Amazing book!!! I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole time!!! Can't wait to read more from this very talented author ❤️

Worst Case Scenario was an exciting, can't put it down, fast paced thriller. In which the characters are just as important as the action. Newman created characters that the reader really connects with and cares about. Of course when a large, full plane crashes into a nuclear power plant, people are going to die, but you'll be rooting for your favorite characters to pull through.

The damage to the plant is extensive, to the parts of the plant that will become extremely dangerous when compromised. It's a thrilling race against time as they try to repair the damage and minimize radiation leaks. The community pulls together in a very heartwarming way, and first responders are brave and heroic.

I recommend this to people who have read and enjoyed TJ Newman's books Falling and Drowning, I think you'll like this one too. The book has a very cinematic vibe, so I'd also recommend it to people who enjoy intense beat-the-clock to avoid disaster type of movies.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Combo of book and audio. Audio was excellent. Recommend way to go on this one. Her other two books were 5 stars for me. Would say this one was 3.75. Somehow slow but too much happening all at the same time. For that reason ended up finishing with the book to read faster.

I have received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I did not want to put this book down. If I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it and talking to my coworkers about it. This book is about the aftermath of a plane crashing into a nuclear power plant in a small town. Unlike with TJ Newman's other books, after the first 40 pages or so we do not get perspectives or stories of the people on the plane. This book is about what happens within the nuclear power plant and in the surrounding town after the crash. I fell in love with these characters and was rooting for them despite knowing that there were so many things going wrong. I loved them so much that I wanted to have hope for them. Needless to say I was a sobbing mess by the end. I also felt like some of the things brought up in this book are important to know about and be aware of when it comes to nuclear safety and the precautions (or lack thereof) in place for certain scenarios in a nuclear disaster. I always get a great story and learn new information when I read a TJ Newman book and that is what I love about them so much.

Many thanks to @littlebrown and @netgalley for my #gifted (free) copy. Pub date 8/13/24.

T.J. Newman is known for her fast-paced nail-biting thrillers, and all her books give me a near heart attack! WORST CASE SCENARIO was a little different than her two previous novels because it's not about the passengers of the plane and more about the disaster the plane crash has caused. Their is a large cast of characters in this book, so many that I had to make myself a list so I didn't confuse myself. I am beyond excited for her previous novels being made into movies, and I could totally see this one as a movie also. T.J. Newman is an auto-read author for me, I love the adrenaline rush I get from reading her books!

When the pilot of an airplane with over 200+ passengers has a heart attack mid-air, the plane comes crashing down in the little town of Waketa, Minnesota. The plane crashes into the power plant and debris all over the town , causing a huge rippling effect. The International Nuclear Event Scale has 7 levels, and they have only had two level 7 events ever. Nobody has ever seen a level 8 event until now!Make sure to get your copy on Tuesday 8/13 to see how this level 8 natural disaster plays out.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: mystery/thriller📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Not to be dramatic but this might be my favorite book of the year! This book unlocked so many new fears for me but I loved it!

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Suspenseful thrillers
Action packed survivals
Terrifying yet heartwarming reads
Fast paced and intense plots
Realistic characters
Themes of community and resilience
Small town setting
Unique storylines
Books that keep you on your feet

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The narration was great
Binged it in one day

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
This book gave me so such much anxiety but I loved every minute of it lol

Wow. Blown away. TJ Newman has a knack for bringing disaster stories to life. I would love to see inside her brain.

The characters were intriguing, but it was the plotline that really brought this one together for me. Absolutely unhinged. And totally brilliant. I really appreciated the subplots; this is not only a disaster novel but also brings to light the power society has when we work together, not against each other. I was definitely on the edge of my seat. The way Newman writes--with a slight element of whiplash between storylines--emphasizes the chaos. And then Chapter 39 undid me. Tears were shed.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book AND this author.

I really enjoyed Falling & Drowning so I was really hyped about this new book. But I DNF at around 46% because I just couldn’t keep going. I was so bored. So lost. There are to many characters. To many details that we really don’t need. It started off really strong and intriguing till it because long, confusing & boring.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: August 13, 2024

TJ Newman decides to crash a plane into a nuclear power plant in her latest novel - Worst Case Scenario.

"A commercial airline pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet and his plane filled with passengers crashes into a nuclear power plant in Minnesota. Soon everyone from the President down to neighbors and friends are fighting to save their community and the world."

Newman is known for non-stop action and she never lets up. She goes from the events on the plane to wrecks on the Interstate to power outages in town to keeping the tension high at the nuclear power plant. People die and people are saved. First responders have to make critical decisions about who can be or should be saved. There are several moments where you're holding your breath, wondering what comes next. And hoping certain characters will make it (many won't)

One thing that I thought bogged the story down was the detail on Nuclear Disaster levels and disaster procedures and processes - too much overexplaining.

Another good action story from Newman.

I feel privileged to have read an advanced copy of this book. It was my least fave of the 3 but only due to the fact I felt the first half was a really slow build up.
The second half of the book….i couldn’t put it down. It was edge of your seat jam packed. I cheered. I cried.
Overall 4 star rating for me.

Another explosive (see what I did there) thriller from TJ Newman 🤩
Thank you, Little Brown and Company,  for the gifted copy of Worst Case Scenario {partner}

Genre: Thriller
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 8.13.2024
Pages: 336
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

“It isn’t about the individual. It’s about the whole. The collective. The greater good.”

TJ Newman never ceases to amaze me. How can someone pack that much action into a story and still find a way to make me feel so many emotions that I start crying? Every single book of hers has me an emotional mess at the end… and I love it.

While Worst Case Scenario is a bit different from her other books, we spend some time inside the airplane right before impact, but most of the book takes place on the ground, inside the town lines of Waketa, Minnesota. It added a completely new spin on the “locked room trope.”

There was a lot seethed into this 336-page roller coaster of a book, but my favorite storyline involved Connor. The whole situation involving this kid made me a nervous, emotional mess, and I left crying, biting off what very few nails I had left, and hoping Newman didn’t do the unthinkable. 

Needless to say, when I finished Worst Case Scenario, I needed a nap. 

Read if you enjoy:
💨 Face paced
💥 Action-packed
🧩 Problem-solving
🥺 Emotional stories

I recommend reading The Worst Case Scenario when you have an entire day free. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop.

Well what can I say? T. J. Newman has done it again! I love her books and they always keep me on the edge of my seat. Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

TJ Newman's latest disaster story is another fantastic page-turner, this time taking the action out of the plane and raising the stakes to a race against nuclear disaster. "Worst Case Scenario" proves that Newman is not just a one-trick pony writer who is limited to aviation suspense, but rather reveals that her true mastery is in developing suspense around average Americans in extraordinary, harrowing situations. While it's true that an airplane disaster is the catalyst to the plot of the novel, the real thrills come from her ability to develop characters that seem familiar and relatable at a lightning-fast pace and place them in peril. I was invested in these characters from the opening and felt like I knew them. The voices felt authentic throughout, from children to teens to adults, male and female.

My husband works in nuclear power, so this story hit close to home, and it felt genuine and plausible, given all the twists and turns and developments along the way. It was also presented in a way that someone not familiar with the science could follow and understand the critical pieces without being too in the weeds and jargon-laden. I understand exactly what the small Minnesota town around the plant is like, having grown up in a smaller town in the Midwest and now living in close proximity to a plant. It seemed well-researched and authentic throughout.

Newman uses a taut plot with shorter chapters and shifting perspectives. She doesn't waste a paragraph, sentence, or word, plunging into the action on Page 1. Her descriptions are not overly gory but still feel gruesome and terrifying with the use of single, gut-wrenching lines. "The seats were not empty" springs to mind. The real villain of "Worst Case Scenario" is, in fact, our inability to prepare for and guard against a "worst case scenario," as well as a ticking clock counting down to zero hour, which is posted at the beginning of every chapter. Instead of relying on a visible, named villain, Newman instead shines a light on everyday people asked to put aside their differences and rise to the occasion to be heroes.

"Worst Case Scenario" is a fast and thrilling novel that reads like a great disaster movie with memorable characters and a unique story. I enjoyed Newman's first two books, and this one is just as enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced read.

What a wild ride! Literally!!

Worst Case Scenario (apt title) asks the question: what if a plane crashed into a nuclear power plant? and what if the infrastructure of that plant was already under-funded and falling apart?

I have never been so stressed but so interested while reading a book. T.J. Newman writes so cinematically you can see it playing in your head clear as day. I thought the different story lines were both extremely well done and can't wait to read more by her! (especially since I already own Falling and Drowning... book worm problems)

The book’s pacing is extremely fast. We are thrown into the story and follow many characters as they are forced to make impossible decisions. We see teachers, firefighters, engineers, military, and more navigate this catastrophe. Like in Newman’s other books, the chapters begin with a running clock counting us down to the zero hour.
I won’t even try to be vague. This book is STRESSFUL. It is heart pounding and give you sense of dread. The title is no joke—this book is about the worst case scenario . I fell asleep reading this book, and my dreams that night were stress filled. Make no mistake. A lot of people die in this book. A lot of bad happens.
Sooooo why would anyone want to read this book then right? Here are a couple reasons.
it was so fast paced and can be read very quickly so it would be a good book if you need something quick to change things up
It has beautiful depictions of sacrifice and love.
It shows the power of community banding together in times of darkness
I will say that I really liked this book, but it wasn’t my favorite of hers. A main reason is that I knew nothing about nuclear plants, so I found myself having to google terms quite often at the start. That gave me a slower startup. I would do yourself a favor and just look at that on your own before you read this.
Also , this is so minor but the perspectives change often and sometimes it would happen mid chapter. There was rarely a way to show that shift. I just wish there was a little squiggle or something. This also happened in cc3 and it drove me mad.
Again , not the end of the world but I noticed it enough to make me think of it every Time.
Also there were a couple plot points that felt like the author was intentionally trying to pull at your heartstrings. I was like ok here we go. I know this person is toast.
But then even if I was right— they were toast —it still got me? I found myself tearing up.
So while it wasn’t my favorite of hers, I still really enjoyed it and I’m glad I got a chance to read it.

T.J. Newman does it again!! 🛩️

Worst Case Scenario releases on August 13 and you’ll def want to get your hands on it! 👏🏻

I flew through this book. I was grabbing for tissues multiple times throughout - these characters were just so so good and I was rooting for them from the start. ✈️

The quickie: When a Coastal Airlines 757 pilot suffers a heart attack and his copilot is in the lavatory, the plane does a nose dive into the Clover Hill Nuclear Power Plant. If the plant explodes, what does that mean, exactly? Oh you know, just the end of civilization, basically. The town of Waketa is forced to band together, with and without the outside help of President Dawson, outside aid, and local emergency crews. ✈️🚒🏢🏨

This book had me on the edge of my seat. I love that Newman is a former flight attendant who came up with these books and/or wrote them while on the job and that often times she was talking to pilots about their worst fears while flying. She does such a nice job of educating the reader while keeping the plot moving and keeping the reader hooked. Drowning is still my favorite of hers but WCS is definitely #2! And an added perk that Drowning and Falling are set to be movies - I can see this one being made as well! 🤞🏻

Some of my favorite quotes:

✨“A man at a gas station heard the pump shut off but his truck’s tank was only a third full. A kid at recess pushed the silver button on the drinking fountain and ran off, still thirsty, after nothing came out. People in an elevator fell into one another as the cab jolted to a stop. The couple in the front row of a roller coaster looked down the steep drop, wondering if the long pause was part of the ride. A surgeon stayed his hand, the scalpel hovering over the patient’s chest cavity, no longer able to see in the pitch-black OR.” *chills!!*

✨“A fire of this magnitude, mankind has yet to conceive of a way to put out. It would burn forever.”

✨“What would a level eight mean?” “It would be an extinction-level event, sir.”

✨”If he truly had understood what that meant—that time runs out—he would have done it all so differently. Maybe you can’t understand until you’re the one standing on the brink. Maybe we’re not meant to. Maybe it’s some biological trick designed to keep us safe from the saber-toothed tiger, only now it keeps us building big cities and worrying about deadlines.

✨ “And once you see it, once you get it, once you’re free from the false belief that you think you have time, you can just enjoy it for what it is. And it is all so, so beautiful.”

Thank you NetGalley, T.J. Newman, and Little Brown for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Releases 8/13!

As I have been accustomed to with T.J. Newman, I buckled up and prepared to read this book within 24-48 hours! It did not disappoint. While based in her normal setting of an airplane this story veered quickly into a small town, making the theme of community rich. If you want a fast and furious thriller clear your schedule and got lost in this story with a large cast of characters a slice of life in small community facing a Herculean task. Thank you to NetGalley for access to an advanced reader copy.

I love T.J. Newman's other two books, so this one disappointed me. I only got 25% of the way through but had to DNF because the book felt AI-generated. The beginning scene was crazy gory without any emotion. Then, the explanation of the nuclear power plant felt like someone typed "tell me how a nuclear power plant works" into an AI generator and copied and pasted it. I was not invested in any of the characters to continue reading. I hate writing anything negative about someone's hard work, but this one didn't grab me as much as her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for the advanced copy. Because I didn't finish the book, I don't think it's fair to place a review on my page or Goodreads, but I will mention it in my stories.

Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrown for my gifted copy.

This book unlocked MANY new fears.

As a Minnesota resident who knows exactly where Waketa is - this book was so anxiety inducing 😅 I was googling "Is there a Clover Hill Nuclear Plant in Waketa" at midnight. Because if there was, we were moving.

This was brilliant. It's not often a book gets my adrenaline pumping, but T.J. Newman is such a phenomenal author. She's able to thrill me and rip my heart out of my chest at the same time. Seeing a small community come together to try to save humanity is exactly what I needed in my life.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Why do I do this to myself 😂?! I’m nearly past my fear of flying! But TJ Newmans 3rd book based on another airline tragedy gave me constant anxiety and I loved it!!

What I liked:
•the author took her expertise of airplane travel and pilots worst fears, and expanded on that, this time setting the story at a nuclear power plant.
•I think I liked the side story about a little boy trapped in a van above the Mississippi River even more than the main story set at the plant.
•Minnesota setting ~ a midwest power plant like the one I live 20 miles from.
•why does it take a disaster to bring people together? But nice to imagine it can.
•dreaming of a president like the one in the book ~ caring, compassionate, smart and attentive.
•the first two books are being made into movies, I can definitely see this one as a movie as well!

What I didn’t like:
•so much mechanical detail
•a lot of characters to keep track of

Thanks to the author and netgalley for this digital arc being released august 13!

Book 42 of 2024
Read August 1-4