Gosh I loved this one. The story, the emotions, the characters. It was all real, all raw, and somehow all done so well in a rom-com.

I adored Eve. And Shep. And Ethan, even in his struggling. What a beautiful story that wove the three (and eventually four) of them together.

My only complaint is I so badly wanted an epilogue!! 😩❤️

Content: open door, but easy to skip.

First off, I would consider this more women's fiction than straight up romance. I still enjoyed the book - the plot was interesting and the characters were well developed.

Ready or Not did not disappoint. Cara Bastone executed beautifully a love story of an unexpected pregnancy. But the love is not where you might think it would traditionally spout from. Eve’s growth emotionally is what helps her during her pregnancy in finding the balance between all the people surrounding her. Cara’s signature dialogue writing as always is entertaining. I can’t wait to listen to this on audio.

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this book (released 2/13) from Net Galley, but the cover is SO pretty, I might have bought this one on my own! Cover aside, I really really liked this book! It’s a sweet love story with a twist… Eve is pregnant, but it’s a different guy’s baby!!! While that makes the story compelling enough, what I really loved was the novel’s deeper commentary on pregnancy, motherhood, and identity + really beautiful pictures of friendships, relationships, co-parenting, grief, and more. This is definitely worth a spring read!! (Trigger warning for pregnancy / pregnancy loss & a 4/5 on the “spice scale” for one very open-door bedroom scene.)

I really love the pregnancy trope, so I was so excited to read this, but sadly, it wasn’t really anything special for me. The whole time I was reading, I was waiting for something exciting to come... and at 50%, I was already tired of this book and just wanted it to end. ☹️

౨ৎᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ:
Shep is one of the sweetest book characters in history. He literally bakes bread in his free time hellooo???🥹

"𝘔𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩."

𝚂𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎: 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝙼𝚈 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝.🫂

!!𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 & 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄!!

needed to get out of a reading slump and this did the trick! a very sweet book.

eve is working in the field of her dreams… as an administrative assistant. in the city of her dreams… on a tight budget. it’s everything she wanted… right? when she becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she has major reevaluating to do, particularly when she finds she has can’t rely on her best friend or the father of her unborn child. with the added confusion of an old friend working his way back into her life, she has nine months to make some decisions.

(don’t be fooled by the potential love triangle that’s set up at the beginning, it doesn’t last!)

this was a very emotionally intelligent book, even though the beginning seemed like it might not be. but while eve’s passivity at the beginning confused me (she doesn’t make a conscious choice to keep the baby she just… let’s it happen???), it ended up being the foundation of her character growth arc. while passive characters are a common writing no-no, i think this is an exception that proves the rule—eve needed to learn to take control of her life and pursue the things she wants. I ended up really liking this path for her because it’s one that is true to many real people.

this meshed well with the fact of this story being an unexpected pregnancy story—pregnancy seems like one of the most dramatic life events that happens to average people, so the character growth we saw from eve went hand in hand with this premise.

loved the whole cast but wanted to spend just a little more time on eve’s relationship with willa and on eve and shep talking things out; could’ve tightened some of the more meandering parts.

anyways, had a lot of fun with this one!

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone: ⭐⭐⭐🌟
Format: ARC from Random House Publishing & NetGalley, Audiobook from Libby

Book of the Month Club brought Ready or Not onto my radar and I was so excited to get the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

The premise of Ready or Not outlined in the blurb really lays it all out- Eve is a young woman living the SINK dream in New York City when she becomes pregnant unexpectedly. With her future up in the air, Eve gladly welcomes the help offered by her lifelong best friend’s brother. Eve’s conflicting feelings about her friend, her friend’s brother, her career, and the father of the baby are the main focus of this character-driven rom-com.

With life-changing circumstances for all characters involved and Eve’s search for her ‘village', Ready or Not toes the line between contemporary romance and women’s fiction, but in my opinion ultimately lands on the romance side. As someone who has gone through the life transitions depicted in this book, its hard to not recognize the rose colored glasses everyone seems to be looking through in this book. Eve’s attitude towards being a mother came off as flippant at times, though I think her overall optimism matched the tone of the book. I would have liked to see Eve seriously consider all of her options and make the best choice for her, instead of just accepting that welp, she’s pregnant and it is what it is. Efforts made later in the book to counter the inherently pro-life message don’t undo this crucial missing step.

Lastly, though I appreciate the levity that the author attempted by using pregnancy symptoms and hormones as a plot device, I thought the result did a disservice to pregnant people. This is my opinion and not everyone will agree with that, but in my own experience, people have the self control to retain their personality, critical thinking skills, and self control that they had before pregnancy; if anything has that transformative power, it’s parenthood, not pregnancy.

While this book was not my all time favorite, I still liked it and recommend it to contemporary/rom-com readers, particularly to people who are in a similar life stage or can otherwise relate to the characters. Thank you to Random House publishing for the ARC of Ready or Not, which is available now.

An unplanned pregnancy from an uncharacteristic one night stand makes Eve look at all of her relationships, as well as her life in a completely different light. Who steps up, who isn’t there for her - relationships are put to the test and in the end some become stronger and Eve learns who she can trust, and who really loves her.

This was my plane read home from LA and it kept me completely entertained for the entire cross country trip (ironically as I sat next to a pregnant woman). I thought it had all the right feels and I really liked it. This was both a rom com and a friendship story (as she and her best friend from childhood struggle through the pregnancy since her friend has fertility issues, which I also thought the author dealt with very well) and I thought the author did a nice job with both. I’m not sure Shep’s character was 100% believable, but it’s a rom com and so I suspend belief a little bit (I mean I don’t want to read about my husband, there’s no escapism there!). Very cute and fun and totally recommend this one!

Thank you to Net Galley and Dial Press for this ARC to review

The cover needs so much love because I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than this. Such a good read if you’re not looking for a romance book. This was a beautifully done depiction of motherhood and pregnancy.

When I heard this book was a pregnancy trope (one of my favorites), I knew I had to read it! I'm so glad I did! We start straight in with Eve having her pregnancy confirmed, after a one-night stand, and when I tell you just the first chapter had me hooked, it had me hooked! I found Eve's character so relatable and funny, just trying to make the best out of her situation.

My favorite character had to be Shep! He stepped up to be just what Eve needed. When her best friend, his sister, was going through her struggles and was trying her best to be there for Eve, Shep was there for her, When Eve's baby daddy was also going through his struggles, with his on and off again girlfriend, Shep was right beside her. Honestly, Shep might be the sweetest book boyfriend around! He loved her quietly for so long, ugh I loved him!

It was beautiful how each character had their growth throughout the story and the little family they had created was amazing to see! The birth and end of this book were perfectly wrapped up! I laughed, I cried, and I internally was screaming (in the best way) during this book! I 100% recommend picking up Ready or Not, even if the pregnancy trope isn't one you reach for!

I found Cara Bastone through the free short novellas she's done for Audible and just adored the way she writes love stories. Her characters are multifaceted and relevant to today's society and beliefs. When I heard there was an ARC for a new book of hers, I jumped on it. Everything I loved about her short, audible originals was also true in this longer-form book, with the addition of some spicier content as well.

Ready or Not was such a beautiful look into the 9 months of pregnancy, the trials and tribulations that happen during that time, especially with regard to all the relationships a pregnant person has, from the relationship to the father, friends, acquaintances, even medical staff who become like family during that time. It was such a realistic representation that I was not surprised to find out Bastone herself had been pregnant while writing it.

A beautifully written, emotional and sweet read. I'd highly recommend!

Loved this book! The characters were perfect and the story would make an amazing movie.definitely a must read!

Disclaimer: I was completely drawn in by the stunning cover and did not read the synopsis before requesting. When I found out it was an accidental pregnancy read, I was thrown for a loop.

I honestly did not expect to love this one, but it was so cute, very engaging and full of heartwarming moments. I found the lack of conflict refreshing as there was no need for unnecessary drama or break ups as filler. Bastone does a great job of balancing heavy topics (grief, infertility) with the lighter moments in the book.

Shep was by far the best part of the book and is the most charming, idyllic man. The way he just constantly adores her is swoon worthy. He is the standard!!

Im not sure if it was just a weird writing happenstance or done intentionally, but I found Eve’s personality to be too carefree and nonchalant about being a single mother with absolutely no plan. This made a few parts of the story to be unrealistic - a non-spoiler example: when she walks by a daycare (near her work!! that she has surely passed before!!) and suddenly realizes she’s going to need childcare.

Read if you like:
-slow burn
-single POV
-friends to lovers
-best friends brother

** thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press, Random House for the ARC and chance to read and review **

Ready Or Not ended up being a cute book. There were some times throughout that I struggled with but overall it was enjoyable. Very slow burn. Friends to lovers and best friend’s brother. There were so many sweet moments that made me swoon. I would rate it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the gorgeous cover.

Ready or Not is a cute friends-to-lovers romance with a pregnancy plotline thrown in. While these are common romance tropes, I think Ready or Not executed them really well! I especially found the small cast of characters to be well developed. I would recommend to anyone looking for a nice romance novel.

Oh, lord, this was charming. It’s very much a book about pregnancy and motherhood, which is a topic I often feel somewhat removed from as a reader, but the voice here was so engaging, warm, and buoyantly funny, I was captivated from the first chapter and remained so throughout my read. It’s the genuine warmth and optimism of the voice that felt so refreshing, witty without being sarcastic or cynical, and the cast of fully fleshed out characters who are all sincerely kind to one another. The heroine is at all times surrounded by people who care about her—family, friends, coworkers, medical workers, and an adoring love interest—even if those people sometimes struggle to balance their own needs with a desire to extend themselves, giving the book a cozy, sweet, joyful vibe throughout, where no conflict feels too stressful, because deep affection and a helping hand are always a sentence or two away. The romance is equally refreshing, especially within a market that’s so reliant on tropes these days. There’s no fake dating or banter-y set up. Instead, we have a sweet, blossoming relationship with a kind-hearted love interest who showers the heroine with care and affection while she navigates her pregnancy and gradually realizes she returns his feelings. It’s simple and sincere and downright lovely. I loved that while he’d obviously been head-over-heels for her forever, their relationship developed over time, and Bastone does a hell of a job ramping up sexual tension and making the (brief) steamy scenes both sexy and emotionally resonant. The writing is enviably good, I enjoyed the hell out of this, and look forward to picking up more of Bastone’s work in days to come.

I'm a little late on posting this but this book was just fantastic. I love the unexpected pregnancy trope but this one was better than usual. Eve and her best friend Willa moved away from their Midwestern town years ago and are enjoying life in Brooklyn. Eve's working for the company that she always wanted to work at but not enjoying what she does there. Willa is married but experiencing fertility issues. When Eve finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after a one night stand, Willa struggles to be the friend that she needs. Enter Shep, Willa's newly single brother who is suddenly the warm shoulder that Eve needs. Eve is kind of helpless to even deal with what this pregnancy means or to see her child as a person but I found her struggles relatable. The pregnancy changes her life in more than one way as Eve learns to be more assertive and also allow her life to expand to include more help. The wider net of characters is really fun-I'd love more stories about this friend group.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Ummmm I’m obsessed??? Truly. I DEEPLY appreciate books with realistic women, especially when the story involves realistic depictions of pregnancy. This story was EVERYTHING. And the cover? 5 billion stars

I love love love when a book has a realistic view of life in general, but especially the messier sides. Pregnancy is not all glowy sunshine and white linen and it is portrayed beautifully here. The slow burn romance and sweetness of Shep make this one a book I devoured and would recommend again and again. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

I LOVED this book. The cover is so cute and colorful, I immediately knew I wanted to read it. The writing style is so easy to get into and I was immediately sucked in within the first few pages. The characters are easy to love, and I found myself laughing out loud at a few points throughout the book. The dialogue in the book is so close to how I speak in real life - it was kind of freaky lol! Even though everyone's experience with pregnancy is different, I felt like the portrayal of it in the book was very realistic and lined up with how my own experience was, which made me love the book even more. If you're looking for a cute book about pregnancy, I'd definitely recommend this one!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.