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!

was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book!

I think this is the first unexpected pregnancy trope I’ve read and I thought I was going to hate that aspect but it was done so well.

Shep is the epitome of a golden retriever boyfriend and I loved him so much! Cara Bastone did such a great job at giving all of the characters in this story really great development throughout.

Overall, this was such a cute and feel good read that gave me the exact feelings I look for in a good romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC!

I enjoyed reading Eve’s story. She starts as a surface level happy person but after a one night stand leaves her pregnant, she has to reevaluate things as she goes throughout this pregnancy journey. She does this with interactions between the baby daddy, Ethan, and her. Then there’s her relationship with her lifelong best friend, Willa, & Willa’s older brother, Shep. There’s also a bit with her much older brothers (her parents have passed away). I like how the story is split into each trimester and what she learns as the pregnancy progresses. Highly recommend this one to see what she decides she wants and needs out of life.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely.

holy shit. i THOROUGHLY enjoyed this. like, i was hootin and hollerin, CRIED A FEW TIMES, and had overall grand ol’ fun reading this.

i thought the pregnancy bit was gonna be scarier but i actually liked what it added to the story and there was low key a love triangle…but like a solid, realistic one…and that’s all i’ll say on that! 🫣 now go read this asap rocky!!!

Cara Bastone does it again! I always enjoy her wholesome, and well written plot lines, this was no different!

Read if you love:
-Slow Burns
-Unexpected Pregnancies
-Real Life realities
-Best Friend's Brother
-Friends to Lovers

Eve was such a relatable FMC! She is a midwestern girl who is chasing big dreams in New York with her best friend. She is the type of friend you want to have in your life. Unfortunately things aren't going to plan... and she's a bit of a mess. Low and behold.... she's also pregnant! And unfortunately... the baby daddy isn't it. But.... surprisingly someone else is!

Shep is her best friend's brother. He's a reliable golden retriever type who steps up when least expected in Eve's life. I love their dynamic and the slow build of their relationship. It was so heart warming and had me REELING.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one! If you are looking for heartfelt romance with minimal spice - this one is for you!

5⭐️

I loved this book so much! Ready or Not follows Eve, a woman living in New York City whose life is turned upside down when she finds out she is pregnant following a one night stand with a stranger. During this difficult time, it is her best friend’s older brother, Shep, who ends up becoming her biggest support. She always saw Shep as a good friend, but she soon starts to see him in a new light. This book was so sweet and heartwarming. While reading this book, I laughed, I cried, and I smiled uncontrollably. I would highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to read more from Cara Bastone.

Read this book if you like:
▫️Accidental Pregnancy
▫️Best friend’s brother
▫️Friend-to-lovers
▫️Golden retriever MMC
▫️Slow burn

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, was this not the cutest, sweetest book I've read in a while. I absolutely loved this book so much. When Eve finds out she's pregnant by her one night stand, her life is thrown in a completely new direction (as it would for anyone) but I loved the whole journey that Eve goes through in this book. It's the baby daddy that she turns to get her through all these big life changes. It's not even her best friend, or her best friend's brother. It's all her and I loved seeing how much she grew over the course of the entire book.

But of course, the bonus on top of Eve's growth was all the relationships in this book. Willa and her complicated feelings around fertility. At first, I was feeling a bit questioning her friendship with Eve, but as I learned more and more about all these characters, I felt for her so much more. It became so very clear how much Willa loved Eve and wanted to be there for her, but also in a way that wouldn’t hurt her at the same time. I loved seeing the evolution of their friendship. Ethan and his complicated feelings about the pregnancy. It was very interesting and refreshing seeing Eve and Ethan work through how to be co parents together. They had something for one night and I liked that they could acknowledge that but not fall in love with each other at the end of the book. And then Shep. Sweet, sweet Shep, who was always there in the exact right way that Eve needed. I loved his character so much. He was so excited and ready to meet Eve at whatever feeling she was feeling and supported her the best way he could. Their banter was so cute and funny and I was giggling whenever the two of them were on page together.

This book was just so fun and so easy to read, but also equally emotional and had me teary eyed at certain points. Definitely a new favorite for the year!

this was so, so cute. it is definitely more women’s fiction than it is romance, but I absolutely loved the story.

shep was everything!!! how he cared for eve and processed what I’m sure was somewhat devastating news from his starting point in this story made me so emo (in a good way). he was light, he was love, he was every beautiful bit of this story.

my main complaint is really just how open-ended this book finishes. this book really needed an epilogue, especially considering the dynamic that ethan, shep, and eve took on during her labor. how that progresses feels really important to me and this story, so I feel like I missed out.

I also feel like eve was way too forgiving of willa at the start, and I would have also preferred her to be more firm with ethan. a lot just felt like it was floating in the unknown, and it didn’t fully feel settled by the end.

Reading this was a good time. I think it does a great job showing realistic thoughts during pregnancy and it was great. It did the typical 'everything is wrapped up in a pretty bow.' I can definitely see a large crowd loving this, but I also know that a good portion of romance readers don't typically veer towards pregnancy romance.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars

Thank you Cara Bastone, Random House Publishing Group, and Netgalley for the e-arc. These opinions are my own, and left voluntarily.

Cara Bastone is an auto-buy author for me. I genuinely enjoy everything she puts out - her novels are easy reads, fast paced, and just so cute.

Unpopular opinion, but I LOVE accidental pregnancy tropes. So I was pleasantly surprised when I opened this book to see that it starts off right away with that (I went in blind).

I enjoyed pretty much everything about this book, except for like 2 things - which i cannot elaborate on because they are spoilers lol.

You would enjoy this book if you like:
-accidental pregnancy
-slight love triangle
-slow burn
-best friends brother
-one night stand
-found family

I think I've found my new favorite author! I loved everything about this book. Everything. I was so vested in Eve's pregnancy and all of the characters. And I fell madly in love with one of the love interests, so much so that I was tempted to read the last page to make sure they ended up together because there was a little love triangle situation. It was funny and sweet with SO MUCH PINING. This was definitely a slow burn but it was worth the wait. Well worth the wait.

I have listened to this author’s audible originals, so I was excited to see a whole by her on Netgalley!

This wouldn’t be the usual type of romance I pick up since it deals with pregnancy. It’s not a topic I steer clear of by any means, but usually when its in a book its a surprise pregnancy that pops up out of nowhere by the end. The reader understands what they are getting into in this one because it starts at the beginning. I thought it was a well done topic and shows what women can go through when they are on their own, but Eve had a great found family who helped her along the way.

I wasn’t sure where the romance would go because it kind of felt like a love triangle could have been brewing. I did figure out which one she would pick from the beginning though. The love interest was alright, but for me he was too perfect. I can’t stand when a character does everything right. It was a slow-burn at least, but they were also friends previously and so there wasn’t much development really. It was kind of a mixed bag.

There is a lot of time jumps to get through the pregnancy, sometimes they made sense and sometimes they didn’t. I was really interested from the beginning, but by the middle I was kind over the book in a way. It felt too long and even though there were a lot of plot lines, some got more page time than others. It felt like some just didn’t need to be included.

Overall, this was good but it also just felt a bit too long.