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!

This one was okay. The plot was intriguing but it took me a long time to get into it and I think it's because none of the characters grabbed me right away and therefore I didn't care that much what happened to them. That being said I if young adult thrillers are your thing you should give this one a shot.

I finished this novel in Just One day! Debut author Kellie m.parker Is Reminiscent Of novels by Karen mcmanus and Jessica goodman. the Question is: Will i be buying this when it Releases ? the answer is a huge, big Yes ! I Reccomend this to any fans of the listed authors! Please give this debut author a chance.

Wow, this was a fun read! (But also slightly terrifying? Which is part of what made it fun?)

This is the Among Us meets One of Us Is Lying meets the movie Red Eye that none of us knew we needed.

I genuinely could not put it down. Superb writing and pacing and twists. I felt physically anxious at times, which means job well done.

I already know that my high school students are going to be obsessed with this one.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Locked room mystery, on an airplane. I liked that it was one narrator.

This is a quick, suspenseful read, and I loved it. Twelve private school students have been selected to travel to Paris for a scholarship completion. A couple hours into the flight, it’s clear that something is very off and the students are in danger. As casualties pile up, the students try to figure out who is responsible and whom they can trust. Definitely worth reading!

Thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of Thin Air by Kellie M. Parker. This teen YA mystery thriller will be published October 16, 2023. All opinions are my own.

Twelve teens from six boarding schools board a transatlantic flight to Paris to participate in a scholarship contest. Seventeen-year-old Emily is one of the contestants and she needs to win not only to be able to afford college, but to hopefully pull her and her mom out of poverty. The twelve contestants anticipate puzzles, games, and academic competition. They don’t expected suspense, murder, and mayhem. Will they survive their flight?

This book is a fast paced, dark, and intense story. You’re instantly pulled into the story as you attempt to tell truths from lies. The twists and turns will have you on the edge of your seat and questioning everything you thought you knew. There is blood, gore, and violence and this book isn’t appropriate for younger readers. I’d say grade 8 (with parent permission) and up. This book gives dark academia vibes. I also found it kind of reminiscent of Diana Urban and Karen M. McManus. If you’re looking for a thrill, checkout Thin Air.

This read like One of Us is Lying and I loved that.

I devoured this in one day. Super suspenseful! Lots of gore so beware, if that’s not your thing.

It gave dark academia vibes. Here for it!

i've never read a murder mystery book that takes place on a plane, so that was really cool. the beginning made this book look promising, but the story just started to fall flat. the characters were pretty flat as well, i didn't really care if any of them died or got hurt.
there's also a pretty large emphasis on romance in this book which wasn't necessary. emily is trapped on a plane with a murderer and has an unfortunate situation going on at home, but most of her thoughts are about two guys on the plane? i don't mind romance in ya thriller books, but it was an overkill in this one.
lastly, the way the killer and their motivations were revealed was very ridiculous.
but overall, i was pretty invested in this book.

A group of boarding school students competing for a scholarship get more than they bargained for when their private plane ride to Paris turns into a murder mystery.

This book was so fun, I read it in two sittings. The characters and their secrets and scandals were so intriguing, and the mystery was fun to follow and try to figure out. All the twists and red herrings worked for me, and I felt fully invested at every turn. A really fun time!

Thank you Penguin Teen for the ARC!

Think Air was a good YA read. I do read a lot of YA and this felt pretty standard. I felt like the character building lacked a bit and this book had so much potential. I’m a flight attendant so the premise of this book was what really interested me.

You guys! I really wanted to rate this higher, but hear me out. ✈️

It started out good and with so much potential. The book is about a group of boarding school kids, two from each school, who are competing for a scholarship. They all have to board a private jet, supplied by the creator of the foundation/scholarship, and head to Paris, France. We've got a YA locked door, bloody, mystery thriller and it really surprises you. All the characters were pretty relatable but lacked attachment due to the limited background info that the readers weren't given. Emily was a good MC, however, she did have moments where I would be yelling at her to stop going on her own to try to figurer things out! Emily also became a bit repetitive, by reiterating to the readers of the things she did to get this scholarship. Overall, the ending of the book was a bit dragged out and repetitive as well. I mean, the aircraft fell into complete darkness at least three times throughout the book, making it this shocking/cliff-hanger moment every-time which became old after the second time around.

Spoiler moment:
There were some unbelievable moments too, such as the pilots having zero communication with the cabin and flight crew, especially during a long-haul. Unless whoever was in charge of the intercomms outage, was still communicating false information to them, but the readers were not informed of that. Another questionable moment was the killers reasoning, it simply fell flat and it was explained that the killer worked in the foundation for fifteen years but then randomly became a flight attendant to be the eyes for the foundation??? And that epilogue…… There are some readers out there that skip the epilogue, I am not one of them. But I really felt that I should have skipped this one because it was unnecessary, a bunch of pages wasted just to say that the killer was in jail.

All that aside, the book was a fun and gripping read, and I do recommend it! Especially readers who love YA, since it plays out as an older YA read.




Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing this digital copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

"Thin Air" by Kellie M. Parker is a captivating thriller novel perfectly suited for the Teens & YA audience. I'm thrilled to give it a five-star rating, as I found it to be an absolutely fascinating read. The way the author skillfully developed the atmosphere of the book is truly commendable. Kellie M. Parker's storytelling abilities shine through in the intricate web of mystery and suspense that she weaves. "Thin Air" is a must-read for those who enjoy being immersed in a gripping and atmospheric tale that keeps them on the edge of their seats.

I was really excited to dive into this book when I read the premise. It sounded like it could go in a really cool direction. It starts out with students chosen from boarding schools across the US getting on a plane to fly to England to compete for a full ride scholarship to any college other choice. Each school has two candidates chosen to compete. Our main character is one of these candidates. She was chosen along with her best friend’s, boyfriend. After they are on their way someone dies and the mystery is a foot. Between trying to solve puzzles for the competition and trying to stay alive there isn’t a minute that isn’t filled with terror and angst.
I finished this book at fast pace because I wanted to know how it would end. My only complaint is that the characters were not sympathetic and very difficult to care about.
The twist and turns were fun to read. I would recommend this book.
I want to thank NetGalley and PenquinTeen for giving me access to the ARC. My opinions are honest and my own.

I am an adult reader, but I was excited about the premise of this book. I love a locked room mystery and I have read a lot of great YA novels that follow this structure. Unfortunately this book is missing the mark for me. Our narrator and main character doesn’t make logical choices, she’s not someone I’m rooting for and the pace is dragging. I was so excited by the first chapter. It seemed gripping and thrilling, but the pacing slows to a snails crawl for the next 50% of the book. And the handful of adults on this plane are virtually non-existent and unconcerned when children start dropping dead. Great premise but characters need tightening and needs more drama to keep the plot driving forward. All the dialogue with liam slows it down.

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to review this book.

A modern version of Murder on the Orient Express for teens, this was a fast-paced twisting mystery that had me guessing until the end. A group of boarding school students are on a plane bound for Paris to compete in an elite scholarship competition. As the plane flies over the Atlantic ocean, a challenge involving alliances, trivia, and leadership skills begins. However, this straightforward competition is quickly derailed when dark secrets from the contestants' pasts emerge, and students are found murdered one by one.

This was a great thriller and mystery, and while I wish some of the characters were better formed, overall it was a great read. I definitely recommend for teen book clubs, high schools and libraries!

I like the idea of this, but not the execution (ha ha, puns). Why is there a scholarship contest for the already privileged private prep school kids? I'm really supposed to suspend my disbelief and roll with a teenage serial killer with enough forethought to murder multiple competitors? The end reveal of the true villain was somehow even more unbelievable. This book couldn't quite decide whether it was Project Runway: Scholarship Edition or And Then There Were None or Red Eye. There are better thriller/murder mysteries out there for teens.