This book is a fast read that keeps you hooked from the start. As someone who really enjoys books with unreliable narrators, Ada was particularly good. I know it was told she was in the description, but it was also super well done. You know Ada's lying through her teeth about a lot of things and she slowly lets the reader know some of them, but if you know unreliable narrators, you can guess some but some she's still holding close to her chest for the later books. I was a little curious as to why this scifi romance was a series of novellas but having read the first one, it makes perfect sense. The ending was exactly the right place to pause. I loved the Rian stuff at the end. I hope the footnotes are formatted better in the final copy.

All in all, 100% waiting for books 2 and 3!

Space Heist! Unreliable narrator!

This was a really interesting premise and I do love the characters and I understand that it's not meant to be a longer story...I wish it was, I'm not sure I get why it's going to be a trilogy...when we could have told the whole story up front instead of chunks. I feel like it rushed through development and characters that was great and are great but get stalled out due to the length of the story.

Also, the insta-lust was a touch much for something that barely had a chance to be developed.

Keeping in mind that this was a novella, I thought the pace of the book and character development was right on target. Even though we are in the main character's head most of the time, the big reveal at the end still came as a shock and left me interested in the next installment.

One thing that didn't work for me was the chemistry between the main character and her love interest, which at times felt forced, but given the length of the story, perhaps there was not enough time to explore this relationship more. I do feel that was a let-down as it was one of the marketing points of the book. Another part I struggled with was the world-building, as I felt a lot of information was thrown at the reader but nothing about the setting really stuck with me. I do wish I was more immersed in this world, which probably would've given me a better understanding as to what was going on behind all the secrecy.

Even though my confusion, I thought the end was a funny and intriguing set-up towards the sequel, and I'm very curious as to how the story progresses next.

This was a fast paced space adventure. I would’ve loved for it to be longer only because I wanted to get to know the characters better but this is the start of a series so hopefully we’ll learn more about them in future books. I’d recommend it if you like Becky Chambers Wayfarer series.

A ship's crashed on a protoplanet and if someone doesn't come rescue Ada's broken ship soon, she won't be any better off. When a government salvage ship finally answers her call, it's clear that both she and the crew of the ship know something about the crash.

I sometimes felt that too much of Ada's knowledge was being concealed from the reader even though she was the POV character. It became more clear what she was hiding in the end, but it was occasionally frustrating when it was obvious that there was information that Ada knew that I didn't.

This sci-fi with a romantic sub-plot felt like a fun set-up to a larger universe of stories. I'm excited to read home about Ada and Rian and to hopefully get some of my questions left by this novella answered.

4.5//I can't believe I now have to wait an indefinite amount of time for the sequel. This book drew my attention from the start--I felt like the unreliable narrator Ada was done very well and the story was interesting and fast paced. Looking forward to what happens next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc!

This was a fun read! To be quite honest, I picked this up because of the “sexy space heist” line in the blurb and thought “Perfect! it’s sci-fi AND romance too?.” It was both but not in the way I was expecting. There were lots of moments where the MC’s actions implied romantic tension, so it’s KIND OF a romance book at this point of the series.

This book plays out like a short film or an episode from a sci-fi TV show which made it pretty and accessible for me to imagine the setting and how things were playing out.

It was told in the POV of the MC, Ada Lamarr, which kind of took me out at times because she can be a bit too much, considering the situation she was in. But towards the end, it all made sense why she was speaking and acting that way.

Prior to reading, I checked out the author’s page just to see which books they’ve written before. Noticed that most, if not all, were sci-fi books. Which made sense when I read this e-arc. It definitely read like the author knew what they were writing about that it didn’t feel like they were “flexing” their knowledge of space, ships, space suits, and the science of all these combined.

Despite it being a novella of just over 192 pages long, it had the right balance of intrigue, action, sociopolitical discussions, and twists. The ending alludes to a sequel and I’m glad this is a novella series because I can’t wait to read the next one and see how this pans out!

Ada is a scavenger who is slowly running out of oxygen, while she waits for someone to answer her distress call. Cue the Halifax who are on a mission to recover some items from a crashed ship. This story is fun action packed and super funny. I loved Ada, she is confident, no nonsense and comes out with some killer lines. I devoured this book and was only upset that the ending didn't answer all my questions. That was until I saw that this will be a series and I am eagerly awaiting the next book. This book is perfect for fans of firefly. I love the fast pacing as this book packs a lot in for under 200 pages. Revis knows how to draw you in with commanding characters and will have you shouting at the book with the reveals. I cannot speak highly enough of this book. It was such an enjoying read and I need to read more by her.

Thanks to Netgalley and DAW for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun space heist! Ada is a spunky, smart, mysterious protagonist that won’t stop at anything to get what she wants, including flirting to death with Rian, who is competent and collected and matches her wit. The mission is high-stakes and you can feel the tension of everything pending on it. And it kept me guessing to the last page!

The descriptions are so well done, you can picture everything perfectly, and the worldbuilding deals with interesting (if depressing) themes of environmental catastrophe, eco grief and space colonization.

I admit I was confused at the descriptor of a ‘sexy’ heist, lol. Don’t let that sway you either way: it’s a heist, our protagonists flirt, there’s some UST, but nobody is pole dancing!

There were a couple of nods to Star Wars that made me smile (no bras in space is bullshit!!).

This is the first novella from a planned trilogy, so we have more questions than answers by the end... but now I'm really looking forward to the rest! If you enjoy a space romp that feels like a comic book, with familiar sci-fi elements, you might want to check it out.

While this book is short and to the point, it still had a lot of elements that felt more annoying than enjoying.

The problem lies within character introductions.These people are introduced in ways that sound like assumptions from the protagonist. And of course the assumptions are correct- is there a reason for this demeanor revealed later? Yes, but that means nothing to a first time reader. That character tone is going to grate on a lot of readers nerves.

The book initially has the tone of being better than you, its more prepared, trained, and better equipped. Once that attitude fades though, it opens the door for some pretty interesting worldbuilding and information about the characters.


I like a lot of the recurring motifs. The ideas of protoplanets being uninhabitable before eventually growing into something welcoming and livable. The horrific imagery of the different types of ghost space ships are something out of a horror novel.

The way we could possibly treat space and space travel is compelling- and I wish that was more the focus. The romantic tension feels entirely unnecessary and artificial. Though there is potential that could've been fulfilled if the novella wasn't so set on going "Full speed" through what could've been the plot of a larger novel.

I loved this book. The premise, the characters, and the additional of reports with the snarky endnotes from Rian is *chef kiss*!

For being such a short the worldbuilding was perfect - immersive without bogging down, the snark was top-tier, and I am obsessed with both Ada and Rian as well as the full crew of side characters who were all fully developed and memorable. My only complaint is that this book ending way too soon. I didn't realize this is more like a teaser novella than the first book in a series so I was left hanging at the end, but I am ready for the next book ASAP please.

Ada is salvager - taking saleable materials from derelict and crashed ships (within the letter of the law of course - but now she's in real trouble, with a hole in the side of her ship and an hour left of 02 in her tank. Luckily she gets picked up by a government ship on a secret mission to save a doohickey from the ship crashed on the lava planet below.

I kind of love when a book reads like an episode of Star Trek. It's short, the scope is minimal, and something's always happening. Ada's interior monologue is super perky and sassy and she's a lot of fun to read. Even though we're in her head, she's not telling us everything and it's clear that things are being kept from the reader (and the rest of the crew). I'm not a big fan of the Big Secret that a POV character is very carefully not thinking about.

ALSO - please know that this is book one in a trilogy. As a stand-alone, I was a bit shocked with where it ended and was ready to be pretty upset that we were left unresolved. But as episode one in a three episode arc, that's more understandable. And I will look forward to some adventure and some chase in episodes two and three.

The last several chapters are memos written by the male lead. Do not skip the footnotes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am not someone who reads a ton of sci fi, but i happen to LOVE heist stories, and the premise of a heist in space had me sold. I really enjoyed this one! It definitely had vibes of the Illuminae Files (another sci fi series I loved) and for being a novella the world and conflict was well developed. All of the characters had their own little quirks which made them memorable, and the main character herself had a very amusing interior monologue. It wasn’t as funny as Illuminae, but I liked seeing everything come together. Being a novella (less than 200 pages) there was definitely some insta-attraction, but if you like sci fi or heist stories, this one is worth the read. I can’t wait for the second one!

I had such a good time reading this book! I love Beth Revis' writing, and an adult sci fi sounded amazing! And I just blasted through this story, learning about this world with the different colonized planets, the state of Earth, and I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next!

Ada was so quick-witted and clever, and the whole thing in the synopsis about the manipulation, yeah, we knew that Ada was up to something, but not what. And as the story went on, as they retrieved this valuable item, it was pretty intense and I couldn't get enough!

One really interesting idea from this book is that humanity leaves all this broken down stuff scattered throughout the universe. In particular, this ship on this planet that is still going through its growing pains, but it could grow to have conscious life, and they could find this ship. Which was really interesting to think about!

I loved how it ended, with the write up report about what happened, with footnotes that were commentary, I loved what they added! And there was that set up for the sequel, which I can't wait to read, because this was so good!

Loved reading this story and I can't wait for more from this series!

This book has reminded me of how much I enjoyed reading Beth Revis' Across The Universe series when I was younger. The slowly developing sci-fi world building is great and Ada Lamarr is a delight to read.

We meet Ada as she is running out of oxygen at the site of a crashed ship on a volcanic planet. She has an agenda and getting rescued has to be worked into that plan. The crew on her rescue ship is also looking to get something off the crash site and Ada is determined to figure out their mission. She is untrustworthy and will admit that to the reader in her POV. It was an easy story to follow with the clues Ada began to drop for us and I was in no way shocked by the ending but it still felt very exciting to get through.

I loved the choice at the end to include a bit of Rian's POV through the post-mission debriefing notes (especially his footnotes). This series would definitely be one I would continue to read.

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

Full Speed to a Crash Landing
By Beth Revis

What a fun, short novel. There were some over-the-top moments, but it was so fun I didn’t care. The protagonist is funny and smart. There are things happening in between words as it were and it all comes to a mostly satisfying, but wanting more ending.

Thanks to @netgalley for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'll read pretty much anything Beth writes.

I was obsessed with her Across the Universe series when I was younger! It was the similar, inventive, slightly distressing world-building elements of that book -- the decay of Earth, the idea of long-term space travel into unknown parts of the galaxy, and how humanity would persevere and change -- that I also loved about Full Speed to a Crash Landing.

The characterization and relationship development though felt a bit rushed, but that may just be the downside of doing a novella.

All in all, it was a fun read and I'm already waiting eagerly to find out what's going to happen in the next instalment!

Me gustaría creer que estoy más o menos al día del mundillo de la ciencia ficción y fantasía, pero no es cierto. Por eso, cuando cogí para leer Full Speed to a Crash Landing lo hice más por la sinopsis y la longitud, que prometían diversión y poco tiempo de compromiso de lectura más que por el nombre de la autora, Beth Revis, que francamente no me sonaba de nada. Me alegro mucho de la labor desempeñada por la publicista que ha conseguido despertar mi atención, porque es un libro con el que me lo he pasado genial y además he descubierto a una autora muy prolífica que probablemente me acompañe en el futuro. Luego ya decidiremos cuántos latigazos recibo por no conocerla, porque está traducida al español, ha publicado libros de Star Wars… vamos, que shame on me.


Full Speed to a Crash Landing está escrita en una divertidísima primera persona que hace que devores sus páginas. La protagonista es Ada Lamarr (admito que con el nombre Revisa no ha estado sutil, lo que se dice sutil) que comienza la aventura a punto de morir por la despresurización de su nave y que acaba siendo rescatada por una tripulación que tiene una importante misión, de la que no quieren hacerla partícipe. ¿He oído narrador no confiable en el fondo de la sala? Pues os felicito, porque es así.

A lo mejor la sutileza no es la principal característica de esta novela, porque sabemos desde un principio que Ada no pasaba por allí de casualidad. Como gran parte del libro, excepto las últimas páginas, está narrada con su voz, sabemos todo lo que pasa por su cabeza y que hay algo que no cuadra del todo. Pero da igual, porque es muy divertido.

Es el comienzo de una trilogía y es una novela corta, por lo que la construcción del mundo no está todo lo trabajada que quizá nos gustaría, pero entiendo que el escenario se irá poblando en las siguientes entregas. También tiene su parte de romance, pero es más sobre la atracción que sienten los personajes entre ellos que lo que se podría considerar una relación más asentada o incipiente.

Full Speed to a Crash Landing me ha parecido una excelente introducción para un mundo en el que quedan muchas cosas por contar.

This book is a true masterpiece of thrilling plot devices, characters that will tug at your heartstrings, and a story that will addict its readers in like a moth to flame in such a stunning delivery to pack the punch that only this author delivers! A wondrous beginning to the series indeed.