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kelly_e's review
- 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 situationshesflippinpages'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
nitar8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and War
gwenswoons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
lpdx'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
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Islamophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming and Pedophilia
lectures_de_chloe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, and Murder
simplyinthemoment's review
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
elskabee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
If I hadn't seen the author photo in the back, I would have thought this was written by a man, because it's such a "dad book". So this wasn't totally for me but I can definitely see other audiences enjoying it more.
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gun violence, Self harm, Blood, and Car accident
thatswhatshanread's review
- 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
- 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