A review by bribreez
In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5⭐️/ 3🌶️

If there was one thing Izzy Astor didn’t like, it was planes. The endless possibilities that could occur while being on a plane terrified her, and yet, one day in the year of 2011, she met Nathaniel. You would think that moment Izzy and Nathaniel met would be oh so cute, and lead to a romantic montage of them talking, and flirting right? Umm, not exactly. Sure, Izzy and Nathaniel were attracted to each other right off the bat, but within the first couple of minutes their plane took it, it ended with them crashing. That wasn’t just the beginning of Nathaniel and Izzy’s story, but it also followed them years later when they met again under new and different circumstances. Told in dual point of views, switching between timelines to illustrate Izzy and Nathaniel’s story, it explored so many of the things they went through, and eventually how despite many years apart, some things would never change between them. 

If there’s one thing that Rebecca Yarros never fails to do is, always creating unique storylines, and having me intrigued from the beginning. Before reading, all I knew was that there was going to be a plane crash (not a spoiler, literally mentioned in the summary), and centered around Nate (Nathaniel) and Izzy’s romance. The interesting part of the story wasn’t just seeing the plane crash and the events that happened during and after, but also having now and then chapters. Seeing how Nate and Izzy met wasn’t the meet cute one could expect, instead they survived a plane crash. Years later in 2021, Nate was still serving in the Special Forces and tasked with her newest assignment which happened to bring him face to face with Izzy, who he hadn’t seen in three years. 

Nate and Izzy went through a traumatic event together back in 2011, but even before the incident happened, their first encounter showed them connecting and sharing things about one another. I wasn’t expecting “now” and “then” chapters, but I personally loved it since it highlighted the different point in times from when Nate and Izzy first met to the present of them being older, well into their respective careers, but still having that connection despite the many years apart. In addition, it seemed like something happened the last time Izzy and Nate saw each other so that was something I was most curious about especially considering how the past showed them growing close and forming a deeper connection than they initially thought. 

Man, why can’t I have Nathaniel Phelan for myself? That man was perfect in the best of ways. From the way he always felt a sense of need and protection over Izzy, to bringing a warmth to Izzy, and overall just being the best. Nate was an amazing man, his line of work was dangerous, but like he said he was pretty good at it. Even in the present when he met Izzy again, I could see that all his years being in the Special Forces reflected how well of a soldier he was. Nate was capable, strong, intelligent, super observant, and able to strategize. Plus, Nate was an absolute dream boat when it came to Izzy. I loved the scene back in 2014, when Izzy and Nate were highlighting their favorite books for each other so they could read their favorite parts in the books! Annotate and highlight your favorite book for me and that’s a pretty thoughtful gesture in my opinion! NATE PHELAN IS THE MAN FOR ME! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HIM! I admired and loved his fierce protection over Izzy, that man truly went above and beyond to not only ensure Izzy’s safety, but also helped in pulling strings and favors in order to help Izzy with certain things that occurred within the story. 

Nate and Izzy were the right person for each other, but it was always a matter of “right person, wrong time”. Somehow, over different times throughout the years Izzy and Nate happened to find themselves together again and no matter what, the sparks were still there! The chemistry was palpable through the pages, and I was swooning and feeling the love all the way through. At first, I wanted to say this was a second chance romance, but since Izzy and Nate never actually had a chance in the first place, it was more of an “undefined” thing between them. When it came to Izzy and Nate it was just them, plain and simple, there wasn’t a need to label it because, what they had couldn’t easily be defined which I would one hundred percent agree with. I truly loved the way Nate and Izzy were together, they clicked from the moment they met back in 2011, and seeing them through out the years further illustrated how much they deeply loved and cared for each other. 

Towards the end, there were some things that got revealed that made me cry and had me seeing Izzy and Nate in a new light. Both, Izzy and Nate had been through their fair share of obstacles whether it was from them never finding the right time to be together or their individual problems. For Izzy, she had always wanted to earn her parent’s approval and in some ways went along with what they wanted in order to achieve that, but thankfully at one point, Izzy finally decided to put herself instead. When it came to Nate, there was so much more than meets the eye. Nate was so use to keeping things compacted tight inside himself instead of seeking help for his PTSD and other things he struggled with especially being in the special forces unit. In the end, with certain things being brought up about Nate and his mental health, I was surprised and I just cried. In the end, I was glad to see that the growth both Izzy and Nate went through over the course of many years eventually ended with them in a better place, both physically and mentally. 

Once again, this book was not what I expected, and I’m so happy I got to read about Izzy and Nate’s story. A totally unpredictable story that spanned over the course of many years in which, Izzy and Nate had stolen moments together, and were constantly separated from each other. Seemed like whenever Izzy and Nate met up again, the timing was always off which later created some tension and heartaches for them. The romance truly was beautiful and mesmerizing to watch unfold. The connection that Izzy and Nate formed spoke to how well they knew one another, but also even with the small amount of time they spent through the years highlighted just how much they loved one another. This story was intriguing, had a bit of danger, tension, angst, heartbreak, and a passionate love that went above what couldn’t be simply defined. When it came down to it, it was just Izzy and Nate, two people who experienced a traumatic event years earlier, but over the years their connection grew stronger. Towards the end, things picked up even more, adding a heightened level to the story that had me fully immersed in the story, and hanging on every single word. Izzy and Nate’s story wasn’t as simple as one would think. Seeing what happened through out the years leading up to the present in 2021, when Izzy and Nate met up again, it revealed just how much they had gone through when it came to their relationship. I was downright sobbing towards the end since I was deeply invested in Izzy and Nate! Truly the way this story was created was entirely unique, and just fantastic in every aspect! I’m happy to see that Nate and Izzy finally got their happy ending and with the ending/epilogue, I was crying tears of joy since my two favorite characters finally achieved the dream that they had always sought to make a reality which was, finally being together at the right time, they finally got their shot together! 
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