When Emily is picked for an elite opportunity to fly to Paris and compete against 11 other boarding school students from affluent boarding schools in the US she is happy her best friend‘s boyfriend Dylan is going to be her companion on this trip. Every school has two kids picked, they have the writer the athletes the theater student the cheerleader the thinker The filmmaker the beauty queen and of course the heartthrob but where does this leave Emily? It is obvious from the beginning that she has done something immoral or illegal to be on this flight to Paris she strikes up a friendship with heartthrob Liam but her best friend Christie’s boyfriend Dylan is also acting as if he has more feelings for her than she initially thought which on some level is a dream come true because she has had a secret crush on him since middle school. Right before dinner however they’re each given an envelope with two truth and a lie the only problem is all of that is horrible and all of that is true and before the end of dinner one person has almost been murdered and everyone except Emily has had the dirty laundry toll to the rest of the group. It gets even worse but for some worse is being murdered and for Emily worse is having the evidence all point to her. Who could be behind this and why is a real shocker and in hindsight I can say oh I could see that but it’s only with hindsight I could say that I love teen horror books and although I will be honest and say Emily was not someone I was “rooting for“ because she does have some really shady characteristics it just makes for a better book when you can honestly say you are rooting for the main character I did love Liam but Emily not so much. I still read this book from beginning to end and for the most part I definitely recommend it it just would’ve been better had I been rooting for Emily. I want to think penguin young readers group and Net galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this title.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. It was super fascinating and fast paced. This book was such a quick and easy read. It was pretty action packed from start to finish. I enjoyed the locked room mystery feel of this book. Overall, this was a pretty solid YA thriller.

All of that being said, it wasn't really for me. I think if you like YA, you will probably enjoy this book a lot. I have found myself straying further and further away from YA right now, so I think I maybe just read this book at the wrong time. I didn't feel any connection with any of the characters. I also don't really think the whole idea of the competition is very believable. I think I personally would have enjoyed this book more if it were adult and leaned more into the horror elements instead of mystery/thriller.

I would recommend this book for people who really enjoy fast paced, action packed thrillers and also enjoy YA.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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thank you so much to razorbill publishing and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review <3
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this book was a wild ride from start to finish and i’m going to tell you why.

we open with our main character, emily, at an airport. we learn she’s been selected for a scholarship competition along with another kid from her school who just happens to be her best friend’s boyfriend. this scholarship competition is supposed to take place in paris, where all of the students selected from different boarding schools across the country will showcase their academic talents, hobbies, and skills in order to come out on top and win a scholarship for their entire undergraduate degree at the college of their choice.

emily is particularly excited, yet nervous, for this competition because otherwise she would be spending the summer living out of her mom’s car. her mom, who made horrible multi-level-marketing-related “business” decisions, ended up costing them their house in the fallout. nobody wanted to buy her gaudy, overpriced leggings, i guess. i also have to mention that this book is full of shade towards MLM-type business schemes and like i get it, i really do, but there HAS to be a story there. one that i’m very interested in, to say the least.

before the plane takes off, emily quite literally bumps into a guy that she thinks is super cute. they bond over baseball, until they realize their favorite teams are rivals and make snarky comments at each other. emily hopes the feelings are mutual, and they end up sitting across the aisle from each other in this amazing luxury plane. all is going well… until dinner time.

taylor, one of the girls from another school, ends up having an anaphylactic reaction to her food after someone slipped peanuts into her food. thankfully, she’s saved with an epipen from her bag, but she ends up being out of commission for the first half of the book, pretty much. everyone thinks it’s just a huge, terrible mistake until something else weird happens. in the letters that were set in their places at the dinner table, someone has written their deepest secrets on a slip of lined paper. that same someone hacks into the intercom system on the plane and announced all those same secrets over the speakers. all except for emily’s, which makes her look suspicious as hell, despite everyone insisting that those secrets were fake. some of the students that were exposed don’t take it too well, as i’d imagine most wouldn’t. but everything gets even worse when they find that one of the girls had taken her life in one of the bathrooms on the plane. or did she?

over the course of the book we get to see people accuse and suspect each other, all while trying to survive as more and more of them end up dead. i will say that i did predict who did it, but it wasn’t for the reason that i thought. even so, it was still a really fun read. i won’t lie, though, i did think it was one other person for a hot second. i won’t say who, though.

i really liked emily. she’s a very smart and determined girl. sure, she’s done some not-so-cash-money things but when you’re desperate, some people will do almost anything.

one thing that i had mixed feelings about was the inclusion of a romance in this book. it was pretty well done, but maybe i just don’t buy that she could possibly develop a whole relationship with one of her fellow competitors over the course of a twelve or so hour flight. i get it, survival and trauma bonding is a real thing, and being in close proximity will do some crazy things to you, but i feel like this story could’ve been just as good without the romance element. not every book needs a romance side plot, and i’m okay with that. i think it’s time for other readers to be, too.

like i stated earlier, this book was a super entertaining and fun read. once i started it i could not stop. it was just that good. i think i read it over the course of, like, four and a half hours if that gives you any indication of how absorbed i was in it.

once again, thank you to razorbill publishing and netgalley for this opportunity ~ <3

From the jump, this book is absolutely gripping. I found myself at 70% in the blink of an eye and honestly didn't want to sleep without finishing it. Take And Then There Were None, set it on a private jet with a dozen boarding school kids, and put them on a transatlantic flight to Paris while they vie for a prestigious scholarship. It's no wonder somebody ended up dead!

I didn't know who to trust throughout and honestly was so rapt that I missed a few details! The ending didn't entirely make sense to me, but after all that trauma? Who cares. I feel like this book is perfect for fans of Diana Urban or who just want a thrilling book to whisk them away for an afternoon.

*Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Interesting concept, high school students are in competition for a scholarship. On their flight to the competition, things start happening and some of the students end up dead. This was a forced proximity, whodunnit investigation. I liked the concept and the overall storyline. At times I felt the novel moved a little slow. There was also a lot of characters to keep track of. It was hard for me to remember the specifics of each character.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This does contain spoilers ….

So basically 12 high school students are on a plane to Paris to compete for a scholarship offered to boarding school students. It starts off fun, everyone being to know each other and the premise of playing games to compete for higher ranking is really cool. However, very quickly there is a change of plans when deep dark secrets start being spilt (which some were so silly…..I have a 2.97 GPA? really that’s your darkest secret?!). We get two very bloody murders, then the whodunnit mystery element starts. Everyone is accusing each other, with really no evidence. In the middle of all this, our main character Emily, is too busy working through feelings for her best friends boyfriend Dylan who’s on the trip as well, while also hoping everyone else will like her and be her friend. literally, they find a body and then some pills in Emily’s bag that could have been used to knock out the flight attendants, and someone accuses her of being the killer. But when everyone else stands up for her she thinks to herself she hopes they’ll be lifelong friends. Not only that, but she somehow starts a long term relationship with another guy on the flight, Liam, who she eventually knocks out cold with a paperweight because she thinks he’s the killer. It’s ok though, they forgive each other. The romance element was so completely unnecessary. Not only does she help her best friends boyfriend cheat, but she starts a relationship?! And there’s kids dying and they’re all in danger (They’ve seen MULTIPLE dead bodies!!) and her concern is if Liam likes her?!

I also found this to be super predictable. Spoiler, I knew it was the flight attendant for sure by about halfway through. And the fact that this grown ass woman is killing innocent kids because she had issues with Emily’s mom in school?!? Are you for real. Send her to therapy and jail. That’s the best we came up with?? She’s killing children like 30 years after her school experience because Emily’s mom “betrayed” her….. oof.

ALSO DID I MENTION emily Is only on this trip because she basically stole her best friends identity (yes same friend who’s dating Dylan), and took all of her friends accolades for herself. And yet their friendship seems to be restored? Or working towards it? I’m sorry, but if my best friend kisses my boyfriend AND messed with my future career by pretending to be me and switching our applications, that girl is immediately blocked.

This just wasn’t for me. I think this would actually be super enjoyable as a movie though. I like the premise and the plot, but the details lost me, which could come across much better on a screen.

Love love love. This was a super cool mystery. It had a lot of twists for who the killer was but I liked it a lot. I was absolutely screaming at the main character to just share information already. There is a weird comment about teenage girls always thinking about food that is definitely from a societal ideal that causes eating disorders. I would suggest chopping that.

Thank you @netgalley @penguinteen for the #gifted copy of this book!

If you’ve been following me for a while you may know that I love books that are like games and I was so pleasantly surprised to find out this absolutely fit that bill of games and I LOVED IT! (Think Hawthorn Brothers or The Last Passenger by Will Dean)

What it’s about:
Eight hours on a plan with twelve passengers headed to Paris. The end goal is a full ride to college to whomever wins and it’s just what Emily needs. She doesn’t want people to know exactly how she was selected to be a part of this because she doesn’t want people to know just how poor she really is. It’s a cut throat competition and it seems everyone will do anything to win! Dead bodies start popping up and it’s now become a race to stay alive!

Thoughts:
This was such a great YA thriller! It kept me on my toes, it was locked room (my favorite), included games (another favorite) and had a little romance too! I enjoyed the characters of this book because although they were teenagers they were able to make more adult decisions and they didn’t seem whiney or immature. Sometimes I think in YA we run into that and it makes the book harder to connect with but this one was perfect for me! The mystery and games are what made this book for me. It was perfect! I loved to watch how each game and mystery played out and it was fun to try and guess who was behind the madness! I recommend this to anyone who enjoys mysteries, games, and locked room thrillers!

3.5 Thin Air follows Emily who is a high school student who is chosen to participate in a competition that will give her enough money for her. Along with 11 other contestants that board a flight to Europe Emily realizes that this is going to be extremely dangerous. 
This book was kind of predictable to me. Although it was a roller coaster there was so much angst and anxiety that I felt which I actually enjoyed greatly. The plot twist at the end was insane and made me like it more. 
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

I don't know what I was expecting but this really didn't fit the bill like I was anticipating. I wasn't that invested in the characters at all.

This was not my favorite locked door murder, but it was enjoyable.

Teens are on a glamorous private jet headed to Paris, when a killer strikes. As the teens start to die one-by-one, secrets are revealed, loyalties tested, and no one can be trusted!

This was fine. It feels as though authors are trying to figure out any way to get teens in a group together and then start killing them off. The premise was flimsy, the word "aft" was used over 30 times (distracting!), and the characters weren't fleshed out enough. There was "drama" but no work to get me actually invested in the characters to care. If my system purchases this, that's fine, but I wouldn't recommend staff to purchase the title.

What is it about boarding school teens that makes mystery writers want them to kill each other so bad? Well, whatever it is, the readers in my library can't get enough of these types of plots, and I think that Thin Air makes for a worthy addition to the selection.

It's got all the usual ingredients that make a plot like this work; a selection of teenagers, each with an assortment of skeletons in their closets of course, trapped in a confined location, set up to mistrust each other for various reasons, having to work out which one of them is responsible for the bodies steadily piling up around the place.

I do think perhaps the novel could have done with a slightly smaller cast of students. Twelve is a lot to keep track of, and I found I was spending a little too much time trying to remember who was where with whom when, as several of the characters were blurring together.

Overall though, thishas got solid pacing, the requisite amount of twists, and an ending I found satisfying. If you enjoy your Karen McManus, Holly Jackson, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, etc you will probably have a good time with this.

Thin Air was such a fun YA locked in thriller. I flew (pun intended) through this one and really loved it!

Students competing for a scholarship are heading to the competition and the games start on the plane before they even get to their destination.

I loved that the entire premise is on a luxury private jet! It has three stories and is very roomy. All the better to Murder people in. So fun and different. One by one these kids are dying and their secrets are getting out. They all have secrets. Lots of secrets.

It’s giving Would You Rather mixed with Truth or Dare and a hint of Scream too! All of the characters here are kinda cringe and stereo types but it works!

Perfect YA locked in. Thanks for my early copy, such a fun ride!

Thanks so much for the ARC, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley! This book was a fun read - it kept me turning page after page! I didn't immediately love any of the characters, but man, they grew on me! I always love a locked-room mystery that has a cast of people who could have done it, and this one delivered!

3.5

Thin Air follows Emily who is selected to participate in a competition if she wins the cash prize will be enough to cover her college tuition. Not only will the money help her with college, but it could also help her get her mother out of poverty. She and 11 other contestants board a private jet to Europe. Emily soon realizes that these people will do anything to win. Soon people end up dead and Emily has to find someone she can trust before she ends up dead.

This was a really interesting book. I had no idea what to expect going into it. This was one of the most interesting thrillers I have read. The whole thing takes place on a plane over the course of a day. A lot of stuff happens in this book. It gave One of Us is Lying vibes. The plot twist at the end was wild and I did not see it coming. I really enjoyed this one. If you are looking for an interesting thriller to read I would suggest this one.

I received an advanced copy of this book from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group via NetGalley.

A suspenseful locked-door young adult thriller, twelve contestants embark on a flight to Paris, seeking opportunities that may change their lives forever. However, this seemingly promising journey takes a deadly turn.

Among the passengers is seventeen-year-old Emily Walters, a boarding school student who's been granted the chance of a lifetime. She's competing for a substantial cash prize that could not only cover her college tuition but also rescue her family from poverty. Yet, as soon as they board the private jet bound for Europe, Emily senses a sinister undercurrent. It becomes apparent that someone is willing to go to extreme lengths to claim victory.

Emily's challenges multiply as she grapples with keeping an eye on her best friend's flirtatious boyfriend while guarding her own dark secrets. The contest takes a chilling turn when contestants start losing their lives.

With shifting loyalties and concealed truths emerging, Emily must navigate a web of deception to identify who to trust and who might be orchestrating their demise. Her survival hinges on uncovering the deadly secrets hidden among the passengers before she becomes the next victim.

The journey through this book was a rollercoaster of emotions, filled to the brim with angst that could be felt on every page. The depth and complexity behind the characters' motivations and the execution of their plans were nothing short of overwhelming, but surprisingly, the story remained incredibly entertaining. Amidst the chaos, there was a labyrinth of twists and turns that kept me perpetually on edge. Trying to pinpoint the true villain in the narrative was like navigating a maze, and I relished the suspense it created. The final twist added a satisfying layer to the tale, even though I couldn't help but feel that the ending arrived a little abruptly, given the intense buildup that preceded it.

As a curious side note, I couldn't help but compare the foundation president's voice to the narrator who delivers the safety announcement at the onset of Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride.

Fantastically written who dunnit! I was constantly changing my mind about who I thought the murderer was throughout this book. Parker does a great job building up the characters and creating suspicions in the reader. I was sure I knew who the “bad guy” was on several occasions and then I changed my mind and thought it was someone else. By the end, I don’t think I was sure about anything anymore. I was rooting for so many different characters and hoping that the people I thought had been killed would somehow not really be dead.

This was a well written mystery and I look forward to reading more novels by this author.

Emily Walters has a secret... she and her mom are homeless and have been living out of the car. Given a chance to win a scholarship, she cheats her way into a contest. But, it turns out that ALL of the contestants have secrets. As they're murdered one by one, the remaining students must discover who the killer is, before the next victim is claimed. This novel will keep you on the edge of your seat!

One of the most entertaining books I’ve read this year, Thin Air takes fear of flying to new heights (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Popcorn fiction at its best, it brings us the story of a group of teenagers completing challenges to win a scholarship. The first tests start right on the transatlantic flight taking them from Chicago to Paris. Emily is hiding several secrets, one of which is that she should’t even be there. She tries to connect and compete with the other candidates, including her best friend’s boyfriend. Shortly after takeoff, people start getting hurt and things keep getting worse. At some point, in the middle of the Atlantic, winning the scholarship starts becoming trivial compared to staying alive. I loved how the author transforms something so esthetically ugly as an airplane, into a Gothic mansion full of dark corners where anything could be hiding. It’s an original homage to “And then there were none” and the characters are better defined than most YA locked room mysteries accomplish. The plot was not predictable at all, and I only figured out whodunit as it was about to be revealed, and it made so much sense that I wondered how I didn’t see it coming. I am considerably older than the target audience and I completely adored this read. I will be recommending it to my teenage nephew and his friends.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill!