In Thin Air we meet Emily, whose family has fallen on hard times. Emily is 17-years old and attends a prestigious private school, but with things the way they are, there's no way she will be able to afford college.
Emily has won the chance to travel to London, along with 11-other students from various private schools, to compete for a chance of a huge cash prize/scholarship, as well as invaluable connections for her future.

She's just a plane flight away from financial freedom. All 12-contestants board the same flight from Chicago to London, where they believe the competition will begin. Before they've even fully settled into the gorgeous chartered flight however, it becomes clear that someone amongst them would do anything to win.

Two Truths and Lie. You've heard of it. Imagine if someone dug up dirt on you and forced you to play? What if there were no lies and all your deepest secrets were revealed?

This contest is no joke. Then the bodies start dropping.

I was really looking forward to Thin Air as it has many tropes that I tend to enjoy and actively seek out. We have private school students, a competition, dark secrets, a locked room mystery and murder. In theory, this sounded perfect and initially, I was intrigued by the set-up. The story starts at the airport, as the teens are getting ready to board the ill-fated flight. We learn about some of the contestants and our MC, Emily, in particular.

One of the things we learn about Emily is that she's a bit hyper-focused on her relationship status and the various boys around her. That concern tracks throughout the story, much to my chagrin. I get crushing on boys. Especially when you are meeting new ones. It's fun to flirt and get to know someone, imagining the possibilities, however one would think after bodies start piling up, you may be able to pump the brakes on those thoughts for a moment, but I digress.

So, yeah, within the first 15% of the novel, I was intrigued by the set-up. It actually reminded me a lot of Lying in the Deep which I gave 5-stars earlier this year, except set on a plane versus a cruise ship. I was interested in seeing what was going to play out on this flight.

Unfortunately, for me, it just never took off. There were too many characters, who seemed so much alike that it was difficult to track who was who. They all seemed interchangeable. Even towards the end, I would read a name and be like, who 'dis?

In addition, the thoughts of the MC never tracked for me compared with the circumstances she was in. People were getting murdered. There was an imminent threat to her life. In fact, she was even one of the prime suspects, but she was still just so concerned about the damn boys. I'm really not sure why that frustrated me so much, but as you can tell, it did. It was like once I had it in my head, it's all I could think about and the whole thing just became an annoyance.

It ended up taking me just a few days short of a month to read. There were moments where I was invested, but as soon as I put it down, I would have to force myself to pick it up again. There was nothing drawing me back in. I'm not sure if that can solely be blamed on my dislike for the MC, or something more. The premise was great, but I just didn't feel the execution delivered all it could have.

I love YA Thrillers. I read a lot of them. I know some of you may be thinking, I'm old, this wasn't written for me and I get that, but I'm not lying when I say that I love this genre. I am constantly searching out new authors in this space to obsessed over. Sadly, this one was a disappointment for me. I couldn't wait for it to be over and it certainly wasn't over soon enough.

I will say I know many Readers will enjoy it. If you're one of them, I am genuinely happy you had a great experience with it. There's a Reader for every book and book for every Reader. The fact that this didn't work for me, really means nothing in the scheme of things. If this one sounds intriguing to you, give it a go. You may end up finding a new favorite.

Thank you to the publisher, Razorbill, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it!

Emily and the 11 other boarding school students on a trans-continental flight to Paris to compete for a college scholarship do not realize that the competition started once the plane took off. All of them cheated a bit to get as far as they did, and now people start dying. The story line was good with lots of suspense--I didn't figure out "who done it" till the end. Older teens may tire of the immaturity of the students, and the romance developed a bit hurriedly. I will buy this for my high school library. I received this as an arc from NetGalley and am under no pressure for a positive review.

Emily Walkers has just finished her junior year at a boarding school with a needs only scholarship. Emily has been chose to go to Paris as she won entry into a contest (given by an organization) whose winner will receive enough cash to go to college and get her mother living out of the car. Her mother used all her money to work at home but she lost everything including their home. On the plane, she sits with the other winner from her school Dylan who is her best girlfriend’s boyfriend. An announcement plays on the large screen giving their instructions for the first challenge on the jet. The first challenge starts creating tension among them. As the flight continues to Paris, there will be more challenges. Suddenly, the contestants are dying. Why are they dying? Emily wants to try to find out who is doing the killing. Will she be able to do that or will she die? Will anyone win the contest.

The author has written the first chapter of the book that caught my interest . I read this fast pace book with delight, curiosity and a little bit scared. I didn’t expect that contestants were going to be killed. I can’t praise this novel enough! I’m so glad that I got to read it!

I loved the premise of this one and it started off well. The locked room scenario with an unknown killer amongst the passengers alone is thrilling. I found that I didn't like the character development--everyone seemed too petty, too selfish, and the insta-love romance and cheating are not of my liking in any book. The ending was a complete disappointment for me--the killer monologuing reminded me of a comedic moment in a super hero animated movie in which the villain realizes he's been caught monologuing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want a locked door whodunnit mystery but it’s just rich kids on a plane?

Pre-reading:
I love this cover. I thought this was an adult thriller. It’s not. Adjusting my expectations.

Thick of it:
So she def thinks the murderer is her love interest, but it’s gonna be a red herring. (I mean does this even count as a prediction? It’s like a staple of the genre. I’m more surprised when this doesn’t happen.)

Oh, practically a clone? Hello, secret sister. (You were so wrong for so long.)

Oh not the lularoe

And we’ve got a love interest. Gimmie a blue-eyed black-haired boy anyday. Oof, and a Liam? Done.

A New England girlie

Is Olivia actually just Nikki? (Negative but you will have to hear this prediction throughout this review.)

A love triangle. Classic YA.

Why are all these teenagers hotties? They’re like 12.

Okay, but why do they have to be 12? Make them in college so I can lust appropriately?

Is Liam gonna be the benefactor’s adoptive son? I feel like that always happens in these books. (Not this one.)

I feel like girlypop stole her bestie's test answers. (Basically.)

Yeah, so Olivia is def Nikki. (Still no.)

A Sam!

Very And Then There Were None

Her application seems like something a competition would have to fact check, so I’m sus, but go off. (I like how I ignored pointed hints in this book and wrote it off as bad writing because it’s not what I wanted to happen. I was like the book’s too smart for this! No, it really just told you who it was from the get-go.)

My instinct is that Olivia is really Niki and she’s blackmailing everyone. (Just so wrong.)

Peanut allergy is natural selection, baby. You are not a final girl. (She is actually a final girl.)

Did Taylor want to be an actress? Bc I call shenanigans. Yeah, she did. She’s putting on a distraction so people can steal blackmail cards? (Even the book was like no one’s that good of an actress, and Samantha still was like I don’t believe you.)

Don’t you have to go to the hospital after Epipens?

Very Five Survive and Thieves Gambit

Well, he doesn’t sit alone for every meal. They just had dinner together. Is this gonna be a technically untrue thing because Girlypop didn’t get in only by cheating?

15-year-old horny jail for girlypop

Hottie LaMottie with the swimmer’s body

I’ll tell you right now that he thinks he’s responsible for the death but like he’s def not so he can be a good love interest.

So she’s got bad knees. Also, every softball catcher is a lesbian. Shit’s just the rules.

Simon messed with the speakers because he’s working with Olivia? (It’s the way I was so positive this was a team and everything was fake.)

Wow, these are some messed up secrets. I did not expect this from a YA.

Exposing somebody’s abortion is like really mean

Dude, I’m so good at guessing shit. (I don’t remember what this was in regards to, but I just direct you to the rest of this review where I guess everything so wrong.)

Wow, what a bombshell of a chapter.

So Lily has a pedo stepdad for sure. (Nope.)

This Evan character is really not the same caliber as the other kids.

Does the dog die dot com. Legit unforgivable.

I can only think of seat numbers or alphabet letters. But like math. L u u r x v? Office

No, I solved it. I'm so smart hahaha. (Samantha, this is for YA readers. This is not a flex.)

I mean they solve it a page or two later so thank you for not making me wait for characters to catch up, but yes good thriller, let me play detective.

Are they one-way mirrors? I'm sus.

This book could be solved so fast with security cameras.

Car accident scars? Please don’t tell me this is a revenge thriller. (SIGH)

Walt Disney? Lol IDK what it could be, but I'm gonna be upset if I missed it. (I did not miss it. This book was just a tease.)

You idiot. Don’t kiss boys. Hold onto the pieces. He's using you.

I haven’t been this invested in a YA since A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. I want to solve this whodunit.

If they could just convince everyone not to downvote anybody, they would all be even.

She better not have killed herself.

I don’t think it’s another girl’s name, but I don’t know what it is because I’m stupid. Could it be crash? (I was so convinced that this was an everything is not what it seems book and this book was like no, everything is exactly as it seems.)

Paige did kill herself omg.

If Taylor was the last one to see her… I really hope it’s makeup. I don’t think she’s dead. That would be so dark for a YA. (very wrong.)

That’s awful but also, you have to keep that as evidence.

This is gnarly. This is a good YA.

A cap? 👀

I don’t really like the romance in this. It feels kind of abrupt. Like all these people are hot so they can instantly want each other. That’s not how it works.

solicitous

Simon’s being super sus.

Why aren’t we doing a handwriting test? Homeboy has a notebook. Is there writing in his notebook? Also, one of the girlypops wanted to be an author. This is giving story plot vibes.

And theater girlypop poisoned her friends, which is basically drugging them.

This is way too insta love for me. Like I dig the plot. I am absolutely vibing with the murder mystery whodunit. I do not like the romance.

Does her dad have something to do with the logo? (Sigh.)

Are these people really dead? I just have a hard time believing we’re killing children in a YA.

Ooo, I would kind of be here for enemies to lovers Olivia and Simon.

Oh no, what is this? They can’t be this in love. This is weird.

Jesus Christ, how many cokes can this girl drink?

That’s a mean thing to say, girlypop.

I genuinely don’t know whodunit. I feel like that’s so rare for me.

This is so dumb. How hard is it to stay together?

There’s too many bodies. I no longer believe that anyone is dead. (Dead wrong.)

I also wish I could remember about this logo because I do not remember it. (And you shouldn’t!)

I genuinely question if these YA writers have ever seen teenage boys. Like they’re still so underdeveloped. Even the 19-20 year olds. Those are babies

Oh dang, it really wasn’t a clue. He just is a cheater and very bad at filtering.

See, but now that girlypop agrees with my theory, I’m like I must be wrong. I just think the whole thing is fake. Like no one’s dead. (WRONG.)

Dude, she just attacked you. Maybe not? No one in this book has a shred of self-preservation.

Y’all have cell phones like just turn on a recording.

Oh thank god, somebody finally thought of it.

The only plot point that hasn’t been resolved is the scars all over the flight attendant’s hand, so I’m like did their parents bully her so she’s like murdering their children because that doesn’t even kind of make sense?

Oh my god, she is going after them for the sins of the fathers. Come on.

Oh, this ending is so stupid. What did that little girl (Paige) do to you? You fucking freak.

She’s just letting them record? What the hell is going on?

How about like iCloud backup or something? Also, shouldn’t the rest of the plane have security cameras on it?

Wow, they really died. I didn’t think those were real deaths for a second. Why does that make the ending kind of extra lame?

This ending sucks.

Post-reading:
I feel like 80% of this book was a great time, and then the last 20% was like huh? What do you mean I’m wrong?

Samantha, you can’t ding a book just because the plot didn’t unravel the way you wanted it to. Also, Samantha, watch me.

Paige’s death and secrets are very upsetting, and they’re not given any of the weight that they deserve.

She’s batshit insane is a really lame whodunit answer.

I feel like the girls who like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and were on board with the unhinged direction that it took will eat this up and be like yeah, that was a crazy twist and totally plausible.

And then the girls who liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and hated the next two books will feel similarly to me of like wow, this was such a good thriller ‘til it ended. Like I was just waiting for a different kind of twist.

I like that this thriller gives you the opportunity to catch the twist. I just wish it had been a better one. And it’s a shame because there’s so much room in this book for the author to be clever. Lily being the murderer would’ve been more satisfying than what we got. Their blackmail secrets should’ve been more involved. The villain of the story should’ve had actual conflict with the victims. Displaced anger is just kind of stupid.

I would’ve liked more competition puzzles for me to solve. That one little code bit in the book gave me so much serotonin. I wanted more of those moments.

I thought it had very good pacing for the mystery. I thought the romance was absolutely insane. They fell in love in the span of a few hours after she had just made out with someone else. Like that’s wild. I never understand YA authors trying to make teenagers sexy. They're not sexy. You can make them attractive and or romantic. Trying to make them sexy is weird. This series could've easily been tweaked to be slightly older if she was so dead set on everyone being a hottie.

I think if you like YA thrillers, this is a solid choice. You’ll just probably be disappointed by the ending.

Who should read this:
Holly Jackson fans
YA thriller fans

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* Five Survive by Holly Jackson-locked door whodunnit, rich kids getting blackmailed
* And then there were none by Agatha Christie-OG locked door mystery
* A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson-ya whodunnit thriller, high schooler solves a murder
* Thieves Gambit by Kayvion Lewis-YA heist novel, teenagers in a competition
* Influencer Island by Kyle Rutkin-influencers compete in a murder competition
* The Guest List by Lucy Foley-essentially a locked door whodunit because they’re stuck on an island

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Thin Air by Kellie M. Parker.

This is a fun, fast moving, YA thriller about a group of twelve teens, chosen to enter a competition of a lifetime that could win them the ultimate cash prize and college opportunity. But Emily is holding on to a dark secret and has not won her place in the contest fairly. It doesn't take long before realizing that her secrets might be revealed through sinister forces.

I did enjoy the overall plot of the story, it's unique, full of angsty romance, secrets, and betrayals. What clouded my judgment of the book though was Emily's total flightiness and inability to take in the seriousness of the situation. Like, yeah, there's bodies being stored in the plane, but are my friends mad at me? Does this mean that the two boys I like won't smooch me in the bathroom now? I have a hard time believing that teens are THAT obtuse, even in the presence of a cute boy.

First of all, the. cover. !!!! I love the cartoonish feel it gave. Second, someone willing to kill to win?! Who could love that more?! This book is perfect for young teens wanting to read a thriller book. I can see how they would connect with Emily's age that is presented in this book. Thriller/mystery is my first love when it comes to picking a genre and this one really hit it off for me. 10/10 would recommed!

“Thin Air” introduces the reader to Emily, a teenager currently homeless whose father left the family. The Bonhomme Foundation has invited her and 11 other teens to compete for a scholarship in Paris and will even fly them in the Foundation’s private jet. While Emily thinks she’ll be able to kick back and examine her competition during the 8-hour flight, circumstances take a horrible turn when teenagers begin dying one by one. Will Emily survive the flight long enough to figure out who the murderer is before the plane lands?

“Thin Air” took a page out of Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians” or Ruth Ware’s “One by One” with a little bit of Clue mixed in. This novel hooks you right out of the gate and holds your attention through to the last chapter. Each chapter begins with a time, so the reader knows how far into the flight and how much time there is before landing, giving the reader the feeling that time might be running out for the passengers. While the book begins with an often-used TV gimmick of introducing some action and then using the “xxx number of days/hours earlier” after a commercial break, it doesn’t feel cliched or gimmicky when this book uses it. The introduction works, and the reader is left wonder what in the world could have happened that involved our protagonist mentioning bodies? I found myself looking back to that first chapter, taking note of what time that first chapter took place, and then comparing it to the time on the chapter I was currently reading. There were plenty of twists and turns, and the author keeps you guessing as to who the killer is right up until the reveal. And along with the suspense and the claustrophobic situations (they are on a plane after all), there’s some teenage romance angst (nothing graphic at all) and soul searching for our protagonist. I would recommend this title for anyone who serves a teenage population, whether academic or public library. It’s also a book that adults could also enjoy. Further, I can see a prequel in the future as there’s lots to explore with Emily’s family that could easily tie into this novel.

I enjoyed Thin Air SO MUCH!! I'm obsessed with books that feature boarding school/rich teens and then add the private jet which was a great location and I was hooked from the beginning! The competition aspect was the perfect idea because these kids are really shady and competition is exactly what they should have to go through. I liked the message that the book gave that not everything is at it seems and everything that was shared between them was taken out of context. I definitely got the vibes of the Escape Room movies and those are some of my favorites. I literally will never be able to guess a thriller book correctly so I thought the twist was successful. And I LOVED Liam!

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Razorbill for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

(Public version of review has eliminated mild spoilers included here.)

Emily is on a plane to France to compete for a scholarship—one she desperately needs as she and her mother live out of her mom’s car. The problem is that she’s not supposed to be there. And once the plane leaves the ground, dark secrets are revealed. People are killed. And this becomes a game not of wits, but of survival.

Thin Air began somewhat expectedly: the MC steps into this scholarship already acquainted with a handsome, charming crush and at least a couple of suspicious characters. Multiple inner conflicts are set in place immediately, and mildly weird happenings are enough to put the reader and the MC on edge, and then the threats appear. Oft-used plot points were hit. (The minute I heard about a food allergy, I knew the character was about to be poisoned.) I had to do some disbelief suspension (to me, aspects of this scholarship seemed too sketchy to be legit), but still, this was fun to follow, if familiar, and the pacing kept us moving along nicely.
Then—about a third of the way through the contestants’ darkest secrets were revealed, and my jaw hit the floor. It was absolutely brutal. I knew I needed to find out the ending as soon as I could.

I’ll admit, the book dipped a bit for me for the next third. At moments, the fast pacing worked against the story because it felt like there wasn’t enough time to let the murders. Don’t get me wrong: the murders were absolutely addressed and impactful to the reader and MC. Soon after it’s done, though, we’re shoved forward to the next stage of the scholarship competition or relationship development, while I was still reeling and couldn’t follow the change of attention (and sometimes mood).

In addition, the multiple conflicts may have oversaturated the story. We had the life situation, the mother, the best friend, the guilt, the MC’s dissatisfaction with her personality, the love triangle, the unsettling boyfriend of the best friend, the scholarship, and the murders. That’s a lot to tackle on an eight-hour plane ride, and I think the story would have benefitted from trimming a few and laser focusing on a couple core.

Then we got to the last third. Let’s just say I was literally checking behind me in the dark while reading that. I have not been that affected by a scene in going on a year.

I was duped. The twists were fantastic. I could not figure out what was going on. My heart was racing. There were moments when the casual, sometimes humorous writing style took me out of it for a brief second (as throughout the book), but then we were back, and I was anxious.

The big reveal came—and that also dipped a bit for me. Moments of foreshadowing came to light, but they felt rather sparse, so the culprit seemed to come out of nowhere, more of an unexpected surprise to me than a gut-punch shock; the choice of person was fantastic but would have, I felt, been stronger with more foreshadowing, more involvement, more interweaving versus explaining using the trope where the heroes record the villain willingly explaining the plan and crime. Following, the final chapter had that element of “having moved on to the next thing” that I didn’t quite click with that quickly.

Don’t forget though—this book made me scared of the dark for a few minutes. The suspense and danger scenes are absolutely exquisite, and I absolutely recommend this book for a fun book with some chilling moments.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

Thin Air is a locked room (plane) mystery. 12 boarding schools students are en route to Paris to participate in a competition for a college scholarship. People start dying and the reader is left to figure out who is the killer. Overall, this was a fine book. I didn't think anything really set it apart from the multitude of other titles with a similar premise. Since there are a lot of characters, we don't really get to know any of them very well. Emily, the main character, is potentially unreliable as the narrator and makes some choices along the way that make it kind of difficult to root for her. I guessed the reason for the torment of the students fairly early on, though not exactly who was behind the killings. I do think the story is fast-paced enough to keep the attention of teen readers!

A great mystery/thriller. Locked room mystery but on a plane? I'm in.

There are many characters in this book and I think I really like most of them. There is angst. and a lot! I mean teenagers stuck on a plane? Definitely teen angst.

It was a quick read that I think you will enjoy if YA mystery/thrillers are for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review!

Emily has the chance of a lifetime, taking part in a contest that will not only take her overseas but if she wins it’ll literally change her life…but taking part in the contest may just her her life. The premise for Thin Air intrigued me but once I found out how Emily made her way into the competition I was totally hooked. This is an excellent ‘locked room’ adventure in a unique location featuring a good cast and a memorable story. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what author Kellie M. Parker comes up with next. I’d like to thank PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Thin Air.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2N7PU5FOEWFBU/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This review is based on an uncorrected e-galley of this novel.

This novel was definitely very YA, but I loved it anyway. I felt like the plot hooked me from the very beginning and I binge read the entire novel within a day. A must read!

Fast-paced and thrilling, I finished this book in one day. The premise was really compelling, and cinematic, I had a good time reading it. The pacing was pretty good for most of the book, but I will say the conclusion wasn’t satisfying, and felt quite rushed. The killer didn’t really make a lot of sense to me, their motive was actually kind of weak, and left a lot of plot holes. I feel like the last couple of chapters actually took away some of my enjoyment of the book, which is disappointing. The book is still a worthwhile read, and I would read more from the author, it just felt like the killer’s motives weren’t that strong or realistic.

This served escape room vibes…..thirty three thousand feet…yes, 33,000 feet in the air, on a plane. OMG this his was SO fun!

We had mystery, thriller, high stakes, not-too-young YA, locked room vibes but on a plane and a riveting read…I couldn’t put it down.

Things I love:
-Mysteries
-Thrillers
-High Stakes
-Teen Drama
-Escape Rooms

Things I do not love:
-Feeling claustrophobic

Thin Air checks all the “things I love” boxes without venturing too far into making me feel trapped by the high stakes. Sometimes I have to bail out half way through chapters if I get too worked up or worried about what is going to happen next, but this pacing and tight plotting of this book kept me hooked up and not looking for an escape hatch.

This is YA locked-room thrilling at its finest!

This one really took off for me (lol get it?). I had a new prime suspect every other page! I do think you need to do a little suspending of your disbelief in some scenarios, but honestly that’s what reading’s really all about right??

In true "YA" fashion, there were times I wanted to strangle some of the characters, but knowing this was YA, I can understand they’ve still got their underdeveloped teen brains making decisions. 🧠

I recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced, not-too-deep thriller that includes some serious paranoia! Also….obsessed with the cover!

okay you guys... you need to RUN to pick up this new
YA thriller that releases TODAY!!
read this if you like:
* locked door mystery... on a PLANE¥
#* YA thrillers w characters you actually care about
# One of Us is Lying (Thin Air was better! S)
* cute little romance side plot
# very character driven (& in a good way imo!!)
i had SO much fun reading this super quick, on-the-edge-of-your-seat book! coming in around 300 pages it's perfect for your end of the year goals & a book i literally did not want to put down!
this is a YA novel but never felt ~ too~ young like some can tend to be. this book had me guessing the whole time & the author did such an amazing job with keeping tensions high!! it had me guessing right up until the end!
definitely go get your hands on a copy of this one!
huge huge thank you to @penguinteen for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
• : #penguinteenpartner

Absolutely enjoyed this thriller, especially the setting on the plane, and the continued sense of dread - such a page turner.