This was a super entertaining wild ride. For whatever reason, I liked it a little more than Falling. I do definitely get the feeling Drowning was written in hopes of becoming a movie because some scenes felt almost like a screenplay, but that worked as I was in the mood for something fast paced and cinematic. The only other thing I’d say that took me out of it a little was some parts were a little sappy for me, but given the position these people were in, I suppose that tracks somewhat.

This was such an action packed read!! I’m normally more in suspense and thrillers but I still enjoyed this one. Definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat and I could totally see this being turned into a movie.
3.5⭐️

Wow ! What a ride! I don’t want to give much of a plot intro here, because honestly you don’t need it . What you need to know : action packed , plane crash , deals with some hard topics like divorce and child death. But…. Reads like a movie I couldn’t stop ! Propulsive, and the author is getting better at writing characters. I won’t say I felt super connected to the characters , but with how fast it read that may be why. Solid 4.5 for me. Fun, fast and so interesting to hear things from an author who is a flight attendant. Thanks to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the advanced copy in return for an honest review

Drowning is the second novel by T.J. Newman and, as with the first, showcases the author’s intimate knowledge of the air industry and the commercial planes that fly in it. But it also provides, in graphic detail, just how badly things can go wrong. This is a top notch disaster story filled with high emotion and edge of the seat drama.

From the very first word, this is a terrifyingly real experience as an airplane that has just taken off from Honolulu is experiencing a catastrophic failure and is about to ditch into the Pacific. After the plane comes to a stop in the ocean, most of the surviving passengers abandon the plane leaving only 12 who choose to remain aboard. With explosions going off around them, the twelve remaining passengers are forced to seal themselves inside the plane, whereupon it begins to sink.

This becomes a race against time with the search and rescue operation on its way, but with a limited amount of air supply to keep them alive.

While waiting underwater the story becomes a deeper exploration into the characters who are trapped and waiting. In fact, things start looking so grim we slip into a touch of existentialism along the way.

“It didn’t matter if you died in a car crash or peacefully in your sleep at 102 or if you drowned in a plane at the bottom of the ocean. The end result would be the same. That was all life was. Shifting the balance, every day, to make room for joy and grace in whatever circumstance you’ve got before your time runs out.”

At the heart of the story is Will Kent, an engineer who is travelling with his young daughter, Shannon to camp. He’s the level-headed practical thinker who’s capable of making rational decisions in the face of, well, in the face of disaster. Above the water surface is his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Chris, a professional diver, heading up a team working on a salvage operation with the Navy.

When word breaks of the plane crash Chris manages to get herself into the search and rescue operation meeting and convinces those heading it up she could be a crucial resource for them to use. From here there’s a lot more at stake than a team of emergency services personnel undertaking a mission to save unfamiliar passengers, it’s deeply, deeply personal.

The small, diverse group of passengers trapped in the plane offer a variety of interesting backstories and personalities to explore. As with every group of people, there are those you like and admire and then there are the villains. Some of these characters are fleshed out in a moderate level of detail while others remain just as much a mystery as they were at the start of the book. While I accept they were meant to be peripheral characters only, it would have been nice to have learned a little more about each of them, if only to create a greater level of sympathy for their plight and to heighten the anxiety over their survival.

T.J. Newman manages to throw every possible obstacle and dangerous scenario in the way of the rescue mission, turning this into an endless cliffhanger that feels as though it’s a constant white-knuckle ride. It certainly makes for some compelling reading and the pages simply fly by.

As far as disaster stories go, this has the hallmarks of any of the classics. In fact, the only thing missing was Maureen McGovern singing “The Morning After” before everything went to hell and the plane started to sink.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this highly anticipated novel. I thought 'Falling' was terrific and intense. This book, less so. I’m a sucker for Honolulu related settings, having lived there most of my life and flown those flights many times. It was a bit hard to follow the logistics of the plane position and remaining air (shades of the Poseidon Adventure) while the topside drama of the rescue played out quite unbelievably. It was too fantastic that there would be that personal connection to an elite crew that could mobilize faster than other agencies. I also felt the back story of having suffered the loss of one child, only to have the other child in peril, was not necessary. The supporting characters were stereotyped and could have been more interesting. It’s never revealed why the plane actually crashed. The digital ARC was just over 200 pages. I was really looking forward to this novel but I strongly recommend 'Falling' if you haven’t read it,
Other reviewers commented on the book cover being so much like 'Falling' - I’m okay with that type of branding. You know the two books are related.

Drowning is another out-of-the-park home run. A family already struggling with the tragic loss of a daughter a number of years earlier is caught in the vice of tragedy yet again. Trapped in a downed airliner two hundred feed beneath the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii, Will and his remaining daughter, Shannon, struggle to keep it together as the mother, a industrial commercial diver fights to get the powers that be to listen to the only proposal likely to result in the salvation of the remaining passengers. As various attempts are tried and fail and the clock ticks down to the inevitable, we learn the power of the human bond under the most dire of circumstances. Newman paints the characters with images that make them breathtakingly alive and a plot that will keep you gasping. This book is destined to be a top five thriller for 2023 on anybody's list and gets a rare five stars from me.

Do you ever get nervous flying over water? Do you pay attention when the flight attendant is talking about the location of your flotation device? Whatever you do, do not read Drowning by T.J. Newman on a plane.

"Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the passenger evacuation an engine explosion causes the plane to sink 200 feet below the surface. 12 souls are left in waist deep water fighting for their lives. Only the efforts of the rescue team can save them. But there are only a few hours left of oxygen..."

This is not a new idea - Plane crashes in the ocean and people need saving. But Newman writes it in a way that pulls you in - makes you care about some characters and yell at others. This story is constant action and suspense. Newman is not going to let everyone survive but you don't know who until it happens.
There's a part of the ending that was a little confusing (What really happened to this character?)

This is escapist, suspend-belief, action suspense. There are times where you are trying to catch your breath. A great pick to take to the beach while you sit comfortably in your chair.

Wow wow wow! I finished this on a recent plane trip! Gasp! I hope my panic wasn’t written across my face when we hit turbulence! I did glance around more than once to see the possible people I would survive a plane crash with more than a few times. Get this book as soon as it comes out!! But maybe don’t read it on the plane!

Drowning reminded me of all those natural disaster films that were popular in the 80s (dating myself?) in the best possible way. The author, T.J. Newman is a former flight attendant, and this experience gives the book a solid sheen of authenticity. Minutes after takeoff from Hawaii, a perfect storm of unusual mechanical failures take place on Flight 1421 and it crashes into the ocean. A handful of passengers and crew remain trapped in the sinking plane, among them Will Kent and his 11-year-old daughter, Shannon.

The entire story takes place over the course of about six hours, which is the amount of breathable air left in the plane. The surviving passengers must be rescued before the air runs out. The narrative alternates between those on the plane and those on the surface attempting to rescue them. We also learn the back story of Will and his estranged wife, Chris. Chris, as it turns out, is an integral player in the rescue mission.

This is the type of book you will want to sit down and inhale in one sitting. The action grabbed me on the first page and never let up. It was a thrilling rollercoaster of disaster and tension, apparent resolution, and renewed conflict. I could viscerally feel what it felt like to be trapped in the downed plane. The interactions between the characters, as well as the personal story of Will, Shannon, and Chris gave this thriller an added layer of interest. This is a great summer read. I will definitely pick up the author’s prior book, Falling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for the advance copy of this book.

(3.5 stars) I’ll start out by saying this book had such a unique premise that it drew me in from the start. Without going into too much detail, a flight is forced to make a water landing and several passengers end up trapped hundreds of feet below the surface inside the plane, with a dwindling pocket of air. What makes this story even more compelling is that the author was a flight attendant herself, and she lends her experiences and expertise to the characters throughout.
I’ll admit I struggled a bit with the writing style and a few plot points, but that may just be my personal preference. All in all, I do recommend this book and plan to read “Falling” as well. The world needs more plane thrillers!

This is summer reading at its finest. What a compelling, page turning read! I think this book was even better than T.J. Newman's debut.

Drowning tells the story of Flight 1421 from Honolulu to San Francisco. 4 minutes after taking off the plane's engines blow and they are forced to do a water landing. While evacuating, surface conditions become unsafe and the remaining passengers are forced to close the plane doors. When they sink to the bottom of the ocean, lots of people have to team up to orchestrate a rescue.

This story was so propulsive. If you want a book that you can devour in a few short hours, this is it. Thankfully, it didn't neglect the character development or heart of the tale. There were several times that I teared up at the intense situations. The beginning and ending of the book were especially strong. There were a few times in the middle that I got bogged down in the science of it all, but Newman quickly brought it back to the relationships and kept the story moving.

I think this book will be the must read thriller of summer 2023. I've heard nothing but great things and thoroughly enjoyed my experience. Can't wait to read whatever Newman writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the ebook in exchange for my honest review!

Since I loved T. J. Newman's first book, Falling, I was eager to read her follow up, Drowning, and I was not disappointed. This book starts with a bang - flight 1421 has one engine catch fire on the first page, and the pace keeps going from there. It's no spoiler that the plane will crash, into the water no less, and the tension ratchets up and holds taut throughout the whole book.

Our main characters are Will, an engineer who is flying with his daughter, and Kit, the co-pilot. A few passengers with carefully described character traits add to the drama within the plane. Outside of the plane we have Will's estranged wife, Chris, who is an industrial welder who gets involved with the rescue efforts. (I did find this coincidence stretching the bounds of credibility, but the plot carried me away so that it didn't bother me too much.) We also have characters from the US Coast Guard and the US Navy, as they attempt to mount a rescue plan. Part of the tension is from the potential rescuers trying to agree on the best plan to employ, but there's plenty of tension from within the plane as the surviving passengers need to work together for their best chance at survival.

I felt myself getting very invested in this story, which was well written well and impeccably researched. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Chapters were relatively short and ended with jolts that made me want to continue reading at a frantic pace until the book's dramatic conclusion.

I will recommend this widely to readers who like thrilling stories of survival.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Just like Newman's release last year, Falling, Drowning will have you turning pages and breathless. I was worried we were maybe heading somewhere formulaic, but this had enough to make it unique and not feel like a repeat of Falling. I was scared reading this, but I am so glad that I did.

I requested this as an arc because I was in such a thriller mood, wanted something outside of my comfort zone and it kept coming up as an ad on my kindle screen.

I've never been on a plane so i thought I'd just fully traumatize myself for when the time came I'd actually need to fly and thought the synopsis was interesting- so i requested it.

A book about a sunken plane with people still alive, trapped inside.

But that isn't what this was..

I mean, it is about a sunken plane with people trapped inside on the ocean floor but it's so much more than that.

I've never been struck so deeply by a book that I've had to sit it aside and sob before I could pick it back up again- until Drowning.

This book is beautiful. This book is the absolute worst of human nature but also the very, very best humans can be.

This book is about compassion, grief and loss. This book is about coming home.

This book is about a mother's love and the walls that they will turn to liquid for their child.

This book is about saying 'I love you' every chance you get, just in case.

It's about doing that thing because you don't know what's around the corner.

It's making the reader look inside themselves and reflect on who they are and what they would become in a life or death situation.

Would you stop and help the bleeding woman next to you to safety or would you put your life above everyone else's- like somehow you deserve to live more than the next person?

Drowning by TJ Newman is hands down my favorite book of 2023. Make this a movie already! This book was so intense and suspenseful and the imagery is perfectly described that it feels like you can see it happening in front of you. It quite literally brought me to tears on several occasions. You will find yourself cheering, sobbing, biting your nails and holding your breath. The book can only be described as a thrill-ride which doesn't let up. Not one part of this story was slow or felt like filler. I couldn't put it down. Thanks Net Galley for the advanced copy!

This heart-pounding suspense selection is a summer blockbuster movie packaged within a book. As for the perfect reader? Kirkus Reviews described it best: "not for the weak-kneed."

T. J. Newman, a former airline attendant, added intensive research and interviews with industry experts to weave a harrowing fictional plane crash off the coast of Hawaii, where a desperate rescue operation takes place to save the twelve passengers trapped inside.

In a desperate struggle for survival, engineer Will Kent and his daughter Shannon find themselves trapped underwater, waist-deep in water. Their only hope lies with an elite rescue team led by professional diver Chris Kent, Shannon's mother, and Will's soon-to-be ex-wife.

The question is if they will rescue them in time as the airplane teeters on the edge of an undersea cliff.

Early readers praised the audiobook performance, although I found it as gripping as the print version.

We have included this novel in our 2023 Summer Reading Guide.

Okay, I'm definitely a minority in here🥲
But this book made my brain overwork!

SUMMARY:
Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. 99 passengers are inside the plane, but only 12 of them are lucky enough to survive after the plane hits the ocean. They need to stay together inside the plane in order to survive, waiting for the rescuer to come and save them. However, will all of the survivors remain alive until the end?.......

List of Survivors:
▪️Ira and Ruth (the old couple)
▪️Bernadette (nurse)
▪️Jasmine (life vest woman)
▪️Andy (blue polo asshole)
▪️Will and Shannon (Father and daughter)
▪️Ryan (newlywed widow)
▪️Maia (unaccompanied minor)
▪️Kit, Kaholo, and Molly (The Crew)
👉IN TOTAL: 12 People

👁️This story is told in third person

🕰️There are Multiple Timelines in here.

MY THOUGHTS:
📌 The premise is all I wanted; I do love aviation (especially airplane), and I'm a big fan of this kind of story, but the execution is the main and biggest problem here.

📌 There are a lot of aviation terms used in this book, so for people who aren't really into airplanes, you might find yourself a little bit confused while reading it.

📌 To be honest, the first 10% of this book was good; it successfully sucked me into the story. And I thought that would work for the whole page till the end, but NAH......🙁

📌 I can picture this book as a movie. It might be a big hit as a movie, but as a book...BIG NO

📌 I haven't read the first book from this author, but as I saw the reviews from her previous work, 'Falling," I had the same feelings as them. So I thought the first book and the second book were quite alike; if you like the first book, you might like this one as well, but if you don't, then stay away from this one as well.

WHY IT DIDN'T WORK OUT FOR ME:
☠️ It was TOO INTENSE! While reading this book, I felt like I was in a crowded place where I couldn't even breathe. This intensity ruined everything! And made this book become TOO MUCH in every aspect.

Even right from the first page, it was already very intense and seemed to be in a hurry; it began with the engine starting to explode and everyone in panic. Usually, I like this kind of opening, but in this case, I would rather it begin at the airport. When they are about to take off or waiting for the plane....

☠️ My lousy brain couldn't keep up with the story; she refused to think and went blank instead!

So there are two situations here: the first is the survivors, and the second is the rescuer. Both sides are freakin intense and complicated! I found it hard to imagine both situations, which is why I said "It might be a big hit as a movie, but as a book...BIG NO"

☠️ Now, because of those things I said before,
My brain couldn't keep up + The intensity kept building up up and up = At the end, it became such a mess for me!

☠️ It was boringable
AngelFA's Dictionary: Boringable is a situation where I find something boring, but it's still fine. And I can cope with it.

☠️ The more I read, the more I hate this book!
And the characters *DEEP SIGH* somehow I didn't like it either.

☠️ I'm waiting for the author's debut as a romance writer because some of the dialogue is chessy good enough for a romance book

WHERE THE BOOK COULD HAVE WORKED BETTER:
🔍 SEAT MAP, I wish there was a seat map. Though I know what the Airbus A321 looked like, still, if you provide a seat map/plane map, it's much better, isn't it?

🔍 Will and Chris
Somehow, I felt their love story was useless.

OVERALL:
This book is not to my liking, but trying to be general here and consider the other things, I think this book deserves at least 2 stars instead of 1 star.

CREDIT:
Thank you NetGalley and Avid Reader Press, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great book! When the book starts, we meet and get to know the passengers on Flight 1421. You feel like you are on the plane with them and some even seem like they are your friends. It will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

I was on the edge of my seat throughout this whole book! After the plane crashes, Will realizes that the jet fuel all over the water is going to kill them all, and he talks a group of people into staying inside the plane to wait for help. The plane then sinks with them all trapped inside. It is a race between the Navy and experienced government contractors to find a safe way to rescue the survivors trapped at the bottom of the ocean before their oxygen runs out. The epilogue at the end brings this book to a great close while honoring those lost on the flight. It is fictional, but while reading I gained feelings for these characters and was rooting for the best possible outcome. T.J. Newman is a phenomenal author and is great at keeping the suspense and fast paced thrill that keeps you sucked in.

T.J. Newman is back with her next aircraft-set action novel following the success of her last, Falling. Drowning is a thrilling and fast-paced novel that takes readers on a suspenseful journey from air to sea, complete with a full cast of characters and a harrowing rescue mission.

One of the highlights of the book is the multiple third-person points-of-view, which shows the perspectives of both the rescue team and the trapped passengers. The multiple perspectives add depth to the narrative and enhance the sense of impending doom and dread from inside and out. Too, I appreciated the strong female characters in traditionally male-dominated fields. Also, nerd that I am, I appreciated the technical explanations of everything. Newman keeps the plot rolling while also making sure the reader understands what is happening and why.

My least favorite part was a couple major characters: husband and dad Will, an on-board passenger, and Will’s wife Chris, a contractor who becomes a critical part of the rescue mission. They come across as overdramatic in their insistence and smug attitudes toward other ideas. If you have watched the show Manifest (NBC/Netflix), you have an exact idea of Will’s know-it-all dad vibes, which leads him to butt heads with others in his desperate determination to save his daughter. In fact, I could only imagine Josh Dallas portraying Will, so similar does the Ben Stone character feel to Will. I thought the family backstory and the Will-Chris dynamics tend to overwhelm the narrative, but they do give the story heart.

Was Drowning cheesy? Sometimes, yup. Did I roll my eyes? You bet I did. Did I gulp it down in a couple days and enjoy my time reading it? A million times yes. I found myself invested in the passengers' lives and rooting for their survival, amid a rollercoaster of a plot. T.J. Newman knows how to write an airplane disaster experience, both the on-board and the off-board parts. Drowning is a true page-turner, particularly well-suited for fans of rescue and disaster novels. Despite my minor quibbles, this novel delivered exactly what I expected: an adrenaline-fueled, edge-of-my-seat, unputdownable adventure. I can’t wait to see this on screen and to read what Newman writes next.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.