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Inevitable
Just as Helen finally begins to let herself believe that she’s reached that elusive effortlessness with Jamie, her former fiancé follows through on his threat and her world is torn apart. Confronted with herself like never before, Helen must, once and for all, decide what it is she expects of herself and desires out of life. This challenge proves almost unattainable as Helen takes most unexpected routes to try to find her happiness.
324 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2016
110 people want to read
About the author
Marina Raydun
7 books122 followersMarina's published works of fiction include a compilation of two novellas ("One Year in Berlin" and "Foreign Bride"), a full length suspense novel called "Joe After Maya," as well as a contemporary women's fiction novel entitled "Effortless." Born in the former Soviet Union, she lives in Brooklyn with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 19, 2016
I was asked to read this book for an honest review and thought that it highlighted many of those tangled feelings that face us in life, especially with relationships.
Just when you think you have life straightened out, along comes...
I cannot say much because I don't give spoilers but will say that to those who enjoy drama and real life situations, this story is for you.
Just when you think you have life straightened out, along comes...
I cannot say much because I don't give spoilers but will say that to those who enjoy drama and real life situations, this story is for you.
August 18, 2019
“I would stay behind and continue to play Mad-Libs with my own lesson plans year after year, trying to pay back my student loans without having to live like an indentured servant. Their lives were just beginning, mine was merely continuing. How exactly was I expected to start anew, begin a new chapter?” (Effortless pg. 253).
That perfect life is within arm’s reach for Helen Levit. After traveling to Paris and London as a chaperone for a class trip, she has made excellent strides with Jamie. However, life has different plans for Helen as her fiancé follows through on a threat he has made to her numerous times in the past that shatters her almost perfect life. She wanted to start her life anew, begin a whole new chapter for a wonderful new life, but how can she now? Confronted with a new chapter she does not wish to endure, Helen must face it head on and take on the new and unexpected challenges that stand in her way. Happiness awaits beyond the hardships, but will Helen be strong enough to endure the trials and tribulations long enough to reach it?
The conclusion of author Marina Raydun’s Effortless duology delves even further than the first, showing inevitable negative effects due to poor choices in life. Inevitable shows Helen hitting absolute rock bottom and having to find the will power to climb back up again. With this in mind, the second story is not as lighthearted as the first as it takes on a more serious tone; however, it still proves to be, once again, an enjoyable and truthful read. Raydun’s storytelling and writing style are as beautiful as ever and possibly even stronger than in Effortless. She focuses on life more than love once again, but this time, her character must find a way out of an incredibly dark place after certain events happen in life. Not much detail can be given due to potential spoilers, but the lessons that can be taken away from Inevitable are crucial.
Helen is just as relatable of a character, if not more so, in Inevitable than she was in Effortless. No one wishes to face that terrible moment in life where everything seems to fall apart and they have no idea how to even begin fixing it. Kristen Wiig’s character in Bridesmaids is actually an excellent rendition of Helen in Inevitable. Helen believes she has her life together, yet everything seems to go wrong. While Raydun’s story is not as comical as the aforementioned movie, both women have lives that just don’t seem to be going right and no matter what they do, life seems to only get worse. Then again, it does not help that both women try to fix things in the wrong way at first until they figure out what will work best for their situations.
With Inevitable, Raydun has brought out the mirror again to place in front of her readers. This mirror is more terrifying to look at than the first time around for it shows the struggle and hardships of hitting rock bottom. For Helen, she feels like she is trapped and she feels as if no one is on her side for everyone seems to be telling her to start her life over, yet she doesn’t know where to begin. Once again, Raydun also shows that during dark times, there is hope. Helen’s family and friends “pick” on her because they care about her and they are trying to push her towards the direction she should go to better herself. One does not have to stay at the bottom. The future is not set and one can make it however great they want it to be. It is never an easy road to travel, but it is not an impossible journey either.
While not much detail can be given due to potential spoilers, Inevitable makes for an excellent conclusion in Raydun’s Effortless duology. It shows the impossibility of striving for effortlessness in one’s life and the inevitable fall to rock bottom due to poor choices made. It also shows that it is possible to recover from the fall and turn life around to create a life worth living. Raydun has crafted a beautiful duology of finding one’s self and how even when life may seem to be crashing down, one needs to find what will bring him or her back up again.
**Originally published on my blog, Roll Out Reviews, on August 17, 2019**
That perfect life is within arm’s reach for Helen Levit. After traveling to Paris and London as a chaperone for a class trip, she has made excellent strides with Jamie. However, life has different plans for Helen as her fiancé follows through on a threat he has made to her numerous times in the past that shatters her almost perfect life. She wanted to start her life anew, begin a whole new chapter for a wonderful new life, but how can she now? Confronted with a new chapter she does not wish to endure, Helen must face it head on and take on the new and unexpected challenges that stand in her way. Happiness awaits beyond the hardships, but will Helen be strong enough to endure the trials and tribulations long enough to reach it?
The conclusion of author Marina Raydun’s Effortless duology delves even further than the first, showing inevitable negative effects due to poor choices in life. Inevitable shows Helen hitting absolute rock bottom and having to find the will power to climb back up again. With this in mind, the second story is not as lighthearted as the first as it takes on a more serious tone; however, it still proves to be, once again, an enjoyable and truthful read. Raydun’s storytelling and writing style are as beautiful as ever and possibly even stronger than in Effortless. She focuses on life more than love once again, but this time, her character must find a way out of an incredibly dark place after certain events happen in life. Not much detail can be given due to potential spoilers, but the lessons that can be taken away from Inevitable are crucial.
Helen is just as relatable of a character, if not more so, in Inevitable than she was in Effortless. No one wishes to face that terrible moment in life where everything seems to fall apart and they have no idea how to even begin fixing it. Kristen Wiig’s character in Bridesmaids is actually an excellent rendition of Helen in Inevitable. Helen believes she has her life together, yet everything seems to go wrong. While Raydun’s story is not as comical as the aforementioned movie, both women have lives that just don’t seem to be going right and no matter what they do, life seems to only get worse. Then again, it does not help that both women try to fix things in the wrong way at first until they figure out what will work best for their situations.
With Inevitable, Raydun has brought out the mirror again to place in front of her readers. This mirror is more terrifying to look at than the first time around for it shows the struggle and hardships of hitting rock bottom. For Helen, she feels like she is trapped and she feels as if no one is on her side for everyone seems to be telling her to start her life over, yet she doesn’t know where to begin. Once again, Raydun also shows that during dark times, there is hope. Helen’s family and friends “pick” on her because they care about her and they are trying to push her towards the direction she should go to better herself. One does not have to stay at the bottom. The future is not set and one can make it however great they want it to be. It is never an easy road to travel, but it is not an impossible journey either.
While not much detail can be given due to potential spoilers, Inevitable makes for an excellent conclusion in Raydun’s Effortless duology. It shows the impossibility of striving for effortlessness in one’s life and the inevitable fall to rock bottom due to poor choices made. It also shows that it is possible to recover from the fall and turn life around to create a life worth living. Raydun has crafted a beautiful duology of finding one’s self and how even when life may seem to be crashing down, one needs to find what will bring him or her back up again.
**Originally published on my blog, Roll Out Reviews, on August 17, 2019**
June 20, 2017
This book is so believable the things you see in other people are not always what they see in themselves. As these characters grow you see all the insecurities that other people see as strengths.This is a very enjoyable read and makes you look at life differently.I received this book free as part of goodreads giveaways.
August 27, 2016
Inevitable (Effortless Book 2) By Marina Raydun
Helen is at a point of acceptance with her split up with her fiance George. But is George ready to accept the truth with Helen? Soon things begin to fall apart, unexpected events occur and Helen is face to face with reality. She has to make life changing decisions if she wishes to find true happiness with or without George.
A well written story , (with) an original plot, filled drama, secrets and truths discovered. Helen is very likable, she is flawed and has some tough life choices to make. George, (he) definitely has his share of problems, and his choices ultimately affect Helen. How she handles the situations makes this story an intense dramatic soul searching read. Great as a stand alone, but I highly recommend both; Inevitable & Effortless By Marina Raydun
Helen is at a point of acceptance with her split up with her fiance George. But is George ready to accept the truth with Helen? Soon things begin to fall apart, unexpected events occur and Helen is face to face with reality. She has to make life changing decisions if she wishes to find true happiness with or without George.
A well written story , (with) an original plot, filled drama, secrets and truths discovered. Helen is very likable, she is flawed and has some tough life choices to make. George, (he) definitely has his share of problems, and his choices ultimately affect Helen. How she handles the situations makes this story an intense dramatic soul searching read. Great as a stand alone, but I highly recommend both; Inevitable & Effortless By Marina Raydun
August 14, 2017
This is the sequel to Effortless, and takes place after Helen chaperones a trip to Europe with a couple of other teachers, one being the newbie, Jamie Sola. Upon returning to the States, Helen gets the news that her fiance, George, has attempted suicide. Unsure about her feelings for George, her relationship with Jamie becomes more and more complicated, while rumor of a teacher-student affair floats around the halls of Talent NYC. As Helen's relationship with Jamie (and others) becomes more complicated, her long-time friend, Javier, proposes a trip to Morocco. Some questions to be asked are: Will Helen end up with Jamie or George...or even Javier? Is there any truth to the teacher-student affair? And lastly, will Helen inevitably "find" herself in Morocco?
Marina Raydun's writing (and stories) get better and better with each novel. The words are carefully chosen, and her characters always portray real emotions that are relatable to many people. I always enjoy reading her novels, and would highly recommend them for a good read that you won't want to put down!
Marina Raydun's writing (and stories) get better and better with each novel. The words are carefully chosen, and her characters always portray real emotions that are relatable to many people. I always enjoy reading her novels, and would highly recommend them for a good read that you won't want to put down!
September 14, 2016
Helen is a messy character, but that doesn't mean she's bad. She is just a human being having some intense emotional relationships problems. For me, this story was all about watching Helen find her self-worth and do some serious soul searching. She is a high school teacher, so readers meet the wild mix of students she mingles with and how they fit into her complicated world. It's a great read. I really loved the ending. I'm rooting for Helen.
November 1, 2016
Helen is at the point of acceptance of her split from George her Fiance. But is George ready to accept
the truth? Things soon begin to fall apart,some unexpected events happen and Helen is forced to face reality, She has to make some life changing decisions in order to find true happiness for herself with or with out George.
the truth? Things soon begin to fall apart,some unexpected events happen and Helen is forced to face reality, She has to make some life changing decisions in order to find true happiness for herself with or with out George.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews