Kristen Chandler writes well. She really does. I read her first book, "Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me" and enjoyed it. The weakness of the first book was it went on too long just developing characters before any real plot got rolling. The problem with this book is that ALL of the book is developing characters, and no plot ever really develops at all.
Myra is a teen in a large family which depends on her too much. Her dreadful boyfriend dumps her as the book opens and she is then promptly in a competition with him to receive a grant to study for the summer in the Galapagos Islands. Those two sentences accurately summarize about 90% of the book. I found it very disappointing. I liked Myra, and Chandler writes well enough that it's never painful to read, but in the end I was left desperately longing for something to have happened besides self-discovery and realizing that her ex-boyfriend was an ass. ( )

I did a review for this using the lame Librarything app but it didn't save so here is the Good reads review:
"Myra is used to keeping her feet firmly on the ground. She's got four younger brothers, overworked parents, and a pregnant older sister, and if Myra wasn't there to take care of everyone, they'd probably fall apart. But when her boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her, Myra feels like she's lost her footing. Suddenly she's doing things she never would've a few months earlier: quitting her job, applying for a scholarship to study birds in the Galapogos, and falling for a guy who's encouraging her to leap from her old life . . . and fly.Set in the Salt Lake City area, Girls Don't Fly is full of intelligence, humor, and is a refreshing change of pace for teen readers.October 13th 2011 "
Very funny, true to life book. ( )

Myra takes care of everyone in her large family. Her mother and father work long hours to support them. Myra goes to school, works, and takes care of her four younger brothers. Now her older sister is home, pregnant and on bed-rest, so Myra must care for her as well. When the opportunity to wina scholarship for a research trip comes up Myra really wants to go, even if it means competing against her sleazy ex-boyfriend, and in spite of the fact that no one seems to think she can win. ( )

Girls Don't Fly by Kristen Chandler was a cute story with a beautiful setting that makes me miss Utah. The whole time the main character, Myra, is musing and plotting on how to leave her state, I was reveling in the descriptive landscapes and scenery that the author wonderfully injected into the book.

Myra is a senior in high school and she has just been dumped by her golden-boy boyfriend. She's in a hard place, but it's a perfect spot for her story to begin. After being with someone for so long and having no real friends of her own and nothing but responsibilities and family drama at home, she's learning to find her niche in the world.

She applies for a scholarship to study birds far away on the Galapagos Islands. The simple act of applying and stepping out of her comfort zone helps Myra evolve and transform as a character. I really enjoyed reading this process, and feeling inspired - like anything is possible and people can change if you really want to.

I really loved the way that Chandler infused natural history and her love of wildlife into this story. It really stands out as more than just another YA novel. And I enjoyed it so much, I'm really looking forward to reading her other book as well, titled Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me. ( )

This book was ok. I was intrigued enough to read the entire book and I guess the main character grew by the end of the book, but it seemed like she was still defining herself by her relationships with others instead of what was inside of her. Her parents need to have a stern talking to as does her sister. I'm not sure I would recommend this book, but it wasn't terrible. ( )