Drowning takes us on an adventure that no one wants to live through. Imagine flying on a flight from Hawaii to the mail and USA and one of the engines fails plummeting the plane into the ocean. As the plane is sinking most of the 99 people on board escape out of the aircraft into the water while a dozen people listen to Will, an engineer and one of the main characters to stay in the plane increasing their chance for survival. The plane sinks to 200 feet under water. Water is seeping into the plane and the plane is resting on a cliff with the possibility of falling deeper into the ocean. Chris, Wills ex-wife leads a team of recur divers to design and execute a plan to get the passengers out safely and back to the surface of the ocean.

This is the premise of T. J. Newman’s latest novel. It is an exciting and emotional story of people trying to survive and the people trying to rescue these trapped passengers. It would make a good disaster movie. Take The Titanic and replace the ocean liner with an Airbus Jet Liner.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this thriller for an honest review.

What a ride! After thoroughly enjoying T.J. Newman’s debut “Falling”, I was ecstatic to get my hands on “Drowning”. My experience with her first book was that edge of my seat feeling the whole way through. Newman does a great job at engaging the reader and pulling us right into the plane with the passengers. I am not usually one to stay up reading way past my bedtime, but that was the case for me last night!

I could feel the pressure in my chest and my heart rate rising during the action scenes in the plane and with the rescue crew. The pace of the story kept me coming back for more and wanting to move through quickly. I could not wait to pick it up again in anticipation of a resolution on how the heck these folks were going to get rescued.

While it felt a little unbelievable that Will’s soon-to-be ex wife was both a professional and available to come to the rescue in this disaster, I also ended up appreciating this plot line. The story would not have been nearly as effective if it was some random rescue team coming to save the day.

I did have a hard time distinguishing between the various characters at some point. Obviously our focus was on Will and family, though I would have appreciated a little more background on the other folks in the plane.

Overall, it was both an enjoyable and stressful read. I would certainly press this into the hands of other readers looking for a propulsive, quick read.

Huge thanks to T.J. Newman, NetGalley, and Avid Reader Press for this e-book ARC to read and review. Looking forward to many more!

I went out of my genre comfort zone for this book and I was so glad I did (although I may need a Xanax for my next transcontinental trip this summer). What a ride! Drowning is an adrenaline pumping (not 100% sure if adrenaline pumps but...) story of a plane crash into the ocean near Molokai and the book jumps right in (or plummets right in) with the plane going down.

There are 12 people who remain on the plane after the rest of the passengers have evacuated; it sinks to an undersea cliff and they (we) wait for an elite rescue team to save them. Will Kent (who convinced these 12 that staying on the plane was the only chance of survival) and his 11-year-old daughter Shannon are the main characters of the novel as we learn about their family history and their mom/ex-wife who is helping to lead the rescue efforts (along with others). I had to put it down a few times because it was a bit stressful for me but I did finish it in less than 48 hours. Throughout the time in the plane we learn about the other 10 people and the relationships that form as the best and the worst of people emerge.

This is a perfect summer read! I am going to have to read Newman's first book (but maybe after I come back from summer vacation)

There’s action, there’s plot and the characters are wonderful. This is a 4.25 rating

Thank you to Netgalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review

What a ride! TJ Newman has done it again with her sophomore novel.

Action packed from the start down to the last pages. No plot build up you will be plunged into the action from the first few minutes of reading. Your heart rate will think you are running for your life with the adrenaline you experience while reading this book.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat down to the last page as more and more action and character identity is established.

Drowning will absolutely be a book I will be pushing into everyone hands.

What an intense ride! This book had me up late to finish, crying a lot. True to what I think will become her "brand" Newman includes lots of technical details about airplanes that I never knew I cared about until reading them from her. I blew through this book and can't stop thinking about it.

Wow!! This was a on the edge of your seat book I will never forget. Getting to know each survivor was half the fun. It was heart warming in some parts and I actually shed some tears. I like books with all the feels and this certainly delivered. 5 solid stars. I have T.J. Newman's first book Falling. That book will go on my TBR very soon.

This sophomore novel by T.J. Newman starts your heart racing at page 1 and doesn’t let go until you finish! Very enjoyable with some science (ROVs, physics, water rescues) and realistic characters.

Very soon after takeoff from Hawaii, the airplane experiences a complete malfunction and has to land in the water. After disaster happens to those who use the slide, our main character Will decides staying onboard would be the safer option, until the airplane becomes more like a leaky submarine. With their oxygen depleting by the minute, will they be able to communicate with those on land, and then will those on land, including Will’s wife, be able to save those who remain on the plane?

Tons of action and unputdownable!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review. This book is about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean. This book would make a good movie. I felt like I could picture the characters in my mind . What I enjoyed most about the book is the fight to survive and the renewed reason that life is worth fighting for! Why does it take tragedy to make us realize the good things we had all along?

Another fantastic book from T.J. Newman! It keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first page and doesn't let up until the end. Just like Falling, I wouldn't recommend reading this while on an airplane, especially if you are flying from Hawaii! Thatnks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This was a really entertaining book that reads like a movie: A plane crashes over the ocean and a handful of passengers are trapped inside the plane as it plummets almost 200 meters below the surface, landing precariously on a volcanic ledge. Will they be rescued before their oxygen runs out?
The technical explanations of rescue operations dragged on for me, and there were a few twee and too coincidental moments, but overall I enjoyed this. I loved the relationships the passengers formed with each other and the healing in all aspects that the main characters found. Suspenseful and sweet-a blockbuster movie in the making for sure.

10/10

I don't do this often, to be honest this may even be the first time I have, but I am giving this book a solid 10/10.

From the very beginning the story comes out swinging, there's no set up, there's no down time, the very first sentence of the book sets the tone for everything to come. Every page of this book is filled with pure adrenaline. I don't mean cheap action and fight scenes but pure anxiety inducing, shortness of breath, heart thumping terror. At the end of every chapter I always found myself saying "Ok just one more chapter before bed" because I simply could not get enough and NEEDED to know what happened next.

Alongside all this pure nightmare fuel however are absolutely beautiful tales about the lives of the people trapped in the sunken plane. We learn who they are, their lives, their careers, but more importantly about their relationships, fears, shortcomings, and so much more.

Meanwhile topside the United States Coast Guard and Navy are doing everything they can to save everyone they possibly can from the plane crash. Alongside them is the, separated, wife of our main character Will, and the mother of Shannon, the daughter trapped along with him. She isn't just there as a wife and mother though, she is a capable diver and extremely intelligent woman who is also doing everything she possibly can to save those trapped in the plane, because after all, her daughter is down there, and what mother wouldn't do anything to save her child?

From beginning to end everything about this book just hit all the right notes. It had everything I look for in a book and everything about the story was so real and visceral that I'm not sure I want to fly over a body of water anytime soon.

Just go read it.

*ARC received from the publisher in exchange for a review. My opinions are not at all influenced by this fact.

With the book Drowning, TJ Newman has penned one of the greatest opening sentences, opening paragraphs, and opening chapters I have ever read. The powerful visuals and anxiety of her words felt like I was in person, living through the experience. It is so much more than words on a page. It is emotions, feelings, fear, sounds. It touched the fabric of my being and ingrained itself.

It is fairly obvious from the title, subtitle, and cover art that this book is about a plane that sinks into the ocean. There are no spoilers in saying that. The book expertly delivers the fears and anxiety, the panic and chaos, the reactions of passengers and crew from the opening bang, through the multiple system failures, through the impact with the ocean as the flight is ditched. That gets the reader partway into the book.

Everything dealing with the crash and subsequent actions are just setting the stage for the real story. It is a story of humanity coming together in times of desperate need. It is people rising above their selfish needs and desires and reaching out to others. It is people heeding the call and rising to meet the challenge head on despite their own fears and the unknown. It is a story of love, of relationships, of family, of loss, of healing, of new beginnings, of sad endings. It is a powerful exploration of the human experience set against the backdrop of a shocking and tragic accident.

It would take a lot of time, effort, and thought to pull together a short list of my 10 favorite books of all time. It is not a stretch or hyperbole to say that Drowning would make the list. This is the kind of story that you can't stop thinking about long after you close the book. It will undoubtedly be one of the top books of 2023, and any accolades it received are well deserved. You don't want to miss this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for my thoughts.

Thank you NetGalley and Avid Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book grabbed my attention from page one. The descriptions of the crash, immediate aftermath, and rescue attempts were described in a way that had me riveted as if I were at a action movie. This story has main characters who are married but separated after a devastating accident. Both of them and their daughter are directly involved in the disaster; Dad and daughter passengers and Mom is on the rescue team. The secondary characters are very well developed. The author does an amazing job with tying up the storylines at the end.

I also thought I knew the ending, but no, I did not. Great job by this author!! Excellent book!

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.

Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent—Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife—who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff.

There’s not much time.
There’s even less air.

Drowning was my first read of TJ Newman's and it won't be my last. With a gripping premise & propulsive plot you'll be on the edge of your seat and will stay up too late to find out what happens next. I loved Will's character & also really enjoyed the interactions of the passengers trapped in the plane. It is always satisfying to see nerds save the world! I did feel as though the final ending cheated a bit & that did impact my final rating. 4.5 stars rounded down for Goodreads.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for the ARC.

Holy cow what a wild ride - not my usual read but it definitely was page turning! This started out with a literal bang and it was fast and furious until the last page. I really liked the characters Chris and Kit - smart, capable women. I liked Molly and her ability as a flight attendant - she knew where everything was on that plane.

This is going to be in everyone’s beach bag, just hope your beach trip doesn’t involve a plane ride!!

4.5 - 5 stars for enjoyability, 4.5 because its not a book that I will remember/reflect on. It was fun while it lasted though!

Wow! Drowning is the first book I've read by T.J. Newman and now I can't wait to read her previous book, Falling. This book reads like an action film and I was right there the whole time for the ride. Even though there's so much going on with the action of the plane crash and the aftermath, I feel like there was some really good character development as well, especially the main characters of Will, Chrissy, and Shannon and their family story. There's some science talk that probably went right over my head, but it did not impact my enjoyment of this ultimate thrill ride of a book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book is EVERYTHING! Suspense, thriller, edge of your seat, nail-biting. A few minutes after takeoff the plane crashes into the ocean. While evacuating the plane an engine explodes and the plane is overtaken with water. The remaining people on the plane are forced to close the doors and the plane begins to sink! Twelve people that are trapped inside the plane and it is intense. Will those people live or die. This story is more than about a plane crash!

This book was a wild ride from the very first page! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I read it. I loved the author’s insight into the nitty gritty of flying. You can tell this was well researched. I’m hoping this is eventually made into a movie!

As someone who is terrified of drowning, this book was a real nail-biter! I felt a tremendous sense of dread while picturing myself in a situation like the one portrayed in the book. Although it is likely far-fetched, I thought the plot was very fast-paced and kept me turning pages well past my usual bedtime. There were some surprising twists and turns yet still fairly predictable. This was a fun thriller that kept me on my toes!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

WOW!!!! EXTRAORDINARY!!! I absolutely loved the T.J. Newman's first novel!! When I found out about her writing a seconded novel I knew I needed to read it. By the end of the book was shaking because I wanted to know what was going to happen to everyone but at the same time I did not want the book to end. Just like when I read Falling I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. I can't wait to see what novels she comes up with next!