While I personally loved the book and the direction of our characters, I teach 7th grade and felt that the material is a bit too mature for many of my students.

Thank you to penguin teen for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Aaron made it very difficult to like him as a character. Yes he's been through it but I couldn't sympathize his actions. I almost dnf this one but I kept reading just at a slow pace.
I loved that the book is surrounded in a book store, broken and built from the ground up to make it beautiful again. Other than the main character being somewhat unlikable the rest of the story I enjoyed. I had hope for each character and an ending that would heal the loss and stress that they've been feeling.

This reads more like a New Adult (without lots of sex) than YA as the character is a little older and is dealing with issues that are mostly outside teen life. I really did not like the main character but you are not supposed to. I did love the cast of characters, the realistic resolution to the romance, the heartwarming end.

This is a cute, heartwarming and emotional read. The MC, Aaron who decides the sell his family's deteriorating secondhand bookstore, thinking this is the only way out. He lives alone with his all-over-the-place father with his mother and brother both gone. He becomes friends with Chad, someone he'd known from school with a wheelchair and way too much optimism, gets taken over by the town's out-of-work lumberjacks and making shop as their pet project, and meets Hannah; a beautiful, brave musician. Throughout the book, he keeps mentioning the only book Aaron can bear to read about the extinction of the dinosaurs and the inevitability of extinction. He starts to understand, accept and face the things he'd lost, the things he found, who he is and who he wants to be. I loved the exploration of friendships, the complexity of people, his relationship with his family and what they truly mean to him.

I really liked the author’s previous books. Unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me. The main character was too pretentious and the romance (which is what I’m here for) was lackluster. I think this will appeal to a certain type of reader but it’s not for me.

A new story that touches the reader's heart with so much self-truth it is almost devastating, but concludes in a satisfying way. A bruised family. Deep, complex side characters. Realistic and raw. Literary references. What's not to love?

Gayle Forman is so good at making people cry.
To this day I still recommend If I Stay to anyone who asks for a YA book rec. it’s one of my favorites!

Obviously I was screaming when I won a copy of this book from @bookishfirst
I wasn’t even sure what this book was about I just knew I needed to read it.
She did not disappoint me!

We Are Inevitable is about saving a bookstore that is literally falling apart. While it may seem like a small thing we get so much more than that!
It’s about a group of people coming together to save it.

The story was messy and real. As someone who has a sibling in full blown addiction, i really connected to the story.
While there is a lot of dark topics being talked about this never felt depressing. If anything I truly enjoyed seeing everyone come together. It was truly beautiful.

I also wanna point out that Gayle did a fantastic job at showing how we all grieve in different ways. Perfect for teens who are grieving themselves.

This book is not only a love letter to books and bookstores but also to us readers.

I also listened to the audiobook and I really loved the narrator Sunil Malhotra. It almost felt like I was listening to different people. Thank you to Penguin Random house audio for the audiobook.

A pretty simple, boring book with some romance. Honestly, this is my first Gayle Forman book and I know so many people love her… but I didn’t

“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.”

I thought that the story had some great themes, but unfortunately it fell a bit short. This just released 01JUN2021, and although it wasn’t a standout read for me, I would still recommend to those that enjoy character driven books that deal with healing and family.
TW/CW: Drug use, addiction, death, distant parents, life altering injuries

Aaron Stein is left behind by his friends in the Cascade Mountains, running a failed bookshop with his dad, Ira. Desperate for things to change, Aaron starts looking for a way to change the life he and his dad are living. He soon meets Hannah, a musician, who is bubbly, smart, and magical. She might be the change that Aaron has been searching for to change the inevitable.

I had a hard time getting into the story. I typically don’t mind a character driven book, but I wasn’t that invested in Aaron in the beginning. This lack of connection made it hard for me. Around the halfway mark (maybe a little farther) is where Aaron began to reflect and make changes. This is when things picked up for me and I started to be more invested.

I mentioned themes, and I do think that they were represented well. Despite the synopsis, this is way more than a romance. I think other elements play a much bigger role. This is really a story about healing and dealing with grief. I thought that Gayle Forman did a good job showing how the characters deal with different situations and events that affected their lives.

We Are Inevitable is a love letter to bookstores, readers, and authors. While this book is about saving a crumbling bookstore, it is about addiction and overcoming grief. I have always loved the authors writing and I can say the same for this book as well. It took me a little bit to get into the book because it was depressing from the start, but once I knew more about the characters I was hooked.

Aaron is the owner of his parent’s failing bookstore. He and his dad run the bookstore, which needs some serious updating and some actual customers. One morning Aaron finds a stack of unpaid credit card bills and realizes the only way to get out of going bankrupt is to sell the store. He goes to a town local to sell the store, but makes her promise not to tell his dad because it will break him.

While figuring out how to tell his dad the news, he runs into Chad who was his brother’s good friend. Chad wants to see the bookstore, but can’t make it in to the store because they don’t have a ramp for his wheelchair. This is really where the story begins. I don’t want to go into any more detail because I went into this knowing it was about saving a bookstore. I really loved the characters and definitely connected to them. I felt so much sadness and pain for both Aaron and his father Ira. I loved the characters who come to rescue the store and their bantering back and forth.

“Because the hard part of falling down is not the falling, or the getting back up. It’s seeing what happens to the people you fall on. You get bruised; they get flattened.”

We Are Inevitable is heart warming and heart breaking at the same time. I felt all the feels reading this beautiful book. I felt so many connections while reading this book and simply put I loved it all.

I personally am not the biggest fans of contemporary books like this. The main character in this story reminded me way too much of Holden Caulfield, and considering I despise that character, it did not really bode well for the rest of the book. I appreciated the themes represented in the book like community and importance of family, but I just couldn't get over Aaron's attitude and the main message of the novel just didn't vibe well with me. It was a really well written book though.

A must read for any book lover out there. Written in such a unique way, from bookish references to chapter titles (read the novel to find out what I mean!). It takes us on a special journey of an indie bookstore, that is so loved by many, and yet struggling to keep afloat.

We are introduced to some incredible characters, from all walks of life and backgrounds. Along the way we are witness to some sensitive yet very important topics that we can all take away a valuable lesson from.

I loved making a list of all the books mentioned that I definitely have to read, and I’m also looking forward to listening the audiobook version (I’ve been obsessed with a double take on books lately! Read first then Listen!)

Aaron is a total downer. We meet him when his life is at a super low point and he's desperate for a change. Which is why he does something he maybe shouldn't have and why he spends the entirety of the book trying to keep everyone else from having hope.
And the interesting thing is that that's why I think he's such a great character. He's so stuck in his head and in the past that he doesn't realize all the wonderful things happening around him. I appreciated seeing a character like that be the lead in a story. It shows what can happen if you lock yourself away and how amazing it is to be open to other people and experiences. Particularly being open to developing friendships with unlikely people. The friendship with Chad stuck with me the most and it feels way more relevant than the romantic relationship with Hannah. In fact, it's the relationships and how Forman shows the connections between people that make this story what it is.
This book touches on so many great topics, with all of them developing and being revealed organically. It gives the story great narrative flow and touching emotional depth.
I think this would make a great book club read because I finished it with so many things I'd like discuss about it and the topics it touched. I look forward to the discussions it can bring about.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the read!

This new release tells the story of a young man named Aaron Stein and his father’s used, but struggling bookstore. Aaron is convinced that bookstores are extinct (hence the dinosaur reference), but his father believes otherwise. As a fan of used bookstores, I fell in love with the references to used books, bookstores, and the importance of local businesses. With its quick pacing and hilarious banter, I was able to read the book cover to cover in less than a day. If you’re looking for a quick, summer read, look no further! I absolutely loved WE ARE INEVITABLE.

This is such a cute story! It’s short, sweet, and packed with lots of themes that are perfect for young adult readers.

Aaron’s family has always owned Bluebird Bookstore, but when the inevitable happens, it’s now just Aaron and his father, Ira, keeping the store afloat. To Aaron, it’s inevitable that the store is failing, because inevitable is synonymous to unavoidable grief and let down. Because everything up til this point has inevitably let him down.

Aaron is a prickly character trying to do what he thinks is best. He loves his family dearly but is struggling to overcome the grief and anger he feels towards his brother, Sandy, for leaving. Honestly, I would highly recommend this to any teen you might know suffering with lose or grief. As Forman does a great job of articulating the different ways people grieve. I wouldn’t say Aaron is a particularly likable character, but he has his heart in the right place, he just needs a little nudge to thrive. Which is where all our wonderful side characters come in.

All of our side characters are so well developed, with unique personalities and struggles. Foreman is great about being inclusive and introduces characters who are: addicts, survivors, suffering from chronic diseases, explores different sexualities, and gender norms.

For me the side characters were the best part. Chad, is optimistic, and brings a lot of humor into the storyline. While, ‘The Lumberjacks’ especially Ike, are a reminder of how small towns rally to help their own. These two mixed with Ira’s flightiness are gold for me.

My only comment/compliant, is that I really was looking forward to getting to know Hannah’s character better. Based on the description I thought she’d play a much more significant role and have more of an emotional connection with the reader. I didn’t hate her character, but I would have liked a bit more from her.

Chad on the other hand, is a stellar character. Very into Chad’s character.

I adored this YA book and honestly flew through it. For being such a relatively short read, Forman does a great job of capturing emotion and tackling grief, change, and addiction.

All the stars for this story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
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We Are Inevitable is out now. Huge thank you to Viking Books and Penguin Teen for my advanced copy for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

I really wanted to love this book, because come on! Not only is it a romance which I love, but it’s also a book about books! Aaron and his dad own a small bookstore, and there are so many conversations surrounding amazing books, and I definitely did like that aspect. I really felt in my soul the struggle to keep the bookstore running, as it’s something all of us book lovers know is a big problem nowadays. However, I didn’t completely fall in love with the story, because I couldn’t totally connect to Aaron. I also felt like the romance was rushed and lacked chemistry, and for me the romance in the most important part of the story.

We Are Inevitable is a cute story about the importance of independent bookstores. We Are Inevitable is a cute story with great characters. Aaron has always loved reading, but after everything fell apart the last few years the, the only book he reads is about dinosaurs. He decides to sell his family’s bookstore without telling anyone. Next thing he makes a new best friend and meets Hannah. Hannah isn’t what he expected, but he thinks they are inevitable. Unexpected friends start to fix up the bookstore. The bookstore has been struggling for years, and the importance of the bookstore is finally realized. Aaron lets many people done. We Are Inevitable is a story of family, friends and never giving up. This is a story of unexpected friendships and not giving up on people even when they let you down. The bookstore has been struggling for years, but is there a way it can finally be saved?

Thank you Penguin Teen and Viking Books for We Are Inevitable.

From the bestselling author of If I Stay comes a poignant tale about community and navigating the hurdles in life. Set to be released on June 1st, We Are Inevitable acts as a love letter to books and the power that stories have to move us.

I’ve been a fan of Gayle Forman’s books for years and this book just solidifies her place as one of my favorite YA authors! Like every book by Forman, We Are Inevitable hit me hard and had me hooked from the very beginning. This story isn’t just about a failing bookstore or a boy trying to figure out his future; it’s about how we deal with the punches life throws at us. It’s about dealing with loss and grief and how to turn it into a learning experience. It’s about embracing that hurt (rather than forgetting it) and letting it shape you into a better person. Even though Aaron seems very narrow-minded and angry at the world (and I may have wanted to throttle him a few times while reading), he learns that life isn’t what you plan it to be and that even though the inevitable might be in sight, you can’t control what happens in this world no matter how hard you may try to. And that’s okay.

In addition to a meaningful story, the chapters each being named after a different book and having novels, anthologies, and memoirs be interwoven into the story makes this novel even more well-written. Book lovers will love reading this book about books and feel that the stories we read really are miracles, as Forman likes to remind us throughout the book.

This book is such an amazing book that any book lover will appreciate. Poignant, resonant, and insightful, We Are Inevitable should be on everyone’s TBRs!

*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book! The book titles and book references were great. I loved the book shop setting and the way so many people tried to help Aaron and his father save the store. It seemed that the story was an enemies to friends friendship story with Aaron and Chad, rather than a romance between Aaron and Hannah, and I really enjoyed reading about their friendship. I also loved the Jewish representation.

We Are Inevitable Feature and Review! 🦖☕️👨🏽‍🦽🎶

When @penguinteen #PenguinTeenPartner reached out about featuring #WeAreInevitable on my page, I instantly said yes not knowing too much about the book other than the synopsis sounding like something I’d love. Then @pattyisbooked started raving about it all over insta and I knew that I had to read it ASAP and let me tell you, if you should trust anyone’s book recs it’s Patty’s.

This book was AMAZING. Like literally AMAZING.
The writing style is perfect, each section flows so perfectly into the next, the characters are so dang relatable, and the subject matter is DEEP but written about so well that you can feel yourself in each characters feelings and moods.
Throw in a indie bookstore and a little move connection and I was HOOKED.
You can easily read this book in a day!

Once you add this to your TBR, head on over to your favorite local indie book store (mines @silverunicornbooks !) and pick up a copy because it’s out TODAY!!!!

Thanks again to @penguinteen for an advanced copy!
This is definitely one of my top reads of the year!