4.5 rounded up to 5

This was another great thriller from T.J. Newman. In this book, a plane has hit a nuclear power plant in a small town in Minnesota. From there, the countdown is on to prevent a major disaster. This took me a little bit to get into, but once I was hooked I couldn't stop reading. This book has lots of characters to root for - making the story that much more tense as they put their lives on the line. Another fantastic thriller that is perfect for summer.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book - yes I’m an outlier. While it was indeed an adrenaline rush, I was less impressed with the characters. I thought there were WAY TOO MANY CHARACTERS in this novel. It’s hard for me to get fully invested when there are some characters that are central to the plot and another large handful that are ancillary characters.

PROS:

*** Interesting premise

*** I enjoyed the central characters: the firefighters, the people in charge of the power plant, the residents of the town of Waketa, Minnesota who tried to keep the residents informed during a complete power failure, etc

*** I liked the townspeople coming together for the good of everyone. I think that this has been proven time and again when tragedy strikes in a small, rural community.


CONS:

*** This could have been called an apocalyptic thriller since none of the events are based on real occurrences

*** I thought that “FALLING” had a well described and intricate plot while this book was really a lot of “what if this happened”, “what if that happened”.

*** I would have enjoyed a smaller cast of characters that were well developed and that I could really care about

This book did deliver an adrenaline rush as promised and it was entertaining while also being a nail biter.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. I received the audiobook from NetGalley and Hachette Audio.

I enjoyed the audiobook the most as the narrators did a great job and their voices added to the tension in the novel.

TJ Newman writes awesome, action packed novels. Did I read all of this in one sitting? Yes. While the initial concept seemed like a little of a stretch, I was still invested just as much as her other novels; however, this one felt…. Familiar? It felt like some of the main components (not to go into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil anything) were previously used in another one of her novels. The ending was also weak and I felt like I needed more in some of those final scenes. It was still a good novel overall and if this was my first TJ Newman book, my score could be different. However, Drowning is still my number one, followed by Falling, leaving this at a solid 3/5 in third place.

In her Author's Note at the beginning of Worst Case Scenario, T.J. Newman, a former flight attendant, talks about interviewing pilots for her novels. One of the most frequent questions she'd ask them was, "What's your biggest fear as a pilot?" She kept hearing the same types of answers over and over again, until one pilot's response stopped her in her tracks. His biggest fear, he told her, was a commercial jet crashing into a nuclear power plant.

Worst Case Scenario is about that very event, taking readers to the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, which becomes ground zero for a catastrophe with worldwide implications. As with Newman's previous novels, it hooked me with the first sentence and didn't let go. It's riveting and action-packed, fast-paced and tense, and cinematic in its execution.

But at the same time, Newman keeps her focus tightly on the people. She always crafts characters that I genuinely care about and root for, and the characters in Worst Case Scenario are no exception. Here, they are ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances: everyday folks who become heroes, who display the best of what it means to be human. She's so adept at creating an emotional connection to her characters, while also placing them in an intense, propulsive thriller narrative that never lets up.

Drowning is still my favorite of Newman's books so far, but Worst Case Scenario is really everything I could ask for in a thriller. It manages to be heartwarming, heartbreaking, and horrifying all at once, and I hope it finds its way to the big screen like her previous novels are set to (I'm sure it will). Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for the early reading opportunity.

I discovered T. J. Newman with her debut book, Falling. I was blown away at how it was such an edge of your seat thriller. When Drowning released, I was all in and it was even crazier and more action packed than her first book if that’s even possible. Both books took place on airplanes.

Newman’s third book starts off on a plane with a bang and really never stops… Ever. It’s extreme action packed from the first page. I was trying to read this one late at night and had to stop. I was getting too worked up and needed to relax to be able to sleep, so had to switch and read this during the day or early evenings.

In Worst Case Scenario, a pilot has a heart attack and dies while flying a large passenger plane. The plane ends up crashing into a nuclear plant and puts the whole world in jeopardy almost causing an apocalypse.

I absolutely fell in love with the brave men and women who tried to save the world or even just one child. I had to read the last few chapters twice because… that ending! The feels!

I both listened to the audiobook as narrated by Joe Morton, and then went back and reread major sections by ebook. I thought Joe Morton did a good job with the narration.

T. J. Newman is one of my autobuy authors now since all 3 of her books so far have been 5 star reads for me. Not sure how she’ll top Worst Case Scenario.

*Thanks so much to Hachette Audio, Little Brown and Co., and NetGalley for the advanced copies!*

Thanks to Little Brown and Company for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

I don’t know how TJ Newman does it, but this was another five star read. While this one only takes place on a plane for the beginning, she gives us her signature pulse-pounding, impossible-to-survive scenarios, balanced with beautiful, moral, complex characters that you just root for so deeply. Every single page is filled with disaster and just when you think they’ve solved it, there is another wrinkle that puts them all in peril again. I thought her last book had some of my favorite characters ever committed to the page, but this one is even better. Dani, Ethan and Joss, Steve and RJ… IYKYK! If you like thrillers, make sure this one is definitely on your summer reading list!

I will do my best to just judge this book solely on its own, but It's hard to not draw comparisons between TJ Newman's other works when all three have been about plane crashes. Which makes me wonder how many more thrillers this author can write involving planes. I guess we will find out. Just for context I gave her first two books 5 stars, however this one I am giving 3 stars.

Pros
-very suspenseful, and lots of action right from the beginning that sucks you into the story. I read the first 25% and didn't even realize I had read that much until I checked on my kindle. Its definitely the type of story that you can see being made into an action movie.
- This book, like her others, definitely knows how to draw out your emotions and tug on your heartstrings.. All three books have been able to make me cry, especially the epilogue of this one.

Cons
-Because this story happens on a power plant and not on an airplane, this one didn't feel nearly as claustrophobic as her previous two did.
- I am unfamiliar with anything nuclear related so a lot of that talk went over my head and made a big chuck of the book boring.
-One could argue that the book is too suspenseful. There is very little downtime from start to finish. So because of this the reader can become very desensitized to the suspense throughout the book, which leads to the big moments not feeling as impactful as they could have been.
-There were a lot of characters and names to keep track of. You have your core main characters like, Steve, Ethan, Conner, Dani, and Joss. Then there is a lot of secondary characters whose names are important but they don't get as much page time. Then (and more confusingly) there are these tertiary kinds of characters that you never know if you should remember because you're not sure if they will become important again later on.
-I wish there was some sort of map or diagrams or something included in the beginning that would help me to understand that layout of the town, the facility, and the actual nuclear weapons that they are talking about throughout the book so that way I could have a reference to go back to in order for me to understand everything being talked about. I had a hard time imagining everything.

***I received this story as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

This story was gripping and tense from the opening scene of a plane crashing into a small town in Minnesota. It was a terrifying premise for the plane to crash into a nuclear power plant, causing a Level 7 catastrophe up there with Chernobyl and Fakushima. The Civil War, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11 were the 3 major incidents to happen on American soil. To me, born in 1984, tragedies and war happen in other countries, not here. But this book reminded me that accidents and tragedies are possible on any given day. We're never 100% safe.

This book a lot of the HBO show Chernobyl and the danger those townspeople and plant workers put themselves in so they could save as many people as possible. This book embodied the human spirit to help each other in times of disaster. I enjoyed the author told the story from different perspectives- the power plant workers, the president and White House officials, the townspeople, and firefighters trying their best to save just one little boy. Although the author tried their best to explain the science, there were times I still got lost.

Great book overall!

Hold onto your seats, folks! TJ Newman's third book is here, and it's a rollercoaster ride from start to finish! I couldn't put this one down—it’s that gripping. The story kicks off with a bang as a plane plunges towards Earth, destined to crash into a nuclear plant. Talk about a heart-pounding start!

As the characters scramble to solve one life-threatening problem after another, I found myself frantically flipping pages on my Kindle. The tension, the fear—it’s all there, keeping you hooked. Newman has a rare talent for writing a book that not only educate but also keep you on the edge of your seat. She absolutely nailed it with this one! THRILLING!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for letting me dive into this ARC. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this pulse-pounding read!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this eARC.

Much like T.J. Newman’s other novels, “Worst Case Scenario” immediately starts with action. I really enjoy how Newman writes her novels by alternating perspectives within the same chapter. I’ve seen others comment similar things about her writing style, noting that it reads like a movie - and I agree completely.

The pacing of this book was very good, especially with what was at stake - there really wasn’t a single lull in the entire book. You really felt the urgency that the characters were feeling, knowing that they were all working against time and that every second mattered.

This was another book with a lot of different characters and backstories that sometimes I can find hard to keep straight, but I feel like that wasn’t the case in this book at all. My only “complaints” would be that it felt like some of the backstories weren’t developed enough, and it also felt like there could have been a bit more to the ending before it wrapped up. But, even with those very minor complaints, this was a super fun, emotional read.

I am obsessive about reading my arcs in pub date order, but I made an exception for this one. I had to pick it up ASAP (and binge it in less than 24 hours).

I absolutely loved Drowning last year, amd somehow this one is even better. A plane crashes into a nuclear power plant in Minnesota (which is where I live!). My heart was racing the entire time as we watched people come together and attempt to save literally the entire world.

Warning, this book made me cry more than any other book has in years. Just when I thought I was done sobbing, some other problem would arise and I'd start again.

I was so excited about this book. This is a must read author for me, but unfortunately I did really enjoy her first two books more.

This book was about an aircraft crashing into a nuclear power plant and how the town reacted about this potential global pandemic. I struggled with this one because I really enjoyed the first two novels about “flight gone wrong” and how to rescue the passengers inside. This book was more plane crash that was going to destroy the world.

Worst Case Scenario was a quick read that kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. When a plane hits a nuclear power plant the small town and the US government must work quickly to prevent a level 8 nuclear event. I did find this book very stressful probably because I live near a nuclear power plant but I did enjoy how the president reacted showing how 9-11 is still in the front of our minds.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown and Company, and TJ Newman for the copy of Worst Case Scenario.

This book kept me at the edge of my seat. This was the second book I’ve ready by TJ Newman, and I enjoyed it as much as the first. I became very invested in these characters. Definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed T.J. Newman’s other two books so I was really excited to get my hands on this ARC.

This did not disappoint. It had the same edge of your seat feeling as the other books. Her writing made me feel as though I was in the room with the characters as they were going through the events.. I didn’t want to put it down.

I’d definitely recommend this to others.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Worst Case Scenario
by T.J. Newman
Pub Date: Aug 13 2024

"Worst Case Scenario" by best selling author: T.J. Newman is by far the best edge of your seat thriller I have read and loved every page until the heart stopping ending! It was action packed with high suspense, I was totally engaged in the story, the characters were so likable. There was a point at one time I had to put the book down as I was totally broken over an incident that happened between a father and his son. I've never had a story affect me as much as this one did. With that said, I've given this 5 stars, I would give it more if I could! I highly recommend this book.

Synopsis: 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.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company, Worst Case Scenario for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Action filled book that reads like it would make a great movie or tv show. Netflix are you listening?

A plane crashes into a nuclear plant in the Minnesota. They have 16 hours to avert a national disaster. Nerve wrecking read but well worth it.

Really have enjoyed these books! The author pulls at our heart strings and keeps us on the edge of our seats over and over again. The descriptions of the plant and the life saving heroics of the workers were the best part. I highly recommend. But maybe skip these if you’re going to fly any time soon.

Another classic from T.J. Newman. Many ask if you need to read Falling and Drowning first. My answers is YES!! Not because you need it to make sense of the story, but more because they are excellent reads that everyone should experience.

In this action thriller, plane crash meets nuclear power plant disaster. You get the perspectives of those on the flight, firefighters, politicians workers at the power plant, and more.

This story did a nice job of explaining the danger for those of us who are not nuclear scientists ! It will make you cry, sweat, stress and drop your jaw. Highly recommend !!

The narration was excellent and kept me stressed and on edge for the entire 8 hours ! I loved the speaker audio change when they were talking over radios.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown and Company and Hachette Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Check this out on release date 8/12/24!

Any book from TJ Newman will forever be an auto-read for me. Her first two novels, Falling and Drowning hooked me instantly and held onto me as it dragged me through its’ disaster scenarios.

Worst Case Scenario is an intense thriller of a novel. When a pilot suffers a heart attack mid-flight, a commercial airliner filled with passengers crashes into a nuclear power plant in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota. It becomes ground zero for a catastrophic national crisis with global implications. The town of Waketa has only 16 hours and 38 minutes to solve this crisis and it’s going to take everyone from the power plant employees, to their friends and neighbors to solve the issue, sacrificing much along the way.

I’ll start by saying that this book continues the way Newman’s two previous books do with heart pounding action from start to finish. You can feel its intensity as the town goes into crisis mode to figure out how to divert this disaster…and yet…

There was something with this novel that didn’t hit as well as the other two did. I appreciated the action but very quickly we’re thrown into the action with tons of characters that we don’t get to know all that well. At a point, I did lose track of some of the names and their purpose in the story. There’s also two storylines going on here and I think I liked the secondary storyline more? I think it was due to the first storyline feeling a bit rushed due to the time crunch and the ending of that storyline before the epilogue feeling a bit abrupt.

Despite my critiques, I do still think this is a good book and I do recommend it. I do think I would rank it as my least favorites of her books, but still good. You may just need to take your time a bit more time a bit more than I probably did.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: 8/13/24