Very sweet story about unplanned detours in life. I overall really enjoyed this story for many reasons.
Shep was simply perfect. I adored this character, how he cared for Eve, how mature he was about the relationship with Ethan. I couldn’t have asked for a better MMC.
I appreciated that the baby’s father Ethan was not portrayed as a jerk. Sure, he had his issues, but the character experienced a lot of growth and all of his “bad” behavior was relatable given his circumstances.
The addition of the fertility issues with the best friend were relatable as well. Sometimes we want to be a better friend than we can be sometimes, and that’s real life.

Now, my only real negative relates to Eve- I found her character to be the least relatable. For someone so organized, so forward thinking, I found her complete lack of self-analysis over her situation when she got pregnant to be very strange . I have a hard time believing that someone who got pregnant in the circumstances that Eve did would just metaphorically shrug and essentially act like “oh ok well guess I’m doing this now” and have no mental acrobatics happening. For someone who never expressed any major desire to be a mom, someone who really doesn’t express excitement or happiness in general over falling pregnant at an inopportune time, she really didn’t seem too bothered or stressed by it for a long time, never considering all the options, and I find that unrealistic and unrelatable.
Otherwise, I generally really enjoyed this book .

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone – 3 Stars (Kindle, NetGalley)

I received Ready or Not from NetGalley at the end of last year (yes, I requested it based solely on the cover), and I had literally zero idea what it was about. I can definitely say I had never heard of a book with an “unexpected pregnancy trope”, but that’s what Ready or Not is based on (no spoiler, it’s the first chapter). And, I loved it! It was such a sweet and fun read that included found family, friends to lovers, and lots of cozy descriptions of New York City.

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone is a beautiful novel about a woman named Eve who finds herself pregnant after a one night stand. She decides to keep the baby on her own, and as her best friend Willa is struggling to be supportive at times due to her struggles with infertility, Willa’s brother Shep steps into the role of supportive friend. As Eve’s pregnancy hormones start flying, she begins to picture Shep in a closer role but feels she needs to wait to determine if it’s just hormones or if she’s falling for Shep. As Eve works to figure out what her life will be after baby she discovers you can find love in unexpected places.

I loved this story. I thought the characters were three dimensional and the plot was enjoyable. There were times I felt like something may have been missing, but the end was so beautiful I didn’t care. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for access to an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! Two love interests, no idea who the main character is going to pick given her unplanned pregnancy, and such a beautiful birth story! The book came really close to bringing me to happy tears.

I've been obsessed with Cara Bastone's work since I first listened to "Call Me Maybe" in 2020 and then immediately devoured every book she’d written. There’s something about her characters that feel so real; like they are people I already know and adore.

I feel like this book is being widely mislabeled and mismarketed. Although it’s definitely a feel-good rom-com, it’s also a much more serious book about a woman’s journey into motherhood that took my breath away at moments with how true it felt. As someone who recently gave birth, I deeply appreciated her trimester-by-trimester structure. I found myself reliving some of the less fun parts of being pregnant while reading this book but also was taken back to the magical moments of feeling your baby kick for the first time inside of you.

I will say, I did not read the synopsis before I read this book (why bother when I knew I was going to love it right?) and was surprised when Shep started appearing more and more like her OTP. I think it’s a testament to her character development that I remained firmly Team Ethan for the majority of this book.

I think the ending was absolutely perfect, even if I did selfishly want to stay with the characters just a little bit longer. I’m not sure if she has plans for any other stories with these characters, but I would love some spin-off books just so I can see Eve and Shep live their HEA. 5/5 stars, would recommend!

This was such a cute and sweet Rom-Com! I love this type book, and this author didn't disappoint! I read this book in one day! I would definitely recommend this book!

I have never read anything by this author but the description sounded pretty cute and I admit I loved the cover. This is a surprise pregnancy book. Eve is a single girl living in NY and after a one night stand finds herself the one thing she never contemplated, pregnant This was a super cute and easy read. For a surprise pregnancy book there was not a lot of drama. I'm not sure how realistic this book is- IRL it doesn't feel like things work out as easily, but that's not really what I expect from a book. I don't mind that things are glossed over (i.e. things like health insurance and the struggles of being single and pregnant- or dating while pregnant- or you know just the every day struggles of BEING pregnant). I am okay making certain leaps for a book that is meant to be more cute than tension filled.

So this book really focuses on four different relationships. The first is the one between Eve and her best friend Willa. Willa desperately wants to get pregnant and has struggled. How Willa handles finding out Eve got pregnant after a one-night stand and how their friendship changes a bit after was understandable. Eve and Willa are childhood friends and they don't have a lot of boundaries- until they do. Marriage (Willa and her husband who definitely wasn't featured enough) changed their friendship a bit- but Willa's fertility journey has changed things more than even Eve understood. Willa obviously struggles with being both happy for her friend and devastated she can't emotionally be Eve's person for this. Infertility is definitely addressed but only to introduce a break in their friendship to make room for the Hero (Willa's brother). This is definitely an area glossed over.

When Willa can't step up for Eve- her older brother, Shep, does. Shep is also a childhood friend of Eves as the three basically grew up together. Shep is quirky and awkward and really the most wonderful Hero you could ask for. Almost too good to be true. Shep provides a lot of the comic relief but also the safety net. I absolutely loved the banter between the Eve and Shep. If I was going to complain about him at all, I think I would say it doesn't feel believable that he wouldn't have ANY issues/insecurities with the whole fact that the love of his life is knocked up by another man. Or that if he pursues things with Eve it means he's basically also about to become a father figure. He does have one flash of it when he's talking with Ethan, but even that isn't really much more than an acknowledgement of the situation. Regardless, I loved Shep. We should all have Sheps in our lives. I wish their romance had been fleshed out more as well. They were best friends, and then more. And it was both super sudden and also not. Partly this is why this book feels less of a romance and more like a women's fiction with a romantic subplot. Her friendship with Shep was really more important and prominent than her relationship which didn't happen until way later in the book.

The one character I think we got the least from- and maybe because he was kind of the least important- was Ethan. Ethan is the guy she had a one night stand with and is the father of the baby. Ethan's reaction, while not perfect, is probably better than most people in his situation. He wasn't really an unlikeable character- but also he did some crap things and didn't face any real consequences for them. I wish that would have happened a little more. It is understandable that he would struggle with the idea he was going to be a dad and co-paernt with someone he barely knows. But he spends more time talking about his on-again-off-again girlfriend's thoughts than his own. He's not really a present character, and maybe that is on purpose as he isn't the Hero in this book. But even still, it starts to feel like deadbeat dad. There weren't really discussions about what his involvement was going to be or his responsibilities as he doesn't provide Eve with any support the whole time she's pregnant. So it just felt Ethan was thinking only of himself. And while he wasn't unlikeable, I guess I was disappointed he wasn't more likable.

Eve herself is the last relationship focused on and how that changes when it isn't just herself. I liked the relationship she has with her nurse and how that helps her figure things out a bit. She also talks about her job and her apartment and how those play into who she thinks she is and what she wants- and how that changes when she accepts that not only is she pregnant, but she's having a baby. Overall this book was very cute and easy to read. I think while the most difficult issues were basically just glossed over and addressed in her inner thoughts- and maybe could have been used for more tension or drama if they were dealt with between the characters- at the end of the day I still found it enjoyable and wasn't sad that it was an easy read. Kind of what I needed right now. Thank you to net galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nobody is more surprised than me by how much I loved this romcom! In Ready or Not, Eve has a life she’s fairly content with in Brooklyn, but when she learns she is pregnant after a fun night out, her world shifts and becomes full of surprises.

As Eve starts to prepare for life with a baby, things feel off with her best friend, Willa. Eve informs the baby’s father that she’s pregnant and he wants to help, yet he also feels torn. Willa’s brother, Shep, recently returned to town and he begins to step in, helping Eve where Willa and the baby’s father haven’t been. Eve can’t tell if she’s truly into Shep or it’s the pregnancy hormones, and she has a lot to juggle as she gets ready for her next phase of life.

Ready or Not delivers on several fronts — It’s cute, sweet, and funny with laugh out loud moments, and relatable ones too. I really liked this story and most of its characters.

Thank you netgalley for this book.

I enjoyed the character development and story line of this novel and will definitely be checking out more from this author.

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.