Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of Worst Case Scenario by TJ Newman in exchange for an honest review. Note: I started this book before publication but it’s out now so you can go get it!

TJ Newman’s latest plane crash disaster novel takes place over the course of one day when a jet flown by a pilot who has a massive heart attack at the controls crashes into a nuclear power plant. The race is on to keep a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl from happening in the US. Unlike Falling and Drowning, most of the action takes place outside the plane as the town, including the staff of the nuclear reactor, first responders and ordinary citizens try and beat the clock.

While Worst Case Scenario didn’t grab me in the same way as its predecessors, it was still a solid, fast-paced thriller that left me with lots of questions about the pros and cons of nuclear power. Four stars.

I received a gifted audio ARC of WORST CASE SCENARIO by J.T. Newman from Hachette Audio!

WORST CASE SCENARIO is much like the title tells you. When a pilot has a massive heart attack mid-flight, he immediately dies, landing on the plane's yoke which sends the plane hurtling toward the ground. The rest of the crew cannot intervene enough and the plane crashes. Worst yet, the plane happens to land at a nuclear power plant, sending debris and flaming plane parts all throughout the area. The plant and surrounding town are largely cut off with electricity down, and the plant is put into a swift countdown to the worst nuclear disaster the world has ever seen.

I loved T.J. Newman's previous books, especially DROWNING, so when this book arrived at my door from my Target preorder the week I was reading for a five star authors vlog, I had to pick it up right away! The first chapter hooked me right from the start, following the brief moments on board the flight which crashes and the tension stayed constant thoughout the book.

I do think this book had a few more slow moments than her previous book, but that made sense because there is quite a bit of education needed. The general person probably is not fully up to date on nuclear waste systems and the danger that this scenario poses to the world. Still, I found this all delivered really well in the scope of the narrative without feeling like i was ever reading an educational piece. There are multiple disaster scenarios going on between the alternating POVs and the pace is kept up really well!

This could easily have been a one sitting read if I had started it earlier in the day! I switched back and forth with the audio and I really enjoyed the use of some extra production value with a few sound effects to help liven up the story!

WORST CASE SCENARIO is available now!

TJ Newman's Worst Case Scenario was my first introduction to this author but it won't be the last. I'm extremely afraid of flying so I skipped her previous two titles but now I'm desperate to get my hands on copies of them.

Worst Case Scenario imagines what happens when a pilot has a heart attack midair and crashes into a nuclear reactor. Full of fast-paced plotting, Worst Case Scenario switches perspectives and gives you lots of POVs. I couldn't put it down.

Additionally, I was granted access to the audio version and the narration is ON POINT. I will look to see if there are other Joe Morton books out there because this production was so good and his voice and pacing told the story so well. I was on tenterhooks.

TJ Newman does it again! You are immediately sucked in with a dramatic scenario. She does such a great job to make you feel like you are actually there. If your heart isn’t racing through her books, what does make your heart race?!

The book is well researched, it mixes non fiction told in a fictional way. Now I have a better (and more terrifying) understanding of nuclear reactors. Her books aren’t afraid to kill people off which really does make it interesting. The book also made you consider who makes decisions, what are the emergency plans and what is the best decision for everyone?

Recommend!

This has been posted to Goodreads.

WORST CASE SCENARIO ✈️

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
@goodreads: 4.33
Author: T.J. Newman
Format: 📖🎧
Narrator: Joe Morton
Length: 336 pages / 8 hours audio
Pub Date: 08/13/24

When a pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet, a commercial airliner filled with passengers crashes into a nuclear power plant. The International Nuclear Event Scale tracks nuclear disasters, and 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.

It will take the combined courage, ingenuity, and determination of a brave few to save not only their community and loved ones, but the fate of humanity at large.

💭 I really wanted to love this one - the premise sounds SO interesting. 👏🏼 but it was overly technical…so much so I wrote that in my review notes twice. 😵‍💫 there were a lot of characters + not enough background chapters for me to feel emotionally attached to them. we’re kinda just thrown into the chaos of the tragedy. the rescue mission was really cool though + I’ve never read a book about a nuclear event before which was unique! ☢️ based on the ratings, I feel like I’m in the minority 🙈 but I def preferred her earlier novels more!

Read if you enjoy: CHERNOBYL, FALLING

*a HUGE thank you to @netgalley + @hachetteaudio for the eALC! 🫶🏻 the audio format for this was exceptional 👏🏻 he did a phenomenal job with his intonation + emphasis on intense scenes. I also throughly enjoyed the inclusion of special sound effects for the radio convos. :) audio performance was 5 stars for me!

Thank you to @netgalley and @littlebrownandcompany for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Reading Soundtrack 🎶:
- Captain America by Henry Jackman
- The Game Has Changed by Daft Punk
- Duck Shoot by Rupert Gregson Williams

Review:

Having not read her previous two novels, Ive always wanted to, so I jumped at the opportunity to read her newest thriller. Im glad I did because its fast paced and celebrates thr courage, perseverance, and heart of the human spirit.

After the worst possible outcome imaginable becomes reality, members of a small community and the country at large step up and band together to prevent one of the worst accidents in the history of humanity. Each character is full of life and personality, and they sacrifice so much for something other than themselves. I found myself on the edge of my seat rooting for each one, no matter how dire the circumstances.

My only issue comes in the form of point of view, as it changes abruptly in sections without a break, which took me out of it and occasionally made it hard to follow.

However, as an audiobook, I find this hard to recommend. The narrator doesn't do a good job inflecting, or providing any real sense of urgency.

I absolutely loved both previous books written by Newman, so I was very excited to read this one! Worst Case Scenario was a 2.75/5 ⭐️ for me! Every one of Newman’s books are extremely fast paced and this one was no exception. It read just like a movie! This one seemed a little far out compared to the other two novels and sometimes it read a little cheesy. The reason for the 2.75 stars had to do with the characters. There were SO many and while listening to it, I felt it was impossible to keep track of them. And there was so little detail about each one which made it hard to keep track as well. The only two characters I could keep track of were the two younger boys. Because of that, I didn’t get attached to any of the characters and felt very little emotion to a book that probably should have been.

T.J. always knows how to write a thrilling read. Using past experiences and building on past reads this once again stuns with this newest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I have read all of T.J. Newman's books and I am a fan of her writing. The first 2 books I really enjoyed but this one wasn't my favourite. Her other 2 books were more based on mystery and thriller on incidents that occurred on an airplane in flight and to me that was very interesting and captured my attention. This book however was based on the incident that happened when a plane crashed on the ground. It was an ok read but I just didn't like it as much as the other books. Enjoy!!!

4.5 stars

T.J. Newman has found her niche in writing thrillers about plane disasters. However, this one was slightly different. The book isn't really about a plane crashing, but more about the events that happen to a small town after the plane crashes. I was very surprised to see that the plane crashes in the first chapter after the pilot has a heart attack and dies. Once the plane crashes into a nuclear power plant in a small town, we are introduced to many of the characters that we will be following for the rest of the book. This is what surprised me the most (but also what made this book so good), all of the normal, everyday people who come together to try and help save the town (and the world) from a nuclear disaster. While this was very much a "disaster movie" this was also a study of small-town families and values. Many of the characters become heroes in their own way, and some of them lose their lives while doing so. I wouldn't say there is anything groundbreaking here, but I thought the book was well written, the situations were cinematic, and you grow to root (and cry) for the characters throughout. I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a good summer read.

Thanks to @NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with a free audio ARC in exchange for an honest book review. A quick word about the audiobook, the narrator was excellent and they used special effects so anytime someone was talking on a CB radio it actually sounded like that when you're listening. It was just a small touch, but it helped bring the scenes/dialogue to life.

This is the second Newman book I have read and it was a definite favorite. I listened to the entire audiobook in one day. Great mix of character development and suspenseful storyline. Tense from beginnng to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When a Coastal Airlines Captain suffers a widow maker heart attack, no one is prepared for its disastrous aftermath. There has never been a level 8 nuclear disaster. Is today the day? Gut wrenching, heart stopping and electrifying, this is one thriller you won’t want to miss! Newman knows how to write a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first word until the last. Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

This book was very intense and captivating! This was a very gripping story that's perfectly paced. It is a book you won't want to put down and that has you on edge all the way through.

The characters were well done and the different povs only adds to the tension. As always Newmans writing is intriguing and very beautiful done! I'm already excited for her next book!

The audiobook of this book is amazing! The narrater and the effects made the story even more exciting. If you are planning to read this book I will definitely recommend listening to it on audio!

Fast paced, full of action, exciting.
Not a single issue dragging.
The narrator has done a great job!
Wonderful details of radio/plane conversations.

3.5 rounded up.
A nail biting thriller. It really kept me interested. If i had the time, I would have gone through it in one sitting because i just wanted to know what was going to happen next. I listened to the audiobook and it was very well done.

My only issues with this book were a few of the scenes as written were just *too* much. It was written solely for shock value and totally unnecessary.
***** Spoilers *****

The scene on the bridge where the wing crushes the van. There is a part where the author says the dad tried to stop but it was too late. The author could have ended it at that point. But no, they talked about how the daughters body was whiplashed so much she died. And the mother was crushed to death. And the dad's legs were crushed. And the little bit was by himself crying. That shook and disturbed me so much that I struggled to continue reading and I considered stop reading the book. That entire scene was unnecessary. I get that it sets up a rescue mission, but it could have ended with "it was too late" and then started up again with the discovery by the firefighters that Conor was alive.

I also thought the vast description of all the passengers in fear as the plane was going down could have been avoided, Again, they talked about crying babies and all that. Maybe I'm triggered die to being a new mom, but these sort of descriptions just seem unnecessary and take away from the book. If these two issues had not been in the book, I probably would have given it 5 stars. Not sure if I will recommend it to others, at least to other mothers, to be honest.

This book was so intense! I could not put it down! The descriptions and details were so vivid, I could almost imagine myself in that situation. There were times that I had to fight back tears because of what was going on. This was a very well written book. The narration for the audiobook was amazing!

TJ Newman has crafted another edge-of-your-seat adventure as this time Coastal Airlines has had a plane crash into a nuclear plant in a small Minnesota town. Worst Case Scenario follows the townspeople, firefighters, and nuclear plant workers as they try to avert a major disaster. I really loved the characters in this book as we watch Dani trying to save one small boy left alone in the accident, Joss who warned everyone that an accident like this was possible, and Steve and Ethan as they butt heads and try to keep the plant from melting down. The action is intense, Morton's narration keeps you glued to the story, and the emotions are real. Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown & Co, and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a gripping story that kind of scares the crap out of me. I don't want to be anywhere near anything nuclear, but being close sounds irrelevant to our doom if something happens. This tells several different stories at the same time. I read and listened to this book. I think I should have started out reading it though due to a lot of characters. The narrator did one heck of a great job, there were special sound effects and extreme suspense in the story. Several times I found tears in my eyes at the frustration and horror of the story. THe only down fall of the book was all the technical jargon and scientific information, but it does sort of have to be part of the story to be able to tell the story. I've read all of this authors books and I will continue to gobble up what ever TJ puts out next. Thanks NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and listen to this great story.

This is the third heart-pounding thriller by T.J. Newman, and it is just as good as the first two! Here the unthinkable happens: a pilot has a heart attack in mid-air, and the plane crashes into a nuclear power plant. The action quickly moves from the plane to the ground, and the main characters include the power plant employees, first responders, and people who live in the nearby town. Together they try to avert disaster, on a tight deadline. This is exactly the fast-paced thriller that readers have come to expect from this author, a former flight attendant. yet, it is also heart-warming and funny when appropriate. Thanks to NetGalley I had the opportunity to review both the ebook and the audiobook, and I can highly recommend both formats.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

The horror genre may be scary, but nothing is as freak out, heart racing, scary with a capital "S" as a situation like the one in this book that could totally happen in real life! AHHHHHHH! Worst Case Scenario takes the perfect storm of calamities that leads to the gravest potential outcome for the fate of the world. The narrator did an amazing job bringing the characters to life and showcasing the severity of the situation. There are many characters and side stories pulled together by the horrific circumstances. I was invested in each one! This would make a great movie...

5 stars