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thehawk72's review
DNF pg 38
Not interesting enough to keep my attention, awkward dialogue. Really pales in comparison to his other work
Not interesting enough to keep my attention, awkward dialogue. Really pales in comparison to his other work
worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition
4.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Thank you to the publisher, Alfred A. Knopf BYR, and TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
James and Michelle meet at the Atlanta airport while on a layover. With flights delayed all around, they decide to explore and find a strange flashing green light which turns out to be a button. Michelle presses it and while there is no effect that they can see immediately, they soon realize that the Atlanta airport has more or less been turned upside down. There are jungles growing in one terminal, snow and rain in another, and worst of all, no way to get out of the insanity that the airport is turning into. James and Michelle team up to locate their families who have mysteriously vanished in the havoc and find a way to stop the chaos.
This book has been on my TBR for quite some time now, so I was thrilled to be able to join this blog tour. I really enjoyed the last book I read by this author, Come On In, so I was very curious to see what this would be like, especially with the switch in genre. From the sound of the premise, I expected a read that would be on the more lighthearted side and action-packed given the comparison to Jumanji, so this story really took me aback when it went in a completely different direction. Despite that, it was interesting how it got pretty deep in places, reflecting on human nature and societal issues. Slower paced though it was, this book was still an adventure and a fun read and a look at how people might react under such bizarre and inexplicable circumstances.
James and Michelle were both likeable characters and the style of the narrative made it so that the can really get inside their heads and see what they are thinking through the whole crazy experience. The switches between the two POVs were nicely handled and the story moved between the perspectives seamlessly. In depth character development was not really something I expected from this book, but both their arcs were written so well. The narrative also does switch focus to other adults in the airport from time to time which was an interesting choice in a YA novel and it added an fascinating perspective to the story.
I felt the pacing was rather slow however, and the story dragged a lot in the middle, where not much was happening and there was just a lot of descriptions that didn’t really seem necessary. I found myself skimming a lot in those sections, just waiting for the story to move along, which was quite annoying.
Before Takeoff was an engaging read with a very unique concept and I enjoyed it. I would recommend this book for fans of any genre and it is the type of story that would appeal to readers of both YA and adult fiction. I’m looking forward to seeing what book this author writes next!
Thank you to the publisher, Alfred A. Knopf BYR, and TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
James and Michelle meet at the Atlanta airport while on a layover. With flights delayed all around, they decide to explore and find a strange flashing green light which turns out to be a button. Michelle presses it and while there is no effect that they can see immediately, they soon realize that the Atlanta airport has more or less been turned upside down. There are jungles growing in one terminal, snow and rain in another, and worst of all, no way to get out of the insanity that the airport is turning into. James and Michelle team up to locate their families who have mysteriously vanished in the havoc and find a way to stop the chaos.
This book has been on my TBR for quite some time now, so I was thrilled to be able to join this blog tour. I really enjoyed the last book I read by this author, Come On In, so I was very curious to see what this would be like, especially with the switch in genre. From the sound of the premise, I expected a read that would be on the more lighthearted side and action-packed given the comparison to Jumanji, so this story really took me aback when it went in a completely different direction. Despite that, it was interesting how it got pretty deep in places, reflecting on human nature and societal issues. Slower paced though it was, this book was still an adventure and a fun read and a look at how people might react under such bizarre and inexplicable circumstances.
James and Michelle were both likeable characters and the style of the narrative made it so that the can really get inside their heads and see what they are thinking through the whole crazy experience. The switches between the two POVs were nicely handled and the story moved between the perspectives seamlessly. In depth character development was not really something I expected from this book, but both their arcs were written so well. The narrative also does switch focus to other adults in the airport from time to time which was an interesting choice in a YA novel and it added an fascinating perspective to the story.
I felt the pacing was rather slow however, and the story dragged a lot in the middle, where not much was happening and there was just a lot of descriptions that didn’t really seem necessary. I found myself skimming a lot in those sections, just waiting for the story to move along, which was quite annoying.
Before Takeoff was an engaging read with a very unique concept and I enjoyed it. I would recommend this book for fans of any genre and it is the type of story that would appeal to readers of both YA and adult fiction. I’m looking forward to seeing what book this author writes next!
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
3.0
3.5/5
Ok this book was so crazy and good. It reminded me of Jumanji and it was really fun. There were times when it was slow and fast, but overall it did feel like the book was short. It read almost like a movie to me and that was fun. When the last few chapters came it was almost a sign of relief.
Ok this book was so crazy and good. It reminded me of Jumanji and it was really fun. There were times when it was slow and fast, but overall it did feel like the book was short. It read almost like a movie to me and that was fun. When the last few chapters came it was almost a sign of relief.
showthisbooksomelove's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was so bizarre and events were extremely unconnected. I didn't get into this at all.
popthebutterfly's review
3.0
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Before Takeoff
Author: Adi Alsaid
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: Latinx MC, French Thai Switz character, Black characters, Buddhist character, Asian character, Latinx queen character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, thriller, romance, contemporary, magical realism
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Genre: YA Thriller Romance
Age Relevance: 15+ (cursing, terrorism, deportation, cancer, racism, sexual content, panic attack, religion, HP content, romance, death)
Explanation of Above: There is some cursing in the book. There are mentions of terrorism, deportation, cancer, and racism. There is some sexual content and romance mentioned in the book and some slightly shown. There is a panic attack shown in the book. There is religion that is mentioned very briefly in the book. There is death shown in the book. There is one HP mention in the book.
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Synopsis: James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn't be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light--and each other.
Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually... a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not unwittingly break the rules of the universe--at least as those rules apply to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta.
Before they can figure up from down, strange, impossible things start happening: snowstorms form inside the B terminal; jungles sprout up in the C terminal; and earthquakes split the ground apart in between. And no matter how hard they try, it seems no one can find a way in or out of the airport. James and Michelle team up to find their families and either escape the airport, or put an end to its chaos--before it's too late.
Review: Overall, this book was interesting. The book is set in the Atlanta airport and if there wasn’t COVID in the air I’d go there and read this book to experience everything firsthand. The book is an interesting case study on how people would handle unexpected or cataclysmic events. The world building was good and the story keeps you on your toes for sure. I’d say that I liked the premise of the book and what it was wanting to offer to me.
However, I had a lot of negatives about this book. The book is weirdly told and it’s very clearly not very well plotted. The character descriptions are lazy, it took me until the near the end of the book that the MC was Latinx, and not well formed. There is a part in the book where a queer character, of unknown age but is clearly older because they work for TSA, is crushing on a freshly 18 year old girl and it gives all the ick vibes but also gives the impression that the queer character is acting that way because they’re queer, which is a no go during Pride month. The only reason I’m not 1 starring this book is because I feel like that was an oversight considering the overall writing of the book. The writing is just bad and this book is not a fun read. I also hated the HP reference in this book and, since this is 2022 and the HP author’s transphobic nature is widely known, there is no excuse for it and a point has been deducted from the book’s rating overall.
Verdict: It’s good, but there’s so many issues that I think a few more rough drafts and rounds of editing could solve.
Book: Before Takeoff
Author: Adi Alsaid
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: Latinx MC, French Thai Switz character, Black characters, Buddhist character, Asian character, Latinx queen character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, thriller, romance, contemporary, magical realism
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Genre: YA Thriller Romance
Age Relevance: 15+ (cursing, terrorism, deportation, cancer, racism, sexual content, panic attack, religion, HP content, romance, death)
Explanation of Above: There is some cursing in the book. There are mentions of terrorism, deportation, cancer, and racism. There is some sexual content and romance mentioned in the book and some slightly shown. There is a panic attack shown in the book. There is religion that is mentioned very briefly in the book. There is death shown in the book. There is one HP mention in the book.
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Synopsis: James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn't be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light--and each other.
Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually... a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not unwittingly break the rules of the universe--at least as those rules apply to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta.
Before they can figure up from down, strange, impossible things start happening: snowstorms form inside the B terminal; jungles sprout up in the C terminal; and earthquakes split the ground apart in between. And no matter how hard they try, it seems no one can find a way in or out of the airport. James and Michelle team up to find their families and either escape the airport, or put an end to its chaos--before it's too late.
Review: Overall, this book was interesting. The book is set in the Atlanta airport and if there wasn’t COVID in the air I’d go there and read this book to experience everything firsthand. The book is an interesting case study on how people would handle unexpected or cataclysmic events. The world building was good and the story keeps you on your toes for sure. I’d say that I liked the premise of the book and what it was wanting to offer to me.
However, I had a lot of negatives about this book. The book is weirdly told and it’s very clearly not very well plotted. The character descriptions are lazy, it took me until the near the end of the book that the MC was Latinx, and not well formed. There is a part in the book where a queer character, of unknown age but is clearly older because they work for TSA, is crushing on a freshly 18 year old girl and it gives all the ick vibes but also gives the impression that the queer character is acting that way because they’re queer, which is a no go during Pride month. The only reason I’m not 1 starring this book is because I feel like that was an oversight considering the overall writing of the book. The writing is just bad and this book is not a fun read. I also hated the HP reference in this book and, since this is 2022 and the HP author’s transphobic nature is widely known, there is no excuse for it and a point has been deducted from the book’s rating overall.
Verdict: It’s good, but there’s so many issues that I think a few more rough drafts and rounds of editing could solve.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, here's the thing about this book I haven't heard anyone else say (maybe I didn't scroll down far enough):
It's totally a take on those Before Sunset, Before Sunrise movies directed by Richard Linklater. It's honestly surprising to me that Alsaid didn't bring those movies up in the Acknowledgements. The title seems to be a direct callback, and the vibe is very very that.
Plus wacky magic realism happenings apparently isolated to the airport the pair is wandering around in.
I like weird. I liked this a lot.
That said, I hate this cover. Not only because it'll be hard to read the title from across a school library. I would have omitted the human figures, changed the title font, maybe changed up the medium so it doesn't look like a bad photoshop job.
I'll be taking this out to middle schools and maybe high schools too.
It's totally a take on those Before Sunset, Before Sunrise movies directed by Richard Linklater. It's honestly surprising to me that Alsaid didn't bring those movies up in the Acknowledgements. The title seems to be a direct callback, and the vibe is very very that.
Plus wacky magic realism happenings apparently isolated to the airport the pair is wandering around in.
I like weird. I liked this a lot.
That said, I hate this cover. Not only because it'll be hard to read the title from across a school library. I would have omitted the human figures, changed the title font, maybe changed up the medium so it doesn't look like a bad photoshop job.
I'll be taking this out to middle schools and maybe high schools too.
zombiezami's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Hate crime, Antisemitism, and Fire/Fire injury
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Before Takeoff
Author: Adi Alsaid
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: Latinx MC, French Thai Switz character, Black characters, Buddhist character, Asian character, Latinx queen character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, thriller, romance, contemporary, magical realism
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Genre: YA Thriller Romance
Age Relevance: 15+ (cursing, terrorism, deportation, cancer, racism, sexual content, panic attack, religion, HP content, romance, death)
Explanation of Above: There is some cursing in the book. There are mentions of terrorism, deportation, cancer, and racism. There is some sexual content and romance mentioned in the book and some slightly shown. There is a panic attack shown in the book. There is religion that is mentioned very briefly in the book. There is death shown in the book. There is one HP mention in the book.
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Synopsis: James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn't be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light--and each other.
Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually... a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not unwittingly break the rules of the universe--at least as those rules apply to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta.
Before they can figure up from down, strange, impossible things start happening: snowstorms form inside the B terminal; jungles sprout up in the C terminal; and earthquakes split the ground apart in between. And no matter how hard they try, it seems no one can find a way in or out of the airport. James and Michelle team up to find their families and either escape the airport, or put an end to its chaos--before it's too late.
Review: Overall, this book was interesting. The book is set in the Atlanta airport and if there wasn’t COVID in the air I’d go there and read this book to experience everything firsthand. The book is an interesting case study on how people would handle unexpected or cataclysmic events. The world building was good and the story keeps you on your toes for sure. I’d say that I liked the premise of the book and what it was wanting to offer to me.
However, I had a lot of negatives about this book. The book is weirdly told and it’s very clearly not very well plotted. The character descriptions are lazy, it took me until the near the end of the book that the MC was Latinx, and not well formed. There is a part in the book where a queer character, of unknown age but is clearly older because they work for TSA, is crushing on a freshly 18 year old girl and it gives all the ick vibes but also gives the impression that the queer character is acting that way because they’re queer, which is a no go during Pride month. The only reason I’m not 1 starring this book is because I feel like that was an oversight considering the overall writing of the book. The writing is just bad and this book is not a fun read. I also hated the HP reference in this book and, since this is 2022 and the HP author’s transphobic nature is widely known, there is no excuse for it and a point has been deducted from the book’s rating overall.
Verdict: It’s good, but there’s so many issues that I think a few more rough drafts and rounds of editing could solve.
Book: Before Takeoff
Author: Adi Alsaid
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: Latinx MC, French Thai Switz character, Black characters, Buddhist character, Asian character, Latinx queen character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, thriller, romance, contemporary, magical realism
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Genre: YA Thriller Romance
Age Relevance: 15+ (cursing, terrorism, deportation, cancer, racism, sexual content, panic attack, religion, HP content, romance, death)
Explanation of Above: There is some cursing in the book. There are mentions of terrorism, deportation, cancer, and racism. There is some sexual content and romance mentioned in the book and some slightly shown. There is a panic attack shown in the book. There is religion that is mentioned very briefly in the book. There is death shown in the book. There is one HP mention in the book.
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Synopsis: James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn't be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light--and each other.
Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually... a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not unwittingly break the rules of the universe--at least as those rules apply to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta.
Before they can figure up from down, strange, impossible things start happening: snowstorms form inside the B terminal; jungles sprout up in the C terminal; and earthquakes split the ground apart in between. And no matter how hard they try, it seems no one can find a way in or out of the airport. James and Michelle team up to find their families and either escape the airport, or put an end to its chaos--before it's too late.
Review: Overall, this book was interesting. The book is set in the Atlanta airport and if there wasn’t COVID in the air I’d go there and read this book to experience everything firsthand. The book is an interesting case study on how people would handle unexpected or cataclysmic events. The world building was good and the story keeps you on your toes for sure. I’d say that I liked the premise of the book and what it was wanting to offer to me.
However, I had a lot of negatives about this book. The book is weirdly told and it’s very clearly not very well plotted. The character descriptions are lazy, it took me until the near the end of the book that the MC was Latinx, and not well formed. There is a part in the book where a queer character, of unknown age but is clearly older because they work for TSA, is crushing on a freshly 18 year old girl and it gives all the ick vibes but also gives the impression that the queer character is acting that way because they’re queer, which is a no go during Pride month. The only reason I’m not 1 starring this book is because I feel like that was an oversight considering the overall writing of the book. The writing is just bad and this book is not a fun read. I also hated the HP reference in this book and, since this is 2022 and the HP author’s transphobic nature is widely known, there is no excuse for it and a point has been deducted from the book’s rating overall.
Verdict: It’s good, but there’s so many issues that I think a few more rough drafts and rounds of editing could solve.
strangled_stardust's review against another edition
It was boring! As much as the summary seemed interesting enough I found the story... lacking.
The characters are flushed out too soon and worldbuilding seems a little confusing. The writing is.. different? An odd sort of perspective. Most of all, I'm less than halfway through and already wondering how on EARTH this story has 200+ pages more. Simply.. not interested or invested enough to know. (Even the "mystery" set up at the beginning wasn't enough to keep me going)
I had this in my tbr for around 2+ years and am finally dropping it without regret.
The characters are flushed out too soon and worldbuilding seems a little confusing. The writing is.. different? An odd sort of perspective. Most of all, I'm less than halfway through and already wondering how on EARTH this story has 200+ pages more. Simply.. not interested or invested enough to know. (Even the "mystery" set up at the beginning wasn't enough to keep me going)
I had this in my tbr for around 2+ years and am finally dropping it without regret.
shilten_k's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5