I am one of the few readers who is a fan of the unexpected pregnancy trope, assuming it is written well. While this book does revolve around an unexpected pregnancy it is pretty different than the typical unexpected pregnancy romance.

Eva finds out she is pregnant and has to figure out how her life will change. I enjoyed watching her discover who she wanted to be and how her relationships needed to evolve. I appreciated that Eve, Willa, and Shep all dealt with the curve balls life threw them with maturity. It would have been easy for them to put their own feeling first but they all truly wanted to support each other.

I struggled a little bit to decide if this book should be categorized as a romance. There was definitely a romance that I really enjoyed but the larger plot was about Eve growing up and becoming a parent. I will say I don't think people uninterested in reading about the experience of pregnancy, including descriptions of giving birth, will enjoy this one. It isn't a small part of the plot.

Ready or Not is well written and a beautiful story about what makes a family. The characters were really well written and Step is the perfect cinnamon roll hero. Fans of a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance will adore this one!

🌶️🌶️🌶️- This is a very slow-burn book, but once we do get to the spice it is pretty descriptive and well written.

Eve Hatch's life is a mess. She works as a lowly admin at her dream conservation organization, her best friend is pulling away, and she winds up unexpectedly pregnant from a one-night stand. The only person who shows up for her is Shep, her best friend's goofy older brother.

I absolutely adored this story. I know not everyone enjoys an accidentally pregnant trope, but I do, especially when it's well done. And Cara Bastone did this trope justice! The pregnancy is a catalyst for changing what's stuck for Eve; her love life, her job, and her relationship with Willa, her best friend. The writing is quirky and engaging while pulling at universal truths; that change is frightening and demanding what you need even more so. Plus the romance is heart-tuggingly sweet. A friends-to-lovers, slow burn, he loved her THE ENTIRE TIME delight.

Words cannot describe how beautiful this story is, and I’m afraid that no amount of compliments will do this novel justice.

Eve is everything you could want in a main character: loyal, vulnerable, and has the most truly human inner monologue (that also made me laugh so hard I almost peed myself a few times). Along with Eve, we get some pretty amazing supporting characters who are written so well and are dynamic in their own right.

Bastone’s writing is absolutely stunning. The connection I had with these characters and their wide range of emotions, from grief to nerves to overwhelming love, was impeccably done. It’s so hard to believe that this rollercoaster was only 400 pages. So much was packed in, and yet nothing felt rushed or left out.

Ready or Not is the easiest 5-stars I’ve ever given, hands down. My only wish is that I could wipe it from my memory to read it again for the first time.

TW: grief, loss of parent, loss of pregnancy, infertility

This was a very good story. Eve has a one night stand with a bartender and gets pregnent. She is shocked but handles better than her BFF Willa. Willa had been trying to get pregnant for quite awhile and was upset that her friend was pregnant before her. It took awhile, but she finally got over it only to freak out at the birthing classes. Eve understood but felt sad anyway. Ethan (the bartender) had just gotten back with his girlfriend, who didn't want him to have anything to do with her. Willa's brother, Shep, was around all the time and they gradually admitted to having feelings for each other. Eve thought it was pregnancy hormones, but it really wasn't. The hospital scene while she was giving birth was great The two guys worked together to get her little bundle delivered.

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I love Bastone's writing, it just pulls the emotion right off the page. She does an amazing job of exactly that with this story and handles the difficult pregnancy trope with care. I adored this book.

This was SO GOOD! I usually hate the unexpected pregnancy trope but this one was so well done I couldn't help but love it. The characters were so funny and lovable. The plot was executed perfectly. The ending got me in my feels. I read this book in less than 24 hours, I was so hooked. When this book comes out, I am buying it ASAP!!!

To begin, thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for allowing me to read an ARC of Ready or Not by Cara Bastone.

Ready or Not is about Eve, who begins the book with one of the more significant plot twists of her life, she is pregnant from a great, but rare one-night stand. The book follows her on her pregnancy journey, and all the changes this little life pushes Eve to consider and work through, changes that include love, friendship, career, and the meaning of family.

I really, really loved this book. I mean simply put when we are looking at this from a romance angle, the love interest Shep....omg is this man wonderful. He is so full of love and life and joy. I just really loved him. I also really loved in the author's note how the author talked about how a lot of her male characters, Shep included, are inspired by her husband, and that felt so believable to me. I think sometimes really wonderful male romance leads are discussed as being unrelatable and viewed in almost a fantastical sense, and I love that the author took the time to clarify that and remind us that people who would love and treat their partner like Shep does are very real indeed (I am also married to one!). But Eve! I love love loved Eve. She felt messy and real in a way that I loved and as someone who has been through two pregnancies, it felt really relatable to me. Pregnancy is hard, both physically and mentally, and I loved watching her go through that process, especially as it was her first pregnancy, so a lot of what you watch her go through are the huge mental and life changes of being pregnant. It is so weird to wrap your head around the fact that your life is so much more complex, and so much bigger. While my first pregnancy didn't come with as much surprise as Eves did, I was still young and went through a lot of the mental and emotional shifts she did.

Simply put there was a lot to love about this book and I would definitely recommend it!

I could not get into this book. I tried. There were too many rambling thoughts interspersed with dialogue that seemed to have lost its way. Possibly the book gets better further in, but it lost me.

Such a cute and sweet read! Eve ends up pregnant from a one night stand and her whole world changes. Her best friend, Willa, has been struggling with infertility and the pregnancy takes a toll on their friendship. When Eve feels like she’s all alone in this, Willa’s brother, Shep, ends up being the one person who is genuinely happy for her and wants to do anything to help her. After being life long friends, Eve isn’t sure if it’s the hormones from being pregnant or if there might be something with Shep. Meanwhile, baby daddy, Ethan, could give Eve whiplash with his back and forth on if he wants to be involved with the baby and remain in her life, after they had such a connection the night of their one night stand. It’s a really well written book and I adored the characters! Ready or Not will be published February 13, 2024 so make sure you preorder, as it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day!! Thank you so much to The Dial Press (Random House) and NetGalley for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own!!

Thanks @netgalley @thedialpress and @carabastone for the chance to read an ARC of Ready or Not. It releases on February 13, 2024.

When Eve accidentally gets pregnant after a one-night stand, it upends all of the relationships in her life. Her best friend Willa struggles with being supportive while also dealing with her own fertility issues. Ethan, the baby's father, is in a...complicated...situation, which makes it difficult to figure out how involved he will be in her life. And Willa's older brother Shep keeps showing up when Eve needs him, becoming an unexpected support person. Is it the pregnancy hormones that are making her notice how his broad shoulders and fresh bread smell?

Cara writes with realness and humor about what it's like to be pregnant and making peace with the fact your life will never be the same. She has an incredible sense of humor. I love love LOVED her voice and can't wait to read her next books.

Steam: 🔥🔥 (very slow burn)
Tropes: Best friend's brother, accidental pregnancy

3.75 (rounded up)

This was a like not a love for me. I have no problem with the surprise pregnancy trope. That was well done! I think my issue is that the main character, Eve, seemed like a better fit with Ethan (the father of the baby). She didn’t seem to have much in common with Shep besides the fact that he loved her. I just didn’t totally fall for their relationship! It actually read more like women’s fiction to me, which is fine. Just not what I was expecting from what is billed as a “rom com.” It was well written, & there were some moments that I absolutely loved. I look forward to reading other books by this author!

Oh wow, where do I start?! I really enjoyed this more than I expected. When I tell you I stayed up until 2 am, crying my eyes out and giggling 🤭 I am not exaggerating.

The main character Eve has a wild turn of events in her life and following her journey was really endearing to follow. AND the slow burn romance in the background of it all, ahh!!!! The pay off is worth it.

All I will say is this is Shep stan account. No apologies. Read this book and you’ll agree. 😌

Overall, this is a solid read, and I think has a different spin than most pregnancy trope books out there. You’ll laugh, and you’ll definitely cry - seriously, make sure tissues are within reach. The only extra cherry on top could have been an epilogue. (translation: more please?)

Rating: 4/5
Spice: 🌶️

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. ♥️✨

Ready or Not is a new contemporary romance from Cara Bastone with found family, surprise pregnancy, slow burn, best friend’s brother, and finding love in unexpectedly. I have read and loved all of her books so I was so excited to get to this new release!

The story kicks off with Eve finding out she’s pregnant after a one-night stand hookup at a bar. To say she wasn’t expecting or ready for this life-plot twist is putting it mildly. Her own life is a mess and she discovers that others around her have expectations or issues with her newfound pregnancy, and she has to juggle their feelings as well as those of the baby’s father and her own too. We see her relationship with her childhood best friend Willa and Willa’s brother Shep, who is especially doting and sweet.

This was a very sweet, tender story about finding out you’re suddenly pregnant and the highs-and-lows of all of that. It definitely has a found family feel as well and Shep is just the sweetest soul who has been pining for decades. When he gets the bike?! Ahh, so sweet. I also liked seeing the ups-and-downs of Eve and the baby’s father and while it’s complicated, it did have a good outcome as well. Just a very “real” feeling book surrounding pregnancy and a sweet, slow burn, friends to lovers romance!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, all thoughts in this review are my own. Ready or Not is out February 13, 2024.

First off, the cover is beautiful!! This is so wholesome and everything my empathetic heart desires. Just a book FULL of love. Shep embodies the support of a partner that everyone dreams of. I loved this, it melted me into a puddle.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and The Dial Press for my DRC.

I really enjoyed this rom com! I thought the unplanned pregnancy trope was going to be a little annoying but it was really well done -this book was appropriately emotional & funny and really drew you into the characters. I was rooting for everyone!

A one night stand, an accidental pregnancy and an absolute gem of a novel.

When Eve Hatch finds out she’s pregnant from a one night stand, her reality quickly changes. As she announces her pregnancy to her childhood best friend, she doesn’t expect Willa to withdraw from their friendship. Luckily Willa’s older brother, Shep, seems to become more and more present and supportive of Eve and her pregnancy. The baby’s dad is riding quite the emotional train for most of the pregnancy while seemingly wanting to be a part of the process in one way or another.

Accidental pregnancy has never been a trope I’d seek out but I’m so glad I read this one. I found the story to be approached in the perfect manner with characters that don’t necessarily have it all together but somehow are the perfect balance of humour, introspection and endearment. I appreciated how the pregnancy brought Eve to find clarity on her goals, dreams, career and relationships. And to finish, Shep, he’s perfection.

✵𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖱𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗈𝗆 𝖧𝗈𝗎𝗌𝖾, 𝖢𝖺𝗋𝖺 𝖡𝖺𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗇𝖾 ＆ 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝖦𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋’𝗌 𝖢𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐.✵

I am sad. Went from assuming it'd be a 4 star read, to hesitantly choosing a 3 star after the last page, and then finalizing on a 2 star after a headache-inducing week. Gah. The lesson here is to never have expectations or think about books critically. A few notes:

***

What I love about Bastone's writing is that she portrays deep emotional nuance and interiority of characters so carefully. I said as much in my review for FLIRTING WITH FOREVER. Which makes what I'm about to say next so puzzling. Here is approximately a timeline of the first 10% of the book.

1) Eve (heroine) discovers her accidental pregnancy in doctor's office (she already knew from a test, but gets official confirmation). She knows who the father is (a one-night stand with a bartender. They used a condom, which isn't 100% effective).

2) Eve has an internal monologue about her backstory and past relationships. She has *never* even considered parenthood or having kids. Her best friend Willa (who is struggling to conceive) has wanted kids forever. Eve was never the type of person to name her imaginary kids. She's never been in a serious relationship long enough to contemplate the possibility of having children.

3) Eve nervously informs Willa about her pregnancy (who is taken back and understandably struggling with the news). Willa is like (paraphrasing), "What/when are you going to tell the biological father? And maybe you don't have to tell him?" Eve is like "what do you mean" and Willa says "well, why tell him if you're not going to keep the baby?" Eve then nervously says that she's keeping the baby. Willa (and the reader!!) is shocked but congratulates her.

Okay, WHAT!? I legit thought my audiobook skipped a chapter. Eve went Zero-to-Baby!!!!! in 0.1 seconds. I love accidental pregnancy. I love the angst and the self-doubt and the panic. I know that most romance novels have gross anti-abortion rhetoric, but I still really like the trope. I felt robbed from the decision-making moment. Eve is a) not rich, b) in a low-paying admin job that she's not happy with, c) not in a committed relationship, d) orphaned with siblings far away, and e) living in New York City, one of the most expensive areas in the world. One chapter ago, she had an entire monologue about how she's never even CONSIDERED the possibility of children!! This omission never gets remedied later in the book.

The thing is, there are actually a number of reasonable reasons that can be extrapolated from her backstory: 1) Eve herself was a surprise baby to her older parents and might want to keep a surprise baby of her own, 2) Eve feels lonely as her parents are dead and her older siblings aren't close, 3) Eve comes from a religious background even though she does not subscribe to those beliefs (this is very vaguely hinted at during the Christmas chapter), or 4) Eve considers the possibility of children and decides that she wants to keep the baby. Literally none of these options were spelled out. I mean, I can assume they're all true, but it needs to be ON PAGE. This is such a baffling misstep from an author who I once described as having "the rare ability to create fully realized characters without relying on a one-page bio sheet".

The only explanation I can come up with is that the editor wanted less decisionmaking to not offend pro-life readers. Like, the book or character is not anti-abortion. The book is progressive in other ways; Eve talks about wanting the child to decide its own gender. I can't decide if the decisionmaking omission is better or worse than anti-abortion rhetoric.

I don't have these expectations from all accidental pregnancy books. If I'm reading a kinda problematic Harlequin Presents, I do not expect any nuance or hesitation (those heroines are always 100% pro-baby and horrified at any other option). But I expect nuance from this author and a non-category romance in 2024. I don't think I'm being unreasonable, and this frankly ruined the entire book for me.

***

There's a really weird scene after she tells Ethan (bio dad) about the accidental pregnancy. A couple days later, Ethan says his girlfriend wanted him to ask Eve about her sexual history. Eve thinks that he's asking whether she's a liar and is like (paraphrasing) "You are the only person I've slept with recently. But we can get a DNA test after the baby is born." Then she gets unexpectedly emotional and starts crying, and Ethan is like "I'm sorry!! My girlfriend made me ask you!!" Then they look at the ultrasound and the topic is dropped.

Okay. You don't have to wait until birth for a DNA paternity test. It can be tested safely a couple months in. Furthermore, Ethan doesn't know Eve from, well, Eve (pun intended). Of fucking course it's reasonable for Ethan to ask for a DNA test (frankly, he should've also asked for an STI report). To be fair to the book, there is a scene later when Eve is like (paraphrasing) "DNA testing gets a bad rap and is actually important for child support to help single moms." I 100% agree with you, Eve! So why the heck is there *no* DNA test taken in the book? It literally never comes up again.

This is actually my main irritation with the book. Eve *thinks* about all the important logistics to consider (budgeting for a child, etc) but the consideration doesn't play out meaningfully in the narrative. It's there as window dressing. The entire book feels like this. I am not expecting a spreadsheet of expenses. But what was present is inadequate.

***

Unlike other readers, I actually am not bothered by the fact that this straddles the romance/women's fiction line (probably landing on the latter side). I knew what I was getting into from other reviews and I like WF. So the (relatively lower) amount of Shep (hero) pagetime did not bother me.

What bothered me was that every other secondary character goes through an interesting conflict/development. Willa and her conception troubles (her difficulty in being thrilled for Eve while needing some distance to deal with her own mental shit). Ethan's struggle in deciding his involvement level and his deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend. Heck, even Eve's boss reveals a surprising facet of her personality late in the book.

Shep remains... Shep. He's been in love with Eve forever but recently got out of a decadelong relationship. He's grieving his mom's death last year. He is a good caretaker to Eve and is her one constant in a time of turbulence. He has an interesting backstory, but all that emotional development occurred off-page and before the events of the book. As a character, he is fairly static on page. I normally wouldn't mind this in a WF-leaning romance, but it's glaring when *two* other secondary characters have more interesting journeys in the book. I don't know... I liked him, but I wasn't feeling the ship at all.

***

I could write more, but I'm tired and cranky and want to move on. I still love Bastone's writing (and there are some genuinely moving scenes), but this is is a rare miss. Read via audio (narrated by Alex Finke).

Disclaimer: I listened to a free audiobook from the publisher (PRH Audio App) in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Eve’s journey throughout the book from discovering she was pregnant to what she wanted out of life, but Shep was an incredible character who deserved better. Maybe Shep got everything he wanted, but you could see how much he loved Eve throughout the books, but I wanted to see Eve and Shep months after the baby as born. I felt like Shep was treated as a consolation prize and he was so much more than that.

This is not a book is not like the usual stories I read, so I was intrigued to give this a try. I enjoyed reading from a perspective of a woman pregnant from a one night stand with a man she doesn't love and going along the pregnancy journey with her. It's such a modern issue, as it's more common in today's society, and is not as stigmatized as it was decades ago, and it's refreshing to explore how she handles the situation with the baby's father, how her friends react, and how her family reacts, and what this could mean for her career, as well as her own feelings of being pregnant, and suddenly realizes that she's about to have a BABY.
In an interesting, although not uncommon twist, the father of the baby just so happens to have a girlfriend, who is not pleased about him about to become a father with another woman. I felt that Ethan's struggles were understandable and realistic, and I loved how he's trying to be civil with Eve and ultimately decides to become a part of the baby's life even if he and Eve are not together. The one thing I wish could have happened is actually meeting Eleni and seeing how that drama unfolds to delve deeper into Ethan and Eve's relationship. What we get instead in the book is a LITTLE watered down, and Ethan's resolve comes to quickly. It would have made a great tense moment too if we read a little more about Eve's feelings for Ethan and got more about what happened THAT NIGHT.
And then there's Shep. Her childhood friend, brother of her best friend, who's harbored a secret crush on her since...FOREVER, but never made it known until he gets more involved with Eve. I thought this was a good concept, and could have been more interesting, but the execution is a little lacking. The chemistry felt forced and awkward in the beginning, and I really wasn't feeling it. Also, Shep himself is sort of boring. Yes, he's nice, yes, he worships the ground Eve walks on, but I didn't really FEEL much else about his personality other than what I'm given from what's said from Willa and Eve. I ended up not being very invested in Eve and Shep's relationship, and when they both reveal what they feel for each other, it was too slow and somewhat anticlimactic, when this could have been much more interesting and fully fleshed out.
I also didn't feel much for the other characters in the story. Yes, they all have their struggles. I felt a lot of sympathy for Willa and her mixed, conflicted feelings of jealousy and wanting to be a good friend for Eve, but even this resolved too quickly and lost steam by the end of the book so she and her husband sort of faded in the background when Shep and Eve took front and center stage. Yes, there's her family and the whole thing about Corinne, but even this side plot I couldn't really get into. Maybe if their scenes were made a little more meaningful instead of just pushing the plot along??
All these problems are where it lost a star, but overall, it was good story and I really loved and melted in the end how Ethan and Shep worked together to surround the baby with love. I wish people got along like this in real life, as it would've made the world a better place (except for how Eleni was portrayed, which was being a toxic, jealous, scorned girlfriend, and I digress, I wish she showed up in the story and MET Eve) but for now, in the story will do.
Thank You Netgalley and Cara Bastone for the opportunity to read this arc.

Cute!

I love friends-to-lovers and a long-game slow burn and this book definitely delivered that, with some tension-building moments that definitely had me SQUEALING (see also: the movie theater scene, The Haircut). I also appreciated that Eve's relationship with the baby's father wasn't black and white -- he wasn't typecast as evil and there was nuance in their relationship that felt authentic.

There were some really funny and sweet moments, but for me, the voice in the writing was overdone and it became a bit obnoxious to read. I think it might have been a mix of the MC breaking the fourth wall and the overly-jokey narration that grated on me and took me out of the story. I also found evidences of "telling, not showing" and I think I would have liked a more natural writing style.

A book I enjoyed, but likely will not re-read.

Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. READY OR NOT is out 02/13/24.