We Are Inevitable

Written by Gayle Forman

Narrated by Sunil Malhotra

"No one writes about love like Gayle Forman. Lose yourself in her passionate mash note to rock music, indie bookstores and best of all, the miracles that can happen when you take chances on other people." — E. LOCKHART, #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Again Again

A poignant and uplifting novel about the power of community, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay.

Aaron Stein used to think books were miracles. But not anymore. Even though he spends his days working in his family's secondhand bookstore, the only book Aaron can bear to read is one about the demise of the dinosaurs. It's a predicament he understands all too well, now that his brother and mom are gone and his friends have deserted him, leaving Aaron and his shambolic father alone in a moldering bookstore in a crusty mountain town where no one seems to read anymore.

So when Aaron sees the opportunity to sell the store, he jumps at it, thinking this is the only way out. But he doesn't account for Chad, a "best life" bro with a wheelchair and way too much optimism, or the town's out-of-work lumberjacks taking on the failing shop as their pet project. And he certainly doesn't anticipate meeting Hannah, a beautiful, brave musician who might possibly be the kind of inevitable he's been waiting for.

All of them will help Aaron to come to terms with what he's lost, what he's found, who he is, and who he wants to be, and show him that destruction doesn't inevitably lead to extinction; sometimes it leads to the creation of something entirely new.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9780593397923

Gayle Forman

Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels for children and adults, including Not Nothing, the Just One series, and the number one New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than forty languages and in 2014 was adapted into a major motion picture. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.

Reviews for We Are Inevitable

[deslivres5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I picked this one up because of its setting, a down and out used bookstore.
There were multiple mentions of an apocalyptic event occurring, and at first I believe that this was going to be a dystopian novel set in a bookstore. But no, the apocalyptic event turns out to be of a personal nature.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Sunil Malhotra, does all of the diverse voices of all genders fabulously.
I found that I the side characters in the story resonated much more with me that the main character, Aaron Stein. The side characters are people you would want to be your friends, be part of your town.

There are lots of references to books in this novel, perfect for book lovers.
The titles of each chapter harken back to a book, with the chapter itself tangentially related to that book. I found this fun/intriguing, trying to guess how the book chapter title was going to bloom into the narration.

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

We are Inevitable had an inevitability to it that I dreaded or anxiously awaited as the end drew near.

Aaron feels the end of the family's business is inevitable, like the dinosaurs. The meteor has already hit, the book store he has grown up in, is gasping for air and it's inevitable that they'll need to close. After finding bills showing that his dad owes more money even after bankruptcy, Aaron decided to face the inevitable NOW. He agrees to sell the business. Of course, life can laugh at your plans and show you that inevitable doesn't mean what you think it means.

When Aaron runs into one of his brother's old friends, Chad, the meteor begins accelerating. Chad unexpectedly visits the bookstore and determines a ramp is necessary for disabled access, as Chad is in a wheelchair. Chad has a lot of reasons to feel sorry for himself and give up on life (as Aaron seems to feel), yet he remains pretty upbeat. He has plans and a future in business to look forward to. He hijacks Aaron's life and even connects with Ira, Aaron's dad. He has ideas to help the bookstore beyond just a ramp, like maybe an inventory. At the same time Ike, Richie, and Garry enter into the life of the bookstore. They decide to fix some things: bookshelf, wall, etc. Aaron knows all of this help is wasted because the store is already sold. He just can't seem to tell anyone. All of these meteors are destroying his current existence, the inevitability of failure.

The last meteor is Hannah. She seems to possess answers and a sense of acceptance of herself and others. She's a musician in the band Chad likes and has introduced Aaron to. Aaron determines they, as a couple, are inevitable. Just like Aaron's parents, who KNEW they were inevitable, so Aaron feels that he and Hannah are inevitable. As Aaron's world tilts and wobbles from these asteroids, Aaron finds that sometimes people are good--sometimes good things can happen--sometimes there is hope.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel. I found the concept of inevitability interesting. How do you know what is inevitable? Everything Aaron did was based on the inevitability of failure yet he fails to envision what does happen. Is what actually happens inevitable? I got irritated quite a few times because Aaron could be so stubborn, which lead to so much blindness toward other characters. I liked the ending for the most part. Afterall, it's inevitable that change or moving on is part of life.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After a tragic event, Aaron and his father are left trying to keep their independent bookstore, Bluebird Books, afloat as the bills mount. This one is an absolute love letter to bookstores. It’s not a teen romance as the cover implies. It’s a story about grief, loss, and the anger that can mingle with those feelings. It’s about community and the vulnerability that it takes to depend upon others. It’s about healing and hope through the eyes of a broken young man. All of that is mixed together with humor and a passion for books and music.

I loved the character of Ira, Aaron's father. Their relationship reminded me a bit of the father and son in The Shadow of the Wind. I felt like each of the supporting characters, Chad, the Lumberjacks, Hannah, etc. had a depth and felt real. Hannah starts off looking like another manic pixie dream girl, but quickly becomes a person with her own issues that have nothing to do with Aaron. I loved the use of book names as the chapter titles.

“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.”

“You’re the most unreliable narrator I’ve ever met.”

[carolesrandomlife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book! I loved I Have Lost My Way by this author when I read it a couple of years ago so I jumped at the chance to read this book. I had no idea what to expect but I was pretty sure that this book would be a good bet since I have enjoyed the author’s work in the past and part of the story takes place in a bookstore. There’s just something about stories about books and bookstores. I found this book to be a very enjoyable read from beginning to end.

Aaron feels like he is kind of stuck and things are just going to happen because they are inevitable. He runs a struggling bookstore with his father, Ira, but he doesn’t have a lot to look forward to on a daily basis. He decides to try to sell some of his brother’s records to make some money and he runs into Chad. Chad quickly inserts himself into Aaron’s life and he meets Hannah. This starts a chain of events where things are changing at the bookstore and he has some really big issues to deal with before it gets too late.

I was hooked by this story right away. I felt really bad for Aaron and wanted to see things start working out better for him. I understood the decisions that he made and liked seeing him work through some of the big things in his life. I really loved the cast of characters in this book. Chad was such a positive influence and I love the fact that he didn’t let his disability stop him from doing anything. Hannah was great and has overcome a lot in her life. Ike and the crew at the bookstore were fantastic and usually brought a smile to my face when they showed up on the page.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very well written story with wonderful characters that dealt with some very big issues. I will definitely be reading more of Gayle Forman’s work in the future.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from Penguin Teen via Bookish First.

[sdbookhound · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All of his life Aaron has been told that books are miracles - 26 letters that come together in infinite ways. Aaron has given up on the magic of books. His life has become a string of inevitable conclusions, and none of them good. The next inevitable being the demise of the family bookstore. He wants the inevitable to just be done and over with so he takes matters into his own hands. Afterwards it is anything but done. Little does he know that he is about to encounter people who are going to throw his plans for a loop. These unique characters - Chad, the lumberjacks, Hannah - take him out of his comfort zone and he begins to think that maybe another conclusion is possible.

I thought that this book was truly unique and interesting to read. The writing flows well and is engaging. Each chapter title is the name of a different book and that book is woven into the details of that chapter. There is everything from the Peanuts to Gone Girl! Although Aaron was hard to understand at first, I got to know and understand him as the story unfolded. The side characters are all wonderful.

This book is recommended for ages 14 and up. I would personally recommend it for a little bit older than that due to mature themes involving sex, suicide, addiction, and depression. Some fourteen year old teens would be fine, but others may not be ready for this type of content.

My sincere thanks to Gayle Foreman, Penguin Teen, and Bookishfirst for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it.