Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

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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. 
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