I'd heard about this book before I went searching for it on Netgalley. I'd read an interview with the author and some sneak peeks and I knew I needed.

<b>This book is heart-stopping scary and un-put-downable.</b> It's well plotted and well written. The tension is perfect - the mix of disbelief and fear of what is happening mixed with the few funny moments that Big Daddy, Jo and Kellie provide us. Nothing was as real and pure as the moment Jo ensures Kellie realizes their job isn't to serve drinks and pick up trash, they have a far more important role in the skies.

On the other side is the brave little boy, baby and mother and all they are going through. There is also the cockpit, where all the decisions and struggles are playing out. It was so good, so well orchestrated, I loved this one!

Info about author here: https://apnews.com/article/us-news-e19e1b8fd927bf5be75eae8ce7694c55

<i>A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

I really enjoyed the book 'Falling" by TJ Newman. The plot was intriguing, it kept your attention, and it was very believable. The dialogue was good and the action was very descriptive. The characters felt like average people put into extraordinary situations. I would definitely read another book by this author. Fans of Harlan Coben would definitely enjoy this book.

Whew…. maybe not the book to read as you embark on your summer vacation. This book was gripping and nerve-wracking and I know you will devour it!

Falling By T.J. Newman will have you turning pages so quickly as your heart thumps in your chest to the point where you might need a meditation video to calm down.

Look at this conundrum:

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.

ACKKKKKK!

This is out on July 6!

Falling is an unbelievable debut book by T. J. Newman. It's an intense page turner. Most of the story has the reader on the edge of their seat. Fair warning, there may be tears...... more than once! I can't wait to see what Ms Newman writes next. This story deserves more than 5 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an early copy to review.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. As a result, I'm a little annoyed at them. JK

I think most people will enjoy reading Falling, by TJ Newman. It's a quintessential Summer bestseller beach read. However if you prefer a book to be about characters making smart rational choices then this might not be your cup of tea.

Don't get me wrong, this book can make a great movie--which is probably why it's been optioned already, and quite lucratively at that. It's got lots of over-the-top scenes where people make stupid decisions very spectacularly which makes for a great Summer movie. Cars racing through crowded streets, heroic airline personnel risking their lives to save passengers, guns blasting and people getting shot, a commercial plane and Air Force jets jockeying across the sky at breakneck speed and an innocent family endangered by Middle Eastern terrorists and even a rogue FBI agent--what's not to like? It is quite a ride.


Spoilers, and I do have a few...


Spoilers follow...

For people who've read the book, did these issues bother you?

Why did 2 Kurds in LA decide to hijack a plane to cross the entire country to crash in NYC? Admittedly you'd get a huge crowd at the World Series and there's the appeal of killing Yankee fans but wouldn't picking a plane taking off on the East Coast involve less problems?

Sam went way out of his way, even blackmailing Bill's boss, to get Bill as the pilot for the non-stop from LA to NYC. Why? Bill Hoffman had no connection to the military or the political powers that be. That was never explained.

Jo's cellphone was used as a one-way texting device when the plot needed it. Did it occur to Jo or the FBI that they could call her--or anyone else on the plane. Lots of hand wringing about what's happening on the plane but neither the FBI nor media seemed to try to make a determined effort to contact anyone on the plane for information.

Supposedly Ben and Sam were trying to make US citizens aware of how they'd ignored the plight of the Kurds over recent decades but other than lecturing Bill during the flight they didn't seem to have made any plan to publicize the planned plane crash. The publicity that resulted was due to Jo's actions on the plane and the social influencer in First Class. You'd think that if Ben and Sam were giving their lives to this action they'd have thought matters out a little better.

Is it really this easy for pilots to get guns and pressurized canisters of nerve gas on a plane? Yikes.

WARNING: Think twice before reading T.J. Newman’s debut novel, Falling, while on a flight from Los Angeles to New York. You might want to wait to read this amazing thriller for the beach or at home. Fast paced with something happening on every single page. I definitely understand why the movie rights have already been bought. The author was a flight attendant for twenty years so she has a lot of background about flying.

The main dilemma is for pilot Captain Bill Hoffman when he finds out that his wife, Carrie, and two kids have been kidnapped and he has to make a choice between saving his family or the 149 souls aboard the plane. I love the flight attendants. Jo and “Big Daddy” are seasoned attendants and Kellie is a newbie.
The plot has been well thought out and the short chapters allow for seeing what is happening through different character’s eyes. If you were a fan of the TV show “24”, this novel reminds me of the pacing and change of scenes in the tv show.

I finished this book a couple of days ago, and it has been on my mind constantly! My thanks to Avid Press/Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.I can’t wait for Newman’s second novel to come out!

Heart pounding adrenaline packed thriller. I don't want to get on an airplane any time soon! How do you choose between family and a plane full of passengers? That is the question Bill, the pilot, is faced with when his family is kidnapped and the plane is highjacked. As he continues to say he won't make a choice the story plays out. This is a book that would make an amazing movie. I was glued to my seat unable to put the book down. This is a book not to be missed.

I really enjoyed this thriller set in the sky. On a flight across the country, a flight is taken hostage and the pilot has to choose his family or the plane. But Bill doesn't choose. He fights to save both of them. I thought the author did a really good job describing the action both in the air and on the ground. The characters really came alive.

I received an e-ARC of this book by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. You can find a link to my Goodreads Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3945490000

Wow, what an intense ride - rather, flight! Falling by T. J. Newman was one of the most taut thrillers I have read in quite a while. The premise of an airline pilot faced with the impossible choice of crashing the plane he is flying or allowing his family on the ground to be blown to bits was one I could not resist. With the whole novel taking place during that flight, I knew the story would be full of action, and I was not disappointed.

It is hard to believe this was the author's first novel. When I read that she worked as a flight attendant and wrote much of this during red eye flights, I was even more intrigued, since that gave her some credibility to tell such a story. The pacing is spot on for a thriller, and the points of view that are used made this a well-rounded story. I loved Jo, the spunky flight attendant, Carrie, the resolute wife on the ground, Bill, the pilot, and Theo, the FBI agent working the case. The characters were clearly fleshed out, even though the book was full of action.

I will recommend this to readers who enjoy intense thrillers, especially about air travel.

Thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

If this synopsis doesn’t pull you in, I don’t know what will! Captain Bill is faced with the situation and decision of a lifetime - let his family be killed or kill all of passengers. What would you do? The technical knowledge within the writing really packs a bunch and makes the story that much better. What a wild FLIGHT!

When pilot Captain Bill finds out his family is being held hostage, his response is “I won’t crash the plane and you won’t kill my family.” He means it; but is not sure how to accomplish it.

This was such an exciting book! It started right in it. There’s not a moment of waiting for the action to begin. I was up late reading it and finished in one day. I kept seeing it described as “authentic” and now that I’ve read it, I agree. Not many thrillers these days are authentic. The book felt pretty true to life; no super crazy or unrealistic twists. I can’t wait to see the movie of this one! It’s already been bought by Universal Pictures.

“The souls on board had become a family - as perfect as imperfection is. The short life of this family was about to reach it’s end, and as a group, they faced their mortality together.”

Falling comes out 7/6.

Say what? Is this author justifying terrorism? It seemed to this reader that she was very sympathetic to the hijackers of this airplane who were threatening the pilot to do their bidding or his family (who was being held hostage) would be hurt. She even faults America for the actions of the terrorists and has the victims feeling sympathetic to their cause.

No thank you. There are many good books out there, don’t waste your time on this one. It did move along at a good pace but it got more disturbing (and predictable, I might add) as it went along. Holy Moly!!

As always my sincere thanks to Net Galley and to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read a pre-release ARC and give my honest unbiased opinion.

This is a blockbuster of a debut novel. The time T.J. Newman spent in the airline industry is clearly evident in the scenes on the plane. What I found so engaging about this book is that the action on the plane was superbly balanced against the tense situation on the ground. The pacing was top notch with bits of back story being inserted just when we needed them. I don't want to give away any surprises, so I will just recommend this book for your summer reading. Fly the not so friendly skies. Oh, and if you are hesitant to add both this title and "Hostage" to your reading list, don't worry. You will find they are both quite different. In addition, this title is set on a domestic flight while the Clare Mackintosh book is an international flight. One final note: the cover for this one is breathtaking.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press (Simon & Schuster) and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book!
Thank you so much!!

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/sizzling-summer-reads-feel-all-your-feelings/

I wrote about it for Thrive Global

My Thoughts

Falling is more than the sum of its parts as it takes readers along through the story of Flight 416’s hijacking.

Captain Bill Hoffman, along with his 3 flight attendants, do everything within their power to keep themselves and the plane full of passengers alive all the while time is ticking down as the plane closes in on its final destination.

Some readers have noted the beginning chapter contains off putting gore but if you go further on it is explained by a short conversation between Bill and his wife.
Other readers note that the use of political scenarios are also not palatable to them as have been overused in past works for movies or books written since 911 terrorist attacks.

For me these items are background noise as in the scheme of things the more important points were the decisions by a pilot and his crew that ultimately became main focus for this particular action packed book.

Note that no matter what Bill Hoffman chose there would be negative consequences at the end of his actions.

The proper question that should stay uppermost in ones mind when reading what his choices were is simple, how could you live with yourself if faced with the same scenarios as our pilot, the flight crew and his family?

What would you do?

I can only say that this is a story you will really like for its sum total of parts or become one of those who dismiss it on the grounds of parts you do not enjoy as you read them.

For myself it was a great entertaining piece of fiction that kept me going back for more to see how the hijacking turned out once all the moving parts came together at books end.

Adrenaline overload!

[EArc from Netgalley]
Adrenaline overload!
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Wow, talk about a heart-stopping book! It's rare that I read a book from start to finish in one sitting, and I confess, it was 2 am when I finally finished the book, calmed my joyful heart, and let myself sleep. Something that rarely happens as a chronic insomniac because a strict bedtime is a must. That went right out the window because Newman has given us a book that is impossible to put down.

The research that went into this was wonderful. I loved that this tied in with real-world issues. I loved the characters, Bill, Daddy, Jo, and Carrie, who were all strong characters who didn't bend under pressure. They were multi-dimensional and so very likable. Things got tense, fast, and they stayed tense. Newman has written a fantastic thrill ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat from page one. An absolute must-read. Thank you, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, for sending this along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for this advance reader's copy of Falling by T.J. Newman.

Falling is the very realistic story of what might happen if an airplane was hijacked by someone who wasn't even on the airplane at the time of the hijacking. When an airline pilot's family is kidnapped the pilot is given a choice, his family or his plane full of passengers and crew. The pilot has to use the cross-country flight time and his very loyal crew to figure out if he can save both his family and the plane.

It's easy to feel the knowledge of planes and flights come through in T. J. Newman's writing. Newman wrote Falling while working as a flight attendant and the firsthand knowledge of the aircraft is impressive and adds to the tension. This is great thriller, full of suspense. I definitely wouldn't recommend reading this book while traveling, at least not by plane! Check it out though, it's a really good read!

I don't love thrillers (because they scare me) but I was so intrigued with the premise of this. I love that a flight attendant came up with the idea, wrote a book and got it published. WOW!
This book gave me crazy anxiety, which was so not welcome but I still couldn't put the book down. Formal review to come.

Wow! This took me on a pretty awesome ride! Intense and fast-paced, pretty believable for the most part, and, I like how everything was wrapped up at the end. Really likable characters too! I was surprised to see this was the author’s first novel! Kudos!! 👏👏

A new author for me and I am so glad to have taken a chance on this book. Edge of your seat suspense through out the whole book. Excellent writing that kept me into the story throughout. I just couldn't put it down. You just never know what was going to happen next. Definitely one not to pass up.