Rebecca Yarros used to be one of my auto buy authors. I say “used to” on purpose, because lately her books haven’t been really for me. However, “Flight & Glory” was where it all started and I still had the fifth and final book to read. The Reality of Everything has been on my TBR for years. I still waited to read it, because I wasn’t caught up with the series yet. Last year I read Hallowed Ground and I’m the worst in reading series back-to-back, so this one was on the shelf a bit longer. I felt now was the right time and I therefore went into this book with pretty high expectations, especially after finishing a very disappointing read. Was this the Yarros I am used to or was this book not for me either? Please beware for possible spoilers for the earlier books in this series.

About the book

The Reality of Everything by Rebecca Yarros
Series: Flight & Glory #5
Published by Independently published on July 23, 2020
Pages: 470
ISBN: 9798668471867
Genres: Contemporary, New adult, Romance

Two years after the man she loved was killed in Afghanistan, Morgan Bartley is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. The reno on her dilapidated beach house in the Outer Banks might be just the distraction she needs to keep her debilitating anxiety attacks at bay and begin to heal her heart…if she can ignore the ridiculously handsome guy next door.

At twenty-eight, single-dad Jackson Montgomery’s life revolves around his five-year-old daughter and his job as a search-and-rescue pilot for the coast guard. He’s no stranger to saving a damsel in distress, and though his gorgeous new neighbor is clearly in distress, she’s no damsel. She’s stubborn as hell with walls a mile thick, and the dog tags hanging from her rearview mirror give him a pretty good clue as to why.

My review

Expectations

To be honest, my expectations were pretty high. I knew that I enjoyed the previous books in this series and I expected nothing less from this final one. After reading some disappointing books like In the Likely Event by this author and after feeling so conflicted about Onyx Storm, I really needed to enjoy a Yarros book again.

Characters

Just like all the other books in this series, this novel is told through a dual POV narration. The author switches between our main characters Morgan and Jackson every chapter. This way, we get to know them both very well. We meet Morgan two years after she lost the man she always loved, Will. She’s ready for a new start and therefore moves to a peninsula where she knows nothing and no one. Soon after arrival, she meets her neighbour Jackson who she’s determined to ignore. Jackson on the other hand is immediately attracted to Morgan. Both have their issues and they both need to work on them. However, Morgan’s journey is elaborated more in depth as she is going through some heavy therapy sessions. That’s where the other characters from the other books come in, especially Sam is one we see a lot from. Since both Morgan and Jackson have their issues, they are in denial of their mutual chemistry for the longest while. I think Finley, Jackson’s daughter, was really the glue between these two.

Writing

This is Yarros at her best honestly. The writing is accessible and the book runs smoothly. The POV switches are handled well, as well as the serious themes of this novel. Whereas the chapters are quite short, the language is not that difficult and the story is very intriguing, it was easy for me to finish this book in a very short while. In fact, it only took me a few hours. This definitely was in my expectations, but I’m always glad when this turns out to be the case. So, I was ale to tick another book off in March.

Plot

Whereas this author’s latest novels are more plot driven – which is quite logical with fantasy – this one focusses on the characters and their growth. especially Morgan has a journey to take regarding her grief and her mental health. Jackson supports her in every step of the way, although he makes some mistakes. Their chemistry is undeniable, but they have some hurdles to overcome. Therefore, their friendship (and maybe more?) goes with ups and downs. This fits the story perfectly and is healthy for both of them. This novel addresses serious themes as stated before. Trust, grief, finding (back) yourself and your true identity and being able to let other people in again are several of them. They are handled with care as far as I am able to judge. Because of the focus on the characters and their growth, I was intrigued by this book from start to finish and I think this was a story that needed to be told in order to round up this series.

Final thoughts

Needless to say, I really enjoyed The Reality of Everything by Rebecca Yarros. I thin this is one of her best series yet and has been well-written. Unfortunately, I’m not the biggest fan of the author’s most recent work, these books feel kind of rushed and I never got that feeling when reading this series. This story is again character driven, which works really well. I was intrigued from start to finish and therefore was able to finish this book pretty fast. Are you looking for character driven books with more deeper layers? Then this “Flight & Glory” series might be for you.