Imagine being trapped in a plane that ends up sinking in the Pacific Ocean. All exits are sealed shut but the water is slowly seeping in. In order to survive, all hopes are placed on a professional diver, who ends up being the mother of one of the girls trapped inside, to get them out.

OMG I cannot rave enough about this book. For someone who travels often, this scenario would be my nightmare but it was so, so captivating to read. And when I mean read, I mean read without putting down. When I started, I couldn't stop. I needed to know what happened and powered through. Intense and emotional, this thriller will be one I will remember for a long time.

This is the Captain, prepare to ditch.

Shortly after take off, Flight 1421 experienced engine problem and had to ditch into the Pacific Ocean. Some of the passengers were out of the plane and floating in the ocean not knowing the worst yet to come. But, twelve passengers, following Will's advise, an engineer who's on board with her daughter, decided to stay inside the plane and that's when the real emergency begins.

Reading this book will make yourself feel under the water struggling to get into the rescue team. I couldn't breathe and felt traumatised🫣, that's how good TJ Newman described everything vividly, both the survival and the rescue process. It feels like you are experiencing yourself. Lots of exciting scenes and detailed technical information.

This is "a sit down and read until finished" kind of book, so best to read it when you totally have free leisure time. I finished up this book in one sitting up to 2am.

Drowning

I really enjoyed TJ’s last book Falling and was keen to get my hands on her latest offering. This one starts off with a bang and keeps up the pace the whole way. I was so tense and my heart raced for the entire read. I loved the race against the clock and the daring rescue mission. I did enjoy the nod to the Thai Cave rescue from the characters because my mind went to that as the story unfolded.

The story moves forward and back in time as we get to know the characters in the plane and their rescuers. I enjoyed getting to know them all and discovering some surprising connections. It all wraps up with a big finish. I was glad that we got an epilogue a year later for some closure. I would love to see this one as a movie.

This was such an intense read, right from the start all the way to the end. It had me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my mouth the whole time. I loved T. J. Newman’s first book Falling, and she’s given us another fantastic read (and another reason not to fly)! She has a way of writing her characters that you feel instantly connected to them, and I was drawn into their struggle to rescue or be rescued. The main viewpoints are from Chris and Will, and we see them fight for survival & how far they would go to save their daughter. I read this in one sitting with tears streaming down my face for the most part - there are a couple of moments where I burst out laughing, and those moments of levity were perfectly placed. This was impossible to put down & I think it’s going to take a wee while for my heart rate to go down.

Drowning by TJ Newman is hands down my favorite book of 2023. Make this a movie already! This book was so intense and suspenseful and the imagery is perfectly described that it feels like you can see it happening in front of you. It quite literally brought me to tears on several occasions. You will find yourself cheering, sobbing, biting your nails and holding your breath. The book can only be described as a thrill-ride which doesn't let up. Not one part of this story was slow or felt like filler. I couldn't put it down.

3.5 stars.

What a crazy, impossible, unrealistic action adventure that had me somewhat reassured that if I'm ever trapped in a flooded aircraft at the bottom of the ocean with only a tiny pocket of air, I might survive. Newman clearly did a lot of research for this book. All of the technical information was there and it was never hard to keep up. I have no idea if any of it is even possible but it was very entertaining all the same.

The author must have watched <i>Titanic</i> many, many times whilst writing this book. There were exact quotes from the classic film sprinkled throughout the story that were both distracting and annoying. The characters were all one-dimensional caricatures of every bad action movie ever. This would make a great Steven Seagal movie. However... it somehow worked. This isn't going to win any literary awards, but it was hilarious fun from start to finish.