REVIEW: In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

In In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros, Izzy Astor has never been a fan of flying. But she became outright terrified of it ten years ago after surviving a plane crash into the Missouri River. Her saving grace, literally, was Nate Phelan, the passenger in the seat beside her who was taking his first flight ever to get to Army basic training. After Nate got Izzy out, they managed to help get everyone aboard to safety, even with their own injuries to worry about. And as the years pass, the bond they forged that day is one that remains a constant in their lives. Which is why, present day when Izzy finds herself in Afghanistan on a political mission while US troops are evacuating the country, she should have known fate would put Nate in the same place, making him her security detail.

‘Her gaze met mine as we left the ground, and just like that, we weren’t in the Blackhawk. We were staring into each other’s eyes, our hands clinging as flight 826 plummeted into the Missouri.’

Nate knew that becoming part of the elite Special Forces would be one of the toughest things he’d ever have to do in his life. But leaving Izzy stateside each time they’ve met up over the years has been every bit as excruciating. Their lives never seem to match up–the timing is either off or something takes them in opposite directions. It hasn’t been easy for Izzy, either. She’s had to watch Nate walk away so many times to fly into war zones on dangerous assignments that she’s all but given up that they’ll ever get their shot at a real relationship. But being in an active war zone, with cities falling all around them and a secret, personal mission forcing Izzy directly in the line of enemy fire puts everything into perspective. And she knows that should she and Nate make it out unscathed, she’ll do whatever it takes to make things work.

‘If I wanted to be with Nate, really honestly be with him, then I needed two things: strength and patience. Strength to know that he loved me, and he’d come to me when he could, and patience to wait for those days.’

In the Likely Event contained the huge emotions I expect from Rebecca Yarros and had a hard-won happy ending to a love story that spanned a decade–one that survived multiple tragedies as well as outside forces determined to keep them apart.

“There is no force on earth that would keep me from you.”

Content Warning: Plane crash (detailed), child abuse, domestic abuse, cheating, foreign military attack, PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks.

Keep your tissues handy. In the Likely Event was quintessential Rebecca Yarros playing with her readers’ emotions like a finely tuned violin as she set her main characters off on one tough, seemingly impossible road. And I loved every single minute of it. Because as heavy as some of the subject matter was–war, a plane crash, death of a parent, abuse, PTSD–Yarros somehow created a romantic thread that eclipsed everything else. But she did so without losing the depth those darker elements brought to the story.

I know it’s probably tough to imagine how a novel that began with Nate and Izzy meeting on a plane that then crashed into the Missouri River and later finds them both in a war zone could be considered an epic romance. But it absolutely was. And it worked perfectly thanks to Yarros making all of the characters real, flawed, and waging their own internal battles while alternating the timelines, showing Izzy and Nate falling in love during various moments over a ten-year period. I’m not going to lie, it was frustrating watching their lives never sync up, as well as some of the choices they made. But it felt honest. And it really drove home how much members of our military–and their loved ones who are waiting for their safe return–sacrifice to keep us safe.

Nate and Izzy were both *good* people right down to their core. I loved that even though they came from polar opposite backgrounds they had the same values, they cared about helping others even if it put them in harm’s way, and they both took their unhappy childhoods and used it to make them better people. How can you not root for such a compassionate couple, right? And I must say that the twist at the end–the one that basically made it possible for Izzy and Nate to finally get their chance? It was bittersweet but also so cleverly written by Yarros that I had to pause for a moment and think back through how she had presented certain people in different scenes. And it made me want to do a full re-read immediately–which, to me, is the mark of a compelling novel.

QOTD: Have you read any books where a twist takes everything you’ve read in the story to that point and puts in a totally different perspective?

Book Info:

Publication: Published August 1st, 2023 | Montlake |

When Izzy Astor gets on a plane to go home, she isn’t expecting much. It’s the usual holiday travel experience: busy, crowded, stressful.

Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now.

Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River.

Their lives change. They change. Nate goes on to a career in the military while Izzy finds her way into politics. Despite a few chance encounters over the years, the timing never feels right.

Then comes a high-stakes reunion in Afghanistan, where Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life.

He’ll do anything to keep her safe. And everything to win her heart.