A touching, thrilling ride along with a relatable character. There is something of Danny in all of us. Will recommend to fans of YA and fact paced fiction.

BOOK REPORT for The Speed of Falling Objects by Nancy Richardson Fischer

Cover Story: Grown Up Book
BFF Charm: Big Sister
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: Straight Up Survivalist
Bonus Factors: Bear Grylls, Jupiter Jones
Anti-Bonus Factor: Patty Chase Award for Awful Parenting
Relationship Status: Unlikely Allies

Cover Story: Grown Up Book

Lark! No big faces or cartoon people, no fancy dresses or bad stock photography. If I saw this book on a shelf, I would have absolutely no idea that it was a YA book. Is that a good thing? A bad thing? TBD, really, but I like the cover either way!

The Deal:

For being the daughter of a famous reality television survivalist, Danny "Danger" Warren is anything but dangerous. After losing an eye in a childhood accident, Danny plays by all the rules, worried that another accident could blind her completely, or that her detached mother finds her to be a burden, or that her father's absence in her life is all her fault. So when the charismatic Cougar Warren calls Danny and invites her on his show as a 16th birthday present, Danny is ready to prove to her father that she's got what it takes to make him proud. She'll spend a week deep in the Amazon jungle with her dad, his film crew, and the world's biggest, babelicious teen movie star, Gus Price.

But when a storm blows their plane off course and they crash in the jungle, Danny realizes that the Amazon is more deadly than she ever imagined. The surviving crew members have to find their way back to civilization, relying on Cougar's know-how and trying to avoid the jungle's poisonous snakes...and spiders...and panthers...and tree frogs. As they travel together, Danny begins to realize that the father she worships may not be the father she has. Also...is the world's most famous teen idol checking her out?

BFF Charm: Big Sister

Danny, Danny, Danny. First of all, girlfriend, quit talking about how plain and uncool and unattractive you are. If you've been stranded in the Amazon for a week and fictional Shawn Mendes is vibing with you, I promise you are not plain or uncool or unattractive. I know that losing an eye means Danny has had to relearn depth perception and movement, but you never feel sorry for her - even when it seemed like the author wanted you to. As a matter of fact, I was continually impressed with the amount of medical knowledge she had amassed from reading her mom's medical journals and her ability to put that knowledge to use in some extremely squeamish circumstances. Sure, Danny was a little scared to film a survivalist TV show in the Amazon jungle but, uh, wouldn't we all be???

It was Danny's hero-worship of her stupid father that made me want to take her by the shoulders and tell her to GET A GRIP ON REALITY. Her dad was *extreme Jean Ralphio voice* the wooooooooorst and nothing she did would ever make him respect her. He never missed an opportunity to remind his crew that he was The Shit and she was just a stupid kid. And yet, Danny believed him?! I know we all want to be able to look up to her dads but he'd already abandoned her after she had a traumatic accident as a child. Every time Danny would do something totally bad ass, Cougar would be there to knock her down a peg and we'd be right back at square one.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5

Being stranded in the jungle with the world's hottest teen star sounds super swoony, but in actuality...meh. First of all, everyone is traumatized and disgusting. Sure, shared trauma can sometimes be a recipe for romance, and maybe if Gus Price *were* Shawn Mendes this romance would've panned out differently, but early on in the story, we learn that Gus isn't the person we (or Danny) thought he was. He grew on me over time, but unfortunately, he and Danny's eventual coupling felt a little saccharine and insincere given the timeline and circumstances.

Talky Talk: Straight Up Survivalist

Survivalist stories are always really fun to read because you've got the action and adventure aspect, the suspense of wondering who will live and who will die and which poisonous tree frog will be the next cause of death. I thought Fischer did an incredible job of writing a story that felt really well researched and educational, and since she had survivalist expert Cougar Warren as a main character, helping the other characters along the way, this information was communicated in a really organic way. There were times, though, when I thought the story could have used a bit of emotional punching up. Sometimes it was so heavy with jungle survival facts, that the characters big emotional moments didn't hit quite the way I would've liked. I never really felt that Danny was as traumatized as she should be from what she'd seen and what she was experiencing, but that didn't stop me from reading this book in just a couple of days to find out what would happen.

Bonus Factor: Bear Grylls

I'll admit I was always more a fan of Survivorman's Les Stroud, personally, but I liked that Cougar was a nod to Bear, even if I didn't actually *like* Cougar.

Bonus Factor: Jupiter Jones

Almost every person in this book was a terrible human being. Cougar's assistant was willing to do anything to anyone if it meant getting the best Content™ for the show, and Gus Price was willing to go along with that for awhile. I'll talk more about Danny's parents below, and even her best friend was pretty mean in the few scenes she appeared in. But I say "almost" because of Jupiter Jones, the crew's sound guy. Easily my favorite character, Jupiter was kind and caring, and the only person willing to stand up for Danny, even when Danny wouldn't stand up for herself.

Side note: I totally envisioned Jupiter as William Jackson Harper, aka Chidi from The Good Place, but Brian from The Office is what popped up when I googled "boom mic guy" so we'll go with that.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Patti Chase Award for Awful Parenting

WHEW BOY, Cougar Warren was a piece of work. I get that Fischer was going for a narcissistic, reality TV star personality, but I actually found Cougar to be a little...too awful. So awful, in fact, that nothing could redeem him by the end of the story for me, so his redemption arc fell flat. It took Danny's constant need for his approval from eye-rolly to downright insufferable. If Cougar had been even a bit more sympathetic, it would've really changed my whole outlook on the book.

And while we're at it, I had a few issues with Danny's mom, Samantha, too, but they paled in comparison. Either way, Danny needs a lifetime of therapy.

Relationship Status: Unlikely Allies

Book, you aren't perfect, but in this jungle we call life, few of us are. I found you highly entertaining and devoured you in just a few days, even if you didn't give me the emotional connection I was longing for. We may not be soulmates, but we can be allies.

FTC Full Disclosure: I did not receive money or Girl Scout cookies of any kind (not even the lame cranberry ones) for writing this review. The Speed of Falling Objects is available now.

I love the writing style, it was so easy to follow, easy to get into the head of the characters. It really feels like I'm right there with the characters, like I'm part of a survivalist show. You could tell that the author really did her research on this topic - assuming that all Cougar, the main character's father, says is real (which I think it is).

At the beginning of the book, the characters really leaves much to be desired. I don't like much of the characters, the only one I liked is Jupiter. The characters have personalities that I don't like but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. That's just because each characters are flawed - like what a character should be. They aren't one dimensional and bland characters which I really appreciate. As the story progresses, though, you could totally see their growth as a character.

Overall, I really liked this book, this was such a delight to read. The plot was really interesting and this really took me in a wild adventure. This is not only a journey of survival but also of (self-)acceptance.

ps: As I was reading this, my mind was such in a bad place and this really helped me - this is reflected in my favorite quotes (see below) - and this book have a space in my hollow heart. Just for that alone, I would like to thank the author: Nancy Richardson Fischer, thank you so much for writing this gem of a book.

I appreciate that the author was honest with how bad a parent can be and how it can affect their child. No wonder Danny feels like she is worth nothing. Her father reinforces that belief throughout the book. Danny is doing her best to find herself and learn and grow.
I sort of felt like I was watching an episode of Bear Gryls. The action was exciting but did get repetitive. The storyline moved quickly. A good read for teens that like action, adventure, the rainforest, and medical situations.

I loved the atmosphere of this book and the gripping plot. The character development is phenomenal, and I could not put this book down.

A great book about finding your inner strength. I think high school students will not only be engaged in this book, but just might learn what it means to know you can do anything you put your mind to.

The Speed of Falling Objects by Nancy Richardson Fischer is story about a young woman who suffered a tragic accident when she was a small girl. The result of which, caused her to lose her eye along with all of her courage.
After her accident, her parents get a divorce, and her father never comes around. A week before her 17th birthday, Her absentee father calls to invite her on a once in a life time trip where she can play survival in the amazon rain forest.
When tragedy strikes on the way to rain forest. A result of which, forces her to face her demons and learn to trust in herself and realize that she is deeply capable of living a full and happy life, in spite of her disability.
I really enjoyed this book. I will admit that the first chapter or so was a little grating with how deeply insecure Danny was. However, it was necessary to show her growth throughout the book.
I felt that the author did a good job of showing the thoughts/insecurities of a teenage girl in high school. She really showed how much Danny grew, and really began to see the world as it really was, not as she told herself it was.

Hi, yes, my name is Allie and I hate all forms of creepy crawlies. I also have a major fear of begin abandoned in crazy places, I would never ever sign up for Survivor or for COURGAR Warren’s survivalist show. Count me out. Reading about it though, I’m in for that.
For the past ten years Danger (Danny) Warren, ever since an accident left her with one eye, she has been scared of the world. In an attempt to prove herself to her estranged father, celebrity survivalist host Cougar Warren, Danny agrees to his offer of accompany him on a trip to the Amazon. When their plane crashes in the middle of Amzaon rain forest Danny, her father, and the others on their flight are forced to put their survival skills to the test without the comfort of help near by.
While the story line is fairly predictable (ie hello young adult love story) I really enjoyed it and read this book in less than 2 days. I was captivated by Fisher’s depictions of all the Amazon creepy crawlies and you can just tell she did an extreme amount of research on the Amazon and what lives there. Danny’s knowledge of medical cases and emergency medicine was also extremely well researched, and while I can’t tell you if all of it is correct because I’m no medical doctor, I definitely feel I learned a few tricks in case I’m ever in an emergency.
I also think the depictions of the relationships Danny has between her parents was really well put together. I feel a lot of teenagers go through similar instances and I could even picture my teenage self having some of the same thoughts Danny did. Granted my dad wasn’t a celebrity TV personality who abandoned me but ya get the picture. While Cougar made me roll my eyes more than once, Fisher was great at keeping him the same person even with his personal growth. There are too many stories that have ‘villian’ characters become completely new people and I just don’t think that’s realistic, so I really enjoyed Fisher’s consistency.
Basically Danger Danny is a badass, and I wish I was as smart as her when I was 17. If you are looking for a fast paced adventure where you don’t have to eat grubs yourself, then The Speed of Falling Objects is the perfect read for you. Get it HERE! Also huge thanks to the author Nancy Richardson Fischer for sending me a finished copy of the book and for creating this fun story where I got to lose myself in the Amazon for a bit.

This book made me oddly emotional. Yes, I was expecting a semi-survival plot in the amazon between a girl and her distant father, but this is so much more than that. This is about a girl finding herself and self love in (very) extreme situations. It's about and complex, almost toxic father/daughter relationship and how despite everything you can still see that person as good, that despite their toxic traits, they can show good deeds. It's deep and reflective and honestly something I didn't know I needed.

>Danny has spent so long trying to get to know her absent father, the famous survivalist tv personality Cougar. So when he invites her on his latest tv episodes in the amazon to celebrate her sixteenth birthday, she jumps at the chance. Never mind her mother is furious. Never mind it's really going to be her seventeenth birthday.

And then their plane crashes...

I wasn't sure what to expect from this story so I was pleasantly surprised by how deep the author examines her character's flaws and vulnerabilities. Danny lost her eye when she was young and since then, has been suffering from self esteem and inferiority complexes, specially about her absent father, one of the most famous men in the country. I really liked how nervous she was at first and how the circumstances really brought strength to Danny's character.

Cougar's growth was noticeable, though less drastic. I don't want to give anything away but I will say that the ending felt satisfying and real.

The only maybe slight flaw I have is with Gus, the teenage heartthrob on the trip. I understand there needed to be a little bit of romance for Danny, and sure, extreme situations will bring many different people closer. But I didn't feel any real chemistry between them so when the romance started happening, it seemed a little distracting

Overall though, this story was full of texture and feelings and honesty. I thought the story was intriguing enough for me to keep reading and the characters complex enough for me to imagine them next to me.
will be reading more of this author's work!

This novel was thrilling, entertaining, and action-packed. Filled with unexpected twists and turns, as well as exploring the honesty in relationships with parents and friends, I really enjoyed this wonderful YA. This courageous teenager with her complex life and incredible adventure in the Amazon forest, makes for a fast and flowing story. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author. All opinions are my own.

The beginning of this book had me absolutely hooked. It starts out with a plane crash and leaves you wanting to know more. It was a super fast paced and action packed read. BUT there were some super problematic things throughout the book that knocked my rating down from a solid 4 to a 3 stars.

I wouldn't say I felt connected to our MC Danny, but I was super interested in the survivalist aspect of the story. Also the writing was very good in terms of description. I felt like I was really in the rain forest seeing all the deadly animals & insects and being in the midst of the sticky jungle. The writing was so visceral.

The last 15% of the book too a downhill turn for me. Character development felt a bit shunted, other developments progressed too quickly and felt unwarranted, and the ending wrapped up in a way that didn't feel satisfying enough for the conclusion of such an epic story. This is a very subjective feeling, but I think that things could have been wrapped up with a little more time given to flesh things out.

If the ending hadn't ruined my last feelings towards the book I may have been more inclined to give this a 4 stars. I will be happy to check out more of this author's stuff though because the writing is very good and she really knows how to write intense action scenes!

TW: Gore and death

What a fantastic book. This is a survivalist story based in the Amazon jungle, so first lets touch on the world building. I felt at times like I was in the jungle with them. This imagery was clear and beautifully laid out. I loved the main character and the little bit of romance that we get, however I HATED the main characters father. What a terrible man, I love when an author can make me hate a fictional character. I read this in one sitting and enjoyed myself.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

I would love to see this adapted to the big screen! Danger Danielle Warren (Danny) has lived her whole life with her mom. Her dad is a famous survivalist with an international tv show. She doesn't know much about her dad except what she's seen in TV and she's spent very little time with him. For her birthday, he calls and invites her to travel to the Amazon Rain forest with him as he films his next show. Danny agrees, not knowing what she signed up for. The airplane her and the crew were on crashes in the rain forest, and the rest of the story is non-stop action as they struggle to survive. The creatures of the rain forest are vividly portrayed and horrifying as well. Coming of age story, includes first love and realizing your parents aren't perfect. I really enjoyed it for the non-stop action.

I enjoyed this book, though I felt parts were pretty predictable. Overall, the adventure present in the story and the relationships between the characters will make this a popular choice with my students.

As with most books on NetGalley, this book is a great read. Captivating and intriguing. Thematically beautiful. Gorgeous writing.

DNF @ 52%
I wanted so bad to like this book and was so excited that I was given the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review earlier this year. Unfortunately things didn't go as planned. When I first started the novel a few months ago, I had a hard time connecting to the main characters as well as the plot line (this bad boy takes off slooowww). But I put it down as I thought it was just me and I wasn't in the right mood to read this.

That was a lie.

I picked this one back up again this week, and even borrowed the audiobook to see if it will help get me through the slow portions of the novel. To some extent it did, and I got farther that way than the other, but I still could not for the life of me get through the rest of the novel. I have some questions/thoughts on the disability rep within this novel, as our main character is partially blind; as well as I couldn't connect to her as an individual on any level. Her father I wanted to choke. From the amount I read, no one felt authentic and because of that I felt a huge disconnect from the overarching story.

Maybe it gets better later down the road, I'm unsure, to which I wouldn't deter anyone from picking up this book and giving it a go! But as for me, this one is sitting back on the shelf for someone else to give it love as I wasn't the right person.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

I adored this book! It is a survival story with heart. The only thing I would change would be to make it longer so that we can see more character development.

The Speed of Falling Objects by Nancy Richardson is an incredible young adult adventure book. After I read this book I gave it 4/5 stars. Two day of thinking about this book, over and over, I bumped it up to 5/5 stars. Any book that makes me relive parts of it, deserves high rating. This book tells the story about a young lady turning 17 who is afraid of everything after losing her eye when she was young. Desperately wanting to get her father's approval agrees to go on a trip to the Amazon rain forest. This book is full of everything, action, romance, and family dynamics. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

Danny is a 16 year old girl who wants her her non existent father's love. When he offers her the trip of a lifetime to the Peruvian rain forest, she jumps at the chance to go. Danny's father Cougar is a tv star that goes to remote locations and does survival shows. Danny was involved in a childhood accident when she lost her left eye so her mom doesn't want her to go on the trip with her dad. When their plane goes down the survivors must do everything in their power to survive in the rain forest. This is a story of survival! I loved Danny!! She is strong but vulnerable and she made for the perfect heroine!!! I would love a sequel with the characters in real life and see how they are doing now!!! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.