The small Minnesotan hamlet of Waketa becomes the epicenter of a devastating national catastrophe with worldwide ramifications when a commercial airplane carrying people crashes into a nuclear power station due to a pilot's heart attack at 35,000 feet.
Nuclear catastrophes are recorded on the International Nuclear Event Scale. There are seven levels in all, with Major Accident being the highest level. A Level 8 has never existed. Up until now.

From the very beginning of the prologue, I was captivated. The action in the novel never stopped as the ensemble of individuals tried to figure out what was going on and how to stop the disaster from getting worse.

The writing in this book is excellent, and it is evident how much research went into it. Everything seemed so realistic and scientifically correct—sometimes even too much! Although there are heartbreaking and intensely emotional parts in this book, overall, it's still a great read.

I've read three books by this author, and I can confidently say that Newman is a gifted writer of wild, thrilling thrillers. And although I really adore all of her books, this one is the best by far.

I really suggest listening to this on audiobook. With unique sound effects for countdowns, airline announcements, and walkie talkie conversations, the audio production was captivating and perfectly mixed the exciting plot. The audiobook was well narrated by Joe Morton, and I had a great time listening to it!

Worst Case Scenario is TJ Newman’s third book. Like her earlier books, Falling and Drowning, this one involves a plane crash. However, this time, the plane has crashed into a nuclear power station in a small town in the US. Time is of the essence to save the power station before it implodes. At the same time, firefighters are trying to save the life of a young child who is stuck in his family’s van hanging off a bridge, covered in fuel, after it was hit by part of the plane’s debris.

The story starts off with a bang and there are some good, tense scenes. The child in the van storyline is very well done. However, I found that the nuclear power station storyline required technical descriptions that at times took me out of that part of the plot. I found myself skimming those descriptions.

Having said that, the author does a good job of weaving interesting issues and questions into the nuclear power plant plotline around family, sacrifice, community, the value of one life versus several, and motherhood.

Whoa! Another great action thriller. While this book was not as fast paced as her previous heart pounding books, I still enjoyed it. It was emotional & action packed when each character & their part in the crash aftermath was later out. Talk about research. All of the little details help me feel like I was watching this scenario on the news and glued to my seat waiting to see what was going to happen.

I did have to restart the audiobook soooo many times, maybe all of the characters was too much for me to follow when I didn’t give it all my attention. But the overall production was done very well. Thanks to the author, NetGalley & Hachette Audio for the ALC.

ALC review -

I can't remember the last disaster thriller I've read but I will never forget Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman in audiobook format. Wow, this audio production had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation and several moments of tears. Narrated by Joe Morton, I cannot think of how it could have been improved upon. The intensity of his narration ratcheted up the drama along with sound effects such as radio communications and bull horns; combined the audio was effective and compelling.

I've not read the first two books by the author as I was always flying when they came out and didn't need that added to my discomfort. And, although Worst Case Scenario starts with a plane (crash), it goes far beyond that event to the disaster of both local and global consequences when the plane hits critical areas of a Nuclear Power Plant. If you're a fan of disaster movies that are exciting, nerve wracking, heart strings pulling, this is the audiobook for you. It put me in mind of the years of Hollywood offering movies such as Deep Impact, White Squall, Twister, etc. Annihilation looms while the average community pulls together for the good of both the individual and world at large.

Come for the crash and stay for the heroes.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Was this an edge-of-your-seat thriller? Absolutely! Was narration incredibly well done, including the special effects? Indeed it was! Would this make an outstanding movie? No doubt! So why just the 3 stars, you ask? Well, TBH I found this book incredibly technical, there were too many characters to keep straight, which hindered the character development IMO, and the sub-plots were a bit distracting slowing down the pacing of the story. Overall, It was Ok, but not a favorite.

Buckle up & brace yourselves for the #WorstCaseScenario.


Thanks to NetGalley & Hachette Audio for the ALC. The narrator Joe Morton has done a brilliant job of rendition with this audiobook. His voice was perfect & the pacing just right for the gravitas & depth this book demands.


Synopsis -

A Coastal airways flight carrying 297 passengers crashes into Clover Hill Nuclear power plant located in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, after its pilot suffered a heart attack. This accident could just be the epicentre of a global catastrophe and a fire so enormous, that humans have yet to figure out how to extinguish. Waketa could just be on the brink of becoming another Fukushima or Chernobyl as it looks at a level 8 nuclear disaster.

Review -

T J Newman has yet again delivered a block buster worthy material. First of all, I want to applaud the level of research that has gone into this. Nuclear tragedies are mankind’s worst ever nightmares and she has done a great job with her imagination by blending her trademark plane crash trope, only this time with a nuclear power plant.

More than the thrill or action, it’s the enormity of what’s at stake, the sheer scale of ruin, devastation and reverberation of the disaster that we are looking at, that takes the centre stage.

Roping in seemingly ordinary people - the plant employees, fire fighters, school teachers, friends, families and neighbours, she explores how their lives get affected and are about to change forever with such great care and tenderness - her writing brimming with poignancy and emotional richness.

As we painstakingly inch towards the point of no return, the timer ticking down, to the zero hour, the moment a corner is turned, another gargantuan problem crops up and we just have to wait with bated breath, our nails bitten to the quick - for it to be resolved, only until the next one strikes.

The community of Waketa has no choice but to rise up and face upto this apocalypse by coming together.

The plot might slightly be heavy on the technical details, but nonetheless it was an edge of the seat experience!

A must read for Newman fans!

In the book Worst Case Scenario, author T.J. Newman writes about what the title says – the worst case scenario. A pilot has a heart-attack while flying a passenger plane and crashes into a nuclear power plant that starts a chain reaction. Can the workers at the plant stop the chain reaction before its too late? Can ordinary people make sacrifices that matter in the middle of a crisis?
This was a solid story that shows the extraordinary sacrifice of ordinary people in the midst of crisis. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Welp. This was a blast and soooo fun to listen too. It was like listening to an action packed movie. Did I know what was going on during it? Not the entire time. Some of the jargon went over my head but it was still engaging and I ended up tearing up multiple times. This was exciting and I highly recommend listening to it on audio.

A pilot's heart attack leads to a commercial airliner crashing into a nuclear power plant in Waketa, Minnesota, triggering an unprecedented Level 8 nuclear disaster. The residents, including power plant employees and local heroes, must band together to prevent a global catastrophe and save their community.

TJ Newman writes adrenaline-inducing thrillers! Drowning was one of my favorites, while I had mixed feelings about Falling, so I wasn't sure what to expect from Worst Case Scenario. Like her other books, this one involves a plane crash; however, most of the story unfolds on the ground rather than in the air, which makes the cover somewhat misleading. I had mixed feelings about this one. The beginning gripped me, and I was invested in the crash and its immediate aftermath. But as the story progressed, it started to drag, with too many subplots to keep up with, none of which fully captured my attention. While the action was there and the premise was intriguing, I never felt truly engaged. I ended up listening to the audiobook, and Joe Morton did a fantastic job narrating. I could see this book making a great movie. Overall, this was a three-star read for me.

TJ Newman's book are always a chefs kiss. The stories are amazing and easy to immerse yourself into. Her third book Worst Case Scenario did not disappoint! Throwing a nose dive into a nuclear power plant might feel like jumping the shark but it is so far from it. The way the story keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to find the outcome is beautifully painful. Plus, now I want to dable in CB radio! Great job T.J.

Another edge of your seat thriller by T.J. Newman. When a pilot suffers a fatal heart attack mid-flight, the plane crashes, depositing parts in a large area of a small town including a nuclear power plant. Told in alternating viewpoints, this becomes a wrenching tale about life & death, sacrifice & bravery, community, and the value of a life. It was an addictive read that was as much terror as a bold account of humanity. What choice do you make when there are no good options? Whose life is more important? If you have been afraid to read T,J. Newman novels for fear of never being able to get on a plane, I urge you to reconsider. Her stories have such value and are thought provoking. Maybe just don’t read them on a plane! :) Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown & Company for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Worst Case Scenario is the third book I've read by this author. They all relate to airline disasters.

This one differs from the last book in that it tells the story of the people on the ground and not the flight passengers.

There is a lot of tension throughout the entire book. The characters had a lot of depth and I liked the lengths that they were willing to go to in order to help others.

I alternated between the print and audio book. The narration was phenomenal and there were even some sound effects added in.

I can't say enough to describe how fascinating this authors books are.

Thanks to netgalley and Hachette Audio for the arc.

Happy pub day to “Worst Case Scenario” by @tj_author!

TJ Newman is back with another heart-pounding thriller that will leave you breathless (and possibly unlock new fears in you like it did in me 😅). In “Worst Case Scenario”, the stakes couldn’t be higher as a commercial airliner crashes near a nuclear power plant, setting off a chain of events that threatens not only the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, but the entire world. The story begins when a pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet, sending the plane hurtling toward disaster. What follows is a gripping narrative that explores the chaos and fear that ensues as the town becomes ground zero for a catastrophic national crisis.

As someone who adored “Drowning”, I was thrilled to get my hands on advanced copies of this book, both in digital and audio formats. “Worst Case Scenario” did not disappoint. In typical TJ Newman fashion, the book is action-packed from the first page to the last, filled with tension, drama, and characters who will steal your heart—only to break it in the most devastating ways.

One of the things that stood out to me in this book was how real and possible the scenario felt, making it even more terrifying. While the audio version wasn’t my favourite due to the narrator’s performance, the story itself is so compelling that I highly recommend picking it up in digital or physical form. If you’re a fan of intense, realistic thrillers full of courageous, bad-ass heroes, “Worst Case Scenario” is a must-read that you won’t be able to put down!

Thank you to @littlebrown, @hachetteaudio and @netgalley for the advanced copies!

This is a Suspense Action Pack book. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next, and it also will pull every emotion out of you. I cried so much while reading this book. This book shows how one event can hurt so many people, but it also shows how small towns can pull together to get things done. It shows that during the worst will pull out that true person that is inside of you. The ending of this book made me cry so hard, and I loved it so much. This book was so great, and I loved it. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of Worst Case Scenario, and I thought it only made the book better. There were some really nice touches, such as voices over the radio, that made the experience all the more immersive. If you can read the audiobook version, I highly recommend it!

This book turned out to be as intense, thrilling, and heartbreaking as the title suggests. We follow a number of different characters, from schoolteachers to first responders to the president of the United States, so we see how the events of the story unfold from many angles. It was well-done though, so it didn’t feel confusing or jarring. So many of the characters were really likable, with complicated backstories and values that are tested over and over. The descriptions throughout the book were great, and the explanations of a nuclear disaster with the resulting trickle effects was explained well. This isn’t going to be a book for someone who might find the theme upsetting, as it had a tone reminiscent of 9/11, but if you’re looking for a good thriller, this book definitely fits the bill.

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little, Brown & Company, and NetGalley for the review copy of Worst Case Scenario! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

WOW! I immediately rushed to order a hard copy of this book! Such a unique premise! It’s so crazy to think this could actually happen in real life! I loved the characters in this book. I loved the narrators. This was executed so well! Drowning has been on my shelf for a while now, but I’m running to read it next!

I can’t believe this is only TJ Newman's third novel and that she hasn’t been writing all her life. She writes the most amazingly cinematic thrillers. She knows how to bait the hook, snag you, and then reel you in to the point that it’s near impossible to put her books down until you've finished them. I am so looking forward to the film version of Drowning, which I have no doubt will be a massive success. And I hope Worst Case Scenario will get optioned for a film version as well. I had the pleasure of reading an eARC of the book recently and was more than thrilled to get a chance to listen to the audio version as well.

Worst Case Scenario has a killer opening, with a pilot having a heart attacked at 35K feet, sending the plane spiraling down…where it slams into a nuclear power plant! Not being confined to a plane (like Newman’s previous novels) WCS has a larger cast of characters. And Newman uses this new ‘open world’ to her advantaged. There are multiple storylines here (all with connection to the incident of course) meaning there are more characters for us to care about…and more characters for her to put seriously intense situations. And though we have the overarching big picture possible plant meltdown storyline, there are several more more personal stories happening, which are every bit as intense and emotional. Newman is fast becoming one of my favorite thriller writers. Characters you'll care about, a great plot, and some insanely intense story beats make this a book you can't miss. My only complaint…wish she wrote faster, lol. Sorry but one book a year just isn’t enough. If are even remotely a fan of thrilling stories, don’t wait, grab this one ASAP! And to Ms. Newman…keep up the excellent work and bring on the next. I’d like to thank Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review an advanced copy of the audio version of T.J. Newman’s Worst Case Scenario.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2PJQ0DKQRX8I0/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

"Mr. President, a plane has crashed into a nuclear power facility."

With one bone chilling sentence, the emotionally intense Worst Case Scenario, by the phenomenal bestselling thriller author T.J. Newman, begins a very scary story that unfortunately highlights how inadequately unprepared we are for such a cataclysmic world ending event.

Thoroughly researched, we are given simplistic explanations, as the President says, "talk to me like I'm five. I'm a smart guy but I'm no nuclear engineer." But understanding what is happening doesn't make it any less horrific. What makes it a turn paging thriller is this writer's ability in just a few short chapters to make us care about the heroic everyday characters, from brave widower fire chief Steve and his teen son Matt, Ethan who gives all as the plant manager, and Joss, a scientist, who beyond all odds will do everything to keep her promise to the president that he, that everyone, will have a future...well almost everyone.

I never heard voice actor Joe Morton
perform before, and now I need him on every audiobook. Between the author's words and his breathtaking emotionally draining performance I was just a sobbing puddle of tears. Reading and listening was almost too immersive an experience for my nerves.

The author's previous books, Falling and Drowning, both 5 Star reviews, have been optioned for the movies. For me, this latest of her thrillers, will be the blockbuster in Hollywood. The last chapter will have even the heartless feel broken but still smiling, with a glint of hope, and that's the best case scenario when finishing a T.J. Newman catastrophic event thriller.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

T.J. Newman takes the wildest scenarios and turns them into stories with high-action plots and characters in impossible situations. Worst Case Scenario definitely had me questioning if I ever want to ride a place again. The immediate tension, the thrill, the fear keep you invested and hoping for the best outcome for the characters you quickly become attached to. Fun and exciting action thriller. Thoroughly enjoyed Joe Morton's narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

Awesome! I was blown away by this book! I read T. J. Newman’s 2nd book Drowning and I couldn’t put it down! In my opinion this one is even better!!

The idea her book is based on ( included in the audio I listened to) is a fear that has probably entered many people’s imagination; A plane hitting a nuclear plant! I was on the edge of my seat. Rooting for the main characters and the whole town!

Newman does a wonderful job at bringing the reader into the minds of the characters. I was scared, terrified, devastated, relieved, overjoyed and overcome with tears as I listened to this book! I experienced so many emotions as I followed the community members through their attempt to avert a nuclear disaster.

Not knowing anything about how nuclear reactors work or how they are stored didn’t hinder my enjoyment of this novel. Newman took me through the mechanics and steps needed for me to understand the process as it was happening.

One of my favorite things about the book is that it’s believable. The way some people are hero’s and others cowards. The way some people sit back and watch others and some jump in to help. I don’t know what I would do? Would I be too terrified to help or would I step up to the plate?

I cried lots of tears at the end. It just felt so real! The characters became dear to me. Joe Morton made them absolutely come alive! Excellent narration!!

I really think you will like this book and I hope it will be made into a major motion picture! 5 glowing stars!!

Many thanks to T. J. Newman, Hachette Audio/ Little, Brown & Company for the ARC via NetGalley!!!