T.J. Newman is an auto-read author for me, I will truly read anything she writes! She has a way with building suspense that truly creates the best reading experience. This isn’t my very favorite of hers, but I still loved it so much and look forward to reading her next one!

Worst Case Scenario by TJ Newman is an incredible book! Incredibly hard to read, with scenes so devastating I could barely breathe. But also incredibly hopeful. No one writes about the goodness of humanity like Newman does!

Like all of her books, this one is high tension and high anxiety all the way through. It took me a while to read because I’d have to set the book aside and read something light and fluffy for a couple days before picking it up again.

Newman’s books prompt a lot of introspection for me. She writes about horrific situations that happen in the blink of an eye, which always forces me to think about what I’d do in a similar crisis! Newman’s explorations of human emotions and actions are what makes her books so relatable and emotional for me.

I also love that her books are as much about community and family as the crisis unfolding. So many moments where I read with tears in my eyes because of the sacrifices the characters are willing to make to protect the ones they love. Newman deftly writes about the choices people have to make when all hell is breaking loose.

And it wouldn’t be a TJ Newman book if I wasn’t sobbing through the final chapters! Not everyone gets an HEA in a thriller/suspense novel, but some do. It’s an emotional gut punch either way, with the happy and sad all churned together. And there’s one moment towards the end that I’m so mad about!! 😭 If you’ve read this, DM me so I can talk about it. 🤪

If you like addictive edge-of-your seat books that also pack an emotional punch, this is 💯 the book for you! Every one of her books has been 5 stars for me and I can’t recommend them enough!

Worst Case Scenario
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️++
Author: TJ Newman

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Little Brown and Company and Hachette Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

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.

My Thoughts: Newman is an absolute goddess of writing gut wrenching, edge of your seat thrillers and this one was no different. This is only the third book Newman has put out writing at a higher caliber such as Foley, Sager, and Feeney, to name a few. The International Nuclear Event Scale tracks any type of nuclear disaster. Only two level 7 disasters on record with Fukushima and Chernobyl. Never has there been anything higher, until now, with this one rating an 8 on the scale. The pilot of a 757 has an heart attack while 35,000 feet in the air, right at the moment with the co-pilot uses the bathroom, rendering the time to decelerate an emergency mute and with no time to warn the passengers. Ultimately the airplane is headed to collide with the Clover Hill Nuclear Power Plant. When the worst case scenario ensues, will it bring the best or the worst out in humanity? Will the ordinary citizens of this town step up to be the real hero’s to serve themselves to save others? Will this single catastrophic event roll into a global epidemic?

One voice narrates multiple third person distinct characters with sprinkled in radio transmissions, really the perfect type of narration. I enjoyed this format. The boots on the ground have to make split second decisions that will not only affect the lives on the plane, but the lives of the people in this town and perhaps even globally. Some of my favorite characters were Steve Tostig, Joss Vance, Dani Allen, Ethan Rosen, Marion, Levon, and even President Dawson. The race against the clock of 16 and half hours is equative to a ticking time bomb and evokes the same fear and tension. The employees of the nuclear plant, the firefighters and responsive personnel, the church congregation, the White House personnel, and even the town’s citizens all step in to save as many people as they can while avoiding further contamination that could implicate global issues. It really warms your heart to know that humanity can be saved when facing the worst possible day, even at the perish of their own life. The characters were developed well, they were fleshed out, they had depth, they were impactful, and compassionate. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, twisty, suspenseful, and brilliantly laid out.

This book evokes a lot of emotions, tension, fear, suspense, gut wrenching, sadness, and being scared. While this is a work of fiction and some of the scenarios are implausible, it is written in a believable format where it is easy to suspend belief. The character backstories are built up. The plot is delivered in twisty layers, think onion layers. Then the conclusion/end is explosive. You will cheer for the hero’s and cry for the victims in this action packed story.

I had the privilege of having both the digital and the audio ARCs. I am very behind on my reviews, so I apologize to anyone who follows my reviews. I have read most of the books but need to write up my reviews. Tackling them one at a time. The narrator, Joe Morton, did a good job with voice affliction and matching the character distinct voices. I had no problem following the flow and pitch at 2x speed. This book will take you on a complete rollercoaster of emotions where tears are sure to fall. The narrator does a fantastic job at expressing the empathy across the multiple characters, makes you feel their grief, pain, and loss. Newman is a masterfully genius with developing a plot that will not only keep you on the edge of your seat but also evoke a little education into it, especially for concepts not general knowledge, she does a phenomenal job at explaining things. This is nothing sort of an exquisite masterpiece. I believe this was Newman’s best yet and she is sure to set the thriller genre on fire. I highly recommend picking up this story TODAY!

i haven’t been loving traditional thrillers lately, but worst case scenario by @tj_author was exactly what i needed. there’s a lot on the line, when a commercial airliner crashes into a nuclear power plant, and the people of a small minnesota town must find a way to keep the incident from becoming a full-scale disaster… 
 
relationships are tested and forged amidst the tragedy, putting personal stakes alongside global consequences. as the story plays out—and time runs short—there’s hope and heartbreak, suspense and sacrifice. it all had me feeling so many emotions, plus quite a few tears. 
 
this is definitely a thriller i recommend.

TJ Newman tells a fantastic story of one of the scariest things you could imagine, a plane crashing into a nuclear power plant. The story was fast paced and full of intrigue. The audiobook narrator relayed the story with just the right amount of energy and emotion. I will definitely pick up more books by TJ.

This book is tense! A plane crashes after a pilot suffers a heart attack, and the commercial airliner crashes into a nuclear power plant in a rural, small town in Minnesota. The plane crash sets off an absolutely terrifying scenario where a Level 8 nuclear event (the highest in record) threatens to leak into the Mississippi river, affecting water supplies, agriculture resources, and disrupting the entire country. Not to mention the people who live in the town are in imminent danger and it seems impossible that they’ll get out.

Blog readers may or may not know that I work in counterterrorism, and so I struggled to read this and remember this was not a terrorist attack, it was a tragic accident. This doesn’t fundamentally change most of the story, but just a note about where my mind was while reading. I would say it took until about 50% until I was into the book, though I think that is a minority view. I am too much of a character-driven reader and the main character storylines didn’t really take off for me until around then. The back half is gripping and the ending is a total heartbreaker.

There are a lot of characters and perspectives, so it wasn’t immediately clear who was a main character and who wasn’t. There’s a countdown through the book that puts the pressure on—only 16 hours and 38 minutes before total devastation. The story follows a mix of people involved from the President of the United States to the local firefighters. There’s a crisis management team involved. The local church tackles humanitarian efforts without a second ask. By the second half, I was hooked but in that stomach churning way. These people cannot catch a break! The ending is sad. So, so sad. I’m not sure if it was intended to be sad, but I was crushed with emotion!

Do the audiobook for this one, the narrator really keeps things engaging but even (needed in such a stressful book!).

I haven't read T. J. Newman's previous books, but my daughter is a big fan and I've heard her rave about them. So I decided to give this one a try even though I felt sure it would make me deeply uncomfortable at times. And I wasn't wrong - but I'm glad I risked it. This book is truly aptly titled - a worst case scenario on an airline flight becomes a worst case scenario at a nuclear power facility in middle America. As local and national experts try to work the problem of containing any potential fallout (literally) from the damage to the facility, the everyday people who live and work near the facility are thrown into trying to cope with the current and potential issues of both the airliner crash and the potential issues with the power plant. We see people in a cross-section of everyday life & professions - first responders, teachers, retirees, students, and more - as they do what they can to cope and try to save and survive. It was a compelling story full of interesting and likeable characters that kept me listening to the end. And Joe Morton's narration - wonderful.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

i made it to 68% and i just cannot keep track of the characters and it's made me lose interest in the story. maybe audio wasn't the right medium for the one?

This was a terrifying idea and a wild ride to read! So many things happening at once! The idea that this could happen is super scary! This was my 1st book by TJ Newman but will not be my last!

TJ Newman does it again!!! This had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I don’t know how she manages to put a new spin on a plane crash story, but damn it, she does!

Yowzah!

Another banger.

Another book to NOT READ BEFORE YOU GO ON VACATION.

I loved the pacing (even the side-quest). I loved the story. I loved the main characters.

I get that some felt bogged down by all the technical details, (I felt the same whilst reading Hadfield’s newest) but somehow it worked for me.

For me, the biggest hurdle wasn’t the jargon, it was the sheer volume of characters. Small towns are still small, no? I needed a white board to keep track.

Cannot wait for the next from this author.

This was quite the thriller. The narrator was very good and I couldn't stop listening to it because of all the action in it. Some parts were very sad but there were also several heroes in this story.

Thank you NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

What a great book to start my year with!

At first glance, you might think this novel will focus on a plane crash, but it actually focuses on the aftermath as experienced by the people on the ground. While this was my first time reading a T.J. Newman book, it wasn't my first time reading about nuclear disasters (Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham, Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen). Newman does a great job of imagining the unimaginable and emerging the reader in it. She provides fully developed subplots that play out in the midst of the disaster, each of which is full of its own tension and adrenaline, emotions and decisions.
Joe Morton's audiobook narration was well done, his voice well-matched to the novel. And the included sounds effects made it all come together even more effectively, turning this novel into an experience for the reader.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for allowing me early access to the ARC audiobook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

In a season of not wanting to read many thrillers, TJ Newman is an exception to the rule! This one is another plane based thriller, but most of the action is from people on the ground. I think this is the hardest of all of Newman's thrillers to read as a parent. There are several parent and child pairs here that are tested and I was emotional more than once listening.

Newman hits the right balance once again of tension, action, and human groundedness that define her books and will keep me as a loyal reader.

Content Warnings: Language, death, serious radiation sickness

Thanks to Hachette Audio for my audio copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

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

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 ALC in exchange for an honest review.

What is a worst case scenario? A plane crashing in to a nuclear power plant would definitely be a worst case scenario, which is exactly what happens in this tense, suspenseful novel. T.J. Newman keeps the reader on edge as firefighters, plant employees and ordinary citizens work to save victims and prevent a nuclear meltdown. I was given an ARC of this audiobook by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this exciting book by T.J. Newman.

#worstcasescenario
#tjnewman
#netgalley
#goodreads
#nuclearaccident
#suspense

T.J. Newman delivers another gripping, high-stakes thriller in Worst Case Scenario. This time, the unimaginable happens: a jetliner crashes into the most perilous location possible—a nuclear power plant—creating a crisis of unprecedented magnitude. With the disaster escalating to the first-ever Level 8 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale, Newman thrusts readers into a relentless race against time.

As in her previous works, Newman’s talent for crafting heart-pounding, fast-paced stories shines. The characters are incredibly likable and relatable, from power plant employees to firefighters and everyday citizens forced to rise to the occasion. Their courage, humanity, and critical thinking brought depth and realism to the story, making it impossible not to root for them.

The book evokes a whirlwind of emotions—anxiety, compassion, and hope—while keeping readers glued to the pages with its tension and action. It reminded me of an episode of Chicago Fire—packed with bravery, teamwork, and edge-of-your-seat suspense.

Newman’s ability to reimagine aviation-related catastrophes in new and compelling ways is impressive. If you’re a fan of her previous work or enjoy thrillers that blend adrenaline-pumping action with heartfelt humanity, Worst Case Scenario is a must-read.

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.

T.J. Newman's Worst Case Scenario is a gripping thriller that plunges readers into a catastrophic event when a commercial airliner crashes into a nuclear power plant in Waketa, Minnesota. The novel masterfully intertwines the lives of ordinary individuals—power plant employees, firefighters, and local residents—as they confront an unprecedented crisis with global implications. Newman's meticulous research and vivid storytelling create a palpable sense of urgency, making it hard to put the book down. If you're a fan of high-stakes, fast-paced narratives that explore human resilience in the face of disaster, this one is definitely worth a read.