The author of this book was rejected 41 times by publishers. All I can say to that is this : either publishers really are ignorant or the author had a really horrid first draft!

You have read the blurb about the plane and the kidnapping and the choices the pilot must make, so no need to go into that.
What you don't know yet is how rich the characters are..(not going to share them with you here--you should find them as you come upon them in the book)
sure, this is not a perfect novel, but it is pretty darn good. Just enough information to make the story plausible and the actions probable.
I suspect it may sell a million copies.

The publisher needs to give a big raise to whoever managed to collect all those excited blurbs from big-time writers. I don't know how they talked those folks into letting them use their names since this simply isn't a very good book. It's all plot and no novel, of course, but you know going in that it's a comic book, not a real book. What you don't know going in is that it's just not a well-written comic book. It's junior high school plotting and high school prose, and not even very good high school prose.

If you're okay with simplistic writing and a comic book plot, you might enjoy this. But if you have anything more than a high school education, I doubt you would.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy of this thriller, which I've been hearing about for months. FALLING is one thriller that lives up to the hype! Bill, a seasoned pilot from CA, discovers after his plane departs from LAX, that his family has been kidnapped by a man who is demanding that he crash the plane or his family will die. Very fast paced thriller with lots of twists and turns I never saw coming! Highly recommend.

A rollicking, exciting ride, and perfect as an exciting beach read. Happy to chat this one up! The characters are human, and the writing crisp, vivid and action-packed.

What a dynamic debut!!! If you listen, you can hear the thunderous applause coming from the homes of every person who reads this terrific thriller. I feel sorry for every first-time novelist who has to follow in the wake of this riveting read. The plot is engrossing and the action is perfectly paced. I'll be honest, there's a point where you'll find yourself jumping up and cheering. Newman's narrative will captivate you from beginning to end. Her experiences in the air envelope 'Falling' with a degree of realism that cannot be matched. It increases the "wow" factor a hundredfold. You can reserve a place on 2021 Top 10 lists for this brilliant work of fiction. Thank you to Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for making this advanced reading copy available!

Just a word of warning - do not start reading this book if you have anything that you need to be doing, should be doing, or want to be doing instead of reading this book. What a wild roller coaster ride. The adrenaline was constantly pumping and the twists and turns were unbelievable.  Definitely a new twist on the thriller and a great one to put on your summer travel reading lists.  Must-read for frequent travelers and nervous flyers!   Character development was keen and the shifting POVs flowed near-perfectly.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot think of anyone to whom I would not recommend this book. It is filled with non-stop excitement and action coupled with the kind of suspense every reader seeks. A pilot takes off on a commercial flight from LA to New York. About a half hour into the flight he learns his wife, son and infant daughter have been kidnapped. The ransom fee...he must decide between allowing his family to die (his wife is strapped into a suicide vest) or crashing the plane with 149 souls on board. The story takes place in the plane, at their home and surrounding areas and in the controllers tower in NY. The climax is all one would hope for and the conclusion most satisfactory. Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC for an honest review. This has best seller written all over it

This was a decent thriller with an outdated premise. You don't get many hijacked planes these days due to post 9-11 security. There were no surprises as to the villains, or the flight attendant heroes. I do admit every time I picked up my Kindle to read the book I had a sense of dread so the plot did its job. The character development was a bit clumsy (especially with the flashbacks), but a novice writer can learn to correct that in future books. Also, POV (point of view) was all over the place. Again, novice writer.

Would I recommend this book to friends. Sure, for a quick read but not if they have qualms about flying. This book was offered to me by NetGalley and the publisher. Thanks for the advanced copy.

When I was reading the PR for this book, I learned that the author was rejected by countless agents before finally landing one and receiving a huge advance. That's a great amount of pressure, but this book delivers because it grips you from beginning to end. I read it over two days and I was not sorry to have put off other things to finish it.

The no-win dilemma presented is something with which everyone can identify - choose your family's survival or choose to sacrifice others.

Our hero is a pilot whose family has been kidnapped by terrorists who are demanding that he crash the plane or sacrifice his family instead. Of course, he intends to do neither - but how he pulls this off is quite the ride.

While this is mostly a thriller, you're left pondering some philosophical questions. It's also a story about community, commitment, and integrity. I also learned some things about other cultures that I didn't know, so I was left with some things to think about. The characters are endearing, and while this isn't a literary masterpiece, the writing is sound and the pacing is outstanding.

I thoroughly enjoyed it devouring this novel and I'm grateful to Net Galley for offering me the chance to read it.

This was an awesome book, so glad to have the opportunity to read an early copy of this author's debut novel.

On a routine morning in L A Bill Hoffman, pilot is getting ready to fly to New York. He's preoccupied and his wife Carrie is busy with their 10 month old daughter and 10 year old son. He doesn't notice when a cable repair technician is at their front door.

Bill has to miss his son's opening little league game as he was asked to fill in as a favor for the chief pilot.

It isn't until Bill is on his way to to L A International airport that the cable technician points a gun at Carrie and then straps a suicide bomb vest on her and himself..

While Bill is airborne he .gets a message informing him to put his headphones on so he can view a Facetime message. The message shows him the situation at home and informs him of the demands of the bomber..

The bomber tells him he is to intentionally crash the plane otherwise his family will be killed.

He is told to crash t he plane at a to be determined target in Washington D C and is informed not to tell the FBI but he tells the senior flight attendant who has a nephew with the FBI.

He is informed there is a backup person on the plane to ensure he complies and he is to open the cockpit door and throw a cannister of poison gas into the cabin of the plane.

Bill refuses to intentionally crash the plane and desperately searches for a means to save his family and the passengers on board the plane..

This novel grips you right from the beginning and doesn't let you go until the end, an edge of the seat thriller.

I almost didn't read this book because the first chapter really turned me off. It seemed to be just gratuitous gore. After the first few pages I just skimmed it and decided to give the book a couple more chapters before throwing it out. I'm glad I did. Once i got into chapter 2 and 3, it became hard to put the book down. The story is not the best written, but the plot does grab you and keep you reading. I thought Carrie was a great character, strong and consistently supportive of her husband and family. Bill was an amazing pilot and genuinely seemed to want to do his best to balance his time between career and family. There did not seem to be any single clear hero, but the closest person to it, in my opinion, was Jo--although the focal point of the story was Bill. She was sincere and creative and a true leader. Theo was a bit hard to accept. Some of his recklessness didn't really support him getting a promotion in the end. I'd like to have seen him as a bit more mature, willing to take the risks, but not being quite so careless. I also think the story would have been stronger had there been a clear hero. There really isn't a good character arc for any of them characters.

Overall this was a good book. However, I have no idea how the first chapter of the book related to anything. You could completely get rid of it and I think the overall story would be stronger. I believe that first chapter will turn some readers off and they will unfortunately not read further to find a really good story.

What a great first book! Packed full of action, the pages fly from a full airplane to the pilots family under siege. You will fall in love with the flight crew, as well as the pilots family.

A totally serviceable entry in the summer beach read/thriller category. I almost abandoned it around the 50% mark when some of the twists and stupid decisions by characters strained my credulity too much, but I stuck with it because the book moves quickly. This was clearly written in the mold of a big budget Hollywood thriller, and also clearly heroism fantasy from a flight attendant.

I received a free ARC ebook of Falling from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Hang onto your hats, fellow readers, Falling is a thrill ride of a novel. What begins as a rather routine flight for a commercial pilot, Bill, turns out to be a life or death journey for Bill, his family, and the passengers entrusted to his care. Exactly what would anyone do when their immediate family is threatened by death? Will Bill violate every professional ethic, distort every moral compass to save them at the cost of those assigned to his plane? Are there others he can rely on? Is there really anything anyone can do? The threats to the plane and its passengers sound so plausible with their isolation from those on the ground serving as a terrifying complication.

Newman's debut as a novelist is first rate. Her experiences as a flight attendant make the onboard protocols ring true and her admiration for those employed to care for strangers shines through her characters. I look forward to reading more by T.J. Newman.

I read this in one long sitting. So, it obviously kept my attention. Pre-covid I flew a lot and I have several commercial pilot and flight attendant friends, so the plot was a draw. I found it a solid book. Not the best book I have read this year, or even month, but it was good. I would have preferred the writing to have been a little more passionate - it was a little flat. And the political parts are enormously important but were not presented in a compelling way. I think more social impact could have been made.

But I thought it was a good book and will be recommending it to a pilot friend tonight.

I'm sure this book will find its audience, but that is not me unfortunately. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

What a disappointment. After reading all the accolades I settled down to read what sounded like a mesmerizing story.

First and foremost, the writing is extremely choppy and poor. The dialogues are amateurish, even corny. There is no flow to the book, and events happen with no sequencing or lead up. It's all just a tangled web of ideas tha make no sense,

Don't waste your time on this one.

If you have a fear of flying this would NOT be the book you want to read before or while on a plane!

T. J. Newman's opening is so descriptive I actually felt nauseas as if I was on the plane with everyone else. The author brings you out of your safe, comfortable environment and forces you to face the worst nightmare of everyone who chooses to defy gravity

That descriptive talent continues as the reader is brought into another further devastating situation. Or maybe just as a mom I was ultra sensitive as it further enhanced my belief no strangers are allowed in my home without someone else I know here.

Newman had me glued to the book and completely ignoring the world around me as I dived headlong into this amazing thriller! Much to my daughter's happiness since I let her have free reign to do what she wanted while I binged through, I just could NOT put this down. I needed to know what was going to happen, who was involved, why, and most importantly how it was going to end.

There was definitely a very post-9/11 feel in the last chapters. I still remember the sense of patriotism and community that soaked the very air Americans were breathing and Newman managed to capture a small essence of that in her characters.

This is the kind of book you'll turn your phone on 'Do Not Disturb' for because the emotional waves that roll over you will be powerful and addicting to the end. I found myself nearly dropping the book to pump my fist in the air and cheer at one point wanting to join in because I got so swept up in the tidal wave.

Book Club read as you and your friends play the 'What would you do' game with different character roles.

Loved it--I couldn't put this down, and read it nearly all in on go! The pacing, plot, characters: all of it was great. "Falling" is definitely one to add to your TBR.

Falling will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. A pilot's family is kidnapped, and he is given an ultimatum - crash the plane or his family dies. The author, in her debut novel, does an excellent job of explaining the whys and hows of the situation. The book showcases the dedication and quick thinking of airline pilots and flight attendants, as well as the determination of a mother to save her kids.

The author also treats the villains as human beings with understandable grievances. My only quibble with this book (and what keeps it from getting 5 stars) is it gets preachy at the end regarding the villains' cause. Otherwise it is an outstanding thrill ride.

This book is not family friendly due to graphic violence and language.