Drowning by TJ Newman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pub Date: 5/30/2023

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free hardcover copy and LibroFM for the free advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

GoodReads Synopsis: Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman—whose first book Falling was an instant #1 national bestseller and the biggest thriller debut of 2021—returns for her second book, an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean, and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside, and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them.

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.

Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent—Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife—who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff.

There’s not much time.

There’s even less air.

With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family’s desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them—against impossible odds.

Review: In Drowning by TJ Newman, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean shortly after takeoff, leaving twelve passengers trapped inside the sinking plane. Engineer Will Kent and his daughter Shannon, who are waist-deep in water, must rely on an elite rescue team led by Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife, diver Chris Kent, to save their lives and the others on board. As time and air run out, the family faces unimaginable challenges and must fight against impossible odds to survive. Wow! 🤯 Drowning by TJ Newman definitely got me out of my thriller reading slump. This is the first book I’ve read from TJ Newman, but I can definitely say that TJ Newman is now a must read author for me. Drowning is an adrenaline-infused thrill ride that had me gripping the edge of my seat from start to finish. Not only was this just an action-packed thriller, but it’s also a book that shows empathy and heart. In between the heart-stopping moments of fear and suspense, Newman cleverly interweaves philosophical reflections on mortality, our reactions in desperate situations, and the essence of humanity. The alternating perspectives of Will and Chris’s added an engaging layer to the narrative that really brought the story to life. Highly recommend listening to the audiobook as the narration is exceptionally done! I was particularly impressed with the author’s ability to portray a wide array of characters and skillfully allow them to evolve within a relatively short span of time of just hours. Highly recommend picking up Drowning if you love action-packed thrillers! I’m definitely going to catch up on Falling, Newman’s previous work.