Slow burn. Friends to lovers. Accidental pregnancy. Best friends brother.

I have read every book published by Cara Bastone and this one did not disappoint. The book follows Eve who finds herself pregnant after a one night stand. Throughout the book has to navigate her own emotions surrounding a pregnancy she never wanted, a best friend who is struggling to accept her pregnancy due to her own fertility battle and a baby daddy that is thorn between stepping up for Eve and the baby and his on again off again girlfriend. Eve finds herself feeling alone and isolated throughout her pregnancy due to her parents being dead and her brother living in different states. The one person who has stepped up is Shep, her best friend’s brother who has always been there throughout her life. As the book and the pregnancy progress she starts to see Shep in a new light and she coming to accept that she might see him as more than just her best friend’s brother….

Ready or Not was a super cute and heartwarming story. I love that throughout her pregnancy Eve went through a soul searching journey and find her inner strength. Shep is a huge cinnamon roll who I instantly fell in love with. Slow burns in general are not my favorite and I did eventually feel like the book was a bit slow. Overall I really enjoyed the book. Cara Bastone is one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group- Random House Dial Press and NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 ⭐️

This book has easily made itself one of my favourite friends to lovers stories I’ve read. This story has so much heart and truly pulled you along an emotional journey with the characters.

The story interweaves a few different tropes:

- Unplanned pregnancy
- Found family
- Navigating identity
- Friends to lovers
- Slow burn romance
- Cinnamon roll romantic interest

I really enjoyed Bastone’s writing; the dialogue and FMC’s first person POV were heartfelt and witty. Relationships, whether familial, romantic or intrapersonal, were represented in a believable and human way that really allowed you to fall into the story and become invested in the characters.

I really wished that the ending and last few chapters of this story gave me a little more. This story does intentionally focus on the pregnancy journey, but I found myself itching for a little more on the HEA—even if just an epilogue to appease my heart on what happened next in these characters lives.

Overall, I would recommend this book to readers who like friends to lovers and unplanned pregnancy tropes.

Triggers: mentions of miscarriage and fertility, mentions of family members deaths.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have never really read a romance like “Ready or Not” before, which is surprising and refreshing in a world where one novel seems hard pressed to stand out from others. But a romance stemming from an unplanned pregnancy with another guy-give me more. While it may not be the most realistic-I found the book to be honest, funny, unique, and charming-a rare combination in my recent reads. I enjoyed this one-4 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review.

Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The start of the story is not new. Eve has a one night stand and six weeks later a ➕is on her pregnancy test. This isn’t the story of how she got there, but her finding her way through an unplanned pregnancy, navigating the father, and her circle of friends and family. This book is LOADED with heart. It’s funny, hopeful,a little sad, but it’s so happy with how friends and strangers come together around a soon to be family. It’s all the feels!!!

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I’ve always thought that accidental pregnancy wasn’t a trope for me but this book may have caused me to reconsider. Be prepared going in, there’s a lot of complex topics discussed in the book so check the trigger warnings. I loved Eve as a main character. Everything about her was just so relatable, complex, and fun. Just watching Eve grapple with feeling alone and all of the emotions that come with pregnancy was more open and honest which I found really refreshing. I loved her friend group and how you got to know them and their love for each other. I’m really glad I picked this one up!


Thank you to Dial Press and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Accidental pregnancy isn't normally a trope I love, but it just felt so special in Ready or Not. Early on I even knew how this book was going to end, but that didn't bother me at all. This accidental pregnancy story is also part coming of age, found family, and romance. The author was able to take a lot of different aspects and make them feel realistic and like you were right there with Eve.

At the beginning of this book our main character Eve is trying to figure out her life. Is this job really the one she wants? Then after a one night stand she finds out she's pregnant and her whole world turns upside down. I really appreciated this author not making everything all sunshine and rainbows. There were a lot of emotions and relationships that felt a bit strained because of this. Eve also takes time to figure out how she feels about having this baby.

Eve is a character I really hoped would get everything she wanted. She was really trying in all aspects of her life and a lot was coming at her. That's also what made her story feel so real. Not everything was solved after a good night sleep or a great conversation. The romance in this book can may seem a little unexpected and we definitely have a slow burn, but it was an amazing journey.

Ready or Not is a very special book I don't want to tell you too much about, because you really need to experience all the little details for yourself, but I can say I laughed, cried, swooned, and smiled a lot while reading this book. Cara Bastone brings us a lot of raw emotions and this is a story I won't forget anytime soon.

My review will be live on https://thebookdutchesses.com on March 19th.

I'm calling it now, this will be one of my top 10 reads this year. I loved the FMC, Eve. She was so funny + her take on navigating pregnancy was so real and constantly had me giggling. Shep, the MMC, was such a gem of a man. They had been best friends for years, and watching them fall in love felt so realistic and heartwarming. I also loved the navigation of the baby daddy + all the feelings and difficult conversations that came with it. I am glad she didn’t end up with Ethan, but I’m glad he stepped up. Such a great book with a gorgeous cover

Eve Hatch and Ethan Rise have a hot and heavy one night, never to meet again, stand…. But… baby makes three….except in this case, baby makes four.

Ethan and Eve don’t have a relationship after their one night. But Eve’s childhood friend, (who is also her best friend Willa’s brother, Shep Balder) becomes her rock during the pregnancy.

As the pregnancy progresses, Eve sees Shep through a different lens and falls for him, also seeing how much he loves her through his countless acts of service.

I enjoyed the story with its complicated relationships. The best friend disappointed me on numerous occasions, regardless of her fertility struggles… being a best friend means you push through your issues when your friend is in need. But what I really enjoyed was watching Eve eventually forge a healthy co-parent relationship with Ethan, and a romantic relationship with Shep. And the guys understanding they could both be there for Eve and the baby but wearing different hats… baby daddy and lover.

I enjoyed this book about Eve and her journey through the nine months of an unexpected pregnancy. The book was light and fun while also dealing with some more serious topics such as fertility struggles and of course, the challenges of adjusting to an unexpected pregnancy. The romance between Eve and Shep was adorable, although definitely straight out of a fairy tale (Shep's character was too perfect to be truly believable). Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This is definitely a charming book; it did an excellent job conveying the beauty and the challenges that come along with pregnancy and parenthood, all with a romance and a lot of laughs. I loved Nurse Louise and think this is a good book if you’re missing Friends - weird connection, I know! But you have New York, an unplanned pregnancy, and a group of adults just figuring out life with their people.

Could I love this not cheesy romance any more? No. So well done. Pregnancy without falling into a cheesy trope. That she wrote during her two pregnancies comes as no surprise as it was so nuanced and deftly done. Will certainly read another by her.

Perfect spring rom com! Beautiful cover, easy and pleasant writing, and great characters that were fun to root for. I love how the various relationships were complicated but the characters actually spoke to one another like adults and handled things maturely. The lack of frustrating misunderstandings made this really pleasant to read and I was delighted by the ending!

I had heard so much about this book and I was excited to read it! I really enjoyed the writing and characters. What a beautiful cover! The storytelling is sweet and the plot seems realistic. Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Cara Bastone!

Wow, this book was everything. I did not expect to love it as much as I did because let's be honest, the pregnancy trope isn't always the best. However, the way it was handled was exceptional. It's early in the year, but I guarantee that Ready or Not will show up on my top books list of 2024. I was hooked from page 1 and could not put it down. I had other books I had to read before this one, but I couldn't control myself and no other book was catching my interest because I needed to be back with Eve and Shep desperately. Ready or Not was warm, cozy, emotional, it hit some hard topics and handled them with care. Eve is so real and down to earth. Shep is such an angel baby. He is the standard. He is what all men should strive to be. I had butterflies reading this book. If you love Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonem Young and Emily Henry's books, you will love Ready or Not. I could tell this story was a labor of love, and Cara Bastone delivered.

🔑Key Elements:
-Accidental Pregnancy
-He Falls First
-Friends to Lovers
-Best Friend's Brother
-Slow Burn
-Found Family
-Set in New York

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you @netgalley @randomhouse and @carabastone for the eARC

Ready or Not is out now!

Wow. I am kicking myself for waiting so long to read this. I listened to this on audio in addition to reading an e-copy and I could not stop. This is a total bingeable book that really surprised me.

Eve Hatch goes out on the town with her best friend, Willa, and Willa's brother, Shep, after he got out of a long-term relationship. At the end of the night, the three say their goodbyes and flag separate taxis. Last minute, Eve decides she's not ready for the night to end and tells the cab driver to take her somewhere else. Eve ends up at a dog bar and hits it off with the bartender. She's not one to normally have one night stands, but chooses to do something out of her comfort zone as a "new me" revelation. What Eve doesn't expect, is to have a positive pregnancy test in her hand weeks later.

I was expecting this story to be super cheesy, but I love how ordinary the actions and feelings were. Eve had me laughing from start to finish. She is so witty and injects humor in the situation, while also staying realistic. I loved listening to Eve and Nurse Louise's banter. They had the same personality and I'm glad Eve had someone outside of her friend group to share her feelings with. I love her and Willa's relationship and how raw those emotions were. I also love Eve's relationship with Willa's husband. It was so endearing seeing him show up for Eve when his wife couldn't. I love how up front the relationship was between Eve and Ethan, her one night stand. Eve was honest in what she wanted from Ethan and didn't push anything that wasn't real. And Shep- my new book boyfriend. His devotion to Eve was so cute and I loved seeing their friendship deepen.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Ready Or Not in exchange for my honest review. I cannot wait to read what Cara Bastone writes next!

Okay, this was PRECIOUS. I literally couldn't put this down. It did such a nice job of handling difficult topics, like infertility, and also celebrating pregnancy and friendship and love and and and! The audiobook was stunning and had me laughing out loud and avoiding interruptions just to keep listening. I loved the character growth Eve experienced and watching her get excited about being a mom and figure out what she wanted in life. This was truly a great read.

There was some pretty heavy spice at the end, but it is easily skipped if you prefer a closed door romance and you will totally still get the gist of the story!

First thought: This book really surprised me big time! I usually don’t like accidental pregnancy trope. As I struggled with infertility and it just gives me the yucks; but this book isn’t your normal take on this trope. It’s about the joy a baby brings into your world and those around you. It was captivating, funny and so well written. Loved it!

Eve is happy with her life, she moved to NYC with her bestie Willa from the MidWest to work for a non profit in conservation. Ok so maybe she living life dream adjacent and may not have the job she wants yet but she’s hoping she can work her way there. She has the perfect apartment and her two best friends.

Then after one night out in the town reconnecting with Willa and her brother Shep who just moved back she may of had a one night stand with a guy working at the bar. This wasn’t something she ever did, and of course the condom somehow failed and now she finds her life veering onto a new path.

Motherhood was something her bestie Willa wants so bad and has been trying for with her husband for years. It seems like a cruel joke to give her the gift of motherhood so easily when others struggle. There is no question she wants this baby, it may not be planned but it is a blessing. She just needs to figure out how her life will fit her new addition but she has 9 months for that.

This story follows Eve as she learns to balance the emotional complex relationship with Willa, trying to figure out what role the dad Derek wants in this babies life, and her growing feelings for the man always in her corner Shep.

Oh and did I mention that Shep has loved her for years and she just figured it out and now she doesn’t know what to do because pregnancy hormones have her all over the place!

Literally Themes you’ll find:

* Friends to Lovers
* Best Friend’s Brother
* Accidentally Pregnancy
* He’s Always Loved Her
* Navigating Life Changes
* Slow Burn


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A 5 star read for me! Couldn't put it down. Thank for the ARC! Can't wait to read more from this author.

I loved this novel! Eve is young and navigating how her personal life and career will look in the next few years. However, after a night out with her best friends results in having a one-night stand with a cute and sensitive bartender, Eve's plans are all thrown out the window. This is a beautiful account of friendship, love, and new beginnings.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.