Laurie Sassalyn is on the verge of turning 40 and her life is in … let’s just call it a period of uncertainty. She’s a science writer living in Seattle whose professional struggles, while significant, are dwarfed by the chaos in her personal life – specifically, the fact that she just called off her wedding mere weeks before the big day.

To top it all off, her beloved great-aunt has passed away at the ripe old age of 93. Dot was a safe haven for Laurie, providing a place to go when the noise of four rambunctious brothers proved to be too much. Now, it’s up to Laurie to return to her hometown – the coastal Maine town of Calcasset – to deal with Dot’s estate.

Even through her sadness, Laurie can see that Dot’s was a life well-lived. The house is packed with bric-a-brac and tchotchkes, representative of her globetrotting adventures. There are books and Polaroids and old letters, all of which contribute to the story of one woman’s embrace of the world’s possibilities.

And then there’s the duck.

Specifically, a wooden duck decoy that Laurie finds buried in a cedar chest. It’s a lovely piece of craftsmanship, but Dot was never a hunter or anything like that. Other than a cryptic clue found in one of the few love letters Laurie allows herself to read, there’s no real sense of why the duck is here and why it might have been important to Dot.

Laurie didn’t expect a handmade duck decoy to become a central part of her return to Calcasset, but hey – she’s well aware that life doesn’t always go the way we expect. Circumstances surrounding the duck result in all manner of surprises. Laurie’s connection with her childhood best friend is deepened and she reconnects with the first boy – now a man – that she ever loved. Oh, and she winds up knee-deep in intrigue, wandering into a world populated with folks who are considerably less savory than the company she usually keeps. It’s a full-on caper, with Laurie square in the center.

“Flying Solo” is precisely the sort of charming read that one might look for as a summer diversion. This is not a weighty story – even when it addresses some heavier themes, it is always in service of advancing the tale being told. Yes, it is light. It is also a delight.

What Holmes does so wonderfully is place us firmly inside the heads of her characters. One of the most difficult things for a writer to do is create a sense of familiarity; in Laurie, we’re given a character who will ring very true. We ALL know a Laurie, someone working their way through the world even as they are unsure of their ultimate place within it. She sees her own reflection in her efforts to reconstruct her late aunt’s life – a slightly skewed reflection, but a reflection nevertheless. It makes for a lovely character study.

Now, the narrative here is plenty engaging, gently shifting and veering as it does, but the truth is that “Flying Solo” is successful because of the people. We enjoy hanging out with Laurie and her friends. We enjoy being part of her rekindling relationships. It is, in short, all about the vibes.

Every one of us has been faced with a crossroads that leads us to confront deeper truths about our lives and ourselves. Linda Holmes has captured a version of that moment. This book is sweet and funny and a little sad. It’s a bit like life in that way. So if you’re looking to be whisked away on a lightweight literary adventure, dig into “Flying Solo.”