Since about 2018, Rebecca Yarros is one of my autobuy authors. I’m a huge fan of her contemporary romance novels, even though I also enjoyed her latest fantasy releases. However, her contemporaries seem less hyped and more emotionally investing to me. I knew about In the Likely Event already, but at the time of its release so many other books got published that I kind of forgot about it. When the Dutch publication was announced, it got back on my radar. Did this book meet my expectations in the end?

About the book

In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros
Published by Montlake on August 1, 2023
Pages: 350
ISBN: 9781662511554
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

From USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros comes a sweeping romance about the sustained power of chance encounters.

When Izzy Astor gets on a plane to go home, she isn’t expecting much. It’s the usual holiday travel experience: busy, crowded, stressful.

Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now.

Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River.

Their lives change. They change. Nate goes on to a career in the military while Izzy finds her way into politics. Despite a few chance encounters over the years, the timing never feels right.

Then comes a high-stakes reunion in Afghanistan, where Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life.

He’ll do anything to keep her safe. And everything to win her heart.

My review

Characters

The main characters are Izzy and Nathaniel (Nate). Whereas I’m usually curious about the main characters in a book straight away, it took me a long time before I warmed up to Izzy and Nate. Unfortunately, I never fully warmed up to them, just a little bit. Once the story progresses, I got interested a bit more in what happened to them and how they manage to navigate through everything they’ve endured. However, I was hesitant to pick up thisb book beforehand, because the blurb never really spoke to me straight away. Maybe I already had a weird feeling in the back of my mind about these main characters. Especially Izzy comes off as cold and stiff. At some point she opens up a little more, but I didn’t feel any connection to her. This also applies to Nate, even though he was more mysterious and opened up more, I found it hard to get to know him that well. They lack character development to me. Yes, they do grow, but still fall flat to me as main characters. I don’t feel the chemistry and that’s such an important thing in this type of novel.

Atmosphere

The main part of this book is set in Afghanistan in summer 2021, when the American army retreats and the Taliban immediately took over the country once again. These circumstances Izzy and Nate had to work in made the atmosphere really tense. Also, there is still so much unspoken heartache between them that it made the atmosphere even more uncomfortable. At some point there is spice, but to me it didn’t feel right in this setting. It does in terms of character development, but it felt a bit awkward in the middle of a war where the Taliban could be on their doorstep at any moment. Yarros tried to lighten the atmosphere a bit with this spice scene, but here it’s not working.

Writing

The writing is fine. It’s accessible and easy to follow. The chapters aren’t that long and the time of the flashbaks is indicated well. There’s  a lot of POV switching, which is necessary to get to know the characters and their feelings. Also, in order to make the concept of the book work, there are several flashbacks. I was never confused by them and it helped me to understand the story in present day better.

Plot

Even though this book is character driven, there certainly is a plot. Admittedly, I wasn’t drawn to this at first, but I was sure Yarros was able to deliver an emotional story once again. Ten years ago, Izzy and Nate met on a plane and started talking. Shortly after take-off, the plane crashes. Both Izzy and Nate survive, convinced they will never see eachother again. Their lives were so different and the distance between them long. Nate was in military training whilst Izzy was at university. Throughout the years, they managed to see eachother, but only for a short period of time. Now, ten years later, they run into eachother again in Afghanistan after not being in touch for a long time. Nate swears to protect Izzy with his life. Are they able to push away their feelings for good or are these two magnets destined for one another?

Intrigue

Although this concept is an interesting approach for a romance, it fell flat for me. I wasn’t fully captivated. This has nothing to do with the plot, but more with the characters. I was curious for what happened between Izzy and Nate, but that’s all. I found the character development lacking and the outcome very predictable. It was never tense on romantic level. Even the earlier mentioned spice fell a bit flat to me, and that’s not because of the timing. It just had no meaning here. The atmosphere was the most intriguing to me because I was afraid someone wouldn’t survive.

Logic

Unfortunately, there were some unlogic plot points in this novel. How can people who barely spent time together fall in love so madly and deeply? They barely know one another, especially because they don’t open up really. Also, they only got stolen moments and that’s not the best foundation for a long-distance relationship. Furthermore, the spice felt unlogic in this story. Finally, there’s a minor mistake in the setting of chapter 13. It’s set in November 2021 when the rest of the novel is set in August 2021. I think it’s just an editing error because the rest of the story is indeed set in August and the following months. I was a bit confused with it though, but that faded when I continued reading.

Enjoyment

Before I picked up In the Likely Event by Rebecca yarrros, I was expecting to get yet another emotional rollercoaster. Unfortunately I wasn’t emotionally invested at all. The military knowledge of the author is clearly visible, so she knows what she writes about. However, both characters and plot fell flat to me. I finished this book pretty fast, but it didn’t meet my expectations. Maybe my gutt feling was right by not picking it up immediately. In fact, I kind of forgot about it. It’s definitely not a bad book, other readers might have a great time with it. However, I hope there will be a more emotionally investing contemporary by this author pretty soon.