If you liked Falling, you'll love Drowning! I realize how absurd that sounds, but Newman has a knack for knocking her niche genre of thrillers out of the park! This book, like the first, contains nonstop suspense and makes you feel like a passenger on this plane that's on the brink of disaster.

Plot: Flight 1421 is going down...there's no "ifs," "ands," or "buts" about it. Just 6 minutes after takeoff, the plane spirals down in between the Hawaiian Islands and doesn't have any chance of a safe landing. The captain and flight attendants do their best to brace the plane for inevitable disaster and plane evacuation, but things don't quite go according to their plan. The airlines don't exactly teach how to prepare for this type of bailout. When the aircraft hits the water, things start to go downhill quickly. After an engine explodes, the passengers that decide (against advice from engineer on board, Will) to ditch don't have much of a chance for survival. The ones who stay on board, just volunteered for the most traumatic bonding experience of their lives. As the plane descends into the ocean and survivors team up with outside forces to plan their own rescue, it feels as if their entire existence is up in the air.

Not only is this book super suspenseful and Newman's storytelling heart-pounding, but the human emotions on display are palpable. Will and his daughter Shannon are battling family drama outside the plane and their plight comes through in such a relatable way. Even as their earth is shattering, Will's crumbling relationship with his wife, Chris, is still at the forefront of his mind. Chris leads a team of professional divers and as her whole world is quite literally sinking into the ocean, she crafts a rescue plan with astounding mental clarity and strength.

Newman's background as a flight attendant gives her the ability to add such vivid detail to a story like this in a way that makes it 100% believable. While the thought of being in a sinking plane is daunting, Newman gave it such an electric energy. The character development along with the impending doom somehow worked hand-in-hand to bring readers a story they won't soon forget. Once again, I can't wait to read whatever she writes next!

Thank you so much to Avid Reader Press, T.J. Newman, and NetGalley for the ARC of Drowning!

T.J Newman has done it again! I would say Drowning is even better than the last one. The story kept me on the edge of my seat and had me feeling for all the characters in their own way.

A great action package emotional journey!!!

I may need to rethink future travel plans but if I do I'll remember the tips. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the copy. Looking forward to more by T.J Newman in the future.

Pure adrenaline rush. Still, very solid writing. I read Newman's FALLING and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is more of the same. She's carved out a niche writing unputdownable airplane thrillers. Recommended!

Realistic doesn’t do this book justice. Impossible to read on a plane or if you’re getting on a plane anytime soon. Palpable suspense. Awesome science too. I liked Falling more, but Drowning added some tearjerker moments that I absolutely succumbed to— I think this shows where TJ Newman will go next!

4.25 stars
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TW: Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Cancer, Infidelity
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As someone who has a fear of flying, this probably wasn't the best choice for me. That being said, I LOVED Drowning by T.J. Newman. I applaud this book for jumping straight into action, six-minutes after taking off, flight 1421 is forced to make an emergency water landing. During the rough landing, the engine explodes and chaos ensues. Passengers are forced to make a choice - and fast. Leave the plane and die, or stay in and fight for survival.

We're left with twelve passengers left on the plane, as they start to sink to the bottom of the ocean. We get a glimpse into the passengers lives as we deal with the fact that they may not survive. Their only hope? An elite rescue team led by diver Chris Kent, who's daughter Shannon and soon-to-be ex-husband Will just so happen to be on board of the plane. The stakes are high, and it seems like nothing can be done. This is a page-turner! Once you start it, you won't want to put it down. This thrilling novel allows us to see the 'ins' of a flight and crew, and what happens once disaster strikes. Although I appreciated all the technical flight terms, sometimes it got a little too detailed and was a little hard to follow along.

I really enjoyed the different POV's one from the plane, and the other from the crew above the water. It really added to the tension of how they were going to pull off the rescue, I really liked Chris' determination, although her rescue plan was not first choice, she didn't give up as she knew it was the ONLY way to have everyone on board survive. I've always avoided disaster and rescue movies, and books so I was hesitant going into this one, but in the end it had me in tears.
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I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another superb novel by TJ Newman! The action aspects of these books remind me of a Harrison Ford movie. Another cracking read!

[4.5 stars]

TJ Newman's sophomore novel (the follow-up to Falling) is the fastest-paced novel I've read all year. It’s pure adrenalin in a very physical way...to the point where I had to stop reading it right before bed because it kept me awake. I’d read my reset book for the last 10 minutes before turning out the light to slow down my heart rate enough to fall asleep. Drowning stays in Newman's lane of aviation action thrillers. I recommend skipping the publisher's blurb, as it gives away the first third or so of the story. Just know that, a few minutes after taking off from Honolulu airport, a passenger jet crashes into the ocean, but things go horribly wrong with the rescue effort and this story is primarily about the rescue effort. I’m fascinated by all the flight procedures and she did such a good job explaining them in a way that made sense and was interesting to a civilian, which makes sense since Newman is a former flight attendant. There’s also a family element to this story, which adds heart. My one complaint is I felt a little manipulated by one particular part of the ending. It felt like something unnecessary tacked on at the end.

📖 Book Review 📖

📘🎧 "Drowning" by TJ Newman

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
published May 30, 2023

The author is a former flight attendant and the vivid details that went into this novel showcase her love and knowledge of aviation. When a commercial jetliner crashes into the ocean, just 6 minutes after takeoff from Maui it is the worst outcome imaginable. A water ditching, fuel being leaked onto ocean surface, a fire and a change in wind direction, ultimately causes 3 crew and 9 passengers to shut the plane doors and sink to the bottom of the ocean. Luckily the plane lands on a volcanic ledge about 180m down…this is the story of how they are rescued.

The ingenious engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon and Chris Kent, a professional diver and Shannon’s mom make this book. The love of family, impossible odds, suspense, plus all the emotions made me race through this story. I found the last chapters intense- with so much happening and time running out, it was a sweat, pray, can’t read fast enough feeling.

#somanybooks #readsomemore #audiobooks #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

I can safely say I am obsessed with T.J. Newman's writing. She does such a great job at character building and really makes you connect with the characters in her books. As a fellow aviation girly, I also love that she has past experience in the aviation world and feel it really helps to make the stories feel so REAL.

'Falling' is one of my favorite books ever, so this had a lot to live up to and I feel it fell a *bit* short comparitively, but I still LOVED this. It was so suspenseful and kept me guessing 'til literally the very end. I typically don't cry from books and this one had my tearing up. My only issue is I felt there were a few too many characters working the rescue and really struggled to keep them straight. Regardless, YOU MUST READ THIS!!

"Time is luck. You grab it. You hold on tight. And you be there. You have to be there for it. It's going, with or without you. And no one knows for how long. No one knows."

CW: Plane crash

Thank you to @avidreaderpress, @simonandschuster and @netgalley for the ARC.

Y'all, this was a ride and a half. Holy smokes. Fast-paced, unpredictable, heartbreaking, suspenseful and inspiring. I read it in a day and a half because I couldn't put it down. A perfect thriller, unless you have any fear of flying or plane crashes. Then don't read this and take the book way off your TBR.

There's no doubt Newman is a former flight attendant with the way she skillfully writes about being in the air and on a plane. There was a lot of technical action in the book and I admittedly grazed over some of it but for the most part it was accessible - and somewhat believable (or maybe that's because I couldn't fully grasp it haha). There were twists and turns and the characters had unexpected layers that made you cheer even harder for their survival. There were heartbreaking moments, heartwarming moments and the end packed an emotional punch I was not expecting. If you can handle the plane crash element, pick this one up. You'll be entertained and sucked in and you'll hug your loved ones a little tighter when you're done.

Newman delivers an adrenaline rush in story form. This story picks you up and sweeps you along for the ride. There was a lot of technical jargon that lost my interest a little along the way, and I didn’t get completely engrossed in the characters, I felt like I was seeing them at arms length instead of totally engrossed in their actions. I did however enjoy the fast pace and action throughout the book. I was pleased to recieve a review copy from NetGalley.

LOVED LOVED LOVED. This book was everything I wanted it to be. Read it in less than 24 hours because I couldn’t stop!

I was SO excited to get this ARC! I loved this author's first novel and could not wait to get my hands on this one! And the book did not disappoint. It was fast paced and kept my attention the entire time. I read it in on sitting!

“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 and in whatever circumstances you’ve got before your time runs out.”

Drowning is a gripping suspense that starts off with a bang right away! And this continues all the way to the very end.

Thanks NetGallet for the e-copy ARC! I both read the ARC and listened to the audiobook. It was interesting to see/hear the subtle changes made throughout now that it’s a finished work.

I listened to Falling last year and liked it so when I heard Newman was releasing another I had to add it to my tbr. Both are perfect summer reads that hold your attention. In Drowning we are given the POVs from both those in the trapped cabin, the rescue crew, and the estranged wife of one of the passengers. Newman has an incredible inner knowledge of airplanes, protocols, and goodness her imagination with these novels makes you wonder how she wrote these without experiencing it firsthand! That knowledge makes these stories so much more realistic but as long as you don’t have a fear of flying, you shouldn’t be too paranoid to step onto a plane after reading either of her novels.

Content and trigger warnings include tragedy violence, drowning, loss of child/spouse, profanity.

Amazing 2nd novel by former flight attendant T.J. Newman. This was a fast pace, edge of your seat rescue mission. Shortly after departing Hawaii, this commercial jetliner crashes into the Pacific Ocean and it is a race against time and oxygen to save the people still inside the plane now underwater. The technical details were not overwhelming, but you can tell the author had done her research. The characters were well developed, diverse and I became very invested in their well being. Laughed, cried, stayed up all night. A++

A plane crashes into the ocean with twelve passengers/crew members trapped inside 😱
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This was a non stop action packed thrill ride! It was claustrophobic and anxiety inducing for me, as the coast guard/navy worked to rescue everyone and conditions deteriorated inside the plane. I won’t soon be getting on a plane, I can tell you that 🤣
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I thought we got to know the characters really well, and I was even choked up and misty eyed at the end, which I was not expecting!
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Really enjoyable read and I look forward to the author’s next book!

Omg this book, whew! Newman’s books are always a wild, heart pumping thrill ride and I love for it. Im so glad I didn’t read this before my Hawaiian vacation because I would’ve had to take a Valium to make it on the flight. This book plays out like a movie and I just couldn’t stop once I started.

It's a wild ride that's worth every moment! Very propulsive and will have your heart pounding! You're going to be irritated with whatever real life has you doing until you can get back to it.

Drowning by T.J. Newman
Spice: 0/5
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 /5 stars
{Spoiler Free Review}

THE PLANE IS SINKING INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN AND THEIR ONLY CHANCE AT SURVIVAL IS A TEAM OF PROFESSIONAL DIVERS LED BY NONE OTHER THAN CHRIS KENT, ONE OF THE PASSENGERS SOON TO BE EX WIFE AND ANOTHER PASSENGERS MOTHER.
Can I say I found a book both heartwarming and heartbreaking? A book that features losing souls but also a found family?
This book blew my mind in all the good ways that a book is able to. Talk about multiple fears coming true. A plane crash and drowning at the same time is absolutely the most terrifying thing I can imagine happening.
How T.J Newman was able to write an entire novel purely about the plane crash is mind blowing, and the details within the story are amazing. When I am telling you, that I was sitting on the edge of my seat during my entire reading experience and I no longer have any fingernails left is not an exaggeration. I felt like I was actually there, I could picture the details so clearly and so vividly.
I do wish that we were able to get to know the main characters better, because as they were crashing/drowning I did not feel any sort of attachment to them, but other than that there were not many other scenes that I would change if I rewrote this book.
If you can handle talk of death, crashing, drowning, and survival, I would definitely recommend giving this book a try. It was such a fast paced read!

Loved this book!!
Read it shortly before the eerie Titan submarine accident too. Sooo suspenseful and playing on a bunch of different personalities that were randomly thrown into crisis together as a plane crashes into the sea shortly after takeoff. I can see why this is being made into a movie. There is the unlikely-but-devastating dynamic of a divorced family being on both sides of the crisis - father & daughter onboard, mother we asked her way onto the rescue team and knows better than the special forces leads assigned to the case. This feels like a movie trope - a parent in the unique position to save their family despite *seeming* unqualified, but it makes for a good story. I devoured this in 2-3 sittings. Would recommend and see the movie.