I have to admit, I love an unplanned pregnancy trope. We like what we like! Ready or Not by Cara Bastone does the surprise pregnancy to perfection. I loved the slow burn romance between Shep and Eve. It was beautiful to see him support her in her path to motherhood, and her grow to accept herself. Ready or Not was a really sweet and surprisingly funny friends to lovers/brothers best friend romance, that I absolutely recommend to everybody!

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review .

Oh how I loved this book!!! I’m not going to lie, I was super hesitant going in to the book, because the unplanned pregnancy trope is definitely not one of my favs. However, I’ve loved the authors previous book ( her audible novella series is so good ! ) that I knew I’d enjoy it. And I did… it made me me laugh and cry. The perfect combination. The slow burn romance between Shep & Eve literally warmed my heart, as did Eve’s journey into motherhood.

Definitely recommend treating yourself to this one if you enjoy a good …

- Slow burn
- Best friend’s brother
- Friends to lovers
and Unplanned pregnancy done right.

Thank you @carabastone , the tagged publishers and NetGalley for my advanced e-ARC! I loved it & can’t wait to see more book published by this author .

I am a sucker for a good pregnancy romance! I was so excited to read this one to step back into those pregnancy times and I'm so happy that this book delivered (pun intended).

I wasn't crazy about Eve as a main character at first. I am not a fan of indecisive people and Eve was so wishy-washy from chapter one. Now that I've finished the book, I can see that it was all a part of her journey into motherhood and becoming this new person. It makes sense now and I like her a little more now.

I loved that Cara Bastone included so many swoon worthy rom-com classic moments in this one. Guy leans up against a door frame in a sexy casual way? Check. New haircut that transforms our leading man into a whole new man? Check. First kiss up against a wall/tree with guy leaning on his arm over top of our FMC? Check and check! I am here for it and these moments can show up in every book if I had my way.

Now, that ending was a surprise. Not in a 'I did not expect THAT to happen' sort of way, but more of a I didn't expect to lose it the way I did. I think with most pregnancy books they will hit a little harder for moms or anyone who has gone through a pregnancy journey. I got so emotional at the delivery that I was a straight up blubbering mess. It brought back all those feelings of being a new mom and meeting the little bundle that you carried and grew for nine months. It was done in such a beautiful way that it really felt like the perfect conclusion to the story.

I gave this one 4.5/5 stars (rounded to 4 stars for goodreads)

Ready or Not by @carabastone is a sweet and funny novel about impending motherhood and love! 🥰🍼

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

This was such a sweet friends-to-lovers pregnancy romantic comedy!!! I am such a huge fan of the accidental pregnancy trope and Ready or Not was incredibly well-written.

I fell in love with both Eve and Shep from the first page! Her journey into motherhood was both very heartwarming and hilarious. His willingness from day 1 to support her and her baby (even though it is not his) made me swoon/cry multiple times!!!

The friendship between Willa and Eve was so genuine!!! Willa was also supportive and happy as well, even though she is currently struggling to have a baby of her own. This found family was honestly amazing and I adored how that dynamic was written.

Now, I wasn’t a huge fan of the baby daddy! He seemed super wishy-washy at the beginning. However, he did turn around near the last part of the book. The ending was kind of abrupt, which was a little disappointing since I wanted more from these characters!!!

All in all, Ready or Not is a tender and emotional read about the woes and joys of motherhood. Plus, how love needs a village to grow and thrive! 👶💕

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read/review this ARC! 🤩📚

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

First of all, can we take a moment of appreciation for the cover 😍

Luckily, the story lived up to its gorgeous cover as I loved it all. It's effortlessly funny with great characters, complicated relationships, and sweet moments. We follow Eve through her pregnancy including the hormonal ups and downs as she tries to figure out her path forward with the baby daddy and the feelings for her lifelong friend that are starting to bubble to the surface.

I loved her chemistry with Shep and all the small but significant ways he showed up for her. It's a heartwarming story with relatable characters and I highly recommend picking it up.

I saw so many glowing reviews of this book on instagram and let's just say it almost entirely lived up to the hype. The romance aspect is top notch. It's a lovely, wonderful ride watching Eve realize that her best friend's older brother has always been right there, being steadfast and charming and devoted. It's so obvious early on that he's head over heels, but even without the romance aspect, he's just the kind of golden retriever of a character that is so kind and funny and supportive of his friends that you want him to get everything he wants in life.

The unexpected pregnancy trope doesn't always work for me, but it was so well done here. The romance wasn't two disconnected people coming together because they're having a baby. This baby and pregnancy storyline was really more about Even realizing she's capable, that she's settled enough to be a parent, that she can do so much more than even she thinks she can and she needs to stop limiting herself. I thought that was really lovely.

My only real issue is the baby daddy. And that's not to say it wasn't well written! Maybe it was too well written and realistic, because this man's back and forth, does he want to be a dad, doesn't he, ghosting and then being around act drove me completely insane. I guess I can't say more without including spoilers, but his scenes were just difficult for me and I never truly came around on his character.

I absolutely loved this book. From the very first page it had me hooked, and I truly could not put it down. I absolutely loved Eve and her journey through pregnancy. Shep is the perfect cinnamon roll hero, and even Ethan acts as a wonderful foil.

As we watch Shep and Eve fall more in love, I was concerned that maybe we were being misled and Ethan was going to be the "endgame" for her, so I was glad with the way the story played out.

Shep is the definition of a cinnamon roll hero that needs to be protected at all costs. I think we all need a Shep in our lives.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A friends to supportive lovers novel built on the surprise pregnancy trope. Eve had a one night stand that led to a pregnancy that upends her life, including her relationship with her BFF Willa who is dealing with infertility and Willa's brother Shep. Eve's got a big voice and a funny one, especially when she's in the ob-gyn's office. She's an assistant at an NGO but manages to live astonishingly well in NYC. Shep's always been around but now he's the one who show up, not the bio-dad, to help her. You know what's gonna happen, don't you? Bastone does a nice job in creating characters you will root for. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I really loved this book and highly recommend it! It put me in the Valentine’s Day spirit. I loved the main character Eve, who gets pregnant and needs to traverse it all as a single woman.
Her experiences while pregnant were realistic. (It was not surprising to learn Bastone was pregnant while writing this book.) And I loved how Eve handled the non-ideal situation she was in. The author did a fantastic job of writing the thoughts going through Eve’s mind during her interactions with the supporting characters, which gives the reader a front row seat into her growth as a person. I wish I could be as understanding and generous as Eve is to the others in her life during the experience.
Many thanks to #Netgalley and #RandomHouse for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Dial for this arc! All thoughts are my own.

Catch me having an accidental pregnancy romance as one of my favorite books of the year so far. This felt like such a sleeper hit where I went in not expecting too much and left absolutely in love.

Ready or Not follows Eve, a single millennial living a content life in Brooklyn. She likes her simple life: her job is decent, her best friend lives nearby, and she enjoys a hookup now and then. But this book opens up with her finding out she is now pregnant. What follows is her nine month journey into motherhood but also learning a lot about the people in her life and herself.

I just have a lot of feelings about this book and you can tell that Cara Bastone put her whole heart, soul and mind into this story. Shepard is such a dreamy male love interest and there’s so many scenes with his love language of acts of service where you fall further and further into love with him. Like, this cover is a direct reference to one of my favorite scenes in this book??? The bike with the baby seat?? I’m still crying.

What I also loved about this book is the character growth we see Eve go through as she prepares to be a mother. She learns to stand up for herself and go after what she wants and I think this change in her really speaks to the overall theme of the book: making active decisions in your life rather than life just happening to you. Eve made decisions because she came to realize that they would not only benefit her baby, but also herself.

I surprisingly really loved this. Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far and it really came out of nowhere. If you’re okay with pregnancy in books, I highly recommend picking this one up.

This book was sweet, tender and spicy in all the right places. I loved at its core was a wonderful female friendship. Shep Balders has it bad for Eve Hatch and she's the only one who can't see it. She gets pregnant from a one night stand and Shep is there every step of the way. Shep is her best friend's brother and has loved her since they were kids. She comes to realize she loves him. Really strong 'it's always been you' vibes.

I truly enjoyed this book .. it was definitely different from what I initially expected but in a good way .. my review is on tik tok. Thank yon for letting me read an arc of this book ❤️!

I got so swept up in this book, and I loved it very much. There is a different type of tone, and the main character breaks the "4th wall" so to speak and addresses the reader occasionally, so the writing felt a bit different from usual romance. I loved that the characters were very much adults - there are real life concerns, issues and difficulties that in general, are met with maturity. I'm not usually one who loves pregnancy as a trope, but this is done in a really interesting way, and while its obviously a fixture to the plot, it didn't grate on me reading it. The romance is obvious from the get go, but its sweet and pining and lovely. Thoroughly enjoyed! This was my first book I've read by the author and I would surely pick up another. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

This is one of the easiest 5 stars I've ever given!! This was such a sweet book. Light, fluffy, but simultaneously emotional! This made me laugh out loud so many times!
You will probably cry happy tears.
Eve is established, living in New York and working on her career when she finds herself pregnant from a one night stand with a local bartender. Eve navigates hilariously through her pregnancy with the baby's dad, Ethan and her best friends Willa and Shep (siblings).
Through her pregnancy, she finds out a lot about herself and what she wants out of life, including who she wants to spend it with. She is thrown for a loop when her childhood friend, Shep is constantly there for her without fault, and looks dang good while doing it. With a lot in question, Eve comes to the realization of what she wants out of this new life and for her new baby.
- accidental pregnancy
- childhood friends to lovers
- slow burn

I DNF’d this title at 27%!

I don’t think I’m the right reader for this book! There was a lot of pregnancy talk (specially nausea related) and way too many pregnancy puns. I found the dialogue between the main character and the love interest very cringey. I honestly couldn’t get through it without grimacing. Certain scenes felt like fillers more than anything and it just kinda bored me!

I think this story might have potential with the right audience for it, unfortunately that was not me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

🔖 Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
📅 Release Date: February 13 2024

“When you finally admit you want someone, the main perk is that you get to ask to have them.”

I'll start this off with a disclaimer that I don't often like books with the surprise/accidental pregnancy trope. But this book, THIS BOOK, was so incredibly well written. I think it really helped that you find out about the pregnancy on page 1.

What can I even say? I laughed, I cried more than once, and I fell in love with these characters.

Shep is the ultimate perfect cinnamon roll book boyfriend, NO DOUBT!! I think my ovaries may have melted every time he was on page. How is he so perfect??

I loved all the stages that Eve went through, not only with the pregnancy, but also realizing her feelings for Shep and taking a risk when it comes to love. She had the best character development!

I would sell my soul for an epilogue. Cara, please, I beg of you. I need more!!

“Do you do that a lot? Not tell people when you're hurting?”

Things I loved:

🏙️ Big city
🏙️ Best friend's brother
🏙️ Surprise pregnancy (except it's not a surprise to the reader)
🏙️ Friends to lovers
🏙️ Caretaking
🏙️ Slow burn
🏙️ Low drama
🏙️ Cozy and heartwarming
🏙️ He falls first

“Ethan dear, we forgot the baby in the restaurant.” 😂

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone was an emotional and simply beautiful story.
Wow, this was a fantastic story and just perfect for me. I just couldn't put it down. It's definitely a fantastic romance novel. It was so easygoing and so much fun. The characters were adorable, realistic, and so easy to love. It just made me feel so happy reading this book. I was frantically turning the pages to see how it would end, and I am sure you won't be disappointed. It was so heartwarming and lighthearted. I really can't recommend this book enough. Especially if you love rom com fast-paced novels that are so much fun.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House; Dial Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

4.5⭐️ Ladies & Gentlemen, THIS is how you write a surprise pregnancy romance novel. MIC. DROP. 🎤

After finding herself unexpectedly pregnant after an uncharacteristic one-night stand, Eve is trying to navigate her relationships with friends and family, work, and what she wants her future to look like when she never really imagined herself becoming a mother. Eve finds incredible support from her best friends’s older brother, Shep, while she struggles with Ethan, the baby’s father, on how and to what extent he will be involved moving in the pregnancy and the baby’s life.

Despite the heavy topic, this was truly a joy to read. While everyone experiences pregnancy in different ways, I thought this particular story was an honest and realistic depiction for a first time mom (coming from a mom of 3!). I found the plot to be incredibly charming and sweet and I loved seeing the growth in all the main characters throughout the story. But most of all, I was obsessed with Shep’s dedication to Eve. It gave me ALL THE FEELS and needless to say, I shed a lot of happy tears watching him learn how to openly demonstrate his love for her and her baby.

All in all, a beautiful and heartfelt story that would I would recommend to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance and women’s fiction.

And if you think you don’t like the surprise pregnancy trope, I encourage you to give this one a try, I certainly think it’s worth it!

Tropes & Themes:
→ surprise pregnancy
→ nyc setting
→ friends to lovers
→ slow burn
→ best friend’s brother
→ found family

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone was a good read. I enjoyed the characters and the situations. The story was well written and kept my attention.

Eve Hatch found herself pregnant after a one night stand. After denying it to herself, she finally broke down and went to the doctor, only to have the pregnancy confirmed. She went to share the information with her best friend, even though she was afraid it would cause her pain.

At least Eve wasn’t alone. She has her best friend WIlla, her brother Shep and Willa’s husband. As her pregnancy proceeds, she also connects with other people all helping her in various ways. Even Ethan (the one night stand) comes around eventually and wants to help as well. However the biggest helper and attraction for Eve was Shep. He has been a support for her for a long time and maybe there is something more there,

The book kept me entertained. I love how it was broken down into trimesters. I like how Eve handled it and figured out her way forward. I have to admit, I liked both Ethan and Shep, but Shep was my hands’ down favorite. Ready or Not by Cara Bastone was a good read.

Eve finds herself unexpectedly expecting after a one-night stand. Content with her life in New York with her job, apartment, and friends, Eve is now rethinking everything in her world.

I absolutely loved Ready or Not from start to finish! Unplanned pregnancy tropes typically lean in the wrong direction for me, but this story is heartwarming and complex. I loved watching Eve's relationship with Shep evolve. Everyone needs a Shep in their life.

I thought I knew the outcome of the story but was pleasantly surprised how everything ended up. Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Pick up Ready or Not when it hits shelves February 13, 2024!