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.

Falling by T.J. Newman

You just boarded a flight to New York.

There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.

What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.

For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.

The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.

Enjoy the flight.

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published July 6th 2021

by Avid Reader Press / Simon Schuster

4/5 stars

What can I say, decisions, decisions what a horrible one to have to make.

Dubbed the 2021 Best Don't Read on a Plane winner is the perfect way to describe this book. T.J. Newman's debut is a fast-paced story that kept me wondering how this mess of an issue would be resolved. 

Without going into too much detail of the why and how that goes on here, the author approached this book in a manner that was tense (to say the least) and heartbreaking for all.   While the opening chapter didn't really do a lot for me the rest of the book flowed nicely. With alternating POV's the visual was felt right down to the support cast on the ground.

I loved the story behind this book, the 41 rejections before #42 accepting this manuscript.  Talk about perseverance!! She wrote idea and plot points on cocktail napkins while being a flight attendant. This book had an authentic feel on the aircraft with the lingo spot on - my husband is a pilot so I'm kinda familiar.

Falling released last month and part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge (the wait was way too long at the library)