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kierstyn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐ book.
I just could not stand Maggie throughout the entire book. she gave major "I'm not like other girls" vibes and was a bitch and fake to everyone around her.
don't get me started on how Shannon's only personality trait was being young. I get it, she's young and Maggie doesn't think she can do her job as a police officer because she's small and needs to be protected. why do we have to go over this 5 times??
I did like the end, I thought the climax was executed well and kept me wanting to keep reading to finish it.
I just could not stand Maggie throughout the entire book. she gave major "I'm not like other girls" vibes and was a bitch and fake to everyone around her.
don't get me started on how Shannon's only personality trait was being young. I get it, she's young and Maggie doesn't think she can do her job as a police officer because she's small and needs to be protected. why do we have to go over this 5 times??
I did like the end, I thought the climax was executed well and kept me wanting to keep reading to finish it.
amandae129's review against another edition
4.0
A solid thriller with a twist I didn't see coming.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC.
chd7's review against another edition
2.0
I found the story implausible, the whole premise was shaky from the beginning. It was too obvious that ‘Ben’ wasn’t on the plane and the writers attempts at misleading the reader failed spectacularly. The more annoying aspect was the constant repeating of the main characters regrets. I had to finish it to just see how the writer tied up the story, it was a bit far fetched, and the young police woman survived, really!!
diothyst's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The book started off very promising with the right amount of tension to promise an excitement packed thriller exploring a complicated family story and survival. Unfortunately, it ended up falling short throughout the book and felt like there was half of it missing.
Allison is the sole survivor of a plane crash and from the moment she realizes she's alive she knows she needs to get moving because there's someone out to get her. Her story does maintain a fast pace that makes her parts more interesting, but her survival always feels closer to being because of luck. We're also left to slowly learn about why she is being hunted down so instead of a thriller where she narrowly avoids being caught her part is more mystery. Overall, Allison feels half thrown together to be some feminist symbol of transformation.
On the other hand, Maggie feels completely unnecessary in the book. She spends the majority of her time turning this way and that and insisting that her daughter isn't dead while relying on everyone else around her to provide any sort of information. She's also written as though she's incredibly old instead of an upper middle-aged woman and she tends to treat everyone in her age range like they're 80 years old.
The books feels too drawn out with a short, predictable climax.
Allison is the sole survivor of a plane crash and from the moment she realizes she's alive she knows she needs to get moving because there's someone out to get her. Her story does maintain a fast pace that makes her parts more interesting, but her survival always feels closer to being because of luck. We're also left to slowly learn about why she is being hunted down so instead of a thriller where she narrowly avoids being caught her part is more mystery. Overall, Allison feels half thrown together to be some feminist symbol of transformation.
On the other hand, Maggie feels completely unnecessary in the book. She spends the majority of her time turning this way and that and insisting that her daughter isn't dead while relying on everyone else around her to provide any sort of information. She's also written as though she's incredibly old instead of an upper middle-aged woman and she tends to treat everyone in her age range like they're 80 years old.
The books feels too drawn out with a short, predictable climax.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Moderate: Eating disorder
zowielikezoey's review against another edition
2.0
I'm writing this review well after reading the book and I just have to say, I don't like how the author portrayed the mother. She made her sound so incompetent and frail. And the FMC was frustrating to say the least.
jane_kelsey's review against another edition
5.0
I have enjoyed this story so much! We follow Allie and her mother Maggie following the aftermath of the plane crash; for the rest of the world, Allie is dead, but in the mountains, Allie is struggling to keep alive with a killer at her heels.
I really enjoyed the alternative POV's and the themes explored in FREEFALL, with commentaries on social expectations, post-partum depression, wealth and morality. I really appreciated what this story attempted to do and I think Jessica pulled it off really well. The writing flowed well and the short chapters helped to make this a fast read that I struggled to put down.
I did predict certain twists and turns and some of the things at the ending felt just a little bit too lucky for me, but overall it was a really enjoyable read and I am thankful to the publishers a copy of this novel; as always, my opinions are my own! 4.5 stars.
I really enjoyed the alternative POV's and the themes explored in FREEFALL, with commentaries on social expectations, post-partum depression, wealth and morality. I really appreciated what this story attempted to do and I think Jessica pulled it off really well. The writing flowed well and the short chapters helped to make this a fast read that I struggled to put down.
I did predict certain twists and turns and some of the things at the ending felt just a little bit too lucky for me, but overall it was a really enjoyable read and I am thankful to the publishers a copy of this novel; as always, my opinions are my own! 4.5 stars.
katie_m26's review against another edition
4.0
* I wish it had a longer climax and falling action, there was a little too much lead-up for me
* A story told from the perspectives of a mother and a daughter, the latter involved in a sketchy plane crash supposedly piloted by her well-to-do boyfriend….
* A story told from the perspectives of a mother and a daughter, the latter involved in a sketchy plane crash supposedly piloted by her well-to-do boyfriend….
infinite_tbr's review against another edition
2.0
1.5/5
I struggled with this book. I won a free audio version of it through Book Riot and pushed myself to finish it. I had two main issues with it: the fact that it couldn’t decide what kind of book it wanted to be (thriller, family drama, or survival story) and that the author seems to have never visited the Rocky Mountains, yet set half the book there.
The book opens with Allison crawling her way out of a plane crash in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. If the author hadn’t been so careful to mention multiple times it was the Colorado Rockies Allison was wandering, I would have been less picky about the mountain scenes. But I’m from Colorado, and after a week of wandering the mountains, Allison would be incredibly dehydrated and sunburnt. She also never suffers from Altitude Sickness. Instead, the worst that happens to Allison is that she’s got a ton of green bottle bites. I had to look up what green bottles were because we don’t call them that here… And also, I’ve never been bitten by one nor do I know anyone who has been bitten by them.
Allison’s mom’s story was relatively boring since all she did was wander around telling everyone her daughter was still alive. She was annoyingly complacent — letting all of the information she received about the plane crash come through the local sheriff. I understand they’re old friends, but you’d be directly in touch with the people investigating at a certain point...
As for the whole flashbacks revealing the corporate greed and terrible business practices? Those were mildly intriguing except we were left with Allison doing her best to never reveal anything to us but knowing what it is she’s hiding. The plot here was predictable and not that interesting. I will give it credit for addressing some modern issues with pharmaceutical companies prioritizing profit over people and the lack of treatment options for women with postpartum depression.
Overall, I found this book to be predictable and poorly researched. I’ve read worse though.
I struggled with this book. I won a free audio version of it through Book Riot and pushed myself to finish it. I had two main issues with it: the fact that it couldn’t decide what kind of book it wanted to be (thriller, family drama, or survival story) and that the author seems to have never visited the Rocky Mountains, yet set half the book there.
The book opens with Allison crawling her way out of a plane crash in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. If the author hadn’t been so careful to mention multiple times it was the Colorado Rockies Allison was wandering, I would have been less picky about the mountain scenes. But I’m from Colorado, and after a week of wandering the mountains, Allison would be incredibly dehydrated and sunburnt. She also never suffers from Altitude Sickness. Instead, the worst that happens to Allison is that she’s got a ton of green bottle bites. I had to look up what green bottles were because we don’t call them that here… And also, I’ve never been bitten by one nor do I know anyone who has been bitten by them.
Allison’s mom’s story was relatively boring since all she did was wander around telling everyone her daughter was still alive. She was annoyingly complacent — letting all of the information she received about the plane crash come through the local sheriff. I understand they’re old friends, but you’d be directly in touch with the people investigating at a certain point...
As for the whole flashbacks revealing the corporate greed and terrible business practices? Those were mildly intriguing except we were left with Allison doing her best to never reveal anything to us but knowing what it is she’s hiding. The plot here was predictable and not that interesting. I will give it credit for addressing some modern issues with pharmaceutical companies prioritizing profit over people and the lack of treatment options for women with postpartum depression.
Overall, I found this book to be predictable and poorly researched. I’ve read worse though.
rmarcin's review against another edition
3.0
Freefall by Jessica Barry starts off very strong - with a plane crash and a young woman survivor. But, even though that is exciting, I feel that the book didn't retain the tense action of the opening scene.
I did enjoy the book, but it wasn't the thriller that I was hoping it could be.
Allison is in a plane crash and is presumed dead. But, she manages to survive, and needs to get away from the crash. She is running scared - scared that her past life will catch up to her, and that she will be killed by the people who want her dead.
Meanwhile, her mother, Maggie, is crushed by the news of Allison's death, not wanting to believe it, and searching for the little girl who once was.
Told in two voices, Maggie and Allison, the story weaves through past and present, while exposing secrets and deception.
#Freefall #JessicaBarry
I did enjoy the book, but it wasn't the thriller that I was hoping it could be.
Allison is in a plane crash and is presumed dead. But, she manages to survive, and needs to get away from the crash. She is running scared - scared that her past life will catch up to her, and that she will be killed by the people who want her dead.
Meanwhile, her mother, Maggie, is crushed by the news of Allison's death, not wanting to believe it, and searching for the little girl who once was.
Told in two voices, Maggie and Allison, the story weaves through past and present, while exposing secrets and deception.
#Freefall #JessicaBarry
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
This was a breathless page turner. I loved reading it. I was hooked from the first line.
It opens in the Rockies. Allison has just survived a light plane crash. The pilot is dead. She knows that time is precious, that she immediately has to run for her life. Why? We won't learn that for some time. However the sense of danger is immediate and palpable.
Allison's story alternates with that of her mother in Maine who receives the news that Allison is missing after a plane crash. Maggie and Allison have been estranged but Maggie starts to investigate what Allison has been doing in the last few years in a bid to understand what she was doing on the plane. And so we gradually come to understand Allison's story from two directions.
Ultimately - like so many books in this genre - the story gets far fetched, but it holds itself together for a long time and it genuinely is a "can't put down, just one more chapter" read.
It opens in the Rockies. Allison has just survived a light plane crash. The pilot is dead. She knows that time is precious, that she immediately has to run for her life. Why? We won't learn that for some time. However the sense of danger is immediate and palpable.
Allison's story alternates with that of her mother in Maine who receives the news that Allison is missing after a plane crash. Maggie and Allison have been estranged but Maggie starts to investigate what Allison has been doing in the last few years in a bid to understand what she was doing on the plane. And so we gradually come to understand Allison's story from two directions.
Ultimately - like so many books in this genre - the story gets far fetched, but it holds itself together for a long time and it genuinely is a "can't put down, just one more chapter" read.