An absolutely fantastic read, keep your diary clear as you will not want to stop reading,. Clare weaves the story from different points of view, with believable characters facing impossible choices. Highly recommend. The only downside is that it might put you off flying for a while.

This was another great read by Clare Mackintosh. It started off a little slow and I started to wonder where it was going, then suddenly it picked up and that was it, I was hooked!
A super storyline which also had me thinking about the choices I would have to make in that situation and what I would do. It was brilliantly written and I could tell that a lot of research had gone into writing this book. It had everything I like in a book, a good storyline, unexpected twists along the way, well developed characters and a good ending!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Clare Mackintosh for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Once I started reading could not put this book down, fast-paced, edgy, and enough suspense to keep you guessing until the end. A thrilling read from start to finish.

I have loved all Clare’s books & this was no exception. Highly recommended by me. It was a tense, nail biting flight of adventure for me. I loved little Sophia. The ending was just perfect & this would make a brilliant film. I think this book will be a huge success.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Hostage but that has in no way influenced my review.

OK, I'll admit it. I'm a huge fan of books with a disaster theme to them. I LOVE them. The complete lack of control the characters have. The gut wrenching knowledge of the situation they're in. And in the case of Hostage, the intense claustrophobia pressing down on the characters heightening every situation, every twist and turn. There was no way on this earth I was going to be able to resist Hostage, and I loved every second I spent with this immersive thriller.

Mina Holbrook is part of the cabin crew for the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney since 1989. It's a momentous occasion and one she had to fight for, if only to avoid an uncomfortable lead up to Christmas with her estranged husband, playing happy families. Flight 79 will be remembered forever...but not for the reasons everyone is expecting. A couple of hours into the twenty hour flight, Mina receives a note which changes everything. She must help a hijacker access the flight deck. It goes against everything she believes in, everything she trained for. But the hijacker knows exactly how to get Mina's co-operation. She has a choice to make; save many lives or just the one...

What a page-turner! I was completely engrossed in Hostage from beginning to end and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride (although I won't be getting on a plane anytime soon!). It's a gripping, heart-stopping thriller and I devoured it quicker than anything else I've read recently. I struggled with how I felt about Mina. Ultimately she's put in a very difficult position and makes a choice that I could completely understand. Was it the right decision? Who knows! But I disliked her for it despite it being the decision many of us would also make. Thank goodness this is fiction and not real life. However, after that first event, I started to warm to her again and I think that's a mark of the author's excellent writing.  She's a villain, yes, but she's not the biggest one by far!

I couldn't stop thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it. The pull it had over me was great and I was desperate to find out what terrible event was going to happen next. The reader gets a few short insights into the other passengers lives before the flight and this really helped build their characters for me. There are shocks and surprises galore but I had my suspicions about one aspect of the book which proved to be correct. It didn't hamper my enjoyment of the story at all though. If anything, it added an extra thrill to the big reveal.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Hostage is a gripping thrill-ride of a read which I devoured with glee. There were certain points in the book where I had to suspend my disbelief a little but again, it's a cracking story so does it really matter. I was entertained. I will admit to shedding a tear at one point but I can't tell you where or why. You'll just have to read this cracking novel for yourself! This is the first book I've read by this author but it won't be my last. An edge of your seat thriller which I highly recommend.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Hostage. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Clare Mackintosh can be relied upon to spin a good yarn and this thriller is no exception.
Set primilary on board a plane it keeps racking up the tension. Only identifiying passengers by their seats numbers was a stroke of genius as I could not guess who were the good and who were the bad guys.
Any mother can empathize with Mina and that love of her daughter was pivotal to the plot which threads were like octopus' tentatcles confusing me.
Back on the ground, Mina's husband life was unraveling as it became apparent why Mina was on the plane in the first place.
Building to a climax, the passengers were exposed for who they real was along with their actions, thus showing how people can be manipulated when their weak spots are laid bare.
The twisty plot was riveting. The end left me reeling. The only niggle I had was Mina's reveal of why she gave up her pilot training. It was a little late coming and more could have been made of it. Nevertheless,a brilliant original read.

I always get super excited when I see that there is a new Clare Mackintosh book in the world - this is an author who never lets me down! "Hostage" is yet another brilliantly plotted, beautifully written thriller which I read in two sittings (it would have been one if I had my way) and absolutely loved. The story follows Mina, a flight attendant with a five year old daughter and a failing marriage, who is part of the crew on the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney. There are journalists waiting on the ground to document the record breaking flight, and celebrities on board. But there is also someone who needs Mina to help them ensure that the plane never reaches its destination - and they'll use anything to ensure she co-operates...

The narrative switches between Mina, in the aeroplane, and her husband at home, with other narrators/passengers in between. I loved how the story built up, and accumulated so many layers - a real onion of a book! Everyone had their own secrets and motives, and I loved how this was explored. The tension ratchets up brilliantly throughout the novel, and makes for a genuinely nail-biting read. And - no spoilers - but THAT ENDING! Another perfectly delivered final twist from the master of them.

Loved. Five stars and a huge thumbs up for this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

A genuine trust no one book with a great ending! Loved it

Having read the first couple of chapters I realised I hadn’t read the blurb which I then read, that was a bad mistake! Straight away I had a theory that I clung to throughout the rest of the book until the reasoning was revealed. I feel it spoilt the book for me. The reason for the hijack I was totally wrong about and feel it wasn’t justified as part of a fiction book. For me it didn’t seem realistic so I dropped two stars initially because of it.

Howe we, there were many elements I loved though!

I liked the italic chapters of the passengers, which they really helped build the character profiles. Understanding and feeling the characters plight is important for me to connect with a book and I feel I did this early on as each new character was introduced. This is one of the things I love about the authors novels. They are steeped in strong description and backstory making it easy to connect with them and feel their plight. Each character was an individual in their own right, they had personality, traits and for me really reflected the expectation of a typical character profile you have of say an influencer, a widow, a reporter, etc.

I enjoyed the duel storylines of Mena’s decision and the following issues she faces on the plane and the counteractive position it puts her husband and child in at home.

Overall, despite being disappointed with the reasoning for the hijack I really enjoyed it. The end chapters definitely pulled it back for me. The depth of description and detail was strong and the level of research shone through with her writing. Overall this novel was really good and something I always enjoy about the authors writing. The pull to carry on reading was high on this and probably the reason it’s got a four star rating.

Very different from her previous books, It was a hard read and if you were expecting a dark thriller you will be very disappointed.

Well this definitely didn't disappoint. Gripping from the get go and had me reading very late and into the early hours. I kept waking up after dreaming I was actually part of the story. Absolutely brilliant book which I've no doubt will be very successful. I have to say I had to read the last chapter twice just because I needed to make sure that my head was agreeing with what I was reading. Fantastic read

You can save hundreds of lives. Or the one that matters most.

A claustrophobic thriller set over twenty hours on one airplane flight, with the heart-stopping tension of The Last Flight and the wrenching emotional intensity of Room, Hostage takes us on board the inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney.

What a gripping thriller.

This was a good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

Clare has an incredible writing style, full of suspense and a power to make you physically gasp many times throughout the read. Hostage is no exception to her excellent set of books.
Mina, an air hostess, is selected to work on the inaugural flight from London to Sydney. A first for the country and is attracting a lot of press attention. Shortly into the flight, Mina is given the ultimate decision. Save her daughter or save the lives of her 300 passengers. What would you do? How can you make that choice?
There are so many elements to this story. It is not simply a story of a flight. Each section seamlessly slots together perfectly. This is 100% a fantastic read that you must immediately pre-order if you haven’t already. The tension remains high throughout and the imagery this creates is fantastic. I can definitely imagine this one as a blockbuster movie.
Thank you to NetGalley, Clare Mackintosh and Little Brown Book Group UK for this ARC.

This story unfolds through a variety of viewpoints, but mainly focusses on Mina and her husband, Adam.
Mina, a flight attendant, has a horrible decision to make: break the law, her professional code of conduct and risk the lives of hundreds of passengers or put her daughter’s life in danger.
If it was me, I’d be well aware of what I should do. Obviously, one life is not more important than 353 others. However, when that life is the life of someone you are dedicated to protect above all else, I know darn well what I would do. When it comes to my kids, the concept of “greater good” does not wash with me.
On the ground, Adam has his own problems and secrets which all help add to the mystery, suspense and ultimately the pace of this book – which is pretty relentless. It’s a while since I’ve felt so utterly engrossed in a book (we’re getting take-out tonight because after a mammoth reading session to finish this off, I can’t be bothered cooking).

I particularly enjoyed the depth of detail Clare Mackintosh put in to her characters – there is a backstory for everyone relevant, and it all makes perfect sense, pushing the story forward and tying it up in a bow at the end.

I couldn’t quite decide on the stars for this book – it felt like a 4, but I couldn’t quite work out why not a 5. There’s nothing I could really pick a hole in. So, a 5 it is (plus, I’ve checked, I gave Let Me Lie by Clare a 4, and this is definitely better).

A really absorbing, interesting and fast paced read. I just don’t think I’d risk taking it on a plane 😉

Thank you Netgalley and Clare Mackintosh for the arc. I was over the moon to be able to review one of my favourite authors and as usual I was not disappointed by this edge of the seat thriller.

Mina, a wife, mother and flight attendant experiencing issues within her family life was eager to land a role in the cabin crew for the first long haul flight to Sydney to escape the never ending pressure of her home life, however, she never in a million years thought she’d not only be fighting to safe the life of her child but fighting to safe the life of the passengers.

The book introduces us to many characters with very different stories to tell. I enjoyed the background to Mina and the story behind her husband Adam which kept you guessing what secrets he held.

A perfectly written thriller with many twists and turns which kept me gripped to the very shocking ending. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown UK and Clare Mackintosh for this ARC in return for my honest review. I loved Clare's previous books so I was delighted to get my hands on this one. It drew me right in from the start and it's premise was very intriguing. I loved that we got to see Mina's personal life rather than just the events on the plane and how we got insights into the passenger's lives also. Gripping from the very start and I was absolutely hooked. Compelling read, bound to be a huge hit.

4.5 stars
This book was so thrilling and scary and interesting altogether. As a mother myself I felt all the anger and emotions as Mina was having to go through while on her job assignment as a flight attendant where an unfortunate event is happening on the flight from London to Sydney.
We get glimpses into her own life and the struggles she has to face in her marriage as well as her daughter challenging behaviour.
I personally think that this story might be a big trigger point for some people but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
It’s nail biting, gripping and twisted.
Another must read story from favourite author.

Wow loved Hostage, it is one of those books that just pulls you in from the very start. I felt every single emotion of each character reading this and it kept me guessing the whole way through. Would highly recommend.

I have read all of Clare Mackintosh's books and I think she is an excellent writer. She is obviously also prolifically hard working, and must undertake extensive research to make her books so detailed and believable. Hostage is set on the inaugural non-stop flight between London and Sydney, and I am not sharing any spoilers when I say that the passengers and crew are held hostage - what with the title and all. The tension builds and the background stories of many of the key players are interspersed between the terrifying action on board. It was a bit tricky to keep up on occasion and I had to go back to the start when I finished to make sense of some of what I had read.

I liked the main characters of Mina and her husband Adam and I thought that their adopted daughter Sophia was written well. Clare showed an understanding of attachment disorder and how hard it is for adopters to help children so damaged by their early experiences.

There were moments when I couldn't put the book down and it definitely keeps you guessing right to the end, with Clare's trademark reveals coming thick and fast in the last few chapters. It was exhausting but in a largely good way.

Thank you to Clare Macintosh, #littlebrownbookgroup and @Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of #Hostage, which is going to be one of the most talked about books of 2021.

Clare Mackintosh books seem to get better as I read. I couldn't put this one down! Mina, the flight attendant, on a direct flight from London to Sydney is put in a terrible situation. She has to choose who to save. The tension builds quickly and I couldn't read it quickly enough.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this amazing book.