What do you think?
Rate this book
Paper Airplanes
It’s the end of summer, 2001. Erin O’Connor has everything she’s ever dreamed of: good friends, a high-powered career at a boutique Manhattan firm, and a husband she adores. They have plans for their life together: careers, children, and maybe even a house in the country. But life has other plans. Daniel is a trader who works on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center.
Erin is drinking margaritas on a beach in Mallorca, helping her best friend get over a breakup, when she hears a plane has crashed into Daniel’s building. On a television at the smoky hotel bar, she watches his building collapse. She makes her way home with the help of a stranger named Alec, and once there, she haunts Ground Zero, nearby hospitals, and trauma centers, plastering walls and fences with missing-person flyers. But there’s no trace of Daniel.
After accepting Daniel’s death, Erin struggles to get her life back on track but makes a series of bad decisions and begins to live her life in a self-destructive fog of booze and pills. It’s not until she hits rock bottom that she realizes it’s up to her to decide: Was her destiny sealed with Daniel’s? Or is there life after happily ever after?
Erin is drinking margaritas on a beach in Mallorca, helping her best friend get over a breakup, when she hears a plane has crashed into Daniel’s building. On a television at the smoky hotel bar, she watches his building collapse. She makes her way home with the help of a stranger named Alec, and once there, she haunts Ground Zero, nearby hospitals, and trauma centers, plastering walls and fences with missing-person flyers. But there’s no trace of Daniel.
After accepting Daniel’s death, Erin struggles to get her life back on track but makes a series of bad decisions and begins to live her life in a self-destructive fog of booze and pills. It’s not until she hits rock bottom that she realizes it’s up to her to decide: Was her destiny sealed with Daniel’s? Or is there life after happily ever after?
- GenresFictionContemporary
296 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2021
15 people are currently reading
2433 people want to read
About the author
Tabitha Forney
2 books24 followersTabitha Forney writes books to appease the voices in her head. Her debut novel, PAPER AIRPLANES, the story of a woman who loses her husband on 9/11, comes out September 7, 2021. Tabitha is a mom, attorney, and yoga devotee who lives in Houston with her three kids and a husband who was on the 85th floor of the North Tower on 9/11 and lived to tell about it. In her spare time, she practices law and ashtanga yoga, plays tennis, and serves on the boards of Inprint Houston and the Center for Science and Law.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
September 1, 2021
"To all the victims of 9/11, and to those they left behind. May we never forget."
Erin and Daniel are newlyweds living in NYC. She an attorney and he a financial advisor. His mothers 60th birthday party is this coming Sunday but Erin has been invited by her best friend to Mallorca, Spain - all expenses paid - since her boyfriend left her and told her to keep the tickets. She knows that Daniel will want her to stay yet her friend is insistent that she goes. In a split decision she decides she's going to go. Heck, her mother-in-law doesn't like her very much anyways.
Over dinner she tells Daniel she is leaving the next day for Spain. They disagree. He doesn't want her to go and she doesn't want to stay. The next day they hardly speak, he heads to work. Just as she's getting in a cab to leave for the airport Daniel arrives to kiss her cheek goodbye and she's off.
Sitting on the beach, sand between her toes, three margarita's deep when her world comes crumbling down. A plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. Daniel worked on the 101st floor of the North tower. She will never see him again.
This story follows Erin over the next 10 years of her life and it is very difficult to read. She finds solace in alcohol and drugs to try and numb the agonizing pain she feels constantly. All she wants to do is say she's sorry. Sorry for leaving when he wanted her to stay. She wants to tell him how much she loves him. Thoughts plague her mind in all the ways he may have died. Did he burn to death in slow agonizing pain? Did he jump to his inevitable death to escape the fire roaring at his back? All the while the anger and rage keeps festering within in her until she's hardly recognizable even to herself.
Then hope finally breaks through the clouds and Erin finds purpose to continue to live and thrive the way Daniel would have wanted her to.
Tabitha Forney wrote this with delicate hands. She took much thought into creating Erin - a grieving widow on the brink of collapse. I felt as if I was sitting right beside her, scouring the ash ridden streets of NYC in search of lost hope. I cried ugly tears right along with her. I can only imagine how difficult it was for the author to pen such raw emotions.
Go home today and hug the people that matter most to you. Tell them you love them. That moment could be stolen from you in a blink of the eye.
Tears did lead way to a smile and for that I am thankful. ALL THE STARS!!!!
Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for my copy.
Erin and Daniel are newlyweds living in NYC. She an attorney and he a financial advisor. His mothers 60th birthday party is this coming Sunday but Erin has been invited by her best friend to Mallorca, Spain - all expenses paid - since her boyfriend left her and told her to keep the tickets. She knows that Daniel will want her to stay yet her friend is insistent that she goes. In a split decision she decides she's going to go. Heck, her mother-in-law doesn't like her very much anyways.
Over dinner she tells Daniel she is leaving the next day for Spain. They disagree. He doesn't want her to go and she doesn't want to stay. The next day they hardly speak, he heads to work. Just as she's getting in a cab to leave for the airport Daniel arrives to kiss her cheek goodbye and she's off.
Sitting on the beach, sand between her toes, three margarita's deep when her world comes crumbling down. A plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. Daniel worked on the 101st floor of the North tower. She will never see him again.
This story follows Erin over the next 10 years of her life and it is very difficult to read. She finds solace in alcohol and drugs to try and numb the agonizing pain she feels constantly. All she wants to do is say she's sorry. Sorry for leaving when he wanted her to stay. She wants to tell him how much she loves him. Thoughts plague her mind in all the ways he may have died. Did he burn to death in slow agonizing pain? Did he jump to his inevitable death to escape the fire roaring at his back? All the while the anger and rage keeps festering within in her until she's hardly recognizable even to herself.
Then hope finally breaks through the clouds and Erin finds purpose to continue to live and thrive the way Daniel would have wanted her to.
Tabitha Forney wrote this with delicate hands. She took much thought into creating Erin - a grieving widow on the brink of collapse. I felt as if I was sitting right beside her, scouring the ash ridden streets of NYC in search of lost hope. I cried ugly tears right along with her. I can only imagine how difficult it was for the author to pen such raw emotions.
Go home today and hug the people that matter most to you. Tell them you love them. That moment could be stolen from you in a blink of the eye.
Tears did lead way to a smile and for that I am thankful. ALL THE STARS!!!!
Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for my copy.
September 7, 2021
Real, raw, and touching.
The 20th Anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks is coming this week, and Tabitha Forney has a personal connection to the event--her husband is a survivor from the World Trade Center. This fictional novel explores the grief, loss, and attempt to move forward associated with the event.
Attorney Erin O'Connor and her trader husband Daniel have an ideal life in New York City. They have been married a year and the future looks bright. Erin's best friend gets dumped and invites Erin to go to Spain with her, and it happens to be on the same weekend as her mother-in-law's big birthday party. Erin and Daniel get into an argument when she decides to go on the trip. While she is there the September 11th attacks take place. She can't get in touch with Daniel, who works in the World Trade Center, and the aftermath of the attacks and loss of Daniel rocks Erin to her core.
One of the most touching parts about this book is that it shows that everyone's path through grief isn't the same. It doesn't take the same amount of time for each person and each person doesn't handle it the same way. Erin's path is not a pretty one. It's dark, fueled quite a bit by drugs and alcohol because she blames Daniel's death on herself and her choices. I loved the ultimate resolution because it provides hope, but not in a candy coated way.
As we all remember the events of that day, we need to stop and reflect on the losses and those whose lives have been forever altered by those events.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
The 20th Anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks is coming this week, and Tabitha Forney has a personal connection to the event--her husband is a survivor from the World Trade Center. This fictional novel explores the grief, loss, and attempt to move forward associated with the event.
Attorney Erin O'Connor and her trader husband Daniel have an ideal life in New York City. They have been married a year and the future looks bright. Erin's best friend gets dumped and invites Erin to go to Spain with her, and it happens to be on the same weekend as her mother-in-law's big birthday party. Erin and Daniel get into an argument when she decides to go on the trip. While she is there the September 11th attacks take place. She can't get in touch with Daniel, who works in the World Trade Center, and the aftermath of the attacks and loss of Daniel rocks Erin to her core.
One of the most touching parts about this book is that it shows that everyone's path through grief isn't the same. It doesn't take the same amount of time for each person and each person doesn't handle it the same way. Erin's path is not a pretty one. It's dark, fueled quite a bit by drugs and alcohol because she blames Daniel's death on herself and her choices. I loved the ultimate resolution because it provides hope, but not in a candy coated way.
As we all remember the events of that day, we need to stop and reflect on the losses and those whose lives have been forever altered by those events.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
August 14, 2021
Paper Airplanes by Tabitha Forney is an emotional read that follows the events of 9/11 and its aftermath through the experience of a young wife whose husband was working on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Erin and Dan O'Connor have not been long married and are excitedly planning their seemingly infinite future together. Erin, a lawyer, and Dan, a financial analyst, are both focused on their careers, but Dan believes that there is more to life, and suggests to Erin some of the limitless options available to them. Following a disagreement on the issue, Erin decides to join her friend on a trip to Mallorca, where she learns the devastating news of what is happening in New York, and is desperate to get home so that she can search for Dan. As the days pass, Erin sinks into an alcohol and pill-fuelled depression, and begins to wonder how life can possibly go on without her beloved husband, and feels that her entire future has been erased.
This is a powerfully emotive story of unimaginable tragedy, and finding purpose in a life that has had its script torn up and rewritten. Erin's journey is one that you will not soon forget. 4.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for an ARC.
Erin and Dan O'Connor have not been long married and are excitedly planning their seemingly infinite future together. Erin, a lawyer, and Dan, a financial analyst, are both focused on their careers, but Dan believes that there is more to life, and suggests to Erin some of the limitless options available to them. Following a disagreement on the issue, Erin decides to join her friend on a trip to Mallorca, where she learns the devastating news of what is happening in New York, and is desperate to get home so that she can search for Dan. As the days pass, Erin sinks into an alcohol and pill-fuelled depression, and begins to wonder how life can possibly go on without her beloved husband, and feels that her entire future has been erased.
This is a powerfully emotive story of unimaginable tragedy, and finding purpose in a life that has had its script torn up and rewritten. Erin's journey is one that you will not soon forget. 4.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for an ARC.
May 17, 2024
La historia es buena pero la forma en la que está escrito no fue mi favorita
December 26, 2022
— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Paper Airplanes
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Tabitha Forney
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary Fiction
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 7th September 2021
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5
Erin O'Connor, wife of Daniel O'Connor, is a proud, independent woman able and confident enough to navigate New York and revel in its exhilarating busyness. When her best friend steals her away to Mallorca to try and get over being dumped, Erin O'Connor has to watch on television as two planes fly into the World Trade Centre on the 11th of September, 2001. Daniel didn't want her to go away that weekend, and they'd had a fight before she left, they'd even gone one whole day without talking which was so unlike them. Now they wouldn't get that chance of resolution as Daniel had gone into work today; located on the 101st floor of the World Trade Centre.
With it coming up to the 20 year anniversary of 9/11, I thought this book would be a fitting read. Of course, for probably the entire world, it is not an event that is easily forgotten. Even to this day, my eyes fill with tears just thinking about it, whilst I'm sat miles and miles and miles away from New York in my home in the UK. It is incredibly difficult to fathom what it would have been like experiencing it with first hand eyes and ears, and being consumed by the swirl of devastating emotions as families were made smaller than they should be; their loved ones lost to a hateful act.
Paper Airplanes provides an insight into that day, told from the perspective of a wife who lost her husband. The reader follows Erin on her journey of chaotic grief over a period of ten years. This book is so emotionally charged that although it was easy to get immersed, I found it quite difficult to read, the onslaught of unforgiving emotion was quite tough. I'm not sure I would read it again, however the author appeared to be perspicacious in their writing.
I liked that TF acknowledged that grief isn't a case of one-size-fits-all, and yet their seems to be a 'proper' way to grieve: a stiff upper lip, a pandering to the pleas of others so as not to cause them discomfort, and moving on is an inevitability rather than a choice. Erin struggles the most with her grievous guilt, how she was drinking margaritas on a beach with her friend whilst her husband was dying, suffocating, or burning, or jumping to a demise. I managed to hold onto my tears until the last 10% of the book where they flowed freely with unwelcome sobs and a concerned toddler giving me his comfort toy. Paper Airplanes is a harrowing read and an insightful experience.
🧚🏻♀️
♡ my bookstagram • my twitter ♡
↑ follow my socials for more bookish content. ↑
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Paper Airplanes
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Tabitha Forney
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary Fiction
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 7th September 2021
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5
"The second building folded, floor by floor by floor. A violent plume of grey-black dust swallowed concrete and steel and straight edges. Both buildings gone. Nothing but smoke and ash where they once stood as sentries, guarding the Manhattan skyline."
Erin O'Connor, wife of Daniel O'Connor, is a proud, independent woman able and confident enough to navigate New York and revel in its exhilarating busyness. When her best friend steals her away to Mallorca to try and get over being dumped, Erin O'Connor has to watch on television as two planes fly into the World Trade Centre on the 11th of September, 2001. Daniel didn't want her to go away that weekend, and they'd had a fight before she left, they'd even gone one whole day without talking which was so unlike them. Now they wouldn't get that chance of resolution as Daniel had gone into work today; located on the 101st floor of the World Trade Centre.
"There may have been a first time for everything, but there was a last time too."
With it coming up to the 20 year anniversary of 9/11, I thought this book would be a fitting read. Of course, for probably the entire world, it is not an event that is easily forgotten. Even to this day, my eyes fill with tears just thinking about it, whilst I'm sat miles and miles and miles away from New York in my home in the UK. It is incredibly difficult to fathom what it would have been like experiencing it with first hand eyes and ears, and being consumed by the swirl of devastating emotions as families were made smaller than they should be; their loved ones lost to a hateful act.
"Families, relationships, possessions are all sharp nails driven into the fabric of life, pinning you down. When they're ripped way, it gives you freedom but leaves you in tatters."
Paper Airplanes provides an insight into that day, told from the perspective of a wife who lost her husband. The reader follows Erin on her journey of chaotic grief over a period of ten years. This book is so emotionally charged that although it was easy to get immersed, I found it quite difficult to read, the onslaught of unforgiving emotion was quite tough. I'm not sure I would read it again, however the author appeared to be perspicacious in their writing.
I liked that TF acknowledged that grief isn't a case of one-size-fits-all, and yet their seems to be a 'proper' way to grieve: a stiff upper lip, a pandering to the pleas of others so as not to cause them discomfort, and moving on is an inevitability rather than a choice. Erin struggles the most with her grievous guilt, how she was drinking margaritas on a beach with her friend whilst her husband was dying, suffocating, or burning, or jumping to a demise. I managed to hold onto my tears until the last 10% of the book where they flowed freely with unwelcome sobs and a concerned toddler giving me his comfort toy. Paper Airplanes is a harrowing read and an insightful experience.
"'Let us not measure our sorrow by their worth, for then it will have no end.'"
🧚🏻♀️
♡ my bookstagram • my twitter ♡
↑ follow my socials for more bookish content. ↑
April 6, 2022
Erin O'Connor is in Majorca with her best friend when the planes struck the towers of the World Trade Center. Her husband Daniel was at work on the 101st floor of the North Tower. Before the flames overtook his floor, he sent a paper airplane out into the sky. This story shows us how Erin deals with the guilt of not only being left behind, but also feeling responsible for her husband being at work early that day. We have to watch her make quite a few bad decisions and struggle to find a support system. Healing does come with time as well as the opportunity to remember Daniel in ways he would have endorsed. A thoughtful read that reminds us to mourn with those who mourn.
September 17, 2021
Fun reading a book written by someone I know!!!
October 5, 2021
{3.5 stars}
What a gut punch of a novel! Paper Airplanes is a story of September 11th written by a woman whose husband worked in the towers and by a twist of fate survived. In this story, we see the impact of a death in this tragedy on a young woman. Her husband is killed (quite graphically - in the opening scenes of the book) in the collapse while his wife Erin is in Mallorca with a friend. The two were relatively newly married and prior to his death, Erin was struggling with the binds of marriage.
We see Erin's struggle to get home in the early aftermath and her reluctance to believe that Daniel is really gone. We get glimpses of the days and weeks following the event but the story mainly follows Erin through her stages of grief, coping (not always in a healthy way) and acceptance. She swings through self destruction to finding a way to live productively despite the fact that she felt responsible for all of the decisions that led Daniel to be in the towers in the first place.
The story is a beautiful snapshot of the impact of grief. We see how all of the people around Daniel cope differently with his death and how hope can come from the most terrible circumstances. Erin isn't always likable and quite often makes choices that make you cringe but the tone of those decisions felt authentic. The paper airplane connection that runs throughout the story is cute. This novel reminded me a lot of In Five Years, it tackles a very heavy topic with moments of romance, the pursuit of happiness and hope.
Thanks to Booksparks for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.
What a gut punch of a novel! Paper Airplanes is a story of September 11th written by a woman whose husband worked in the towers and by a twist of fate survived. In this story, we see the impact of a death in this tragedy on a young woman. Her husband is killed (quite graphically - in the opening scenes of the book) in the collapse while his wife Erin is in Mallorca with a friend. The two were relatively newly married and prior to his death, Erin was struggling with the binds of marriage.
We see Erin's struggle to get home in the early aftermath and her reluctance to believe that Daniel is really gone. We get glimpses of the days and weeks following the event but the story mainly follows Erin through her stages of grief, coping (not always in a healthy way) and acceptance. She swings through self destruction to finding a way to live productively despite the fact that she felt responsible for all of the decisions that led Daniel to be in the towers in the first place.
The story is a beautiful snapshot of the impact of grief. We see how all of the people around Daniel cope differently with his death and how hope can come from the most terrible circumstances. Erin isn't always likable and quite often makes choices that make you cringe but the tone of those decisions felt authentic. The paper airplane connection that runs throughout the story is cute. This novel reminded me a lot of In Five Years, it tackles a very heavy topic with moments of romance, the pursuit of happiness and hope.
Thanks to Booksparks for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.
September 19, 2021
I’m having the hardest time finding the right words to describe this book and how absolutely incredible it was. It is the most amazing book I’ve ever read. It’s absolutely heartbreaking and devastating but equally beautiful and inspiring. So honest and the author’s personal experience with 9/11 made this fictional story even more authentic and beautiful. Every person should read this story. I’m floored! I haven’t stopped crying yet and will forever praise this book and this author for sharing. All the stars for this book!!! ⭐️
November 1, 2021
thanks to @booksparks for this one! flew through it since getting home yesterday (pun intended!) and wow it’s not for the faint of heart. it’s a story of love and loss centered around 9/11, so triggers abound, and it’s mostly pretty raw and heartbreaking and weighty to read. i don’t know if i ever would have felt “ready” to read a book about 9/11 like this, but at the same time, i’m glad to have read this as i feel much more empathy toward those who lost loved ones in such a horrifically tragic way. the author told this story with honesty and heart, which i appreciated. but oof— a heavy one!
September 12, 2022
It’s 2001, and Erin O’Connor’s life is going great. She is a high-powered attorney in Manhattan and is married to a man she loves dearly, Daniel O’Connor, a trader on the 101st floor of the North Tower at the World Trade Center. When her best friend invites Erin to go to Mallorca after a breakup, Erin is hesitant—she’ll miss her mother-in-law’s birthday party—but ultimately decides to go despite Daniel wanting her to stay.
While sipping drinks on the beach with her friend, she hears the news that a plane has crashed into Daniel’s building. Stuck in another country with no way to get in touch with her husband, Erin awaits news from Daniel as she makes her way home. With still no word from Daniel, by the time she makes it back to NYC, Erin searches for him in hospitals and tries to get as close to ground zero as possible. Eventually, Erin accepts that Daniel is not coming home and that she is now a widow. What follows is an emotional journey as Erin grieves the loss of her husband and learns to live life without him by her side.
This story is incredibly moving and had me tearing up on multiple occasions. The opening scene is especially emotional as it is told from Daniel’s POV inside the North Tower. Author Tabitha Forney did an incredible job depicting Erin’s grief in the wake of tragedy and handled the subject matter of 9/11 respectfully; she has a personal connection to 9/11 that certainly shows in her writing.
I highly recommend Paper Airplanes. This is an emotional read, but one that readers will enjoy.
While sipping drinks on the beach with her friend, she hears the news that a plane has crashed into Daniel’s building. Stuck in another country with no way to get in touch with her husband, Erin awaits news from Daniel as she makes her way home. With still no word from Daniel, by the time she makes it back to NYC, Erin searches for him in hospitals and tries to get as close to ground zero as possible. Eventually, Erin accepts that Daniel is not coming home and that she is now a widow. What follows is an emotional journey as Erin grieves the loss of her husband and learns to live life without him by her side.
This story is incredibly moving and had me tearing up on multiple occasions. The opening scene is especially emotional as it is told from Daniel’s POV inside the North Tower. Author Tabitha Forney did an incredible job depicting Erin’s grief in the wake of tragedy and handled the subject matter of 9/11 respectfully; she has a personal connection to 9/11 that certainly shows in her writing.
I highly recommend Paper Airplanes. This is an emotional read, but one that readers will enjoy.
July 20, 2021
Many novels have been written about the aftermath of September 11, 2001. The strongest stories are those that do not focus merely on the events (which we all know), but their impact on characters that we, as readers, grow to love and care about.
“Paper Airplanes” by Tabitha Forney is such a novel. Erin and Daniel meet and fall in love, but destiny interferes with their happily ever after. Daniel is working at a trader on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center. Erin goes to Spain with her friend, Jess, (against her husband’s wishes) and does not know about the terrorist attack until she sees footage from a TV at a hotel bar. She struggles to return to the United States, thinking that once she is on American soil, she can save her husband. Like many family members post-9/11, she holds onto the hope that her husband survived, but when it is clear that he has not, she falls into a deep depression as she struggles to find out a way to live with her husband. The depression causes her to first return to her hometown in Texas and then flee to the West Coast, but no matter how far she travels, she cannot shake the guilt that if she hadn’t had gone to Spain, her husband would have lived.
This was a difficult novel to read because the feelings of Erin are so realistically raw. The author really gets you into Erin’s thoughts and includes some utterly heartbreaking scenes such as when Erin lays on the sidewalk near Ground Zero, wanting to be near the dust of her husband. It’s because you care for Erin that it becomes difficult when she takes some major risks including drinking, using drugs and squandering the 9/11 Victim settlement she gets. I have read a lot of grief novels, but that doesn’t make Erin’s struggles any more poignant. This was a well written book. Four and a half stars.
Thank you the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.
“Paper Airplanes” by Tabitha Forney is such a novel. Erin and Daniel meet and fall in love, but destiny interferes with their happily ever after. Daniel is working at a trader on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center. Erin goes to Spain with her friend, Jess, (against her husband’s wishes) and does not know about the terrorist attack until she sees footage from a TV at a hotel bar. She struggles to return to the United States, thinking that once she is on American soil, she can save her husband. Like many family members post-9/11, she holds onto the hope that her husband survived, but when it is clear that he has not, she falls into a deep depression as she struggles to find out a way to live with her husband. The depression causes her to first return to her hometown in Texas and then flee to the West Coast, but no matter how far she travels, she cannot shake the guilt that if she hadn’t had gone to Spain, her husband would have lived.
This was a difficult novel to read because the feelings of Erin are so realistically raw. The author really gets you into Erin’s thoughts and includes some utterly heartbreaking scenes such as when Erin lays on the sidewalk near Ground Zero, wanting to be near the dust of her husband. It’s because you care for Erin that it becomes difficult when she takes some major risks including drinking, using drugs and squandering the 9/11 Victim settlement she gets. I have read a lot of grief novels, but that doesn’t make Erin’s struggles any more poignant. This was a well written book. Four and a half stars.
Thank you the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.
November 1, 2021
This wrenching novel of grief and growth shows the events of 9/11 through the eyes of Erin O’Connor, who survives her husband’s death in the attack on the Twin Towers. But, surviving his death is just the beginning of her journey of finding herself again.
Everything in this novel read true — from the horrific descriptions of what happened to Erin’s husband inside the doomed 101st floor north tower to a widow’s self-destructive grief. There was an immediacy and sad intimacy to the post-attack scenes on Wall Street, and then further as Erin spirals into alcohol and drugs. The book was unflinching in its emotional details and left me with a raw sense of what it might be like for other widows out there today.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at: https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/tab...
Everything in this novel read true — from the horrific descriptions of what happened to Erin’s husband inside the doomed 101st floor north tower to a widow’s self-destructive grief. There was an immediacy and sad intimacy to the post-attack scenes on Wall Street, and then further as Erin spirals into alcohol and drugs. The book was unflinching in its emotional details and left me with a raw sense of what it might be like for other widows out there today.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at: https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/tab...
June 13, 2022
4.5 only because the middle made me too sad. But this was beautiful writing!
August 17, 2021
First, I want to thank Tabitha Forney and She Writes Press for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
WOW!! WOW! WOW!! Paper Airplanes by Tabitha Forney is the most intense 9/11 book that I have read. Erin’s story pulled hard on my heart strings big time throughout the book. Paper Airplanes is one book you will have a lasting effect on your way after you are done reading this book. This is one book you must add to your tbr pile!
Tabitha dedicates this book to all the victims of 9/11, and those they left behind. May we never forget.
I commend Tabitha for being upfront and warning her readers that the prologue may be traumatic for some people.
Throughout this book you learn the important significance of Paper Airplanes and why it means so much in this book. You will also find cute little pictures of Paper Airplanes at the end of each chapter.
Instantly, Tabitha sucking you into the incredibly graphic, intense, mind blowing and shocking prologue. She literally shows her readers all that Daniel is seeing and feeling in the tower on 9/11.I was at the edge of my seat the whole scene praying as he was praying for his safety! My heart was beating out of my chest with all the emotions he was going through! Tabitha literally made her readers feel like we were there with Daniel too!! There was a time or two that even a tear escaped my eye. Tabitha knows how to write an incredible prologue! I was so hooked into this story from this moment on!!
My heart was happy learning the back story of Erin and Daniel and how their relationship came to be. So many amazing qualities he possessed that any girl would be lucky to have in a guy!
Oh my heart just broke on so many levels for Erin on many occasions! I can’t imagine being put in her shoes through any of this.
WOW!! WOW! WOW!! Paper Airplanes by Tabitha Forney is the most intense 9/11 book that I have read. Erin’s story pulled hard on my heart strings big time throughout the book. Paper Airplanes is one book you will have a lasting effect on your way after you are done reading this book. This is one book you must add to your tbr pile!
Tabitha dedicates this book to all the victims of 9/11, and those they left behind. May we never forget.
I commend Tabitha for being upfront and warning her readers that the prologue may be traumatic for some people.
Throughout this book you learn the important significance of Paper Airplanes and why it means so much in this book. You will also find cute little pictures of Paper Airplanes at the end of each chapter.
Instantly, Tabitha sucking you into the incredibly graphic, intense, mind blowing and shocking prologue. She literally shows her readers all that Daniel is seeing and feeling in the tower on 9/11.I was at the edge of my seat the whole scene praying as he was praying for his safety! My heart was beating out of my chest with all the emotions he was going through! Tabitha literally made her readers feel like we were there with Daniel too!! There was a time or two that even a tear escaped my eye. Tabitha knows how to write an incredible prologue! I was so hooked into this story from this moment on!!
My heart was happy learning the back story of Erin and Daniel and how their relationship came to be. So many amazing qualities he possessed that any girl would be lucky to have in a guy!
Oh my heart just broke on so many levels for Erin on many occasions! I can’t imagine being put in her shoes through any of this.
September 21, 2021
4.5 stars! I loved the author's raw and broken main character. Her grief was so real and the way this intelligent young woman who seemed to have it all became so un-moored was very realistic and not sugar-coated at all. The writing was so well done and I enjoyed this perspective of 9/11 than I have read previously.
September 19, 2021
Where all the worst pain and suffering in my lifetime meets in a beautiful love story!
Tabitha Forney brought things to life that we should never forget! If I’m to be honest, this was an event I was scared to read about.
I believe she was touched by souls above while writing “Paper Airplanes”, especially the prologue.(Trigger Warning) She shares the devastation of 9/11 with raw grit, that hurt and made my heart cringe…..It was PERFECT! We should read this and ache and cry and hate it for happening, to go soft would be a disservice. Tabitha’s writing had a beat, it was so visceral…I believe souls lost were giving her their approval.
Tabitha is so beautiful in her writing style, along the way she lead me through a story of love that is so achingly beautiful.
It is obvious her debut novel was meant to be this.
I was given this book by the publicist, Booksparks via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Tabitha Forney brought things to life that we should never forget! If I’m to be honest, this was an event I was scared to read about.
I believe she was touched by souls above while writing “Paper Airplanes”, especially the prologue.(Trigger Warning) She shares the devastation of 9/11 with raw grit, that hurt and made my heart cringe…..It was PERFECT! We should read this and ache and cry and hate it for happening, to go soft would be a disservice. Tabitha’s writing had a beat, it was so visceral…I believe souls lost were giving her their approval.
Tabitha is so beautiful in her writing style, along the way she lead me through a story of love that is so achingly beautiful.
It is obvious her debut novel was meant to be this.
I was given this book by the publicist, Booksparks via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 12, 2021
Ms. Forney's Paper Airplanes is a compelling, gripping story about loss and survival. We will never forget the events of September 11, 2001, the context for this story. But Paper Airplanes is about more than that one day. It's a universal story about the heartbreak of losing a loved one and the work of surviving, especially in a city anxious to get back to what it once was. It's the story of how one climbs out of grief and chooses life and reinvention to create something powerful, something worth living for, something to honor the one that is lost.
Forney weaves a relatable, powerful journey in lovely, compelling prose. Don't miss this fabulous read!
Forney weaves a relatable, powerful journey in lovely, compelling prose. Don't miss this fabulous read!
Read
July 10, 2021September 11th 2001, a very difficult subject to write about and I did think twice about picking this one up but Tabitha Forney handles it with grace and compassion and this fictional characters story is told beautifully. It’s raw, heartbreaking and thought provoking. The acknowledgments tell us that Tabitha’s own husband was on the 85th floor of the North Tower when the first plane hit and I kind of wish I’d known this at the beginning. I will be recommending this book to everyone, it’s not one I’ll be forgetting in a hurry.
Thank you to the publishing house and to NetGalley for his ARC in return for an honest review.
Thank you to the publishing house and to NetGalley for his ARC in return for an honest review.
July 3, 2021
What do you do when life ends…life as you know it? How do you find your way in a world forever changed? Those are the questions that Erin O’Connor faces after the death of her husband Daniel, for Daniel worked on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center and he was there at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001.
Erin was not even in New York. She was in Mallorca on a girls weekend with her friend Jess. She had chosen to miss Daniel’s mother’s birthday. So when she wanders into the hotel bar and sees footage of the terrorist attack and the collapsing towers, she knows she has to go home to search for Daniel. And search she does. She haunts Ground Zero but Daniel is gone. It will take years for Erin to accept that. Years when she fills her empty heart with pills and alcohol. Years when she wanders from place to place, looking for her home. She is saved by friendships, a creative idea and a special message.
This beautiful book will haunt you as it takes the grief of a nation and turns it into a unique love story. We have all come a long way since 9/11 but Paper Airplanes takes you back to those tragic days. 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, She Writes Press and Tabitha Forney for this ARC.
Erin was not even in New York. She was in Mallorca on a girls weekend with her friend Jess. She had chosen to miss Daniel’s mother’s birthday. So when she wanders into the hotel bar and sees footage of the terrorist attack and the collapsing towers, she knows she has to go home to search for Daniel. And search she does. She haunts Ground Zero but Daniel is gone. It will take years for Erin to accept that. Years when she fills her empty heart with pills and alcohol. Years when she wanders from place to place, looking for her home. She is saved by friendships, a creative idea and a special message.
This beautiful book will haunt you as it takes the grief of a nation and turns it into a unique love story. We have all come a long way since 9/11 but Paper Airplanes takes you back to those tragic days. 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, She Writes Press and Tabitha Forney for this ARC.
July 7, 2021
Who wasn't touched by the events of September 11, 2001? The heartbreak of the survivors is unimaginable.
Tabitha Forney writes a gripping story we can all relate to. The loss and downward spiral of losing a loved one.
Emily lost her husband Daniel that day and is coping as best she can. Even months later as her family and friends resume their normal routines Emily still struggles.
The first year will be the hardest as she suffers through those firsts...first holidays, first birthdays and first wedding anniversary without Daniel.
As time moves by Emily will work to develop a legacy Daniel would be proud of.
This is a wonderfully written story that will bring about your own memories.
I urge you to read this and continue through the acknowledgements as well.
Tabitha Forney writes a gripping story we can all relate to. The loss and downward spiral of losing a loved one.
Emily lost her husband Daniel that day and is coping as best she can. Even months later as her family and friends resume their normal routines Emily still struggles.
The first year will be the hardest as she suffers through those firsts...first holidays, first birthdays and first wedding anniversary without Daniel.
As time moves by Emily will work to develop a legacy Daniel would be proud of.
This is a wonderfully written story that will bring about your own memories.
I urge you to read this and continue through the acknowledgements as well.
July 13, 2021
With a topic to say is sensitive is an understatement, this ones a grand slam. Paper Airplane handles a topic that many understandably avoid with Grace and the talent of an established best selling author.
September 28, 2021
4.5 stars!!!!
Wow! What a book Tabitha Forney has written! The fictional story of Erin O’Connor and her husband Daniel is timely, captivating, heartbreaking, and hopeful! Erin and Daniel are about a year into their marriage when terrorists attack the World Trade Center Towers on 9/11/01. Daniel was at work on the 101st floor of the north tower and did not escape. This story of how Erin copes with and doesn’t cope with his death is raw and deep. As I reflect on that day 20 years ago, I know I cannot begin to understand what people went through that day and all the years since then, but Forney’s book really had me aching with Erin and considering different we all deal with grief and finding a way forward. While Forney did not lose her husband during the 9/11 attacks, she experienced the fear and uncertainty of that day as her husband was on the 85th floor of the North Tower when the first plane hit. He was able to get out, helping many people along the way, but the scars and emotions stay with them to this day I’m sure. That experience is evident in her beautiful writing and I encourage everyone to read it today!
Wow! What a book Tabitha Forney has written! The fictional story of Erin O’Connor and her husband Daniel is timely, captivating, heartbreaking, and hopeful! Erin and Daniel are about a year into their marriage when terrorists attack the World Trade Center Towers on 9/11/01. Daniel was at work on the 101st floor of the north tower and did not escape. This story of how Erin copes with and doesn’t cope with his death is raw and deep. As I reflect on that day 20 years ago, I know I cannot begin to understand what people went through that day and all the years since then, but Forney’s book really had me aching with Erin and considering different we all deal with grief and finding a way forward. While Forney did not lose her husband during the 9/11 attacks, she experienced the fear and uncertainty of that day as her husband was on the 85th floor of the North Tower when the first plane hit. He was able to get out, helping many people along the way, but the scars and emotions stay with them to this day I’m sure. That experience is evident in her beautiful writing and I encourage everyone to read it today!
September 6, 2021
I absolutely cannot recommend this book highly enough. I requested it on Netgalley without really reading what it was about fully. It took me by surprise how hooked I was on this story. It tells the story of a young couple in love, who become affected by the 9/11 tragedy. Reading this novel coincided with a family trip we were taking to New York City and I seriously could not stop thinking of the characters in this book. I knew it was fictional of course, but was not surprised to read at the end of the book this was written by someone who's husband was in the twin towers at the time of the attack. Her story luckily ended differently to Erins, however it is told with such tenderness, understanding and raw emotion that it could only really be written by someone who can understand what the victims are feeling. Twenty years on, the effects of this day are still being felt all over the world, and the author told the story of just one family affected. Beautifully written and highly recommended. I will absolutely be looking out for more books by this author.
August 31, 2021
"We can't rewind. Fate is hard to challenge since we never know its contenders."
I'm in tears. Like, literally.
This book is an emotional punch in the face, a raw journey into tragedy and desperation and grief, but also a powerful clinging to life, to a future that's scary and unknown and that hurts so much you want to tear the soul out of your own body.
Erin has everything. Friends, a good job, she is married to Daniel, the love of her life, and they live in New York where they are building their future.
Daniel who writes wishes on paper planes and set them on fire to make them come true. Daniel who enjoys every second of life, like a kid. Daniel who's too good for this world. Daniel, who's a trader working on the 101 floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, who disappears on a warm September morning when a plane crashes into his building at 8.46 in the morning on 9/11/2001.
The story is about the aftermath. About Erin's life after that Tuesday morning. And let me tell you, it's not easy to read. The pain is so real that I was grieving for Daniel and for everything that had been ripped away from Erin with his death. It made me sick to my stomach, it made me cry. It was desperation and hurt. But in the end it was also a small flicker of hope.
Go on. Go read it.
"She heard the grin in his voice as clearly as his words: But are you still alive?"
[Many thanks to Netgalley and She Writes Press for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.]
-
Piango. Sul serio.
Questo libro è un pugno nello stomaco, un crudo viaggio nella tragedia, nella disperazione, nella perdita. Ma anche un aggrapparsi ad un futuro che fa paura, che non si può conoscere, che fa così male ti vuoi quasi stappare l'anima dal corpo.
Erin ha tutto. Amici, un buon lavoro, è sposata con Daniel che è l'amore della sua vita, abita a New York dove si sta costruendo un futuro.
Daniel che è tipo la perfezione. Daniel che costruisce aerei di carta, ci scrive sopra desideri e gli da fuoco per farli avverare. Daniel che ama la vita e la assapora al massimo, incluse le piccole cose, come un bambino. Daniel che è un trader e lavora nella Torre Nord del World Trade Center. Daniel che sparisce in una calda mattina di Settembre, quando un aereo si schianta contro il suo edificio alle 8.46 del 11 Settembre 2001.
Questa è la storia del dopo. Di cosa succede ad Erin dopo quel martedì di Settembre.
E ve lo dico, non è una storia facile da leggere. La perdita è reale e ti spezza. Sono stata fisicamente male, ho pianto. Questo libro è disperazione e dolore e pena. Ma è anche un piccolo barlume di speranza.
Sì, ve lo consiglio.
[Grazie a Netgalley e She Writes Press che mi hanno fornito una copia gratuita di questo libro in cambio di una recensione onesta. Tutte le opinioni sono personali.]
August 16, 2021
"Terrorism. The word lodged in Erin's head, foreign and misplaced. Somebody did this on purpose. Set out to kill people like Daniel, just for going to work."
When I saw this book on Netgalley, I simply had to request it. It felt fitting, with the 20 year anniversary of 9/11 coming up this year (how has it been 20 years already?!). I don't think anyone could ever forget about those devastating events, nor should we. This book provides a bit of insight into what it must have felt like for the loved ones of the victims to go through what they did on that day (and the days, weeks, months and years after).
I'm not gonna lie, this story is brutal. It basically ripped my heart out and left me a bit of a sobbing mess by the time I finished it. It is so beautifully written and the way Erin struggles with her guilt and grief during the ten years following 9/11 is told with such realistic and raw emotion. At times this makes this book very difficult to read, but at the same time that's what makes it so compelling and real. I also loved how the author showcased that grief isn't linear, nor is it the same for everyone. And even though people around you expect you to move on, if you yourself aren't ready, it will not end well. Erin's story is definitely one I will not soon forget. would honestly recommend this book to everyone.
"Families, relationships, possessions are all sharp nails driven into the fabric of life, pinning you down. When they're ripped away, it gives you freedom but leaves you in tatters."
A huge thank you to She Writes Press, Tabitha Forney and Netgalley for providing me with me an e-ARC of this amazing story. And to anyone reading this: go find this book once it comes out and devour it! You will probably end up crying (a lot?), but it'll be so worth it.
“Underneath, something had shifted, and it was more than the gaping hole in the cityscape. It felt deflated, a two-day-old balloon. A loss of Bravado. New York was no longer invincible. A chink in the armor, a bruise beneath the glossy skin of the Big Apple.”
Overall rating: ★★★★½
When I saw this book on Netgalley, I simply had to request it. It felt fitting, with the 20 year anniversary of 9/11 coming up this year (how has it been 20 years already?!). I don't think anyone could ever forget about those devastating events, nor should we. This book provides a bit of insight into what it must have felt like for the loved ones of the victims to go through what they did on that day (and the days, weeks, months and years after).
I'm not gonna lie, this story is brutal. It basically ripped my heart out and left me a bit of a sobbing mess by the time I finished it. It is so beautifully written and the way Erin struggles with her guilt and grief during the ten years following 9/11 is told with such realistic and raw emotion. At times this makes this book very difficult to read, but at the same time that's what makes it so compelling and real. I also loved how the author showcased that grief isn't linear, nor is it the same for everyone. And even though people around you expect you to move on, if you yourself aren't ready, it will not end well. Erin's story is definitely one I will not soon forget. would honestly recommend this book to everyone.
"Families, relationships, possessions are all sharp nails driven into the fabric of life, pinning you down. When they're ripped away, it gives you freedom but leaves you in tatters."
A huge thank you to She Writes Press, Tabitha Forney and Netgalley for providing me with me an e-ARC of this amazing story. And to anyone reading this: go find this book once it comes out and devour it! You will probably end up crying (a lot?), but it'll be so worth it.
“Underneath, something had shifted, and it was more than the gaping hole in the cityscape. It felt deflated, a two-day-old balloon. A loss of Bravado. New York was no longer invincible. A chink in the armor, a bruise beneath the glossy skin of the Big Apple.”
Overall rating: ★★★★½
August 5, 2021
4.5⭐
No steam rating but major content warnings for death of a spouse, drug and alcohol abuse and depression.
Modern historic fiction people who love a sad book, this one is for you. Are we at the point where 2001 is historic fiction? I guess so because reading this book transported me back to a world where looking for a missing person meant taking a physical picture out of your photo album and news alerts didn't pop on your phone alerting everyone of a national disaster.
Erin is on vacation and in a bit of a fight with her husband when planes crash into the World Trade Center on September 11. Her husband works on the 101st floor and though it's nearly impossible he escaped, Erin cannot accept that he is dead. This book takes the reader through the stages of denial, acceptance, avoidance, grief and everything in between.
Erin goes from this strong woman who struggles to balance her independence and her new marriage to a woman who feels like her life means nothing. And this does mess with the pacing of the book as Erin's life continues to be left in the in-between of her husband's death, but emotion is real and so is the reality there are many Erin's out there who lost someone to soon on 9/11/01.
If you don't mind the content warnings, this is a beautiful book for remembering the tragedy that turns 20 this year.
Also damn this woman needed therapy.
No steam rating but major content warnings for death of a spouse, drug and alcohol abuse and depression.
Modern historic fiction people who love a sad book, this one is for you. Are we at the point where 2001 is historic fiction? I guess so because reading this book transported me back to a world where looking for a missing person meant taking a physical picture out of your photo album and news alerts didn't pop on your phone alerting everyone of a national disaster.
Erin is on vacation and in a bit of a fight with her husband when planes crash into the World Trade Center on September 11. Her husband works on the 101st floor and though it's nearly impossible he escaped, Erin cannot accept that he is dead. This book takes the reader through the stages of denial, acceptance, avoidance, grief and everything in between.
Erin goes from this strong woman who struggles to balance her independence and her new marriage to a woman who feels like her life means nothing. And this does mess with the pacing of the book as Erin's life continues to be left in the in-between of her husband's death, but emotion is real and so is the reality there are many Erin's out there who lost someone to soon on 9/11/01.
If you don't mind the content warnings, this is a beautiful book for remembering the tragedy that turns 20 this year.
Also damn this woman needed therapy.
August 11, 2021
Paper Airplanes by Tabitha Forney is a heart wrenching story of love, loss and guilt in the aftermath of a tragedy.
In short, it’s a poignant fictional story based around the 9/11 World Trade Towers attack. Erin O’Connor’s life is turned upside down when whilst on holiday with her friend she learns that her husband, Daniel, is missing after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Towers where he works.
This book is certainly a powerful leveller, it’s well written and definitely tears at your heart strings…it simply reminds you of the tragic consequences of so many lives that were affected by 9/11, definitely a very fitting read for 2021, the 20th anniversary of such a hideous act of terrorism.
I thought the title ‘Paper Airplanes’ is the perfect title for this story, not just the profound act which resonated through Erin’s and Daniel’s story but the fragility connotations which is so clever. The story is heartbreaking and the author has clearly exposed the difficulty of balancing public and private grief in Erin’s struggle with her guilt and loss. Yep, Paper Airplanes will most definitely stir up harrowing emotions and memories, it’s impossible not to be moved, just make sure you keep the tissues close.
Big thanks to Tabitha Forney, She Writes Press and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.
In short, it’s a poignant fictional story based around the 9/11 World Trade Towers attack. Erin O’Connor’s life is turned upside down when whilst on holiday with her friend she learns that her husband, Daniel, is missing after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Towers where he works.
This book is certainly a powerful leveller, it’s well written and definitely tears at your heart strings…it simply reminds you of the tragic consequences of so many lives that were affected by 9/11, definitely a very fitting read for 2021, the 20th anniversary of such a hideous act of terrorism.
I thought the title ‘Paper Airplanes’ is the perfect title for this story, not just the profound act which resonated through Erin’s and Daniel’s story but the fragility connotations which is so clever. The story is heartbreaking and the author has clearly exposed the difficulty of balancing public and private grief in Erin’s struggle with her guilt and loss. Yep, Paper Airplanes will most definitely stir up harrowing emotions and memories, it’s impossible not to be moved, just make sure you keep the tissues close.
Big thanks to Tabitha Forney, She Writes Press and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.
July 19, 2021
I read an advance copy of this through NetGalley, thanks for the opportunity.
This book follows Erin and her life following losing her husband in the World Trade Center in 2001. the thing that struck me most when reading this was how real the portrayal of Erin is - she doesn't do all the things that people think you should do when something like this happens to you, her thoughts and feelings aren't always easy to understand. This felt much more authentic to me, her whole world had changed and she was doing whatever she felt to had to at any particular point in time just to survive. This led to contradictory actions and a healthy dose of self-destruction...situations I could absolutely imagine myself getting into in the same position.
The descriptions of New York in the days following the attack are written very sensitively and with a lot of grace, it is clear that the close brush the author had with September 11th (her husband was on the 85th floor of the North Tower, and escaped), and the impact of her visit to the museum have made a large mark on her. This book was a love letter to all who were impacted, and to the city itself. The end was uplifting and beautiful.
This book follows Erin and her life following losing her husband in the World Trade Center in 2001. the thing that struck me most when reading this was how real the portrayal of Erin is - she doesn't do all the things that people think you should do when something like this happens to you, her thoughts and feelings aren't always easy to understand. This felt much more authentic to me, her whole world had changed and she was doing whatever she felt to had to at any particular point in time just to survive. This led to contradictory actions and a healthy dose of self-destruction...situations I could absolutely imagine myself getting into in the same position.
The descriptions of New York in the days following the attack are written very sensitively and with a lot of grace, it is clear that the close brush the author had with September 11th (her husband was on the 85th floor of the North Tower, and escaped), and the impact of her visit to the museum have made a large mark on her. This book was a love letter to all who were impacted, and to the city itself. The end was uplifting and beautiful.
October 9, 2021
4.5 stars rounded to 5.
Trigger Warning: 9/11.
Wow. Just wow. I finished Paper Airplanes with tears streaming down my face. My husband worked on the 51st floor of Tower 2 of the World Trade Center. His building was the second one hit but the first to collapse. He was in the staircase on the 30th floor when his building was hit. I often think about how different things could have been if his building was hit first and remember my dad saying on that morning, “Heather cannot be a widow at 23.”
This book obviously hit really close to home. It was so emotional for me and I felt Erin’s pain while reading it. It’s a heartbreaking story and one that too many people had to live through. Erin’s journey through grief was painful to follow but, ultimately, explores the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
When I got to the end of the book and saw that the author’s husband worked in the World Trade Center, I understood how she wrote this story so perfectly. We are the lucky people whose loved ones walked out of those buildings on that September morning. This book is a really powerful reminder of all of those lost that day and how we should never forget.
Trigger Warning: 9/11.
Wow. Just wow. I finished Paper Airplanes with tears streaming down my face. My husband worked on the 51st floor of Tower 2 of the World Trade Center. His building was the second one hit but the first to collapse. He was in the staircase on the 30th floor when his building was hit. I often think about how different things could have been if his building was hit first and remember my dad saying on that morning, “Heather cannot be a widow at 23.”
This book obviously hit really close to home. It was so emotional for me and I felt Erin’s pain while reading it. It’s a heartbreaking story and one that too many people had to live through. Erin’s journey through grief was painful to follow but, ultimately, explores the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
When I got to the end of the book and saw that the author’s husband worked in the World Trade Center, I understood how she wrote this story so perfectly. We are the lucky people whose loved ones walked out of those buildings on that September morning. This book is a really powerful reminder of all of those lost that day and how we should never forget.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews