TJ Newman is back with another book that will absolutely ruin flying for you, and I’m here for it. This time, the stakes got even higher — when a plane crashes in a small town in Minnesota, it doesn’t just take out mailboxes, a few businesses, and two dozen vehicles on the major highway in and out of town, it hits a nuclear power plant. This book is propulsive and will have your heart pounding right off the bat. This time around, there is no saving the plane’s passengers and crew, but if this small town can work together quickly enough, surely they can save themselves?

This book has two main subplots — a fire crew rescuing a little boy from his parents’ crashed minivan, and the crews at the power plant attempting to keep the nuclear reactors and safeguards stable and safe. Essentially, it explores the idea of “one life vs many”. Newman does a fantastic job of explaining all of the ramifications of the plant’s damage like you’re 5 years old, so the science never feels like it’s going over your head (full disclosure: I was terrible in science class. All of the science could be made-up and I wouldn’t know, but it feels well-researched). This book was fast paced and leaves you no time to catch your breath. I can’t say I laughed, because this book is BLEAK and really never offered any levity but I sure did cry at points.

I came out of this with a heavy heart, but I did enjoy it. Joe Morton as the audiobook narrator was excellent, his tone matches the serious themes in this book perfectly. A huge thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the early audio copy of this book to review it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Worst Case Scenario. I’m a mood reader and I wasn’t sure I would feel like reading a disaster book, but once I started, I was hooked. This author has a brilliant way of connecting you to the characters and getting you invested. This adds to the drama when you really care what happens (and not everyone always makes it!)
Worst case scenario started out slow for me. I was a little bored with the nuclear plant descriptions and explanations of what went wrong. I know nothing about these things so it was necessary to understand the story but was cumbersome anyway.
The audio book was great with realistic acting, emotion, and sounds. When something was spoken through a radio or speaker, the speaker noise was a nice touch. There were a lot of characters to keep straight and I wondered if the physical book would have been easier to follow. Even at the very end there was a name mentioned I couldn’t remember.

All in all, I would recommend this one! And will definitely read more by this author.

I want to give a big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author T.J. Newman for letting me listen and review this arc audiobook.

Where to start, this book had me captivated from the very beginning. It was non stop filled with action and suspense from the start. When a worse case scenario becomes a reality. In this case it was a small town called Waketa, a town comes together to beat the odds when a commercial airline crashes in this small town causing chaos and trying to do everything in their nature to avoid a nuclear disaster.

So many brave souls and hero’s on this day in April and many lives lost. Every character had a part to play and it was written beautifully. I connected with each and every character and felt everything they were feeling. Narrated by Joe Morton, he did such an amazing job bringing every character to life.

I highly recommend this audio book to anyone who wants to be captivated by this thrilling novel about a worst case scenario!

I really enjoyed T.J Newman’s last two books, especially Drowning and was excited to be given an arc of her latest!

This book just wasn’t it. It started off so wild and crazy that I had a hard time keeping track of characters and found myself not really caring once I had more of an idea who was who. I think it could have benefitted from some up front character development and setting the scene instead of jumping right into the action.

It also felt really technical and I found myself spacing out when it started getting too into the nitty gritty of how a power plant works.

While fast paced and short, I just never felt invested in this book or even really entertained. I’d skip this one and pick up Drowning instead.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

T.J. Newman’s first two suspense novels have you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen to passengers on doomed commercial airline flights.

Her third novel, Worst Case Scenario, takes a different approach. From the start, you know the plane has crashed. Into a nuclear power plant in Minnesota. What follows is the story of first responders, power plant employees, teachers, and neighbors working to prevent the worst nuclear energy accident the world has ever seen.

Because of the way the plot is structured, there is quite a lot of jumping around from storyline to storyline, character to character, location to location. And not knowing anything about nuclear power plants or the aftermath of plane crashes, it was hard to visually picture the setting of the book. The combination of those factors made this a very confusing read for me. I only started being able to keep track of the characters about 2/3 of the way through the book.

That said, if you liked either of Newman’s first two books, or if you like suspense novels in general, you will likely enjoy this book. I’ll also note that like her other books, this is terrific on audio, narrated by Joe Morton of Scandal fame (Olivia’s dad). As long as Newman keeps writing, I’ll keep reading.

I absolutely loved TJ Newman's first two books. This book did not stand up to the perfection of them. There were too many characters and it was difficult to form a connection with any of them. There were too many storylines going on as well. I also did not care for the nuclear power plant setting. I feel like this book could have been better for me personally in a book format instead of an audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Co for the advanced digital copy of the audiobook. The publishing date is August 13, 2024.

I own TJ Newman’s prior 2 books (Falling and Drowning) because I loooove popcorn thrillers and have heard such good things about them. I’ve yet to actually get to them in my TBR stack (The stack is hypothetical. There’s no order. Only mood reads.) so this was my very first Newman expirience! I totally get the hype. This here was edge-of-your-seat reading, folks! I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately with books holding my attention so this was exactly what I needed. I can’t wait to get to the other two now!

Pinned thoughts:
📌 Constant action from page 1
📌 Insanely binge-able
📌 Seriously… you can’t put it down
📌 Short chapters
📌 Multi POV
📌 Adrenaline filled
📌 Heart pounding thriller
📌 Reads like a movie

If you love action thrillers, I highly recommend you pick this one up!

Another thrilling roller-coaster of a ride from the awesome T.J. Newman. I love how her real life experiences help make her novels so believable, it makes you want to never get on another plane, lol.

Wow, what an audiobook! Full of twists and turns, intense and had me on the edge of my seat both literally and figuratively. The deep, serious voice of the narrator was perfect for this book. I have read one book previously by this author and loved it, but listening to it as an audiobook was a whole other experience. I flew through this, listening whenever I could. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a friend!

What a wild and intense ride! I absolutely loved this; it was such a fantastic read. It really started out with a bang and had me hooked from the first page. The suspense, tension, and fast pace had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It had a unique and engaging plot. The character development was excellent. It was utter perfection from the first page to the last. I thought the narrator did a great job. He had good pronunciation and spoke clearly.

Book Title: Worst Case Scenario
Author: T. J. Newman
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Joe Morton
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: August 13. 2024
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages: 336

Who knew that things were going to be the worst case scenario when commercial pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet? The airliner is filled with passengers when it crashes into a nuclear power plant in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota!

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.

There audiobook had me glued. True more f-bombs and cursing than I like - but I 'get' that in such an emotional crisis it was a way of expressing feelings.
There were a lot of characters and the narrator Joe Morton did a great job in performing them. However, at times I have to stop and digest what was happening.
There is no doubt the story is amazing but I believe readers need to be in the right frame of mind for it.

The firefighters saving Connor took me back to the time when
Twelve boys and their coach from Thailand became trapped in a flooded cave system while exploring it to celebrate a birthday. They were trapped for 18 days, before being rescued by experienced divers. The rescue was a global drama that was closely watched, and the boys' survival was described as a miraculous feat of human collaboration
About the Author T.J. NEWMAN – She is a former bookseller and flight attendant. This is her fourth novel. Her first was [book: Falling] and the second [book: Drowning], will soon be major motion pictures- Falling with Universal Pictures, and Drowning with Warner Brothers. Ms. Newman lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Want to thank NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 13, 2024.

I’ve read and enjoyed TJ Newman’s previous 2 books and Worst Case Scenario is another complex, nonstop adrenaline rush book. As I’ve come to expect from this author, I was sucked in from the beginning, and the action never let up. The book features a jet liner that crashes into a nuclear reactor, causing a potential “extinction level” event.
I listened to the audio version and gasped, laughed, and even cried once (or twice!). It was especially entertaining with extra audio features like a megaphone, CB radio, and intercom. You may have to suspend disbelief at times, but it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a suspenseful, emotional, intense thriller. 4.5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Holy hell. This book was a straight up anxiety attack. I felt like my throat was closed up the entirety of this book. It was brilliant. And it even made me emotional at the end. It was a horror story, a thriller, and a study on what humanity, community and empathy are. I cannot wait to devour the rest of this author’s backlog.

I am a big fan of TJ Newmans first two books and was very excited to get the opportunity to read an early copy of the newest Worst Case Scenario! This book did not disappoint. It true Newman fashion this book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!

When the pilot of a commercial flight has a heart attack while the co-pilot is out of the cockpit, the absolute Worst Case Scenario unfolds. The plane crashes into a nuclear power plant starting a chain of events that will make or break the rest of humanity. This book takes you through the heartache, the stress and the heros that risk it all to save others. This book, like her others are cinematic and must be adapted to the big screen! TJ Newman has quickly become a must read author for me.

As an avid audiobook reader, the narrator holds so much of the weight of the experience on their shoulders. I did not recognize this narrator going in but I am impressed! His voice, cadence and his storytelling ability was excellent! He brought the book to life splendidly. Excellent casting choice!

Thanks to Little Brown and Netgalley for this advanced readers copy of the audio-book of Worst Case Scenario. This is my third TJ Newman book. I've read each of her thrillers. Worst Case Scenario is different - yes it involves a plane crash - but a plane crash into a nuclear power plant, and the book is focused on the effort to prevent a nuclear meltdown. The story takes place over 16 hours, and shifts between the efforts at the plant to diagnose the extent of the damage and then prevent the spent fuel pools from draining of water - causing potentially a global catastrophe - to the efforts to rescue a boy trapped on a bridge after the plane wing crashed into it. The basic premise is that with the power out to the entire town, the plant is isolated and on its own to solve the problem, with little federal help. The book is extremely well narrated, It is generally easy to distinguish between the different storylines.

As a thriller this is interesting and the story keeps you going. The author makes an effort to provide depth to the characters and spends a lot of time doing into the thought processes in the face of likely death. But at times it seems this slows the story. The world is about to end, there isn't time for such introspection. And at times, I felt like too much of the focus was on the rescue efforts. While I kept thinking this, I will admit I was emotionally involved at the end. So, perhaps my criticism is misguided.

Is this the best of her books? I don't think so. But TJ Newman is a talented writer and seems to have found a niche, and I will gladly continue to read her books.

Worse case

⭐️4
Just go ahead and strap in.

You get about five minutes of settling into the plot, and then this fast paced newest book from T.J. Newman takes off.

It involves a plane and a nuclear power plant in a small town.

I loved the short chapters, the countdown to the disaster and the heartwarming relationships.

You’ll finish this in a day and enjoy every minute.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6697677585

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Little Brown and company for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub date: August 13, 2024

Newman knows the perfect way to give you goosebumps and make you emotional at the same time, This series has been one of the best I have ever read. The whole vibe and atmosphere around the plot creates an experience that stays with us long after we finish reading as well.

The audiobook made the whole story 100 times better, I felt I was in that plane feeling what they felt, seeing what they saw and living that scary moment.

Highly recommend to everyone out there.
PS: Do not read this on a flight! Haha.

I absolutely never start and finish an audiobook in the same day, but it was necessary for this book. I had so many chills and feels reading this book and the narrator was great. It read like a motion picture and I loved everything about it.

Wow! What an exciting, emotional book!

As with Newman's other books, the thrills start on the first page and do not let up until the end. A pilot has a heart attack mid-flight and sets forth a chain of events that seems unimaginable. Parts of the plane hit a nuclear power plant in Minnesota and the events that follow will test all involved.

It's best to just let this book unfold rather than spell out a huge synopsis. You know what you're getting with a TJ Newman novel--these are rapidly paced thrillers that combine the best of humanity with the worst of situations.

I listened to this as an audiobook and did not want to stop listening until I reached the end. I was anxious with anticipation, and I also laughed and cried at many things that happened. If you're looking for a breath-holding, tense, action-packed novel, then move this to the top of your list immediately.

This is the third book I've read by TJ Newman and another edge of your seat heart pounding suspense thriller. The author has a way of making her readers really care about the characters in the story and your heart races with what they are living through. In this thriller, there's a possible world ending nuclear plant accident. The Narrators did a great job telling this story. This is one of those thrillers that you will not want to put down after the count down begins.