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).

For some reason I could not connect to the story or the characters in this one. There is an audience out there for this, but I just wasn't the target. The plot setup was interesting though!

Initial Thoughts

After reading the Amazon Fairy Tale series that came out in December 2020, I was really excited to try another Gayle Forman book. Her book was my favorite of the bunch. Also, I don’t read a ton of contemporary so I was excited to read another.

Please note, there is content such as addition, loss, and depression in this story. Some readers might not find this suitable. I would like to note that these topic were covered respectfully and I think this story is tagged appropriately as YA.

Some Things I Liked

Slightly older main character. I liked that Aaron was out of high school and the themes and subject matter of this book were not “high-school-centric”. I felt like I could connect with him more as I often have a hard time relating to high school kids today in novels.
Heavy themes. This book is definitely not a happy-go-lucky kind of story. There are some heavy things that Aaron unpacks throughout the story and his journey was very emotional to follow.
Unreliable narrator. I loved all of the book references throughout the book, from different novels and authors to the fact that Aaron himself is the most unreliable narrator of them all. I loved the way the author wove writing and books into this story.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

The romance. I wasn’t crazy about how the romance panned out. I wanted a bit more and I was hoping for more of a conclusion on Chad’s front.

Series Value

As mentioned above, I found the ending to be a bit open-ended (my nice way of saying “lacking”) but, I don’t think this book should have a sequel. The purpose of Aaron’s healing was to move on and into the unknown. He learns not to fixate on “the inevitable” and to just live in the moment. A hard and fast conclusion would destroy the message of the lesson.

Final Thoughts

I liked this book. Did I want a bit more? Yes. Was I happy with what I got? Also, yes. I’d keep reading Gayle Forman’s books and I think this was a really interesting take on an unreliable narrator.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Keep My Heart in San Fransisco by Amelia Diane Coombs – if you liked the idea of heavier themes and a protagonist who has to come to terms with loss, try this stand alone set in San Fransisco.
Recommended for You by Laura Silverman – if you liked the bookstore theme as well as themes of difficult home situations for the main characters, try this quirky rom-com.

I spent two snowy evenings glued to my reading chair, devouring this book about a struggling bookstore and the book-loving father and son who run it. {Thank you @PenguinTeen for the gifted advance copy through @netgalley.}

This book is a book list. The chapters are book titles. Books are recommended. Books are requested. Two characters throw one of my favorite novels across the bookstore and I gasp.

We Are Inevitable speaks my bookish love language.

This book is also a playlist. The main character, Aaron, decides he is a book person and not a music person. This annoyed me at first (actually a lot about Aaron annoyed me in the first half the book), but you soon realize Aaron is grieving some huge losses in his life and this strange distinction is part of that.

Aaron meets a girl who wants to prove that books and music are fraternal twins.

But this isn’t a romance. It is first and foremost about the bookstore, the family behind the bookstore, and the community it serves.

The family and others have suffered because of drug addictions. They’re doing their best to find happiness after loss. And the reader is left to wonder if they will survive the inevitable closing of the bookstore.

This was a perfect escape to my favorite place, a bookstore. It is feel-good YA even though they deal with some tough issues. But, overall, it was hopeful and loving.

We Are Inevitable By Gayle Forman
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Books? Big life changes? Surprising Endings? Uncertainty?
Do these words show something you want to see in your reading then goodness do I have a book for you to read While this book isn't out quite yet I highly recommend you pre-order this book and get ready to read an adorable and lovely bookstore story.

Aaron is struggling with remembering the importance of books in his life and believes that everything is inevitable. He believes the day has come for his world to change, and to give up on his family's bookstore. But as the story goes on Aaron learns more about the books and the idea of inevitability in his life.

This book is inspiring and shows so many lessons that are hard to learn, and it feels like you’re a friend joining the characters on these lessons. Gayle Forman knocked it out of the park with this wonderful story that all book lovers will surely find a bit of themselves in.

Out June 01, 2021

Disclaimer: I got this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was pretty happy that I got this ARC, because I was a fan of If I Stay when I was in high school. Aaron has this love at first sight feeling when he meets Hannah. He's enamored by her and thinks she's the "inevitable he's been waiting for." If you liked Paper Towns by John Green or Perks of Being a Wallflower by you'll love this one! Personally, I liked it. It was more nostalgic for me.