Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook through Amazon First Reads.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this a ton. This is a well done contemporary fiction book that blends current events, thrilling adventure, and romance. I was hooked pretty much from page one and struggled to put this down. This is the first book I have read by Yarros and I plan on reading more.

When Izzy and Nate end up sitting next to each other on the plane they are strangers, they find each other attractive but realize it's a temporary meeting...then the plane goes down and Nate ends up saying Izzy's life. Events that day bring them close together and then tear them apart again. However, they keep running into each other as the years go on. Now it is time for the United States to withdraw from Afganistan. Nate is in special ops and Izzy is in politics as an aide to a senator. Nate knows he is going to be guarding a senator's aide but when he finds out it's Izzy he is stunned. Add into the mix the fact that Izzy's news-reporter sister has gone missing in a country that is rapidly falling to Taliban rule and you have a high stakes situation.

I loved the structure of this story. We alternate from past to present and then back to the past. As events occur in the present we are then given a chapter back in the past that relates to the present events somehow. I love this type of structure to a story and love how it unravels the mystery of the past even as you are living through the intense present actions.

Izzy and Nate are both amazing characters with a lot of depth to them. The chemistry between the two of them is super intense. They are strong people with defined goals and they need to decide what's more important their career dreams or each other.

I also loved the intensity of being in a war zone and also getting to learn more about the US withdrawal from Afganistan. I had read some about it in the news when it was happening but this book submerses you right in the middle of it and gives you a better idea of how unexpected and quickly things went wrong.

The writing was flawless. It was incredibly easy to read and moved at a fast pace. Parts of this book will leave you breathless. I thought it was very well-balanced; you have intriguing historical events, engaging characters, lots of action, and an incredibly well done romance.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I loved this and I was completely unprepared for how much I loved it. You have an intriguing time and setting, amazing characters, non-stop action, and a well done long-running romance. On their own none of these would have been all that unique but the way they were blended together made for an unstoppable story that I could not put down. I am excited to pick up Yarro's fantasy "Fourth Wing" to read soon. ( )

Military Romance at its Finest.
This is the third book I have read by Rebecca Yarros, and she is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. In life timing is everything and this story certainly puts that to the test for Izzy & Nate. They were brought together during an airplane crash, you would think the perfect situation for a romance to blossom, but no. Nate is torn away from Izzy because this flight was his transportation to basic training. Through the years they find themselves back together for brief encounters, but it never was the right time. In the end everything is revealed, and the world becomes as it should.
I enjoyed the story line a lot. I have a Military background and could relate with both Izzy and Nate as my spouse was also in the military. The characters were well introduced, and their chemistry clearly written. I was not a fan of the Now & Then, back, and forth, of the storyline but understood how it helped build the book to a climatic ending. There were twists and turns in the story that kept me wanting to read just one more chapter to find out what happened. Truly a very entertaining book. I would highly recommend it. ( )

dnf - I TRIED.. for a month... MAYBE I'll come back to this at some point.. but bleh I was so bored and fmc annoyed me. ( )

Your run of the mill romance - As young people Izzy and Nate go through a traumatic experience together. And then they are reunited as adults in another traumatic location. ( )

Let’s all agree right from the start that author Rebecca Yarros has an astonishing way with words. And emotions. And setting scenes. And situations. And making both the heartbreak and the incredible heat feel authentic. And the ability to accurately capture the political impacts and ramifications of the Afghanistan withdrawal on the servicemembers assigned the responsibility of carrying it out. And most amazing of all, the way she captures the military “feel” so perfectly and flawlessly. As a member of a military family myself and seeing from her author bio that she is too, I recognize the authenticity of her descriptions of the isolation, worry, separation, difficult deployments, forced lack of communication, trauma and fear of admitting any problems, pressure of everyone counting on you, having to be good at your job and knowing you are, but wary and reluctant about sharing details, or even sharing your emotions. Yarros tells it just like it is.

In the Likely Event is a perfect blend of over-the-top romance with real-life situations and decisions and the resulting consequences. Of desperately hoping someday will be the right time to “take your shot” but living with what is actually happening to you and around you in the meantime. It’s heated, poetic, romantic, intimate. The intense steamy scenes are realistic and believable, appropriately written and inserted in just the right places.

Chapters switch between Nathaniel and Isabeau, and also alternate between Afghanistan in 2021 when the dangerous, out of control presidential withdrawal is occurring, when Izzy finally sees that side of Nate he has always tried to hide and protect her from, and events beginning with the story of how they met in 2011 when he had just turned 19 and she was about to turn 18. Times when the magnet of fate has brought them together again, but never with the right timing to finally take their shot. Only twenty-seven days over ten years, but a connection that was and continues to be immediate, unexplainable – and undeniable.

The characters are so well drawn that they feel real. Like real people we want desperately to see happy and content. They feel so real because author Yarros so skillfully portrays their emotions. We see ourselves in little bits. We feel the pull, the uncertainty, the desire. Izzy is mesmerized by Nate the first time she sees him and every time after that: the smile, the dimple, the eyes, the body, the laser focus. And after she describes him a couple of times, we are mesmerized too. You will love Izzy, but Nate will become your new swoony hero: handsome (smoking hot actually and when that dimple pops . . . ), sensitive, brave, strong, gentle, caring. So in love it just overwhelms you even reading it. He will do anything – anything – if it means Izzy’s happiness, if it keeps her from one second of fear or unhappiness or worry. Even if it nearly destroys him. Perfect, isn’t he?

In the Likely Event was an Amazon First Reads choice for July 2023. It’s warm, sweet, funny, moving, romantic, steamy, with some serious trauma and topics and a pretty amazing twist. One of those books that grabs you, hugs you, and will never let go. One you could finish reading and then just flip right back to the beginning and start over. It’s that good. It’s all about timing and not waiting too long to take your shot, because timing is never really perfect, is it. When I was trying to decide which book to choose I read a sample of In the Likely Event, was immediately hooked, downloaded it, and finished it that same day. Yes, it’s that good. Yes, Rebecca Yarros’ writing is that good. I have now started with this fabulous author’s backlist and recommend you do the same. ( )