In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars 

Pages: 348 pages
Published: August 2023

I snagged a digital copy of In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros from Amazon through the First Reads Kindle program. Because my husband exclusively shops at Amazon and is a Prime member, I get his benefit of free books through First Reads. As luck would have it, several months later my work book club selected this novel as a book of discussion. The premise seemed interesting, which is probably why I selected this book in the first place. 

The primary characters, Izzy and Nate meet on a plane and shortly after takeoff the plane crashes in the Missouri River. Forever bound by this tragedy, the two develop a romantic relationship where timing never seems to align so that it can develop into anything more than the occasional hook-up. (As an aside, I feel like Keanu Reeves's Jack and Sandra Bullock's Annie on the movie Speed told us everything we need to know about this: "Relationships that start under intense circumstances never last." But I digress.) About a decade later, Izzy has started a career in politics and travels to Afghanistan where Nate happens to be serving in the military special forces during a volatile time. When she arrives, he is charged with serving as Izzy's security detail. This encounter forces them to deal with their past and address their future. 

The story was fairly predictable. The alternating perspectives of each of the main characters revealed a bit of relevant background leading up to an interesting, although not completely germane, plot twist. All of their romantic chatter and sexual tension is set on the backdrop of a war-torn country. And like many reviewers have mentioned, this seemed a little ... privileged. Why are they focused on "does s/he love me?" when there are way more important things going on ... like people literally dying. I think this book could have easily been set in the U.S., but perhaps the author thought the international setting would make the story more interesting. I don't think it's ever OK to use other people's true suffering as a prop for a fictional novel. But that's just me. 

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I'm not really intrigued by reading the play-by-play of sexually explicit scenes. It just doesn't do it for me. Overall, I found most of the dialogue to be superficial, and the characters lacked depth. The premise was promising, but it fell flat in the end. I pushed through because I try to complete book club books so I can actively participate in the discussion. 

 

Recommendation: I'm glad I got this book for free. I've heard Yarros' latest book, Fourth Wing, is super good, but this one kind of tainted her for me. I wouldn't recommend this book and highly doubt I'll be picking up her latest. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.