I really wanted to love this one, as the premise is just *chef’s kiss*, but too much believability had to be halted to even begin to accept the way this book wrapped up. While tense, some of the secrets felt a bit trite to be considered “deepest and darkest, willing to do anything to keep this information hidden” level stuff. If you’re looking for a fast paced YA thriller and don’t mind needing to suspend your disbelief, give this a try.

2.5-2.75 this one was fine, it kept me guessing for sure but my god i can’t get past the main character CONSTANTLY talking about boys. girlie just got stabbed and she mentions wanting to kiss this hot boy. i can’t.

I love a locked-room mystery, so I was excited to read Thin Air. I loved this book and would recommend it. The setting is unique and the twists are shocking. I can honestly say I had no idea who the killer was until the very end. Fans of Karen McManus should give this book a read.

A group of students from the top private schools are all boarding a private international flight in the hopes of winning a scholarship--only one of which is available. Little do they know, this flight is about to go a little differently than planned. Murder, mystery, and mayhem are all afoot.

I like to think of this book as a Knives Out mystery with a full cast of teenagers. It's a bit like Pretty Little Liars if they were only involved in one murderous set of hours instead of always.
The book being contained in just an airplane makes the suspense high and the stakes high as well. We are involved in the whodunnit along with the characters the whole way through, and no one appears to be safe!

This book was written for you if:
1) You love a Knives Out mystery
2) You like trying to solve the case with the characters
3) You liked Pretty Little Liars

The "locked room" scenario with a hidden killer on board had me hooked from the start. The potential for a thrilling whodunit was undeniable. However, the character development fell flat for me. Many characters came across as petty and self-absorbed, and the instant romance and infidelity subplots felt unnecessary. Ultimately, the ending was a letdown. The villain's monologue felt out of place, reminiscent of a cartoon villain's self-defeating declaration. While the initial premise was promising, the execution left me wanting more.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay. The premise sounded really interesting but i found the main character so so so insufferable and annoying and only interested in potential boyfriends. I really didn’t like her, but the story of the contest was really interesting. It’s a good Young Adult.

"Thin Air" by Kellie Parker is a masterful blend of suspense, mystery, and young adult drama that grips the reader from the very first page. Set against the backdrop of a high-stakes competition on a flight to Paris, the novel introduces us to Emily Walters, a seventeen-year-old boarding school student with dreams bigger than her current means. The opportunity to compete for a cash prize that promises a better future for her and her mother is one she can't pass up, but the journey quickly turns into a nightmare of deception, betrayal, and survival.

Parker skillfully crafts a locked-door thriller in the skies, where every character has something to lose and equally compelling reasons to win. The setting—a private jet crossing the Atlantic—provides a claustrophobic tension that escalates with each passing hour. The sense of isolation and the impossibility of escape heighten the stakes, making "Thin Air" an exhilarating read.

Emily Walters is a protagonist you root for from the beginning. Her determination to change her life and the lives of those she loves, coupled with the burden of her own secrets, makes her a complex and relatable character. As the competition turns deadly, Emily's resilience and strategic thinking shine through, positioning her as a memorable and inspiring heroine in YA literature.

The dynamics among the contestants add layers of intrigue and complexity to the story. Parker does an excellent job of developing each character, giving them depth and motivations that blur the lines between friend and foe. The interplay of relationships, particularly Emily's efforts to protect her best friend while navigating her own vulnerabilities, enriches the narrative, making it not just a thriller but a profound exploration of friendship, loyalty, and ambition.

What sets "Thin Air" apart is Parker's ability to weave together suspense and emotional depth, creating a story that is as heart-pounding as it is heart-wrenching. The plot twists and turns, with revelations that keep readers guessing until the very end. Parker's writing is sharp, with a pace that never falters, propelling the story forward with each revelation and making it impossible to put down.

For fans of Diana Urban, Karen McManus, and Jessica Goodman, "Thin Air" is a standout addition to the YA thriller genre. It offers all the thrills and chills expected of a survival competition, but it's the emotional core and the authentic portrayal of teenage life and struggles that elevate it. Kellie Parker has crafted a suspenseful, fast-paced novel that speaks to the strength found in adversity and the power of believing in oneself. "Thin Air" is a thrilling, emotionally charged journey that proves once again the limitless potential of YA literature to entertain and inspire.

This was an interesting and unique thriller read.

I received an e-ARC of the book from the publisher.

I think the synopsis of this one sounds really interesting and definitely hooked me with its potential and I was super excited to read an ARC of it. But I think that after reading the first little bit of it and looking at reviews, I don't think its gonna end up working for me unfortunately. Im not a big fan of the characters personalities so far and thats a big thing for me in books even over plot and again based on reviews it doesn't seem to change or get better. It seems from goodreads like this book either works for you really well or it doesn't at all and i'm sad that i'm in the second camp. Regardless, I think that the idea of the book was super cool and would have made for a good mystery had the characters worked better for me. Plus i'm still a fan of the cover, props to those that designed it, and I thought the chapter titles were a nice touch and one of my favorite rare details to find in books. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of course!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me this book to read and review!

This book was INTENSE. The beginning was a bit slow, but once things got going it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Yet another book that has a lot of popular aspects. Boarding school students, trapped setting, mysterious deaths. I knew I had to read it and I did enjoy it, I just didn't love it. The writing wasn't for me, it felt like it was trying to be "too high school" if that makes sense. There were just some really cheesy lines and plot lines that made it hard to love. I also got mad at the main character a lot. For a bit, there was a whole love triangle in the midst of people dying and I didn't like how she dealt with it. She also was so quick to point fingers and when she did, she was hell bent on that person being the one who did it. It just drew me out of the story a bit. BUT I still did find myself enjoying the story, even if I didn't always love how it was told. I devoured this book because I just had to know what was going to happen. I needed to know who was behind it all and how it ended. There were also moments that were just funny, even among this mystery. Some lines and characters just made me laugh. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy YA mysteries such as One of Us is Lying or All Your Twisted Secrets, it was very similar to the latter while having the secrets aspect of the former.

A classic young adult locked-room thriller unfolds on a private jet filled with cutthroat boarding school students vying for a chance to win a coveted scholarship. Through riddles and challenges, the teens have to solve puzzles to prove their character and worthyness for the scholarship. A sinister plot soon unravels after a student experiences a severe allergic reaction, leaving everyone shaken. Layers of betrayal start to unfold, leading to a dwindling number of students with no means to communicate with anyone off the plane.

<b>This story delivers a deliberately fast-paced, high-stakes narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat.</b> Parker did an excellent job making you question the identity of the villain, with loyalties constantly shifting. <i>I was shocked by the gruesomeness of the deaths and some of the details</i>, considering this was a YA novel. The content and themes were somewhat disturbing. The book serves as an important reminder to young adults that you never know what other people are going through. The exploration of respecting others and their struggles was gently presented, avoiding a feeling of being forced.

I was disappointed that one of the biggest conflicts and betrayals happened with an off-page character, Emily's best friend. This subplot remained unresolved, and we never heard from that character despite the great opportunity it presented, aligning with the author's overarching goal of helping teens navigate difficult conversations with their loved ones. We spent a <i>significant</i> amount of time with Emily contemplating how and when she would address the conflict with her friend, so it was jarring not to see it on the page. This left a significant plot hole and left me feeling a bit empty and disappointed.

This heart-pounding narrative is perfect for fans of Diana Urban, Karen McManus, and Jessica Goodman, keeps readers on the edge, questioning who to trust before the next victim falls.

<b> Thank you to Razorbill/ Penguin Teen for a finished copy of THIN AIR </b>

I found the premise of this book to be very exciting. It didn’t live all the way up to the hype that I had built up in my mind, but I did make it through the book without DNF and I am proud of that.

I find the construction here frustrating. We see this too often - a teen gets a fantastic opportunity that gets co-opted by someone intent on revenge. Its privileged kids being held accountable in heinous and inhumane ways. Interesting once, maybe, but tiresome very quickly.

A massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!! I really enjoyed this book; definitely something I will tell my friends about!

Locked room murder mystery on a private jet en route to Paris- what's not to like?

Turns out, the characters, twelve boarding school teens vying for a scholarship are mostly despicable, as we find out in a game of two truths and a lie. As the body count rises, the stakes get higher as well. Is it just part of the game or is someone truly unhinged?

3/5 stars, concept was more fun then this actually was

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group & Razorbil for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Flying is something that always scares me before I actually do it, so the concept of a thriller and murder mystery happening on a plane, especially for a competition sounded exactly like something that would get to me. I was really hopeful that it would be creepy and interesting, but unfortunately it just overall fell flat for me. The concept ended up being much more interesting than what happened.

One of the biggest things that disconnected me from this story was my inability to connect with the main character, and also remember all the side characters. The main character was never very compelling to me, she also didn't seem like the best person for most of the book. I am all for having unlikeable main characters with complex motivations, but I just didn't end up really liking her and some of her actions in the beginning, which made it hard for me to enjoy her later on. As well, I think there were too many side characters to really allow the story to shine through. With competition stories, this can be difficult to manage, but I wish there were fewer.

As well the story just didn't keep me as invested as I hoped, while the prologue chapter had me interested right away, this quickly waned away as the story progressed. This was very disappointing as I was intrigued to see a closed-door romance on an airplane. This unfortunately just wasn't a book that connected with me as much as I hoped it was going to.

[TW: blood and gore, murder, cancer mentioned, homelessness mentioned, anaphylactic shock]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡, 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙-𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙔𝘼 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧.

Lately, I haven’t been enjoying YA thrillers as much as I used to, but I still wanted to give this book a try. The synopsis had me so intrigued and I always love a locked-door thriller.

This book focuses on twelve contestants from different elite boarding schools who were all competing for a scholarship. With there being so many characters I had to make a chart to make sure I didn’t get confused.

None of the characters were too likable with their secrets being revealed, but I also think they were interesting to read about. Also, I loved the idea of this taking place in a place - and the characters dying off one by one.

While I thought the story was fun, there were a few things that didn’t work for me. I felt like the story was so predictable and not as thrilling as I was hoping. I also didn’t care for the romance subplot, and these characters made some decisions that had me annoyed.

Overall, the book is suspenseful and enjoyable. I liked the setting and idea behind the story, there were some missing pieces here and there, but I would still recommend this to those who want a YA version of And Then There Were None.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

Eight hours. Twelve contestants. A flight none of them may survive.
✈️
Emily Walters did some pretty unforgivable things to have this opportunity to compete against other prep school students for a scholarship. With her and her mom currently living in their car, it’s the only way she’s making it to college. She, along with eleven other contestants, board a private jet to Paris and from the beginning there are rules and games to play…until people start dying.
🛩️
This was a fast-paced YA thriller that had me hooked from the beginning. @kelliemparker did a great job creating tension, unreliable characters and a twist I didn’t see coming. Fans of Jessica Goodman and Diana Urban will love this new voice in the genre.

CW: blood, death, murder, homelessness, suicide (recounted), cheating, alcohol, hospitalization, cancer (mentioned), knife violence, fire, abortion (mentioned), drugging, drug use

You all know I love a locked room mystery, so how could I pass up the chance to read one with such a unique setting? A luxury plane filled with teenagers competing against each other…sold!

Right from the start there is a sense of tension and unease as readers get to know our main character, Emily. She’s got some serious secrets that she wants to keep hidden and it seems like someone is out to get her on this plane. It’s not just Emily who has earned herself a spot on the killer’s radar, however, so the readers are treated to getting to know our secondary characters in quite a bit of detail. There are a few standouts that we get to connect with on a deeper level, who plan a vital role in helping Emily put together the clues to our mystery.

Parker manages to connect the reader fully to the situation at hand, while building a fantastic sense of anxiety, by keeping the pacing of the story at a relatively quick rate. I loved guessing what was going to happen next, who would fall victim, and who I could trust. Parker even throws a bit of romance into the story, which normally isn’t my cup of tea, but I felt like it lends itself to the story and the actions of our main character.

If you enjoy YA reads and locked room mysteries, this is definitely one to check out!

A huge thank you to Penguin Teen for my gifted copy!

2.5 stars!

I was excited for Thin Air because I love a locked room mystery, I love the idea of a reality competition, and the cover of this book is absolutely incredible. However, where I think things really fell apart was the actual mystery. I love a mystery where the clues are laid out and I could have theoretically figured it out. I don't even mind suspending my belief sometimes, but this was doing absolutely too much. It also just read a little too young and I can't say I liked the relationship between her and her best friend's boyfriend (and this was just unresolved??)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!