When the pilot of a plane has a heart attack and the plane crashes into a nuclear plant all hell breaks lose. Everyone is called in to help fight a disaster waiting to happen. This is how everyone comes together to try and save their town.
This book was amazing, their are so many things going on at once it keeps you glued to the pages. The story is about more than just the tragedy and how humans respond, it's about community, sacrifices and how far a town is willing to go. I had so many emotions reading this book and actually have a book hangover it was that good. This book will stay with you long after you finish it. By far the best book I have read in years and I will recommend it to everyone I talk to. Thanks to Netgalley, Little, Brown and Company and T.J Newman for the opportunity to read this absolutely first star read.

After having read T.J. Newman’s other books, Falling and Drowning, I knew I was in for an intense thriller with many twists and turns. What I was not prepared for was my heart in my throat for the entirety of the book, nor the tears at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed Falling and Drowning, but I absolutely LOVED Worst Case Scenario.

This book is about humanity. It’s about love, selflessness, and sacrifice for the greater good. Each character is complex, and struggles with difficult decisions that have impacts not only on themselves, but on others (and potentially the entire planet).

As a scientist myself, I saw myself in Ethan, who wants a better world but prioritizes his family over everything else. I admired Joss’s tenacity, Steve’s strength, and Matt’s perseverance. I admired Dani’s bravery, Clara’s calmness, and Marion’s leadership.

This is a heart pounding, anxiety inducing thriller, and to be quite honest, I had to take several breaks from it, while simultaneously not wanting to put it down. I will be thinking about this book for a long time. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would.

Buckle up & brace yourselves for the #WorstCaseScenario.

Thanks Little Brown & Company and NetGalley for the ARC.

Synopsis -

A Coastal airways flight carrying 297 passengers crashes into Clover Hill Nuclear power plant located in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, after its pilot suffered a heart attack. This accident could just be the epicentre of a global catastrophe and a fire so enormous, that humans have yet to figure out how to extinguish. Waketa could just be on the brink of becoming another Fukushima or Chernobyl as it looks at a level 8 nuclear disaster.

Review -

T J Newman has yet again delivered a block buster worthy material. First of all, I want to applaud the level of research that has gone into this. Nuclear tragedies are mankind’s worst ever nightmares and she has done a great job with her imagination by blending her trademark plane crash trope, only this time with a nuclear power plant.

More than the thrill or action, it’s the enormity of what’s at stake, the sheer scale of ruin, devastation and reverberation that we are looking at, that takes the centre stage.

Roping in seemingly ordinary people - the plant employees, fire fighters, school teachers, friends, families and neighbours, she explores how their lives get affected and are about to change forever with such great care and tenderness - her writing brimming with poignancy and emotional richness.

As we painstakingly inch towards the point of no return, the timer ticking down, to the zero hour, the moment a corner is turned, another gargantuan problem crops up and we just have to wait with bated breath, our nails bitten to the quick - for it to be resolved, only until the next one strikes.

The community of Waketa has no choice but to rise up and face upto this apocalypse by coming together.

The plot might slightly be heavy on the technical details, but nonetheless it was an edge of the seat experience!

A must read for Newman fans!

Newman had me on my toes from page 1. Worse Case Scenario is a rollercoaster event, which left me in such an emotional state. This story made me stressed, sad, and hopeful! While reading I ended up falling asleep at 4 am because I didn't want it to end. It had its hooks in me. This was a beautifully tragic story of the absolute worst nuclear event to ever hit our bookshelves.

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the ARC!

T.J. Newman is an exceptional author, and I've enjoyed every one of her novels. So when I got approved for "Worst Case Scenario" on NetGalley, I was thrilled! True to her style, this book was just as captivating as her previous two. The plot is uniquely crafted and utterly engrossing—I couldn't put it down and finished all 336 pages in one sitting! Her writing style really pulls you into the story, making it easy to connect with the characters. Overall, this is a nail-biting read you won't want to miss.

Worst Case Scenario is the third book I've read by this author. They all relate to airline disasters.

This one differs from the last book in that it tells the story of the people on the ground and not the flight passengers.

There is a lot of tension throughout the entire book. The characters had a lot of depth and I liked the lengths that they were willing to go to in order to help others.

I alternated between the print and audio book. The book itself is riveting, but the audio version is even better.

I can't say enough to describe how fascinating this authors books are.

Thanks to netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the arc.

I did not want to put this one down! It had me hooked from the very beginning! I actually have never read anything by this author, but I did go ahead and buy the other titles! The book pulled me every which way with my emotions. I was bawling my eyes out by the end. I’m sad that it is over but so excited to read the other two books and any future!! Thank you NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company and T J Newman for the ARC!

I had so much fun reading this! Drowning is still my favorite but this was just as intense and just as emotional! Every one of her books is like an action movie that you can’t look away from.

In a tragic sequence of events, Coastal Airways Flight 235 crashes. However, that’s just the beginning.

Because the crash happens right in Waketa, Minnesota—the beginning of Easter weekend. And the crash happens right into a nuclear power plant.

The International Nuclear Event Scale tracks nuclear disasters. It has seven levels, with Level 7 being classified a Major Accident. There have only been two Level 7’s on record: Fukushima and Chernobyl. There has never been a Level 8—until now.

TJ Newman is no stranger to writing page-turning thrillers—captivating her readers to just keep going. She also has a brilliant manner in which she captures and describes the human spirit: that combination of grit, tenacity, compassion, and determination that spurs seemingly ordinary people into extraordinary action. Worst Case Scenario follows her earlier novels (Falling and Drowning) with a story that is both thrilling but heartwarming at the same time.

Happy pub day to “Worst Case Scenario” by @tj_author!

TJ Newman is back with another heart-pounding thriller that will leave you breathless (and possibly unlock new fears in you like it did in me 😅). In “Worst Case Scenario”, the stakes couldn’t be higher as a commercial airliner crashes near a nuclear power plant, setting off a chain of events that threatens not only the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, but the entire world. The story begins when a pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet, sending the plane hurtling toward disaster. What follows is a gripping narrative that explores the chaos and fear that ensues as the town becomes ground zero for a catastrophic national crisis.

As someone who adored “Drowning”, I was thrilled to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book. “Worst Case Scenario” did not disappoint. In typical TJ Newman fashion, the book is action-packed from the first page to the last, filled with tension, drama, and characters who will steal your heart—only to break it in the most devastating ways.

One of the things that stood out to me in this book was how real and possible the scenario felt, making it even more thrilling. If you’re a fan of intense, realistic thrillers full of courageous, bad-ass heroes, “Worst Case Scenario” is a must-read that you won’t be able to put down!

Thank you to @littlebrown, @hachetteaudio and @netgalley for the advanced copies!

This is a Suspense Action Pack book. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next, and it also will pull every emotion out of you. I cried so much while reading this book. This book shows how one event can hurt so many people, but it also shows how small towns can pull together to get things done. It shows that during the worst will pull out that true person that is inside of you. The ending of this book made me cry so hard, and I loved it so much. This book was so great, and I loved it. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Thank you NetGalley for an eArc of my latest TJ Newman book that once again had me on the edge of my seat!

Worst Case Scenario truly lives up to its title. I felt the tension as the main event of the story unfolds from the very first page. The vibe of this book does immediately feel different from the author's first two books because the main setting does not take place on a plane, but rather a small town and nuclear plant in Minnesota.

I enjoyed this book! There are a couple of key chapters near the beginning that spell out the stakes of the disaster and the implications, and those were critical to a reader who has no background knowledge in nuclear energy. I found these helpful but ultimately I did spend a significant portion of this book confused on what exactly the characters were doing/attempting to do. I would recommend this book if you have some level of background knowledge in the subject. And even if you don't (like myself) you may still enjoy it like I did!

Ultimately this was not my favorite book this author has put out, but Drowning will be a difficult one to top. I give this book a solid 3.25 stars!

So good! Every time I read a T.J. Newman book I get such anxiety and feel a heightened sense of suspense. Worst Case Scenario is another hit!!

✈️ airplane v.s. nuclear power plant
🔥 disasters in a small town
✈️ fast-paced and action-packed
🔥 multi POV

Just like Newman's previous books, 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙎𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤 starts with a bang and the action never really stops. Unfortunately I think that desensitized me so the tense situations toward the end didn't pack that much of a punch. There were also A LOT of minor characters and it took me a long while to figure out who was who. But it was still an entertaining read and I recommend to anyone who enjoyed 𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 and/or 𝘿𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜. I'd say this one has similar vibes minus the claustrophobia.

I haven't seen recent news but I remember reading a while back that 𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 was being adapted for film. I honestly think all three books would make excellent disaster movies!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was incredible!!! T.J. Newman is the goat!! I will forever read her books. Loved getting to know the characters and was so invested in what would happen to them. I was at the edge of my seat every time I picked up the book. I loved the short chapters and getting to move from one character to another!! I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! Well done 👏🏻 thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchanged for an honest review.

Worst Case Scenario is a wild ride. I loved T.J. Newman’s first two books, so I was so excited to get an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Worst Case Scenario did not let me down.

This book reads like an action movie, you are on the edge of your seat the entire time.

When a commercial airline with nearly 300 passengers on board crashes after the pilot has a medical emergency, things already seem as bleak as they can get. The only problem? The plane broke into pieces and crashed into a nuclear power plant.
Now the town must come together to help rescue those who need help, while also evacuating the area, and figuring out the damage at the plant and how best to control the fallout of the damage.

There are so many characters in this book who I loved and were rooting for. (Definitely grab the tissues for this book.)

My only wish was that we could get more background on the characters, however, with so many characters, I see how it could be difficult.

This book is perfect for anyone who loves an edge of your seat thriller. I highly recommend it!

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown and Co. for an advanced copy of " Worst Case Scenario". T.J. Newman has become one of my favorite popcorn thriller authors.. the type of book you can read in a day. " Falling" and" Drowning" were BONKERS, and I think they were so believable because she was a flight attendant and knows the risks and ways to fix potential disasters on airplanes. I hate that this new novel fell short for me. The book starts with a plane immediately crashing into a power plant in a small town, and immediately goes into all the things that COULD go wrong if they cant contain the radiation to the plant.. While I was entertained. this one fell short for me.

A pilots heart attack in the cockpit. The co-pilot in the lavatory. The flight attendant on the flight deck can only get out the basics and screams for help. As the plane careens out of control, it comes down in the worst place it could...over a nuclear power plant. As security systems at the nuclear power plant malfunction due to the crash, the players have to figure out how to mitigate the disaster. Now if that doesn't get your blood pumping, I don't know what will.

What follows is the countdown to a disaster of possibly biblical proportions.

What a seat of the pants thriller. As each chapter passes, the countdown clock continues. Will the reactor core melt down? Who can fix it and how? Who will risk their lives to help neighbors and complete strangers? Whew...so much happening...so quickly! The coda was emotional and I admit to tearing up as we learned the fate of some of the rescuers and the posthumous awards they were given...OK...I ugly cried. I loved it!

I have never read anything by T.J. Newman before and I absolutely will run out or log on and grab her first two novels! I so enjoy trying a new to me author and end up finding a winner!

I do not recommend ever reading these books before going on a vacation, like I have done the last several times I’ve gone on vacation. That being said… I love everything T.J. Writes and look forward to my normal anxiety attack before vacation next year due to her books 😂

As a former flight attendant T.J. Newman asked all her former colleagues about their worst fears - which culminated into this book - aptly titled “Worst Case Scenario”. Now, I am good for reading a thriller every now and then, but also, I am a scaredy-cat! I have a fear of flying and have intrusive thoughts about how everyday things can go wrong…so why this book? Well, I was intrigued by the nuclear power plant aspect after reading “Nuclear War” earlier this year, and I am a glutton for punishment! This book was a RIDE. I had to put it down once because it was making me feel physically ill. But I enjoyed it?? In its own crazy way, it is a love letter to small-town America, the heart & soul of our country. I cried! I also laughed and almost threw up! It was pretty unputdownable (except for 1 scene where I had to!!)😖) and propulsive - I had to know what happens! Highly recommend this if you love edge-of-your-seat thrillers! Thank you so much to @netgalley and @littlebrown for the advanced copy!! HAPPY PUB DAY @tj_author !!!