A thrilling story that is completely riveting. Newman has a sensational hit on her hands, once again.
With level 7 being the highest nuclear reactor damage assessment known to mankind, the
town of Waketa, Minnesota, is about to hit an 8: Worst Case Scenario.
Waketa becomes ground zero when a pilot suffers a fatal heart attack and collapses on to the throttle of a jumbo jet causing the plane to crash and debris to embed in the town's nuclear reactor's holding towers for the core rods. Damage and death surrounds the community as flaming debris from the jetliner destroys the town that is usually a very quiet, unremarkable place to live and work.
Time is against them as they issue evacuation orders for the entire town's nuclear reactor radius and look to volunteers to enter the cooling pools to take the preventive measures needed to stop the cores from melting down and far surpassing the horrific destruction of Chernobyl.
This is one read you simply can not put down.
Fabulously thrilling with characters and interactions that simply jump right off the pages.
A story that could be, literally, as the saying goes, "ripped from the headlines".
Which makes it absolutely chilling.
Kudos to T.J. Newman.
Keep them coming.
PLEASE.

T.J. Newman does it again. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and my anxiety felt like it was at an all-time high (but in a good way). A pilot suffers a medical emergency while flying the plane and it crashes into a small town. What could possibly go wrong? EVERYTHING. This book made me laugh and cry, but also made me feel like I could picture all of the vivid scenes like a movie in my head . This novel is a winner!

TJ Newman is quickly becoming a new favorite / auto-buy author for me. They haven't failed to make me cry yet and this is one of the few five-star reads I've had in 2024! Fast-paced (like I finished this in two days) and heart-racing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve never read a book like this…it will take your breath away and have you on the edge of your seat. It starts off so intense and doesn’t let up until the very end.

Your emotions, feelings and “what would you do” will be tested as you read this story. The characters are fantastic, the situation is terrifying but the good of people comes to light as they are facing one of the scariest moments of their lives.

I am looking forward to going back and reading the other books by TJ Newman. This one will stay with me for quite some time.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced readers copy.

Worst Case Scenario just went on my very short list of “I wish I could read this for the first time again” books! This is my first T.J Newman book and what an introduction to her it was!

I really wanted read this book when I heard about it and was so happy to receive an ARC of it, then when I got it I suddenly was hesitant to read it. I love to fly and Worst Case Scenario is one of those books where a real life worst case scenario happens and suddenly I had to pause and think am I ready to read this. Yes, I am!

Worst Case Scenario is told from multiple view points from Waketa, Minnesota heroes and residents impacted by a commercial passenger plane crashing into the local nuclear plant. We get a glimpse of what happens on the plane to cause the crash but the true story is the aftermath of the crash. It took me a moment to adjust to the alternating POVs and how they sometimes switched but this book was wonderfully written.

T.J Newman did a beautiful job building the relationships in the book, describing the workings of a nuclear power plant and also presenting us with the real life decision making that would happen from elementary school teachers protecting our kids to the Nuclear plant workers trying to save the city, country and world, all the way to the President of the United States.

I don’t cry when reading, I get little emotional tingles and maybe goosebumps but never flat out tears falling cry. This had me on an emotional roller coaster from anxious to proud of humanity to suddenly at 70% into the book I’m starting to feel gutted and tears appear and then around 90% I had a stuffy nose and couldn’t control my tears!

I wish I could read this for the first time again!

** Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown & Company and T.J Newman for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. **

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I had to know what happened. This book was addicting in a good way and kept me on my toes. I would highly suggest you read it. Also super fast paced which I'm a big fan of.

What a book! This one grabbed me from the very beginning and did not letup.
This one started out with the pilot of a commercial airliner as the victim of a heart attack, and the plane crashed into a nuclear power plant in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota. This becomes ground zero for the disaster, and the rest of the story is a roller coaster. The tale is told from multiple perspectives, and I was afraid for the fate of most of them.

This one has heartwarming instances when the townspeople came together, tense and dangerous scenes in the power plant, crises with the firefighters who were trying to rescue a little boy, teachers directing children to safety, and families and neighbors huddling together and hoping to help. It was a really good book! Other reviewers have commented that there were too many characters, and admittedly there were a lot, and they were sometimes hard to track. That’s the only negative for me.

I switched back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook. The narration was really good, and the different voices were believable and easily remembered.

Five great stars for this one!

This book was amazing. It kept my attention from first to last page and I flew through it. It was gripping and immersive and I absolutely loved the research that must have went into this novel regarding the logistics of nuclear power plants. I left this book more knowledgeable and also with a full heart as TJ Newman always writes about the best in humanity when times are tough. Though a nuclear power plant was hit by a plane and a crisis ensues, we see the locals come together in selfless acts to help their community. Sacrifices were made and this book tugged at my heart strings.

One of my favourite books I read this year. I will always read anything TJ Newman writes.

Thank you so much Netgalley and TJ Newman for the advanced readers copy!

5 stars

You can also see my review posted on the following:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-lOTI5SBLL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
YouTube - https://youtu.be/DKTaFkEbmMk?si=_Zy47YnoD6-CcM6g
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6750794631

Grab a box of Kleenex and enjoy the sad wild ride. I was hooked by the first page of this book. I thought about the book all the time when I was reading it. The storyline is so incredibly true and scary. Thinking this could happen is so scary. You feel so connected netted to the characters and only want the best outcome for them.

TJ Newman’s latest book Worst Case Scenario is another five star read as were Ms. Newman’s previous books Falling and Drowning. As with the author’s previous novels, this is another action packed, heart stopping, wild ride. What is it called when a plane full of passengers crashes into a nuclear power plant? Worst case scenario.

What I love about Ms. Newman’s books are how well researched and detail oriented they are and this one is probably the most detailed. I almost feel like I could run my own nuclear power plant after reading this book.

Another thing the author does so wonderfully is creating characters that the reader can really relate with and connect with. I found myself really caring about what happens to these characters. I could see myself or someone I know in almost all of them. I was biting my nails down, so nervous for the characters in dangerous situations. I loved Joss, Ethan, Steve, Dani, and so many others. They are all so well written.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. It has it all. I am sure this will also be made into a movie. I cried in parts, laughed out loud when I was reading it on a plane (coincidentally). I recommend it to anyone who loves a great story, cliff hangers almost every chapter that keep you reading into the night, characters you can really root for, and an ending that is fully reconciled with no loose ends.

Thank you TJ Newman for writing this amazing book and to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for proving this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Worst Case Scenario is a literal action movie, brought to life on the page. Addictive, fast-paced and impossible to set down, this is must have entertainment this summer.

I LOVE TJ Newman's books, and this latest did not disappoint. High octane action that doesn't let up for a minute is served from the very first sentence to the very last page and I absolutely loved every minute of it. It is big, over the top, dramatic, crazy, rollercoaster fun, and it's the type of popcorn thriller reading that I love to sprinkle in my TBR for a refreshing palate cleanser when I want something easy and hugely entertaining.

While being action packed, TJ still manages to create characters that you care about and that you are rooting for, and despite this being a totally wild story about a plane crashing into a nuclear facility, and the race to stop the subsequent meltdown, TJ still managed to pack a wallop of emotion into this plot. Cut to me crying actual tears through the last third of the book as the heroes of this story are all fighting to save the day.

If you love the big dramatic action capers (think Mission Impossible, Speed, Armageddon, or James Bond) you are going to love this book. It is perfect summer reading and it should absolutely be the next book you add to your summer TBR. You just don't want to miss the fun, I promise you.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy.

I don't know how many more horrible airplane scenario books Newman can possibly come up with, but I will read every last one of them. They are addicting and it is physically impossible to force me to put it down until I have finished every. last. word,. I think because they are SO inventive and imaginative, it doesn't occur to me to be afraid of flying after I read one. It would be like if a book about ferocious wolves made me scared of dogs. I am a huge fan.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Little Brown & Company, and Hachette Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by TJ Newman, with the audiobook narrated by Joe Morton. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

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.

Wow - TJ Newman has done it again! This book was gripping from beginning to end, tension ratcheting up throughout. We get to see how this event affects the people in town - power plant employees, teachers, firefighters. Each chapter leaves us with a cliffhanger from a different vantage point, and my heart was pounding the entire time. This book showcases how people step up when they need to, becoming heroes for the rest of us. I loved being able to go between both book formats so I didn't have to put this one down, and the audio was fabulous with sound effects making it even more chilling., As with all TJ Newman's books, this is a must read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A wild ride. A disaster. A dying town coming together in the worst scenario imaginable. A commercial airline pilot suffers a medical emergency causing the disaster. A town dying due to the upcoming closure of the nuclear plant, becomes the site of the crash. In two separate, but linked, actions, the town comes together to save the children, and the plant workers come together to save the surrounding area. There are great sacrifices and deserving survivors. The story is fast paced and comes to a satisfying conclusion. The author has become a favorite and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Worst Case Scenario is TJ Newman’s third book. Like her earlier books, Falling and Drowning, this one involves a plane crash. However, this time, the plane has crashed into a nuclear power station in a small town in the US. Time is of the essence to save the power station before it implodes. At the same time, firefighters are trying to save the life of a young child who is stuck in his family’s van hanging off a bridge, covered in fuel, after it was hit by part of the plane’s debris.

The story starts off with a bang and there are some good, tense scenes. The child in the van storyline is very well done. However, I found that the nuclear power station storyline required technical descriptions that at times took me out of that part of the plot. I found myself skimming those descriptions.

Having said that, the author does a good job of weaving interesting issues and questions into the nuclear power plant plotline around family, sacrifice, community, the value of one life versus several, and motherhood.

This is a different story to Falling and Drowning which were action-packed with full-on tense scenes which fed into most people’s fears around airplane travel. While a plane crashing into a nuclear power station is frightening in an end of the world type of way, it is a less immediate kind of fear, at least for me. The child stuck in a van teetering on the edge of a bridge was intense as I could relate as a parent to the fear of losing a child.

Worst Case Scenario is a very enjoyable read that kept me entertained and that had a great bittersweet ending.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I can't recommend this book enough. It is really a great book and a great story. If there was a danger at a nuclear power plant, and you knew all about the work, would you be willing to sacrifice yourself to save others? That is what a number of characters in this book have to consider. At some point or other you'll need to shed a tear. There are great characters that the reader learns to like and love. Again, highly recommended

T.J. Newman is one heck of a thriller writer!

In the course of one book:
• I’ve sworn off airplanes
• I (to my regret) searched my proximity to nuclear power plants
• Learned that ‘decommissioning’ in regard to said nuclear power plants is mostly just a comfort word for a scarily long process
• Used way too many tissues to blot my teary eyes

And now…I want another book from the author!

This is an exhilarating and heartbreaking roller coaster ride of a book that, honestly, also needs to be a movie.

Have your popcorn read!

• ARC via Publisher

This was an absolute roller coaster ride that yanked my heartstrings! I legitimately cried while reading this book! TJ Newman knows how to write an action-packed story while also making you feel all sorts of anxiety! Her novel Drowning had me feeling claustrophobic, but this story had me feeling an overwhelming sense of dread for all of humanity. A plane crashes into a town, and unfortunately, this town happens to house a nuclear power plant, which the plane crashes into. Clearly this type of crash gets national news, and even the President is involved. This book shows the courageous side of people who are in a horrible situation. I absolutely loved this book!

WORST CASE SCENARIO is a slight detour from Newman’s typical fast-paced novel all set within a plane. Thank you @littlebrown for my early copy of @tj_author new release, out August 13th!

So Newman’s past two novels have centrally revolved around planes, and while Worst Case Scenario begins quickly with a plane crash, the remainder of the novel is literally the “worst case scenario” from TJ’s conversation with a pilot. The plane crashes into a nuclear power plant.

As someone who lives near Three Mile Island and constantly asks random questions like “how does that REALLY work??” Worst Case Scenario hit close to home! I will also say that this is the novel where I have connected the closest to the characters and the impossible decisions they have to make.

I loved the relationships she placed in the novel (lost time, father-son relationship, saving a young boy no matter the costs). These really brought home the reality of the “do or death” seemingly unmanageable scenarios the normal people working to save the power plant have to face throughout the novel.

I could not put this down, if you like her past novels and you enjoy thrillers you will like this.

Content Warnings: mentionings of cancer and miscarriage, parental loss, radiation exposure, car crash, plane crash, hypothermia, nuclear disaster.

I love TJ Newman!

I was reading this book while visiting my parents and I was so invested and interested in this book that I told them about it and got them interested in it too (and they're not the biggest readers). I'm planning on buying it for them when it comes out :)

I was hooked from the very beginning. I read Drowning and have Falling on my TBR, so when I saw this on NetGalley I knew I had to request it. I am a big fan of multiple narrators, and I actually felt like we needed all of the perspectives we were given. If it was only one I think we would have missed a lot of the intensity.

I gasped, I cried, I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Co for the eARC!