First of all I'd like to thank the people at Net Galley for an early copy of "Ready or Not" and give my apologies for not making my thoughts available before this beautiful, funny book was released out into the world.

I read most of this book in one sitting, it was hilarious and warm in the ways that feel's like you're hearing a story from the mouth of an old friend. Eve is such an inviting character like that. She's relatable and funny and a hot mess in a way that is both reassuring and hilarious to watch. This is a pregnancy trope book which isn't always people's cup of tea, but man it's mine and it's so adorable to watch the changes that happen with Eve throughout this story. It makes me more sure of how amazing and powerful mothers are, especially those who are single mothers without a strong village like Eve's to rely on.

I do have a few tidbits that didn't make this book a five-star read for me. The first is that the romance between Shep and Eve was so good at first and I could immediately tell he had been in love with her for a long time. However, when they finally got together it all felt sort of one-sided (like he loved her more) and rushed on Eve's part like she couldn't slow down to appreciate all the ways he had been telling her he loved her. I also didn't love Ethan. I don't know how to expand on that, I just didn't enjoy him or his arc in this book. Lastly, I think the ending was a bit rushed and I felt a bit still unsettled by how quickly things flew by.

Other than that, this was a really sweet read and definitely something I'd gravitate toward again.

Ready Or Not by Cara Bastogne
Rating (4/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cara Bastone’s Ready or Not released February 13th. I received an e-arc from Dial Press, via Netgalley. Also , it was one of picks from BOTM for February. First time reading anything by this author and it won’t be the last. A fun enjoyable read! I loved reading Eve’s story as her pregnancy progressed and she moved closer to motherhood. I would have loved an epilogue ; the ending felt a little incomplete. Maybe 🤔 a sequel in the future…

4.5 ⭐️

What a cute book! I loved it! Romance and pregnancy shown in a realistic way!
Funny, sad, and heartfelt! I giggled and cried!

Eve gets pregnant from a one night stand with a "bartender" named Ethan. Eve decides she wants to keep "being pregnant," no matter if Ethan wants to be involved with the baby or not. She is met with shock and hurt feelings from her best friend since childhood, Willa (who has been struggling to get pregnant herself); however, Willa's older brother, Shep, is thrilled for Eve. Eve hides her pregnancy from her coworkers, her boss, and her family as long as she possibly can. Eve navigates most of the pregnancy alone, other than with the help of Shep. The book follows Eve's emotions and relationships through her nine months of pregnancy. Eve finds romance in an unexpected place. True and deep devotion! It's adorable, it's so cute. I cried during her labor scene. It was beautiful! It was the first pregnancy book that I absolutely loved!

The book has a lot of character building, it is a slower paced one, but it feels so complete and well rounded at the end.


** Slight spoilers start here **

I enjoyed how this book showed a different side of pregnancy. Not everyone has a happy and joyful experience or is met with happy and joyful responses from others, unfortunately. When Eve tells Willa that she is pregnant, Willa ignores her and makes the situation and news about herself (though we learn a little more about her feelings and the cause of them). My mother did the same thing to me when I told her about my first pregnancy. I wasn't met with excitement and she ignored me for months. I knew that feeling and how hurtful and isolating it is. Eve felt like she didn't have one of the most important people there for her, as did I. Pregnancy can bring out emotional responses from others that you might not expect.
Eve hides her pregnancy out of shame and embarrassment. Eve isn't able to fully experience being pregnant or feeling pregnant (I also was in denial at times that I was pregnant and that there was an actual baby inside of me). Some mothers don't bond with the baby in the womb at first. It took others referring to Eve's tummy as a "baby" before it hit her. Pregnancy, especially the first one, can be so confusing and have so many feelings, both from the mother and from the people around her. This book really showed that and I am so glad it wasn't another happy go lucky story that isn't real for everyone (though I am VERY happy for those who have pregnancies like that).

I loved that Shep and Eve came together and finally expressed their feelings for one another.
I loved that Ethan also came around and realized what he really wanted and not what Eleni wanted. The birth scene with both of the men there (and Nurse Louise) and cheering Eve on was soooo beautiful. I loved the ending and how much love was surrounding Miriam. Loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for access to the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity so very much!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! Originally I found that it was quite spicy so I was a little bit afraid I wouldn't like it. However, the spice doesn't really start until like 80% of the way through the book and doesn't detract from the storyline at all. I really loved how funny this book was! The main character was super likable, probably because of how funny she was. I also liked all of the side characters as well! The storyline was very unique for a romance. I've never read one that revolves around a a pregnant main character. I would definitely recommend this read!

4.5 stars!

I am usually *not* a fan of the accidental/surprise pregnancy trope, but Cara Bastone's "Ready or Not" is an absolute delight of a book. It is funny, earnest, sweet... just one of the loveliest books I have read in a long time. It is bursting at the seams with joy and warmth and love. It really tugged on my heartstrings, which is hard for most books to do given my usually-frozen-heart (lol). I loved the main characters, Eve and Shep. What a wonderful pair of people! Eve is such a goofball, but not in a cringey way. Shep is the most cinnamon roll-y book boyfriend I've read in a while. Dear gods, what CHEMISTRY they have with one another! Since they have been friends since they were kids, and since Shep is Eve's best friend's brother, the banter and longing come naturally to them, making their pairing feel organic, realistic, and authentic. Heck, I even liked Ethan a whole lot (when he wasn't being so wishy-washy). The way I speed-read this book... I stayed up late and woke up early, that's how badly I wanted to finish this one. Cute, charming, bubbly, perfectly displays the difference between gender and sex, characters not bound by toxic masculinity, A+ pronoun inclusion, and a wonderful depiction of motherly love, slow-burning romance, and co-parenting. Please give this book the chance it deserves!

Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Bastone, Random House Publishing Group, and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I’ve only ever listened to Cara Bastone’s Audible Originals so I was excited to read one of her books. I adored this book! It was heartfelt, sweet, funny, and I just loved it. I escaped into their world and enjoyed every moment. Shep might just be my new book boyfriend!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Ready or Not was such a beautiful depiction of pregnancy, friendship, and the ups and downs of daily life. Eve doesn’t really know what she wants in life. She’s never thought she wanted to be a mom, but then again, she’s never really thought about it in the first place. When she gets unexpectedly pregnant after a one night stand, her life is upended and she needs to start making choices in her career, friendships, and love life.

This book was beautifully written and had so much depth and emotion to it. Though the romance plays a huge part in the plot, there is also so many other topics discussed. I especially loved how Eve’s friendship with Willa is portrayed and the highs and lows that came with it.

This book completely pulled me out of my reading slump and I read it in one sitting. I kept getting so excited over the character development in the book. I was rooting for Eve and all the other characters so so much.

I also loved the structure of the book and how it was separated into three parts. Each part went through one trimester of her pregnancy. I had never read a book with such a clear timeline like this.

I definitely recommend picking this book up if you’re in the mood for a lovely friends to lovers book!

This was a very cute and sweet book. This book gave all the feels. If you enjoy a found family story this book is for you. I really loved the development of the relationship between the two leads. I normally hate reading about pregnancy, but this one was definitely worth it in the end. Overall a feel good story.

Ready or Not is one of those books that truly warms the heart and soul. I loved that Cara Bastone wrote this during both of her pregnancies, really giving our heroine Eve Hatch carte blanche concerning her own journey to becoming a first-time mom. The book almost felt like a coming-of-age kind of story as Eve goes through the stages of becoming a parent and figuring out not only her new responsibilities that will happen with this new baby but also her feelings for one of her best friends, Shep.

Bastone carefully weaves the love Eve and Shep have for one another, Shep's being one that has spanned a lifetime, with the intricacies of having Ethan Rise, the baby's father involved as well. Eve is also at a crossroads with her career in conservation, with all of her emotions set on high due to her condition, oftentimes muddying her thoughts as to what would work well for not only her going forward but her little one.

Eve is one lucky woman. Despite her parents having her very late in life, she has the support of her much older siblings and I loved how they came together when it mattered to make sure Eve knew she would always have them no matter the miles between them. Her bestie Willa was a godsend even when the hurt that she couldn't conceive kept her at arm's length a time or two. But it's Shep. Always much more than just Willa's brother, his love of Eve was all kinds of beautiful. All the little things he did out of pure affection, knowing without Eve having to ask, made me swoon over and over again. He took everything in stride, one of the most selfless men I've ever had the honor to read about. His acceptance of Ethan only proved just how comfortable he was in his own skin, knowing full well that no matter what might happen, Eve was his and his only.

The book is lengthy and it took me a few days to finish but it kept me engaged with Bastone's prose was easygoing and well-crafted. It's one of those stories that although felt a bit too long at times, every detail was necessary. It felt real and full of life making me tear up, chuckle and smile often.

I would happily read more from this author and hope I get the chance to do just that going forward. Her characters are endearing and her storytelling is enjoyable.

4 big stars!

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!
Ok…OMG…If I could give this 10 stars I would! Eve is absolutely hilarious! The sarcasm in this book was top notch! It honestly felt like the dialogue was real(if that makes sense). So many times I’ll be reading a book, and i think to myself…no one actually talks like that. But not this book! It was so relatable, so funny, so sweet. I loved it! I desperately hope there will be a second book because I think the supporting characters deserve/ need it. 10000% recommend this book!

Eve has found out that she got pregnant after a lovely one night stand even though they used protection. Her best friend was going to go with her to tell Ethan about the pregnancy, but ended up dealing with her own problems, so she sent her brother Shep to provide support. Shep has recently moved in with his sister following the breakup of his long term relationship with his girlfriend. They have known each other since they were little kids and Eve is happy to have Shep around during this challenging time. The author being pregnant while writing this book really adds to the authenticity of the details. I was really drawn in to the story and did not want to put it down.

Unplanned pregnancy books are always interesting to me. I really appreciated how this author approached all of the thoughts and feelings and situations that come up with this topic (especially after a one night stand!). I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book.

Shep’s the perfect book boyfriend in this friends-to-lovers, best friend’s older brother romance with an accidental pregnancy set in New York City.

Eve floats through life, never really knowing what she wants. When she accidentally gets pregnant after a one-night-stand with Ethan, she struggles with acknowledging that her life is going to profoundly change once she has a child. When she tells her best friend Willa the news, her response is angry instead of congratulatory, since Willa and her husband has been trying to get pregnant while Eve never even talked about wanting children. Shep is the only one who’s happy for her and is there for her every step of the way.

Eventually, Willa accuses Eve, in the gentlest of ways, of never knowing what she wants, whether it’s having a baby, starting a romantic relationship with Shep, or even getting promoted at work where her dream has always been to be a policy analyst in wildlife conservation (if she’s willing to get her Masters to earn the promotion). As her pregnancy advances and her crush on Shep grows, she has to do a lot of soul-searching and growing up.

This is a charming, sexy romance with really likable characters. The chemistry between Eve and Shep is hot, as evidenced by how even a seemingly innocent hand massage is titillating. The lifelong friendship between Eve and Willa is tested, but their bond is so strong that it withstands Willa’s distancing herself and the natural displacement of being number one in each other’s lives when they each find their life partners. I really appreciated how Ethan wants to be involved in his baby’s life and that Eve helps him clear a path to make that happen. Shep is loving, kind, supportive and so tuned into her needs, instinctively knowing that he must play nice with Ethan because anything less will hurt Eve and the baby. If you’re looking for a feel-good, low angst, somewhat steamy, slow burn romance, here it is. Recommended.

Really liked this, and I don’t typically like any pregnancy related romance. There was one coffee date with her nurse that I thought was a little forced, and the MMC was a little too perfect. I also wish we could have had more time with the best friend. But it’s very sweet.

Thank you to NetGally for the chance to read this book. Ready or Not is a contemporary romance story. Eve becomes pregnant from a night of fun with a bartender. The story examines her life growing up and through the journey of pregnancy.

Eve grew up with her best friend Willow and her older brother, Shep. These friends grew together through loss-off a parent, pregnancy, and the good and bad of life. Eve wasn’t quite ready to become a mother. Her friends were there throughout her pregnancy.

Eve decided to have the father involved with her birth and raising of the baby. The story looks at how they all blended together to become a supportive family for Eve and the new baby. Also, Eve and Shep navigating how to have a relationship together.

This has the cutest, hopeful, funny, upbeat writing I have ever read. Slightly emotional at times given the topic of pregnancy and loss and everything that comes with being single and unexpectedly pregnant. The friends to lovers trope here was perfection, the gradual realization of her feelings towards Shep and her realizing he loves her. The love declaration was explosive.

Wow, this was such a lovely and heartwarming book! I knew what the premise was going into it, and I was curious about how Cara Bastone would pull it off, and she did it so beautifully.

This is a story about what it means to be there for others, but also be there for yourself. The relationships were complicated, and there was often uncertainty, selfishness, and immaturity on display. But there was also deep love on a friendship level and on a romantic level, and the characters were able to come together to make sure the new person on the scene (the baby!) was loved and cared for.

In real life do I think that things would turn out so perfectly? Likely not. But this was an aspirational look at what could be if we were only selfless enough to put others before ourselves.

I gave this 4 stars for the story, the snappy writing, the character development, and most of all for the CYFO (cry your face off) weeps I had at the end. As a mother reading this, I was just so touched.

Bravo! I love it!

After an unplanned pregnancy, the brother of Eve's best friend begins showing up in unexpected ways. Ready or Not is a story about new beginnings in life, love, and family. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ready or Not was a pleasant surprise! Unplanned pregnancy plot lines can either completely miss the mark or be too heavy that you feel a pit in your stomach when you're finished reading. This was neither and I loved it! I felt the characters' chemistry through the pages and actually laughed out loud at Eve's musings about pregnancy and Shep.

The slow burn was a little too slow at points but I appreciated that Cara Bastone built a foundation for Shep and Eve beyond what happened before we entered their lives. The reader was able to appreciate Shep more in the end.

Overall, I thought it was a cute, feel good book!

I read this book in the span of two days which is shockingly fast for me these days when I read with my eyes. I simply could not put it down. If you are reading this review, you will undoubtedly be rather shocked when you get to the end of this review and see that I’ve given this book a letter grade of C-. Yes, that minus is important because this book is verging on a borderline D. You might ask yourself then, how is it possible that I couldn’t put this book down and yet, gave it such a low grade. Well, the short story is, I couldn’t put it down because I was invested in reading about these characters that I really didn’t like for the most part and whether they would finally pull their heads out of their asses. But if you’d like the longer answer, then please accept my preemptive apologies and bear with me while I endeavor to explain in this very lengthy and probably convoluted review.

First things first: the official description for this book reads as follows:

“A surprise pregnancy leads to even more life-changing revelations in this heartfelt, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance of found family and unexpected love.”

That is the first line of the description and yes, I double-checked both Goodreads AND Netgalley.

Now, this might be a good place to give a brief description of how I think a romance novel should be defined. I know romance readers harp on the fact that a romance novel absolutely needs a HEA and while I agree with that assertion, I also think the journey to that HEA is equally as important. The development of a romantic relationship needs to be at the heart of a romance novel, the central focus around which other plot points revolve. The romance should never be a secondary plot to a bigger issue. Now, a romance novel could be a slow burn or a steady simmer or even a boiling inferno about to sizzle over and make a giant mess. But it should be the focal point of the book. This book could be described in many ways but a romance novel, slow burning or not, is not one of them. This book, at its core, is a love letter to pregnancy and to impending single-motherhood and it happens to contain a romantic subplot that feels almost like an afterthought.

Usually in a romance, the main characters falling in love are clear. Here, for a big chunk of the book, I was unclear who the hero was meant to be. Was it going to be Ethan, the bar owner who has a one-night stand with Eve, our protagonist? Or is it clumsy, dependable Shep, the best-friend’s older brother who is always there and ready to lend his support and strong shoulders? (I don’t care if this is a spoiler because much of this review is going to focus on the ways this book got many things wrong but the hero is Shep and boy oh boy did he deserve better than this book).

Let’s start with our protagonist, Eve, a single white woman living in Brooklyn in her dream apartment that she has decorated exactly as she wants. She is, by all accounts, an administrative assistant for a wildlife conservation organization. She dreams of being a policy analyst but is limited by only having an undergrad degree and considers herself a “conservation fangirl”, lives an admittedly happy and carefree existence, hanging out with her married best friend Willa while curating her apartment with fresh flowers and bowls of fresh fruit that she gives away so they don’t go bad. (She is vegan, could she not just…eat the fruit?)

A one-night stand with a hunky bartender named Ethan leads to his sperm meeting her egg, despite the use of a condom and before we know it, there is Eve, legs up in stirrups, making uncomfortable jokes while getting confirmation of what she already knows full well, that she is indeed pregnant. Her response is to be expected but then comes the people in her life, mainly her best friend Willa, who is married and is trying (and failing) to become pregnant. It is an awkward conversation when Eve reveals her pregnancy to Willa and while I can sympathize with Willa’s inability to immediately be thrilled or excited for Eve and even Eve’s hurt reaction to it, it’s a follow up conversation about whether Eve is planning to keep the baby that leaves a decidedly bad taste in my mouth.

I’m not going to sugarcoat this: we live in a time where rights to reproductive healthcare are being systematically dismantled all over this country. Forced births are driving people into economic hardships. This book seems to ignore all of the issues we currently face as a society, choosing instead to paint an idealized and dreamlike version of pregnancy and single-motherhood. The initial conversation that even involves the word “abortion” comes off incredibly judgmental and alludes to Eve thinking it might feel like a curse word. A curse word! At a time when pregnant people are literally DYING because they can’t get the health care they need.

This entire book reads like a privileged white woman taking on single-motherhood, with a woman who inexplicably lives in a very nice apartment on an assistant’s salary, about to bring a whole other human into this world. There are only the most cursory discussions about the financial burdens of such an undertaking with best friend Willa doing much of the grunt work.

And then there is Ethan. Ethan, who, upon learning about the fact that Eve is pregnant with his baby, divulges that he has a girlfriend (even though they were not together when he and Eve hooked up). Ethan who vacillates between wanting to be a present participant in this pregnancy and the child rearing to follow, and also wanting to appease his less than pleased girlfriend, Eleni. For the bulk of the pregnancy, Ethan feels torn and then he suddenly ghosts Eve, only to return towards the end of her pregnancy when an ultimatum from Eleni finally makes him realize that, despite him defending her to Eve as a good person, she very much is not that. I generally hate the evil ex-girlfriend trope anyway and there’s really no reason to make Eleni a villain in this story about whether Ethan will show up as a father or not. All too often, we as a society make excuses for men, give them credit for doing the bare minimum, and are all too happy to lay blame for their shortcomings elsewhere instead of where it rightfully belongs. Ethan is conflicted, sure, but he is also a massive asshole who does not deserve the grace and compassion extended to him by both Eve and Shep. (Or, at the very least, make him earn back the trust he lost – if he’s planning to co-parent a whole baby, perhaps it’s imperative that Eve feels secure enough to rely on him and him ghosting her for several months when she is gestating his baby is not a good indicator of reliability).

It’s at this point that I would talk about Shep but this review is already very long. Needless to say, Shep was the best thing about this book and for a book purporting to be a romance novel, he gets massively shortchanged as the “hero”. I put “hero” in quotes not because he is not heroic but because the evolution of his relationship with Eve from friendship to romantic partner is given such little time and attention, it doesn’t feel like a slow burn but more like a crock pot dinner you forgot to actually plug in.

I could write a lot more about this book and the many reasons it did not work for me, in a general sense and also specifically as a book marketed as a romance novel. It’s hard for me to read a book that is glorifying pregnancy and single-motherhood without taking into real account the difficulties posed by both, especially in our current political climate. Anyway – main takeaway, this book is very definitely not a romance and the overall message is problematic.

A really sweet story. I loved the FMC she had great growth and development. I thought the story line was pretty real life and told in a way that is both messy and sweet. I also loved how the timeline was set in trimesters so you got the whole story but were never bored.