I really wanted to love this because I read a few other books by this author and really enjoyed them. But this was not for me. It is labeled as a romance but it reads more women’s fiction. I was expecting more swoony moments but the romance was lacking for me.

A sweet.story centered around an unplanned pregnancy. The characters quickly draw you in and you find yourself completely invested. Well-plotted.and descriptive.

he slowwwwwwww burn in this #contemporaryromance is so good it hurts 🔥💖

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone is the surprise pregnancy trope book that you need to read. This typically isn’t my favorite, but I absolutely ADORED everything about it.

Ready or Not is a well written and heartwarming book about friendship, relationships, grief, change, and acceptance. Makes me excited to read more of Cara’s books!

I loved how genuine Eve’s character is. Bless her, but she is a hot mess express lol. Her relationship with her friends, baby daddy, and birthing support system evolves so perfectly as the story unfolds. And the chemistry between her and Shep is friggin dynamite.

This is very unlike other romance books that I have read, and that might be my favorite part. A five out of five star rating for me ⭐️📚. Ready or Not comes out on February 13, add a reminder to your calendar!

Thank you @netgalley, @randomhouse and Cara for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a different romance trope for me—unexpected pregnancy—and I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I didn’t even know that was a trope lol. This is also a friends-to-lovers and I like those.

I approached the first chapter with caution and skepticism. By chapter two, I was hooked. This is well written and I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed reading about Eve going through the struggle of figuring out what she wants in life and then (finally towards the end) doing something about it. I appreciated the life lessons from different characters, the nurse was my favorite. This book is a reminder that the little things you do in life can be the big things in someone else's.

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

This cover is gorgeous. This story was cute and interesting. I wasn't quite sure what would happen with this love triangle (if you call it that). I think there was a good amount of romance element in it, but it leans more on character growth/women's fiction. The journey of the characters life and pregnancy was the main theme of the story. It brought back memories of being pregnant myself. My complaint is typical of books on the longer side, some trimming down would have kept me interested longer. It started to fizzle out just because the length didn't really match the story. Overall it was still cute and one I would recommend to those that enjoy feel good books.

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone opens to Eve Hatch at her doctor’s office having her fears confirmed; she’s pregnant after a one night stand. And the rollercoaster begins.

This was such a delightful read. We follow Eve on her journey through her pregnancy as she navigates difficult relationships with a best friend who has had trouble conceiving, and a one night stand who is about to become a father.

In addition to that, she is realizing she has unexpected feelings for her best friend’s brother, Shep. Their slow burn romance almost drove me crazy, it was so obvious that they belonged together.

The book is broken up into three parts, one for each trimester of her pregnancy, and we see her struggles both internally with the unexpected pregnancy, as well as with the people in her life.

I was a little emotional over the ending, It was just such a nice story, I’ll definitely be recommending it as a feel good read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone is a story surrounding Eve, a woman content with what her life has become, who had a rare one-night stand and found herself expecting, unexpectedly. This pregnancy shakes up everything Eve knew to be and she isn’t quite sure how to navigate the path going forward. Her BFF Willa, who also lives in the city, seems distant and her brother, Shep, who she’s always looked at as her best friends brother, has become more present in her life, looking in on her with this new development.

I love how this author writes. It always feel relatable and her characters become people I want to learn more about and cheer on from the sidelines. Thank you for another fantastic story!

This book charmed me endlessly. 🥹😭

I think what Cara Bastone did in Ready or Not was exceedingly difficult to get just right and she nailed it. I will probably reread this again sooner rather than later, and will buy it in multiple formats once it’s released. I already know this will be one of my favorite reads of 2024. (Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.)

Lin-Manuel Miranda said it best when he said, "A cover is not the book". However I absolutely picked this book up due to how beautiful the cover's colors were and I was not disappointed in that decision.

Cara Bastone's contemporary romance novels are filled with warm and fuzzy feelings and a little heat. Ready or Not is an enjoyable book with the classic friends to lovers trope. Eve finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after a one night stand and must rely on her friends for support while finding some inner strength as well. Ready or Not has some laugh out loud lines and Bastone fully illustrates the humor and pain of pregnancy. Eve's inner dialogue during her OB/GYN appointments are some of the best moments in the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press Publishing for allowing me the chance to read Ready or Not.

Everyone needs to add this to their TBR! Absolutely my favorite romance I’ve read in a while. I loved all the characters so much, and inhaled this book in a day.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of Ready or Not.

The best books for me are the ones where I’m only a chapter in and I get that gut feeling that what I am reading is going to be special.

Bastone’s novel touches on many of life’s biggest milestones: finding love, coping with grief, surviving infertility and the many uncertainties that come with a first time pregnancy.

As someone who has lived through all of these life events, I saw myself in each of these characters and felt instant kinship to them. Eve’s journey through pregnancy and how it shakes up hers and her friends’ lives was written in a way that was empathetic, hilarious, and genuinely fun to read! I loved this book and laughed so hard. Would highly recommend!

I fully admit pregnancy stories aren’t something I usually pick up, but Dial Press has been putting out such interesting and unique stories I had to read this one. It is so well done and has such great commentary on friendships, family, romance, and motherhood. I actually think it’s a bit more contemporary fiction than romance and it is a bit of a genre blend. I think I would have liked a bit more on the ending (maybe an epilogue?) because it felt rushed, but overall I enjoyed it!

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely LOVED this book!! I am such a sucker for sweet romances, especially when it first starts out as childhood best friends to then realizing they are each others’ soul mates once they’re adults.

I loved every single character - they each had likable & relatable personalities and each served a purpose in the storyline. When Eve gets pregnant, her new life begins and it is such a beautifully written book where I felt right there with her - feeling every emotion, symptom, and pain.

I fell in love with both Ethan and Shep and the ending had me in tears. Highly highly recommend to fans of mushy, gushy romance. 💛

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Eve found herself expecting following a one night stand, and it resulted in a most eye-opening and life changing experience.

I read this book from the perspective of a single mom. I was 21 when I found myself in a similar situation, and I can attest to sharing so many of the feelings Eve experienced. I thought Bastone did a beautiful job conveying and helping me understand Eve's emotional journey. Pregnancy can be scary, amazing, overwhelming, and a million other things, and I felt all of that along with Eve.

This was a story about a life-changing experience, but it was told with so much humor. Eve and her gang were a fun and funny group. I loved spending time with them, and I especially liked how strong their bond was. Though this situation was difficult for Eve's best friend, Willa, who was dealing with fertility issues, Willa was still a pillar of support for Eve. But the most wonderful source of endless kindness and assistance was Shep.

As the best friend's brother, Shep had been part of Eve's life in some capacity for a long time, but she was blind to what an incredible man he was. As I previously mentioned, Eve's pregnancy was eye-opening, and one of the things she began to see was Shep. He was such a beautifully formed cinnamon roll. So thoughtful and sweet, and you had to be oblivious to not see how much he loved and adored Eve.

Bastone put a lot of time and effort into all the relationships in this book. It was interesting to see how each character reacted to Eve's pregnancy, even the way her much older brothers reacted. Their feelings and emotions were a mixed bag, but none more than baby-daddy Ethan. I personally had a very complicated relationship with him. I think that one hit too close to home, but Bastone did provide reasons and allowed his arc to play out in a satisfying way.

The one thing I am struggling with is calling this a romance. The story just seemed to focus so much on Eve, her pregnancy, the way her life was affected, and the things she discovered about herself that it didn't feel like a romance to me. Shep was very present in the story, and Eve's evolving emotions related to him were explored, but I still feel the romance was more of a side plot. To be clear, that by no means diminished my adoration for this book, but I think it's important to set expectations properly.

Overall, I found this to be a touching tale that was filled with humor, snappy banter, heart, emotion, and warmth. I related on quite some level with Eve's personal journey, and therefore, felt so much. It was a pleasure to see Eve grow, evolve, find love and fulfillment, and become a mother.

Eve Hatch meets a guy named Ethan Rise in a bar has a one night stand and gets pregnant. As she tells everyone including her best friend who is married and has been dealing with fertility issues. Her best friend Willa is upset but her brother Shep is so excited for Willa. Eve then tells Ethan the one night stand and he's shocked and tells Eve he has a girlfriend.

Eve decides she's going to keep the baby. Then deals with the pregnancy. Shep is so sweet and is just the best. I ❤️ Shep.

This was a cute heartwarming book. I really enjoyed it. I laughed and cried so many happy tears. Such a fantastic book.

Upon initial cover review, I thought to myself: Juno??? Josh and Gemma Make a Baby? Josie Hale?

Then I thought to myself: What is up with the "J" alliteration and pregnancy stories?

After I spent (too much) time tossing this over in my head, I took the leap and really got into this one! From the friendships to the family dynamics, family drama and ultimately BABY drama ... this book accomplished so much without even feeling like the Jerry Springer show that I had anticipated.

This is a sweet and touching book with strong characters, both in development and in personality. The storyline is JUSt unique enough to keep it fresh but the dynamics between the characters pulled at my heart strings and that is what I loved the most.

I absolutely loved joining her on her journey of an unexpected pregnancy. From the first trimester, it was realistic, relatable. The process and feelings really get you. The love for her best friends brother melted my heart, it took time. It was slow and sweet but just right.

I absolutely loved this little book! My first 5 star read of the year (finally!). When Eve is surprised to find out she's pregnant after a one night stand, her life starts to unravel. Every relationship in her life starts to open her eyes, even the one with her best friend Willa's brother, Shep. Eve starts to realize that maybe the relationship between her and him hasn't always been just friendship. Especially when he starts stepping up to the plate when her one-night stand baby daddy is all sorts of complicated hasn't. Eve's character is quirky, and fun loving, and I found myself laughing throughout. The chemistry between her and Shep was top tier, and this book was so executed so well. It was heartfelt and so much fun. Amazing character development throughout many of the characters too. You won't be disappointed!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Cara Bastone so far, so I was very nervous when I saw a lot of people I follow giving her latest, Ready or Not, negative reviews. With criticisms ranging from “this isn’t a capital-R romance” to issues with the pregnancy plotline, I was very uneasy. But while I can see where some of the critiques, especially of the latter are coming from, I actually really liked this book, and feel like given the regressive history of the genre towards pregnancy (if I ever read another contemporary romance that has a “convenient” third-act pregnancy that can’t be CWed again, I will literally blow a gasket), I say some progress is better than none.
A big part of Eve’s arc is that she’s never given parenthood much of a thought, and whether this is something that poses an issue for you will depend on your perspective. But given she never outright said she never wanted kids, it didn’t bother me. And I do think the exploration into her own family dynamics, with her being a “surprise” baby to much-older parents does help to color her perspective. While I’m an oldest, wanted child, both my mom and my much-younger siblings were the result of similar situations as “surprise” babies, so it was fun to read about a character like that, and how that dynamic impacted them. And it was genuinely sweet to see how Eve evolved through the duration of the pregnancy itself.
And while I wanted a little bit more nuance as far as reproductive choice goes, as well as an acknowledgment of Eve’s privileged position, I did appreciate that there was at least some of that as her relationship with her best friend, Willa, hit some challenges in their relationship. Willa is known to have been trying to have children with her husband, and the later revelation of how difficult her journey has been hit hard.
And while I also did have some issues with how things went initially with Eve’s child’s father, especially in terms of his new girlfriend, I also did like how the story highlighted the awkwardness of having a child with someone when you’re not in a relationship, and I liked how they did work things out in the end so they could both be in the child’s life.
And while Shep doesn’t have the biggest presence on the page as far as romantic leads go, with this book being very focused on Eve’s personal journey, I did like what we got of him. I’m a sucker for friends-to-lovers, and I find this newer approach to romance of having the romantic arc feel less pronounced mainly works if the characters have history together. I can see why it wouldn’t work if the romantic arc is what you read for, but given Shep doesn’t have an arc of his own, I feel like the book handled it the best it could, given the circumstances.
While I enjoyed this book, and many others seemingly did, I do admit that my jaded nature toward the worst offenders when it comes to the surprise pregnancy trope has led me to be rather lenient. If this is a trope that you’re picky about, I do encourage you to seek out other, more critical reviews as well, for more context. But if this is a trope you enjoy, and you’re okay with the protagonist’s personal journey sometimes overwhelming the romance, I recommend checking this out.

Unexpectedly delightful! "Ready or Not" pleasantly surprised me, considering my aversion to pregnancy tropes. Eve's journey was touching, Shep was adorably endearing, and Willa felt refreshingly authentic. Ethan's tears might've been excessive, but overall, I'm thrilled I gave this a chance. Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.. While I might not have chosen it independently, I wholeheartedly recommend it now!