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m0czy's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Absolutely DEVOURED this book in less than 24 hours. Could not put it down, save for the incredibly emotional moment that had me flinging the book across the table. The MMC and FMC are beautifully, heartbreakingly written. This love story is absolutely epic and worth every heart pounding second.
Only thing preventing 5 stars is a slightly white-savior tone to the war in Afghanistan.
Only thing preventing 5 stars is a slightly white-savior tone to the war in Afghanistan.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, War, Abandonment, Grief, and Cursing
Minor: Physical abuse, Car accident, and Death
Deals with PTSD in various forms and presentationsabbycasey's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident and Physical abuse
100_pages_hr's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, War, Death, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Cursing
zanazy's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book does not deliver on the romance plot which was a surprise having read two other books by this author. Again, there is a military setting and the mic being in the military causes the bulk of the relationship issues between the leads. Izzy, the fmc was not likable and came off as dumb about everything except books and studies. Nathaniel was a bit more better but too centered on Izzy to be believable as a Special Ops guy. Of the two, Nathaniel’s POV and background make for the better parts of this book.
Izzy and Nathan meet on a plane ride, his first, and its major insta love. Then minutes after takeoff, their plane crashes, forcing them to get real close and for Nathan to rescue Izzy and save her life. The two are separated as Nathaniel is on his way to the military, and so they lose touch despite the fact Izzy says over and over that fate draws her to him. Years pass and their paths cross again, and they have a few day fling but again, it’s not right for them to try for more. This time though, they share addresses and stay connected for years with Nathaniel popping in and out on his leaves. Eventually, Nathan proposes a bit awkwardly and Izzy says she can’t marry him so he leaves and drops all contact.
Fast forward years later and they meet in the middle of a war in Afghanistan, during the time the country is falling apart. Izzy has joined politics to help find a way to end the war with the secret hope Nathaniel will find her again and he is of course the unit assigned to protect her. Unfortunately it is the fact the setting is Afghanistan and in the war that kills the romance. I had a difficult time reading about Izzy and Nathaniel doing it while people were afraid for their lives and bring shot at. Total turnoff. The story ends in a very predictable way and nothing about it seems right.
Unfortunately the setting of this being war torn and about to fall into Taliban hands Afghanistan makes this a very difficult, un compassionate read. People are dying, scared for their lives, but the leads are happily enjoying their reconciliation and themselves. No amount of Izzy is trying to do interviews for people or Nathaniel leaving food rations males up for the lack of thought to what is happening to the background setting. The worst part is that this story could have been set anywhere else just fine. Hard no and I hope the author learns from this.
Izzy and Nathan meet on a plane ride, his first, and its major insta love. Then minutes after takeoff, their plane crashes, forcing them to get real close and for Nathan to rescue Izzy and save her life. The two are separated as Nathaniel is on his way to the military, and so they lose touch despite the fact Izzy says over and over that fate draws her to him. Years pass and their paths cross again, and they have a few day fling but again, it’s not right for them to try for more. This time though, they share addresses and stay connected for years with Nathaniel popping in and out on his leaves. Eventually, Nathan proposes a bit awkwardly and Izzy says she can’t marry him so he leaves and drops all contact.
Fast forward years later and they meet in the middle of a war in Afghanistan, during the time the country is falling apart. Izzy has joined politics to help find a way to end the war with the secret hope Nathaniel will find her again and he is of course the unit assigned to protect her. Unfortunately it is the fact the setting is Afghanistan and in the war that kills the romance. I had a difficult time reading about Izzy and Nathaniel doing it while people were afraid for their lives and bring shot at. Total turnoff. The story ends in a very predictable way and nothing about it seems right.
Unfortunately the setting of this being war torn and about to fall into Taliban hands Afghanistan makes this a very difficult, un compassionate read. People are dying, scared for their lives, but the leads are happily enjoying their reconciliation and themselves. No amount of Izzy is trying to do interviews for people or Nathaniel leaving food rations males up for the lack of thought to what is happening to the background setting. The worst part is that this story could have been set anywhere else just fine. Hard no and I hope the author learns from this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Medical trauma, War, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Violence, and Car accident
headinthepages's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, Cursing, Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and War
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.25
Finished reading: August 4th 2023
"Whatever had bound us together in the first place was still there, as tangible as ever. We’d buried it, ignored it, burned it to the ground, but never managed to sever it."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Montlake in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I know that this isn't exactly a genre I would usually go for, but between the plane crash angle and second chance romance I simply couldn't resist adding In The Likely Event to my shelves. Especially after reading Deanna's glowing review... And while I do understand why so many people seem to love this military romance, I did end up having mixed thoughts about In The Likely Event myself. It's not a bad read and there were things about this story I loved, but there were also certain aspects that didn't sit as well with me personally.
I still like the premise of this story, with the plane crash element and the main characters being thrown together again and again by fate. I always love a good second chance romance, and theirs sure starts with a bang. I even liked the jumping back and forward in time, as it helped fleshing out their past while also taking a break from the urgency of their present situation. This time jumping doesn't always work for me, but I thought that it was very well executed here, and it didn't slow down the pace at all.
One of the issues I had with In The Likely Event was that it ended up being quite a political story, and that isn't really my cup of tea. At the same time, I wasn't a fan of how Afghanistan was portrayed, nor how the characters behaved while in that country. I've seen other reviews commenting on this, and I agree that the culture and country aren't exactly portrayed in a favorable way, and the conflict is used to generate tension between the characters instead of properly shining a light on the situation and issues in play. I've seen the term 'white savior complex' mentioned more than once, and I agree that this term definitely applies to this story.
As for the characters... I'm having mixed thoughts when it comes to both Izzy and Nate. While I do see their chemistry and I like the idea of their connection and the second chance romance, they both frustrate the heck out of me as well. Sure, neither wants to give up their dreams to be with the other, but also they can't stop pining whenever they are not together? Seriously annoying. I wasn't a fan of their actions and behavior in the present (while in Afghanistan), mostly due to that 'white savior complex' vibe that both seemed to be having. And since when is Nate not respecting Izzy's choices sexy?
I liked the writing style itself, which was engaging and quick to read. I confess that I did skip the sexy scenes, which were too steamy for me... And especially the one in Afghanistan was quite inappropriate to be honest. I could have done without the love triangle vibe as well, but that is just a pet peeve I guess. I think that if In The Likely Event would have focused more on the PTSD and misconnection instead of on more political aspects, I would probably have enjoyed this story more. The Afghanistan setting felt too much like a prop and it didn't really add anything substantial to the story; those scenes could have been set in any conflict zone and the result would have been the same.
In short, there were things that worked and things that didn't work out so well in this story, and I ended up having mixed thoughts about In The Likely Event. I've seen rather extreme reactions to this story in the reviews, and I can understand both sides now that I've had the chance to read the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Grief, War, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Car accident, and Classism
_alyssar_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, Grief, War, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Blood, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail
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