A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2019:Entertainment Weekly | USA Today | Parade | Cosmopolitan | New York Post | PopSugar | Goodreads“Jessica Barry’s Freefall is not only an enthralling, impossible-to-put down mystery that keeps the pages flying, but it is also a gorgeous, resonant tale of a mother’s unconditional love for her daughter. I could not recommend this more!” — Aimee Molloy, New York Times Barry’s Freefall is not only an enthralling, impossible-to-put down mystery that keeps the pages flying, but it is also a gorgeous, resonant tale of a mother’s unconditional love for her daughter. I could not recommend this more!”
— Aimee Molloy, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mother
“An absorbing treat.” – PEOPLE Magazine
“The corporate malfeasance and shady conspiracies of John Grisham, with the frank feminism of two rounded female protagonists.” — Entertainment Weekly
They say your daughter is dead.
You know they’re wrong.
When her fiancé’s private plane crashes in the Colorado Rockies, everyone assumes Allison Carpenter is dead.
But Maggie, Allison’s mother back home in Owl Creek, Maine, refuses to believe them. Maggie knows her daughter – or she used to, anyway. For the past two years, the two women have been estranged, and while Maggie doesn’t know anything about Ally’s life now – not even why she was on a private plane to begin with – she still believes in her girl’s strength, and in their love for each other.
As Allison struggles across the treacherous mountain wilderness, Maggie embarks on a desperate search for answers about the world Allison has been involved in. What was she running from? And can Maggie uncover the truth in time to save her?
Told from the perspectives of a mother and daughter separated by distance but united by an unbreakable bond, Freefall is a heart-stopping, propulsive thriller about two tenacious women overcoming unimaginable obstacles to protect themselves and the ones they love.
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“She’s the sum of all the people she was before, forged in the fire and turned to iron.”
I thought this was an excellent suspense thriller. It was fast-paced and was just the right book for me during the time I was reading it.
Allison is 31 years old, engaged to a rich man, and has been estranged from her mother back in Maine for two years.
It is devastating for Maggie, Allison’s mom, to hear that there was a plane crash in the Colorado Rockies and her daughter and fiance are presumed dead.
The story is told in two different voices – Allison’s (so the reader finds out quickly that she didn’t die in the crash) and also in Maggie’s – in alternating chapters.
The chapters are short and suspense filled as Allison tries to make her way out of the mountains and as Maggie researches her daughter’s life over the past two years, finding a young woman quite different than the daughter she remembers.
There are plenty of side stories and questions about Allison, about her fiance, and about the pharmaceutical company that her husband was CEO of before he died.
I enjoyed this book a lot and recommend it highly.
I received this book from Harper Collins through Edelweiss in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Allison by her own choice had no contact with her mother for two years, and then her mother found out that Allison had been killed in a plane crash.
Maggie had not talked to her daughter since her husband had passed away, knew nothing about her life, and was at a loss to answer questions about her daughter.
Maggie did what every mother would have done to keep in touch, but to no avail, and I admired her for searching out details about her daughter’s life under the circumstances.
Maggie could find no one who knew anything about her daughter or rather anyone who would say anything about her. They became silent when she asked. Maggie wondered what the reason for that was.
Maggie had an inkling that her daughter hadn’t perished in the fiery crash but kept that thought to herself for her own sanity.
We follow Maggie and Allison in alternating chapters both past and present as the story unfolds.
Allison’s life the past two years had been a bit tough at first, and she had a secret that prevented her from her wanting to be found.
The tension mounted on Allison’s side of the story as we find out things about her past, what she was up to, and perhaps the reason for the crash.
FREEFALL keeps you rapidly turning the pages, has good writing, great detail, and enough suspense that you won’t want to put the book down.
Through bits and pieces everything slowly came together, the mystery unraveled, and the intensity of the situations increased.
If you enjoy suspense, secrets, and twists, FREEFALL fits the bill.
It takes a few pages to grab your interest, but be sure you don’t have anything else to do because you won’t be able to put this book down. 5/5
This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This book literally left me breathless after reading it! Just amazing.
An engaging thriller from page one.
My Review
Linda Zagon’s review Dec 16, 2018 · edit
it was amazing
Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “FreeFall” by Jessica Barry, Harper,January 8, 2019
Kudos to Jessica Barry, Author of “FREEFALL : A Novel” for writing such an intoxicating, addicting, intense, captivating, intriguing and thrilling novel. The Genres for this story are Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Action and Fiction. The timeline of the story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. There are dark and deep secrets that have many consequences.
The story is told by two narrators, a mother and daughter. Although Allison Carpenter and her mother Maggie Carpenter haven spoken in two years, there is something that unites them in spirit. This is a story about the love and support of mothers and daughters.
Allison Carter is in her wealthy fiancé’s private plane when it crashes. Somehow, Allison manages to crawl away injured but alive. To stay alive, Allison knows she must keep moving. Allison has dark secrets and information that many powerful men will kill her for. This is only the beginning. Allison has to stay alive on a dangerous mountain, and wilderness, with lack of food and water. Allison is motivated to make it home.
Maggie Carpenter hears that her only daughter is supposedly dead. Maggie had no idea that Allison was engaged, and from pictures she sees it is hard to recognize her daughter. After a family tragedy, the mother and daughter have been estranged, but Maggie has a feeling that Allison is alive and in trouble. Maggie starts investigating facts surrounding the crash and her daughter’s life in the last two years.
There is such intense activity that I was at the edge of my seat, biting my gel nails, luckily not breaking my teeth or my nails. This is a page-turning, riveting, enthralling book that I could not put down. There is murder, violence, and action. I would highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy an intense , engaging and intriguing book. Warning: Don’t read before you go to sleep.!! Happy Reading.!
On the front cover it says “They say your daughter is dead. You know they’re wrong.”
After reading the first two chapters you will realize that the mom, Maggie, is telling her story and the next chapter is told by the daughter, Allison. A plane crash takes place and Allison and her fiance are presumed dead. That’s where the story begins and then you find out about the characters lives and what led up to the crash. Freefall is by Jessica Barry. Hope you enjoy it.
Awesome read fast moving and a triller every moment
Great book!
Very unique writing style and the characters were believable – I plan on following this writer.
This was okay … the blurb made it sound like it’d be a lot more exciting than it was. It alternates POVs so the reader gets the full picture of what’s going on, even though some of the characters don’t have it. I enjoyed this style and if the writing had been a bit more riveting, it could’ve made for a very fast-paced read.
Would maybe explore more from this author—I think they do have talent. While I could do with a bit more corruption and action, there’s isn’t anything wrong with this read either.
3 stars.
Note:
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. Great performance.
Wow! This is an entertaining, fast paced, intense suspense novel.
4 Stellar Stars!
I’d heard the buzz about Jessica Barry’s debut novel, “Freefall”, for a few months and I’m so glad I finally listened to the audiobook. Like a master fisherman, this book subtly and smoothly lured me in; hooking me so soundly that I finished the book in two days. The message I took away from this book was that life is short and we need to reconcile with those we love before we lose the opportunity completely and have to live with regret. The second bit of wisdom I gleaned from the book: look beyond the perfect surface, especially with people, because you might not like what you see. I would recommend “Freefall” to anyone who enjoys reading about complex relationships and who enjoys not being able to spot major plot twists before they come (the minor ones you can figure out).
What I appreciated most about this book was the relationship between mother (Maggie) and daughter (Ally). “Freefall” drops you into the action immediately as we witness Ally fleeing for her life following a plane crash, and then simultaneously watch Maggie’s devastation and disbelief at the news of her daughter’s death. Alternatively narrated from Ally’s and Maggie’s point of view, I was immersed into the honest and regretful recounting of their motivations and subsequent actions that led to their estrangement. It felt as if I was witnessing a therapy session or reading their private journals. I pitied Ally, and my heart broke for her as I learned of the unhealthy path she chose. At the same time I cheered on her survival instincts and hoped she’d be able to make the amends she now discovered she wanted.
The second aspect I appreciated about this book was the well-timed one-two punch of unsuspected twists and pulse-racing action that blindsided me. I was lulled into Ally’s and Maggie’s narrative, nearly forgetting the “bad guy” was getting closer. The book was like whitewater rafting. First your bumping along, navigating large rocks while having a pretty good time. Then all of a sudden your stomach drops as you’re thrust into a roaring rapid and you’ve got a white-knuckled grip on your paddle. “Freefall” is a great ride that finishes strong. So why did I give this book 4 stars instead of 5? For the first third of the book it read more of a contemporary fiction book (a really good one) than a thriller. Sure there was some suspense and foreshadowing, but that portion of the book went a little slow for me.
“Freefall” audiobook was narrated by by Hilliary Huber (one of my all-time favorites), Karissa Vacker, and MacLeod Andrews. Their voice acting was outstanding and added to the thrill and enjoyment of this audiobook.
I really enjoyed this book. It grabbed me from the start.
If you’re looking for a book about redemption and finding your way home that is also filled with refreshingly strong female characters and superb writing, read Freefall.
I enjoyed the alternating POV between chapters with mother (Maggie) and daughter (Allison). They’ve been estranged since the death of Maggie’s husband, Allison’s father, and there’s plenty of blame, and, ultimately, forgiveness to go around.
Freefall is a great, heart-pounding story about survival and a mother and daughter’s love.
Jessica Barry LOVES metaphors. Too much. These two lines really stood out as the most absurd, yanking me sharply from the story.
“My head feels clouded, like it’s stuffed full of that pink insulation foam they used in houses during the eighties..”
“The whole world felt unfamiliar and frightening, like shining a flashlight under a refrigerator and seeing the filth that had collected.”
What? As this is a personal stylistic choice of the author, I’m not going to hold it against her. But clearly her favorite writing device is metaphors. I just wish she’d find another.
I also didn’t care for the over-arching mystery. That a pharmaceutical company is the hulking evil behind the entire conflict wasn’t very clever, simply because it’s an obvious villain. Everyone knows the companies that hawk pills aren’t the most trustworthy of organizations. But again, I don’t hold that against the author–that’s personal taste and nothing more.
Those irritations now out of the way, I enjoyed this book immensely. It was a riveting page-turner that still managed a twist ending that I actually didn’t see coming. Jessica Barry writes in a taut pace and she writes well.
The story alternates between Allison and her mother, Maggie. Allison’s story begins just after her plane crashes in the Rockies, and her mother’s the moment she finds out her daughter may be dead. I liked how Barry switched between suspenseful survival thriller and an introspective study of grief. I really liked Maggie because she reminded me of my own mother; she was relentless, refusing to believe her daughter was dead. Her chapters uncovered the mystery surrounding Allison’s supposed demise as flashbacks in Allison’s revealed her timeline up to the crash. Eventually, both sides come together.
I enjoyed Allison’s determination to survive. I liked that she evolved from a vapid trophy girlfriend into a bad ass. And I loved the mother-daughter dynamic: a mother who never gives up on her child, and a child who sees through her hurt to love her mother despite everything.
Kudos to a new author with a great story!
Not many seasoned writers can switch a plot back and forth between two characters easily.
But this author has a mother and daughter, each with their own stories connect and deliver such a family drama.
Allison and her mom, Maggie, had a falling out when her Dad died. Maggie kept it quiet and hoped Allison would forgive her one day.
Allison lost her job and rather than call her mom, works in an exclusive bar….catering to high powered men.
This book starts off with a big shot of adrenaline as Allison is in a plane crash and is running for her life. Fear is the motivator that keeps her moving and hiding in the mountains of Colorado.
Maggie gets the news that Allison is presumed dead, the pilot was her daughter’s fiance and the plane burned after crashing. Maggie is in small town Maine and caught off guard. She is so lucky that her best friend Linda is there to help her….you see the casserole dishes, the reporters on the scent, the very realistic look and feel of finding yourself alone, confused, adrift, and relying on others….the silence in the house, the photos of your loved one, the guilt even if there shouldn’t be any, but you are the mom and therefore questioing your decisions.
Allison and Maggie are both so determined, stubborn, brave, and fighters. Maggie looks for the why her daughter was on the plane, holds out hope for finding Allison. The creepiness starts when Maggie flies to California to meet Allison’s friends, co-workers, and see the fiance’s parents.
Allison’s past with her parents comes out as well as her relationshop with her fiance. She becomes a spy against a major company with scary ways of dealing with problems.
You think you figured out why she is running, but from WHOM, that is the shocker. Allison is one strong woman refusing to be a victim and one determined to get to her mom.
Learned about clinical trials, the way businesses work, and just how easy it is to be fooled. But the relationship between mother and daughter was an eye opener, detailed, sincere, real and heartfelt. This is a mystery but so much more. You will finish this in two readings as the tension escalates and you hold your breath. 5 stars
Freefall by Jessica Barry starts off very strong – with a plane crash and a young woman survivor. But, even though that is exciting, I feel that the book didn’t retain the tense action of the opening scene.
I did enjoy the book, but it wasn’t the thriller that I was hoping it could be.
Allison is in a plane crash and is presumed dead. But, she manages to survive, and needs to get away from the crash. She is running scared – scared that her past life will catch up to her, and that she will be killed by the people who want her dead.
Meanwhile, her mother, Maggie, is crushed by the news of Allison’s death, not wanting to believe it, and searching for the little girl who once was.
Told in two voices, Maggie and Allison, the story weaves through past and present, while exposing secrets and deception.
#Freefall #JessicaBarry
After an exciting beginning, the cliches and plodding plotline took over. Had great hope, but very unsatisfying read.
Someone surely has picked up the option for this book……from page 1, fast moving and engaging. Will make an absolutely great movie!
Too predictable.