Was absolutely gripping my kindle for the first 20% or so of the book. The stress was crazy.

I really liked this book! It was an interesting (and terrifying) concept — what if a commercial plane crashed into a nuclear power plant?

It followed a few different sets of people - firefighters, the response team, a teacher and her family, the president. It details the different stressors and hard decisions they would have to make throughout the day.

Ultimately, it was just a little slow in the middle - I feel like it could’ve been shorter (and it was short!). I just really wanted to know what happened like ASAP.

Definitely has me more interested in nuclear power and makes me want to rewatch the Chernobyl series.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Worst Case Scenario
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️++
Author: TJ Newman

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Little Brown and Company and Hachette Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: When a pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet, a commercial airliner filled with passengers crashes into a nuclear power plant in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, which becomes ground zero for a catastrophic national crisis with global implications.

The International Nuclear Event Scale tracks nuclear disasters. It has seven levels. Level 7 is a Major Accident, with only two on record: Fukushima and Chernobyl. There has never been a Level 8. Until now.

My Thoughts: Newman is an absolute goddess of writing gut wrenching, edge of your seat thrillers and this one was no different. This is only the third book Newman has put out writing at a higher caliber such as Foley, Sager, and Feeney, to name a few. The International Nuclear Event Scale tracks any type of nuclear disaster. Only two level 7 disasters on record with Fukushima and Chernobyl. Never has there been anything higher, until now, with this one rating an 8 on the scale. The pilot of a 757 has an heart attack while 35,000 feet in the air, right at the moment with the co-pilot uses the bathroom, rendering the time to decelerate an emergency mute and with no time to warn the passengers. Ultimately the airplane is headed to collide with the Clover Hill Nuclear Power Plant. When the worst case scenario ensues, will it bring the best or the worst out in humanity? Will the ordinary citizens of this town step up to be the real hero’s to serve themselves to save others? Will this single catastrophic event roll into a global epidemic?

One voice narrates multiple third person distinct characters with sprinkled in radio transmissions, really the perfect type of narration. I enjoyed this format. The boots on the ground have to make split second decisions that will not only affect the lives on the plane, but the lives of the people in this town and perhaps even globally. Some of my favorite characters were Steve Tostig, Joss Vance, Dani Allen, Ethan Rosen, Marion, Levon, and even President Dawson. The race against the clock of 16 and half hours is equative to a ticking time bomb and evokes the same fear and tension. The employees of the nuclear plant, the firefighters and responsive personnel, the church congregation, the White House personnel, and even the town’s citizens all step in to save as many people as they can while avoiding further contamination that could implicate global issues. It really warms your heart to know that humanity can be saved when facing the worst possible day, even at the perish of their own life. The characters were developed well, they were fleshed out, they had depth, they were impactful, and compassionate. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, twisty, suspenseful, and brilliantly laid out.

This book evokes a lot of emotions, tension, fear, suspense, gut wrenching, sadness, and being scared. While this is a work of fiction and some of the scenarios are implausible, it is written in a believable format where it is easy to suspend belief. The character backstories are built up. The plot is delivered in twisty layers, think onion layers. Then the conclusion/end is explosive. You will cheer for the hero’s and cry for the victims in this action packed story.

I had the privilege of having both the digital and the audio ARCs. I am very behind on my reviews, so I apologize to anyone who follows my reviews. I have read most of the books but need to write up my reviews. Tackling them one at a time. The narrator, Joe Morton, did a good job with voice affliction and matching the character distinct voices. I had no problem following the flow and pitch at 2x speed. This book will take you on a complete rollercoaster of emotions where tears are sure to fall. The narrator does a fantastic job at expressing the empathy across the multiple characters, makes you feel their grief, pain, and loss. Newman is a masterfully genius with developing a plot that will not only keep you on the edge of your seat but also evoke a little education into it, especially for concepts not general knowledge, she does a phenomenal job at explaining things. This is nothing sort of an exquisite masterpiece. I believe this was Newman’s best yet and she is sure to set the thriller genre on fire. I highly recommend picking up this story TODAY!

I love every single book in this series. This author does such a great job at making you really THINK while you're reading. I think this might be my favorite book by her so far. i was fully invested from start to finish. One of the quickest reads for me in the last year...i finished this in less than 5 hours. Definitely look forward to reading more by this author.

Welp.

This book just unleashed new fears I never knew existed. lol.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

Newman’s writing keeps you consumed from start to finish. Your heart is pumping,
hands are sweating and you feel every emotion. Her characters are extremely relatable, and you feel a strong sense of personal connection to them. You literally feel like you are reading about real events rather than a fictional story.

Keep in mind if you are a nervous flier then approach this book (𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠) with caution. I avoided this one for a while as I had some upcoming flights when it first was sent to me.

But, if you can I’d highly recommend grabbing this book as well as Newman’s other two 𝑫𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 and 𝑭𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈.

Newman has now cemented herself into auto buy author territory for me.

Thank you Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

YES, the premise of this book is definitely a worst case scenario! This book was intense, fast-paced, inspiring, chilling, and sad… all the feels. I was hooked from the very first page. I loved the characters, the town. and the pace of the story. Very well written, and I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Fast paced and heart-rending. Wasn't sure I was going to like this but I loved it! What a wild ride. Felt the ending was great too.

This is the first t j Newman book I've read and I loved it. So fast paced and exhilarating. I'll definitely be looking into the back list of this author.

T. J Newman is one of those “must read/buy” authors for me. I’ve been hooked since the first book “Falling”.

Worst Case Scenario is probably my favorite of the three. I was hooked by the very last line of the Author’s Note “… And that’s exactly what they want you to believe.”

Newman has a way of bringing these plane crashes to life, making you feel like you’re experiencing it first hand. I remember wanting a third book, but couldn’t figure out where it would go. What other scenario could seem legitimate? I never thought of a plane crashing into a nuclear plant. And while I had to search visuals to get an idea of how things looked at a nuclear plant, I loved it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc copy in exchange for a honest review.

I LOVE TJ Newman and every book has become a "must-read" from her. This book will have you at the edge of your seat for the entire book. The power of community and small-towns is so wholesome as well. I loved the characters in this book. I highly recommend reading this book!!

Unlike Newman’s other additions to the thriller franchise, Worst Cade Scenario ushers in a new level of jargon that required some getting used to. I enjoyed the pacing, just like every TJ Newman plane thriller. The action doesn’t relent.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Worst Case Scenario is a book about a plane crashing into a nuclear power plant in Waketa, Minnesota. Post crash we follow the characters in the town and plant through trying to prevent a nuclear meltdown. I really enjoyed this book. It was high stakes and very fast paced. I would highly recommend reading this book.

What would happen if a plane crashed into a nuclear power plant? This book explores that exact scenario. In what has become the author's signature style, this is a fast-paced, pulse pounding novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I have loved T.J. Newman's previous two titles, but this one fell short for me. I struggled to really keep the character groups separated in my mind, but that may have been a me thing. There us a lot of one line "jump scares" used at the end many chapters and it started to feel overused and I felt like it took me out of the story.

Overall, this book was just ok for me.

I really enjoyed this book. I know lots of it got somewhat scientific but that did not hinder my enjoyment. I lived close to a nuclear power plant growing up and the thought of this actually happening was very scary. I think just having these thoughts made my reading experience more intense. I will read any book this author writes.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC.

Worst Case Scenario is an incredible book! Incredibly hard to read, with scenes so devastating I could barely breathe. But also incredibly hopeful. No one writes about the goodness of humanity like Newman does!

Like all of her books, this one is high tension and high anxiety all the way through. It took me a while to read because I’d have to set the book aside and read something light and fluffy for a couple days before picking it up again.

Newman’s books prompt a lot of introspection for me. She writes about horrific situations that happen in the blink of an eye, which always forces me to think about what I’d do in a similar crisis! Newman’s explorations of human emotions and actions are what makes her books so relatable and emotional for me.

I also love that her books are as much about community and family as the crisis unfolding. So many moments where I read with tears in my eyes because of the sacrifices the characters are willing to make to protect the ones they love. Newman deftly writes about the choices people have to make when all hell is breaking loose.

And it wouldn’t be a TJ Newman book if I wasn’t sobbing through the final chapters! Not everyone gets an HEA in a thriller/suspense novel, but some do. It’s an emotional gut punch either way, with the happy and sad all churned together.

If you like addictive edge-of-your seat books that also pack an emotional punch, this is 💯 the book for you! Every one of her books has been 5 stars for me and I can’t recommend them enough!

If you're already paying for a therapist to treat anxiety, this book isn't for you... ( sending you my bill @tj_author )

Thank you, @littlebrown and @hachetteaudio, for the #gifted copy of "Worst Case Scenario"

A book can hit me with ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and zombies... I won't even be shook, BUT you give me real-world horror like plane hijacking or crashes? Nightmares for days. I consider Tj Newman the thriller queen for her plot lines that could LITERALLY happen right now.

This might be her scariest book yet. A plane crashing into a nuclear plant, causing a national crisis... It's literal chaos you can't tear your eyes away from.

Outside of having my panties scared off my cheeks, I really loved the beauty of humanity that is put into Worst Case Scenario. Everyone putting aside their differences to save the world is quite something to read about. (Will replenish your hope in people, again)

✈️ A book that has C O N S T A N T action
✈️ Intrigued by Chernobyl
✈️ A side treat of romance (ya know for a break from chaos)
✈️ Characters you want to root for
✈️ Real-World thrills
✈️ Multiple POV

🎧 Joe Morton is a top-tier audiobook narrator. The added sound effects when a character talks into a radio made the listening experience authentic. I just wish that this would have been more impactful if it had multiple narrators. I would have loved to have a woman's voice, Joss.

I love how action packed TJs books always are. Her insider knowledge really shines during the airplane scenes. I did like the departure from the whole book taking place inside an aircraft and moving into a new setting. I really connected with the characters and enjoyed the fast paced plot. A great action thriller, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC! I was so excited to see that TJ Newman put out a new book, because I really liked Falling and I absolutely loved Drowning. Worst Case Scenario was definitely different from those two in several ways, but it was still an action packed high adrenaline novel.

Newman’s first two novels are primarily set inside the plane, while Worst Case Scenario focuses more on the aftermath of a plane crash. We follow multiple different characters and storylines after a plane crashes into a nuclear plant in Minnesota, as they all work together to try and save humanity. At times, it was difficult to keep track of all the characters and how they were connected. I also wish some of the storylines were focused on a bit more. Newman clearly did her research on the science behind nuclear power, but there were some times when it went a bit over my head. All of that aside though, the book still held my interest and I had a hard time putting it down!

I had a hard time getting into this novel. Overall, it was a decent story but I wasn’t able to feel connected to any of the passengers.

This was a terrifying idea and a wild ride to read! So many things happening at once! The idea that this could happen is super scary! This was my 1st book by TJ Newman but will not be my last!

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Well, if you want to be scared shitless again, pick up T.J. Newman’s latest thriller! She has a unique ability to scare my pants off, but also makes me want to keep reading. Now, this reads like an action movie and definitely cuts to a lot of different storylines so that docked it a star for me because it was hard to follow.

Do I think the movie might star Nicholas Cage? Sure. Is it probably a bad B movie? Sure. But the book was entertaining for me and by the end I better appreciated the absurdity of it. There is a lot that I think she took liberties with, but it was an entertaining read.