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Ratings & Reviews for

Sky Daddy

Kate Folk

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5 stars
81 (46%)
4 stars
70 (40%)
3 stars
17 (9%)
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5 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
Profile Image for Zana.
Zana
682 reviews223 followers
October 16, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up.

I've never related more to a fictional character. Minus the plane obsession, of course. Although, I will admit that I've checked FlightRadar24 slightly more obsessively than the usual person.

Linda is me and I am Linda. Awkward, aloof, and a tad bit more blunt than what's considered socially acceptable, I found a kinship in the FMC as the novel went through her day-to-day life. This would sound boring if it weren't for the writing style, tone of voice, and how eerily dark the entire story turned out to be.

The vibe was very satirical (I'm not sure if that's actually one of the genres?) and I'm a huge fan of satires. It reminded me of how I felt reading Yellowface and The Eyes Are the Best Part (no discussions on race in Sky Daddy though), both of which were instant favorites. They're all filled with over the top ridiculousness, tinged with a layer of darkness, and I couldn't stop reading. Hell, I might as well add Sky Daddy to my Favorites list.

Kate Folk's prose is both witty and very easy to read. I had such a fun time reading this ridiculous book that I found it difficult to put down. I don't think I've ever highlighted so many lines that made me chuckle or snort, so kudos to the author!

The similes and analogies were laugh out loud funny, although YMMV. Sadly, since I read the arc seven months before pub date, I have to refrain from posting direct quotes. But I'll definitely update this review when the book comes out.

If you like dark and funny novels, this might be right up your alley.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this arc.
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Ruxandra Grrr
775 reviews120 followers
Want to read
February 14, 2025
Talk about the mile high club, right?

//

Just realized this comes out the day before my dead dad's birthday, which is... weird.
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Stacy (Gotham City Librarian)
467 reviews142 followers
February 16, 2025
This is exactly the kind of strange fiction that I love. It was funny, but also mildly disturbing and very awkward at times. Folk knew her main character Linda very well, and was able to tell her story with intimacy and skill. The core of the plot is Linda’s deep and unwavering love/lust for airplanes. It is her sexual identity, and she objectifies the shapes and curves of different models of aircraft as if they are human men. Linda doesn’t consider planes to be objects. She feels that they are sentient beings with feelings and souls, and she wants one to “choose her� for marriage. How will she know she has been chosen? Well, because that flight will crash with her inside it.

Obviously, this book will not be for everyone, and some readers will definitely feel that it’s in poor taste. Especially given Linda’s ultimate goal and how passionately she romanticizes it. The timing for a plot like this is also maybe not the BEST, but that is not the author’s fault.

I have to give kudos for excellent crafting of a title that has multiple meanings within the story, is funny and interesting and immediately made me want to read the book. (Great cover, too!) Don’t be fooled, though: it’s not a light-hearted romance or a cute coming of age story or anything like that. It’s very much a dark comedy with some grim moments and off-putting decisions on behalf of our main character.

Linda was a protagonist that wasn’t always easy to root for. Even though I was intrigued and wanted to keep reading to see what she would say and do next, she definitely did some things that had me face-palming. And these were just her interactions with human men, not airplanes. She was way too passive and nice and I wish she’d had more of a backbone. Though I will say that many things I questioned turned out to have a specific purpose or repercussion later on that made sense. Much like the vision boards that became so important to Linda’s plans� (What a great story element!)

Folk actually made Linda’s romantic and sexual interest in planes feel so believable that by the time the story really got going, I was unfazed by it. There were other aspects of her personality that I could absolutely relate to, and the way that Folk wrote about romantic and sexual attraction that is “not normal� was perfect. Linda was very confident in how she felt but also terrified of how other people would perceive her if they knew the whole truth. Another surprising theme of the novel was friendship, believe it or not.

Small complaint, but Linda constantly referred to her tiny rental unit as her “cube,� so every time a scene was set there I at first assumed she was talking about being at work, because to me a cube means a cubicle in an office. Probably just me, though. That was my only issue.

I was a big fan of the ending. “Sky Daddy� will likely be a hit with anyone who loves the weird, dark comedy side of contemporary fiction and an unpredictable narrator.

Biggest TW: Suicidal ideation, Depression, Bullying, Plane crash imagery
Profile Image for Rachel.
Rachel
Author13 books1,291 followers
July 20, 2024
Audaciously imagined. Slyly executed. Surprisingly tender. Deliciously weird. Linda is the sort of character I find delightful and riveting, not despite but because of her oddity. Ultimately a book about female friendship.
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Meagan (Meagansbookclub)
629 reviews5,396 followers
March 28, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
One of the most bizarre books I’ve ever read. How do you review a book that’s strange and dark but endearing and entertaining????

Very strange premise, but in a weird way, enjoyable to read? The writing was well done, the development had a nice arc, and the ending had a glimpse of growth from the main character. I think for me, I needed growth to happen earlier to make sense of Linda. If your book club wants something out of the box, pick this one up.
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Blair
1,963 reviews5,657 followers
March 9, 2025
I know of Kate Folk’s writing from , which I liked a lot less than many of you, feeling it very much conformed to the currently fashionable template for a debut short story collection: modern disenchantment combined with speculative elements and/or light body horror, listless narration and stuff about dating/sex. I've read loads of these books (and probably abandoned even more), and Folk’s didn’t stand out from the crowd. Approaching Sky Daddy, I thought: this has a hell of a hook, but it too seems like typical short-story material, far too gimmicky to build an entire novel around. I’m happy to say I was very wrong about this.

Sky Daddy’s narrator, Linda, has much in common with the protagonists of countless 21st-century urban-ennui novels. She lives in undesirable conditions (an illegal windowless bedsit housed in a family’s garage) in a prosperous city (San Francisco) and has a depressing, low-paid job (moderating offensive comments posted online). But it doesn’t take long for her particular quirk (kink?) to become apparent. Linda is attracted to aeroplanes � not just aesthetically, but sexually � and more than that, she is convinced she will one day marry her ‘soulmate plane� by... dying in a plane crash. When she discovers her colleague Karina is part of a group who make vision boards to ‘manifest� the things they want out of life, she sees an opportunity to make her dream a reality.

Like I said, I initially feared the plane-sexuality of it all would overwhelm anything else the book had going for it. In fact, Linda’s obsession � how it infuses her whole personality and being � is exactly what makes it so strong. Her voice is flawlessly honed (I’d love to know how many times this was redrafted; it is unusually smooth and consistent). Folk perfectly marries the story’s innate deranged irreverence with just the right number of heartfelt moments. Also so zippy it’s difficult to believe this thing is 370 pages in print.

Even though the plot hits all its marks � a trigger, a sort of quest, at least some character development for Linda, a couple of heartfelt moments and a really well-crafted ending � it’s still difficult to find anything to compare Sky Daddy to. I mean, can you imagine a combination of and ? (Probably not.) Linda’s delusion and obsessiveness also reminded me of and .

I received an advance review copy of Sky Daddy from the publisher through .
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Angie Miale
686 reviews45 followers
September 18, 2024
I am sorry, I cannot with this book. It’s a modern retelling of Moby Dick, I GUESS. But really it is about an insane woman named Linda who is sexually attracted to airplanes. And one plane in particular she wants to marry. And by “marry,� she means she wants it to crash when she is on board. This is the weirdest book I have read this year. I requested it because I love the cover art; but it sure was a weird one.

Thanks to @netgalley and random house for the ARC. Book to be published April 8, 2025.
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ana (ananascanread)
485 reviews1,415 followers
March 6, 2025
weird, darkly funny, and kind of sad—honestly, it might be the most bizarre thing i’ve read in a while. it’s a strange mix of obsession and desire, with a protagonist who's as offbeat as she is oddly endearing. it’s awkward in all the best ways, and while it’s definitely not for everyone, if you love dark comedies with unpredictable narrators and stories that somehow become relatable, even when they make you go “wait, what?”—this one’s for you.

thank you to the publisher (Random House) for this arc <3
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Ashley
433 reviews58 followers
September 9, 2024
I've been sitting here for 6min now trying to think of how to even start this review.... This book.... Man, I just... It's so good, and I don't know why? I tried to explain the premise to my husband and he asked if I was okay. I'm embarrassed to suggest this to friends IRL because of what they might think of me and my tastes. I'll never be able to mindlessly board a plane again, this has changed everything.

But seriously, Kate Folk has a knack for immersing you in a story so weird your "this would never happen" radar doesn't go off (or maybe I just don't care if it does? either way, I like it). I wasn't sure could be topped, but Sky Daddy takes the cake.

I really don't know how else to explain this book other than suggesting you try to imagine if and annnnd had a baby.

Came back on 9/9to say I have more thoughts on this but haven't been able to wrap my head around em all yet so uh.. TBA on that, but it's comin'

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Kate Folk and Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!}
Profile Image for Matt.
Matt
854 reviews171 followers
April 2, 2025
As a flight attendant this book was so much fun for me! it follows Linda who is pretty normal except for one thing - she wants to marry a plane. I enjoyed following the story although it was honestly a lot less bonkers than I was expecting (I was thinking it would be something wild and surreal but it was a pretty straightforward story).
Profile Image for Bitsy.
Bitsy
55 reviews4 followers
September 14, 2024
This was simultaneously one of the best and most bizarre things I have ever read. I felt like a creep for looking up plane reference photos.

You’re thrown into the mind of Linda, who fits right in with the stars of “My Strange Addiction�. She has an obsession with planes that takes on both a sexual and romantic nature. She is absolutely bonkers. But she is also incredibly endearing and likable to read about. For a woman who’s sole mission in life it is to “Marry� a plane she still manages to come across as relatable. There’s a naivety and a hopefulness to her that you can’t help but root for.

One of my favorite aspects about this book were the stories of friendship. Especially the female friendships. I liked that this book wasn’t just the typical weird girl dealing with mean girls. Linda had many multifaceted relationships but I love the support she had from the women she was friends with.

My only wish was that there was a bit more of an emotional payoff by the end. I liked the ending but I think I was hoping for more of a concrete resolution in terms of Linda’s obsession.

“Sky Daddy� is perfect for you if you like books with; hilarious inner monologues, WTF moments, tender moments, female friendships, character growth, and PLANES.

4.5 stars ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️

I received an ARC through NetGalley and this is my honest review.
Thank you to the author and publisher :)
Profile Image for Gabbie Pop.
Gabbie Pop
857 reviews163 followers
February 17, 2025
initial review: that was certainly a book that i read

and upon further consideration:
I LOVED Folk's short story collection, so was willing to trust her enough to give the novel a go even if I wasn't fully sold on the premise, and, sadly, it didn't quite live up to what I'd hoped it'd be.

I found Folk's writing and character study to be brilliant, but there was a bit of a disconnect between the metaphorical and literal in the book for me. It wasn't quite weird enough to be for the weird lit girls, and it wasn't quite grounded enough to be for the litfic reader, so I think the target audience lies somewhere in between (in a space that wasn't quite for me). I thought that the core metaphor was a bit obvious (and was buying into it), up until cca. the 80 something % mark when it was explicitly named in the text, and kind of lost what made it a compelling study.

This could've lived slightly higher in my mind if I didn't find the ending to be such a hopeless (to me, if not the protagonist) cop-out.
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Alyssa
154 reviews13 followers
March 13, 2025
4.5 stars, rounding up.

I loved Kate Folk's short story collection, "Out There", so I knew I wanted to read what sounded like a weird plane book. However, I didn't actually find this that weird -- and not in a bad way. I really enjoyed Linda's character. More than anything this felt like a story of someone seeking acceptance, even if they didn't realize it at first, and friendship. This is not a plot heavy story, there isn't a ton happening, but I was fully invested in where Linda's journey would take her!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-arc!
Profile Image for Allen Richard.
Allen Richard
145 reviews10 followers
November 6, 2024
A hilarious and unexpectedly tender story about a woman's desire to be with a plane, both romantically and sexually. This was laugh-out-loud funny at times, sweetly wholesome at others, and subversively dark overall.

Linda is secretly obsessed with planes and believes that one day she will meet the right plane for her that will take the ultimate plunge and marry her. Her coworker invites her to a vision board party where she tries to manifest meeting her dream plane. Slowly, she opens herself up to revealing her authentic self and desires.

This felt like a combination of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets, and The Secret by Rhonda Byrne mixed with the dark humor and unhinged characters of a Melissa Broder novel. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Recommended for fans of Melissa Broder, Ottessa Mosfegh, Sayaka Murata, Mona Awad

This was so entertaining, so odd, and so up my alley. I loved every second of it. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Laura Shipman.
Laura Shipman
80 reviews1 follower
September 21, 2024
I am not sure what drew me to request this book on NetGalley but I am glad I did! At first glance, this seems like something straight from “My Strange Addiction� but is really a book about seeking acceptance and friendship. It was shockingly heartwarming and relatable at times while also being hilarious. I just wanted Linda to find someone to match her freak!! The “unhinged book� tiktok girlies will love this one and it’s a book I definitely won’t forget for a long time. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Emily Mcgee.
Emily Mcgee
97 reviews18 followers
January 2, 2025
This being my first read of 2025 feels like an omen...

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc?

I don't think I can ever look at an airport the same way again.

Seriously. This book is the most uncomfortable I have ever felt at being on the inside of someone else's head. I went on a roadtrip while in the midst of reading this and physically cringed at the sight of an airport.

You will feel every negative emotion while reading through this, guaranteed.

While the expression is typically "like watching a train wreck", I think a plane crash is a more apt and thematic way of describing this utterly baffling book.
Profile Image for Chloe Cattaneo.
Chloe Cattaneo
27 reviews1 follower
December 28, 2024
delightful.

this book is silly and the idea of it is insane, but it is so much more than its premise, and there was something truly addictive about it. it is really, really smart and absolutely hilarious. i would genuinely recommend it�. but not to everyone. you do gotta be a little bit of a freak, or at least open to the freakitude. if you are, read this! it’s worth it.
Profile Image for Ema.
Ema
454 reviews1 follower
September 18, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Sky Daddy is about a woman named Linda who has an obsession with planes. Now I picked this up because I’m always hearing of books about relationships between woman and inanimate objects so I wanted to give one a try. Well. This wasn’t anything like I imagined it. I thought this was just gonna be about Linda and her sexual relationship with a plane but I actually found it to be a really interesting exploration of female friendships and grief. The book was really well written and it kept me hooked from the first page and so unbelievably funny! I loved Linda as the main protagonist, at times I wanted to shake her for her stupidity and others times I was laughing my ass off and thinking “way to go Queen!�

I think if you liked Convenience Store by Sakaya Murata you’ll like this!
Profile Image for Alexandria ☾.
Alexandria �
57 reviews15 followers
January 5, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. This is one of the weirdest books I have ever read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Linda's inner monologue was both pretentious and bizarre. I didn't like her at all. The amount of secondhand embarrassment I felt during some of the scenes had me cringing and groaning and taking breaks from reading. That being said, she was a super interesting perspective to read from. This book took itself a lot more seriously than I thought it would. This very much feels like a character study of someone mentally ill, rather than just a goofy story about someone with an odd fetish, as the title seems to let on. That, combined with the insane amount of abbreviations with no explanation of what they stood for, diminished a little of the enjoyment for me. Overall though, this was a very fun read that managed to keep my attention and portrayed a beautiful friendship between two women that anyone would be lucky to have.
Profile Image for Natalie.
Natalie
201 reviews11 followers
March 17, 2025
Thanks to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book! ✈️

What a bizarre, hilarious and surprising sweet read this was.

In this book we’re following, Linda. A 30yo woman who is sexually attracted to planes and believes it is her destiny to “marry� the plane she met as a teenager - marry meaning eternally connecting to the plane via a crash.

Despite Linda seeming like someone you’d meet on a My Strange Addiction episode, she is a character with a strong sense of relatability and one that I couldn’t help but find endearing. Socially awkward yet charming, particularly in moments when she embraces her own weirdness.

On the surface this book is an odd one , considering Linda’s primary interest/attraction, however beneath that this book is tender in its exploration of friendship, acceptance and desire/fate.

Highly recommend for the weird lit-fic girlies!!
Profile Image for Whitney Watson.
Whitney Watson
96 reviews
February 6, 2025
Ummmm�.can someone explain to me why I liked this book? To put it plainly it was different than what I’m used to reading and I had a fun time reading it as well. 4 out of 5 stars for a book I never would have thought would exist and to it being surprisingly entertaining at the same time.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
Stephanie
84 reviews7 followers
March 15, 2025
This book was strange and heartfelt and unhinged and just plain (plane??) fun. As Linda tells us about her romantic and sexual attraction to planes and her aching desire to marry her soulmate plane (i.e., die in a plane crash), she's so earnest that you kind of start to hope it happens for her. The author writes these perspectives with a lot of empathy and you really get to understand Linda and the internal world she's living in. When Linda isn't in the sterile environment of the planes, she struggles with her need for friendship and human connection, especially regarding her relationship with her best friend Karina. As readers witness them navigate the ups and downs of love, friendship, and air travel, we have to ask - does fate hurry towards us or do we hurry towards our fates?
Profile Image for Rebecca.
Rebecca
509 reviews6 followers
Want to read
August 16, 2024
in my woman x non-human lover era

(this book sounds wild and i NEED it)
Profile Image for Jacob.
Jacob
38 reviews
March 17, 2025
4.5⭐️

I never thought I would read a book and root for the protagonist to die in a plane crash.

Weird, very funny (I laughed out loud several times and have taken some pictures to remind myself of the lines) and ultimately full of heart. I didn't anticipate that I would like Linda so much, but just because you're a freak doesn't mean you don't deserve love!!! (in whatever form that may be).

I really hope Kate Folk writes more books like this because I will eat them up.
Profile Image for Siobhan.
Siobhan
Author3 books108 followers
December 4, 2024
Sky Daddy is a novel about a woman who wants to 'marry' a plane by dying in a plane crash, and what happens as she tries to achieve her apparent destiny. Linda works as a content moderator, ensuring comments adhere to a tech company's terms and conditions, but once a month she takes a flight somewhere, to be with her true love: planes. When her only friend, co-worker Karina, invites her to vision board brunch, Linda has to find a way to hide the fact she's attracted to planes and wants to die in a plane crash but still create a vision board that represents this, and as her life starts to be changed, she has to decide whether to follow her true dream or not.

This is the sort of book that you feel you need to read, because the concept is so weird, but then you actually read it and it is actually quite sweet and explores what it means to live the way you want and have meaningful connections with others. In particular, it has an underlying exploration of friendship between unlikely friends, and what it means to be there for someone. However, it does also live up to the weird, not shying away from Linda's attraction to planes and the fact she believes that she will find her soulmate, a plane in which to die.

I had a great time reading Sky Daddy: it's fun, it's occasionally sly and funny, and it takes something pretty weird at face value. It sits alongside other recent novels that take a weird concept and actually do something both fun and tender with it, without taking themselves too seriously.
Profile Image for em.
em
309 reviews
March 25, 2025
“But no man could do for me what a plane could. What man could propel himself to a speed of 150 knots before lifting us to an altitude of 37,000 feet? What man could carry me across continents and seas, all while keeping me warm and oxygenated inside his aluminum torso? No man I’d ever chanced to meet!�

Sky Daddy follows a woman named Linda whose life goal is to get married to a plane � a phenomenon that others vulgarly refer to as a plane crash.

If the synopsis of Kate Folk’s debut novel intrigues you, you’re in for a treat. The concept is explored with a great amount of depth, and the scenes of Linda’s plane rides get� quite spicy? Additionally, there’s a surprisingly wholesome and tender friendship at the heart of this story that I fell in love with.

This is perfect for anyone who loves weird fiction. My biggest critique as a reader was that it felt a little too long and the scenes got repetitive. I think if this was 100 pages shorter or so it would’ve been an all time favorite for me, but it’s still a novel I highly recommend!

If you read the synopsis and thought to yourself, “wow, this sounds like a book I’d really love!� � pick it up and buckle your seatbelt, you are in for the ride of your life with this one.

Thank you to Random House, Netgalley, & the author for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews

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