A thrilling debut that had me on the edge of my seat; this was so well done, and I can't wait to read more from this author

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this story was very unique and intriguing however unfortunately the execution did not live up to my expectations. I did enjoy that the author chose to include multiple perspectives so that we were able to see the situation from different POVs and get information that could not have been organically included in a single POV story. Although the author was able to create a suspenseful atmosphere in the beginning, the characters and their motivations lacked depth and nuance which made it hard to become invested in the story and carry that suspense forward in the book. The identity of the hijackers was unoriginal and at best problematic, the author could have chosen any number of villains/motivations that would have been less harmful and likely more interesting. Overall, although the concept of this story had a lot of potential, it was poorly executed and had problematic elements that further detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

The pilot of a flight from LAX to JFK is faced with a terrible choice: crash the plane, killing everyone on board, or his family will be killed. The story is told from the perspectives of Bill, the determined pilot; Jo, the experienced head stewardess; and Theo, Jo's nephew and an FBI agent. Despite their strong wills, the characters lack depth, making it hard to connect with them. The plot, while somewhat intriguing, is predictable. However, the author's knowledge as a flight attendant adds realism to the story, and they shed light on the Anfal genocide in Iraq, highlighting the terrible injustices faced by civilians.

I have really enjoyed reading this author. I am such a sucker for high-stakes, adrenaline racing, survival thrillers and this novel has delivered exactly that. It may not be the most original story (action movie tropes), but Falling was told in such a fresh and exciting way. I was hanging onto every word, desperately reading chapter after chapter to find out what would happen next. The characters felt like they were a part of a play, and I enjoyed the snippets of their backstories and how they interacted in such a life-or-death situation. I have since read Drowning, the follow up novel by this author, and have similar praise for the fast-paced action. T.J. Newman is certainly on my radar now and I'm excited to see what she writes about next.

This book would make a terrific movie, but as a book it fell little bit flat. I rounded up a bit because the hero ending worked for me. The happily ever after conclusion for everything was very 90s action movie.

I’ll be honest, at about 25% of the book I was sure we were at the end but more kept coming. It did start to speed up and there was more tension and thrills. I think that as a movie all the events that transpired would have kept you on the edge of your seat. I also think they would have been condensed so that may have helped.

I’m not sure there was a connection with any of the characters. I felt they were all fairly one dimensional and I know other reviews had mentioned the many stereotypes. It’s a lot.

The ending really helped make it for me along with the constant wonder of what was going to happen next. I hope this is adapted into a movie just to see what they do with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

As a huge fun of the show Mayday, and having probably watched every airplane disaster/hijacking movie ever made, I just had to read Falling when it showed up on NetGalley. The hype was huge but that's good, right? Unfortunately, and unbelievably considering the topic, this was one of the dullest books I have read in quite a long time. Honestly, I ended up skimming the last half.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing a free digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

✈️FALLING💺
By T.J. Newman

Wanna know something hilarious? I started reading this book while on an airplane. Not my best idea LOL!

I did enjoy this book. Lots of action, lots of thrills. Very engaging. However, I felt that it started out so good and so suspenseful and it fizzled out. And about halfway through this book I found that I didn’t really care about the characters anymore.

I found the plot to be unrealistic and predictable at times. Did I love this book? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes I did. Would I read it again? No.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Avid Reader Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of Newman’s debut novel, Falling, in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #Falling

In her debut novel, T.J. Newman, a pilot is forced to make the hardest decision, his passengers or his family:

Bill is called in on his day off to pilot a flight to New York City. 143 passengers don't realize that their lives are in Bill's hands more than normally. Bill's family has been kidnapped and he has been given a choice, Crash the plane or watch your family die. Only one choice can be made, will Bill choose his family or the 143 souls plus crew on his airplane.

Well if you want to add additional thrills while reading this book, start reading it on a plane like I did. Nothing will have you checking out the other passengers and flight attendants like this book, especially that opening scene, it had me looking over my shoulder and down the aisle constantly. If I could have seen into the cockpit I would have been checking it out as well.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I think that it was well written. There are several twists within this book and some extremely tense moments, but that said I feel like you know how the book is going to end, it had to come to a happy ending as many authors shy away from the tragic ones, so this in itself took away the suspense of the book for me.

I personally preferred the airline aspect within this book. I think that is where Newman shines with the knowledge of how things are done, and how much of your life is in the hands of the pilot and flight attendants. I appreciated how they interacted with each other and the passengers as well. It was interesting to read how the flight attendance peg people right as they come on the flight as to whether they will be useful or not in a emergency situation.

I found for the most part that the characters in this book are underdeveloped and underwhelming. I think my favourite character is Jo, one of the flight attendants. But other than that, I just felt like the characters were very much on the surface level, and maybe Newman had a few too many of them to try to balance them all and create more in depth characters.

For a debut novel, Newman did a good job in creating and overall plot and story for this book, even though the suspense was lacking, I was still drawn into the overall story. I look forward to reading what Newman releases next.

Enjoy!!!!

The author wrote this novel while working as a flight attendant so it was neat to get a glimpse into the duties of a flight crew. Told from multiple PoVs, the book has likeable, ordinary people who rise to meet the challenge when faced with danger. A little cliche, and a little implausible, Falling is a fast-paced book that reads like a movie.

I picked this book up yesterday afternoon and could not put it down until it was done. This book is tense and thrilling and grabs hold of you from the very first line.

When Captain Bill Hoffman lifts Coastal airlines flight 416 into the air en route from Las Angeles to New York, he has no idea how dramatically his life is about to change. Back home on the ground, his wife, Carrie, his 10-year-old son, Scott, and his 10-month-old daughter, Elise, are taken hostage by Sam, a man posing as an internet repair technician.

As Bill sits helplessly in “a pressurized metal tube, thirty-eight thousand feet in the air going six hundred miles per hour”, he learns of the impossible decision he must make - in order to save his family, he must crash the plane and sacrifice the lives of all 149 souls on board.

Yes, this book is a thriller, but it also a story of love, family and loss. I am blown away that this is the debut novel of this author and cannot wait to see what else she has in store. If you’re a fan of thrillers, you NEED to check out this book! Such a fun read!

The description of the book really appealed to me and I did enjoy reading it as it was as action packed as I hoped. The plot really made me think of what I would try to do in that situation. It was an enjoyable read! 3.5 stars.

What a thriller debut! As a huge fan of plane thriller movies, this did not disappoint at all. I could not put this book down.
Can’t wait to read this author’s next book!

This was such a fast-paced thriller. My suggestion, do not read it in-flight.

The pilot Bill leaves for a flight he was asked to fly last minute. He just had a fight with his wife Carrie and are not in the best of terms. However, he has no idea that his family is about to be taken hostage and he has to make the most difficult decision of his life.

I could not put this one down!! My heart was racing for him and his family. This is a definite must read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for your advanced readers copy for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like Falling: A Novel by T.J. Newman. Indeed, I got into it very quickly because the action starts on page one. Unfortunately, I ended up being super disappointed in the who and the why part of this story. It was such stereotypical let's blame the Muslims, who are living amongst us, and they are all here plotting against us drivel. Just so, so disappointing. The story had such promise but ended up going to the same old cliche, instead of fleshing out what could have been a great story and thriller.

Wow! I mean just reading the synopsis for this novel alone tells you that this book is going to be one hell of a ride! (or flight!) And of course I was definitely not disappointed! If you haven’t read this book yet then you must go…right now! Buy this book! You will not be disappointed.. you can thank me later!

I was hooked on this novel from the very first page. I mean, imagine yourself in this situation. You are on a flight and your pilot’s family has been kidnapped and everyone on the plane must die in order for the pilot’s family to live. The novel is fast-paced, full of twists and turns, and what the heck will happen next moments. Once I started this book I could not put it down! I was hooked! Many pages had me gasping, as I sat on the edge of my seat and flipped through the pages to see what craziness was going to happen next.

A novel that I highly recommend you read now. I loved this book and I am looking forward to more titles by this author! Well done T.J. I’m keeping my eyes out for any of your future novels!

Falling is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller that grabbed me from the first chapter and didn't let go.
Pilot Captain Bill Hoffman receives an email from his wife (mid-flight) stating that she and their children have been kidnapped. The kidnapper's only demand is that Bill crash the plane with 143 souls on board or his family will die.
Holy Smokes! What a ride!
This debut novel by T.J. Newman certainly lived up to the hype it's been getting.
I can hardly wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 27%. Too wordy, had potential to be super suspenseful but did nothing pull me in or make me captivated enough to continue.

3.5 stars
Is it wrong to say Falling would be a great airport read?
This thriller is tailor-made for summer travel excitement reading!
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my eARC for review.
Debut author TJ Newman draws upon her experience as a flight attendant to craft this absolutely tense and nerve-wracking story.
Pilot, husband and father Bill Hoffman goes to work like he does on any other day. What no one could expect is that once in the air, he is told his family will be killed if he doesn't crash the plane he is flying. With 143 souls on board.
It's the ultimate conundrum and makes for reading so vivid you can well imagine it unfolding as a movie.
The crew characters are standouts here, specifically flight attendants Jo and Big Daddy.
Some of the writing is a touch clichéed but the inner workings of the air travel industry is interesting. For a debut novel, this is a page-turner and I look forward to seeing what this author puts out next.
Recommended!
Released on July 6

“Falling”by T.J. Newman is a thriller about a pilot faced with a unique decision: crash the plane he is flying or have his family killed.

Bill is a long serving airline pilot who has picked up a flight when asked by his superior last minute. This will force him to miss his sons first baseball game of the season, therefore causing a rift between he and his wife Carrie. Fortunately as he is leaving, there is a repairman in their house so not much is said but even as he is at the airport ready to depart pangs of guilt hit at him. Not long after take off, chaos ensues. He finally hears from his wife but he soon sees that she and his children are being held hostage and he is given the choice to watch them die or to crash the plane full of passengers. From that point on, we are taken through a maze of decisions being made by both people on the ground (FBI, air traffic controllers, his family, even the President) and in the air (passengers, flight crew, the Air Force), The strength of the everyday pilot is on full display here, wrestling with an impossible decision.

This is Newman’s first novel and, as a former flight attendant, is written from within her wheelhouse. The premise is unique and, importantly, very believable. Alternating between the fight in the air to the one on the ground keeps the reader hungry and absolutely turns this into a page-turner. Parts do come off a bit too “AMERICA!!!!” for me, summoning something akin to a Tom Cruise over the top movie. Once the reason for the incident is revealed, in a strange way it’s touching and Newman writes about it eloquently, especially in the closing chapter, which contrasts so much with the heroic text but also whets your appetite for Newman’s next book.

An incredibly impressive debut that I think will be on the bestseller list all summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing a copy for review.

I was completely hooked from the first page. This thriller is an amazing blend of action, mystery and psychological suspense with a gripping plot that kept me breathless throughout. The characters were well written and very believable. Many times while reading I could feel my heart pounding against my chest as the realistic feel of the story was so intense. If you read one book this year, I can't recommend this book highly enough. I received an advance copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving my review.