Choosing to read this was a stretch for me because I know sci-fi isn't my favorite genre. I liked the underlying plot but got bogged down with the science-ness of space. If science, especially space, is your thing you'll love this. As I was reading I could picture this book as a movie. It wouldn't surprise me if this gets picked up for the big screen.

4.25* I am always up for a book based in outer space and this one did not disappoint! This story, told in 2 intertwined plotlines, takes place on the International Space Station and in the Amazon. I was a little concerned on whether the two very different stories would mesh but the author did an excellent job of tying the two together. I will admit to being more riveted by the space story, though Kluger balances the science, peril, politics, environmental issues expertly. Although known for his science reporting for Time, I would definitely read another fiction novel by Jeffey Kluger.

Wow! That was an amazingly riveting story. I can’t wait to get it in the hands of my patrons. Combined space, environmental, and humanitarian emergencies all twisted together made it impossible to put this one down.

A little predictable and characters i could t quite connect with totally, but smart writing that is interesting from start to finish.

Well done yet not my usual story for a book choice. Might be timing as too much billionaire space story talk in recent news.

*3.5 stars rounded up. If you are a fan of Andy Weir's books, I think you will enjoy this space adventure too--a first fiction novel by journalist and space expert, Jeffrey Kluger.

Three astronauts, two Russians and one American woman scientist named Walli Beckwith, are on an International Space Station, awaiting the next supply shipment. The docking goes awry and the three are injured, the station damaged. The crew is ordered to return to earth but Walli stays behind, saying simply, "I prefer not to."

Everyone wants to know why and eventually Walli makes a statement for all the world to hear--it's a protest over something terrible that is happening back on earth. Soon she is a social media star with a huge following and people organizing protests to support her cause.

Meanwhile, Walli's niece Sonia, who has just finished four years at Baylor College of Medicine, is working for Health on Wings and volunteering in the midst of the problem area, sending dire reports to her aunt in space.

Don't be afraid--there is lots of science and technical stuff but it doesn't get in the way of a good story. Kluger has created two very strong, intelligent, stubborn characters in these two women. They face one disaster after another, often forced to make quick decisions to save themselves and others. The rest of the cast of characters are well developed as well, but those two woman make the book worth reading. The topic is a timely one: the earth and its inhabitants being endangered by giant greed. There is lots of exciting, edge-of-your seat action so I dare to predict a movie will be made someday. Good script material!

I received an arc of this thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

Thank you @NetGally for this eARC of #HoldOut

This book comes from two perspectives an astronaut on an international space station who can see what’s happening to the rainforest from space and the astronauts who is living in said rainforest as a doctor.

This book touches on a very real problem. Which I think the author did a good job in using two perspectives of what is being seen.

I was very unsure at first how I felt since I know the author has written non fictions about the Apollo missions. So I knew he was well versed and education in space lingo.

I disliked how much importance was given to the decisions of the United States in this story they seemed to be the heroes and the ones who can make everything right.

I’m still of two minds with this book. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it and it was well written.

I'm going to preface my review with this: sci-fi is not usually my cup of tea... don't get me wrong, there have been exceptions, but I like what I like and I'm more likely to gravitate to the comfort of a rom-com than I am to dabble with the unknown. However, I'm very glad I took a chance on this one - it's like Steve Berry has an romp with Tess Gerritsen's 'Gravity' and Andy Weir's "The Martian' and this is the end result. To be clear - this is high praise - Gravity is one of the few sci-fi books I've read and loved (one of my absolute old-school favorite books period) , The Martian was an engaging and entertaining sci-read that happened to also make a great movie, and when I do read political thrillers, they are always Steve Berry. So this should be an indication on how much I really liked this book that hooked me from the first page....

Belka "Walli" Beckwith is an American astronaut currently living on the International Space Station along with two other Russian cosmonauts when a routine resupply goes off the rails. The ensuing chaos results in Walli defying orders to leave her post and evacuate the station with her fellow colleagues, believing its her responsibility to document and bring the public's attention to an alarming situation that she's noticed from space - one she races to rectify using only what's available to her in space, while her life and those that she cares about most in the world back down on earth hang in the balance.

What I found most engaging about the storyline and writing style is the frequent shifts between the multiple viewpoints and narrators, and how they complemented each other and continued the story without having to overly narrative a single character to fill in the all the context. I also found the science and politics accessible and easy to understand without having to have any kind of prior knowledge. Science geeks or experts might be bothered by this, but this casual reader found it to be a nice balance between the facts and fiction, without sacrificing one for the other. I read a lot of books and there are plenty that I'd love to see get made into a movie, but this is one that would actually make a really good movie. Thanks to NetGalley, Dutton Books, and Jeffrey Kluger for the advanced copy of Holdout in exchange for my honest review - happy I took a chance on this and can't wait to recommend it to others!

I loved the book offered two female heroines. I really enjoyed how the author can make all the science and space talk make sense to the average reader. I think is a perfect book for anyone into space and science because it is so well writen with a great plot line. It just didn't land with me, I thought it was a bit slow and I had an issue connecting with the characters. Overall, it's a very good book and I think fans of the genre will really get a kick out of it!

I was asked by Dutton Books & Net Galley to do an honest review of a new book from author Jeffrey Kluger called “Holdout” which comes out on August 3rd.

I’ll be honest this made me nervous because Sci-Fi is totally not a genre I gravitate towards.

The book starts off with two different perspectives. We have Walli Beckwith who is an astronaut and is in space. While attempting a mission between two shuttles, things did not go well & two cosmonauts end up leaving, one with a serious injury. Walli went against everyone and stayed put on the space station.

We are then also taken to South America and are introduced to Sonia who is a recent graduate from Baylor College and was interning for Health on Wings in the Amazon. One night a wildfire broke out and began destroying the tribes that were living there. She took in a young boy named Oli’s whose family died in these fires.

Walli can see the fires from space and advised that she would stay in there until the government would stop the fires. Turns out that Sonia is Walli’s niece so she had a personal connection in to making sure those wildfires stop.

There were parts that I like but there was just too much politics and not enough sci fiction for me. And since sci-fi is not my usually genre, I was hoping to get a better sense of the genre. But by the end, I was just ready for it to be over. I think it might have been about 50 pages too long. If this would end up being adapted for screen, it could possibly be better.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this early - thank you Penguin, Dutton & Net Galley.

Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger is an interesting story. Walli, the main character is an outstanding astronaut, one with an impeccable career. However, she now has a cause she wants to fight for and is determined to make people listen by taking a stand. In space.
The strongest part of this story is the descriptions and explanations. I was so interested in the astronaut’s mission and even though there were technical parts, I never felt confused or bored. While I wish I felt more connected to Walli, I was impressed with her determination and loyalty. I can see Holdout being made into a movie.

Si-fi with a political twist. This was a new genre for me. Well written. I give 3.5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨ARC Review✨

A connection between an astronaut and a physician...two worlds collide, and a race against time!

Walli Beckworth is with other astronauts aboard a space station conducting various experiments on highly contagious diseases such as e.coli, salmonella, and meningitis. The very beginning of the book already sounds like a disaster is about to implode, and then the station was depressurizing, a collision impending, the station is powering down and Walli is refusing to ingress the spacecraft with her other two crew members, all three of them injured, and will not give a reason for her refusal.

The book then flashbacks to three days prior, where Sonia, a physician is in the Amazon, on a hospital camp volunteering help to tribes with emerging diseases. She develops a closeness and attachment to a child named Oli. Epidemics of Influenza and Chicken Pox were sweeping through these communities. Intentional fires are being set causing people to flee alongside inevitable casualties. They are moving camp from one place to the next, constantly having to evacuate.

There is a connection between Walli and Sonia, and that connection fuels the decision for Walli to “go rogue”. “I will come home,” she said, “when you have put an end to the project that is causing damage so great it’s visible from space.”

What I Liked:
-Dual POV told during one timeline; you get stories told simultaneously about Walli and Sonia
-I see this as a book that could potentially be turned into a movie
-Sonia develops a deep motherly connection with Oli, caring for him medically after his mother had passed from Cholera.
-The backstory tidbits you get about Walli...her upbringing, how she got her name, a previous relationship that she still seems to hold dear
-How Walli seemingly has a war within herself. She reflects on past circumstances with the Navy as well as NASA, that help fuel the importance of what she is currently doing.
-The book is mixed with some suspense along with very sad moments
-There is a twist towards the last part of the book, though predictable, a nice touch, and the Epilogue tied up all of the loose ends nicely.

Why It Wasn’t A Five Star Book For Me:
-There is what I felt to be kind of a jab at the medical profession in the sense that there is a lack of empathy, when there is a reference about Sonia developing a connection with Oli, that it was “all wrong for the dispassion she was supposed to feel as a practitioner.”
-This book kind of just dragged on for me. It started out as gripping, and there is a bit of a twist that happens towards the last part of the book, but if you pay close attention to the beginning and the developing signs toward the unfolding events that start to add up, you almost have to anticipate what is happening.

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A special thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review! Holdout is out August 3rd!

This book was so good! It literally kept my attention and left me wanting more. I give it a 4/5 stars. Hurry and grab this book!

"Sonia could have been Brazilian--even Guarani. She was born of an American father and a Mexican mother, but the American part was hard to spot."

*sigh*

SURELY an author who can write about the intricacies of SPACESHIPS should know that nationality does not equate to ethnic heritage??? As if someone who is American *could not possibly* be a person of color?

Anyone who has ever been asked "But where are you FROM from?" will feel me on this one. I won't lie, it was hard to even want to give this a chance after encountering this in chapter two.

Alas, I persevered. But it truthfully wasn't worth it, and I don't even know how to write a legitimate review, so please enjoy the rest of the notes I took while finishing this book:

-The story is super disjointed so far... having a hard time engaging.
-I legitimately can't read more than a page without getting distracted.
-Oh neat a reference to civil engineering (my degree)--most exciting part of the book so far!
-Feels like the President in this book is being likened to 45... didn't I already live through that once? Was that not enough?
-Even the dialogue between family members feels stilted, oddly scientific, and completely detached.
-I'm not even sure how to word this. I understand the connection between all these characters, but they just don't mesh. There is no cohesiveness to all these storylines.
-This feels less like a "space thriller" (i.e. The Martian, which I loved) and more political.

I know what you're thinking: "If you disliked this book so much why not DNF??" Fair question. As a general rule, I typically do not review books I don't finish, as it feels unfair of me. I really wanted to make a point of bringing up the nationality vs. ethnic heritage thing and I could not do that without finishing the book.

All that said, thanks still to NetGalley, Dutton, and Jeffrey Kluger for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

”From her very particular position, she had a very particular voice. She would use it.”

Project Hail Mary (lone astronaut in outer space) meets How Beautiful We Were (indigenous people & lands being perpetually wronged by corporate greed) in this new sci-fi thriller by Jeffrey Kluger!

I’m a huge fan of science fiction, so Holdout (with a blurb from Riley Sager and a comparison to Andy Weir!), filled with renegade astronauts, hijacked space stations, and a fight for justice, sounded like a slam dunk for me. But in execution, it didn’t actually read as much like sci-fi as a high-stakes sociopolitical drama.

I was astounded by the amount of time and effort that the author put into researching for this book. From the Soviet-era space race to the impact of industrialization on indigenous populations of the world, I felt like I learned something new in nearly every field of study. I truly do love books that endeavor to teach, not just entertain, and Kluger is a masterful teacher of science, history, sociopolitical anthropology, and more.

(If you’re familiar with the author’s credentials, this probably won’t come as a surprise - he’s an editor for Time magazine and has authored many nonfiction books on a variety of topics, and his gift for research was on full display here!)

Because of this informational approach, much of the book felt more expositional than narrative in style, with large chunks of text devoted to info-dumps, mathematical calculations, and rabbit-trail descriptions that didn’t necessarily move the plot forward, and it took me longer than usual to really engage with the characters or what was happening. But there absolutely is a story here, if you’re willing to mine for it through all of the minute detail - a story of integrity, conviction, and the power of the individual to spark change through any means necessary - and I found it to be compelling, challenging, and timely.

——

A huge thank you to Jeffrey Kluger, Penguin Group, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

🚀 Holdout 🚀
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Cayla 4⭐️. Chelsey 4⭐️.
Thank you to @netgalley and @dutton & @penguinrandomhouse for this ARC!
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Walli Beckwith is a top astronaut working on the International Space Station when a routine docking of a supply shuttle turns to dangerous disaster. The three person crew is forced to leave the ship, but Walli refuses. In fact, she would “prefer not to.” This causes a chain of events leading to the real reason that Walli will not leave the spaceship. She is in jeopardy of arrest from 25 different countries for her refusal to leave and ends up going toe to toe with the American president, leaving everyone to argue over whether she’s a villain or a hero. We also get an intertwined story of her niece, Sonia, who is out working in a medical camp in Brazil where there are raging fires in the Amazon. These two strong women are nothing if not resilient.
💭Thoughts💭
Author @jeffreykluger explains things in so much detail without being dry and boring. I learned so much about space, NASA, the Russian cosmonauts, and the American voting/veto system, all interwoven with a dramatic, heart pulling story.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
My favorite moment was really a favorite character. Anytime that Oli, the Guarani native boy, was in a scene, he stole my heart! It was so easy to see how he stole Sonia’s as well. Their story arc was such a bright spot. I also loved Vasily! The rugged Russian was such a softy for Walli and he had some great one liners.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Play some Bach or Louis Armstrong- they are two of the dozens of artists that are etched into the golden records that were launched into space over forty years ago! Have some freeze dried foods as well to get the feel for being in space. You can also indulge in some “headache medicine”. That’s what astronauts call alcohol when they’re really not feeling too well!

Jeffrey Kluger is definitely one of those authors that knows how to write about space; we’ve seen that before with him. This was no exception. He does a good job of portraying space and you can tell that he knows what he is talking about, but it was dry at times. Although there is a lot of adventure, female protagonists, climate issues, and so much more, it fell flat in some areas. That’s not saying that this book wasn’t good. It was, but it wasn’t a 5-star read. I’ve rounded my 3.5 star review to a 4 star review for the sake of stars.

Dark, poignant, and so in tune with current and recent events that this work of science fiction is barely fiction at all.

In the novel Holdout, Jeffrey Kluger tells the tale of an American activist and astronaut who is too smart and too brave for her own good. Aboard the International Space Station, an accident cuts short the mission of Belka “Walli” Beckwith and her comrades. Ordered to return home immediately, the rest of her team takes the first ship back, while Walli remains on the ISS in an act of mutiny. She refuses to return to earth until the United States government acts upon the genocide taking place overseas, and few people on earth are thrilled with her decision.

Regarded as a hero by some and a traitor by others, Walli spends months alone on the spacecraft in protest. Meanwhile, her niece, Sonia, is on the ground in South America fighting to protect the victims. This book switches between parallel perspectives of the two women throughout their war for justice.

This premise was intriguing and executed quite well, overall. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because I found myself getting a bit bored through the middle of the book, but the last 100 pages or are enticing enough that it made up for the rest almost entirely. My only other complaint would be the amount of run-on sentences in the book, which borders on egregious. Sometimes I’d find myself getting lost in a single, paragraph-long sentence that felt like it should’ve been 3-5 shorter sentences instead.

Overall, this is genuinely a worthwhile read.

Huge thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

The beginning of this novel, the set-up for the main plot, was interesting and exciting. I was so ready for a space adventure sci-fi book with some mutiny. But then it became a geopolitical fight. The main characters attempts to appeal to US political figures didn't feel realistic and just really did not work for me. I understand the intent behind the book and obviously rain forest destruction and climate change is something that the world needs to work on. I think if people go into this book knowing its more political than it is space adventure they may have a better time.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC.