This book is a fast-paced thriller that kept me on the edge of the seat! It would be a perfect in flight read! PLUS, I can totally see this to be made into a movie. Highly recommend it to every thriller lover.

Falling is a fast-paced thriller where a pilot's family is held hostage in exchange for crashing a plane. Not only does Bill Hoffman have to try and find a way to save his family and everyone on board, he has to worry about who he can trust on the flight because the accomplice is on board to ensure he follows through. Taking the head flight attendant into his confidence, he and Jo make life and death decisions to try and save everyone. The book is definitely exciting and reads quickly, but does feel like it gets a bit muddled at times, partly because there's so much going on and also because Newman incorporates multiple POVs and flashbacks into the story. The background information about flying, piloting and aviation is mostly helpful, but sometimes veers a little overboard. It's a solid debut and with a well-crafted storyline I can see a second book being even better.

Debut Novel from a flight attendant

I was gripping the book as I began reading!

Everyone should read this book before they fly!!

Bill Hoffman, a pilot for Coastal Airways, is on a seemingly normal flight carrying 143 passengers to New York when he receives an email. His family is being held hostage and Bill will be forced to make a choice between saving his family and crashing the plane.

Falling is a thrilling debut novel by author T.J. Newman. This novel alternates between several key characters as the frightening events of a hostage situation unfold. Bill's wife Carrie is being held hostage with their two young children by a man who threatens to kill them if Bill doesn't follow his orders. If Bill complies then he will be forced to crash the plane killing everyone on board. At 37,000 feet in the air, Bill and his crew will have to uncover an unidentified threat while keeping the passengers calm and protected from attack. I will warn that this novel does contain some graphic content. Falling was a nonstop action thrill ride that I couldn't put down. A must read for 2021!

A nail-biter of a novel about a highjacked airliner written by a debit author who was a flight attendant and wrote it on her stopovers, Falling has all the ingredients of a high octane thriller, and it has movie blockbuster all over it. The focus is on the crew, especially the captain, who's faced with a terrible choice: either be crashes the plane, killing everyone aboard, or his wife and children will be killed. And he had to decide right no w
It's the rest of the characters who really come alive - Bill's wife, Jo, the chief attendant who's flown with him for years, Big Daddy, the irrepressible and courageous steward. There are two families here, one in Bill's house in L.A , and one in an airliner headed for an uncertain landing Brilliantly paced, impossible to put down, a great vacation read!

If your destination requires you get there by airplane, I would advise you NOT to choose this as your next read. Why? I think you might get a bit 'freaked' out....otherwise curl up in the chair & fasten your seat belts!

Captain Bill Hoffman is given the choice by terrorists: Either crash the plane he's currently flying or they'll kill his family that they kidnapped. This happens almost immediately in the book and from that point it is non stop suspense. What is impressive in this debut novel is there are a buffet of characters and each one is deftly handled and multi-dimensional. The story keeps jumping from crew & passengers on the plane to the family & law enforcement on the ground; to give the reader a great view from every possible angle in this story. The pacing is wonderful & a very quick read. The airplane scenes are authentic & realistic; but not surprisingly since Newman is a former flight attendant. As they say, "Write what you know."

There was an element of 'woke' politics which I didn't care for, nor was it needed; but the book reads like a summer blockbuster that can be enjoyed by many. Would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy for an honest review

I liked this book a lot, and I understand the awesome reviews. It's a great story. I enjoyed it while I was readying it but it wasn't quite enough to make me dying to pick it up again on my lunch break or keep me up reading late into the night. The only issue I had was that something about the writing seemed a little unpolished. I felt like there were too many details to be a Birdseye view story like a James Patterson novel, but not enough detail to be a tightly-crafted thriller like a Tom Clancy novel would be.

Falling by T.J. Newman takes you on a heart stopping ride aboard Flight 416. Once in the air, Pilot Bill Hoffman finds out his family has been kidnapped and unless he crashes the plane, they will be killed. Decisions need to be made, and questions on who can be trusted. Bill takes seriously the care of the 149 souls entrusted to him on the flight...but this is his family! Intriguing also are the perspectives of the flight crew, especially Jo. Newman, herself a flight attendant, is able to put the reader on that flight through the eyes of Jo. Through her the relationship with the pilots, other crew members and even passengers were portrayed from a very unique point of view. This is definitely a recommended page turner!

Vast thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of what I think will be the all time best beach-iest Beach Book of this or any other summer. (or any other season, in fact)
I'm exhausted as I write this......from gobbling the book up in one sitting which stretched into the way too early hours of the morning. "Falling" reminded me of every single Bruce Willis-Harrison Ford-Arnold Schwarzenegger-Sylvester Stallone high octane, non-stop action thriller that ruled the 1990's.
You will definitely want to tighten up your seat belts and make sure your tray's in the upright position for this one.......and make sure to pay attention to the flight attendant's little safety procedure demonstration too.
The premise here is damn near irresistible, The pilot of a fully packed jet passenger plane in mid-flight finds himself offered a horrific choice by a terrorist who's taken his wife and children hostage at their home -either deliberately crash the plane or his whole family dies at the terrorist's hands.
While the family-in-peril suspense heats up on the ground level, on the plane an unlikely trio of Scooby-gang flight attendants desperately try to save the plane and defend its passengers.... one of whom may well be an on board terrorist accomplice.
I would not dare spoil 'the onslaught of shocking twists, surprises and reversals of fortune that spill out as this wild tale races to its conclusion. This book had me tearing through the pages so fast, it probably generated a breeze. If I wasn't afraid of smearing up the Kindle, I would've read this while munching through one of those giant movie theater tubs of buttered popcorn, the kind you need to take out a second mortgage on to buy. (I'll just have to wait for the film version to indulge in that particular pleasure....)
To say it more simply, "Falling" is unquestionably a 5 star theme-park, upside-down rollercoaster thrill ride that you do not want to miss. I can't even remember when I had this much pure, unadulterated fun from a reading experience. and I'd easily hand out 10 stars if allowed. I can only wonder about T.J. Newman, the former bookseller and flight attendant who wrote it.......what in the hell can she do for an encore after this? I can hardly wait.

Terrific thriller. Good character development, fast pacing . An edge of seat read. Highly recommended!

Next week I will be flying for the first time in over a year and this book just gave me another reason to be nervous! The first chapter starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up until the end. I liked Theo, Carrie, Bill, Jo, and Kellie and I liked how the author provided past memories to provide perspective on certain characters viewpoints. All in all, this is a thriller that can be read in one sitting and will keep you entertained.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon &
Schuster for the arc.

The most important feedback I can give about "Falling" is you might not want to read it before bed. Falling is an adrenaline rush, heart pounding, eyes wide open thriller that kept me up till sunrise. T.J.. NEWMAN'S first book is an aisle seat ride on a commercial airline during a high jacking, with lots of unexpected twists. The action is non-stop from the cockpit to the flight crew, passengers and folks fighting from the ground. "Falling" has blockbuster movie written all over it. Thank you T.J Newman for your portrayal of the women characters as strong and heroic.. The writing, character development and plot are very well done, especially for a first book. I look forward to more books by this author and please, make a movie! Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Falling by T.J. Newman is realistic and suspenseful. I was on the edge of my seat, right there with Carrie, Bill, and the others on the plane.

Very entertaining, fast-moving book. Such an original idea for a story. I appreciated the multiple POV's in the book. I'm a huge fan of thrillers (books and movies) that take place on airplanes, and this one did not disappoint. Looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

Great suspenseful novel that is responsible for my lack of sleep. A book to be devoured in one or two sittings. Can’t wait for her next one!

Falling has been given quite a bit of hype, and for the most part, it's well deserved. The novel is fast-paced and action-packed. The variety of characters (minus the perpetrators, of course) are all incredibly likable and inspiring. The fact that TJ Newman is a former flight attendant really lends some credibility to the story, as well. Her insight provides an even more chilling edge to the story.
Honestly, I was at the edge of my seat most of the story! Parts were a little more slow, and Newman's writing style can drag at times, but it was overall an excellent story. My only complaint was the motive and perpetrators. It was a little cliche in the end. I think Newman did an excellent job of providing a motive that gave information, but I was hoping for something a little different. I'm trying to avoid spoilers in this review, so I don't want to say too much, but I was a little disappointed in the end.
One thing Newman did really well, however, was integrate past memories into the story. It didn't happen very often, but the information was sprinkled during important moments and called upon later. It really added some background to the story and some depth to the characters. The dialogue was rather cliche at some points, but it also gave the characters personality. I will forever love Jo!
So, while I did have some hang-ups, I think this was a great debut and I do think it will top some charts in the summer! It's an easy read and can be devoured in a day or two. Just avoid my mistake and don't read this before you're about to fly.

Wow, wow, WOW. This is one hell of a debut novel. The action starts on the first page and doesn't let up until the final page. I could see this being an excellent movie. If you have a fear of flying, this is probably not the book for you.
If I had to pick one thing to criticize, I'd say that Bill's character felt a little robotic to me. I just didn't really connect with him, while I connected with the rest of the main characters, especially Jo and Theo.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

This thriller had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath. Bill the pilot has to make a no win choice - to crash his plane - or have his family killed. As the story evolves there is insight into characters that present a stark contrast between the personalities in ways that show tenderness, and caring versus the threat coming from the killer which creates confusion in chaos. I loved the strength in the characters as they struggle - the passengers - Jo, the chief flight attendant, and the pilots wife Carrie - how to stay alive on the ground and in the plane. The suspense keeps ramping up - what is the target and who is the betrayer? Imagine all these things as the Control Tower ties to communicate - "Coastal four-one-six come in" and there is no response. You don't want to put this book down till the final heart thumping pages and shocking ending....and it takes you several minutes to exhale.

This was an action packed, non stop thriller, made me feel kinda nostalgic for all the disaster films of the 70s although with updated security etc to bring it into this century.
Bill Hoffmann is a pilot on a flight from LA to New York, his family is taken hostage and he is told either his family dies or he crashes the plane, it’s his choice. The story moves between the plane, the family and the FBI, I found the characters believable and their actions seemed reasonable too although I thought more passengers would’ve behaved a bit more outrageously but it was certainly a thrill ride!
An entertaining read.

And the 2021 winner for Worst Book to Read on an Airplane goes to… Falling by T.J. Newman!

Applause, applause. The concept itself definitely deserves it, since it’s one of the best “would you rather” quandaries I’ve ever heard: If you were a pilot, would you rather crash the commercial plane you’re flying or have your kidnapped family be murdered? I consider myself pretty savage at WYR, but even I wouldn’t want to answer that question.

In fact, it’s such a good one that it’s already netted debut author (and former flight attendant) T.J. Newman a $1.5 million movie deal with Universal Pictures. Get that popcorn popping!

As for the novel itself, I found Falling to be a somewhat problematic page turner. The cold open thrusts readers into an extremely over-the-top and graphic scene that doesn’t jibe with the rest of the book. I fear it will turn some people off, but those who stick with it will see a quick downshift from rated-R to PG-13 territory.

More significantly though, I also fear the “bad guys” (as they’re oft called) and their motivations are going to disappoint a lot of readers. They certainly did this one. The flip side of that coin is that the “good guys” consist of some refreshingly memorable characters that make flying through these pages a heck of a lot of fun.

My thanks go to T.J. Newman and Avid Reader Press for my gifted advance readers copy to review. You can look for Falling at a bookstore near you (though maybe not if you’re in an airport???) this July.

3.5 stars