I loved this one. So good. It was so unique and different. I flew through it. It is totally a binge read. I loved the story line and the writing was good.
If you already have a fear of flying to not read.

I loved Newman’s debut, Falling, so of course I rushed to read her sophomore novel ASAP, and it did NOT disappoint!

The action starts immediately on the first page and does not let up, keeping you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. It is an absolute thrill ride of a book.

On the spectrum of character-driven to plot-driven, this is off the charts on the plot side, so if you’re looking for nuanced, well-developed characters, this isn’t it (there is some character development but not much). However, if you’re looking for a book for your next road trip, beach trip, or plane ride if you’re brave 😆, make sure to grab this one! Clear your schedule whenever you pick it up, because you won’t want to put it down until you’ve devoured the whole thing.

*4.5 stars rounded up.

Another terrifying thriller from TJ Newman, author of Falling. The plot: minutes after take off, Flight 1421 out of Hawaii loses an engine and, with the resulting fire, all hydraulics and control of the plane. The only option is to ditch. The survivors of the crash begin using the escape chutes to slide down into the water but one passenger begins to think that is a very bad idea. He tries to talk the last few passengers into remaining on the plane but most won't listen. When the doors are closed again, only 12 are left. And then the plane begins to sink...

This is one of the most exciting survival and rescue mission stories I've read in some time. If someone doesn't snap up the movie rights immediately, they are missing a good bet.

I received an arc of this thriller from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

If you grew up obsessing over movies like the Poseidon Adventure or the Towering Inferno, only to go on devouring thrillers looking for that same heart-pounding adrenaline rush, T.J. Newman is the author to read.

Drowning is the second book by Newman I've read. The story begins with a plane crashing just minutes after takeoff into the ocean. Miraculously, many survive and are able to escape the plane. But one man makes a decision. He believes it's safer for him and his daughter on the plane and begs others to stay.

Would you listen? Or would you escape into the water and risk the perils on the outside? The thrill ride begins with that choice and doesn't stop until the very end.

I highly recommend Drowning for fans of action, adventure, and suspense. If you enjoy the pace of Adrian McKinty, give T.J. Newman a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an arc of this book on NetGalley in return for an honest review. This book was very good in the amount of details that it included, especially about the airplane itself. This was a little harder for me to keep my interest. I really enjoyed reading about the characters and the situations that they were put in and the fight to survive. It would be absolutely terrifying to be stuck in anything but imagine being stuck in an airplane that crashes into the ocean, the engine blows and while trying to get out, the plane starts to sink forcing you along with 11 others to shut the door and fight for your lives. Intense.
Thank you again NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a chance to read this book!

DROWNING

A tension filled airplane crash thriller, this book left me with mixed feelings.

After a horrific crash off the coast of Hawaii, Airliner Flight 1421 rapidly submerges into the Pacific Ocean. Two passengers on board are Will and Shannon Kent, father and young daughter. The story centers around the various rescue efforts by the Coast Guard and the Navy with the help of Shannon’s mother, Chris, and her small underwater welding company.

The Kent family is also going through a lot of upheaval, as Will and Chris are soon to be divorced after the recent loss of their other daughter, Annie.

I thought the overall idea for the story was really good, and the visuals of plane and the atmosphere created were terrific - I could see it all, I could feel the claustrophobia. Unfortunately I thought the characters were very superficial and stereotypical, and the outcomes too predictable.

But if you go into it for the thrills alone, l can say that nearing the end, I was holding on to my Kindle for dear life.

I would like to thank NetGalley, T.J. Newman, and Avid Reader Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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?