Forget Dragons, In the Likely Event is one of my favorite stories of 2023. This story had me so riled up at the end, I blew up the book club DM to tell everyone to go read. Told in dual timelines, we get to see both times our character’s lives cross – both their first and second chance romance. I thought this might make the story hard to follow but it unfolded in the most brilliant manner which kept me engaged all day. I did not plan to binge read this story, but it had me by the throat and wouldn’t let me go. It was so amazing, I grabbed the audiobook to keep reading when I had to get some things done. Carly Robbins and Teddy Hamilton enriched the story and added so much emotion to an already riveting storyline. As soon as I finished, I looked to see what Rebecca had in her blacklist and this will certainly not be the last book I read by her.

Izzy and Nate meet on a plane and immediately bond. He’s on his way to Basic and she’s returning to school after visiting her sister. When their plane goes down right after takeoff, they take care of each other. In the chaos, they unknowingly forge a bond that ties them together for years to come. Nate has a long career in the military and Izzy goes into politics, but when their paths cross yet again on a burning hot tarmac in Afghanistan, they never thought they’d have a second chance. As the country crumbles to the Taliban, old wounds surface and the fire between them begins to burn again.

This book was a slow burn delight. It’s full of angst, passion, pain, and growth. I LOVED both the dual POV and dueling timelines. I’m so glad this story wasn’t told in linear order from start to finish and felt that it really helped me get to know these characters better. You discover both characters strengths and weaknesses, and the pieces they hid from everyone else. When the finally give into the simmering chemistry between them, it is like a delicious dessert after a decadent meal because you’re so attached to these characters. I CANNOT recommend this book enough. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.

Thank you Montlake for the copy to read & review! I chose this as my Amazon First Reads pick as well.

Would recommend if you love:
-Not-too-spicy romance (there are a few steamy scenes)
-Kinda tragic tbh, like "it's never the right time" vibes
-Military & a bit political too
-Multi timeline
-Dual POV between the MMC & FMC

I liked this romance quite a bit. This story drew all the emotions out. I swooned, I teared up, I was stressed TF out.

Told in alternating POV of Nathaniel & Izzy (why are his chapters titled with his full name but hers are titled with her nickname?) & alternating timelines between 2021 in Afghanistan & 2011 when they first meet, then moving forward thru their relationship. I didn't find the two timelines hard to follow so this worked well for me.
The 'current' chapters in 2021 had this blanket sense of foreboding due to the happenings in Afghanistan in the story. Meanwhile, Nate & Izzy have their own shit they're trying to work thru while also not getting too close.
Their past timeline was super cute, if not totally tragic & heartbreaking at times.

Have you ever read any of Rebecca Yarros' books before? I'm sure you have and if that's the case then you have an idea of what to expect. A compelling story, TONS of emotions, I mean TONS, and more than likely crying. In The Likely Event has all of that and more. Yes, more. From the amazing cast of characters and sub-characters, to the action mixed with humor and that slow burn hot romance, you will be ensnared by this book from the very first page.

I wish I could encapsulate for you everything that this book was to me. But alas, I will just say that I HIGHLY recommend this book. HIGHLY. It's classic Rebecca and IYKYK. My rating? WELL WELL WELL above 5 stars. But if that's all I'm able to give, I do it with emphasis.

Nate Phelan and Izzy Astor meet on what could have been the worst day of their lives. By all odds, they survived a plane crash, and it bonded them for life. But that life went on… Nate joined the military and Izzy went on to law school. They stayed in touch, drawn together like a moth to a flame. Being in the military, Nate’s unit could get called up at any moment and with that in mind, he wouldn’t commit to Izzy. As he called it, he didn’t want to blow his shot with her. She deserved more.

“He wasn’t mine. I wasn’t his. That was the agreement we’d made.
And yet he was always mine.
I was always his.”

Almost ten years after that crash, Izzy steps off the plane in a war zone and Nate is tasked to protect her, even though he hadn’t seen her in at least three years. Yet the pull between them was still as strong as ever. Izzy is there with other congressional aides on a fact-finding mission, taking the place of another aide from the same office. She doesn’t know that Nate is in-country or that he would be the one assigned to her. Even though that’s not the entire reason Izzy came to Afghanistan.

Being thrown back into each other’s orbit, especially somewhere that is collapsing all around them, heightens their feelings for one another. They were both there with jobs to do, yet everyone around them could see their attraction.

“Izzy, you’re the one good, untainted thing in my life. You are the only peace I know.”

Will Nate be able to get it through Izzy’s head that she needs to leave the country before she gets hurt? Will she understand that he needs to stay behind and finish his mission? Will they ever get a real chance at the happiness they both deserve? I like how this book went back and forth from when they first met to almost the present day, with a few of their meetings in between. It gives us a sense of their relationship over time, as they each grow separately in their own lives.

I have read a number of Rebecca Yarros’ contemporary military books and have enjoyed all of them, including this one. She has first had knowledge as a military wife of what that life could be for Izzy and Nate. Rebecca Yarros never disappoints, and I can’t wait to read whatever she releases next.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Nate and Izzy felt like star-crossed lovers thru this book. It was so heartbreaking to see their lives taking them in the directions it did. I found the story to be very emotional, which I enjoy. There was a bit of suspense thrown in and a few surprises that had me wanting to reread almost immediately. If you enjoy emotional romances then I definitely would recommend.

Nate and Izzy are seated next to each other on a plane, form an immediate connection, only for the plane to crash. Nate is a true hero and saves Izzy, but must continue to basic training for the Army. Their paths continue to cross over ten years, culminating in Afghanistan as the country falls.

I struggled with how to rate this book, as there were aspects I enjoyed but also some problematic elements that were hard to ignore. I should say that I am not a fan of military romance, but I loved Fourth Wing so I wanted to give the author a try.

What I enjoyed:
The plane crash was interesting and unique, but quickly went to the back burner when I would have liked more. Also, the book was fast paced and easy to read. There was a good twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. I also appreciated the attention she brought to PTSD and getting help for it by professionals (though I wish he’d come to that conclusion sooner).

What I didn’t enjoy:
I really wish the author had used a fake conflict rather than capitalize on the fall of Afghanistan. This is such a hard thing for so many, it’s so fresh and seems very insensitive to the people of Afghanistan. Some of the military propaganda and savior elements of the story were hard to get through. Also, it seemed strange to me that Nate loved Izzy so much but wouldn’t get out of the military to be with her, and then at the end we were told that he never liked being in the military. Huh? That doesn’t make sense to me. Finally, there’s a scene of abuse that is minimized by the characters because of ptsd. I feel it should have been handled differently.

Ultimately, I can’t recommend this book because of the insensitive and problematic aspects. It would have saved the book if it had been based on a fictional conflict, honestly.

Thank you to Rebecca Yarros, Montlake, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Another great title by Yarros. It look me a couple of chapters to remember to pay attention to what year each chapter was in, so I didn’t get lost. I so didn’t catch the twist, u til it was revealed but that made it just more powerful.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'In the Likely Event' by Rebecca Yarros.

It's hard to review this novel. 'In the Likely Event' is a new novel by the author who has taken the whole book community by storm, Rebecca Yarros. I loved the writing style, that was the best part. However, the book goes between 3 different story lines and time frames - the way this was done felt jarring to me and I just couldn't rate it higher than a 2 due to this. To add to this, it was very political. Do I believe it was Yarros' story to tell? No. Multiple other reviews explain the war propaganda better than I ever could so go read them.

Wow. Just wow. I just devoured this book in a day. I loved absolutely everything about it. I couldn’t put it down. There were a bunch of little cliffhangers at the ends of each chapter that just made me desperate to keep reading. I LOVED the dual POV with the dual timeline. I thought the way Rebecca went back and forth between the past and present was done extremely well.

I adored Izzy and Nate. I was rooting for them through every page I read and constantly wanted to give them both a big hug. Plus Nate being all protective and growly made me feel all of the things. I loved Izzy’s sister Serena even if they were both too stubborn for their own good. And I kind of wanted to punch their parents in the throat. There were some really good twists that I didn’t see coming in this as well and it definitely kept me on my toes.

You will absolutely love this book if you love second chances, soul mates, body guards, and mutual pining!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

From the not meet-cute but rather meet-scary to almost 2/3s of the book, I was all-in. Characters were pretty interesting with palpable tension between the main two of them. But it lost me for me with the reveal of "what happened New York" not feeling sufficiently catastrophic to have derailed the characters for that long. I was hoping for more after reading Fourth Wing, but it was still a solid 4 star read.

I was really excited to read this book after reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and loving it, and her non-fantasy writing is just as good as I’d hoped. In The Likely Event had all my favorite tropes: second chance romance, dual POV, and alternating between different points in time. Dangle a mystery as to why they broke up or haven’t seen each other in a while and it’s like catnip for me. I loved the way the plot sprinkled in just enough hints and information to keep me going, but didn’t give everything away until close to the end. There’s also a twist at the end that I truly didn’t see coming and shook me a little bit. My only criticism is the fact that several times they were reunited by coincidence, and I’m too much of a cynic to like that storyline. It always makes the book seem too unbelievable for me. I’m looking forward to reading more from Rebecca and really enjoyed this one!

This was perfection. The characters were lovely, the plot was so good, the timeline was SO interesting. I never wanted to put it down.

I was lucky enough to get a digital arc of this new contemporary romance by Rebecca Yarros, the author of Fourth Wing.
I really enjoyed this! I read it super quickly as it was an easy read, it was a nice to branch outside of my usual romantasy genre I normally gravitate to.
As a neurodivergent woman I really enjoyed the ADHD representation, Rebecca shows the symptoms and daily life of a woman with ADHD with humour and grace. It's a subtle theme running in the background of the main character Isabeau (Izzy) and felt natural to read not forced.
The characters have depth and don't feel one dimensional, the way they find their way back to each other, time and time again broke my heart and simultaneously healed it each time. There is a suprise twist at the end that had me questioning and wanting to re-read the whole book over. A must read if you enjoy all the tropes we love about romance books.

There is no doubt that Rebecca Yarros is quite simply the master of military romance. In the Likely Event offers a different perspective though which is refreshing in itself.

Nate and Isabeau are simply amazing both together and apart and as a reader I actually 'felt' every time they were separated by time and circumstances.

Each of them though, knew without a doubt, that the other was their ride or die...They just had to admit it!

You can almost...almost come out the other side, unscathed and scar free. But, look out for low flying emotions to side swipe you when you least expect it, they're right around the corner.

An amazing tale of love, it's strength and it's amazing capacity to adapt.

A unique beginning, a troubled middle (because what's a romance story without a bit of drama) and a lovely ending. And this author writes romance so well.

This book had me on high alert for the entirety of my reading session. I could not stop my obsession with Izzy and Nate. From their very first encounter, I had no doubt that they would have a spectacularly unique and riveting story.

My absolute favorite thing about this book is that despite the serendipitous nature of the relationship between the two gorgeous main characters, Rebecca Yarros never backed off of the reality, secrecy, and danger which comes with being involved with a soldier. It was absolutely heart-rending to watch Izzy and Nate navigate years of life in a military-related relationship. Ms. Yarros showed readers the absolute beauty and horror that exsists against the backdrop of life in a war zone.

I will absolutely recommend this book for others to read. It is exquisitely written. The surprises contained within the plot are jaw-dropping and completely blinding in their revelations. In the Likely Event is a true testament to the fact that love is what eventually saves us all.

3.5 stars

After LOVING Fourth Wing, I wanted to try a romance by Yarros. At first, I was intrigued by the premise. However, I quickly realized that I wasn't invested in this love story. It had the bones of a good story, but I think there were some missed opportunities in terms of character growth and exploration of trauma. Nate was ultimately an unlikeable MMC, which made it difficult for me to root for them together.

In the Likely Event is the most beautiful love story I've ever read and it proves that Rebecca Yarros truly is a master of storytelling.

I was so excited when I heard about this book and it was even better than I could have possibly imagined.

I completely cried my eyes out whilst reading this book because every moment between Izzy and Nate was just so beautifully tragic and romantic. I can honestly say that their story made me believe in soulmates. Izzy and Nate are the definition of "right person wrong time" and it made my heart ache so much for them. They are such flawed and real characters and I was completely enamoured with their love story, which spans over ten years.

The chapters switched between past and present and I think that the suspense it caused really benefited the story.

Overall, In the Likely Event is going down as once of my all time favourite books and I can't wait to read more by Rebecca Yarros. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a romance that will make your heart ache in the best way possible!

“I have one weakness on this entire planet, and you’re feet away when you’re supposed to be halfway round the globe.”

This was the first ever “military romance” I’ve ever read. Rebecca mentions in her acknowledgements that she herself was a military wife for over 20 years and her husband had deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan where our MMC is stationed in the present timeline of this book. Thank you to all the men and women who serve and have served to protect our country.

Izzy and Nate were fated to be together from the moment they met. The day they met was a bit traumatic and led to a crazy bond. Over the years they have met several times and although they have chemistry and want each other, the timing is never quite right. Now, Izzy is in Afghanistan and Nate’s team is assigned as protection for Izzy and her coworkers. As the story unfolds, we switch between past and present and get to appreciate how they got to where they are in the present.

Nate and Izzy have both gone through things individually and come from vastly different backgrounds. I loved their story and couldn’t put this book down. I read it in one day! I thought they both developed as individuals from when they were 18 to the present. I was rooting for them so hard. They annotate books for one another. How cute is that??

There was a little twist revealed towards the end that I wasn’t expecting! It contributed to all the feels. If you like an emotional romance you can’t put down, read it now.

“I am wildly in love with you, and I don’t want to be your possibility anymore. I’m not leaving us up to fate.”

Also read if you like:
✨ Second chance romance
✨ ADHD representation
✨ Past and present timelines
✨ Right person, wrong time
✨ Dual POV
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Mental Health Representation

Short Synopsis:
Izzy Astor is headed on a plane to visit her parents. But her seat mate ends up being the tall, sexy Jess Mariano lookalike, Nate Phelan. After the plane flight from hell, Nate and Izzy connect and hit it off. The downside? Nate is on his way to basic training for military and not in a position to start a relationship. After a decade of the two meeting sporadically, their paths cross again, but this time Izzy has a big diamond ring on her hand.

My Thoughts:
Okay, now the book. This relationship was so incredibly unhealthy.

It’s was perfectly fine and held my attention.

Read if You Like:
✈️ Dual Timeline/POV
✈️ Military Romances
✈️ Second Chance Romance
✈️ Right Person/Wrong Time
✈️ Human Suffering