I thought this book had really interesting characters. I went in to it blind but I saw later that people compared it to a cross between Jumanji and the Sun is Also a Star. The premise was good. An airport terminal, a mysterious button… sounds like an interesting premise right? The world building was great and there were some interesting moments. I think a little more actioned packed fun could have pushed this book along a little bit but overall it was a fun read.

In the author's acknowledgments, he mentions that this is a "weird trip of a book." And I think that's apt for Before Takeoff. I made a lot of notes while reading this, so bear with me because this review might be a bit messy.

Let's talk about James and Michelle. Michelle is so very funny that I liked her instantly. She helped to bring James out of his shell, and we see a young man with many thoughtful things to say. He gives Michelle's funny bone a run for her money. But she's going through some things right now, and she has her moments of reflection. It's careful and deep. This story is so much about their friendship, getting to know each other than just the airport. However, the airport is truly an adventure, highlighting many societal issues we're facing today.

The characters were richly detailed. I liked Roger and his font of positive vibes. I think when he finally met up with our crew, it felt complete.

Randomly, I found myself asking, How is the PA system working? Until I remembered that this is labeled fantasy, and we were going on an adventure of sorts. Without a doubt, this is a unique book. The directions taken are what make this book shine. I feel this book will appeal to upper YA and adult readers alike. Overall, this is an amusing and thoughtful read, nicely done.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Before Takeoff

Author: Adi Alsaid

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: Latinx MC, French Thai Switz character, Black characters, Buddhist character, Asian character, Latinx queen character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, thriller, romance, contemporary, magical realism

Publication Date: June 7, 2022

Genre: YA Thriller Romance

Age Relevance: 15+ (cursing, terrorism, deportation, cancer, racism, sexual content, panic attack, religion, HP content, romance, death)

Explanation of Above: There is some cursing in the book. There are mentions of terrorism, deportation, cancer, and racism. There is some sexual content and romance mentioned in the book and some slightly shown. There is a panic attack shown in the book. There is religion that is mentioned very briefly in the book. There is death shown in the book. There is one HP mention in the book.

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 336

Synopsis: James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn't be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light--and each other.

Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually... a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not unwittingly break the rules of the universe--at least as those rules apply to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta.

Before they can figure up from down, strange, impossible things start happening: snowstorms form inside the B terminal; jungles sprout up in the C terminal; and earthquakes split the ground apart in between. And no matter how hard they try, it seems no one can find a way in or out of the airport. James and Michelle team up to find their families and either escape the airport, or put an end to its chaos--before it's too late.

Review: Overall, this book was interesting. The book is set in the Atlanta airport and if there wasn’t COVID in the air I’d go there and read this book to experience everything firsthand. The book is an interesting case study on how people would handle unexpected or cataclysmic events. The world building was good and the story keeps you on your toes for sure. I’d say that I liked the premise of the book and what it was wanting to offer to me.

However, I had a lot of negatives about this book. The book is weirdly told and it’s very clearly not very well plotted. The character descriptions are lazy, it took me until the near the end of the book that the MC was Latinx, and not well formed. There is a part in the book where a queer character, of unknown age but is clearly older because they work for TSA, is crushing on a freshly 18 year old girl and it gives all the ick vibes but also gives the impression that the queer character is acting that way because they’re queer, which is a no go during Pride month. The only reason I’m not 1 starring this book is because I feel like that was an oversight considering the overall writing of the book. The writing is just bad and this book is not a fun read. I also hated the HP reference in this book and, since this is 2022 and the HP author’s transphobic nature is widely known, there is no excuse for it and a point has been deducted from the book’s rating overall.

Verdict: It’s good, but there’s so many issues that I think a few more rough drafts and rounds of editing could solve.

I requested this because it takes place at the Atlanta Airport and I am all too familiar with that place. It started out normal enough with two teenagers meeting in ATL during a layover. Michelle then presses a bright, green, blinking button on a wall and hell starts breaking loose. The airport becomes alive(?) In a way and develops new climate zones, like snow in the T terminal and torrential rain in the B terminal. It becomes a bit of a lord of the fly situation in different parts with also a mix of the left behind rapture. And in the middle of it all is Michelle and James who are just trying to survive themselves and find their families. I honestly can't say if I liked it or hated it because I'm so confused by it. If you're a frequent ATL traveler, you'll at least enjoy and understand all the airport description and settings. It was such an odd story to wrap my mind around but it did keep me entertained the whole time.

The first book by Adi Alsaid that I read is WE DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS. I loved that book, so I knew as soon as I saw this one that I really wanted to read it. Between that and the comparison to Jumanji, I built pretty high expectations for this story.

And… those expectations were met one hundred percent! I loved the weirdness of the airport and all the bizarre things that kept happening. I loved James and Michelle and the way their relationship developed.

The story is told in an omniscient point-of-view, where the narrator zooms in and out of different characters and situations. Normally I’m not a huge fan of that style, but I feel like Alsaid uses it SO WELL in his writing. That feeling of zooming in and out and following different characters all feels perfectly timed and adds so much depth to the storytelling. I love it.

If you’re looking for a book that takes a sideways look at humanity, or dives into the weird ways people react in a crisis, or simply a sweet, unexpected romance that blooms in the center of chaos, this book is absolutely not to be missed. I love so many things about it. This is definitely one that I’m going to pester my friends to read so I have someone to talk about it with!

Before Takeoff caught my eye when it was described as "The Sun is Also a Star" meets "Jumanji". Who doesn't like Jumanji and the thrill of the adventure and unknown? Before Takeoff definitely was in the unknown category and it was a read like I've never read before.

I'm not sure if my expectations were a bit off but it did take me some time to adjust. I thought it would be more action-packed and adventure-filled but found that it had a more serious tone and not as light-hearted as I thought it'd be. Once I accepted the story for what it was, I was able to enjoy it more thoroughly. James and Michelle's story is a wild-ride about humanity and it's a lot deeper of a message than you'd might except when going in.

Overall, I enjoyed it! Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Books for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

What a fun read! this was really cool and super weird, which are honestly my favorite vibes in a book I read. I think the romance was really good but I thought the concept itself was the most striking. It was cool to be in this airport the whole time and then have all this action unfold in the most exciting way! I will say that it did drag just a bit in the middle as things started to progress (I feel like when you're in the same setting for the majority of a book, it's always difficult to avoid this lull in the middle) but overall, this was a really enjoyable read to me! It went a lot deeper into certain things than I was expecting, but I honestly really liked that more. It made this feel more human and I really appreciated it. What an awesome book that I hope gets enough love once it's released!

This books was amazing! I don't even know what it is or how to classify it. Is it third-person? Is it first person? I have no clue. The world building is a roller coaster mind trip. This is magical realism at its finest.

The premise of this book was so intriguing to me, but I just couldn't get into it. I made it through 127 pages and I did want to know what was going on in that crazy airport, but I just couldn't find the motivation to read to the end to find out. The book wasn't without merit, but this just wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Before Takeoff has an interesting premise that disappoints in the end. The pacing has some good moments but it would slow down drastically, making for a slightly boring read.

I do like the concept. I was very much looking forward to the disasters and being stuck in an airport but the execution leaves much to be desired.

An eye-catching cover though.

2.5 stars

This book was weird in what I think was the best way. The premise made me think this would be way more lighthearted and heavier on the romance, but it really looked at a lot of deep ideas about human nature that were very intriguing. The romance is still very good and the third person omniscient vibes were fun. I felt like I was inside all of the characters heads listening to their thoughts regardless of if they were deep thoughts or not. Overall an interesting read.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the Digital Advanced Copy!

When I saw that this book called sort of a cross between The Sun is Also a Star and Jumanji, I was SOLD! I was ready for it! Totally ready! I wanted some more light-hearted fare for our school library. This is not light-hearted. This is quite somber and introspective. To me a comparison to Jumanji says fun adventure, survival, but this book was about surviving not only strange things afoot at the airport but the darkness of our minds.

So I have to recalibrate. This isn't Jumanji. And I would even hesitate to call it young adult even though the two heroes are 18 and 16. There were so many moments where the focus shifted to various adults in the airport that this felt bigger than YA.

If you want a book that looks at human nature, like really puts a lens on it, this is the book for you! If you are looking for adventure, I'm not sure this would satisfy for. All the introspection makes this a book about what makes people tick. The Jumanji stuff is just a plot device to shake people out of this auto-pilot to see how they would behave when things are strange and no way to explain it. The romantic part that is alluded to with the The Sun is Also a Star comparison feels secondary to the bigger ideas about humanity.

I liked it once I recalibrated.

When I think about my library, I think this may appeal to older teenagers who are facing the unknown of adulthood or teenagers who are interested in psychology.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC for consideration.

Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid was a bit bizarre but in an interesting way. The story really made you think. I liked the two main characters and would like to see them in future books. However, the story seemed to drag in the middle, and there was a lot of exposition that I found myself skimming to get to the action.

Before Takeoff has an interesting premise, good characters, and is mind-bending. I fluctuated between a 3.5 or 4-star review for this book due to finding myself skimming and getting bored in the middle.

#BeforeTakeoff #NetGalley @RHCBEducators

I wanted to like this book. I really did. But then I started reading it as I was stuck in the Atlanta airport for 2 days, due to incompetence with the airlines (and weather). So what could have been a fun book may have been complicated by my own experience of living in the airport while they tried to sort things out. Still, I felt like I had read forever and when I checked, I was only at 30% in this book. I figured it would get better. I mean, Jumanji, right? That's what someone compared this to. Alas, it did not get better. And by 50%, I didn't care about any of the characters and wanted their whole ordeal to be over. A few of my students may like this one, but not me.

I requested an ARC of "Before Takeoff" because I was imagining riding out an apocalypse type event in an airport. Kind of like that zombie movie where the survivors are living in a mall. This wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still a fun, crazy, unexpected ride.

I really wanted to love this book because of the premise. Unfortunately, I feel like it falls flat in structure. It would have made more sense being told from the first-person point of view. The characters and the narrator sound identical at times and I forgot it wasn't.

This was the weirdest, most wild book I have ever read.

Little known fact: I love books set in airports. There is something exciting about being in one, never-mind being stuck in one during an apocalypse or in this case, something even stranger. I loved the narration of the story as well as the connections to all the characters (even the minor ones) and I found myself laughing out loud multiple times.

I'm on a book tour for this one and I could not be happier. i cannot wait to promo this weird little book baby!