Member Reviews

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early. For me this was a miss. I do not handle books with children being harmed or possibly being harmed. I thought that I could handle this book but couldn’t.

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Well maybe I shouldn't have read this book so close to the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11th but I definitely did not care for this title. It felt a little too real in some aspects.

I didn't particularly care for the characters and thought it was really dragged out. The suspense also just wasn't there.

Just an OK read for me.

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Mina has the once in a lifetime opportunity to serve on the crew of the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney. This means she will be leaving her daughter Sophia and estranged husband Adam behind. Her promise to her daughter is to always return to her, but will Mina be able to keep her promise this time? At times infuriating, but never boring. Claire Mackintosh delivers another solid hit!

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Mina is a flight attendant on a 20-hour trip from London to Sydney, Australia. When she receives a note from a potential terrorist, Mina finds herself in the middle of a nightmare. Not only is she dealing with a plane full of passengers, she is also facing a personal crisis. She’s been given a choice. Give into the demands of the faceless terrorist or her daughter will be killed. It’s a choice between saving her child or sacrificing her so that the hundreds of passengers on the plane will live.

Hostage is a harrowing story and the tension is palpable. Once again Claire Mackintosh has written a book that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. The characters are well-developed, the action is non-stop, and the writing is crisp. This is definitely a book that some people may not want to read when they on a plane 30,000 feet in the air! But, I highly recommend it for any other reading venue.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

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Slow to start thriller turns into a psychological thriller with a delicious ending (pun intended). Fans of Mackintosh's work will enjoy this title as well, although might be too slow a start for those looking for an edge of your seat thriller.

The plot suffers a bit from too many issues (adoption, climate change, marriage, gambling, sexual harassment) and doesn't do any of them justice. Novel would be stronger if one issue was done thoroughly. It could have focused on family and what a person might do for them in the face of danger rather well, or how people's personal convictions might make them do irrational actions to garner the social attention needed (ie climate change).

The book should have focused on Sophia, the precocious young daughter, as she was a delight to cheer for!

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I absolutely could not stop reading this book. It was so captivating, and Mackintosh did a fantastic job keeping the claustrophobic vibes of the airplane going throughout the book. I loved where the terrorism element went, and the twists and turns were so much fun to read!

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This is thrilling!
Mina, a flight attendant, is handed an anonymous note. The flight is under attach! But who do you trust when anyone could be the danger?
This is an amazing story!
Jump in and ride out the thrill!
I love Claire Mackinstosh! I’ll read anything she writes, without question.,
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

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Love anything by Clare Mackintosh!

Thrilling, gripping and keeps you on your toes! Would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a good thriller.

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What a fantastic thrill ride! Having recently read "Falling", it was an interesting comparison!
Mina is a flight attendant on the first non stop flight to Sydney - 20 hours. Her estranged husband and daughter remain home. What transpires is 2 parallel story lines in air with a hostage situation with climate change warriors and on the ground with one of the warriors and Mina's family.
We have a huge plot twist at the end that I did NOT see coming, and the burning question: when given a chance to save hundreds of lives or the lives of your loved ones what would you do?
Great read - jam packed 5 stars!

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Couldn't finish this one. It was show at first, and while I enjoyed Mina's perspective, I didn't like much anything else. I got to about halfway. I saw one reviewer say that if the reader isn't a big thriller fan, they will enjoy it, but frequent thriller readers won't enjoy it, and that pretty much sums it up for me. I also didn't love who the author chose to villainize. Really got annoyed at that point.

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Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

Mina’s choices led her to be on the inaugural flight from London direct to Sydney; while onboard she is given a note that tells her she can either assist in a highjacking by letting an unknown person into the cockpit area or her beloved daughter, Sophia will die. Well, who wouldn’t choose their child?

This was a good thriller, good summer read. I don’t think it was as good as this author’s other books but that may just be because I thought parts of the storyline were stretching it. I didn’t feel that the people responsible for the highjacking seemed plausible. I also found Mina’s constant chatter in her head annoying at times. The pace was good and the second half of the book is really where the action sets off. I really enjoyed the ending.

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Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Thrilling to the very end! One of those books that makes you wonder what you would do if you were put in this same position! Perfect for those book clubs that are looking for something a little more progressive and exciting to discuss!

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I was a little nervous to pick this up because I just read a book with a very similar plot, but I'm so glad I didn't let that deter me. Clare Mackintosh continues to write incredible books that have me on the edge of my seat and rooting for characters so hard. Even if you've already read Falling, read this!

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I have been hooked on Clare MacKintosh since I read I Let You Go and once again she does not disappoint! It did take a while for me to get the numerous characters straight in my head but I thoroughly enjoyed the progression of the story which culminates in a thrilling rollercoaster of a ride, or should I say flight? Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy.

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I really enjoyed the different perspectives that were given and how the author increased the intensity little by little until you were literally on edge chapter after chapter. Very well done.

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Hostage by Claire Mackintosh will keep you on the edge of your seat. Buckle up for a wild ride! Mina is a flight attendant on the initial flight of a 20 hour ride from London to Sydney. Halfway into the flight she learns that her family might be in danger unless she follows the demands of some mysterious hijackers. Mina must make some split second decisions that will affect not only her but also her family and the passengers and crew onboard her flight. Read and enjoy!

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I am a huge fan of books by Clare Mackintosh so of course as soon as I found out about her latest novel, Hostage, I just had to get my hands on a copy of this book!

I was hooked from the first page. Of course, after reading the synopsis for this novel you just know that it is the perfect recipe for an edge of your seat, thrilling and chilling read. And of course I was not disappointed. I enjoyed reading about Mina and her life – both as a flight attendant, as well as a mother and wife. Mina finds herself on a plane where everyone ends up being hostages. This novel sucks you in from the very first page and has you hooked until the very ending. You will find yourself flipping through the pages to see what will happen next and once you start reading you will not be able to put this book down.

I enjoyed reading about all the passengers on the plane, as some chapters were written from the POV of some of the passengers on the plane. It gives some back story to who some of the passengers are, why they are on the flight, some details about their personality as well as their life, and adds to the suspense of the novel. A well-written novel that I highly recommend. You will love this book!

Well done Clare. I look forward to seeing what you come out with next!

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A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one is a difficult one for me to review fairly because I'm quite certain that I would have quite enjoyed it if I had opted to listen to the audio rather than read it. While I did find Mia to be a little incredulous at times, she grew on me, but as for the narration, it was far from what it could be. The story is told from numerous viewpoints and the narrator failed to differentiate between them vocally, so I wound up trying decipher who was speaking and what their significance (if any) might be, that I kept losing the thread of the story. Felt a lot like chasing my own tail. Again though, that being said, had a made a different format decision and saved myself the disorientation, I'd probably be singing a different tune.

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Hostage is a tense thriller that starts with conflict between a wife (Mina) and her husband (Adam). Mina and Adam have an adopted daughter Sophia, who is in preschool and has attachment disorder. Sophia is exceptionally intelligent for her age with an impressive ability to retain information.

Mina is a flight attendant and Adam is a police officer. Both have stressful, busy careers that they enjoy but Sophia is their first priority. Something happens that throws a wrench into their happy family unit and causes Mina to switch shifts and take a much hyped and newsworthy flight all the way from London to Sydney, Australia. One of the first passenger flights of its kind, the world is watching.

During the flight, odd things start to happen. Mina starts finding things that shouldn't be there. Things that belong to her daughter. Then a photo of her daughter shows up on the body of a passenger who dies suddenly. Then a note saying if she doesn't cooperate, her daughter will die.

Back on the ground, Adam is dealing with problems of his own making, problems he never told Mina about. Neither of them can communicate with the other one.

This book is told in alternating viewpoints and the ending is quite a shock. Fans of suspense thrillers should check it out.

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This book was great! An edge of your seat thriller! I had no idea where this book would go and I loved every fast paced minute of it! Claire McIntosh is becoming one of most anticipated authors.

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