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Worst Case Scenario
T.J. Newman
Pub Date: August 13, 2024

A huge thank you to @littlebrown @tj_author @netgalley and Novel Suspects for the #gifted pr box!

I have been looking forward to this book for quite some time. I really loved Falling by this same author. Drowning is on my list to read as well, and I’m sure it will be just as good!

This book, just like T.J. Newman’s others starts out with a bang. The prologue completely sets the stage for the rest of the book and I was HOOKED! This is one of those books where you’re so invested in the storyline and characters that you stay up late into the night reading. Oh and did I mention crying.. because there will be lots of crying (or it did for me😂)

T.J. Newman did an amazing job explaining the nuclear power plant and the impact the plane crash had on it. She did this in such a simplistic way to make it easy to understand even if you had no backstory of these types of things. There are quite a few characters in this book and it jumps from POVs often. At first I was getting a bit confused with who was who but as I kept reading I was so invested in these characters the swapping of POVs wasn’t an issue.

You want a thrilling book that will keep you engaged and also completely wreck you at the same time? Then make sure to pick this one up. I’ve already recommended this multiple times to family members and will continue!

If you have been following me for some time, you know that I loved T.J. Newman's debut and sophomore novels, Falling and Drowning. And I am so excited to tell the world that T.J. Newman has done it again!

Worst Case Scenario is a propulsive, urgent thriller that unfolds at an unrelenting pace after a pilot has a widow-maker heart attack, igniting a series of events that will put the entire country at risk. Born from Newman's time as a flight attendant, this novel imagines the worst man-made disaster possible - a plane crashing into a nuclear power plant - and examines how communities come together and triumph in the face of tragedy.

Unlike Newman's other novels, the plane crash is the least exciting part of this story. It simply acts as a jumping off point for the rest of the plot. Worst Case Scenario really focuses on the on-the-ground response to the crash at the nuclear power plant and in the local community. While that may sound boring, I promise you that Worst Case Scenario is a gripping, edge-of-your seat thriller that you will want to devour in one sitting. And if you are able to keep your eyes dry through this novel, you are a stronger person than me.

Newman manages to do what so many thriller authors fail to do - pack the story with emotion, memorable characters, and nuance. Not only does Newman give us the president that millennials deserve, she created a slew of heroic, multi-faceted characters to become emotionally invested in. They are well-developed, and in the end, felt like neighbors to which I was close.

Because the workings of nuclear power plants are unknown to most, I do recommend that you watch Chernobyl beforehand. I watched the series some time ago and was grateful to have the knowledge about nuclear power plants so that I could understand and visualize everything that happens in Worst Case Scenario. I do not think it is absolutely necessary to have intricate knowledge of nuclear power; however, I think understanding the very basics will enable you to enjoy this novel to its fullest.

(Honestly, the worst part of Worst Case Scenario is the cover. I hate the computer-simulated photo and the font. The font reads to me like a cheap mass market paperback. But I guess that is what happens when you change publishers. I, of course, do not hold the cover against the author, but I felt like something had to be said about the artwork as it does a great book a disservice.)

Between the characters and the plot, Worst Case Scenario goes beyond a typical thriller and takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster. You will be anxious, enraptured, heartbroken, and proud over the course of this novel. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to see what Newman comes up with next!

4.5 stars for yet another heart pumping adrenaline blasting book. How does she do it so consistently? This novel takes place in a nuclear plant. A plane has just crashed into it and experts are called in to try and save nuclear devastation in the US. A small community has to pull together to try and save not only its community but the world.

I loved how everything was explained so thoroughly in this book. What each possible thing led to another and what the result would be. I read this book so quickly because I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was going to happen. Inside are smaller stories within the big story and I loved those as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown & Company and TJ Newman for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This thriller comes out this week.

Holy heck. I knew before going in that Worst Case Scenario was likely to surpass many of my prior much loved reads. What I didn’t expect was that it was also going to make my jaw repeatedly drop, my fingers fly at speed, and my heart feel all of the feels. I’m not kidding. With an adrenaline-fueled plot and poignant emotion, Newman managed to include every ingredient that every reader could ever want into this psychological thriller. Fear not, however, as that was only the starting point for a book that easily established itself as the crème de la crème.

This story hit so close to home. Bringing to life every past shared trauma, it was a perfect rendition of a “Where were you when…” national catastrophe. With a character list full of heroes and ever rising palpable tension, this rollercoaster ride of suspense just didn’t let up. From the first page until the last, the sharp, compelling plot was propulsive as you can get. And while I tried to slow myself down in order to savor the utter perfection, I just couldn’t avoid inhaling it one cliffhanger chapter after the other.

As I mentioned, the many characters met this truly epic plot step for step. Narrated via omniscient perspective, I connected with each and every persona as they entered the story. You could feel their terror as well as their stubborn backbones as they raced towards the disaster instead of away. They felt so alive. So real. It was as if I could reach out and touch them. When they hurt, I quite literally cried. When they won, I cheered. And if that isn’t the sign of a virtuoso behind the words, then I don’t know what is.

All in all, this was beyond good or even great. It was the highest of highs in a downright fantastic year of reads. Already one of my auto-buy authors, Ms. Newman has firmly cemented her name on my list of favorites. Thanks to her addictive, unputdownable, spellbinding words, I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Now I just have the interminable wait for her next pulse-pounding novel. So don’t waste time. Head to your closest bookseller now. I’m not kidding. After all, you need to read this one ASAP. Rating of 5+++ stars.

Thank you to T.J. Newman; Little, Brown; and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I was on the edge of my seat but I felt like I needed a little more dramatics, I would be zooning out at times. So maybe it was just me? I cried to some of the deaths and I felt such high anxiety. The little boy made me feel so sad with what he had to see. This book is good for those who really enjoyed her two other books just like I did. I would recommend this book. This is closer to a 3.8

Worst Case Scenario is one of those amazing books that you start and can't put down! This book starts out with a bang and just continues to ramp up the suspense! I absolutely love TJ Newman's writing and I always know I'm in for a thrill ride when reading one of her books. Wow! A commercial airliner takes off, flying from Minneapolis to Seattle. It's filled with 295 passengers because it's Easter weekend. Just after take-off the pilot suffers a massive heart attack. The co-pilot is in the bathroom at the time. The plane crashes into a nuclear power plant in Waketa, Minnesota. There is a massive debris field and there is damage to the nuclear plant.

This event is considered a Level 8 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. There have only been 2 events at Level 7, Fukushima and Chernobyl. This is the first Level 8 disaster in the history of the world. The radiation needs to be contained, but will it be? Will the radiation in the air impact the people of Waketa? One of the airplane wings has blocked traffic in and out on a major roadway. This makes help arriving very difficult. This disaster is going to need regular people to step up and do things they have never done before. Firefighters, police, and those working at the nuclear plant will be asked to do things that would have been unimaginable before this event.

Will they be able to avert a global disaster that would impact the food and water supply forever? Will volunteers understand the significance of what they're volunteering to do? Will the families understand? The sacrifice that some make to protect the town, the nation, and the world is heartfelt and heartbreaking. This book made me feel all of those things and more. I rate Worst Case Scenario 5 stars with my very highest recommendation. Worst Case Scenario is out on August 13 and should be read immediately. This book is incredible and I'm still thinking about the characters in the book, what they went through, what they sacrificed, what they saved, and what they lost! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Little Brown Publishing for an advanced copy of Worst Case Scenario in exchange for a fair review. #WorstCaseScenario

I was completely engrossed with this book from beginning to end and finished it in one day.

It reminded me of a more fictionalized and sensational version of the book Nuclear War by Annie Jacobson but was easier and more fun to read.

I have enjoyed all the books by the author and was pleasantly surprised that she stepped away from the claustrophobic thrillers that we are used to. I went into this expecting the book to be about stopping the tragedy while on the plane. It starts with the tragedy already having happened, and dives right into the aftermath.

This book had less of a Lifetime movie feel than the author's past work, but was still reminiscent of it, especially towards the end.

Overall, I thought it was a great read.

4.5⭐️

T.J. Newman does it again! She has quickly become an auto-read author for me, so I was ecstatic when I was approved for an #arc via @netgalley. Thank you @littlebrown!

To set the scene, you live in small town Waketa, MN and a commercial airline’s plane crashes into the nuclear power plant… What now and how can a Chernobyl level disaster be avoided.

Without giving a lot away, the story that unfolds is high-stakes, action packed, and emotion filled. While Newman’s books are intense thrillers that read like a movie, she always brings in the element of family and human emotion through her characters which is what gets me every time. I’m not a cryer and her books get me a little choked up sometimes! There are a few different relationships/family dynamics you see in the book, but Steve and his son Matt 🥹🖤

I highly recommend giving this one a shot! Just to add, it’s not as aviation heavy if you’re not into that type of plot and had prevented you from picking up her last two books.

Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman—This upcoming novel (releasing 8/13) is like a disaster movie in book form. All you need to know is that it is about a plane crashing into a nuclear power plant and the potential disaster that could ensue from the crash. It is a real page-turner and I pictured The Rock possibly playing one of the characters in a movie version. It is best to just set aside all of the events of the book being 100% realistic and just enjoy the action. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance digital copy.

Newman’s previous 2 novels are set inflight while the plane is in turmoil, so I expected much of the same given the author and the cover art. Instead, said plane has already crashed by the first few chapters. This story focuses on those on the ground where sections of the plane are headed - which also happens to be a town housing a nuclear power plant. Panic ensues.

I am still not sure how I feel about this one, but perhaps Newman was sick of writing about plane disasters - which she is brilliant at! Instead, we follow various groups having to make quick decisions to save the town. The book is full of selfless acts and gut wrenching losses. Portions force the reader to take a hard, ugly look at mortality and question what a fulfilled life really means.

I love this writer and how she is able to create nail biting scenarios, but this one didn’t hit the same way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for the gifted advanced copies. I have read both of Newman’s previous books and knew I had to get this one! She writes edge of your seat thrillers that can spike your heart rate like nobody else! I listened to this one in a day and just wanted to sit and binge it. Worst Case Scenario is unlike her previous two books, while this does involve a plane, it’s more about what happens on the ground following a plane crash. I really enjoyed immersing myself in this book and living through these characters while they faced such terrifying moments! It’s one of those books that make you stop and think what you would do in each situation and I love that! It had me going through the emotions! I would say this is my favorite of Newman’s so far and I’m excited to see what she comes out with next!

This book was quite an experience. On the one hand, it is full of technical explanations and language about the workings of a powerplant. This was somewhat of an issue for me because my eyes started to glaze over during parts of the HOWEVER, the development of the plots and characters far surpassed my expectations and made the little bit of “work” totally worth it. My heart fell, spirits lifted, mind boggled, and surprise rankled throughout the book. This book addresses a pilot’s worse nightmare: What happens if a plane crashes into a nuclear powerplant? (new fear unlocked.) Devastation does not begin to answer this. However, the book does so in such a terrifying way. Not for the feint of heart. Thank you to Little and Brown andNetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Little Brown Company and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I mostly listened to the audiobook version of this book but did read individual chapters of the digital copy.

Wow, T.J. Newman can do no wrong. I was worried that this book would be similar to her others since the covers all look incredibly similar. I couldn't be farther from the truth. This book reads like a movie. The narrator did an incredible job of making you feel the tension and angst between the characters. I was hooked on each plot line up until the end. I got teary-eyed at points and couldn't imagine people making such life-changing decisions.

I cannot wait to see what T.J. Newman comes up with after this great release.

Posted to my Goodreads page:
Hold on to your seats TJ Newman has done it again! Although this book does involve a plane, it does not involve the rescue of the plane’s passengers. Instead it asks the question what happens if a plane crashes at a nuclear power plant?
While still a nail biter, this book isn’t quite as action packed as her last two. There is more stream of conscious thought and philosophical questions, and I found it dragged in those places. It is still a quick, solid read and I finished it in a few days while on vacation.
There is also a secondary plot involving the rescue of a vehicle stuck at a bridge. I spent a lot of time wondering how it connected and although it was explained at the end, I thought it lacked overall relevance to the main plot and could’ve been edited better by tying into another set of characters’ storyline.
Make sure you bring your tissues for this one, I cried in several places, which doesn’t happen often.
Without providing spoilers, this may be a tough one for anyone with triggers regarding children.
Definitely recommend this for an end of summer read and I’m excited to see what Newman has planed next for her readers.

Disclaimer - I was provided an e@arc by the publisher for an honest review.

“Worst Case Scenario” by T. J. Newman is a heart pounding, suspense filled thriller that is impossible to put down. The story takes place in a small town close to Minneapolis when a commercial airplane pilot has a medical emergency and the plane crashes into a nuclear power plant.

Immediately, a nonstop race against the clock to prevent a local, national and world wide catastrophe ensues. It is impossible not to become involved with the characters who are facing danger at every turn for themselves their families and their community. Their heroic actions are an important reminder of how people come together in times of great tragedy.

I recommend clearing your calendar to read this book because once you start reading you wont stop!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Tragedy in the air. A pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet. The commercial plane has a full flight of passengers as it crashes into a nuclear power plant. Emergency responders, power plant employees, neighbors, friends, families, teachers and brave ordinary people are all affected. If you cannot image the domino effect of this tragic event, it is laid out within the pages of a new thriller titled Worst Case Scenario.

One of the stages of copyediting that I offer to clients is whether the material is appropriate for the intended audience. Readers should not feel confused or the need to look up every other word/phrase. Authors should not dumb down content and risk insulting the reader. In this book, thank goodness for the "dumb firefighter questions" because I would have been lost with all the jargon.

There is a thin line between experience/knowledge and talking above the average person's understanding. It is more than apparent that Newman has a background in aviation. This serves her well in writing gripping stories. But make it understandable for those of us with no idea of the logistics behind a plane crash or nuclear events.

Unlike Newman's other novels that I categorize as hits, Worst Case Scenario was a miss. I was lost because of the language. I grew bored because of too many details. And I couldn't keep track of the many characters. If you are new to T.J. Newman, do NOT read Worst Case Scenario first as it might turn you off. I recommend her other novels.

Happy Early Pub Day, T.J. Newman! Worst Case Scenario will be available Tuesday, August 13.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Thriller novelist T.J. Newman has repeatedly captured lightning in a bottle. She was formerly a flight attendant until her first novel, Falling, became a bestseller and landed a movie deal. Her second novel, Drowning, did the same. Her third novel, Worst Case Scenario, will likely repeat the trick as this is a highly cinematic read that puts its foot on the gas pedal from the get-go and doesn’t let up. And, yes, this has “bestseller material” written right over it. Worst Case Scenario might not only be the best thriller I’ve read in a long time, but it also shows a deep maturity in Newman’s writing style since her Falling days. This novel’s scope is broader, and the threat is even more significant. And, to wit, this book isn’t afraid to do the taboo thing of putting children in peril. Or worse, killing them off entirely. Worst Case Scenario is one of those high-octane thrillers you often read about that you should go ahead and just read instead. It’s damn near perfect, even if its characters sometimes speak in monologues, and American jingoism is occasionally present.

The set-up is this: A pilot on a packed commercial aircraft suffers a fatal heart attack at 35,000 feet, and his backup is incapacitated. The jet crashes almost directly into a nuclear power plant in the small village of Waketa, Minnesota. The debris field is large, and a clipped wing has pinned a young five-year-old boy in a family minivan on a bridge across the Mississippi. Possibly more alarmingly, while the nuclear reactor has not taken a precise hit, its cooling pools where spent fuel rods are resting has. The control room staff of the plant has less than 16 hours to figure out a way to stop water from leaking out of the pool, and that’s not before other problems start to crop up. Meanwhile, the town’s lone fire truck personnel have to make the heart-wrenching decision to either save the young boy on the bridge or assist at the nuclear plant. The implications of the disaster are such that if the power plant goes into meltdown, the impact on the environment would be worse than Chernobyl or Fukushima — possibly escaping the two nuclear disasters combined and threatening to turn the human race into what happened to the dinosaurs.

A book like Worst Case Scenario shouldn’t work. Its premise is cheesy and based on some whoppers of “what ifs.” However, the fact that it does work is contingent on giving readers a wide-scale disaster to work with and focusing on the first responders. Anyone who poured over old newspaper clippings reading about various plane crashes and accidents will know the feeling a read such as this provides. It’s a dark look into the grit of human behavior and what it takes to be a real hero in the face of the world falling apart. Worst Case Scenario works as a popcorn read, with the narrative only slowing down for brief character development before readers are whisked away like a tornado onto the next problem that characters must solve. In a way, this novel reads a lot like those Irwin Allen disaster films of the ’70s. And, yes, I know there’s a television film called Atomic Twister about a tornado hitting a nuclear power plant. So, the idea presented by Newman may not be the most original on the planet.

The only thing slowing down the pace of this riveting thriller are those moments of character development that don’t add much to the story. This type of novel works best when the action goes nonstop, offering cliffhanger after cliffhanger. Thankfully, it doesn’t go out on coffee breaks often, leaving readers to marvel at this actioner’s frantic and furious pace. Ultimately, Worst Case Scenario is the type of book I’d like to see on the big screen. This book has all the elements to be a blockbuster summer movie — it even manages to shoehorn in just a little bit of romance (but not too much to make the whole story soppy). Thus, this is the type of book (and I may have said this before in other reviews) that you’ll want to grab some popcorn, pop, and potato chips to sit down and enjoy. There’s nothing literary about this read: it’s just a fun and frantic page-turner, but I’ll bet this one won’t be easy to forget. Thank God that Newman recognized her calling and is no longer a flight attendant because the world could use escapist fare like this now and then. Worse Case Scenario is a firecracker of a book that threatens to go nuclear in both literal and figurative fashions. If that sounds like something you would enjoy, I can’t be more effusive in saying that you should pick this one up.

Worst Case Scenario is equally terrifying and utterly heartbreaking. It will gut you to your core. Grab the tissues before you start it. Newman hits the ground running with this one and has a chokehold til the very end. I forced myself to take breaks while reading it to allow my heart rate to come down, but at 84%, I was sobbing so hard. I thought I was prepared to be wrecked. I thought I was prepared to have my heart pulled from my chest. I was not.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown for this arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was super excited to be chosen to read and review T. J. Newman's latest book. I actually was going to read it on a recent flight but chose not to! Great story but I was very disappointed in the extremely brief airplane aspect of the story. The book was actually about a nuclear power plant that the plane hit. I did enjoy the characters but felt the book was quite technical focused on the nuclear plant. Perhaps I should have read the synopsis more carefully -I was expecting an airplane crash thriller and this fell short in that aspect. I love her writing style and have enjoyed her 3 books. This was definitely my least favorite but still a great book! Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown and Company and T.J. Newman for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Wow! Thank you NetGalley for an arc of Worst Case Scenario. T.J. Newman does not miss with her books. She knows how to write fast paced, high stressed plots that keep you on your toes. After a plane crashes into a nuclear power plant and a cast of characters risk their lives to save their country. Such a thrilling ride and will always recommend this author! 4.5 Stars!