ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Airline Girl by Lizzie Page

Posted on 18th August 2026 By Nicola

The Airline Girl by Lizzie Page is published by Bookouture and is available now. My thanks to Lizzie for very kindly sending me a copy with no expectation of a review (although I was always going to read a book by one of my favourite authors). If you put her name into the search box you’ll find reviews of all of her other lovely books.

Audrey dreams of a life of adventure, even as she plans for a future as a homemaker. But when an unexpected opportunity promises a world of new experiences, will Audrey grab it with both hands – or stick to the path she’s always been on…?

England, 1947: In the rubble-filled streets of post-war London, nineteen-year-old Audrey is devastated to lose her job when the men return from war. But her mum needs her more than ever since she was injured in the bombings, and her beloved fiancé Martin wants her to focus on building their life together, so her future seems set.

Yet Audrey can’t help but wonder if there’s more to life than keeping a home and raising a family. And when she hears about a chance to train as one of England’s first airline stewardesses, her heart leaps. The problem is, Martin doesn’t want his wife working, and the airline itself insists that no married women need apply…

But there’s still a year until the wedding and Audrey’s mum insists she must seize the opportunity of a lifetime. And while hiding her engagement from her new bosses and the women training alongside her feels shameful, it’s nothing compared to the joy and pride she feels in the skies.

So when Martin insists they bring the wedding forward, her heart cracks at the idea of giving up her new life to be firmly grounded in London. She has a choice to make. Abandon her dreams and accept the future she always thought would be hers – or make a decision that will change her life forever…?

An inspiring, hopeful yet heart-breaking historical novel that will have you reaching for the tissues while encouraging you to go after your heart’s desires. Perfect for fans of Diney Costeloe, Shirley Dickson and Sandy Taylor.

The Airline Girl is the first in a trilogy of books by one of my favourite authors, Lizzie Page. Each book will follow one of three girls: Audrey, Lola and Cheryl. This book is Audrey Wright’s story. Audrey is nineteen and her future is mapped out for her. She will marry Martin and join his wonderful and nurturing family. She will continue to look after her mobility-impaired mother, stay out of the way of her dodgy father and settle down (whilst settling generally). When she loses her job and applies to be ground crew at Southend Airport, she’s shocked to realise that they’re actually recruiting for air stewardesses, a quite daring role in 1947 when commercial flights were still pretty new.

I thought this book was simply superb, a soaring success. I enjoyed all the airport and airline details, the seeming glamour of the life of a stewardess against the reality of it and all the training that they undergo. Audrey goes on a journey from a rather meek and feeble young woman to somebody who knows her own mind and isn’t afraid to say so. She also goes on actual journeys and realises that flight is not something to fear but something to enjoy.

Lizzie Page’s writing is something special and her dry wit and wry observations always make me giggle, which I did a lot whilst reading The Airline Girl. Her books sit somewhere in the middle of the historical fiction/saga genres and often teach me things whilst also entertaining me. There are some really interesting parts about the marriage bar and the difficulties Audrey has with Martin’s expectations of his future wife.

Lola and Cheryl play a big part in Audrey’s story but I’m looking forward to reading the next two books to see what their backgrounds are and what led them to Southend Airport and lives as air stewardesses. This first instalment has really piqued my interest – I really couldn’t put it down. It’s heart-warming and joyful with a delicious tingle of romance – everything I want in a book.

Lizzie Page is the bestselling author of historical fiction books, heart-warming stories featuring women struggling (and triumphing) against the odds.

She loves reading ALL kind of books but especially those concerning adventures of women in the past. As a child her two favourite films were Dr Zhivago and The Sound of Music 🙂 so it makes sense that she now writes twentieth century fiction.

Lizzie’s most popular book is The Orphanage, the first in the uplifting Shilling Grange Children’s Home series. It is about Clara, a young woman who reluctantly becomes the housemother of an Orphanage in Suffolk, in the Post-War years. Clara finds that with the help of her community, she changes the children’s’ lives – and they change hers for the better too.

Her books have been translated into Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Hungarian, Czech, Russian and she loves seeing her foreign language editions. She also loves hearing from readers so please feel free to send her a message on FB or Instagram or leave a review here.

Lizzie lives with her family by the sea in Essex, South East England. She enjoys traveling and lived in Japan for several years and had lots of different jobs from waitressing and teaching to admin and bingo-calling – but being a writer is her absolute favourite.

Lizzie is currently writing a heartfelt series about women defying the odds in an unusual workplace in the late 1940s. Do follow if you’d like updates.