It's a compelling, if predictable thriller a plane crash into a nuclear plant and various parties scrambling to contain the disaster. If you liked Falling, you'll like this.

Worst Case Scenario by TJ Newman

The worst thing that can happen on a plane is when the pilot has a heart attack and crashes into a nuclear power plant. It’s not just the passengers' lives that are lost but the world could have catastrophic losses around the world unless the people within the small town can work together to stop a nuclear disaster.

I thought this book was so outlandish with its plot that I was instantly drawn to it. I love books like this. What are the chances of any of these things happening all at once! The perfect storm of insanity. I’m here all day for it. The book was well written and the characters were all amazing.

I take issue with the end. I feel cheated! I know it made for good entertainment but I had angry tears streaming down my face and I might have taken my headphones off rather aggressively! I don’t want to spoil it but arghhh haha! Excellent book.

4.5 stars

I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. The plot had potential, but it was overshadowed by poor pacing and a lack of depth in the characters. I found it hard to stay engaged as the story felt rushed at key moments and dragged in others. The narration didn’t help much either – it felt flat and didn’t bring any real tension or emotion to the story. You would think it was fast paced and heart pounding, but it really wasn't.
For a thriller, it was lacking in suspense, and I didn’t feel invested in what happened to the characters. The twists were predictable, and the dialogue often felt forced.

Hold on to your seats, Newman's latest rollercoaster ride is here! This book had me hooked from start to finish as Newman throws you in to horrendous situations that have you on the edge of your seat. LOVED IT!

How does she do this!! All of her books make my heart race and this was no exception. Well plotted and written horrific story that kept me GLUED>

When I saw T.J. Newman had yet another airplane disaster book coming out, I was admittedly a bit skeptical. Just how many scares in the air can one take?!

Within the first chapter it became clear that the plane was most certainly going down and was the catalyst for THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. This high-octane thriller is heavy on plot as a small town is tasked with saving the future of earth from a nuclear meltdown.

T.J. Newman zooms into a personal disaster while also zooming out on the broader catastrophe of a plane crashing into a nuclear power plant. Sensitive readers should take care with the first portion of the book as depictions of the catastrophe are gory and matter of fact. As the story progressed I became more emotionally invested in the characters and the grittiness eased up.

While DROWNING remains my favorite book from Newman this was a wild ride that held my attention from beginning to end. The audiobook production was quality with added elements that really enhanced the story.


RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: August 13, 2024

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this to be an incredibly entertaining story. I love disaster stories, and this one did not disappoint. I could tell the author put a lot of effort into getting information about nuclear plants, their hazards, and their maintenance. I have no complaints, only one suggestion. I would have preferred to have fewer main characters, though Ethan, Joss, Steve, Dani, and the citizens of Waketa kept me cheering for all of them.

What a THRILLER this is from the first page and all the way through! Do you want a book that is explosive, riveting and heart-stopping? This is it! I don’t think my heart has stopped pounding since finishing! Pick this one up if you’re looking for an action-packed, hold-on-to-your-seat story that will have your heart racing! You will appreciate the small-town heroes that risk their lives to save others. I loved the way the author wrote another thrilling plane story and I chose to listen to this as an audiobook and the narrator, Joe Morton did an excellent job. He really delivered the believability and I got goosebumps and was tearful few times. I highly recommend this.

This is my first read by this author and my initial thought was “how many times can you do a plane crash?” But after reading this, I really don’t care even if she tells the same story each time because it was SO GOOD. Like, really me tearing up at the end of this book?? Also loved the narration, I thought it was fantastic. While I love thrillers, this one hit a little harder because l of the “what if…” (oh and realizing the importance of a calm and collected president if disaster were to strike…🤔). I will be holding off on reading Newman’s other two books for a bit since I will be traveling in the next two months and don’t want to introduce some bad juju, but after that it’ll be the first thing I pick up.

WORST CASE SCENARIO review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

🛩️File this one under “books I didn’t expect to make me cry.” This was my first book by this author so I went in not knowing what to expect. It was a wild ride and I definitely enjoyed it!!

🛩️Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
After the pilot suffers a medical emergency, a commercial plane crashes into a nuclear power plant. While the plane crash itself is a horrible tragedy, the devastation has only begun as the nation waits to see what the impacts will be from a nuclear disaster…

🛩️I was expecting a book about a plane disaster to take more place on the actual plane but it was actually more about the after effects of the crash. There were so many different plot lines and characters and I was invested in all of them! I felt like some of the plot lines weren’t fully wrapped up/resolved by the end of the book and that left me wanting more. But overall I enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend the audiobook!

I have enjoyed TJ Newman's books in the past but this one wasn't my favorite of hers. There are several scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat and I was very anxious to get back to certain characters and stories. This just feels like it's leaning so hard into the 'worst case scenario' and I think this is just me, but the story just felt like there was never a win and it was getting more and more depressing and anxiety inducing, but not in a good way.

Holy crap!!!!! What a RIDE this was! I felt like I was smack dab in the middle of an action movie a la Independence Day or Die Hard. I was at the edge of my seat for this entire book.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase in all formats for collections where Newman's previous titles are popular.

New fear unlocked. T.J. Newman is back with another action packed book detailing a catastrophic event. Her pacing is so, so great! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved how this follows many different characters throughout the day and events that unfold. Newman is able to make you feel for all of them and this community that they represent.

OK, I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I just didn't love this book and honestly think it's closer to 2.5 stars than to 3. Obviously that's just my opinion and lots of people LOVE it, so I think it really just comes down to what kinds of books you like.

I do like the occasional thriller/suspense book, but I think I need to be able to connect to the characters to really appreciate them. Worst Case Scenario is based on a very compelling concept and has all the makings of a really entertaining read. And lots of people feel like this book is super compelling. But it was all about action and I didn't feel like I could connect with any characters. Add to that the fact that there are SO many characters. I had to rewind several times to figure out who was who and how they were different from each other.

This probably sounds terrible, but I also felt like the book focused on the rescuers too much and not the victims. The book starts on the plane, but obviously once it crashes, we go to the rescue and problem-solving part of the book and I feel like we don't get a lot of those victim stories. The last thing I didn't love about the book is its extreme focus on being a parent. While I obviously get that when you're a parent in a disaster situation, you're putting a huge amount of focus on your children, but there are so many people in the world and so many types of relationships that aren't parent-child based that I wish the author focused on.

On the positive side, I did love the audiobook narrator and felt like book was easy to listen to. Overall, if you like strong character development, this is likely not the book for you. If you like fast-paced book that are focused nearly entirely on plot, there's a high chance you'll like this one!

Start this one only if you have time to finish it because prying yourself from it will be almost impossible. T.J. Newman does it again in this heart pounding, action-packed and emotional thriller. As for the audio, it's clear a lot of thought went into it, the effects for radio calls etc are done very well. I also enjoyed the narration of Joe Morton

Incredible audiobook and fantastic story! I loved this one and know it will be a huge hit at our library. I loved the potential disaster theme that was similar to falling whereas I struggled with her book drowning because it felt more heavy and graphic. This is definitely a favorite author in our library! This would make a great book club book too!

Narrated by Joe Morton
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Story by T.J. Newman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved this and could not stop listening. I wish more authors would take a note of T.J. Newman and how she jumps straight into it from the very first page. I can not get enough of her or this story.

TJ Newman, a former flight attendant interviewed many pilots for her previous novel. To each one she’d ask, “What’s your greatest fear.” Most would speak about leaving their family, children and loved ones but one pilot responded, “crashing in to a nuclear power plant.” Horrified, Newman reminded him that this possibility was vetted after 911 as impossible. “Or so they want you to believe,” he responded.
Worst Case Scenario is the action packed story of that pilot’s greatest fear. It’s a riveting story about the best of humanity, working together to do the seemingly impossible, if that’s saving a little boy’s life or averting nuclear meltdown. Readers will be gripped by the action and caught up in the emotions. The audiobook is equally fast paced and emotionally charged, listeners will thoroughly enjoy this heart felt action novel.

I'd heard such good things about this author's books, but never got a chance to read them, so when this audiobook popped up I was excited to start listening.
Unfortunately, I ended up DNF at 50%.
There was a lot to like about the audiobook, it's a unique storyline with a really tense beginning. I really enjoyed the aspects of the audiobook that were a little different, like using the radio sound and telephone sounds effects, they really got me engaged in the story.
The reason I DNF the book, is that I got half way through the audiobook and I just could not keep the wide cast of characters straight in my head. I am someone who loves multiple characters and points of view within a novel, but I really struggled with Worst Case Scenario. I think this was because I listened to it rather than read the story. There are multiple narratives within a chapter and nothing to distinguish between the start of one narrative to the next. I think if there had been a different narrator for each character, or it it was formatted so a change of chapter meant a change of narrative, the audiobook would have flowed much better for me and caused less confusion.
I have have heard amazing things about the other books by this author, so I will try a print copy of those books and I am sure I'll enjoy them.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.