This is a book about taking risks. Who knows what will happen if you take a chance. The book takes place on an airplane flying to Chicago and in Chicago after they land. The characters all take chances in their relationships with each other but none more so than the protagonist James. If you buy into the characters, which I did, you will be wondering what will happen till the last sentence of the book. It is a romance but not in the Harlequin sense of the word - which is a good thing. The only thing that bothered me was that everyone that "James" met seems to want some pretty deep soul searching conversations with him and I have never found too many strangers willing to do that with me - even in Chicago. The book is overall an engaging entertaining read. ( )

What started out as a regular business trip turned into an experience to never forget. Standby, Chicago follows James Haskins a twenty-two year old on his first business trip to Chicago. His business meeting turns sour but it is okay because James has met Amy. Amy and James click right away and as their relationship sprouts James feels his trip and himself changing.

The characters in this book were easy to connect to and likeable. I found myself interested in hearing more about James' past (i.e. his parents' death, Liz) but I know that the book was mainly supposed to highlight the relationship between James and Amy. I found Amy harder to connect to than James because there is little to no background on her in the book. That is not necessarily a bad thing, it is just that I would have liked to have heard more about her. I just loved Claire and Phil and how they welcomed James into their home. I just can't say enough about how I loved the characters in this book.

The writing was great, the plot was great, and I loved that this book was based in Chicago. Chicago is my hometown so I loved knowing where the characters were (I also loved the Blackhawks shout-out. Go Hawks!). The way Chicago winter is portrayed is definitely correct.

Overall I enjoyed the book and was satisfied with the ending. It is a relatively short book but that doesn't mean that it is lacking in substance. I plan on sharing this with my friends. ( )

This story follows James Haskins on his first business trip. On top of being afraid of flying he has to go to Chicago with Deacon, a man who is so annoying you just want to slap him. While on the plane he meets Amy who invites him out to a club once he gets settled. Things go from bad to worse for James and when a storm hits Chicago it leaves him thinking about the past and also the future.

This was a quick read. I liked the characters and recommend this book. ( )