Review: Worst Case Scenario

Author: TJ Newman

Genre: Thriller, Action, Suspense

Rating: 5 / 5

Features:

• A fast-paced action thriller 

• Focuses on community, choices, and sacrifices in the face of disaster

• Countdown to catastrophe and the struggle to avoid it

• Small town setting

It was a normal, quiet day in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota until large pieces of a Boeing 757 came crashing down, creating chaos and destruction on a scale the town has never seen. But this is hardly the true disaster. Most of the doomed plane fell directly into the Clover Hill Nuclear Power Plant, causing catastrophic damage to the structures used to manage the volatile material within. Functionally cut off by all of the destruction, the power plant workers and community of Waketa have only 16 hours to stop a global catastrophe. 

 If you are looking for an action movie in book form, Worst Case Scenario is definitely for you! It is a nonstop race against the clock and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The story bounces between plant workers, firefighters/first responders, teachers, families, and the US President as they all work together to save the world from a nuclear disaster. There is definitely a core cast of characters, but it takes a little bit to start getting a sense of who they are because of how quickly the story goes from one perspective to another and how many other characters are involved. However, I never felt lost at any point and learning how all of these people are connected throughout this journey was part of the fun. I don’t know enough about nuclear power plants to say for sure, but it seems like Newman really did her research to properly explore this ‘what if’ scenario in a way that is both accessible and realistic. Overall, this book really hooked me and is a wild ride action thriller lovers won’t want to miss!

Organized chaos

If I had to choose a word to describe the vibe of this book, it would be “chaotic”. It quickly jumps from character to character as the story unfolds and not all of these characters are part of the core group we end up getting to know. The frequent switching is a clever way to get a much broader view of the situation, but it can also feel disorienting and chaotic. Especially at the beginning of the book. However, this chaos feels purposeful and really puts you into the moment. Just like the characters, you’re made to feel like there is too much going on and it's hard to figure out what the logical next step is going to be. As the core cast of characters becomes clearer, the structure feels less chaotic but the situation stays complicated and Newman handles this subtle transition really well. Still, I can see readers who don’t like too many characters getting a little overwhelmed with this read. 

There’s no “I” in “team”

This is a story about a community and the everyday heroes that step up in a crisis. Newman has a talent for highlighting the humanity of each character whether they are only on a couple of pages or on 100. As we see the core cast from different perspectives, we get a good sense of who they are and what they mean to each other. However, despite going on an emotional rollercoaster with these characters, I would not call this a strong character novel. This story is more about people coming together to overcome impossible odds rather than the journey of a few individuals. The fact that Newman managed to create something with this much emotional impact and that felt so human without truly going in-depth on any particular character really speaks to her talent as a storyteller. That being said, readers who enjoy in-depth characters will probably still be left wanting a little more.

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Special thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!