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Verdict: A warm, character-driven coming-out romance between a closeted 46-year-old newsreader and her motorcycle-touring neighbour, lifted by a strong teenage-daughter subplot and a vivid Sydney setting — with low angst and a familiar closeted-celebrity conflict that some readers found predictable.
Best for: Readers who want a later-in-life coming-out story with a mum, a biker and an Australian setting.
Heat level: 4/5 (romance.io: explicit open door, 7 ratings)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.0/5 — a 4.20 Goodreads average across 441 ratings, 3.91 on StoryGraph from 49 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 525 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Late-in-life coming out, closeted celebrity, neighbours, single mother, found family, age gap (per readers), Australian setting.
Sometimes We Fly is Cheyenne Blue’s 2025 contemporary lesbian romance from Ylva. Maren McEvoy, 46, is Australia’s favourite newsreader. After her sixteen-year-old daughter is arrested, she takes a year off and moves from Melbourne to Sydney — right next door to Jacinta “Jac” Fowler, who runs a motorcycle tour business from her garage.
It holds a 4.20 average across 441 Goodreads ratings, with 79% of them four or five stars, 3.91 on StoryGraph from 49 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 525 Amazon ratings.
What Is Sometimes We Fly About?
Maren married her best friend years ago, both of them knowing they were not straight, because it was safer for their careers. Now they are divorced, he lives with his boyfriend, and their daughter Orli is running with the wrong crowd. Maren takes a sabbatical to be the parent Orli needs.
Jac is furious when she catches the new neighbour’s daughter in her workshop. But Orli gets a chance to make amends, Jac is patient with her, and Maren is drawn to Jac almost immediately. The problem: Jac once swore she would never get involved with someone in the closet again.
What Works in This Coming-Out Romance
- Orli: Readers call the teenage daughter well written — raw and frustrating but real — and her bond with Jac is a favourite thread.
- Jac: Reviewers repeatedly describe her as decent, solid and easy to like.
- Setting: Australian readers praise the Sydney locations and the slang; one says it helped convince her to visit.
- Motorcycles: The riding scenes are immersive, and a few readers say they now want to ride.
- Handled with care: Readers credit Blue with a thoughtful, respectful take on coming out later in life.
Book Synopsis
At forty-six, Maren McEvoy is Australia’s most popular newsreader, but her personal life is coming apart: her ex-husband has moved in with his boyfriend, and her teenage daughter has been caught carjacking. Something has to change.
Jac Fowler just wants her motorcycle business left alone, and her new neighbour’s daughter is a threat to it. Staying angry would be easy, except that the girl’s mother is gorgeous, intriguing and very famous. And Jac knows better than to fall for a closeted celebrity.
My Review
This is as much a family story as a romance, and that is its strength. The most consistent praise in the reviews is for Orli — a teenager readers found annoying at first and then deeply sympathetic — and for how Jac, rather than Maren, becomes the adult she opens up to. Maren’s choice between her career and living openly is handled with care, and readers say its take on how hard coming out can be at any age rings true.
The criticisms are modest. A few readers call it predictable, and the closeted-celebrity obstacle is a familiar one; Joyfully Jay gave it 3.5 stars and was not convinced the couple read as forever. Others wanted more of the mother-daughter reconciliation, more of Maren’s feelings, or more of her newsroom career, and one found the book so careful not to offend that it lost some tension. It is low angst throughout, which most readers liked.
My honest note: If you want a gentle, grown-up coming-out romance with a family at its heart, this is an easy recommendation.
| Element | In Sometimes We Fly |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Maren McEvoy (46, closeted TV newsreader, divorced mum) & Jacinta “Jac” Fowler (out lesbian, motorcycle tour operator) |
| Core tropes | Late-in-life coming out, closeted celebrity, neighbours, single mother |
| Setting | Sydney, Australia |
| Heat level | 4/5 on romance.io — explicit open door (7 ratings) |
| Length | 268 pages; 8 h 57 min audiobook |
| Series | Standalone, with small nods to Blue’s other books |
| Content notes | Sexual content, homophobia, outing, injury, teen crime |
How Spicy Is Sometimes We Fly?
Romance.io rates it 4 of 5, “explicit open door,” but from only 7 ratings; a second romance.io listing has no steam rating. Readers call it steamy and hot, and one notes the couple spend a lot of time behind closed doors. StoryGraph users flag the sexual content as moderate.
Content notes submitted on StoryGraph are few: sexual content, homophobia, outing and injury. The plot is set off by Orli’s arrest for carjacking.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a later-in-life coming-out story, a single mum lead and a real Australian setting. It is on our women over 40 and late bloomer lesbian romance lists.
You may want to skip it if: the closeted-partner conflict frustrates you, or you want a romance with high tension and big twists.
In short: A warm, thoughtful coming-out romance where the family story is as good as the love story.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 43% five stars, 36% four, 15% three, 3% two and under 1% one. On StoryGraph, 87% said the character development was strong and 87% called it character-driven, with 70% tagging it lighthearted and 64% emotional. The Tantor audiobook, narrated by Cat Gould, runs 8 hours 57 minutes.
Prefer audio? Listen to Sometimes We Fly on Libro.fm — the audiobook shop that supports independent bookstores.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Orli and her arc first. Second, Jac. Third, the Australian setting. Fourth, the motorcycles.
What readers argue about and complain about: Predictability, above everything. Second, too little of Maren’s inner life and her career. Third, a mother-daughter resolution some wanted deeper.
The comparison worth making first: For more Cheyenne Blue, try For the Long Run or Switcheroo. For another later-in-life romance, try Late to Love.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sometimes We Fly a late-in-life coming-out romance?
Yes. Ylva bills it as one: Maren, 46, has long known she is not straight but stayed closeted for her career. Several readers describe her as bisexual.
How spicy is Sometimes We Fly?
Fairly spicy. Romance.io rates it 4 of 5, “explicit open door,” though from only 7 ratings, and readers describe it as steamy.
Where is Sometimes We Fly set?
Sydney, after Maren moves there from Melbourne. Australian readers praise the sense of place and the slang.
Is Sometimes We Fly on Kindle Unlimited?
Not at the time of writing — the Ylva Kindle edition was listed at $9.99. The Tantor audiobook, narrated by Cat Gould, runs 8 hours 57 minutes.
Is the teenage daughter a big part of the story?
Yes. Readers say Orli is almost a third lead, and her storyline — and her bond with Jac — is one of the parts they liked most.
If You Loved Sometimes We Fly, Read These Next
Try For the Long Run or Switcheroo for more Cheyenne Blue, or Late to Love for another later-in-life love story. For more, browse our late bloomer, women over 40 and single mom lists, or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Sometimes We Fly sets out to be a grown-up coming-out romance with a family at its centre, and it delivers — careful, warm and rooted in a real place. What holds it back is a predictable central conflict. It is worth it. Check Sometimes We Fly on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Sometimes We Fly ranks as a very good late-bloomer romance — strongest for its family story.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ 4.20 average across 441 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 79% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.91 on StoryGraph from 49 reviews
- ✓ 4.6 stars across 525 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Strong chemistry
- ✓ Familiar closeted conflict
- ✓ Obstacle smaller than feared
- ✓ Forever doubted by one
Characters ★★★★☆ 4.2/5
- ✓ Orli praised
- ✓ Jac decent and solid
- ✓ 87% strong development
- ✓ Maren underexplored for some
Writing ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Vivid Sydney setting
- ✓ Australian slang
- ✓ Immersive riding scenes
- ✓ Predictable
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Tagged emotional by 64%
- ✓ Family healing
- ✓ Coming out handled with care
- ✓ Low angst
Heat Level ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Romance.io 4/5, explicit open door
- ✓ Only 7 heat ratings
- ✓ Called steamy
- ✓ Moderate per StoryGraph
Ending ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Happy ending
- ✓ Orli redemption arc
- ✓ Resolution praised
- ✓ Standalone
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Comfort read
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ Audiobook available
- ✓ 268 pages
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