3.5 stars
WE ARE INEVITABLE is a love story in both a literal sense but also a love story to bookstores. We follow Aaron who is running a failing used bookstore with his father, regretting a lot of life, when all of a sudden a string of events changes his life. I was expecting a comedy as I think that’s what this was marketed as but in reality, it’s a heartwarming story about the importance of literature and indie bookstores, which I adored. I did think the romance, while sweet, was a little rushed. There is some depth to it later on but initially the relationship is very insta-lovey and abrupt. There was commentary on addiction and suicide so I would be aware of that going in as a trigger warning. I enjoyed the book and loved the discussion of bookstores and literature (and music), as well as the importance of family and friendships, but it wasn’t my most favorite story ever.

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear [sic]. I read the opening lines of the book, and it’s like my own pages are coming unstuck. For so long, all I’ve felt is fear, and all this time, it was grief. I continue reading, remembering why I used to love books. Because they show us, in so many words, and so many worlds, that we are not alone.

A miracle, in twenty six letters.”
Dinosaurs lived for thirty-three millennia after the asteroid hit, Aaron is learning, from both a book he found and from living it. His family-owned and operated bookstore is feeling the aftershocks of online retail, the death of the American Main Street, and a real death— a personal one that tore apart the family. Standing in what is now an Aaron-only-owned and operated bookstore, he is wondering whether the dinosaurs felt as he did: hopeless, lost, aimless. That is until people start coming into his life: his new bro-friend, Chad, a reformed bully who uses a wheelchair; his town's laid-off Lumberjacks; and Hannah, the rising star of a PNW-based band. But are they enough to convince him that hope is possible, even in the face of imminent extinction?


Author Gayle Forman originally wowed me with Just One Day and its sequel Just One Year, and I'm happy to say that, even after I've grown apart from the YA shelves, she's done it again. Aaron begins as a guy you could roll your eyes at for his persistent pessimism, but as he unfolds his life story, you start to see where it comes from. Aaron is an illustration of (white) America at its lowest with no hope for the future that was once thought to be deserved. The characters Forman constructs around him perfectly reflect himself back at him and show him new paths forward.


Plot and characters aside, Forman's writing presents a thoughtful craftmanship that I love to see in the young adult genere. Her careful work around the more adult scenes involving drinking and sex will keep the book on the shelf, even for more discerning parents and teens. Not to mention, the way she handles the topics of addiction and grief were forward-thinking and persuasive: I walked away with the sense that addiction is perhaps not a choice but a disease, a lesson that was inferred rather than spoonfed.


I would recommend We Are Inevitable for all fans of thoughtful YA books.

“...when you watch, you are a spectator, but when you read, you’re a participant.”
I read If I Stay years ago and loved it. I’ve read it many times since and still love it. I love the writing so much that I started to read all Forman’s books. However, none ever did it for me again. Until now.
Finally, Forman has found that deep, aching writing again. She easily pulls you in and makes you love these flawed characters. These characters that are so real you can feel their emotions. A story that hits your heart with the ache of reality and pain. I’m so happy she found a story to bring that out again.
This is about love, the stupid things we do to the people we love, and the healing our hearts go through to make us better.
The content review will be on the blog today!
Thank you to Penguin Teen for the copy in exchange for an honest review. This book releases June 1, 2021.

I first came across this one on BookishFirst and so when Penguin Teen offered me the chance to read this ARC I happily accepted.

While there wasn’t anything especially unique about the plot, I enjoyed spending my lunchtime reading with these characters.

An absolute masterpiece. Gayle Forman is one of my favorite childhood authors, and her new book We Are Inevitable does not disappoint. I was hesitant to read it because I was nervous my expectations wouldn't be met, but they were exceeded.

This book tackles so many difficult topics in such a beautiful way.

Aaron, the protagonist, is an unlikable character at first, but the complexities of his character unfolds brilliantly. Aaron is struggling with keeping his family's bookstore up-and-running, handling grief, his mother leaving his father, and his brother's addiction. There's a lot going. Aaron is pretty sealed off, but when Chad and some local guys decide to befriend him and help his family's bookstore, Aaron is forced to reconsider himself and what he wants in the future.

Aaron is a little older in terms of YA protagonists (he's 18 and post-high school), but that lets Forman explore the hard topics even deeper and shows that just because someone is 18 doesn't mean they've got it all figured out.

Aaron is still home in his small town while everyone else has gone off to college. After the death of his brother, and his mom left them, he needed to be there for his dad. He knows some things are inevitable. The bookstore closing is one of them. Meeting Hannah and knowing she was meant to be in his life was an unexpected one.

Gayle Forman was a favorite when I was younger, so when @pattyisbooked raved about this book, I needed to read it! Aaron was such a complicated character. At times he could be so frustrating and negative, but when you dug deep it was pretty easy to understand why he was that way and my heart broke for him. Loving someone with addiction issues can be so difficult, I just felt all the feels for Aaron and the traumas he carried from his brothers addictions.The side characters definitely made this one great. All the people that forced themselves on him even when he didn’t want them were just so fantastic and I loved them.

Thank you Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this eARC!

I was so, SO excited to get this because If I Stay was one of the first YA books I read back when Borders was around. (Anybody remember that store?) I’ve been a fan of Gayle Forman’s work ever since. So, when I saw a new book by her, I decided I had to read it.

This book was a masterpiece…Which isn’t surprising since all of her books are powerful. This one doesn’t fall short at all. It has been sitting with me for a few days. The beginning was so depressing that I almost couldn’t get through it. But, that’s what I love about Gayle Forman’s stories—they capture pain, heartache, depression, confusion, etc., so well that you feel it too.

Aaron, the MC, is so lost, angry, full of grief, and a slew of other things, and it’s so relatable. I felt like I completely understood how he was feeling because I have felt that way too. Sometimes, he annoyed me because he was so abrasive, but when you feel that abandoned in life, it’s hard not to be cynical. I don’t want to ruin anything in the book, but Gayle Forman has such a talent for tying things up without making things work out. Because in life, sometimes they don’t. And that’s okay.

I also love the dinosaur metaphor going on throughout the story. It was such a strong metaphor for how the story plays out. And I loved it. Especially when the whole metaphor manifests itself at the very end.

I highly recommend reading this book! Be patient with the main character. I think you’ll read this book and resonate with the story even if his struggles aren’t necessarily your struggles, because we all go through dark periods in life. Sometimes the bad things are inevitable, and this book will help you realize that that’s okay. I think if you’re a fan of John Green’s or Jennifer Niven’s books, this is a great one to try!

I will post my review to Goodreads, Readerly, Amazon, and Instagram on the publication day (06/01/2021).

Thank you to Penguins Teen and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!


Aaron works at the bookstore his parents have built, but circumstances have made the life difficult, especially with a book store that is crumbing to make ends meet. His mom is off couch hopping and not living the life she should; aka being a mother. His father isn’t all there really and keeps accumulating more debt. A B group of rag tag friends enter into his life and things start to change for the better.

I love the concept of how bookstores are here even when the world around us changes. Aaron is someone who just loves books and wants them to stay, but change is inevitable! There were moments I wasn’t a fan of Aaron’s views on how he saw things.. almost satire on life. But when you’re down in life I guess that’s how you’d be. He’s grieving and worrying about his father and future.

I see that this book has gotten many mixed reviews, but there was so much about it that I liked. I thought Aaron's character arc was solid, and he grew so much throughout the book (but some of the other main characters like Hannah and Ira could have used a bit more development). I loved the used bookstore setting, and I love how both Aaron and the bookstore came back to life by the end of the book. All of the literary references were icing on the cake. I think Forman did a nice job tackling the issue of addiction, and she made me reflect on some of my own thoughts in this area. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I appreciate the way in which so many elements of the plot wrapped up in the end. Life is messy, and this book explores that in so many ways!

At first upon reading the description, this book really gave me "manic pixie dream girl" kind of vibes. However, Gayle Forman did not disappoint!

After the "asteroid," Aaron's future pretty much goes on hold. His brother is gone, his mom leaves, his dad is depressed, the bookstore they own is failing, and Aaron's life is pretty much on an "inevitable" downward spiral. Isn't there any kind of "good inevitable" out there for him?

Enter Chad, a former jerk who is now partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair, a handful of lumberjacks, a business owner determined to buy Aaron's family's bookstore, and Hannah - beautiful, energetic, talented Hannah, who may just completely change his outlook on "the inevitable."

But this is not just a romance! This is not just the latest teen sappy romance; this book is focused on Aaron and his family dynamic, centered around this dilapidated failing bookstore - and I highly recommend you give it a try.

*Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

I started this book with hopeful expectations (I mean, it centers around a bookstore​), but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I would've liked to. Don't get me wrong: the bookstore element of this book was fabulous. But...that was kind of the only thing I enjoyed about it. All of the characters (aside from the carpenters, especially Ike, and maybe Chad?) annoyed me a lot; I can't say I liked any of them very much. They all seemed very wrapped up in themselves and couldn't see things from anyone else's perspective. If there had been a bit of empathy thrown around, that would've been nice, but nope. Aaron in particular aggravated me with how judgmental and prejudiced he was of most people. Like, buddy, there's such a thing as second chances. People change. Don't immediately discount them because you think they're trying to screw you over ​even though they're actually doing nice things for you!

I did really enjoy reading about the bookstore renovation. Ike and his band of carpenters were really amusing characters, and I thought it was so sweet that they wanted to help fix up the bookstore. Ike in particular was actually quite the complex character; it was interesting to learn more about him throughout the book. His funny little sayings were hilarious and definitely one of the best parts of the book. I also liked Chad's character for the most part. I felt like he had some nice character development and was a generally nice guy. He was so invested in the bookstore, and I really liked what happened with him and the bookstore in the end. I honestly felt like Aaron wasn't anywhere near a good enough friend for him; Chad kept trying to do good things for him, and Aaron didn't seem to appreciate it much.

Also, whatever the romance was in this book...I didn't like it. I mean, Aaron was so fixated on the fact that he and Hannah were inevitable, and after hearing about their inevitability one too many times I was completely over it. The first time, it seemed rather iconic; the fifth time and counting just my brain feel like melting out. Their romance was just a bit too dramatic for my liking. Too much angst and turmoil and whiny longing. Not my cup of tea.

Overall, I think it's a shame that it took 250ish pages for Aaron to be insightful and realize that he's the one messing up his own life and hurting the people around him. It seemed pretty glaringly obvious to me from the start, but alas. I sadly wasn't a fan of this book and gave it Two Stars ⭐️⭐️.

2.5 Stars

Okay, so I really wanted to love this book. I adore Gayle’s ‘If I Stay’ and if had a special place in my heart, so I was so excited to start this one.
But for me, I just couldn’t get into it. I was more often cringing and rolling my eyes than I was getting excited about the book.

The whole concept of the book is great. A broke bookstore owner meets a girl that changes his perspective on life.
The execution of this book though just fell flat for me. The main character was rude and a bit egotistical.
And there a couple of other things that I wasn’t fond of.

Know that this book deals with distant parents, loss, substance abuse, addicts, and a few other things. Please listen to the voice of families with addicts to see how the author handled this, and if she did it in the correct way.

This author’s writing style is so diverse where she creates a world that evoked a wide range of emotions. Her writing is so effortless that it flows so well and hooks you from the first page. But though it had a strong beginning, as I got more into the heart of the story, there were some problems I couldn’t overlook.

There is something about Aaron’s tragic life that makes him somewhat relatable. Nothing is as he wishes it would be and it’s one depressing event after the next, but through his misery, he’s never lost his humor and his quirky charm. But, there were times Aaron bothered me. I understand he was thrown into this life of misfortune and for him it’s one bad thing after another, but in the beginning he was a hard character to root for. The people around him seemed genuinely good, but he made them out to be villains in his narrative. He played up the “sulking teen” attitude and tended to blame others in his life and take out his frustrations on others which made him a hard character to get behind.

For as good as the writing was, to pull emotions from the story, Aaron was the downfall of this book. Overall this character was hard to like and his actions towards others frustrated me. I did enjoy the side characters of this story and they’re what kept me reading. Chad brought the light and love when the story was lacking it. He made me smile with his optimism and charisma. At times I wish he was front and center rather than Aaron. Overall the story was good and I enjoyed the author's writing style, but the lead was hard to connect with. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for this ARC

DNF'd at 30%. I really wanted to like this, because hello, GAYLE FOREMAN, but I could not get over how cringey the dialogue was, ESPECIALLY from Chad, nor could I get past how pretentious Aaron was. I didn't enjoy the friendship or the romance or really anything about this.

Aaron’s parents own a bookstore, Bluebird Books. An “asteroid” has hit, and Aaron’s mother quickly left town. Ownership of the store has been transferred to Aaron, and he chooses to run the store with his father, Ira. As a child, Aaron loved to read, but he can no longer stomach any books after the asteroid. To Aaron, Bluebird Books has been failing for a long time. The shelves and books are crumbling, and customers are pretty much nonexistent. When he finds some overdue credit card statements, IRS filing notices, and less-than-stellar bank statements, it is settled. Aaron is going to sell the store. He makes a deal with town local Penny and delays telling his father about the sale for as long as he can.

We learn that the asteroid causing so much turmoil in Aaron’s life is the death of his brother, Sandy. Sandy was an addict who accepted help from no one. One of Sandy’s friends, Chad, sees Aaron in town and attempts to spark a friendship. Chad is in a wheelchair, and the entrance to Bluebird Books consists of stairs only. Three men (Ike, Richie, and Garry) see Chad and Aaron trying to make a ramp to the store out of rotted plywood. They bring back better quality wood and install a ramp for free. The men continue to return to the store, and their good deeds amount to a full renovation. Chad even offers to make a database system for digital inventory and bookselling online. Ira so badly wants to give the bookstore a second chance and agrees to pay the men in coffee. Aaron, however, is convinced it is a false deal. Are these men in it for tricks?

We also have the story of Hannah. Chad doesn’t have a lot of friends, so he asks Aaron to a Beethoven’s Anvil show. There he meets singer Hannah Crew and feels an instant attraction to her. The chronicles of Aaron and Chad are super fun and include sneaking across the Canadian border without a passport to attend one of Hannah’s shows. I absolutely LOVED this story and the rowdy, hilarious characters in it. It really made me wish we had a family-owned bookstore in town. I will be adding Gayle Forman to my auto-buy authors list!

We are inevitable was a great read. It focuses on Aaron who runs a dying bookstore with his father. The story wasn’t fully what I expected but i loved it all the same! Because of the description and the cover, I expected the story to be more of a romance but after I got past the confussion that it wasn't, I was completely invested in the story. The writing was great and so were the characters. I will always be a fan of Gayle Forman's stories.

This book was one I couldn’t put down and overall I liked it I wish it had either been longer or the romance had been done differently, as I felt the book overall was good and then fizzled out. But I will still give it my teen readers who like contemporary books and I think fans of sad yet hopeful books will find lots to like here.

I wasn't sure in the beginning if I was going to like this one. I like Gayle Forman's other YA works but this as different, and ended up being really good! The look at family, addiction, and working through grief after tragedy are all present here. I liked how Aaron learned things about himself as he opened up to new people. I loved all the references to books and how it was so apparent that when you are experiencing grief you can have a hard time enjoying things you once loved. In this case it was reading for Aaron. I really liked how everything was wrapped up. I wanted a little more from the mom, but grief and tragedy affect everyone differently.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this lovely book!

I will read anything Gayle Forman writes and this one might be a new favorite! I really enjoyed the bookstore aspect and how everything turned out. The themes and parallels were done phenomenally and I will be recommending this book to all book lovers!

There are things here that are probably supposed to be funny, occasional slapsticky kind of scenes and so on. But, to me, it reads similarly to the other Gayle Forman books, heartfelt, unexpectedly touching, and sincere (but with a fairly warped concept of basic cost of living expenses).