Falling By T.J. Newman

DISCLAIMER: This review may contain Spoilers

If I were to summarize Falling by T.J. Newman in just a few words it would be the following ones.... Terrific, Suspenseful, and Thought Provoking

I picked up this book looking for something thrilling that would keep me in suspense as I read. I was definitely not disappointed. This book follows Captain Bill Hoffman as he pilots a plane from LA to New York only to discover his family is being held hostage and he has been given a choice... let his family die... or crash the plane. This book follows Bill in the cockpit trying to navigate the terrorists demands, while trying to give the FBI time to rescue his family. The flight attendants onboard are made aware of the situation and they too have to find a way to protect the numerous innocent passengers onboard from any impending attacks, especially as there is a person onboard meant to ensure Bill follows the rules. While the FBI searches for the Hoffman's we are kept on the edge of our seats, with twists, turns and consistent action as we never fully know what will happen next...

Will Bill make a choice?

Will the plane crash?

Will Bill's family die?

Will the terrorists take matters into their own hands?

I strongly recommend this book if you are looking for something gripping that will keep you asking questions. If you are like me you might also walk away from this book with a changed outlook and mentality about life. I won't spoil the reasoning behind the attack; however, I will mention my thought process after reading it and I will keep it as spoiler free as possible.

As I mentioned this book truly got me thinking about the world and life in general. While I know there have been hardships in my life that many have not had to experience, I also recognize that there are billions of people in this world that have it much harder than I do. But after reading this book I sat and thought about what I would do... how I would feel if the shoe was on the other foot. If I was in the same/similar situation I would feel utterly abandoned, hopeless, and alone. But also, I would likely be frustrated and angry. Angry at those who could have helped, frustrated that people with the ability to protect or bring awareness to the situation, just stood aside watching but not intervening. This being said I know that things aren't that simple. However, my take away from this book is a rather clear one.

There are people all around the world that possibly feel the same way as our antagonists did. They might be sitting there waiting, hoping, praying that someone can save them. While I know there isn't much one person can do, that doesn't mean we should turn a blind eye. We should invest time to learning and finding any small way to help those in need. Just because something doesn't directly involve or impact you, doesn't mean that we can't step up and assist in a change.

Overall, this book was thrilling to read. I won't lie the first few chapters felt rather slow to me; however, as soon as it started picking up the pace I couldn't put the book down. It was truly fascinating to read a story that seemed so realistic and I can only imagine a large part of that was due to the authors own flight attendant experience. The way different protocols and safety measures were explained through out the book made everything just feel that much more realistic, which truly helped suck you right in. While I might not recommend this book if you are about to take flight; I do believe this is a book that more people should read and experience! I am glad I chose this story to be what I started the 2024 year with!

QUOTES THAT MADE ME THINK

“Accept the given circumstances and deal with what you can control. Don’t waste time on what you can’t”

“She found relief in knowing that the earth would keep turning and that, ultimately, it didn’t care.”

“Everyone dies. No one escapes it. It’s the only fair thing in the world. Sometimes you’re young, sometimes you’re old, sometimes you deserve it, sometimes you don’t.”

“You don’t think everyone actually lives, do you? Most people just exist and roam around. It’s a choice, to actually live.”

“It was the same impulse that stopped them from saying the things they wanted to say, doing the things they wanted to do, being who they wanted to be. They’d do it tomorrow. Next time. Later. And now, too late, they realized that tomorrow had never been a guarantee.”