Thin Air: 8 Stunden. 12 Passagiere. Wer wird überleben?

by Kellie M. Parker

Ein fesselnder Psychothriller, der gekonnt mit den Erwartungen der Leser*innen spielt – atemberaubendes Locked-Room-Szenario, spannend bis zur letzten Seite! Ab 14 Jahren

Emily bekommt die Chance ihres Sie darf in Europa an einem Wettbewerb um ein begehrtes Uni-Stipendium teilnehmen – für sie die Gelegenheit, der Armut zu entkommen.

Doch von dem Moment an, in dem Emily und die anderen elf Teilnehmenden ins Privatflugzeug steigen, ist klar, dass einer unter ihnen für den Sieg alles tun würde. Während Emily noch versucht, den flirtenden Freund ihrer besten Freundin im Blick zu behalten und ihre eigenen dunklen Geheimnisse zu verbergen, gibt es den ersten Toten im Flugzeug …

In 10000 Meter Höhe muss Emily herausfinden, wem sie vertrauen kann und wem nicht. Denn sie könnte die Nächste sein.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2023

About the author

Kellie M. Parker is the author of YA thriller THIN AIR, out now from Razorbill/ Penguin Teen. She has college degrees in biology and nautical archaeology but has always found her sense of adventure most satisfied by a great story. When not plotting her next fictional murder, she can be found baking, gardening, tackling DIY home projects, and camping with her family in Michigan.

You can connect with Kellie on Twitter and Instagram at @kelliemparker, or visit her website at www.kelliemparker.com.

Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 2 out of 5]

What would you be willing to do for a cash prize that would pay your way through college?

Would you betray a friend? How about your best friend? Would you lie about skills, goals and accomplishments? Would you kill the competition? Literally.



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.



With this somewhat harsh opinion out of the way, 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!

[Izzy {writing hiatus} · Rating 5 out of 5]

✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dear person who is reading this review,
You must keep in mind that if you decide by the end of this review of Thin Air, you will be completely compelled to read it almost instantly (provided that I write the review well). You have been warned.

Strap on your seatbelts and grab an overpriced snack from the moody flight attendant and get ready to read this book in one whole sitting. You meet the main character Emily: has a crush on her bffs boyfriend, has multiple secrets, and is unsure of what to make of herself and her life. I was NOT prepared for the twists and turns this amazing book had in store! The pacing was so perfectly done and kept me getting SO excited to read this every time I reached over to pick it back up after school. And, guess what? THERE IS KIND OF A LOVE TRIANGLE! And it is way better than the Naturals series. Yep I said it. THIS BOOK IS BETTER THEN THE NATURAL SERIES BY TEN FOLD!!! Unlike the Naturals, the romance is so believable and so sweet and innocent, and, one thing I appreciate, is that if the MC makes a mistake THERE ARE ACTUAL CONSEQUENCES!!! And don’t get me started on the MULTIPLE stressful and jaw dropping twists and turns in the finale stage of this book!
Just do yourself a favor and go read it! No-spice (alluding to side characters having an abortion), no-language (d—-), and mild violence.
Have you pressed buy yet?
I loved this so much I’m going to do a full review of this book alone on my podcast hopefully soon!
Last thing I must emphasis: GO READ IT YOU WON’T REGRET IT!!
✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️

[Misty Wilson read.fine.print · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have any of these same questions about Thin air?

THAT COVER— LOVE IT! IS THE BOOK THAT BLOODY THO?
There is a decent amount of blood in this! But there is definitely more blood than there is actual violence. It’s a “locked room” mystery so imagine a Clue/Orient Express type plot and you will get it.

TELL ME ABOUT IT.
Emily is in great need of financial help for college, and the flight she’s on to Europe is actually a contest to win a full scholarship. But soon it’s clear someone on the flight wants them all dead. But who?!

SO THIS IS YOUNG ADULT?
Yes! There is a really cute romance, a little teen angst, but also the main character makes some mature decisions about her future and matures during this book— which is pretty cool since it’s primarily a mystery book.

IS THE MYSTERY COMPELLING?
Yes. I read the second half of the book in one sitting. I really liked all the characters but I really loved Emily and Evan.

WHAT ABOUT MATURE CONTENT?
I don’t think there is any language? And there’s no sex? I know. That seems weird but there’s not.

COMPS?
This reminded me a little of One of Us is Lying but I liked this one a lot more.

I review books on Instagram as read.fine.print!

[Sarah (berriesandbooks) (vacation) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
DNFed at 56%. I tried. I really, really tried. When I get the privilege of reading an advanced copy, I almost always finish the book. It truly is the least of what I can do. That being said, I don't think you always have to finish a book if it is just not working for you, and I was miserable reading this. It really boils down to the main character, Em, being the most insufferable person, I have read about.

This book follows twelve students who have an opportunity to travel to Paris and win a prestigious scholarship. Emily, who desperately needs the money, is picked along with her best friend's boyfriend, who she secretly has a crush on. Once in the air, strange things start happening. Someone is poisoned with peanuts, and dark secrets are revealed. The atmosphere is already thick with tension when someone ends up dead. Stuck on the plane, surrounded by people she doesn't know, Emma is terrified. Who is the killer, and will she find them before they take another victim?

What I did enjoy:
I loved the setting. Locked-room mysteries are my favorite, and I enjoyed the twist of it being on a private jet. Since I was an (unwilling) frequent flyer as a child, I have a fear of airplanes, so I was properly tense when people started dying.

What I didn't enjoy:
Emily. No matter how hard I tried, I could not enjoy the book because of how awful she was. Unfortunately, we have to hear her whole thought process the whole time. Here is a quick list of why I had to put this book down before I lost more brain cells (slight spoilers for the first half of the book):

1. Stole her best friend's GPA in order to get the scholarship opportunity in the first place. Honestly, I didn't mind this one, except she painted her best friend, Nikki, as the "bad guy" and said if Nikki hadn't convinced her to quit softball, she could be in a better place.
2. After a girl, Paige, has some horrendous and vulnerable secrets revealed about her, Emma tells Paige that her teammates need her, and thinks Paige is being selfish for being overwhelmed by the trauma of being forced to be vulnerable with complete strangers.
3. Kissed her best friend's boyfriend.
4. Was more concerned about kissing her best friend's boyfriend than actually helping her team (exactly what she accused Paige of doing).
5. From the book's first pages, she is incredibly concerned about the cute boys around her. It was super aggravating since it was brought up in every other paragraph.
6. Blames the boyfriend for the kiss, even though she was an active and more than willing participant.
7. Her feelings are hurt when the boyfriend said it was a "lapse in judgment to kiss her," even though she had been actively condemning him up to this point.
8. Sees the “mean girl” Olivia (who actually hasn't been mean) looking at books then scoffs and says in her head that there is no way Olivia reads.
9. So incredibly quick to judge and blame everyone on the plane but takes no responsibility for her own actions.
10. After two deaths, she is still more concerned about the boys.

And of course, the other boy, Liam, in the love triangle sees her kissing him and forgives her for it. He even goes as far as to tell her that she deserves someone better. He has known her for literally a few hours and is already in love with her.

If the author had been writing a bad character on purpose, I would have been able to read, and maybe even like the book. However, the whole time I felt like I was supposed to sympathize with Emma, even though she was awful.

Overall, a really disappointing read that had the potential to be great.

Big thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling YA read! During a scholarship competition, we meet a group of boarding school overachievers that have everything to hide. When people start dying, Emily is launched into a high-stakes game of murder mystery.

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 3.5 stars ✰

“Society doesn’t offer a lot of second chances, does it? The line between success and failure is razor-thin sometimes.”

I got aboard the flight in Thin Air eager to give a chance to this YA thriller that promised to be an entertaining one. As we're introduced to the students accompanying me - a group of athletes, class presidents, math geniuses, popular kids, ordinary ones', there is one lingering question that prevails throughout this diverse cast of individuals - what is it they all have in common? Aside from the prize of stature and fame and money, what crime would they have committed for them to be the target for a cruel and brutal game that was meant solely to test their minds, but eventually becomes a test of survival. ✈️

“Night is coming. Each minute, each mile, brings us closer to Paris and my best shot at changing my future. But I can’t shake the feeling that whatever is in those envelopes holds the key to this competition.”

I enjoyed Emily as a narrator - she's your typical seventeen-year-old who's never been able to outshine her best friend, crushing on said best friend's boyfriend, and still carries this weight of betrayal - a prevalent doubt 'in which I finally pay the price for my mistakes.' As we delve deeper into how each character was brought into the competition, more secrets and dishonest reveals and hidden truths come to light that make each of them an easy target or a potential killer. I liked how that question hung in the air; that uncertainty of who to trust and who is in the right. 'It’s too easy to believe the bad stuff and forget the good about people,' but, I appreciated that the author kept it not at all black and white till much later in the story. Even high in the sky, Emily gets the chance to find a little romance, some intimate connection with someone. 💕💕 The rivalry of affection that stems between Liam and Dylan, whilst still fighting the fear of someone lurking in the shadows - hunting each of them - was a nice addition to the story-line. I liked it, even if Dylan was a total jerk. It made me question, as much as Emily did if she should she lay her faith in a childhood friend or the soulful leader of a boy she just met - maybe Dylan’s just being friendly, and Liam only cares about me because he wants our team to win.' 🤨

“Who wants to win badly enough to dig up dirt on the rest of us and use it as leverage? And are there more nasty surprises to come?”

I appreciated that the plot didn't meander much; it showcased the characters in their worst of lights and the best of their games, placing them in dangerous situations where they were 'actors in a slow-motion action scene—one where a single wrong move means death. And as their limited time nears an end towards their fateful downfall, I like how they didn't really make any stupid decisions that would warrant me to cry out in frustration. They actually thought about it; tried to piece together what was going on, try to figure out a way out from the unfortunate fate they had found themselves in. 🧐 There was a healthy and steady display of understanding and rationality to the situations at hand, while still circulating the hint of a doubt in each of them, which I also thought was a nice inclusion. Emily does find herself in a lot of questionable positions and even towards the end I feared that it would be a case of an unreliable narrative that would plunge me into the depths of obscurity and ridicule. Thankfully, that was not the case, but the end result was sadly, just as annoying. 😮‍💨

“People always talk about how time slows and everything happens at once during intense moments. I never understood how that was possible, when so much of life flies by in a blur.”

I was really hopeful that this was heading in the right direction - a potential four star was on the horizon. But, just as steadily as the tension had been elevated, so was the drop in which the plane fell off it's radar and veered off into a course I was not set on. One of my biggest pet peeves is when a mystery/thriller suddenly throws a curve ball in the eleventh hour, introducing new concepts and suspects to entail as to who is really the culprit. 😞 It completely defies the purpose for what makes it a mystery for the reader to try to figure out what is the connection between everything. That just grated on my nerves at how quickly it turned into an ending that makes me shake my head in utter perplexity at why - after so many kids being killed - this was the optimal choice for blame? II would have even appreciated if some of the secrets revealed in two truths and a lie could have been the catalyst behind this, rather than well, whatever unexpected twist that it was. Yeah, not too fond of the turn-around that it went in, but what can you do? 🤷🏻‍♀️

But, even as disappointment abounds for the rather lackluster ending that plummeted me into sorrow, I appreciate how much the plot kept me going. The writing was smooth and succinct, clear and challenging and enough notice to each character that none of them felt irrelevant to the story. Even if it's just to satisfy the mystery reader in me, there were plenty of twists and reveals and plausible possibilities that made me wonder, much like Emily's premature sleuthing skills, who was the actual culprit. And for that I have to give credit where credit's due. 👌🏻👌🏻

[Morgan Giesbrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am shook and a little dizzy. But I can also breathe again. 🙈 This was the teen/YA version of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and make it set in an aeroplane in the middle of the Atlantic. Think intense and riveting and need.to.read.it.all.in.one.day.cuz.I’m.stressed.out. 😂

[quillnqueer]

gonna want to murder the mc myself by the end of the book but the cover is 5 by 5

[BooksNCrannies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grab your tickets and get ready to embark on a luxury airliner... where your darkest secrets and a dangerous killer will create a flight of nightmarish proportions.

✏️ Review ✏️

Oh my... oh my... oh my! 😧 The last one-fourth part of Thin Air is such a wild ride of mysterious suspense and intenssssse storytelling; I didn't want to put this book down once I got to last several chapters! What a nightmare. It had my mind in a dramatic tailspin of excitement, mystery, and shock. A great cast of varied and equally suspicious characters, a this-is-so-stressful climax, unexpected twists, turns, and revelations in almost every chapter — this thriller has a quite a lot going for it. But I'm disappointed that I can't rate Thin Air any higher. Here's why...

First and foremost is the very physical and sensually written romance, which at times could be rather ridiculous. The FMC developes a crush on almost every guy she meets. She's practically always thinking about this guy's dark, soft hair, that guy's slight, handsome smile, or that guy's impressive muscular physique. And whenever a guy enters the room she always stares at him and thinks, "Did it just get hotter in here? Or, "Is there not enough oxygen in this room?" Ugh! 😝 It got super annoying! And how can she fall in love with a guy so fast!? 🙄 But of even more concern are one or two rather descriptive scenes where the FMC and a guy are passionately kissing. Eeesh... 🫣 There's one extended scene in particular that got quite descriptive that I almost DNFed. So, definitely not a fan of the romance in any way. Yes, I understand that perhaps the story needs some romantic connections to deepen the intrigue and suspicions. That doesn't change the fact, however, that this story's romance is superficial, underdeveloped, and inappropriate for the lower YA range of young teens (see Content section below for details).

I already briefly touched on this, but many times the FMC is super, super annoying; and I did not like her loose mindset — practically swooning every time she sees a guy and then thinking about kissing him. Like, girl, can't you think about anything else, especially when people are being murdered!? 🤦🏼

Also, the beginning of this story is more uneventful than anything: meet the characters, get on the plane, and stuff like that. Throw in the FMC's boy obsession and the beginning kinda got a bit lackluster. But thankfully the storyline did get better.

Although I did list some complaints with this story, I do need to say once again how shocking and suspenseful the ending of Thin Air is. Kellie M. Parker does a fantastic job at structuring the denouement to create a tense, twisty finale to this mystery tale that I did not want to put it down! I felt completely enveloped by the scary and stressful atmosphere.

So yeah, once you're past the beginning, Thin Air is a quite a scary intense ride. Board this luxury flight with caution — an unmerciful and calculating killer is among your fellow travelers.... ✈️

"I creep out of the doorway and slink across the dark space toward the flight attendants' alcove....
[I]t's so dark I have no choice but to use my phone.... Farther forward, the steady thrum of the engines is joined by a whirring sound. Could it be the elevator?
The hair stands up on the back of my neck.
A sudden noise behind me startles me so much I nearly drop my phone.... I tighten my fingers and swivel around....
A shape moves toward me — only visible because it's blacker than the surrounding darkness — and I bite down hard on my lip to keep from screaming."

📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚

📊 A Quick Overview 📊

👍🏼 What I Liked:
• The storyline particularly the last quarter portion — it's extremely suspenseful, mysterious, and intense.
• The diverse cast of characters — they're all intriguing and equally suspicious.
• The mysterious and scary atmosphere that gets thicker as the story progresses.

👎🏼 What I Did Not Like:
• The descriptive make-out scenes and the other sensually written details pertaining to story's romance — it was quite annoying and rather ridiculous at times (could've almost been a DNF because of this).
• The FMC — she's too focused on kissing guys (bleh 😝).

📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚

❓ To Read or Not To Read? ❓

— Would I recommend this book? Yes, very selectively.*

— To whom? To those who enjoy intense and suspenseful mystery thrillers. And if you're aware of the prominent romantic elements in the story.

*(Note: I leave it up to each individual to decide the maturity and discernment level required to read the books I recommend, based on my content warnings below [in my Book Breakdown]. My content warnings [if any] should always be considered alongside my recommendations when deciding who these books are best suited for.)

📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚

📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 2.5/5 [rounded down to 2 on Goodreads])
~Fundamentals: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📈 Plot: 4/5
— 📝 Writing: 3.5/5
— 👥 Characters: 3/5

~Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)

— 🤬 Language: 1/5

• One use of "d*mn," one vain use of God's name, two uses of "hell," and two uses of "cr*p."

— ⚔️ Violence: 2/5

• Many prolonged sequences of tense situations, including scenes of intense peril.

• A few gruesome, potentially disturbing *vivid* descriptions of corpses and injuries (mentions blood), as well as methods of murder.

• A very brief, nondescript reference to a situation involving child abuse.

— ⚠️ Sexual: 2/5

• A semi-detailed scene of a male and female character passionately kissing; describes emotions and touches (four paragraphs or half of a page).

• A mildly descriptive scene of a male and a female character kissing (one paragraph); there is a buildup to this instance of kissing where the FMC thinks about getting closer to, touching, and kissing the male character (this buildup is about two pages).

• Two very brief, nondescript mentions of a male and female character kissing.

• There are several times that the FMC is mentioned as thinking about or wanting to kiss the male characters in the story.

📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚

📣 Random Comments 📣

• Content notes: (1) It is implied that one of the female characters has been immorally involved with at least a few members of her school's football team. (2) This same character is mentioned as having had an abortion at age sixteen. (3) One of the characters has had a drug addiction; this is mentioned a few times throughout the story, as well as the possibility that she still might be addicted to drugs. (4) One of the characters is briefly mentioned as having abused a pharmaceutical drug to possibly either inflict self-harm or commit suicide.

• A note about my recommendation: Because of the descriptive, sensual scenes of kissing, the pervasive romantic mindset of the FMC throughout the story, and the vivid descriptions of corpses and death, Thin Air would be inappropriate for the lower YA range of young teens. I will selectively recommend Thin Air only to mature older teen readers (~17+) who are advised ahead of time about the mature subject matter found in this book. Reader's discretion is strongly advised.

📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚

💬 Favorite Quotes 💬

• (None)

[charlene ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars  

★★★

**I was provided with an ARC from Razorbill for an honest review**

⋆☾⋆ My review is also posted right here on my blog ⋆☾⋆
⋆☾⋆ all quotes from this review are from an uncorrected text ⋆☾⋆

☞ Trigger warnings:  **contains spoilers*
abortion (mentioned), addiction, alcohol consumption, blood & gore depiction, cancer (mentioned), captivity & confinement, car accident (mentioned), cheating, dead bodies, death of a child, death of a friend, depression, disappearance of a loved one, drug abuse, drugging, fire, grief & loss depiction, homelessness, hospitalisation, hostage situation imprisonment & incarceration, knife violence, medical treatment, murder & attempted murder, needles, overdose (mentioned), panic attack, physical assault, physical injuries, teen pregnancy (mentioned), poverty, scars, self-harm, substance addiction, suicide ideation, suicide.

Thin Air is exactly the type of YA Thriller I love. It is a tense locked room mystery on a multi-million dollar plane. 12 American boarding school teenagers are invited to compete in a competition in France, hoping to win an all-expense paid trip to the Ivy League college of their choosing, as well as a guaranteed path to economic and societal privilege. However, the competition doesn't start when they land. Soon the teenagers realise there is more at stake than choosing where to sit on the plane. Not everyone will survive the 8 hour flight to Paris. Loyalties shift by the hour, and Emily soon realises that she has to solve who is targeting everyone, and why, before she is next.

...consider every moment from here on out as part of the competition.

A locked room mystery is a favourite mystery trope of mine. The sense of claustraphobia, the limited space and objects are all great threads of a compelling story when done right. Make the locked room a locked, plane, thousands of feet in the air, with no way to leave or land was thrilling to read. 8 hours feels excruciatingly long when there is someone you know, systematically taking you out one by one in a small confined space. There are very few places to hide, and no one you can trust. Thin Air is a thriller that you can read in one sitting, and you will want to read it all in one-sitting to find out what happens next.

"Maybe this is my punishment, my moment of redeption, in which I finally pay the price for my mistakes...I know all about betrayal."

The characters were diverse, but some fell to the side, as 12 is a large group of people to keep track of. Some were more distinct than others, and some felt cliche, falling into what the archetypes of a typical teenager in the US. I was hoping the cliche was deliberate, to subvert expectations and explore the characters more in depth but for most that wasn't the case. Emily, the main character, was a stand out, with an unfortunate background that is very relevant for this time period, and spoke to the heart of what it means these days to be a middle-class American. Thin Air highlighted the wealth and class disparity many face in America, and the stranglehold many have in order to maintain their wealth and class status, as well as the lengths people will go through for the opportunity of upward social mobility. The last few pages scrutinised the premise of the book, accutely self-aware of the plot and the societal privileges that the teenagers and the foundation existed in, that brought them into these deadly circumstances. I appreciate the clear messaging that was sent, but it felt more tacked on, rather than examined in any substantive way.

The overarching question that everyone asks (other than who) is why? Why these kids, and why now. The motivation of the person behind this was underwhelming to say the least. It was someone I suspected but I found I had no reason to tie them to the scheme. The reveal was not only disappointing, but I found there was no way the audience could have deduced the reason either. I find that the best mysteries allow the audience to be able to deduce the motivation behind the killer, to be able to spot them and still enjoy the experience of the mystery. Thin Air was trying to subvert expectations, but it felt poorly conceived and executed. The motivation should have been more substantive or logical.

The selection process for these 12 teenagers went beyond their exemplar applications. I wish the unseen connection was stronger, and was explored when the teenagers where unravelling the mystery.

Ultimatly, Thin Air was an exciting, tense read. Regardless of the disappointing motivation for the murder spree, the journey was worth it.

Would I recommend this book?
Yes. It was an excellent YA Thriller.

Will I re-read this book? 
I don't think so. Once was enough, and I am not likely to forget it.

Blog ✿ Goodreads ✿ Twitter ✿ Instagram ✿ Pinterest ✿ StoryGraph ✿ Discovery ✿ 

[Grace (bookish_things_and_dragons) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you penguin teen for a copy of this book!
#penguinteenpartner

Where to begin...

Thin Air is a YA mystery/thriller about twelve students from different boarding schools all on a private jet headed to Paris, where they'll compete for a full scholarship to the college of their choice however, during their journey, everyone's darkest secrets start coming out, and bodies start dropping.

Sound fun? That's what I thought, too. And parts of it definitely are!

I loved the monster in the house trope that we got to submerge ourselves in. It was so cozy and fun! And I was so here for it when all the secrets and mysterious happenings started dropping. I also LOVED the references to Anne of Green Gables, and I really appreciated how clean this book was!

Unfortunately, it kinda fell apart by the end of it. I spent the whole book trying to connect the dots and figure out how all the people dying were connected and who was at the center, and as it turns out, none of them were. Apparently, one of the flight attendants went to school with the MC's mom and had some beef with her, so she decided to kill a bunch of kids and pin the murders on her daughter? How could we have predicted that? And that means that everyone killed in this book was collateral damage? Also, the killers plan was to send her to jail so that her mom would know her daughter's life was ruined because of her, but how would she know that unless the flight attendant confessed? Also, why did she make the first murder look like an accident and the second like suicide if her plan was to frame Em? And why did she randomly stab Em if she planned to pretend she was drugged the whole time? Won't that put a rather large hole in her story?

It's also very frustrating to me that at the end of the book, Emily is so very okay. She just found out that all the kids killed were killed because of her, and she's like, "sucks they aren't here."

Also, she cheated with her best friends boyfriend and stole her best friends identity. But did we get any confrontation with her and her best friend? Nope. She got herself a new boyfriend, so the whole cheating thing is just getting pushed under the rug, then?

Honestly, I feel like this book had so much potential, and I was really excited for it, I just couldn't quite buy the ending.

[Haleigh Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book I finished it in two sittings. The mystery is wonderful, I was at the edge of my seat until the very end. I kept thinking 'Okay, I know who did it' over and over and over again and I was wrong each and every time and I loved it. Its not often that a book keeps me guessing like that. and I feel like so rarely done.

I loved 'almost' all of the cast of characters (there is quite a few) and I enjoyed how their stories played out. They were all relatable. I could either see myself or my friends in all of the characters. There is a LOT of drama, a bit of romance, a lot of tension. All makes for a good build up for a mystery.

I definitely enjoyed this book and have already started recommending it to my friends who love mystery thrillers like I do.

Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.

[emerson;)]

DNF @ page 110

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into it 😭
This is probably my number one complaint buuuuuut . . . yeah, the romance felt really rushed from the get go
And I don't know the mystery as far as I read seemed a bit weird or underdeveloped?
Just wasn't for me :)

[cassie]

Buddy read with Charis!!! This books sounds soooo good! 👏👏👏

[∘✿∘ɢɪᴀɴɴᴀ∘✿∘ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
This was so good😭
Rtc!!!

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Namens Uitgeverij van Goor / Unieboek Spectrum mocht ik Thin Air lezen en recenseren, waarvoor dank.

Thin Air neemt je mee in het leven van de 17-jarige Emily Walters.
Emily krijgt een unieke kans; ze mag in de Franse hoofdstad Parijs mee gaan strijden om een geldprijs. Als ze deze wint kan ze haar studie betalen, en kunnen zij en haar moeder eindelijk ontsnappen aan de armoede waarin zij leven.
Wanneer Emily samen met de 11 andere deelnemers op het privévliegtuig naar Europa stapt lijkt de geldprijs verder weg dan ooit, en realiseert ze zich snel dat één deelnemer tot alles bereid is om te winnen. Ze moet bovendien zelfs haar eigen duistere geheimen zien te beschermen.
Ze heeft geen idee hoe ze de wedstrijd en vlucht door moet komen, en als zelfs de eerste dode valt lijkt de kans op een veilige afloop en thuiskomst verder weg dan ooit.

Waar ik deze recensie mee wil beginnen is dat ik met een gemiddeld positief gevoel terugkijk op dit verhaal.
Thin Air heb ik ervaren als een verhaal waarin twee van mijn favoriete series, namelijk The Hunger Games en Phobos gebundeld zijn in één verhaal.
Ik ervaarde namelijk met dit verhaal dezelfde vibes welke ik ook altijd met The Hunger Games ervaar.

Het verhaal heeft een goed in elkaar gezet plot met een logische en goed bedachte verhaallijn.
Het verhaal begint direct met een spannende gebeurtenis, waardoor ik eigenlijk direct goed in het verhaal zat.
Vrij snel ervaarde ik dat, om even in de vliegtuigsferen te blijven, een verhaal is met de nodige turbulentie. Van een rustige vlucht is eigenlijk direct vanaf het begin al geen sprake.
De schrijfstijl van Kellie vond ik open en toegankelijk.
Wat ik persoonlijk wel wat minder vond ik dat het qua gebeurtenissen en spanningen een beetje op gelijke vlakte bleef.
De gebeurtenissen werden in mijn ogen telkens een beetje gekopieerd en geplakt, met wat kleine aanpassingen in acties en personages.
Dit vond ik wel jammer, want de spanning die ik in het begin ervaarde ebde al vrij snel naar de achtergrond.

Verder lees je het verhaal vanuit Emily wat geschreven is in het ik-perspectief.
Hierdoor ervaarde ik een fijne connectie met Emily als hoofdpersonage.
Ik vond haar qua karakter ook een sterk hoofdpersonage voor dit verhaal.
Over de andere personages ben ik ook zeker tevreden. Het waren er vrij veel, maar je leest niet vanuit de andere personages, waardoor het verhaal gelukkig logisch bleef en niet verwarrend werd.
Misschien komt het omdat het een YA is en daardoor de leeftijd van de personages ook bepalend is, maar sommige personages vond ik op bepaalde vlakken soms wat irritant.
Dit speelde verder geen hele grote rol in mijn leeservaring, maar toch zorgde dat soms voor een kleine irritatiefactor.
Ook had ik misschien graag gezien dat er ook vanuit de "dader" geschreven werd.
Hierdoor had het verhaal voor mij wellicht wat meer afwisseling kunnen hebben.

De ontknoping was wel iets wat ik niet verwacht had, en ook een goede boost was voor mijn beoordeling.
Van alle daders die ik had kunnen verwachten, had ik deze zeker niet verwacht.
Dit vond ik ook een sterke zet van Kellie, om de lezers nog even in shock achter te laten.

Ik kijk zoals in het begin al vermeld gemiddeld positief terug op dit verhaal, en heb dit dan ook beoordeeld met 3 sterren.

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Cheating
Alcohol consumption
Drugging & drug abuse
Abortion mentioned
Blood, gore and injury depiction including dead bodies
Hospitalisation
Cancer mentioned
Needles
Death of a friend
Murder & attempted murder
Knife violence
Fire
Disappearance of a loved one

[gumbella · Rating 2 out of 5]

vergessen upzudaten aber das ende najaaa! das leseerlebnis ist definitiv zu 100% durch den buddy read und zusammen rätseln aufgewertet worden glaube ohne wäre eher :/ gewesen

[Chelsea | thrillerbookbabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Razorbill Books and Kellie Parker for my copy of Thin Air. This book was the perfect one to read on a plane while traveling. This book was about twelve contestants from elite boarding schools who were all competing for a prestigious scholarship. Emily and the other contestants board a private jet to Europe to begin their journey, but they soon realize that someone would do anything to win. People start dying one by one, and Emily needs to figure out who before she’s the only one left.

Thoughts: This was such a fun locked room mystery to read on a plane! The elite boarding school feel in a new location was interesting and entertaining. There was an element of And Then There Were None but with a YA twist. Of course this included some very dumb decisions and a teen romance, but that’s okay. I liked how the stories played out and each of the individual storylines.

I liked how the suspense built throughout the book, which kept me entertained. There were some plot holes and unrealistic elements, but it was a lot of fun. I wish there were more mysterious elements or elements of horror, because I think it could be a lot more suspenseful. I recommend it to anyone who likes YA thrillers, and it was extra fun to read on a plane. 3.5 stars!

[Kalena ୨୧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

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]

[Kerry Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an early version of Thin Air and it's SO good! Well-written, thrilling, mysterious, tense, and it has a nice thread of romance. Parents of YA-aged kids, there's no language or sexual content. Your YA-aged readers of mystery and thrillers will love the story. I couldn't stop reading once I started. Can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

[papilionna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein guter Jugendthriller in einzigartigem Setting, der etwas langsam startet, aber bald komplett eskaliert.
Die Auflösung am Ende hätte meiner Meinung nach etwas besser ausgebaut werden können, bzw. wurde man als Leser vor vollendete Tatsachen gestellt. Hier hätte ich gern mehr erfahren und einen ausführlicheren Epilog gehabt.

[Liv · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down
This is the longest review I’ve written for a book or movie. I don’t think anyone is going to read it but I wanted to share my thoughts somewhere so

All of this could’ve been avoided if one of them went “let’s compare handwriting in the the 2 truths 1 lie note.”

This book was (not a solid) 3 stars for 80% off it and the last part unfortunately pushed it down.

NON SPOILER PART OF THE REVIEW

Holy shit. The ending of this book is bad. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First lets talk about the thing that made me start writing my review super early… the writing.

I did not enjoy the writing. And I know I just said that about the other book I read, but this book is making me realize that book was fine. I was able to look over some cringey things said in that other book but in this one. While yes it kept making modern reference and pulling me out of the book. I couldn’t stand the repetition. I understand wanting to make it sound like a teen and she’s all over the place. But as a reader I don’t need to read “I stole Nikki’s application” 3 times in 2 pages. It’s ok say something else!!

It was the whole book. “Before mom paid for a bunch of thing and stopped paying child support” “I kissed my best friends boyfriend” “I’m a cheater! I shouldn’t be in this game” “there’s no way Liam would like me.” “Who put the pills in my bag and peanut wrapper by my bag? The killer that’s who.” I KNOW! I KNOW YOU’VE TOLD US! YOU HAVE SAID IT SO MUCH THAT MY ROOMMATES ARE AWARE!
Also maybe don’t cheat and blame it on Dylan? It took two people to kiss?? And what’s the deal with you being mean to Olivia for no reason??
I wanted to DNF it because of how much you kept saying the same things over and over again. I know you could’ve cut this book down without that. Useless stuff is added “I tell him about Blake. Trapped upstairs” BITCH WE KNOW just say “I tell him about Blake.” And it’s over and over, a couple pages before that it’s “this must be traumatic for him because of Paige.” babe… don’t say the “because of Paige.” We KNOW. “It’s like the flight attendances have vanished, the same as Evan.” She said after talking to her group for the past 5 pages on how she doesn’t know where any flight attendant or Evan is.
Like they’re gone?!!!!! Really I didn’t know that?! STOP.

I understand character growth and the hero’s journey but it just made me not like Emily and dragged the book.

And I’m gonna be picky about two things here. Don’t add “ah”. You can have a character/writing that is laid back but it needs to start that way. This book did not do that, somehow she slowly started becoming the repetitive nonesense when she started the book showing she was “poised” in writing. I don’t think I’m making sense but who care as no one will read this.
I don’t know what it is but a few times I read something like “where’s Simon? Ah, there’s he is” its stupid. AND if you’re going to mention something in the real world at least do the research. Again being picky but if you’re saying “she let me hug her squishmellow in fifth grade.” Yet squish mellows weren’t out when they were fifth graders…. (“Liv suspend your belief” listen I would if there was some other crazy things that the squishmellow topic even caught my eye. But hey at least she didn’t use my least favorite word too much)

Ok enough about the writing on to Emily. SPOILERS START HERE

I understand that she likes Liam but it’s so odd with her being like “warmth washes over me when he ask if I’m ok.” like I understand it’s a crush but at the same time… girl what is his last name? Favorite color?

Her relationship with Liam is so? Because she talks about him like she’s known him forever and has had a crush on him like her crush on Dylan. This girl is literally the “do you, love me too? Excuse me” joke. She goes “does he feel the same way” and I’m like HUH?! and apparently he DOES with the “I’ve been wanting to do that since I met you” SIX HOURS AGO? AND HALF OF THE TIME YOU WEREN’T TALKING TO EACH OTHER AND AT ONE POINT SHE WAS KISSING DYLAN AND YOU SAW IT??
Add that, the repetition and the way she is with the reveal and she becomes a very unlikeable character.
Speaking of Dylan, I’m glad Dylan didn’t stay with the Nikki at the end but you’re telling me we didn’t get to see any of it? When it was talked about the whole book. (One of the many reasons why I feel like the time skip should’ve been longer.)

Everything feels like a coincidence and just there. I don’t know how to explain it (somehow) but the whole “oh the pills in my bag, but no one sees it” sorry?! The reveal was very “how do I make this so you like all the students at the end because I’ve become attached to them” (even tho she randomly kills Ann…) The ending after the reveal as well was just thrown in. “Oh all this stuff happened a week ago but its fine because ooooooo Eiffel tower remember when I talked about that because it was a puzzle!!” I like that they ended up as a group of friends and hanging out together, but maybe make it a little later when all those kind of wounds can heal and its not “oh I was stabbed and I was just on this crazy plane trip but I’m fine.” I dont know it needed to be re worked so it wasn’t just another plot point that needed to be hit.

While I am glad the author kept the whole book on this expensive cool plane and it is used in a creative way. I thought once someone dies they would turn around and fly back because four hours to fly there, something happens, 4 hours to fly back. That’s 8 hours. And they c All I’m saying is if two people are dead, make everyone sit while they fly back home. Like I’m sorry CLEARLY there’s a threat. They should’ve done that after Paige died?? SORRY? Idc that you think she killed herself a girl being dead is wayyyyyy more important than a competition and you expect them to just MOVE ON? One of the other players is her boyfriend?! Yes I know who did it and she never called but the other flight attendants were not passed out by then. ik she was the senior flight attendant so she’s in charge but this problem is a little bigger than her doing everything and the other two not doing check ups.

For the reveal oh man.

I guessed on 215 that I thought it was Liam. Found out around page 227 that it was him, found out it wasn’t him because it was lily to… oh no its O’CONNERS?????? THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WE HAVEN’T SEEN SINCE 40% OF THE BOOK.

Having Emilys thoughts so scrambled wasn’t great. I understand that she is stressed and overwhelmed but it came across more untrustworthy. She shouldn’t have taken charge the way she did when telling the group who did it. A simple “I THINK xxxx did it.” Would’ve made it so much more likable and trust worthy. Instead I’m rolling my eyes at my book because of course she’s wrong, this is the second time she’s jumped to conclusions and doesn’t even try to prove it. So again of course she’s wrong and it’s not going to be revealed like that. So even when the real was revealed it just felt bland. I wish the author just had her guess it was one person and didn’t switch so fast to jump from Liam and lily. But I guess she just wanted Emily to end up with someone so bad.

I honestly wanted the killer to be Liam. Yes I wanted Emily to be happy at the end. But I found it so odd for him to be this obsessed with her this fast. They were all about each other like they’ve known each other forever and it felt super unrealistic. Having Liam be the killer made sense as that’s why he was always where she was in, in his group, wanted to talk to her blah blah blah. Have him have the same MO that O’Conner had and I would’ve been more on board. And not to sound selfish but it would’ve been more satisfying. When it was first revealed I was really excited because again it made sense and there was many creative MO to go with for this I-thought-he-was-trustworthy guy.
A missed opportunity tbh as that would’ve been so good.

It was really fast pace moving from Liam to Lily. Take away my thoughts on my distaste for her guessing so much. I liked how fast it was because it felt more realistic. But bringing in my distaste it fell flat. The two characters she learns to trust and befriends the most are the one she thinks betrayed her but I’m gonna be honest. I did not believe it was Lily at all and I thought while reading “if it is gonna be lily she better have a good reasoning.” As again we didn’t really see her much. yes she could’ve been “playing” the group but in books when you re read you tend to see cracks and it made no sense for it to be Lily. Im glad it wasn’t her though as she was at the bottom of my list of who I wanted it to be (you know she’s on the bottom of the list because flight attendant thing was defiantly a choice!)
While she did spend half the book accusing almost most every one… its should’ve had a bigger shock and reason to why she thought it was lily, just like a trace of blood even. A small detail to add would’ve made me believe it more that it could’ve been Lily.

In a murder mystery book, the reveal is so important. It needs to be shocking and catching. I should not have felt bored when reading the reveal. I understand to an extent what the author was going for. I do love revenge in media and I’m a sucker for a huge “never see that coming” twist but this was a no.
For example, the scream franchise uses a lot of revenge plot lines. But they make sense, you get to know and trust these characters before you find out the revenge plot they’ve been hiding. (Besides scream 3) but with O’Conner barley in the book, not even in passing Emily randomly. It just feels stupid. I have never felt that bored reading a reveal before. I’ve read my fair share of mystery books and I think this is the lowest one (which is shocking because I really hate a certain mystery book). The author did a good job with the group of students. I ended up liking all of them in some way and didn’t want any of them to be the killer. Even when she was iffy on Blake or Simon (I mean of course it was never going to be Simon she was trying to pin it on him since page 13 or something) But that’s how it should be done. A shocking reveal and explanation on a character you “connect” with. i wanna at least know something about the character even if they’re a little more background and we dont see them for a minute (This Is Why We Lie by Gabriella Lepore is a great example of that) The connection, even if you dont realize it, is why you’re shocked. Not because it’s some random flight attendant lady we haven’t seen in forever and now she gets to drop some crazy back story that doesn’t matter because I never learned or started to like her in the first place. I know this could’ve easily been fixed with just a scene or two with O’Conner, you can still do the “flight attendants are knocked out” bit but at least we have some parts in the book where can know who she is. because if you revealed it was one of the other flight attendants I would’ve had the same reaction because all three of them were basically on the same level of “importance” and “how much you knew about them.”
I again think that’s why I thought it could be Liam. (Even if you gave him the same MO) she of course really likes him and he’s a good character so even if I guessed before hand, it still would’ve made sense for him to be it. Any of the other students would’ve been good too in a way, JUST NOT O’CONNER.

That being said. and I know it’s quite shocking. I still enjoyed the book. I feel bad giving it 2 star’s rounded down but not up but I think my roommate would yell at me if I have it 3 :P The book did its job as I was entertained but It is no way a re read (at least for a while) but I did not end this book wishing I never read it. Im glad I did as I still somewhat liked it. I would still check out another book by this author if she every writes one (I just hope she repeats less tbh) this book was just no where near what I wanted it to be and I feel like if it went through another round of editing it could’ve been way stronger.

[Rebecca Sim · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️ 1 ⭐️

Das war schlecht.

Das Buch war leider eine Vollkatastrophe und das aus vielerlei Gründen.

Das Buch sollte ein klaustrophobischer Thriller sein, hat mich aber in beiden Punkten enttäuscht. Das Setting war schlecht ausgearbeitet. Wir hätten genauso gut in einer Villa sein als in einem Flugzeug. Eigentlich habe ich eine Villa auch tatsächlich die ganze Zeit vor Augen gesehen, da von "Speisesaal", "Salon", "marmorner Eingangsbereich", "Badezimmer mit Marmorboden", "Arbeitszimmer", "Schlafzimmer", "Fahrstuhl" und vielem mehr die Rede war.
Ein Thriller war das Ganze auch nicht, sondern wohl eher eine drittklassige RTL-Show. Ernsthaft! Auf diesem Flug sterben Menschen und unsere Protagonistin hat nichts besseres zu tun als rumzukichern und sich darüber Gedanken zu machen welchen der zwei Typen die sie heiß findet vielleicht auf sie steht oder nicht. Ein kleiner Ausschnitt, aber lange nicht alles:
"Ich kann mich nicht entscheiden, ob er sich nur Sorgen um mich macht, oder ob er was von mir will (...)" - Pos. 1146
"Ich hatte mir fest vorgenommen, meine Zeit nicht mit Jungs zu verschwenden und mich voll und ganz auf diesen Wettbewerb zu konzentrieren. Und jetzt?" - Pos. 1606
"Ob er ahnt, welche Wirkung er auf mich hat? Empfindet er dasselbe?" - Pos. 2227
"Zugegeben, seine Gleichgültigkeit tut weh. Liegt es daran, dass ich ihn auf Abstand gehalten habe?" - Pos. 2600
(...)

Auch den Freund einer der Opfer lässt das Ganze völlig kalt. Seine Freundin ist nicht einmal 2h tot und er (und auch alle anderen, um ehrlich zu sein) macht Witze: "{Er} wackelt mit den Augenbrauen, als ich die Treppe hinaufsteige, und grinst breit. "Woran liegt es eigentlich, dass auf Klassenfahrten ständig jemand rumknutscht?"" - Pos.3084
Man hatte nicht das Gefühl, dass gerade etwas total Schreckliches vor sich geht.
"Und es ist auch niemand gestorben" - Pos. 2142 (nachdem zwei Menschen gestorben sind)

Im Allgemeinen waren die Charaktere sehr blass und ohne jegliche Persönlichkeit, das ist aber nochmal von all diesen anderen Punkten, die mich massiv aufregt haben überschattet worden

Der ganze Aufhänger der Geschichte mit dem Wettbewerb ist komplett nebensächlich, total lächerlich und auch schlecht ausgearbeitet. Das Ende war so schlecht; die Auflösung des Mörders total unlogisch und wenn ich ehrlich bin hatte das Buch auch keinen richtigen Abschluss. Ich bin allerdings froh, dass ich nicht noch mehr davon lesen musste.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thin air is een spannende YA thriller over een privévlucht van Amerika naar Parijs. Aan boord van dit privévliegtuig zijn twaalf tieners van zes verschillende kostscholen. Allen vliegen mee naar Parijs om te strijden voor een royale studiebeurs. De zeventienjarige Emily Walters heeft deze kans ook gekregen. Tijdens de vlucht moeten de tieners al strijden tegen elkaar, tegen elkaar in teamsverband. Maar de vlucht loopt niet zoals het zou moeten lopen. Wanneer een meisje met een pinda-allergie toch per ongeluk pinda's binnen krijgt en geheimen worden onthuld tijdens een spel die geheim hadden moeten blijven, kijken de tieners elkaar vol wantrouwen aan. Wanneer dan ook nog één van de tieners dood wordt aangetroffen, ontstaat er lichte paniek. Wie is te vertrouwen en wie niet?

Het verhaal wordt verteld vanuit de ik-persoon en hierdoor leer je het hoofdpersonage Emily goed kennen. Emily is een meisje met veel geheimen, net als de andere tieners, en ze wil niet dat haar geheimen worden onthuld. Emily is een fijn personage om over te lezen. Ze is wat impulsief, tot over haar oren verliefd, maar ook dapper en nieuwsgierig aangelegd. Via Emily leer je de andere personages ook kennen, maar deze worden niet verder uitgewerkt. Dit zorgt ervoor dat je zelf ook geen flauw idee hebt welke beweegredenen iemand zou kunnen hebben en wie van de tieners te vertrouwen is.

Het verhaal start met een onheilspellende proloog en dit zet de toon voor de rest van het verhaal. Gedurende het verhaal is er een onderhuidse spanning aanwezig dat zich uiteindelijk ontpopt tot een goed uitgewerkt plot. Kellie M. Parker weet het verhaal zo te schrijven dat je haast aanwezig bent in het vliegtuig. Ze zorgt ervoor dat je tijdens het lezen je blijft afvragen wie niet te vertrouwen is. Ook bevat het verhaal zo nu en dan een plot twist waardoor het verhaal weer een andere wending krijgt.

Thin air is een spannende YA thriller waarbij de lezer wordt meegenomen in een onheilspellende vlucht naar Parijs. Een verhaal waarbij je zelf mee gaat puzzelen en verbanden probeert te leggen, die door plot twisten weer overhoop worden gehaald. Thin air is zeker een aanrader om te lezen!

Bedankt Best of Ya voor dit recensie-exemplaar!

[Devika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thin air is een young adult door Kellie M. Parker. Hoewel ik eerlijk moet bekennen dat de Nederlandse cover mij niet direct trok, wist de omschrijving van dit boek dat wel te doen. Een young adult met rivaliteit, geheimen en moorden, iets wat ik graag lees. Hierdoor was ik dan ook erg benieuwd geraakt. Wat zal Kellie M. Parker in petto hebben voor haar lezers?

Dit boek is qua gevoel en tropes een echte mix tussen The Nerd Academy en De Hongerspelen. Hoewel in dit boek dan wellicht niet direct de opdracht tot het uitmoorden van elkaar word gegeven om de beurs in handen te krijgen, is er wel echt sprake van rivaliteit. Wie zit er toch achter de moorden?

Lees nu mijn volledige recensie op mijn blog Boekensteeg

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book.

I mean there was soooooo much angst and the reason behind everything (and how they did it) was…A LOT. But the book was still extremely entertaining.

I liked, but did not love, our MC. I mean, she’s a teen, so I give her a little leeway when it comes to decision making (bad), boys (worse), and being a truly sucky friend. But I was still rooting for her all the way.

What I really liked? Some of the other contestants! They were so much fun and many ended up having some unexpected depths.\

As long as you don’t think about it too hard, this is a rollercoaster ride of an entertaining read.

Would read the author again!

• ARC via Publisher

[Katherine Bichler · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5 STARS

Genre: YA Thriller

Similar Books:
Lying in the Deep
One of Us is Lying

Synopsis:
8 private school teens are flown on a luxury plane to Paris for the chance to win a scholarship when someone starts killing the contestants on the plane.

This was a great YA thriller! Think escape room on a private plane. There are riddles and games to solve plus teen drama. Each contestant has secrets of their own and everyone of them is a suspect. This book will keep you guessing until the very end.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the ARC! ✈️

[Gabriella Batel]

the secrets over the intercom?—my heart stuttered

[Booksofnina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun at the end.
But the beginning... I wasn't invested at allll. I think I would have liked it better if we got to know the fmc first and then she went on the plane.