Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

De laatste vlucht by Julie Clark

26 reviews

cyndi1966's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Child death, Death, Infidelity, and Death of parent

brisha's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this book was sooooo good!!! very well written, i loved the characters, & i love that i couldn’t predict what was going to happen

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Child death, Death, Car accident, and Death of parent

kelly_e's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Title: The Last Flight
Author: Julie Clark
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: June 2, 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Thoughtful • Entertaining • Bittersweet

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear.

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he's not above using his staff to track Claire's every move, making sure she's living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn't know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.

A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets--Claire taking Eva's flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it's no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva's identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The Last Flight was my final book for my 12 recommendations from 12 friends challenge in 2023. I tried reading it earlier in the year, but knowing I was going to be flying in July made me put it aside until afterwards.

Told in dual POV format, Claire and Eva are both strong, vulnerable characters. Each came across as a real person escaping an equally dangerous situation. The novel sure starts out with a bang - a plane crash - and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough through the first third. There's definitely a lull in the action through the middle, where it becomes more suspenseful than thrilling, yet it picks back up towards the end. I think the plot structure really worked for the story Julie Clark was trying to tell. It allowed me to really get to know each of the two women and how they ended up where they were, and it slowly unravels their connection. I definitely did not figure out how Eva came to be at the airport until it was revealed.

Beyond the story, what I appreciated so much about this book was the depth beyond the words on the page. Because the male characters were background here, there's a sense of female strength and empowerment. It also shines a light on how neither woman could trust the system to help them, and how they each had to take matter into their own hands. This is a reality many people continue to face on a daily basis and I just thought it added another layer to the story.

While The Last Flight was less than thrilling in my opinion, it definitely had an element of suspense and was an escape read during the frantic holiday season. What I appreciated most about it was the social commentary that was there, yet wasn't there. I'd recommend this to readers who like thrillers with depth.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Lisa Jewell fans
• readers who like psychological suspense

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"I believed my voice alone wouldn't be enough. That nobody would want to hear the truth and step in to help. But when I needed it most, three women showed up. First Eva, then Danielle, and finally, Charlie. If we don't tell our own stories, we'll never take control of the narrative."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Minor: Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

drug trafficking, poverty, plane crash

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This kept me on the edge of my seat!! I was hooked from the premise but the story kept me in. I am a tad upset about the ending as I feel like it leaves a lot of loose ends but whatevs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

rhiannaoliviab's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction, Death, and Death of parent

schausjk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book absolutely lives up to its fascinating premise. What a wild and compelling ride.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Drug use

lilcookie's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Drug use and Death of parent

gemin1reader's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

3.5

I don’t think this is quite pacy enough to be considered a thriller. An interesting if implausible premise though with some good twists. Really love how feminist this book feels with complex female characters put in difficult situations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

micasreads's review against another edition

3.0

Clair Cook is married to Rory Cook, a well-known politician and while the world thinks that their marriage is perfect, little do they know that it is anything but. Knowing that she is going to Detroit, she plans her escape. At the last minute, her plans are changed and her plans are about to be discovered. At the airport, she meets Eva who shares her sob story of wanting to start her life over after her husband's death. Thinking it will be best for both of them, they switch tickets and head to each other's destinations. This move will free both of them from their private hells.

 

There was a lot of hype when this book came out and there were plenty of rave reviews but it wasn't that impressive to me. I found the story a bit slow at times and found myself getting distracted. I think part of the problem is that I've read a few amazing thrillers this year that this had a hard time measuring up. It was an interesting storyline with some good plot twists which made it fun to read. I'm glad to have read it and mark it off my TBR. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Abandonment

Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Death of parent

katiejohns's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Drug use

Moderate: Death of parent