Whew, what an absolute banger this was. I knew the formula going in after reading Newman's last book- page turning thriller. What I didn't realize is that I would be almost sobbing throughout the entire book. It was gut wrenching and chilling, but also had so much heart. As someone who grew up in a small town like Waketa, I felt like I was watching my family and friends throughout this book being put into one impossible scenario followed by another. It does speak to the kind of people that live in towns like this, and helped me restore some faith in humanity and foster hope that is this horrific situation truly happened on American soil, we could all forgive our differences and come together. I don't want to spoil anything more, so I will just end the review by saying this- READ. THIS. BOOK!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This book grabbed me from the first page. I quickly found myself enthralled with the complexity of the characters. I am partial to the wild, high stakes situations that this author always beings to the table. With this being the third book that is centered around planes, I would love to see the author do another setting for a high stakes scenario. Overall, this is a solid read!

TJ Newman delivers her best yet!

No one writes a pulse-pounding, emotional, high-stakes and race-against-time thriller like she does. I love the niche she has carved out in the thriller genre, where you have some the worst disasters you can imagine involving a plane. It's bold, imaginative and yet not implausible.

I couldn't put down this propulsive page-turner. Like her previous novels, it starts with a bang, never lets up, is filled with action and tension, and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I adored all the characters and their backstories, the theme of community and found family, of people coming together during adversity. This is a book that showcases the best of humanity and I loved every moment.

And yes, of course I cried.

Heart pumping adrenaline inducing read much like the authors other books. There are some heart wrenching moments and it was such a meaningful conclusion.

I'm discovering I am most likely not going to be disappointed by T. J. Newman. This book was almost impossible to put down with non-stop intensity. I'm not one to really tear up in books, but this one pulled it out of me emotionally! Well done!

I have been a mega, mega fan of TJ Newman’s work since her 2021 debut “Falling.” I thought it would be impossible to write another book like “Falling,” but she’s done it twice since. (Had to include some of my previous shots of her books!)

The premise of “Worst Case Scenario” is a commercial jetliner crashes into a nuclear power plant in small-town Minnesota after its pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet.

“Worst Case Scenario” is true to the author’s style of marrying a can’t-put-it-down storyline with a highly scientific disaster, though one is less about aviation and more about a nuclear meltdown.

In “Drowning,” Newman’s second novel, we saw her really expand her character development and that trend continues in this book. I’d say “Worst Case Scenario” is even more emotional than “Drowning.” It’s also incredibly anxiety inducing; my eye twitched for awhile after I finished it, and I couldn’t read it before bed because I could feel my heart rate picking up. 🫨 Trust me when I say that Newman puts you right there in the disaster with her characters — you feel like you’re fighting for your life right alongside them.

Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman was an adrenaline-fueled experience from start to finish. Newman masterfully crafts a narrative that plunges readers into a catastrophic event with relentless pacing and vivid detail.

The story begins with a commercial airliner en route to Minnesota, where the pilot suffers a fatal heart attack at 35,000 feet. With the co-pilot trapped in the lavatory, the aircraft tragically crashes into the Clover Hill Nuclear Power Plant near the small town of Waketa. This unprecedented disaster sets off a chain reaction, threatening a Level 8 nuclear event—an escalation beyond even the infamous Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.

Newman’s portrayal of the ensuing chaos is both terrifying and compelling. She delves into the lives of ordinary individuals—power plant employees, firefighters, and local residents—who are thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Their courage and determination to avert a global catastrophe are depicted with authenticity and emotional depth.

What sets this novel apart is Newman’s attention to detail and her ability to humanize large-scale disaster. The technical aspects of nuclear power plant operations are presented clearly, enhancing the story’s plausibility without overwhelming the reader. The personal stories interwoven throughout the crisis add layers of emotional resonance, making the stakes feel intensely real.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THIS WAS SO GOOD! As a Minnesotan I was probably extra freaked out that this took place in Minnesota, but this book has me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. A plane crashing into a nuclear power plant?!?! People risking their lives to save millions of others? Say less. Phenomenal book, highly recommend everyone read it!

I actually couldn’t finish this book, but loved Newman‘s others. It felt strangely slow to me and I just didn’t care about many of the characters. I tried multiple times to keep reading and finally decided to stop forcing myself.

This one was absolutely compelling. I knew after the first few pages that I couldn't put it down until I was finished. It's an "edge-of-your-seat" novel with Newman's incredible writing keeping you hooked.

If you just want a well paced thriller to pass the time, anything TJ Newman works will probably do the job. But if, like me, you’re not huge on thoughtless thrillers and are only here hoping to recapture the excitement and originality of Falling, this one just never gets there.

Maybe we just don’t need a whole series of thrillers about plane crashes that all seem to have the same voice and be populated by the same stock characters. While I loved Falling, I didn’t think this or Drowning really brought anything new to the table, and the cleverness of the detail and setting in Falling (the Yankee stadium scene, for example) has been absent from Newman’s last two books.

Newman writes well enough that I think she might successfully pivot to thrillers tackling a different subject, but these have more than run their course. The nuclear threat in this one really only adds stress to the reader experience, rather than any sense of something different. If Newman keeps writing (and I still hope she does), I hope she tries her hand at a slightly different subject.

TJ Newman's books always give me pause when it is time to travel, and this was no different! Her description and plot set up made this book so incredibly believable and frightening. Well-developed characters made me feel something for everyone involved, and I hope I am not going to be flying over nor located near a nuclear power plant any time soon!

This book is wild. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I couldn’t put it down. The Cheeto chapters (just one more!) are the perfect way to build and keep suspense. I have read everything Newman has written and I will continue to do so! This will be a great book for my high school library for those students who aren’t big readers but love an action movie.

TJ Newman is a master at delivering intense thrill rides that keep you on the edge of your seat throughout and Worst Case Scenario is no exception!

T.J. Newman has a way of writing books that keep you on the edge of your seat. When a plane crashes into a nuclear plant in Minnesota a chain reaction disaster begins. What I loved about this book is it was told in real time. At first people didn’t know what happened. Then they realized what happened and had to get to safety or to the plant to prevent further disaster. The story not only focuses on the plant but things happening because the plane crashed such as a family stuck on a bridge because the wing of the plane broke off. A story filled with nonstop action, heros, and heartbreak.

It’s no doubt that TJ is a talented writer. Her debut Falling was hard to put down from the beginning however Worst Case Scenario didn’t have that for me. I kept going based on what I know of her work and I’m glad I did. The multiple point of view within a thriller like this felt a little played out and extra challenging at the beginning to keep straight and that is likely what led to sidelining it for a bit. In the end what kept me coming back was that notion of ordinary people doing some extraordinary things.

Worst Case Scenario kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I haven't read Newman's previous titles yet, purely because anything involving planes usually gives me major anxiety, but after reading this one (and pushing through my anxiety), I can't wait to read their other titles. This book is one of those stories that messes with your head, keeps you turning the pages, and guessing what's going to happen the entire way through. A perfect example of what a thriller should be.

I highly recommend Worst Case Scenario.
Thank you Little, Brown, and Company and NetGalley for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5/5 stars

I loved this book from the first page til the last. It's a bonkers plot, yes, but Newman is the master at writing these kinds of stories. She somehow makes us both want to know what's going to happen AND care about the characters it's happening to.

Thrilling and terrifyingly realistic!

TJ Newman writes thrillers with heart. Readers care about the characters while seeing them in scary situations.

A pilot has a heart attack and the plane goes down.
Unlike her last book, Drowning, where the ocean was the crash, Worst Case Scenario has a plane crash at one of the worst places ever, A nuclear plant.

It's a smallish town so it's self contained but still a major disaster waiting to happen.

The Chernobyl parts turned my stomach..
At one point I was laughing at something someone said, next I was sobbing.

To me the story was very realistic.
Fast paced
Compelling and emotional.

I loved how the community came together to help as much as they could.

The sacrifices people made had me crying.

A one sitting read with my heart pounding most of the time.

Its been selling at the store and I've been telling everyone about it

Thanks to net galley the author and publishers for this amazing book

4 1\2 ******Highly recommended

Intense and captivating! What happens if a plan accidentally crashes into a nuclear power plant?

This one had more characters and locations than her previous books. I found myself getting kind of bored when the POV switched. I also felt like the ending was rushed.

Despite that, this was an intense story that really creeped me out at times. It felt too real. I love the themes of sacrifice, connection, family, and camaraderie that are explored. The characters felt like real people who I was rooting for.

I definitely recommend if you liked Newman’s other books or fast paced speculative fiction.