We Will Be Crashing Shortly by Hollis Gillespie // Dull and Not Too Interesting

We Will Be Crashing Shortly, by Hollis Gillespie
Publication: June 15, 2015, by Merit Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover Finished Copy
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

April Mae Manning from Unaccompanied Minor is back, and back in trouble, but this time, she's run out of chances...
April Mae was raised on airplanes by her flight-attendant parents. But since her dad's death and her mom's remarriage to the nefarious pilot Ash Manning, April's been in nothing but danger: two airplane crashes; two car crashes; and now, as a student pilot, in an old plane crippled over the Caribbean. Can she survive, and save her friends, or is this the watery end to "Crash" Manning's story?

My Thoughts:

Planes? Crashes? Mystery? These rhetorical questions are actually describing my love for the genre that Hollis Gillespie's sequel is based on: Mystery, with some thrill. But I'm suggesting that you keep in mind all of the negatives that this book actually had, because I promise you that they aren't too thrilling and exciting. This book was rather more questionable than exciting and more unbelievable than real. Isn't this supposed to be contemporary, you're asking? Yeah, try believing a fifteen-year-old who promises that she's a goody-two-shoes and never has done anything wrong. I just "met" April Mae Manning in this book, and hated her from the first page.

She's a back-stabber and completely annoying. This book is rather annoying at some points, especially in the beginning slash middle. April will certainly get on your nerves as she strives to prove that she's the smartest, most intelligent fifteen-year-old "spy" who has ever walked the face of the Earth. She "completely saved everyone" from a plane destruction and has always gotten credit for everything. She notes that she hates being famous and being spied on by paparazzi and other news outlets, but readers can obviously see the enjoyment she puts in every step she takes that's described.

I see no reason for the author to make April such a star. There wasn't anything special about her character and I didn't find her relatable and/or wonderful at all, whatsoever. I found myself rolling my eyes constantly and hoping for a better jump in the plot. There were lists included in this story that just made April's character look so paranoid about everything—including planes. This doesn't make sense. She thinks about the impossible, and not in a great, positive matter. It's more like: I'm going to think of this so I know what to do and I won't get lost if it happens. How could you enjoy life if you're thinking about the possible injuries that being on an aircraft could lead to? *gags*

This is all like a karma, "Final Destination" like story that's not too satisfying. The plot's slow, but then there's those points and bursts of information that just seem to pop out of nowhere and we discover something new about the situation for a change. April keeps escaping danger and death, but then she gets this huge feeling in her guts that something bad's going to happen when she's a student pilot. Of course, for "captivation," it does and readers are supposed to wonder if she and her friends will survive. WHY WOULD THEY GO ON THIS TRIP IN THE FIRST PLACE? That's kind of the reason why I decided to keep reading this, to discover why, and the other questions answered. Meh.

Gillespie's not a bad writer. Her story is intriguing and unique, but it lacked a big part that most great novels seem to have that this doesn't: action. The main character's FIFTEEN and acts like she has so much common sense and knows exactly what to do in every situation. There was no source of family influence because she always complained about everyone: her stepfather, which she kind of killed (just saying), her mother and father. And you'll find that she's quite a gossiper: She talks bad about everyone. I'm not sure if I'm quite fit to read about a girl like that. 

I feel that some will enjoy this more than others (like myself), but there's probably something that you'll enjoy. Although this review felt more like a rant in some ways, I enjoyed the side characters and the ending. Gillespie ended up creating different kinds of writing and styles that all mixed together to create enjoyment by the end. 

*A finished copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!*

Have you ever read a book about a plane crash/planes? That's such a captivating setting, if you ask me. I wish I enjoyed this more than it all turned out!