This is a terrific thriller. The pilot for a major airline is flying one of regular routes across the country. Shortly after takeoff, he learns that his family has been kidnapped. The kidnappers present him with an impossible choice: for his family to live, he must crash the plane. The book then explores what happens next. Full of twists and tension, the book was impossible to put down.

Highly recommend!

Pure escapist entertainment perfect for a summer beach read!

A plane is enroute to JKF but there is more going on than an everyday flight. The pilot’s family has been taken hostage and Captain Bill Hoffman is given the choice of whether his family dies, or he crashes the plane. The 3 flight attendants rally to the cause of protecting the 149 souls on board. The threat is real and the hijackers have not yet made their last stand.

I’ve read two other airline disaster books recently and this was definitely the best of the lot. It was a fast and fun and, though the ending was not unexpected, I enjoyed the ride. The author is a former airline flight attendant and does write with an insider’s viewpoint which made the story a bit more believable. The characters are really well drawn and I enjoyed how even the more minor ones really got fair play in the narrative. What I did not particularly enjoy, however, is the political message in the subtext, but I decided to raise this rating despite that and wonder why authors keep doing this.

Predictable but highly engaging, I think readers will enjoy reading this book though may have a few qualms about any next flights they have lined up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the e-book ARC to read and review.

A strong 4 star read, I quickly became engrossed in “Falling”, the debut novel from TJ Newman. This novel was fast-paced and adrenaline-filled and I read it quickly in 2 sittings. The description of the aircraft was so vivid, I felt at times as if I was right in the scene. Since I’m not planning to fly anytime soon (haha) I was able to truly enjoy the setting and thought the plot was something I hadn’t read before.
I would characterize this book more as action/adventure than thriller or mystery, although there are a few points of suspense throughout the novel. That being said, it’s a wild ride.
Definitely recommended, and absolutely looking forward to Newman’s next novel!
Big thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the chance to read this ARC- loved it!

You’ll never easily get on a plane again. That’s what a good thriller does to you. And this is a good thriller, no question about it. FALLING asks what would happen if a plane captain is given a choice to save his family or the souls on his plane. I’m guessing this will make a great movie, too. Fasten your seat belts, this is a spooky, bumpy ride. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Wow oh wow! What a page turner! What a scary premise and suspenseful read. Loved the whole thing - and the ending.

Action-packed from start to finish, I enjoyed this solid debut thriller from T.J. Newman. Read with caution if flying, the hijacked-plane theme could weird you out. The author's experience as a flight attendant shows in all the great detail. This was an exciting, emotional and engaging story that should make a great movie. This was the book I needed after a streak of boring duds. 4.5 stars.

Someone needs to send this book to Tom Hanks, STAT. Fantastic, I couldn’t read it fast enough. Now excuse me while I try to catch my breath. What a ride!!

Oh, the irony of Falling being just the type of book you'd want to read on an airplane -- fast-paced and propulsive and compulsively readable -- and it also being, due to its subject matter, the one book that you would NEVER want to read on an airplane.

The concept for this novel is essentially the most savage round of Would You Rather? ever, and it makes for a harrowing, tense, exciting reading experience. TJ Newman is a former flight attendant herself, and her knowledge of and experience with all things flight-related adds so much authenticity to the book. The writing is action-forward and incredibly cinematic, but I also found Newman's characters to be well-fleshed-out and thoughtful. The book is well-paced, too; I was equally invested in every facet of the story, but was always eager to get back to the other points of view.

I was less impressed with the "bad guys" in this book. Without going too far into specifics, I will just say that their portrayal is a harmful stereotype of extremists/terrorists, and Newman's attempt to humanize them didn't quite land (pardon the pun) the way she probably wanted it to. I think this aspect of the story will turn off some readers and I have to wonder if it was part of the reason her manuscript was rejected so many times. I wish she'd gone in a different, more original, and less cliched direction with her antagonists.

You could probably fly an actual 747 through all of the plot holes in this story, but I ultimately didn't care all that much because I was so invested in the outcome. Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for my copy in exchange for an honest review! Falling lands on July 6, and I think it's going to be a summer book blockbuster -- just make sure you read it on the beach, not on a plane.

Captain Bill Hoffman is an upstanding family guy, but he can’t help disappointing his wife and kids when his sense of duty insists that he pick up a flight at the request of his boss at Coastal Airlines. The flight conflicts with the opening game of his son Scott’s Little League season, and while Scott is fairly bummed about it, his wife Carrie is even more upset that Bill’s not keeping the promise he made to attend. Even so, Bill is pretty surprised that Carrie hasn’t responded to any of his messages pre-takeoff, as their fights don’t usually last very long. It’s only when he and the plane are safely in the air that he gets a shocking video call, showing his family in restraints and strapped to explosive vests, at the mercy of a man named Sam.

Sam has an ultimatum for Bill. Either crash the plane, killing everyone aboard, or doom his family to a fiery death. Bill doesn’t understand why Sam would ask this of him, and tries to bargain, to Sam’s amusement:

QUOTE
“Bill, what are you not getting? I don’t want anything. I don’t want money. I don’t want a prisoner exchange. I don’t want political leverage. This isn’t 1968, man. This is not ‘Take me to Cuba.” It’s not QAnon looking for kids in a pizzeria or whatever other bullshit your white supremacists believe. And it’s not some crazy seventy-two virgins in paradise jihad shit either. It’s got nothing to do with that.”

He leaned into the screen.

“All I want is to see what a good man--a good American man--does when he’s in a no-win situation. What does a man like you do when he has to choose. A plane full of strangers? Or your family?”
END QUOTE

Of course, Bill’s instinctive reaction is a hard no. He won’t kill a plane full of people, and he won’t sacrifice his family either. But how is he supposed to prevent that from happening while in his precarious position thousands of feet in the air?

Even though Sam warns him to tell no one, Bill enlists the help of his chief flight attendant, Jo Watkins. Sam has claimed that there’s a backup plan aboard the plane, but Bill trusts Jo implicitly, not only to have his back but also to keep her head in a crisis. While Bill stalls for time with Sam in the cockpit, Jo is left in charge of the cabin, to surreptitiously ready her unknowing passengers without rousing the suspicions of whomever might be Sam’s accomplice. Together and separately, Bill and Jo, whose nephew happens to be an FBI agent with a history of making questionable decisions, must piece together a plan to save not only Bill’s family, but their innocent fellow flyers and themselves as well.

Falling is a fast-paced page-turner that reads very much like an update of the airplane hijacking subgenre so popular in the 1980s. Under the skin of this thriller, however, is a perhaps surprisingly philosophical look at the cost of American international policies. It’s a heartfelt examination of why someone would be driven to carry out a suicide mission, especially in a day and age of general pushback against and disillusionment with zealotry.

Where this novel really shines however is in the way it deals with the stresses of life at high altitude. T. J. Newman was a flight attendant for ten years, and understands the demands that pilots and attendants must meet not only to ensure that their passengers have a pleasant flight but, most importantly, a safe one. Flight attendants are sometimes derided as glorified wait staff -- usually by people who don’t understand how stressful the restaurant business is -- but their duties involve so much more than hospitality:

QUOTE
Relentless studying followed by written tests. First aid and self-defense. Drilling, over and over, the evacuation of hundreds of people from a burning aircraft, or from a water landing. She and her classmates, breathless and sweating, had screamed commands until they were hoarse, orchestrating survival. They’d learned about the different kinds of fires and the different ways to fight them. Hazmat, heart attacks, hijackings. Federal regulations and federal air marshals. Turbulence. Terrorists. And all of it in a pressurized metal tube, thirty-eight thousand feet in the air going six hundred miles per hour. Five weeks of training and in only one of those days did they go over food, drinks, and hospitality.
END QUOTE

Ms Newman’s insider eye lends a believability to the entire scenario that, combined with the story’s propulsive pace, sweeps the reader along on a ride of chills and thrills. There are some gaps in the logic, but the motivations of the main characters are believable and, on occasion surprisingly, relatable. There’s a lot of compassion in this entertaining debut. Ms Newman is a talent to watch.

I wanted to love this because the premise sounded so promising and thrilling but it was more than a bit staid. It really should have been exciting and scary but it was a bit predictable. It is a fast read if you're into that but I think there are a lot better options for something thrilling for a beach read!

Falling comes out next week on July 6, 2021 and you can purchase HERE.

Giving the duvet a shake, Carrie smoothed the creases with her hand. A whiff of fresh-cut grass drew her glance to the open window. The neighbor across the street mopped his face with the bottom of his shirt before closing the trash can full of lawn clippings with a clunk. Dragging it into the backyard, he gave a wave to to a passing car, the loud music fading as it drove on. Behind her, in the bathroom, the shower shut off.

Plot: what happens when you are told to crash the plane or your family dies? This book was fantastic! It was like reading an action movie. Fast paced. Great characters. Non-stop twists and turns. Highly recommended.

Falling gets full marks for several things. It has a well thought out plot and comes with a message about what it should mean to be a citizen of the world. The pace of the story is good. Overall, it feels like a story that will make a good movie. While there’s a lot of character description, in most cases I didn’t feel that there was a lot of character development. That aside, a plot driven novel like this doesn’t necessarily have to rely on deep characters. It is a quick read that also educates those of us not steeped in the world of aviation about that world. I’ll certainly see pilots and flight crews in a different light going forward. Nice work, Ms. Newman.

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.

Sounds chilling, right? Well, it was. It kept me glued to my seat, waiting to see how it would all unfold. It was a non-stop action-packed thrill ride from start to finish. If you are into high stakes thrillers, then you need to read this one. It is definitely a must-read. I highly recommend it.

Left me with my jaw dropped! Heart pounding action and suspense is the name of the game with this one. It's hard to believe this is a debut, this author has serious writing chops. The characters are fantastic and well developed. From the very beginning, Bill sucks you in. By the end of chapter 2 I was completely invested in these characters and the story. The rest of the time flew and before I knew it hours had passed and I had finished. It will make you think, make you wonder "what if," and will stick with you long after the end. I look forward to more from this author. I can picture those agents that passed her by kicking themselves once this book takes off. And it will. Easily one of the best reads of the year.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I saw a bit of hype around this book and can now say it definitely lived up to it. I have been in a little slump with reading lately but couldn't put this book down. A pilot is given an impossible choice - crash the plane he's flying or save his family who is being held hostage? The quick chapters made the book go by even faster and it reads like a screenplay. Can't wait to see what the author comes out with next.

Five solid stars - I felt like I was reading a "movie" the entire time. I finished this in less than 24 hours!
We open with an airplane crash scene, and move quickly into the story itself involving a pilot, his family and an ill fated flight for many reasons.
This is non stop action and if it were on the big screen (which I am sure it will be) it will be non stop as well.
I loved it and it was a quick thriller read.
Great for summer! Thank you for the ARC!

This book was another case of "I wanted to love this, but..." It has a great premise for a thriller and while I would suggest you don't read this one on a plane, the story fizzled out for me somewhere in the middle. I found myself skimming sections and that's not a good sign for me.

I appreciated all the attention to the details of planes and flying that the author, a former flight attendant, brought to the story. However this one missed the mark for me. The motivation of the "bad guys" in the story didn't really work for me. The "good guys" were fine as characters, but I think this thriller would work better as a movie.

Former flight attendant T.J. Newman is about to release her debut novel, Falling: A Novel on July 6th and I believe this will be a hit for more than one reason.

I am going to be very cautious with my plot summary in an effort to NOT SPOIL a thing for you. The setup is this: Captain Bill Hoffman is an airline pilot with a wife and two small children. Thirty minutes before he takes off on a routine domestic flight, he is contacted and informed that his wife and kids have been kidnapped. He has a choice….crash the plane and kill all souls on board to save his wife and kids OR, save the flight and his family will be killed. In addition, he can not tell any of the flight attendants OR his first officer of this situation. He has five hours and twenty-four minutes to decide everyone’s fate! ARE YOU READY?????

Adjust your tray tables and seat backs into their upright positions, Newman’s novel is a high tension read with a ginormous helping of suspense and terror. Newman does a fantastic job making a routine morning feel like it happened in a completely different lifetime. Her gripping tale teases and torments, keeping you glued to your cozy couch until the very end. There is no time to come up for air and putting this book down to go to sleep is basically not happening. Plan to read this in as close to one sitting as possible.

I love the way Newman delivers heart pounding action in the air and on the ground. Because Newman was a flight attendant for so many years, her descriptions of what happened inside the plane felt authentic to me. The chapters that took place in-flight had details that I imagine only a seasoned flight attendant would know. My knuckles turned white as a ghost from clutching the side of my chair so hard from all the jumpiness on board. Let me also share that the simultaneous drama happening on the ground not only left me with a spinning head, but managed to tug at my heartstrings a bit too hard. The greatest aspect of Newman’s book is that you can read it as an action packed story without overthinking it OR enjoy it as a pulse pounding read while also examining why a scenario like this comes to be and what are the moral dilemmas at stake for everyone involved. In my opinion, Falling makes an awesome book club choice. Whether you choose to read Falling as an entertaining tale or want to explore it further, one thing’s for sure…DO NOT READ THIS AIRBORNE!

This is definitely an accessible book and a really quick book to read. But, while reading you knew how it would end and there were just too many things that coincidently worked in the “good guys” favor that just make for a lot of eye-rolling. There were also several unanswered questions of why. Like why was this specific pilot picked? We are told the how but never the why. For me, this book was just ok.

If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller, Falling by T.J. Newman is the book for you! I read this book in 24 hours and could not put it down because I had to know what happened next.

Here’s the set up: pilot Bill Hoffman is heading off on a last-minute flight from LA to New York when his family is kidnapped and held hostage. He is given a choice: crash the plane and his family will live, or let his family die and save the plane and passengers. If it sounds terrifying, it is! This is T.J. Newman’s first novel, and she wrote most of it while working long-haul flights as a flight attendant. This is a perfect summer thriller!