Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Drowning

In true Newman style this book starts immediately with action. Honestly I expect nothing less from here on out.

Flight 1421 6 mins after take off experiences an engine fire. The plane can't turn around, so no going back for a safer option of landing.
That's right, this plane has a ditching in the aviation industry an emergency landing on the water is called a ditching.

Again I was left thinking what I would do if this was my own flight. 1. I hope this never happens - to anyone. 2. I'm already scared of Drowning.

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gabbyreynolds's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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astoriareader's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

SYNOPSIS:

Shortly after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. In the process of evacuating, 12 passengers end up remaining onboard the plane, which proceeds to sink 200 feet underwater. They try to remain alive, while a rescue team tries to save them.

MY THOUGHTS

Usually, books are so much better than movies, but this is one that I think would be a better cinematic experience.
This is completely plot-driven with no real character development. The characters are all very flat & one-dimensional. I wasn’t into the writing style either.
I do think the author did a lot of research, and I have read she is a former flight attendant as well. Kudos to her. But, I personally felt like the book was way too technical, and the technical plane descriptions didn’t serve a lot of purpose.
Despite using fancy aviation lingo, the book is really hard to visualize. It felt like I was reading a manual in some parts.
The premise is an interesting one, but the execution is lacking for me.
The book is soooo predictable, and it is completely unbelievable.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️mehhh. in the minority here, but this didn’t live up to the hype. plot-driven, predictable, no character development, & extremely far-fetched.

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r_o_s_e's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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booklvrkat's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

“The life of a child is about firsts. The life of a parent is about lasts.”

Flight 1421 ditches, (Ditching is a controlled emergency landing on the water surface in an aircraft not designed for the purpose, a very rare occurrence.) into the ocean near the Hawaiian Islands and while people are escaping the plane one of the engines bursts into flames. Wind, waves, fuel spillage and flames produce highly dangerous moments for the rescue helicopters and boats that are picking up the escaped passengers. Unfortunately, when the engine burst, a dozen passengers were trapped inside. Air pockets are keeping the trapped passengers, two young girls, and elderly couple, and several adults struggling to maintain calm, breathing and wondering if they are going to live or die. As the chapters unfold, we hear the stories of the trapped passengers, and the people who are trying to rescue them, one of which is the wife and mother of two passengers.

Hooked. For a fast read I was held rapt with intensity, and my emotional state for these passengers was spiraling. I liked that the chapters were short, fast, and filled with information that kept my attention engaged. The details that the author introduced regarding a plane in danger, the apparatus, and all of the rescue teams that are called on during a water crash were vivid to this reader’s imagination. Maybe due to the recent devastation in Maui this story was alive, from the call out from the US Coast Guard to any available boat in the area, to the people watching the crash/rescue on television.

CW: Plane Crash, Drowning

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jennabeck13's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Drowning by T.J. Newman

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Genre: Suspense

About 290 pages

When Flight 1421 crashed shortly after takeoff, the water landing was initially thought of as a blessing as most passengers survived the landing. That blessing was short-lived as jet fuel started leaking and the water started on fire. In an effort to save those who couldn’t get on a raft, they shut the doors to the plane, effectively turning it into a submarine as the plane begins to sink. With only a few hours of oxygen, the rescue crews must scramble to come up with a solution to save the remaining passengers. One crew member, Chris, is particularly determined to safely rescue the passengers as her daughter and ex-husband are stuck on that plane. In a race against time, both those on and off the plane must get creative if they want to prevent drowning.

It seems like a character flaw of myself that I’ve read books about plane crashes a week before a flight twice this year… but the resulting anxiety was worth it. Newman nailed this one! Her real-life experience as a flight attendant adds so much value to her storytelling. It was so easy to picture every moment unfolding and she kept me on my toes the entire read. I really hope that Newman continues writing and I can’t wait to see what producers come up with when bringing this one to the big screen!

Favorite Quotes:

“And that was all life was. Shifting the balance, every day, to make room for joy and grace in whatever circumstances you’ve got before your time runs out.”

“Time is luck. You grab it. You hold on tight. And you be there. You have to be there for it. It’s going, with or without you. And no one knows for how long. No one knows.”

Content Warnings

caseythereader's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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