Thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. A wonderful cast of characters, pure tension, and a commendable topic of discussion regarding the Kurds.

For this to be a debut book is phenomenal. I can't wait to see the career that awaits.

Wow. Non-stop! I could not turn the pages fast enough. Newman nails the suspense, and the twists and turns and surprises will have readers riveted. I know everyone will say "fasten your seatbelts"--but is the perfect warning!

What an absolute ride! From the first line ("When the shoe dropped into her lap the foot was still in it.") to the last, I was hooked. TJ Newman has an edge-of-your-seat thriller for a debut novel. Everyday people put in extraordinary circumstances in a realistic scenario.

Captain Bill Hoffman is a dedicated pilot with wife, Carrie, and son Scott and baby Elise. An ordinary call to cover a flight begins their nightmare as Bill's family is kidnapped and held hostage. The ransom? Save his family or crash the plane and kill all aboard. As the author has been a flight attendant, the interactions on the plane are interesting and give a view into that role. The pace of the story is as fast as I imagine my thoughts would be going through the situation, and alternates between the action in the cockpit, the the flight attendants in the cabin, the family held hostage, and the support being given by the FBI and Air Traffic Control.

TJ Newman has crafted a story that is entertaining with family drama, current events, and consideration of how decisions made by a country impact others. It left me thinking about things that I hadn't previously paid attention to. The writing style had me telling those around me of the plot and discussing it. I definitely recommend Falling for anyone who enjoys a thriller and look forward to reading more from TJ Newman (although maybe not those that have a fear of flying!)

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the

This book really kept my interest. It was fast paced and I held my breath til the end. A few surprises that I didn't see coming. Worth the time to read.

T.J. Newman does not waste a line of copy before the she is bringing the reader into a free fall. The action begins on page one. What would happen if the pilot of a plane was told after take off that his family has been taken hostage and would be killed if he did not crash the plane? Seeing his wife and young son in explosive vests. Their infant daughter looking to be comforted in a world which still has no meaning to her. If he alert anyone, his family will die. Pilot Bill Hoffman has firmly told the terrorists that he will not crash his plane and they will not harm his family. But can he make that happen?
As a former flight attendant, the author writes character actions that only someone trained to guard the safety of airline passengers could imagine. This is not to day that every detail is realistic, liberties are taken in the name of suspense, but no one will mind, Falling is fast paced , suspenseful and although sometimes a little fantastical, great fun to read. As Margo Channing (Betty Davis) said in "All About Eve", "Fasten your seatbelt, it's going to be a bumpy night"
My Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon Schuster for the ARC of thisFalling in exchange for my honest review.

Really, how many more novels about terrorists hijacking an airplane to protest (fill in the blank) do we need? Isn’t that particular sub-genre exhausted by now? Not, according to T.J. Newman, a stewardess turned author of Falling. I had the opportunity to read an ARC of the novel courtesy of NetGalley and publisher Simon and Schuster. I can easily summarize my response with one word, ‘Wow!’

Gripping. Intense. Gut-wrenching. Falling packs an emotional wallop that I didn’t see coming. The premise is simple. Terrorists kidnap a pilot’s family and offer the pilot a choice — crash the plane into an unnamed target, killing all the passengers, or his family will be slaughtered. The pilot is forbidden to tell anyone of the threat and, by the way, there is another terrorist aboard the airplane to ensure compliance.

The question is posed: will the pilot sacrifice the plane and its passengers, or will he sacrifice his family?

While the premise may be simple, the book is not. Newman throws a wrench into expectations by courageously guiding the reader into a sympathetic view of the terrorists and their underlying motivations. It is a brave decision that, in lesser Hans might have backfired. It didn’t.

I approached reading this book with trepidation and low expectations due to its tired subject matter. I am so grateful I read it and highly recommend it to any reader who enjoys a terrific, well-plotted, and riveting story.

Coastal Airways Flight 416...LAX to JFK...estimated flight time 5 hours, 24 minutes...144 souls on board. In the air, pilot Bill Hoffman and the flight crew face an impossible dilemma, while on the ground, Hoffman's wife and young children are held hostage. It's a race against unfavorable odds to save the lives of the passengers and the Hoffman family.

Falling's pulse-pounding plot and heart-stopping twists and turns make it a compelling read. Its well developed, engaging characters take readers through a range of emotions--from the depths of despair to the heights of human resiliency--while evoking support for the protagonists and empathy for the villains.

Told with an insider's knowledge of the industry, Falling takes armchair travel to a new level, and is sure to be one of the blockbuster reads of summer 2021.

Oh wow, this is fabulous. The twists and excitement kept my heart racing. This book was VERY suspenseful with – surprisingly - some terrific comic relief in places.

Aboard a plane for the 6-hour flight from LA to NYC are 149 passengers and crew who don’t know that terror has boarded with them. The pilot, Bill, is faced with a devastating choice. He must choose between crashing the plane with everyone onboard or the death of his wife and children, who are being held captive by a terrorist. What can Bill do? Will he choose his family or the lives of his passengers and crew? He must use all his skills and training to do the impossible, and is determined to save his family without crashing the plane. Meanwhile, on the ground is Theo, a troubled FBI agent who also has a relative on the plane. How far will he go to disobey orders to locate Bill's family and save them from the terrorist?

This will be THE most exciting summer thriller, the one you really won’t be able to put down. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this incredibly gripping book in return for an honest review. Five big bright stars!!

Holy crap!

Honestly, I think there were at least a dozen holy crap moments in this book. It’s just a thrill a minute, separated by moments of extreme heartbreak.

More than that, however, the book is fun.

Highly reminiscent of those wonderful disaster films of the 1970’s, Falling grabs your attention from the first page and just doesn’t let you go.

I loved every minute of this and, yes, if they make it into a movie I’m watching it!

I’d say get your popcorn ready, but you might be so into the read that you’ll forget to eat it.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

I have tremendous respect for what it must have taken T.J. Newman to conceive of this story and then write such a complex novel. Especially a first novel. It is gratifying to read in the acknowledgements that the author received so much support, especially from two of the best thriller writers around: Adrian McKinty and Don Winslow. I loved the characters and cared very much about what happened to them, although at times they were too clever during terrifying moments, or too good to be true. My primary misgivings: if one were to lay out this book plot-point by plot-point, it would be near perfection. The complications are plausible and the solutions mostly believable. However, there were important moments that were real clunkers, that brought my "willing suspension of disbelief" to a screeching halt. The heroic offer of the little boy to sacrifice himself is simply not plausible, to me anyway; any child that I can imagine hangs onto a magical belief in the ability of parents to save him/her in the most dire of circumstances. Offering to die in place of another is just not something I picture a ten-year-old doing. The scene involving baseball (trying not to spoil here) is absolutely ridiculous. It felt to me like soldiers in the trenches or a bunker facing almost-certain death and deciding to use their final moments to play poker. Not pray, call loved ones (possible in this scene), or just make any desperate attempt to grab a thousand-to-one shot at evading disaster. The choice of these eighteen men didn't ring as heroic or accepting their probable fate in the cause of a higher good. Players turning their hats inside out and spectators sitting down to drink looted beers while cheering...rang a terribly false and disruptive note for me. The scene could have been simply edited out or drastically modified and the suspense of the story would have been maintained not derailed.
But overall, I think this is a terrific story and look forward to more books by T.J. Newman.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Falling.

I wouldn't recommend reading this during a flight but for the most part, it was enjoyable and would make a great movie.

I didn't like it as much as I had hoped which might have been due to the writing style. At times, the narrative felt chatty, repetitive and filler heavy.

I like the idea that Bill is forced to make a near impossible choice but that being the reason as to why the hijackers chose him as a pawn in their twisted game is weak.

Also, it sure is lucky that Jo's nephew is a FBI agent, and comes to her and Bill and his family's aid.

Not surprisingly, a typical cliche is revealed when the readers learns the nephew is on the outs with his supervisor after messing up and has to jump their hoops to convince his supervisor that a hijacking has taken place.

I did like the diversity of the main and supporting cast.

I also liked learning about what flight attendants really do (I'll never look at them in the same way again) and the behind the scenes details on what a pilot needs to do before a flight.

QUICK TAKE: Sometimes I'm a sucker for a big, dumb action thriller, and well, FALLING is a big, dumb action thriller. Essentially SPEED on a plane, I absolutely smashed through this propulsive story about a commercial airline pilot forced to choose between saving his family and crashing the plane he's piloting, killing everyone onboard. If you're looking for this year's NBA winner, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a fast-paced beach read, FALLING might be perfect for you. I had a freakin' blast with it.

Falling is an action packed, nerve wracking novel. It grabs you from the beginning and has a very unexpected twist.
Very enjoyable and gives you a lot to think about!

(3 1/2). A wild and wooly ride. A different kind of spin on a pretty believable plot. Fast moving from the start, this book will keep you turning pages until the very end. A little too much sap makes it really a 3 star read but it sure is entertaining. Good stuff.

“When the shoe dropped into her lap the foot was still in it.”

That‘s the first sentence, and I‘m certain I held my breath throughout the entire story, until the end. This was the most thrilling and suspenseful thing I've read in a long time. Twists and turns everywhere! These scenes were terrifying every time I thought of how plausible they were. Hopefully a situation like this isn't probable, but I could definitely envision it happening. My heart rate was high and my grip was white-knuckle while I read on my Kindle. A fast-paced, super fun thriller!! I think this will be a great summertime read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avid Reader Press, and Simon & Schuster for the chance to read it early in exchange for a review!

Wow! T.J. Newman's Falling is an excellent thriller that grabs the reader and doesn't let go and it seems so realistic. there were only two things that keep me from giving Falling 5 stars. The first concerns the prologue. The writing is not on the same quality. I almost stopped reading any further. The prologue is not necessary. There's enough starting momentum with the chapter that follows it. The other is the political slant to the book that comes out. It presumes that America is or should be the world's protector, an insurer against all the evil in the world. America cannot take on that role. Sooner or later, America has to leave other countries to their fate. Otherwise, our armed forces would be stretched to the breaking point as Congress will never and should never endorse, let alone, fund enough military to be the world's policeman, which is what would be required to stop every fanatical leader bent on genocide or domination. Look at North Korea, Russia, and China, among countless other regimes where the military has taken control.. Thank you to Avid Reader Press for taking a chance on her. A fuller review will be posted on Goodreads, and later when it is published on Amazon.

Starts out fast right on the 1st page.....& keeps up the pace all the way through! A thriller penned by an actual flight attendant.....& you can tell as you're reading that the author knows her way around a plane, & uses the 'in-flight' lingo. The story seems to move along at the speed of the action happening on the page......it's a quick, 'hard to put down' read. Maybe this will be the 'action-beach read' of the summer?! The 'Acknowledgements' at the end are worth the read too.
I received an e-ARC to read & review from publisher Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster via NetGalley.

OMG! Since 24’s season 5 21st episode I haven’t gotten so tense! I am so close to explode! My heart is pounding so fast! I can crush because of extra adrenalin rush as the blood keeps pumping into my veins! What a freaking eyes popping head spinning gut wrenching ride I jumped on!

This book is sticky! It glues to your hands, taking control of your mind, forcing you cut your connection with the real world and for cues you to enjoy the action packed, fist pumping, jaw clenching, heart throbbing pacing!

Don’t you ever dare to put it down! If you do that, you’ll regret it because when you turn back your normal life, intense feeling of claustrophobic cabin fever will follow you in everywhere!
Let’s take a closer look to the plot line:
Captain Bill Hoffman feels sorry how he left things with his wife at home. She didn’t answer his calls which is strange because whenever they have argument, she never chooses silent treatment. Something is off.

He couldn’t be so right because as he sits on his seat at the cockpit, checking last things before his flight from LAX to NYC’s JFK airport, he gets an email from his wife without subject attached with a photo shows his family are hostages of a very dangerous man.

As he clicks the man’s FaceTime call, he sees his wife strapped with explosives (just like Bodyguard’s final freaking episode)

The man call himself Sam tells him he has two choices he’s going to crash the plane if he doesn’t he will kill his family. Plain and simple.
Bill cannot tell it anybody if he does that his family dies. If he rejects the plan again his family dies.

So he has to obey the rules. He has to change the rotate to Washington D. C., killing his copilot by mixing white powder with his coffee inserted his bag and throw a gas can at the cabin before crashing the plane!

He carries 144 souls onboard whose lives at stake. Will he crash the plane to save his family?
At the cabin, there are brave flight attendants do their best to keep the passengers alive as Bill literally deals with fight or flight situation.

Jo, experienced flight attendant, is close friend of Bill learns the threat at the first hand and thankfully her nephew Theo is FBI agent but even their resources and ATC’s support can not be enough to fight against the big threat.

What’s going to happen? Could loved be saved and could the imminent political threat and national crisis be stopped before things are getting escalated?

There are so many movies take place in the plane like Passenger 57, Red Eye, Nonstop, United 93, and lately Joseph Gordon Levitt’s 7500.

This book’s storyline is quit best example of action packed- adrenaline rush- cabin fever movies and with fast pacing, mind whirling, high tension storyline helps you consume it as like you’re devouring your favorite action movie! ( its storyline is so much better than the some of the movies I listed before so this has great potential for an adaptation!)

If you enjoy unputdownable, addictive, one sit readings which can get you out of your mind, this book is best fit for your needs. Pick up your popcorn and wine ( or any other combination like pretzels, biscotti and can coke just like airline complimentary menus) and sit tight at your seat, fasten your seatbelt and enjoy your crazy flight!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/ Simon& Schuster for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Falling is one of those fast paced thriller novels that sucks you in and takes you along for the ride, while not really offering anything new or innovative to the genre, and that's ok. I definitely enjoyed this for what it was. It allowed me to get out of my head while I was reading it and just enjoy the tension and thrills as they came, which was all I really needed.

The characters in this story were incredibly well fleshed out and believable, and the author definitely does a good job of making you care for these people and wanting the best possible outcome for everyone involved. The stakes/consequences could have been a little higher in the fact that every character makes it out generally unscathed and alive, but this is just a preference I like to see in these types of stories to lend a little more believability and credibility to the story.

The political motivations behind the kidnappers actions was a little heavy handed, and at this point a little over played. Give me some new reasons as to why your villains want to incite terror into the world, and step away from things that have been done so many times before. If the author had been a little more innovative that way, this book could easily have been elevated above most others in the genre.

Despite this flaw this will definitely be a popular "blockbuster, summer beach read" novel that I wouldn't be surprised to see adapted into a movie before too long. And if this is your type of read I definitely recommend checking it out.

Can I give this book. more than 5 stars? This was the fastest I’ve read a book in a long time. Loved the storyline, characterizations, everything. The book was just the right length for a mid air crisis. Can’t wait for more books from this author! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.