“Worst Case Scenario’ is my favorite book from T.J. Newman!

I fell in love with all of the characters and was invested in the various points of view.

This book was a page turner and even had me tearing up at points! I often found myself thinking, “what would I do?”

The suspense and emotional depth were so gripping that I could hardly put it down. T.J. Newman's novel. Each chapter left me eagerly anticipating what would happen next, and the unexpected twists kept me on the edge of my seat.

This book had themes of resilience, sacrifice, and hope. The way she brought out the nuances in each character made them feel incredibly real and relatable

If you're looking for a book that will not only entertain but also move you deeply, "Worst Case Scenario" is a must-read. It's the kind of story that stays with you long after you've turned the last page, prompting reflection and conversation. I can't wait to see what T.J. Newman comes up with next!

As an anxious person, I have had to fly through all three of T.J. Newman's novels in a day or less, because they increase my heart rate SO MUCH. This latest novel was no exception. A plane crashes into a nuclear power plant and causes mayhem like the world has never seen. I loved this book so much and it made me panicky just thinking about this scenario, so I'd say Newman's done her job.

Thank you NetGalley! As always TJ Newman manages to make us feel so much for all the characters in her books especially while they go through tragedy. I definitely tested up a bit while reading this book

I was thrilled when I saw that T.J. Newman had another book coming out because I loved Falling and Drowning. This book also involves a plane crash like her prior two, however; even though the crash is the reason for the story it is not the primary focus of it. Instead, those inside the Clover Hill nuclear facility, firefighters and the townspeople are the focus and we have multiple storylines from their points of view. This book grabs you from the start with the action and doesn't let go until the very end. For as fast paced as it was though, I wish there was a little bit more wrap-up at the very end instead of how it finished. All that being said, I give this a very solid 4.5 out of 5 (rounded up on the star count.) Had the ending not left wanting a little more from it, this would have definitely been a 5/5 for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing this advanced copy to review in exchange for my unbiased and unpaid review.

The author of FALLING and DROWNING has another winner on her hands! A plane whose pilot has a fatal heart attack crashes into a nuclear power plant in Waketa, MN. In addition, part of the plane crashes into a bridge, trapping a family in their minivan. The riveting story is told on two fronts, through many different points of view, as we meet various people in the small town, all connected in some way to the power plant and to each other. We also meet the new, and very young, President of the United States, who gets involved remotely. This is a very well-written story with strong, 3-dimensional characters and lots of action. I was in tears at the end, both happy and sad. Quite a terrific read! Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing an ARC.

Did I roll my eyes within the first couple of chapters? Yes. Is this super cheesy? Yes. Was I enthralled with this book? Absolutely. Although i felt like the beginning of this book may not be entirely possible, i could not put this book down. I was so engrossed within the story I didn’t care. Overall it is a fun book and what I think TJ Newmans Falling meant to be!

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Woah! This book kept me on the edge of my seat from page one! I couldn’t stop reading because I had to know what would happen next. T.J. Newman writes an intense story while also developing characters a reader becomes invested in. The scariest part to me was the author’s note at the beginning stating that the events in the book are a very real worst case scenario fear in the mind of at least one real life pilot.

Thank you to T.J. Newman, Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

TJ Newman is a true master of her craft! I have read all three books and each time I find that she has grown, developed and somehow gotten even better and I have LOVED all three books - all three have easily been favorites of the year and 5 star reads.

This was unbelievable! We had more time off of the plane then one it - I liked this element, it felt like life imitating art with her development from a Flight Attendant to a novelist. We had a true disaster scenario, not one of terrorism, but one of true freak accident proportions. The characters were so full of depth, grit, intelligence and heart. The way Newman can take an airplane thriller and make you close that final page thinking of the book as more a story of humanity and the human spirit than an airplane epic...what a gift she has!

If you enjoyed her previous two, you'll love this. If you've never read one, start here, it is fantastic. I can't wait for her next book and so look forward to seeing Falling and Drowning on the big screen.

I also LOVE her story of never giving up. 41 rejections would be enough to make anyone say "enough"! I am so glad she kept trying and found a believer in her work. What an incredible story of perseverance and grit...just like Joss!

Get the tissues nearby, you’d have to be very cold and jaded for this not to pull at your heartstrings. Even without the massive social media presence we have now, I very clearly remember when construction for the plant near where I live was proposed. It was front page news on all major newspapers and a hot topic of conversation by everyone I knew. It was the seventies, I was barely an adult and terrified. This novel is just what the title says - Worst Case. It’s deeply personal, describing the people in a small Minnesota town. There are many professions from the firefighters, politicians, plant employees, their families, the townspeople and clergy. I had to read the book in small bites, couldn’t fathom the horror in large gulps. I became invested in what happened to many of the characters. It’s scary, sad, eerily plausible and unsettling. I don’t worry everyday like I used to about what if there’s an incident near me. This story reminded me I shouldn’t become complacent, every day’s a gift. Let’s all live with that in mind.
Thanks so much to Little Brown & Co. Hachette Book Group (via NetGalley) for the Advance Reader Copy of Worst Case Scenario by T. J. Newman, publication expected 08/13/2024. The honest personal thoughts and opinions expressed here are all my own given voluntarily without compensation.

Thank you so much to the publisher for an early copy for review.

Story Review: Unfortunately this did not work for me. I love disaster stories and I just did not connect with this one. The characters felt bland and I really expected to feel more fearful or worried about them given the gravity of this disaster. That's the other thing, we don't really see many effects of the disaster at least in the first half of the book so it wasn't enough for me to really enjoy it or feel pulled in. Given the synopsis I thought I would feel on edge and anxious for the characters and the town but I just did not.

This very well may be a personal preference but I just didn't connect with it like I hoped to.

What could be worse than a passenger aircraft with 295 people on board crashing? That same plane crashing into a nuclear power plant in a small town in Minnesota. Not only does the plane come down, but its pieces are scattered across the area, causing car crashes, closed roads, fires, you name it.

This is another incredibly intense book from TJ Newman. It reads at lightning pace and really doesn’t give you a chance to breathe. From the very beginning until the final words, I was engrossed. More than just a disaster story, this was amatory of community, family and choices. The characters were very real and had to make some tough decisions for the safety of the rest the country. It was highly emotional at times, people having to make impossible sacrifices.

If you have read the previous books by this author then you are in for another thrill ride with Worst Case Scenario. Publishes on August 13th, thank you so much to Little, Brown and Company for the advanced copy to read.

NON-STOP. That is the word that keeps hitting me as I finish this book. Wow. I recommend that if you pick this up, you don’t schedule anything and call in sick to work. because you won’t be putting it down until the last page is read.

All of her books are fast-paced. But this one really hits people who lived through 9-11. A pilot has a heart attack midflight, and no one on board can save the plane from falling. So, as the plane crashes, the country really doesn’t know what brought it down. Could it be another terrorist attack? That’s the very start of the book. The president and government struggle to get information and wonder if the rest of the country could be under attack.

But when the plane crashes in on top of a nuclear power plant in a small town in Minnesota, the race starts. The plant was scheduled to shut down, so it is understaffed and not prepared for a disaster that could impact the entire country because it resides next to the Mississippi River.

I rarely read a fictional book that feels so real to me. As the plant staff and firefighters worked to prevent destruction, I was swept up in the drama. She introduces real characters who are forced to make quick life-or-death decisions. It was a tough but thrilling read.

I can’t stress enough that you will not be able to put it down because every chapter makes you hunger for more. Well done! I hope they make a movie of this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for providing at ARC.

Wow. Just WOW. “Worst Case Scenario” is guaranteed to elevate your heart rate for however long you’re reading and listening. You’ll need time to literally decompress after finishing. Wow, again.

We already know that TJ Newman’s airplane thrillers “Falling” and “Drowning” are set to become films, and this one, once the rights are sold, will be the best. It’s almost as if Newman decided to bring back 70s disaster stories single-handedly.

I actually read this on a long flight — but rather than worrying about the plane crashing, the author makes short shrift of the plane as it crashes with 295 souls aboard in the prologue. The action takes place at the nuclear facility where the crash occurred, in the small neighboring Minnesota town of Waketa, and on a Mississippi River bridge. There’s the plant manager Ethan, plant fire chief Steve, and a NEST (Nuclear Emergency Support Team) rep at the nuclear facility; a reverend, teachers, and other townsfolk are at a community center; and local firefighters are trying to save a 5 year old boy from a dangling minivan that’s been crushed by the fully fueled and burning wing just over the Mississippi. All of the characters have hero potential (even the one initially jerky character redeems himself).

And it really is a worst case scenario — every time the characters think the danger might be over, a worse plot line appears. Newman deftly ends a lot of chapters with cliffhangers. As I said, a perfect disaster film story that will keep you gasping “Oh no! Now what?”

Now, add the incredible Emmy-winning actor, Joe Morton, as the narrator of the audiobook, reminding us that a mankind extinction-level disaster still might occur every time it looks like we are making some progress. Morton is the perfect voice. There are special audio effects as well in this audiobook that enhance the listener’s experience. Listening to the audiobook (even after reading the novel) invoked a superb involvement in the twisty plot.

This will be one of your most memorable experiences this year whether you read it or listen (highly recommended)! 5 stars!


Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Joss, the NEST first responder, has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO You do get a feel for the surrounding Minnesota woods.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company/Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an advanced reader and audio copies!

I wish I could start this review with a slow clap….

I truly cannot think of a more talented author. T.J. Newman. Lady! 👏🏼 Thank you. Thank you for sharing your gift with the world! Am I biased because she is my favorite author? Absolutely not. She is my favorite author because of her writing.
It is so compelling and so unique!
Every T.J. Newman book is a one sitting read for me because once I start reading, I literally can not move until it is over. They are the best! Talk about page-turners! 🤯Her writing is just so engaging that you get sucked into the story so deeply, I personally can not look up until the end.

Y’all know what this book is about, you have seen it, or will see it everywhere.
A pilot of a huge plane is now dead and the plane is crashing. Not only does it crash but it lands all over a nuclear power plant in a small town in rural America. The plant workers are not just trying to save their town, but America basically and they only have about 16hours to do it.
However that is not the only crisis happening of course…. the plane crash has cause chaos all over the area, roads are blocked by a 17 car pile-up, bridges are impassable because the wing has landed there with a family suspended over the Mississippi River, and with very little resources and very little help, will they be able to save everyone???

I don’t know how T.J. Newman can write a book a year and each one be equally as good or better than the last! 🤯Like my mind is blown at how gifted she is! I just don’t even know what to do with myself now that it is over. Not only was that book equally as amazing as the last two, it ripped my heart out a few times! (😭Trigger to Mommas of 5 year old boys!)

5 Freaking Stars All the Way! ⭐️ I wish there was more stars to give…..

Thank you Net Galley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC of Worst Case Scenario! I could not be more honored to read a book early! 👏🏼 Bravo!

This author writes with such intensity! It’s fast paced, it’s filled with emotion and humanity. I loved it as I did with her other two books. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy.

Wow.....just wow. T.J. Newman has an amazing ability to write what could actually happen in such a way that the reader is practically experiencing it too. The prose is immersive and you're feeling every bit of tension, fear, and joy that the characters feel as well. The nuclear situation outlined in this book is downright terrifying to think about actually happening in reality. Great book, great author.

This was my first T.J. Newman read and holy buckets, what a ride?!

The writing style keeps you locked in and wanting more. The storyline itself was made up of several different locations fighting problems all their own. I could not put it down!

A plane crashing into a nuclear power plant in small town Minnesota has unimaginable ripple effects. Everyone must band together and some must give it all, just for the greater good.

Thank you to NetGalley, T.J. Newman, and Little, Brown and company for this ARC!

I would give this book 10 stars if I could !!
I have read TJ Newman’s 2 previous books, but I think this one is my favorite. This book is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down, didn’t want to put it down and didn’t want it to end.
This author weaves an incredible story jam packed with characters you love. Her writing style is nothing short of incredible, this story was so intense I was on the edge of my seat and gripping my kindle throughout.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for allowing me to read this ARC. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one!!!

Tj Newman’s new book has another plane on the cover. Leading readers to believe that it’s about a plane crash or nervous flyers not reaching for it because of their own fears.
But it’s not.
I mean there is a plane crash
But it’s at the start of the book.
A burning backdrop that starts the emotional journey with what is about to unfold.

The story begins with a crash but it’s not really about the plane.
It’s about human connection.
Fragility of life.
Love of a family
Community of spirit.


And it’s about connection most of all. Not planes, not death, connection.

My heart broke
I laughed out loud
And I yelled out “F me” (multiple times that my kids started to bring out the swear jar).

If drowning was one of my top 3 books of 2023, then Worst Case Scenario just crushed it for 2024.

Bottom line im in awe that a writer with this being only her 4rd book has founded her craft so meticulously. Drawing the lines between genres effortlessly.

A 6 star read from me

What.A.Ride! This is a thriller from start to finish. I've read Newman's other books and this one delivers the same pulse-pounding intensity.
There are so many twists and turns...medical emergency on a flight...plane crashes and falls apart...a nuclear power plant is in the path of the plane...lives saved...lives lost. There were many heartbreaking moments in this book. Also a deep-dive into nuclear power and a lot of the scenes leave you with a feeling of "what if?" any of this occurred in real life.
A 5-star summer thriller!