Warning: This article contains spoilers for both the Firefly Lane novel and Netflix series.
It’s a safe assumption that most Netflix users have binge-watched—and even called the girls, poured a wine and re-watched—Firefly Lane.
Based off of Kristin Hannah’s best-selling book of the same name, fans of the story know that the streaming giant’s adaptation differs from the novel significantly. But while we wait for confirmation of a second season, it’s only natural that fans flock to Hannah’s sequel, Fly Away, for their fix of Tully and Kate.
For those who don’t know, the second novel continues follows Kate, Tully, Johnny and Marah, despite one of the four passing away—don’t say we didn’t warn you that there’d be spoilers.
Seeing as the first season of Firefly Lane took a healthy serving of cues from the original novel, fans are hoping that a second season would do the same thing.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Firefly Lane showrunner Maggie Friedman said: “I hope that people who are big fans of the book can watch the show and be like, ‘Oh, my God, there’s that moment I remember!’ And also be like, ‘Oh, I’m surprised by this, but it’s cool because it’s in the spirit of the book, but it’s a different thing.'”
And if any potential future seasons are like the first, then we can surely expect to foresee what is in store for our favourite friends’ futures.
Below, everything you need to know about Kristin Hannah’s sequel, Fly Away, from the plot line to what it means for a potential Firefly Lane season 2.
What Is The Plot Of Fly Away?
One of the biggest differences between the Firefly Lane novel and the Netflix adaptation is, of course, that Kate is the one who passes away—not her father, Bud.
Fans of the novel will know that following Kate and Marah’s appearance on Tully’s Girlfriend Hour segment about mothers and daughters—which turns out to be a segment about how overbearing mothers damage their daughters—both Kate and Tully had a significant falling out. But this is where the book differs from what we saw on-screen. Instead of Bud’s tragic fate, the novel sees Kate diagnosed with terminal cancer, causing Tully to drop everything to reconcile with her best friend before she passes away. In the end, Kate does indeed pass, leaving Tully to take care of Johnny and her family after she’s gone.
According to Fly Away‘s synopsis, the second novel’s narrative follows Tully who wants to “fulfill her promise to Kate—to be there for Kate’s children, but it’s a promise she has no idea how to carry out. What does brash, lonely, ambitious Tully know about being part of a family?”.
What Happens With Tully And Marah in Fly Away?
Fly Away checks in four years after Kate’s death and follows Tully, Johnny, Marah and Cloud. Specifically, the book follows the three women—Tully, Marah and Cloud—tracing their journeys, from the past to the present.
Four years after Kate’s death, the audience learns much more about Cloud in particular, as well as learning about Tully’s life before and after Kate’s death while Marah struggles to work through her grief over her mother’s death.
As for the plot? The book starts with Tully experiencing a life-threatening accident. She spends most of the book hovering between life and death, which is what brings together Cloud, Tully’s mother, and Marah, Tully’s goddaughter.
“I just had to know why Dorothy [a.k.a. Cloud] was the kind of person she was and how Tully and Marah would survive without Kate,” Kristin Hannah told Book Reporter. “Because I lost my own mother when I was much too young, I know intimately that one person can sometimes hold an entire family together, and the loss of that person is devastating. It can take you years to get back on your feet. That’s really the theme of FLY AWAY—how to let go of someone you love and go on.”
How Similar Would Fly Away Be To A Potential Second Season Of Firefly Lane?
While Netflix is yet to confirm a second season, fans are expecting the next instalment to also rely heavily on the books’ sequel, Fly Away. However, because the streaming giant chose to stray from the first novel’s ending, it could render the sequel as useless for show’s plans in the writer’s room.
And yes, the fact that Netflix is yet to confirm the next season is unsettling, but the change of narrative to keep Kate alive gives us hope that a second season was always on the cards. After all, why would you kill off the main character if you’re not hoping for another season?
As for a third novel? Hannah said: “Writing a “sequel” was the hardest thing I’ve done, and I do not relish the idea of trying it again. That being said, I do wonder what happens to Marah…”
Eager to give Fly Away a read? Take a look at the novel below, while you patiently wait for news from Netflix.
Fly Away by Kristin Hannah, $26.95 at Booktopia.
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