This is a long review, but it was a hard book to judge - I liked it, but at the same time I thought it was overly-simplified in all the wrong places. It's a good story that pays attention to detail as far character portrayal, but there is too little attention to the actual plot.

[Note, there may be spoiler alerts below]

There were a lot of things I really liked:
- It is very refreshing to have an airline employee portrayed as having a job that isn't glamorous or adventurous - I very much appreciated that the flight attendant's job was realistically portrayed.
- I liked that the main character was such a flawed and troubled person, and that she was portrayed in a way that allowed us to accept her actions as natural to her character (if this hadn't been done so convincingly, the story would have been impossible to accept).
- I also liked the way that the story alternated between the flight attendant's character and that of the Russian spy (Elena). The two female characters complemented each other very well and the author created a great juxtaposition between these two seemingly different characters.

But, there was one major component of the story that just weakened it for me - the alcoholism took over the story to the point that the actual murder and the espionage had to take a back seat to the flight attendant's personal problems. Let me explain why:

1. I get that the flight attendant's being a high-functioning alcoholic was crucial to the whole plot...but it stretched beyond belief just how "high-functioning" she was. When she needed to sober up, that was just too easy for her to pull off - and with minimal signs/symptoms of hangover or withdrawal. I just wish there were more obvious signs of the alcoholism as far as not being portrayed as always so polished and fit, always making it to work on time or actually doing a good job at work, etc.

2. The cycle of going to work, getting drunk, and picking up a strange man happened 1-2 times too many. They could have cut out at least one trip abroad and we wouldn't have missed anything (I also started questioning what kind of lawyer is going to keep telling you to take your trips and not stay home when you're in that kind of a situation...and maybe the FBI might have also have asked her to stay in the country at some point?).

2. The wrap-up at the end came at us out of nowhere. Everything that happens to explain the espionage plot and unveil the real villains happens quickly at the end of the book. There's little foreshadowing to help explain which characters are involved or why. We really don't get any detail regarding what happens after the last scene in the hotel room...and in the fast-forward to one year later, a little more detail explaining how our heroine managed to sober up and become a casual spy herself would have helped with plausibility too (I thought giving her a baby was a bit too convenient - so she has a reason to sober up and she has a "happy ending" too).

So...I would give it 3 1/2 stars if I could, because I liked it enough to recommend...but maybe I'd categorize it as a "good vacation read" - it's not going to stay with you as one of your favorite books.

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Video Book Review: The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
BETH DEAN 2 WEEKS AGO 0


The Flight Attendant gives a riveting look at an imperfect woman in a desperate situation.

Cassie is a hard drinking woman. Closing in on 40, she manages to hold down steady employment as a flight attendant. She’s a pro at her job. Reading people’s moods, anticipating needs, following flight protocol; it’s routine by now, even when done through the haze of a hangover.

In her personal life, though, Cassie’s a mess. She regularly drinks alcohol to the point of blacking out, parties, and sleeps with a string of random one-night stands. When we meet her at the beginning of the book, she’s waking up next to a dead man.

From there, we enter a world of attorneys, spies, self doubt, and questions about who killed the man and why. Even more troubling, Cassie had blacked out the night before. She’s only about 85% sure she didn’t kill him.

It’s an interesting paradox, reading her journey. Cassie is so self-destructive. She seemingly makes an already-horrible situation worse for herself and everyone around her with every move. And yet, she is a sympathetic character.

Therein lies the magic of Chris Bohjalian. He does this sorcery in book after book.

It would be so easy to not like Cassie. And that would be fine – unlikable characters can make for incredible books. But it’s commendable that Bohjalian doesn’t take the easy route of slut shaming Cassie and turning her into a morality tale.

In each of Bohjalian’s books, characters are richly complex. No one is purely evil and no one is purely good. Everyone is muddled. The inclination is to root for Cassie, even though she self-sabotages all along the way. He can even make an assassin seem sympathetic.

The books stand on the foundation of good storytelling. Ponder the complex character study or simply get lost in the swirl of intrigue – either way, it’s a great time.

Interesting story, but the pace and how it came together was lacking. Kind of disappointed.

I really liked the premise of this book but felt let down in the execution. The characters were one dimensional and the plot sputtered along. I almost DNF'ed it, but decided to plow through. The ending was solid and moved it from a two star to a three star read for me. If you enjoy mysteries/thrillers with complexity and character development you may want to pass this one up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital advance reader copy of this book.

Cassie Bowden, an international flight attendant, is a self proclaimed binge drinker and is always looking for the next party. Her job with the airline provides the perfect opportunity for Cassie to find new adventures in the cities she travels to, often involving men she meets along the way and plenty of alcohol.
During a layover in Dubai she wakes up in a hotel room that is not her own with little memory of the night before. She quickly notices that the bed is soaked in blood and the man she spent the night with is lying dead next to her. She has a quick decision to make. Does she call for help or does she leave the room and rejoin her flight crew without a word for the return flight to Paris? Did she kill him in a drunken stupor or did someone come into the room while she was asleep to kill him and spare her life? Why would they spare her? Cassie will soon have to come to terms with the way she lives her life and find out the truth.
When I saw this book on NetGalley it sounded really exciting and intriguing, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me, at least as far as the thriller aspect goes. For me this story lacked the twists and turns I have come to expect from a thriller. I kept hoping for something unexpected just around the next corner. That being said, I did enjoy the story itself. I do love stories with unreliable narrators, they tend bring more excitement, drama, and character struggles.
The Flight Attendant is told in dual narration form between Cassie and another woman named Elena and includes FBI interviews, which I found to be a fun addition. I also found it interesting to watch the impact alcohol had on Cassie's life, in both this particular case and in her day to day struggles.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Doubleday for proving me with this advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Chris Bohjalian's latest book is about an international lethal game of cat and mouse including murders, spies and a modern day cold war between the US and Russia. The plot had some twists and turns I did not expect. In my opinion, the alternating points of view between Cassie and Elena bogged down the plot in details too much to label the book a thriller. I rate the book three stars because reading of Cassie's constant state of sloppy drunkenness and lack of impulse control became quite tedious.

Cassandra Bowden may be a typical flight attendant in some ways.....she's been working for her airline long enough to be able to schedule her international flights with friends, she's single and open to adventure, she lives alone at her base in New York and enjoys her job. She also drinks too much and too often, and is entirely too accustomed to passing out. When she wakes up next to a dead man in Dubai, a gentle, intelligent stranger that she met on the flight over, she takes in her surroundings (broken bottle, slit throat, volumes of blood) and runs for it. Did she kill him? She's never been violent at all, even in blackouts....but she can't be certain. So she returns to her hotel, and quickly rejoins her crew to return to the states. Which is where her troubles really begin. The FBI wants to talk to her, she has no idea what to tell them, she's certain that someone is following her and she is unraveling at the seams. 
Meanwhile, the actual killer Elena Orlov, a Russian operative chastised for not doing away with Cassandra at the same time as her mark, is hiding her own secrets as she desperately tries to find Cassandra and finish her job. All comes to a head in Rome, with more surprises than anticipated! Another fantastic Bohjalian novel with great movie potential!

Many have been lucky enough to get an ARC of "Flight Attendant" already and have posted their glowing reviews. Sometimes when so many people talk up a book, it's hard for it to live up to its expectations... which is NOT the case with this book! 
First, the fast paced opening scene is enough to send the reader inching closer to the edge of their seats. In some books, the cast of characters, their problems and how their stories unravel, present themselves slowly or predictably. If you are a seasoned reader of psychological thrillers and you are reading a good book, you will turn pages furiously, gasp loudly, and wonder how the author was able to slip "that" by without you guessing! In "Flight Attendant", Chris manages to write with a shock and awe talent that is sure to provide the most seasoned readers... (ehem.. cough loudly... raising hand) with a experience that will not be forgotten. 
Cassie, the main character (a hot mess) reminds me of an irresponsible sister or friend that no matter how much you try to help... is helpless! When she woke up in a hotel room next to a dead body, the body of a man she was intimate with just hours before, and frantically realizes that it's either flight or fright (get it??) ... she bolts! Out the door, down the street, and back to the hotel she should have been sleeping in that night! 
I mean, what would you have done if you were Cassie? It's definitely a question you might ask as you delve deeper and deeper into Cassie's story. You might start to feel her pain, feel the web of lies tighten around her neck, and root for her through to the end! 
Finally, if you haven't read Chris Bohjalian's books and you love a great thriller that will leave you guessing until the end, you're crazy if you don't buy, rent, borrow, or listen!

The Flight Attendant

Chris Bohjalian


THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT is the first book I've ever read by Chris Bohjalian but it certainly won't be the last! Once I started reading, the twists and turns kept on coming and I could not put it down. Cassandra Bowden is a flight attendant who lives a reckless life. She drinks way too much and winds up in stranger's hotel rooms. She wakes up one morning in Dubai, very hungover and not in her room. She tries to get out of bed without waking Alex and when she finally has the guts to look over at him she is shocked. HE IS DEAD!! His throat is slit and there is blood everywhere! Hang on readers as this is only the beginning!


Instead of calling for help, Cassie takes a shower and gets rid of the blood all over her. She is freaking out and can't remember too many details of the night before. Did she really slit a man's throat? She wipes down everything she could have possibly touched in the room and quickly gets out of there. She's determined to get back to the United States because she doesn't want to wind up in jail in Dubai. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT is filled with mystery and many secrets. Your heart will be in your throat throughout most of this gripping story and you won't believe how it ends! That's all I'm saying about that!


I didn't like Cassie's character at all. She was very shallow and reckless and kept making the same mistakes over and over again. The mystery woman really had me fooled and when I found out who she was I was totally shocked. The FLIGHT ATTENDANT had me yelling at the characters in the book over and over again! My emotions were all over the place and just when I thought I had it all figured out, Chris Bohjalian showed me just how wrong I was. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT is crazy good and everyone should read it! I am now on a quest to read all of his previous books and can totally understand why so many of my reading friends love this author so much!

Thank you to #Netgalley , #doubleday , and author #ChrisBohjalian for a free advanced Reader ecopy of The Flight Attendant in return for an honest review.

The premise of the book was unique. A protagonist who is a Flight Attendant makes for a very good opportunity for intrigue. I was interested all the way to the end of the novel to see where it was going and how it would turn out. The main reason for my 3 star review is that I just didn't care for the main character, Cassie. Obviously it has been a trend for years now to have seriously flawed protagonists. Usually, though, I can find a reason to sympathize or empathize with them. or at the very least relate to them. Cassie elicited none of that for me. In fact, it was actually really off-putting to read about her bad decisions over and over for 392 pages.
But despite my apathy toward her character, I did enjoy the overall mystery and would recommend The Flight Attendant to anyone who enjoys thrillers with an international aspect.

I was anxious to begin THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT as Chris Bohjalian is one of my favorite authors; most recently THE GUEST ROOM and THE SLEEPWALKER were amongst my favorite reads.

Sadly I was disappointed in THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT; it seemed to go on forever while going nowhere. Cassie was interesting enough, flawed enough to hold my interest, I enjoyed the exotic locations but still felt this novel fell short for me.

It's all fun and games until someone gets their throat slashed... 

Cassie Bowden is a flight attendant. 
Cassie Bowden is an alcoholic. 
Cassie Bowden is an utter mess. 
Cassie Bowden also just woke up in a hotel in Dubai next to a dead man with vague and twisty memories of the blackout-drunk night before. 

We all have that 'fight or flight' response, and Cassie chose the perfect career because her response is  flight, for sure.  You can judge her all you want for not calling the authorities, but when you are standing in the center of a crime scene---shattered glass on the floor, your fingerprints everywhere, a murdered man in your bed, and the absence of total clarity of the events of the night before---what would you do? 

What starts as a typical, passion and liquor-filled night for Cassie, turns out to be the traumatizing beginnings to a web of lies and danger. Authorities from two different countries are involved, the FBI is involved, and Cassie does what any good flighty alcoholic would do... she drinks and continues to dig herself into a deeper hole. Could she really have killed him? If she didn't can she find out who was responsible? Is she, herself, in danger? 

★  ☆  ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ ★  ☆ 

This book is phenomenal! The author certainly did his homework for this title. I can't say too much without dangerously dancing around spoilers, but the facts, locations, laws, etc that are used in this novel are fantastic! There are FBI reports inserted sneakily between chapters and you get to see two different sides of this story, as another POV is introduced (I really can't figure out a way to tell you much about this character without spoiling something). 

The character development is so strong in this novel. Cassie should be totally unlikable.. but she's not. Her humanity shows--we learn about her background and the things that led to her drinking habits. Her scars are deep and her emotion is raw. Shes a beautifully constructed character that I was really rooting for the entire novel, even when she made some not-so-smart decisions. 

This is one of those novels that you really cannot disclose much about without spoiling really fun twists and turns, but I highly recommend this one. The ending was ON POINT... totally thought I had things figured out and I was very wrong and then continued to be very wrong. I was so satisfied and impressed with the ending!!! I would call this one a must-read of 2018, for sure!





**Barnes and Noble pre-orders of this novel are signed! :)

Thank you to the Chris Bohjalian, Doubleday, and NetGalley for providing me with a DRC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

I was a little hesitant to request this arc from Netgalley cause I thought the premise of the book was strange. I like Chris Bohjalian's books so I figured what's the harm, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this book.

Cassie Bowden is not a particularly likable character, her life centers around drinking too much and getting laid. While she is able to hold on to her job, at just past 40, her life is slipping away from her. On a flight from New York to Dubai, she meets a younger businessman, whom she ends up spending the night with. The following morning Cassie wakes up in bed with a dead man. Cassie's life is forever changed.

Upon her return to New York, Cassie lies to the FBI about her interlude with the young businessman. Cassie has come to a point in her life where she needs to decide which way to go, she finally admits that she was with the businessman the night he was murdered. As Cassie attempts to tone down her life she meets an actor whom she is drawn too. She also realizes that someone is following her and that her life may be in danger.

I enjoyed this book, the suspense that builds throughout the book is great, you just want to keep on reading. Chris Bohjalian is a master storyteller.

Great addition to the thriller genre! An interesting opening scene sets up a great page-turner.

Cassie Bowden is not just an alcoholic, she's obsessed with being an alcoholic. And with her own propensity to make bad decisions. And with generally being a screw-up. And, seriously, did I mention that Cassie drinks? Because we're told that over and over and over again. You know what, Cassie drinks. She drinks a lot. And she likes it. Did I mention that Cassie drinks?

Fortunately for the reader, becase following along while a 30-something year-old woman consistently refuses to do anything sensible is just not a lot of fun, there are larger issues of geopolitics at play in this book. It is those that lead to the dead man in the bed, and that actually drive the story forward as we wonder whether Cassie will live to take her next drink.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This was a solid book - nothing to write home about, but not terrible either. The one thing that kept my rating down to three stars was that I didn't ever connect with Cassie, the main character. I found her to be two dimensional - she is a heavy drinker, a woman who steals knick knacks, a promiscuous woman, but....there isn't much else to her. Years ago I read Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian, and I really liked it - I think it eclipses this one, unfortunately.

Cassandra Bowen is a flight attendant with a history of bad decisions--most of them tied to her predilection to heavy drinking. Mostly her drinking leads to sexual encounters with dubious men, topless dancing, and a few bouts of blackouts. But when Cassie's work takes her to Dubai, she spends the night with a gentleman she met on the plane, drinking heavily with him all evening; in the morning she wakes up next to him in bed and finds him dead, covered in blood. Alone and female in Dubai, Cassie sneaks out of the hotel room and returns home on the plane with her fellow flight attendants, setting off a trail of lies that will haunt her. And in the back of her mind, she fears the worst: could she have killed Alex while drunk? And what will happen when the authorities discover her deception?

This novel starts off with a bang, with Cassie waking up next to a dead man. Once Cassie gets back to the States, I found myself fascinated what could possibly happen for the other 80% of the book. (My mistake, a lot can happen.) The entire novel kept me wondering what on earth would come next. This is a crazy, unpredictable book that sucks you in and never lets you go. I was constantly wondering who the various characters were--who really was Alex, for instance? Is there more to Cassie than we are being told? I was honestly confused for a good portion of the book, which doesn't happen often when I read.

It was really fun and befuddling to piece things together in this one. The book was rather stressful, trying to decipher all the various characters and to deal with Cassie's high-risk behavior. As the end nears, I was actually shocked by a couple of twists, which I really appreciated. It's rare that a thriller truly shocks me anymore. I was truly impressed with this one. The ending was a little odd, but as I pondered it more, I think I'm good with it.

As for Cassie, she was a hard character to like, and there's certainly been no shortage of unreliable drunken female narrators in contemporary fiction as of late. Still, you can't help but get caught up in her story. It's compulsively readable. There are also lots of good flight attendant stories; Chris Bohjalian always well researches his books.

Cassie's chapters also alternate with a woman named Elena, which is an effective storytelling device, and only ratchets up the suspense. Her tale is just as befuddling as Cassie's--perhaps even more so--and just added to my desire to turn the pages and find out what on earth was going on and how these people were all connected. Bohjalian really weaved a fascinating story here, and I love how all of his books are so different. Whereas some can be emotional, this one was truly a thriller, and focused so much on the story and mystery. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was great.

I also found some amusing little personal tidbits in the book: references to Charlottesville (the second in a row in the novels I read--it's my hometown) and Cassie's Kentucky references, including her attendance at the University of Kentucky. We are, in fact, a UK and UVA household--my five-year-old twins are very divided between the two. It's funny how little things stick with you when you read a novel.

Overall, this was a great read. Completely befuddling, but incredibly suspenseful and just sort of fun. Not at all what I expected from Bohjalian, but a fascinating, enjoyable thriller. I was completely lost in Cassie and Elena's bizarre world for a few days--the sign of a great book.

3.5 stars, rounded up.
This book starts with a cinematically breathless opener- after yet another night spent with a strange man, a night that has left flight attendant Cassie hazy on details due to too much to drink (a regular occurance for her), she wakes up to find the man next to her has died a violent death. She's in a foreign country, doesn't know the laws, doesn't know what happened. It's a really interesting story, but the plot lost me a little in the middle as it became a bit repetitive (Cassie makes bad choice that could land her in further legal drama, frets about it, repeat). There were a few turns at the end that I didn't see coming that were well done (though I wouldn't really call this a mystery, and it's not a book that should be judged on the twists of its plot). Chris Bohjalian's popularity is well deserved as he writes both story and character incredibly well. The Flight Attendant tells a timely, intriguing story that will leave readers guessing till the last pages.

The Flight Attendant was the first novel by Chris Bohjalian that I have read and it is safe to say that I will definitely be reading everything he has written.

This book was a slow read for me but in a positive way. I took my time day by day, similar to the way Cassie navigated through life after waking up next to a lifeless Alex. I loved that even though Cassie made some poor decisions, the story was written in a way that you still rooted for her.

This book had the perfect amount of mystery and thriller with a great twist of an ending. I will definitely be rereading it!

fullsizeoutput_2765MY REVIEW OF “THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT” BY CHRIS BOHJALIAN

I was captivated by “The Flight Attendant” By Chris Bohjalian. The genres for this novel are Mystery and Fiction. The author describes his characters as complex and complicated. There is suspense, twists and turns, and drama. After all, Chris Bohjalian is quite adept at describing vivid details and storytelling.

Have you ever wondered what the life of a flight attendant might be like? You might think there is adventure, and opportunity for travel. Could you in your wildest dreams imagine danger and murder? Cassandra Bowden has been a flight attendant for years, and has seen and done many things. Cassandra Bowden is also a binge drinker that is subject to blackouts, where she can’t recall often what happens.

From NetGalley, here is a significant blurb,” A powerful story about the ways an entire life can change in one night. A flight attendant wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man, and no idea what happened.” Is it possible that Cassandra has killed a man, a passenger that she met on her flight? Next thing Cassandra knows is the FBI is involved, the Press is involves, and she if forced to take a really hard look at her shortcomings, and come to grips with her problems.

I appreciate that Chris Bohjalian discusses addiction and alcoholism, and the devastating consequences. In would recommend this intense, intriguing mystery for readers that enjoy this genre. I received an Advanced Reading Copy from NetGalley for my honest review.