OR

Kindle Price:	$6.99
	Price includes tax, if applicable
Sold by:	Amazon Australia Services, Inc.

promotions apply when you purchase

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will pre-order your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your memberships & subscriptions

There was an error! We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

K.L. Montgomery

Follow

Given to Fly Kindle Edition

by K.L. Montgomery (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 253 ratings

See all formats and editions

From the author of Fat Girl comes this sweet bodypositive romance with a single dad hero and a heroine faced with a life-changing choice. Annelise Lowe was taught that if she was a good enough person and Christian, all life’s puzzle pieces would simply fall into place. God would bless her with a happy marriage and children of her own. But those promises were shattered when she came face to face with her husband’s infidelity and her own infertility. The one unbiased friend she can lean on is the widowed father of a little girl in her preschool class. His own wounds still healing, Trek Blue needs Annelise as much as she needs him. Annelise discovers that Trek is another path to happiness…but can she turn her back on everything she’s been taught?

Print length

374 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

15 March 2017
File size

2081 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

Report an issue with this product

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01MS8S1QU
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mountains Wanted Publishing (15 March 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2081 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 374 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0998335304

Best Sellers Rank: 587,844 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 8,472 in Small Town & Rural Fiction (Books)
- 23,140 in Contemporary Women's Fiction
- 27,187 in Women's Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 253 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

K.L. Montgomery

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

K.L. Montgomery writes #bodypositive sweet romance and romcom. A librarian in a former life, she now works as an editor and runs the 5000-member Indie Author Support group on Facebook in addition to publishing under two names.

Though she remains a Hoosier at heart, K.L. shares her coastal Delaware home with some furry creatures and her husband, who is on the furry side as well. She has an undying love for her three sons, Broadway musicals, the beach, Seinfeld, the color teal, IU basketball, paisleys, and dark chocolate.

Visit K.L.'s website at www.klmontgomery.com and sign up for her newsletter. You can follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GreenCastles, Twitter (@KLMontgomery8) or Instagram (k.l.montgomery)

Review this product

Write a customer review

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from Australia

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Angela Hayes

5 Stars Given to fly is a really beautiful story, by K

Reviewed in Australia on 31 March 2017

Verified Purchase

5 Stars

Given to fly is a really beautiful story, by K.L Montgomery.

“Trust me on this. It’s better to take the risk and fail, knowing you tried, than to keep yourself locked away and safe, never knowing what it feels like to spread your wings…. You’ve been given to fly my love. You just need to believe you can.”

Ever since Annelise was a little girl she has been told what to do, how to behave and what’s expected of her. She comes from a very religious family, who place enormous importance on keeping up appearances and ‘doing what is right’. Her mother taught her that she would be expected to marry, have a family and be a good, dutiful wife….
After dating her college sweetheart for four years, they get married. She has reasonable doubts about him before the wedding, but decides to go through with it as she doesn’t want to rock the boat or cause a scene.
Annelise has struggled with her weight and body image for a long time- she has a lot of insecurities about her weight and struggles to live up to her families’ and husbands expectations, as well as the enormous responsibility she places on herself. She makes excuses for all of them, rationalising their actions and avoiding confrontation.
A year after getting married, her dream of starting a family has hit a snag due to infertility problems. She feels like a failure and guilty for not being ‘perfect’. She begins to doubt that she can ever achieve her dream.
Then along comes Trek Blue, who is the father of one of the children in her preschool; class. He and his young children moved to town for a fresh start, after his wife loses her battle with cancer. Annelise and Trek strike up a friendship- becoming confidantes and a ‘shoulder to lean on’ for each other.
Annelise is treated so differently by Trek and his family, they make her feel special and accept her for who she is. She begins to question everything she has been taught to believe, as well as her purpose in life. Things come to a head and Annelise has a huge decision to make. What will she choose? Will she uphold the vows she took on her wedding day? Will she bend to the will of her family, faith and what she’s been conditioned to believe for all her life? Or will she unfurl her wings and take flight?
I found myself really feeling for Annelise, I was angry for her, heartbroken for her, happy for her- I wanted to jump into the book and give her a hug and tell her she was good enough just the way she was. I wanted to tear strips off Aaron for being a real no good piece of Sh**. I was under Ms. Montgomery’s spell and I loved every minute of it!
This is a wonderful, well written, very polished story that will make you feel and make you think!

Thank you Ms. Montgomery!

Helpful

Jennadb

Annelise’s family is definitely different and they preach the lord to one and all and are more than happy to call Annelise out f

Reviewed in Australia on 21 March 2017

Annelise Lowe is a pre-school teacher who loves her job and has done what was expected of her, always pleasing everyone, her family, church and her husband Aaron. Annelise’s family is definitely different and they preach the lord to one and all and are more than happy to call Annelise out for being different in their eyes, they berate her and put her down without a care for her feeling. After getting married Aaron and Annelise have made having children their main priority but getting what they want is not happening and is causing issues. Annelise has always been a bigger girl and her weight is not helping with the dreams of having a child.

Aaron seems to only be concerned with himself, his job and having children. He is always on at Annelise because of her weight and because of this Annelise’s self esteem are at an all time low and she believes that she is the one to blame for the state of their marriage.

Annalise meets Trek Blue a single father raising two children after the loss of his wife to cancer through his daughter, Bailey who has just started kindy after moving closer with his mother to start over. Bailey is struggling and is very bright and Annalise finds herself tutoring Bailey. Annelise and Trek become friends and helps her through some tough times.

Annalise’s sister, Charity is much younger than her and her brothers but they find themselves forming a stronger bond when tough times arise and only a sister would understand.

Will Annalise finally find out what has her husband so driven to patch things up? Will she finally love herself for who she is? Will her family understand and support her when she needs them most? Will she be able to finally live a life she has always wanted?

The overall story is good and my favourite quote from the book is “You’ve been given to fly, my love. You just need to believe you can.” Enjoy!

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

JC in GA

Very Thoughtfully Written

Reviewed in the United States on 8 April 2018

Verified Purchase

I've known about this book for a long time, but was somewhat wary of reading it based on the first line of the blurb, which says, "Can you break your vow if it's the only way to save yourself?" As someone who cherishes my religious beliefs and who also views marriage as a beautiful thing that's always worth fighting for, I feared this book would be an attack on all the things I hold dear. Not that I don't respect an author's right to tell a story from her own point of view, even if it differs from mine. I just knew that if I read it, I would then feel obligated to review it, and I try very hard to only read indie books if I can give them a good rating.

I've never been of the camp that views religion as a man-made institution designed for the control of the masses. That's not been my personal experience with the whole church thing. For me, church is a place where I can connect with fellow believers who support me on my walk of faith. And religion itself? Look, I won't claim I know with absolute certainty that the teachings of my church are one hundred percent true, but even if the theology passed down by this religion or that religion turns out to be false, still I don't see the whole thing as one big pack of lies, but rather as a natural outcropping of man's search for the truth and the answers to life's big questions. And the reason there are so many different religions with so many different beliefs? Well, those big questions are hard to answer and we're only human. We can only understand so much.

Because my faith is so precious to me, it hurts a bit when people want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. I'm referring to the attitude that because some religious people are hypocritical or judgmental, even bigoted, then religion, by extension, must be all those things as well. As though God is to blame for the fact that some of his followers are scoundrels. As though there's something wrong with me because I choose to seek God within the walls of a church.

I was afraid that's what this book was going to be. I was afraid it was going to tell me I've been brainwashed by an evil institution that specializes in selling lies for the purpose of mind control.

That is not what this book is.

Rather than an attack on faith itself, Given to Fly is a critique of the hypocrisy often found in Christian social circles. The fact that hypocrisy is one of the biggest problems within the religious community is well-known, even by the members of that community. We all know the temptation to be more self-righteous than we are righteous. We all know the temptation to gossip about our fellow man. We all know at least one group of judgmental little church ladies who look down their noses at everyone else. This book calls out communities of faith for those behaviors, and I think that's a good thing. People need to be aware of the damage they often do in the name of God.

The book also seems to be something of a critique of the megachurch culture so prevalent in modern Christianity. Listen, I'm not going to criticize anyone's chosen form of worship. If people find God in a megachurch, good for them. However, that particular brand of faith has never been my preference, so the glimpses this book gives into that culture did not bother me. Whether they are accurate or not is not for me to say because, as I said, I don't attend a church like that.

So I'm giving this book a proud five stars for tackling some serious issues in what I felt was a very sensitive way. I can't say I agree with all the conclusions drawn at the end of the story, but following Annelise on her journey of self-discovery got me thinking about some of those big questions I mentioned earlier, and I appreciate a book that goes that deep into the philosophical and the theological.

I want to mention that I appreciate Annelise's reluctance to leave her husband when she finds out he's cheating. I know that's an area where some reviewers have taken issue, but I fully understand her point of view. You see, this is her marriage she's fighting for, and she entered into that marriage thinking it was her happily ever after. Thinking it would last forever. That's not an ideal she's going to let go of easily. You don't change your whole worldview and give up on your lifelong dreams overnight, even if letting go of those dreams are what you really need in order to be happy. And confronting her husband about it? Sure, that would have been the right thing to do, but it would also be the scary thing to do. I'm one of the most non-confrontational people in the world. I can't imagine having to go to my husband and tell him I caught him cheating. Heck, I break out into a cold sweat every time I have to call my parents and ask them if they can babysit our dogs when we go on vacation because I'm worried they won't want to do it. A cheating husband? Yeah...my first instinct would be to pretend nothing was happening, just like Annelise does. Though I did want to scream at her to stop trying to get pregnant with her husband's baby. I realize she thinks that's what it will take to save her marriage, and I guess I can understand the fact that, until you actually have kids, you don't realize that, rather than saving a marriage, they are more likely to put strain on that marriage. I've known so many people who seemed perfectly happy together until that bouncing baby came along, then a couple of years later suddenly they're separated. Raising kids is hard, and bringing one into an already damaged home is never a good idea. But how could Annelise know that? She wouldn't.

I would have liked to see a little clearer glimpse of Annelise's faith. By the end of this book, she makes a decision that goes against everything she's been taught her entire life. I don't think she would make the transition quite as easily as she seems to in this book. I've gone through more than one period of doubt in my own faith journey. Doubt in my fellow Christians. Doubt in the church. Even doubt in the existence of God himself. Going through those doubts is scary. You feel like the very ground on which you're standing is about to be pulled out from beneath you. I would have liked to see a little of that in Annelise's story. It would have made it feel more real to me.

I also felt the ending was a little too pat. Everything seems to come together perfectly in this beautiful package that's wrapped up all pretty and topped with a neat, red bow. Life doesn't work that way. Life is messy. There are loose ends that sometimes never get tied up. And after everything the characters in this book have been through, it seems that there would be some lingering wounds that will take a long time to heal.

Nevertheless, this is a great book that really got me thinking about what I believe and why.

Jared

Another excellent story.

Reviewed in Canada on 7 April 2017

Verified Purchase

Another excellent book Ms Montgomery. She has really hit her stride with this work. It is rare to find as real and flawed characters as she has written here. Annalise starts as a meek and downtrodden woman, trying to make things work in her flawed marriage. Her metamorphosis is realistic, methodical and powerful. Even her husband Aaron, while detestable, is a real and genuine character that exists in the real world and not just in fiction. The over-arching story is one of realistic, heartbreak, betrayal, and growth told in a nuanced and poignant manner. I look forward to more like this from Ms Montgomery.

Di O'Brien

So glad I didn't give up on this one

Reviewed in the United States on 12 April 2018

Verified Purchase

This was such a hard book to rate and in addition, hard to review. I'm not even sure why I picked it, especially when I found out religion was a big part of it. There were characters I did not like. . .characters whose rigidity and narrow mindedness were perpetuated by their strict fundamental religious beliefs. . .characters who lacked real warmth, kindness, and the knowledge of what true unconditional love really is. It annoyed me how the women were not treated as equals and everything that wasn't right was the fault of the women. However, the more I read, the more I found I couldn't put this down because I had to see if Annelise could evolve into the woman I hoped she really was as it certainly was not predictable that she would find the happiness she deserved. One of my favorite lines was "It’s better to take the risk and fail, knowing you tried, than to keep yourself locked away and safe, never knowing."

I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but there's a lot more to this story, including some very likeable characters who added so much to the story. So, although it started out a bit slow, I'll just say it's different enough to give it a try.

One person found this helpful

Nicole A.

Montgomery 5/5 Stars I can NOT say enough wonderful things about this book

Reviewed in the United States on 14 April 2017

Verified Purchase

Given to Fly
By K.L. Montgomery
5/5 Stars

I can NOT say enough wonderful things about this book!! It grabbed my attention within the first page and held my interest until the last sentence ! I fell in love with the character and her crazy family!!
I haven't read any books by K.L. Montgomery. But little did I know. That is her pen name and she usually writes under a completely different name. Which I have read several of her books and loved. So I was incredibly happy to read a new book by her!!
Sometimes, life doesn't go according to YOUR plan. Just sometimes it takes you on a completely different journey… a much better and happier path. But you will never know,if you don't take that jump! All you gotta do is be brave and take that leap!!
This is such a beautiful and heartwarming story about finding yourself and the journey it takes you there. I really identified with the character,Annalise. She feels she's not good enough, for anyone. Not pretty enough, skinny enough, smart enough…On top of that, she feels that she is the black sheep in her family.
Annlise is a bright, funny, and beautiful pre school teacher. She has her life planned out; get married and have babies. But life has a funny of turning the tables on you. When Annelise begins to have fertility issues and then have issues with her marriage. She befriends , Trek,his daughter is in Annelise’s class.
When two broken souls are thrown together during unfortunate circumstances, will she finally take the time to do what makes her happy? Or will she still try to please her family and faith??
I cant say enough great things about this story !! If I could, I would totally give it more than five stars. This story and character hit such a nerve with me. I felt the connection with Annelise. I have felt her pain and heartache.
This quote isn't in the book, but I think it fits the character, Annelise, extremely well! “ Always remember : You are braver than you believe, Stronger than you seem and Smarter and you think !”
I will definitely be reading more books by K.L. Montgomery, well actually.. I just bought another one of her books. I can't wait to start it!! You have gained another forever fan! Wonderful job, keep up the outstanding work ( and unforgettable characters!) !!!!

2 people found this helpful

Kelli Harper

I could read K.L. Montgomery books all day every day!!

Reviewed in the United States on 20 March 2017

Verified Purchase

Book Review: Given to Fly
Author: K.L. Montgomery
FIVE STARS
In this book, K.L. Montgomery has written about real life characters in real life situations. The different aspects delt with in this book are: being overweight and being critcized for it, teen pregnancy, the choice of keeping a baby or adoption, infertility, adulty, emotional/physical threats to self, religous beliefs being used against you, family interference, death of a spouse. This book is ok for anyone to read there are some situations that may be more for mature audiences and some profanity but mostly it is okay. No in depth sexual occurances.
This book connected with me in many ways. The feeling of always being the "fat friend" or being with the man who is always critical of your appearance because you're heavy. Never really seeming to fit in. Having the family that expects you to do as they want you to do and not as YOU want to do. To be someone you're not so that you don't upset anyone or hurt anyones feelings. Putting your own wants and wishes on the back burner. Being the one that everyone can come to when they have problems yet never being able to turn to anyone for help for yourself.
Then finding out the truth, that you aren't in love with the person you should be. That you are with them for the wrong reasons and the one you are truly in love with is the one that opens your eyes to this realization.
Can you be with the one you want and desire without worrying about what others have to say to you or about you?
I love this book and everything about it. I laughed, I cheered, I cried, I hurt, I worried, I connected in so many ways to Annelise. I truly see myself in her, just a decade or more older. I love this book and have loved everything I have read by K.L. Montgomery.
Kelli Harper

OR

Image Unavailable

Follow the author

Given to Fly Kindle Edition

Product details

About the author

K.L. Montgomery

Customer reviews

Review this product

Top reviews from Australia

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries