So, if I’m being honest, I didn’t think I would like this book very much.......even after I was a couple of chapters in. I don’t know why I didn’t like Danny to begin with...maybe the victim mentality? But, wow. Did she grow on me?!?!?!? Yes. Yes she did.

The best thing about the book, though, was the stuff I learned, not just about the Amazon or rainforests or even surviving. I learned things about me from reading about these folks. It was cool. I love this line best of all: “Kindness is underrated (and you are overflowing with it).” It really is. This is a good book. I’ll be buying it and recommending it often. 🤓💜📚

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for sending me a free advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review. The Speed of Falling Objects debuted October 1st.

If there ever was a book to convince me that I don’t want to visit the Amazon rain forest, this is it. The book progresses from a page one plane crash to poison dart frogs, killer snakes, leeches, and all the creepy crawlies you could ever want. MC Danny, short for Danielle, must confront all these and more as she and her survival TV star father, along with a reality television crew and a teen heartthrob movie star, endeavor to make their way to safety.

But this book isn’t just about the perils of the Amazon. Danny’s mission is to use the time in the jungle to get closer to her dad, who, to put it bluntly, is a total dick. She hardly knows him, but has spent most of her life obsessed with his wilderness survival television show. Much of the book revolves around her hopes and expectations about her father being summarily dashed; she has to learn who her father really is and whether she can accept that reality or not. The book was a bit introspective for my taste, but that’s a personal preference thing.

The writing is strong, and Fischer holds no punches. The inclusion of the teen heartthrob character made me think at the outset that this would be a bit of a fluffier read, but it’s definitely not. People die in this book, permanently, and not just the ones you’re kind of hoping might. If you’re looking for a wilderness-themed page-turner, this is definitely a book to pick up!

Title: The Speed of Falling Objects
Author: Nancy Richardson Fischer
Genre: YA
Rating: 5 out of 5

Danger “Danny” Warren is nothing like her father, a popular survivalist TV star…but she used to be. And she wants to be again. Danny lost her eye in a childhood accident and had to re-learn how to move and relate to spatial relationships. Danny knows that if she’d just been enough, she’d have a relationship with her father now.

So when her dad calls with an offer to join him on the set of his next adventure in the Amazon, Danny is all for it. She’ll get to prove to her dad that she’s still the adventure-seeking girl she was—and getting to hang out with the hottest teen actor on the globe isn’t a bad thing, either. Until their plane crashes in the rainforest and Danny finds out a horrible secret about her father—while fighting to stay alive and find safety.

I enjoyed this book so much! Danny’s feeling of never being enough is something I think we can all relate to, so that made this book completely relatable. Her larger-than-life father is kind of a jerk, but Danny loves him anyway, although finding out who he really is was a tough experience. A movie star crush, a rainforest adventure, a strong female main character—this book had it all!

Nancy Richardson Fischer used to write sports biographs, but now she plans fun adventures and writes. The Speed of Falling Objects is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Teen/Inkyard Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

What I liked

This book was intense! I mean all of these survival adventures in the Amazon and that plane crash that happened before the horror survival trips it was seriously intense. I couldn’t describe it any other way. It was really a great thing and you had the feeling to watch some TV show where people need to show off their surviving skills in the middle of nowhere.

The descriptions in The Speed of Falling Objects were beautifully written and I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved her writing style and hope to read more of it in the near future.

I found the storyline to be intriguing as well and I have to say Fischer did her job very well because I kind of hated our main characters father so so much. I’m sure that you will understand what I mean by this once you’ve read this novel but he is a man you honestly don’t wish to have as a family member and especially not as your father. He was cruel!

What I didn’t like

I found all the characters kind of annoying and couldn’t get to find them nice. Some of the times I wanted to smack them on the head. But I guess that that also made this book great. It might have even been the intention of the author. Who knows? That’s also the only negative thing I might have to say about it.

Overall, if you like these survival shows on TV then I’m pretty sure that The Speed of falling objects will be your next favourite book!

A teen survival story in the rainforest is kind of an unrealistic plot but very enjoyable none the less, a fun and light read. The main character's coming of age by understanding life and loss in an extreme situation. And finding love of course.

The Speed of Falling Objects
Nancy Richardson Fischer
Inkyard Press, October 2019
ISBN 978-1-335-92824-5
Hardcover

From the publisher—

From the author of When Elephants Fly comes an exceptional new novel about falling down, risking everything and embracing what makes us unique. Don’t miss this compulsively readable novel about the most unlikely of heroes.

Danger “Danny” Danielle Warren is no stranger to falling. After losing an eye in a childhood accident, she had to relearn her perception of movement and space. Now Danny keeps her head down, studies hard, and works to fulfill everyone else’s needs. She’s certain that her mom’s bitterness and her TV star father’s absence are her fault. If only she were more-more athletic, charismatic, attractive-life would be perfect.

When her dad calls with an offer to join him to film the next episode of his popular survivalist show, Danny jumps at the chance to prove she’s not the disappointment he left behind. Being on set with the hottest teen movie idol of the moment, Gus Price, should be the cherry on top. But when their small plane crashes in the Amazon, and a terrible secret is revealed, Danny must face the truth about the parent she worships and falling for Gus, and find her own inner strength and worth to light the way home.

To enjoy a book, I don’t necessarily have to like the protagonist and that’s a good thing because I had a bit of trouble liking Danny. Sure, she had a disability but, after 10 years, you’d think she would have learned to accept the loss of her eye with a modicum of grace but not so much. Granted, bullies have made her life uncomfortable and she’s had to cope with an absentee father but there are a lot of people worse off than she is so my empathy for her was limited. Having said that, she doesn’t hold a candle to her father when it comes to being a narcissistic douchebag and he actually made me feel a little kinder towards her. At the very least, we see Danny gain some maturity during the coming ordeal and I did appreciate that.

The setting for the core story, on the other hand, was pretty darned great. I love disaster/survival tales and, for sheer terror, you can’t do much better than the Amazon rainforest. I just can’t imagine having to deal with all the dangerous critters, the enormity of the landscape, the fear that survival is not a given.

Bottomline, while I really couldn’t care much for any of the primary characters, the plane crash and its aftermath saved the day, so to speak, and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to read The Speed of Falling Objects.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, October 2019.

This was a great YA contemporary book. This is a fun fast read with a bit of romance between Danny and Gus. I really disliked Danny's father. But watching Danny grow up and gain more confidence in herself as they try to survive in the Amazon was great.

I really enjoyed the first book by this author, so I was definitely interested in reading this one. And I was not disappointed. The detail that went in to all of the types of creatures and plants and environment of being stranded in the Amazonian rain forest was incredible. I shivered with disgust at all the bugs and snakes and caimans as they appeared and landed on characters or bit characters or even just peeked up out of the swamp water as our characters passed by them. I shuddered and gagged at the thought of eating the nasty sounding grubs that they had to eat in order to survive at one point. But getting past the forest as an actual character in the book, like it was, the characters themselves were all so perfectly developed that they made the story even more than just what you kind of expected to happen. There was the hot young movie star, but he wasn't the perfect guy, and even when it seemed that he and our main character, Danny - otherwise known as Danger Danielle Warren, were kind of connecting, he still had issues that ended up causing more strife between them and teen strife at that! In the middle of the Amazon! And Danny's dad, Cougar, wow, I just wanted to slap him or punch him sometimes for how he interacted with. his daughter. While in a way there were setups woven into Cougar's filming plan, the crash itself was an actual terrible accident, and it was done in a very realistic, deadly way. With a death right after the crash, and other deaths in the days following the crash that had been caused by injuries received from that accident. In the end the relationships are what really stand out and some will be saved, some will be lost even as they are saved, and new ones will be formed and hopefully last beyond our final chapter.

Well, I didn’t intend for that to happen. By that, I mean sitting down and reading this entire book in one go.

I’m currently reading Hatchet with my students and they can’t get enough! The Speed of Falling Objects is the modern survival story for teens.

There was so much wisdom in this book! Danny might have been immature when it came to seeing her parents for who they were, but she really grew into herself over the course of a life-changing week. She had a depth of character that would make any parent proud. Her disability seemed to be a fixation for her, but it makes sense that it would be something she thought about often. My only complaint was that she supposedly looked like Shailene Woodley. While there’s nothing actually wrong with that, it would have been great if she looked just normal and we were able to focus on her beautiful inside instead.

This book was so good that I handed it to my daughter just moments after I finished reading it.

Danny Warren lives vicariously through her father, an adventure television star (think Bear Grylls,) she no longer has contact with, after a childhood accident left her without an eye. When her father invites her to participate on one of his shows, she jumps at the chance to reconnect with her father, and show her mother - and herself, that she can face any challenge thrown her way. Along with her father, his crew and heart-throb actor, Gus Price, Danny heads into the Amazon, but the plane crashes and everything changes. Danny finds a strength she never knew she had, and learns truths about her father that change her view on the man she had come to idolize.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Danny was a strong, yet vulnerable and intelligent young woman, who despite her disadvantage, forged ahead and proved to herself she was capable. If anyone is looking for redeeming qualities in her father, don't be disappointed when you discover none. While the small group attempt to hike out of the jungle, Danny discovers her father is nothing more than a narcissist who has given no thought to her since he left her and her mother shortly after her childhood accident. She also gains an appreciation for all her mother did for her through the years she took for granted. What I appreciated was the relationship between Danny and her mother were realistic - there wasn't a quick reconciliation when they are reunited. And yes, there is a romance between Danny and Gus, but despite the short amount of time in which the story took place, it does not feel rushed, nor does it necessarily feel permanent. It was a hate-like, and Danny took control of what she wanted from Gus, and her expectations when (if) they returned to civilization.
While the author admits in the author's note she has never had to survive in the wilderness, the situations felt realistic (although the group only seemed to run into bad luck,) and not everyone survives. I would recommend this book, I look forward to reading more of Fischer's work, and will definitely check out her backlist.

I was thrilled when I was picked for this book tour because the plot for this story line sounded so good. I actually received my copy late and was a little worried about finishing it on time, but that turned out to be no problem at all. I finished this book in just a little over a day and that is because without a doubt it is fantastic!

The whole premise and adventure was spectacular and kept me on the edge of my seat. What I didn't expect was the deep character profiles and the relationships that were tested. I was especially drawn to the relationships between daughter and mother and daughter and father. I could really relate to Danny and her childhood. I thought the author did an amazing job keeping these relationships challenging yet realistic.

All of the characters were exceptional in all their weakness and flaws, and this extreme situation really showed who they were. Some people rise above and really dig in, and this was really inspiring. Showing Danny with real fears due to some extraordinary circumstances felt very real to me. To see her work thought things in her mind really had me thinking about what I would do.

The plus was all the wildlife and survivalist fun. Even though the book has a disclosure about this book not be a how to survive, I still found it full of great information. The descriptions of the environment and creatures was absolutely dazzling and I felt like I was right there.

Most of all I think this is a story about growing up and giving up your perceived notions of yourself and others. It also really talks about human kind and how to have the best attitudes towards each other, kindness is definitely a theme here and I think that it fits perfectly. All in all a beautiful story that will stay with me a while.

From page one, Nancy had me hooked into this incredible story of survival, tough family dynamics, and identity. I loved it.

This book was quite enjoyable, I found all the characters interesting and wanted to learn more about them. Also the story line itself is always something that piques my interest, stranded on an island. Not only that however but the writing of this story was very simplistic and very easy to get lost in, once I picked up this book I didn't want to put it down. The story line while very simple had loads of depth to it and lots of hard subjects. It
dealt with disability and overcoming challenges, it dealt with family problems, survival, broken families, pretty much every important story theme this book covered and it covered them all well. Its all about our main character Danny who gets in a plane crash after her estranged father asks her to go with him on his new film in the jungle. Danny is unsure about the trip however when her father mentions that her Hollywood crush Gus will be staring in the movie she jumps at the chance. However when the plane goes down it now up to her, Gus and Danny's father, Couger, to find their way off the island and their way back home. This a great survival story that I knew would keep my attention. I really liked how our main character was strong in the face of adversity and also didn't let her disability get in the way of anything. She was the strongest character in the book which I liked because you don't get to see many characters with disabilities so it was nice to see some representation especially in the YA genera. The only thing I did't like about this book was I thought it was going to be more of a survival story, a story of them trying to find their way back home and it wasn't exactly that. Not a bad read and I would definitely suggest this to all readers not just YA readers.

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What an emotional ride this was! This book had everything from plane crashes to a love story! The story follows Danny, a nearly 17 year old girl who is basically scared of everything. Danny has one eye due to a childhood accident that gets her bullied a lot through her high school days.
During a trip with her father in the Amazon, Danny’s plane crashes and she embarks on a huge adventure in which her father becomes the villain.
The plane crash felt so REAL! I had to put the book down a moment to just take a breath. Nancy does a fantastic job of making you feel every moment. The character building was phenomenal. I loved that Danny was not held back through her adventure, even with one eye. I really felt all of Danny’s insecurities, anxieties, and growth.
I really enjoyed this book tremendously, it had everything I look for in a story and I felt it was an absolute page turner.
Thank you kindly for the change to review this book!

I fell in love with the cover of this book and had to get my hands on it!

The Speed of Falling Objects was a pretty quick read for me. The novel explores romance, coming of age, relationships, survival, overcoming fears, and family.

The book is well written and leaves readers on the edge with all the action in the jungle! I loved the setting and I felt like I was really in the Amazon.

I do have to say that I wasn't a fan of the main character's father Cougar. Cougar is an ass and all he cares about is his tv lifestyle. He was the absolute worst father to Danny and basically demeaning his own daughter. This bugged THE heck out of me. I had a hard time getting past this character.

The majority of the characters weren't my cup of tea and I had a hard time rooting for anyone to be honest and this is about a story of survival.

Overall, was a decent read and would be interested in seeing more from this author.

3.25 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 10/1/19
Published to GR: 9/12/19

I loved this book so much. I am still processing it. The story and the characters broke me into a million pieces. Bravery, strength, and survival after a plane crash is just the simplest synopsis. This story was so much more. Danny started the story scared and vulnerable. She's a child of divorced parents and her dad is the ultimate outdoorsman (think Bear Grylls). He hasn't been in her life and she's sure it's because she is "damaged" or "defective". She gets the chance to spend some time with him and jumps at the chance to prove to him how worthy she is.

I was not a fan of her father at all and for most of the book he was an egotistical, calculating ass****. He ridiculed her and used her naivete to make a point. Even when she took a risk and shared her feelings he still blew her off. Why couldn't he see how awesome his daughter was? And how much she needed him?

Besides taking an honest look at a dysfunctional family, we get to see a very insecure girl blossom and take charge in the very worst circumstances. We see her facing incredible dangers, exhaustion and possible death. The Amazon rainforest setting was its own living, breathing, sometimes brutal character. The detailed descriptions of the animals and surroundings had me feeling very creepy crawly!

My favorite line: “Don’t undervalue kindness. It doesn’t come naturally to a lot of folks."

Great coming of age story. When Danielle (Danny) accepts her father's invitation to join him on his next TV shoot in the jungles of the Amazon, she never imagined that the plane would go down. Reminiscent of Gary Paulsen's The Hatchet, the good news is that Danny is not alone in the jungle, she has her father, Cougar, and several other survivors from the plane. Now it is up to them to work as a team to get out of the jungle.
The prose is wonderful and you can really see the internal struggle that Danny goes through to overcome her perceived shortcomings and help be a "propeller" not an "anchor".

4 stars

I really didn't know much about this book going, and I am almost glad? I was able to just enjoy the wild ride that is this book.. This book starts off with a bang.

Our main character, Danger "Dany", is waking up after her plane has crash in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest in Peru. Her dad, a famous TV survivalist, a famous teenaged movie star, her dad's assistant, two members of the crew and the pilot were all on their way to shoot an episode of Cougar, a Bear Grills-esque survivalist show. Dany hopes to get closer to her dad, who she hasn't seen in over two years, but it put in a situation wildly out of her comfort zone when she, and other, are forced to learn quickly how to survive in one of the most dangerous ecosystems in the world.

I haven't read much survivalist fiction, but I found the plot of this to be very interesting. I learned a lot about surviving in dire situations, different animals and plants in the Amazon and more. I felt the plot was quite fast paced and kept me on my toes right up until the end. I did predict some of the fates of people and twists that were present, so in that way it was slightly predictable, but still enjoyed reading it.

The main highlight for me was seeing the ways in which Dany grew as a character. Seeing her come into her own, become more confident in herself and figure out what makes her relationships with other people strong or weak. While I felt Dany was really well-rounded and I enjoyed her character, I can't say the same for her farther. I hated Cougar, and even though the book tried to redeem him, I wasn't buying it at all. I also wanted a little more out of some side characters but overall I liked Gus and Jupiter quite a bit.

Overall, this was a really quick, intense, and fast read about surviving in perilous conditions and learning to accept who you are.

For a girl who was afraid of everything, she went on quite the adventure!

Due to a childhood accident, Danny lost an eye and had to spatially relearn the world around her, but along with that came new fears.

Prior to her seventeenth birthday, her absent celebrity father invites her along to film an episode of his show in the jungles of Peru. It’s the perfect opportunity for her to face her fears while proving to her father that she is not a disappointment and is worthy of his love. But after their plane crashes in the Amazon, not only does she have to fight to survive but fight for answers from her father too. Why did he really leave all those years ago and why didn’t he come back for her?

I really enjoyed reading this book! I thought Danny was a great character and while she had a lot to be afraid of, she also had a lot of strengths too. But I also felt like Danny was more so concerned about pleasing her father and proving to him that she could be brave as opposed to proving it to herself, and that bothered me a bit. Nevertheless, I definitely recommend this book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2963254919

I felt every emotion while reading this and loved every minute

This story had so much, it was a plane crash story, a survival story, a bully story, a romance, a broken family story, a story of a journey, a story of fame and what people will do for fame, a story of overcoming fears and insecurities, of disabilities and how someone can internalize feelings from childhood and let that affect their entire life. Especially it is a story about communication and how the ability to communicate or a lack of communication can affect people.

The main character in the book is a girl named Danielle “Danny” who is about to turn seventeen. She has only one eye and it seems that the kids at her school bully her because of it. They don’t tease her as much as they did when she was younger, due to the fact that her father is famous for hosting a survival show where he takes famous celebrities out into the wild for different treks and adventures. Though the students at her school don’t realize that she hardly knows her father since her parents divorced when she was younger.

Her father invites her on his next adventure along with one of the biggest movie stars in the world. They travel with some of his crew into the Amazon when the plane crashes after veering off course in a storm. Her father is a huge jerk and makes a good villain. I think all readers will hate him. I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but the journey they go through as they trek through the Amazon is full of danger, surprises and quite a few twists and turns in the plot.

There are so man unexpected moments and feelings that come up. Not only for Danny, but for her Mom Sam, her Dad John “Cougar” Warren, his assistant Cass, camera man Sean, sound guy Jupiter, Movie Star Gus Price “GP”, and pilot Mack. They all bring up so many emotions as you get to know them and they get to know each other.

In a weird way it reminds me of the breakfast club in how they all get to know each other. But so much more emotional because Danny is dealing with so many things. She is trying to get to know her father again and trying not to disappoint him. She still has deep feelings of abandonment from her father leaving when she was young. It doesn’t help that he still wants to film his show despite the fact that they crashed. The ending was so great also. I am finding it hard to put into words how much I liked it.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.