Drowning by T.J. Newman

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.

Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent—Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife—who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff.

There’s not much time.

There’s even less air.

With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family’s desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them—against impossible odds.

Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman—whose first book Falling was an instant #1 national bestseller and the biggest thriller debut of 2021—returns for her second book, an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean, and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside, and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them.

Kindle Edition, 300 pages 

Expected publication May 30, 2023 

by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster

4/5 stars

TJ Newman, a former flight attendant, has captured the attention of readers with her debut novel, Falling, and now follows up with another thrilling aviation story, Drowning.

From the very first page, Drowning takes off with non-stop action that kept this reader on the edge of my seat for almost 300 pages. The story follows the harrowing experience of a flight that crashes into the ocean just minutes after takeoff in Hawaii. A handful of survivors are left stranded on the sinking plane, and a rescue mission ensues. With limited time, patience and oxgyen, the overwhelming anxiety of the situation makes for a fast-paced and emotional read.

But Drowning is not just a story of a rescue mission. It delves into the complexities of family, heartache, and the hope of reunion. The mix of personalities is authentic, and the procedures taken are true to life. Suffice it to say, I devoured this book in a single day.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster Ca (via NetGalley) for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.