE WATCHING YOU! ( )

Thanks, FirsttoRead, for my complimentary review copy.

Ava, an interior designer, has had a hard week. Headed back home to Boston after the emotional trauma of burying a childhood friend, she can’t leave Phoenix fast enough. At the airport harried, hangry, and unable to bear the thought of the miseries of coach, she is praying for an upgrade to first-class. No such luck. A man cuts in front of her and snags the last seat. Not one to back down, she confronts him. That the man, Caleb Scott, the CFO of a technology company, is a hulking, handsome hunk with icy-blue eyes, the looks of a viking, and a sexy foreign accent(Scottish), doesn’t escape her notice. That doesn’t change the fact that he is unmannered, rude, and annoying. If she never saw him again, it would be too soon. But, she does...repeatedly. The dialogue and/or interactions with Caleb are alternately laugh-out-loud hilarious, sizzling hot, and emotionally heart-wrenching.

I was drawn in from the first line. Young writes in a very easy, readable style. Ava narrates, providing access to her thoughts, life, and personality. The flashbacks to her past are woven in seamlessly. All the supporting characters, even the minor ones, are so vividly described and developed, one can almost picture them.

I really enjoyed this book. It had it all : great story, fun characters, humor, drama(I was unprepared for the emotional rollercoaster), and a satisfying ending. I was pleasantly surprised to find an excerpt from another of her books included at the end and I look forward to reading more from this author. ( )