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kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Author: T.J. Newman
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: July 6, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Bingeable • Tense • Vivid
📖 S Y N O P S I S
You just boarded a flight to New York.
There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.
What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.
For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.
The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.
Enjoy the flight.
💭 T H O U G H T S
T.J. Newman's books have been absolutely everywhere over the past several years, yet I was never inclined to give into the hype and pick one up - until now. With the release of her most recent book, my interest was piqued, but I knew I wanted to start with her debut Falling.
Written in short, easy to digest chapters, and revolving around a kidnapping/hostage situation, this novel is fast-paced and action packed from start to finish. Despite being on the short side, there was a layer of political depth that I wasn't expecting, yet allowed for deeper reflection. Newman leaned heavily on her own personal experience as a flight attendant, which made for more authentic interactions between the characters on-board the flight.
Falling was the ideal vacation read (maybe don't read it before a flight) that didn't require too much thought and was quick to get through. It's one of those stories where it's easy to see what will come next, yet still gets the adrenaline pumping. I certainly get the hype, and look forward to reading more of her books down the road.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• popcorn thrillers
• action movies
• hyped books
⚠️ CW: terrorism, hostage situation, kidnapping, suicide attempt, violence, gun violence, death, blood, injury/injury detail, Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Death always feels personal, Bill. It feels damn fucking personal. But you know what the crazy thing about death is? It's not personal. Everyone dies. No one escapes it. It's the only fair thing in the world. Sometimes you're young, sometimes you're old, sometimes you deserve it, sometimes you don't. But what the fuck is that, anyway? Death doesn't just happen to 'bad' people, death doesn't give a shit."
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing
terrorism, hostage situationthatswhatshanread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A suspenseful, fast-paced page turner. TJ Newman really knows how to keep the reader engaged. While many of the plot points are predictable, or as predictable as they can be in the realm of disaster flights, I enjoyed it for the most part. It had my adrenaline pumping and I genuinely liked a few of the characters, even when their actions were kinda dumb.
My main problem with this novel was in regard to the way the terrorist situation was written—Why make the bad guys Middle Eastern?? Very much playing into the offensive stereotype, not to mention unoriginal. It would have been far more compelling and truly unpredictable to have it be some random white dude with a vendetta against the airline or something. Idk. That, and the overdone reasoning behind the hijacking, just felt like a cop out in poor taste.
I definitely preferred Drowning over this one!
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sophie42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cursing, Torture, and Vomit
jenniferbbookdragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Newman did a great job humanizing the "bad guys" and demonstrating the complex emotions that can paralyze people in crisis. Her decision to include the aftermath and trauma of survival levels the story up above the typical beach read.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
r_o_s_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Cursing
monicabach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content: excessive cursing imo. Many F bombs. No sexual content and no graphic violence. His family is threatened but not even descriptive enough to tug on my heart strings.
Graphic: Cursing, Genocide, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide
cait's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Cursing
alyx_d's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Suicide, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
Minor: Cursing