If you're looking for a gripping psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Thin Air by Kellie Parker is your next must-read. This book blends suspense, secrets, and just the right amount of paranoia to create a story you won’t be able to put down. The story opens with deceit and intrigue, along with a fierce atmosphere. Parker’s descriptions are vivid enough to make you feel like you’re right there, struggling for every breath at high altitude. What truly makes Thin Air stand out is the characters. The protagonist is relatable yet flawed, grappling with a past that slowly unravels. The themes of trust, betrayal, and resilience are handled beautifully, making the story resonate even after the last page. Thin Air is a thrilling, heart-pounding read that delivers on every level. Great for readers who are fans of survival stories, psychological mysteries, or just love a well-told tale.

I have a confession: I'm afraid of flying, but somehow, I love books set on planes (especially thrillers). This is actually a great book to read on your next flight -- very immersive and fun!

Twisty and delightful!

I'm always on the hunt for more YA thriller/mystery book and this seriously was excellent with its locked-door type of situation - in a plane! How clever is that?

There was ample excitement, anxiousness, misdirection, and questions that left me turning pages (aka audio-listening) all day so I could figure out what was going to happen!

I'd recommend this to fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus but w/o the excessive language (thank you for that!).

My rating: 4.8*
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this gifted advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

YA Murder-Mysteries rarely deliver, and Thin Air sadly follows this trend. Thin Air's narrative feels constrained by its YA genre, and it is clear where the author had to tone down some aspects of the plot. It reads more like a cozy mystery rather than a high-stakes thriller.

Thin Air is a unique take on a locked room mystery. There are 12 teenage contestants taking a private jet on their way to Paris. Each one of them has signed up to this exclusive contest to earn a scholarship for college. What they weren’t expecting is that the contest would start on the plane and someone would start picking them off one by one.

Overall this was a fun and drama filled read. The plane ride is only 8 hours which meant that things were constantly happening. I also enjoyed the games they had to play and the group dynamics. Of course everyone was keeping secrets which made everyone a suspect.

While I understand that this is a young adult book I did not like the romance elements in the story. I can understand crushing on someone but the romance was too heavy of a topic for most of these people just meeting. I also thought that the killer was fairly obvious and I was hoping that I would be wrong since I clocked them from the beginning.

I do have a soft spot for YA mystery/thrillers and I think this was a fun one. I enjoyed the contestants trying to figure out the clues they were given as well as who was the one behind the violence happening. This was Parker’s debut and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for what she comes out with in the future.

Thin Air was a little bit of a letdown. Overall I found it to fit a certain formula and to be very predictable.

As much as I really enjoyed this book, I found it to be easy to identify what was going to happen. Maybe it was formulaic of=r it was my ADHD/AuDHD ability to recognize patterns or deviations from patterns but this one was quite predictible, although still enjoyable.

Even though there were some hard to believe aspects (like the absence of the pilots), it was a great book that kept me on my toes until the very end. The plot twists were good, but there were some lose ends and minor plot holes.
I also didn't love the FMC, but I managed to kind of forget that while reading. Overall the plot was great and it could be done a little bit better, but I had a great time reading this book!

(review coming soon!)

This premise held so much promise for me, and I loved the setting of the characters being trapped on a plane which, if executed well enough, would have had me afraid to set foot on a plane ever again. However, I still have very mixed feelings about how everything played out. I was hooked on the start of this story, but unfortunately ended up losing interest as the story progressed.

The biggest issue for me, and for a lot of people I know who have read this book, is the way the main character Emily is written. So many of her decisions and thought processes I just could not get behind. Believe me, I can understand the immaturity of teenagers and how they are prone to make poor choices, but I truly cannot fathom how she willingly allowed herself to make out with her best friend's boyfriend. I don't care how it's partly symbolic of how she feels in the hierarchy of her friendship, I don't care that she had feelings for him even before the two got together, that is just a line I cannot come to terms with her crossing.

Furthermore, while I did enjoy her dynamic with Liam, and how she was able to see how it felt when someone truly had feelings for her, it was still way too insta-lovey for my taste. It also got to be frustrating how wrapped up she was in her romantic prospects once sh*t started going down and people started dying. In that situation, I don't think anyone would be prioritizing what their crush might think of them and their decisions.

I actually do think the twist could have been executed well, but only if it had been hinted at in ANY way, shape, or form, earlier in the story. As it is, it seems to come out of nowhere, and is nowhere near fully developed, especially considering how the villain's plan seems to fall apart the more you start to think about it.

Overall, this thriller was unfortunately a miss for me. While there were elements that held promise, there were several aspects that could have been executed better to make for a more effective and gripping story.

2.5-2.75 this one was fine, it kept me guessing for sure but my god i can’t get past the main character CONSTANTLY talking about boys. girlie just got stabbed and she mentions wanting to kiss this hot boy. i can’t.

I love a locked-room mystery, so I was excited to read Thin Air. I loved this book and would recommend it. The setting is unique and the twists are shocking. I can honestly say I had no idea who the killer was until the very end. Fans of Karen McManus should give this book a read.

A group of students from the top private schools are all boarding a private international flight in the hopes of winning a scholarship--only one of which is available. Little do they know, this flight is about to go a little differently than planned. Murder, mystery, and mayhem are all afoot.

I like to think of this book as a Knives Out mystery with a full cast of teenagers. It's a bit like Pretty Little Liars if they were only involved in one murderous set of hours instead of always.
The book being contained in just an airplane makes the suspense high and the stakes high as well. We are involved in the whodunnit along with the characters the whole way through, and no one appears to be safe!

This book was written for you if:
1) You love a Knives Out mystery
2) You like trying to solve the case with the characters
3) You liked Pretty Little Liars

The "locked room" scenario with a hidden killer on board had me hooked from the start. The potential for a thrilling whodunit was undeniable. However, the character development fell flat for me. Many characters came across as petty and self-absorbed, and the instant romance and infidelity subplots felt unnecessary. Ultimately, the ending was a letdown. The villain's monologue felt out of place, reminiscent of a cartoon villain's self-defeating declaration. While the initial premise was promising, the execution left me wanting more.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay. The premise sounded really interesting but i found the main character so so so insufferable and annoying and only interested in potential boyfriends. I really didn’t like her, but the story of the contest was really interesting. It’s a good Young Adult.

"Thin Air" by Kellie Parker is a masterful blend of suspense, mystery, and young adult drama that grips the reader from the very first page. Set against the backdrop of a high-stakes competition on a flight to Paris, the novel introduces us to Emily Walters, a seventeen-year-old boarding school student with dreams bigger than her current means. The opportunity to compete for a cash prize that promises a better future for her and her mother is one she can't pass up, but the journey quickly turns into a nightmare of deception, betrayal, and survival.

Parker skillfully crafts a locked-door thriller in the skies, where every character has something to lose and equally compelling reasons to win. The setting—a private jet crossing the Atlantic—provides a claustrophobic tension that escalates with each passing hour. The sense of isolation and the impossibility of escape heighten the stakes, making "Thin Air" an exhilarating read.

Emily Walters is a protagonist you root for from the beginning. Her determination to change her life and the lives of those she loves, coupled with the burden of her own secrets, makes her a complex and relatable character. As the competition turns deadly, Emily's resilience and strategic thinking shine through, positioning her as a memorable and inspiring heroine in YA literature.

The dynamics among the contestants add layers of intrigue and complexity to the story. Parker does an excellent job of developing each character, giving them depth and motivations that blur the lines between friend and foe. The interplay of relationships, particularly Emily's efforts to protect her best friend while navigating her own vulnerabilities, enriches the narrative, making it not just a thriller but a profound exploration of friendship, loyalty, and ambition.

What sets "Thin Air" apart is Parker's ability to weave together suspense and emotional depth, creating a story that is as heart-pounding as it is heart-wrenching. The plot twists and turns, with revelations that keep readers guessing until the very end. Parker's writing is sharp, with a pace that never falters, propelling the story forward with each revelation and making it impossible to put down.

For fans of Diana Urban, Karen McManus, and Jessica Goodman, "Thin Air" is a standout addition to the YA thriller genre. It offers all the thrills and chills expected of a survival competition, but it's the emotional core and the authentic portrayal of teenage life and struggles that elevate it. Kellie Parker has crafted a suspenseful, fast-paced novel that speaks to the strength found in adversity and the power of believing in oneself. "Thin Air" is a thrilling, emotionally charged journey that proves once again the limitless potential of YA literature to entertain and inspire.

This was an interesting and unique thriller read.

I received an e-ARC of the book from the publisher.

I think the synopsis of this one sounds really interesting and definitely hooked me with its potential and I was super excited to read an ARC of it. But I think that after reading the first little bit of it and looking at reviews, I don't think its gonna end up working for me unfortunately. Im not a big fan of the characters personalities so far and thats a big thing for me in books even over plot and again based on reviews it doesn't seem to change or get better. It seems from goodreads like this book either works for you really well or it doesn't at all and i'm sad that i'm in the second camp. Regardless, I think that the idea of the book was super cool and would have made for a good mystery had the characters worked better for me. Plus i'm still a fan of the cover, props to those that designed it, and I thought the chapter titles were a nice touch and one of my favorite rare details to find in books. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of course!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me this book to read and review!

This book was INTENSE. The beginning was a bit slow, but once things got going it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Yet another book that has a lot of popular aspects. Boarding school students, trapped setting, mysterious deaths. I knew I had to read it and I did enjoy it, I just didn't love it. The writing wasn't for me, it felt like it was trying to be "too high school" if that makes sense. There were just some really cheesy lines and plot lines that made it hard to love. I also got mad at the main character a lot. For a bit, there was a whole love triangle in the midst of people dying and I didn't like how she dealt with it. She also was so quick to point fingers and when she did, she was hell bent on that person being the one who did it. It just drew me out of the story a bit. BUT I still did find myself enjoying the story, even if I didn't always love how it was told. I devoured this book because I just had to know what was going to happen. I needed to know who was behind it all and how it ended. There were also moments that were just funny, even among this mystery. Some lines and characters just made me laugh. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy YA mysteries such as One of Us is Lying or All Your Twisted Secrets, it was very similar to the latter while having the secrets aspect of the former.

A classic young adult locked-room thriller unfolds on a private jet filled with cutthroat boarding school students vying for a chance to win a coveted scholarship. Through riddles and challenges, the teens have to solve puzzles to prove their character and worthyness for the scholarship. A sinister plot soon unravels after a student experiences a severe allergic reaction, leaving everyone shaken. Layers of betrayal start to unfold, leading to a dwindling number of students with no means to communicate with anyone off the plane.

<b>This story delivers a deliberately fast-paced, high-stakes narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat.</b> Parker did an excellent job making you question the identity of the villain, with loyalties constantly shifting. <i>I was shocked by the gruesomeness of the deaths and some of the details</i>, considering this was a YA novel. The content and themes were somewhat disturbing. The book serves as an important reminder to young adults that you never know what other people are going through. The exploration of respecting others and their struggles was gently presented, avoiding a feeling of being forced.

I was disappointed that one of the biggest conflicts and betrayals happened with an off-page character, Emily's best friend. This subplot remained unresolved, and we never heard from that character despite the great opportunity it presented, aligning with the author's overarching goal of helping teens navigate difficult conversations with their loved ones. We spent a <i>significant</i> amount of time with Emily contemplating how and when she would address the conflict with her friend, so it was jarring not to see it on the page. This left a significant plot hole and left me feeling a bit empty and disappointed.

This heart-pounding narrative is perfect for fans of Diana Urban, Karen McManus, and Jessica Goodman, keeps readers on the edge, questioning who to trust before the next victim falls.

<b> Thank you to Razorbill/ Penguin Teen for a finished copy of THIN AIR </b>

I found the premise of this book to be very exciting. It didn’t live all the way up to the hype that I had built up in my mind, but I did make it through the book without DNF and I am proud of that.