“Eve Hatch lives for surprises! Just kidding. She expects every tomorrow to be pretty much the same as today. She loves her cozy apartment in Brooklyn that’s close to her childhood best friend Willa, and far from her midwestern, traditional family who has never really understood her. While her job is only dream-adjacent, it’s comfortable and steady. She always knows what to expect from her life . . . until she finds herself expecting after an uncharacteristic one-night stand.

The unplanned pregnancy cracks open all the relationships in her life. Eve’s loyal friendship with Willa is feeling tense, right when she needs her the most. And it’s actually Willa’s steadfast older brother, Shep, who steps up to help Eve. He has always been friendly, but now he’s checking in, ordering her surprise lunches, listening to all her complaints, and is . . . suddenly kinda hot? Then, as if she needs one more complication, there’s the baby’s father, who is (technically) supportive but (majorly) conflicted.

Up until this point, Eve’s been content to coast through life. Now, though—maybe it’s the hormones, maybe it’s the way Shep’s shoulders look in a T-shirt—Eve starts to wonder if she has been secretly desiring more from every aspect of her life.

Over the course of nine months, as Eve struggles to figure out the next right step in her expanding reality, she begins to realize that family and love, in all forms, can sneak up on you when you least expect it.”

First let’s just appreciate the stunning cover!

This book was everything I could have wanted for my first read of the year. There were times some of the characters had me wanting to scream but seeing the growth throughout the story was everything I needed. Although at times you can predict where the story is going, it did not make the read any less enjoyable to me. I FLEW through this one and it will absolutely be something I will be recommending.

I am so thankful to Net-galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

The pregnancy angle to this slow burn friends-to-lovers arc was unique enough to stand apart from the usual romcom, but it quickly surprised me with its dorky-meets-witty sense of humor and good characterization.

I did kind of get the sense that a lot of plot details were crafted to fend off potential pearl clutchers (oh no no no, don't <i>worry</i>, this character doesn't <i>usually</i> have casual sex and <i>of course</i> there were multiple forms of birth control that just happened to fail and the baby's father certainly wasn't <i>cheating</i> because we worked out the timing of his on-again-off-again-girlfriend to fall in just the right spot that you can't possibly find any fault with the unfortunately necessary sex that resulted in this pregnancy.)

The broader trappings of mama-to-be's life are a bit weaker and there's some personal character development that gets crammed into a chapter or two that I didn't feel was set up by the rest of the book. But the central romance unfolds pretty naturally and is easy to root for. Despite the many details I apparently have to pick at, my overall impression is of a cute, sweet book.

This one was an adorable, swoon-worthy, romance that had me giggling and kicking my feet. this also showcased an incredible story about motherhood and becoming a mother. Absolutely loved!

I absolutely adored this book! Such a lovely, sweet, tender romance, but also a beautiful story of Eve's journey through pregnancy and becoming a mother. Shep and Eve know each other and value each other in such a deeply romantic way, I felt mushy inside every time they interacted. The burn of the romance was so deliciously slow and satisfying to read, they had me antsy I was rooting for them to hurry up and just get together so hard. Also just such a great cast of characters, I loved all of the side characters, friends, family, and otherwise. This was honestly just very touching and emotional in so many ways I wasn't expecting. A joy from beginning to end!

Thank you @thedialpress @prhaudio for this book. Ian not a fan of surprise pregnancy trope but I love Cara Baston's books so I had to read it and I am so glad I did. I loved everything about this book, all the characters were so complex and full of emotions. I adore the friendship between Eve and Willa. The friendship felt so real with Eve's feelings on her infertility while her friend is pregnant. Shep is now one of my favorite character. An unassuming older brother to Willa, he was so thoughtful to helping Eve. I loved how Ethan and his role in this story and his own feelings on being the baby daddy.

Karissa Vacker did a phenomenal job on this narration. She brought out all the emotions making me laugh and cry.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 🌶️

Cara Bastone is an absolute gem of a writer. Her banter and dialogue make her characters witty and lovable. She continues her streak in her latest novel, Ready or Not.

Eve is stuck in a job going no where, living in her all too perfectly curated apartment, and dancing around the edges of everything she wants in life. Wait, what DOES she even want? However, an accidental pregnancy from a one night stand with an adorable, sensitive bartender pushes her straight from the sidelines of her own life onto the center of the dance floor. However, her life is anything but a solo performance. Bolstered by her childhood best friend Willa and her brother Shep, Eve has more love and support than most could ever imagine when confronted with an unexpected pregnancy as a single twenty something. Bastone explores the intimate ebbs and flows of the ballet that is life long relationships. She tackles the changes over 3 trimesters pregnant people experience both internally and externally as they grapple with parenthood. She also touches upon loss and grief and the complications that come along with them.

Featuring a lovable, golden retriever love interest, plenty of tear jerking conversations, and the pleasant and funny inner dialogue of Eve, I was laughing out loud, crying, and curling my toes in anticipation of the sweetness that is new and old love. While the accidental pregnancy trope is not for everyone, I would urge you to give this a chance because the way Bastone covers it is perfect. Ready or Not is the perfect romance to pick up when you need to escape into someone else’s life and receive a warm hug.

Trigger warnings: infertility, accidental pregnancy, talk of abortion, birth, parental death, miscarriage, and drinking.

A huge thank you to Cara Bastone NetGalley, Random House Publishing and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the Advanced Readers Copy of Ready or Not in exchange for my honest review.

I have went back and forth on how I feel about this one. At its core, it was a sweet story but there were other elements and details that just aren’t my preference. I don’t want to judge a book too harshly on my personal preferences so I’m landing at a 3.

I think based on other reviews and the description I expected more of a fractured relationship between Willa and Eve. Honestly, Willa reacted pretty reasonably for someone in her situation, apologized quickly, and their friendship didn’t seem to suffer. On that same note, I felt I was expecting Shep to be a lot more involved earlier on. I think the actual book not matching expectations from the description threw me.

For people who seem pretty against religion, Jesus’s name sure was used a lot. I’ve never understood that.

I’m probably being really generous with my 3 stars but it is what it is. I married a “Shep” so I guess I’m just feeling benevolent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

I did think that I hated pregnancy in romcoms, just as a person who never wants to be pregnant. But between this and Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young, I guess I really enjoy it?

I do want to say that I don't think this is a very straightforward romance novel, it's probably better classified as general women's fiction because the main event here is really Eve's pregnancy and the way it impacts her life and relationships. But that's not to say that there's a lack of romance, because listen, Shep is IT.

Shep is the sweetest boy in the whole wide world, I can barely handle it. I think Bastone did a really great job contextualizing why Eve was not romantically interested in him previously, which I think is a common complaint in the friends-to-lovers sphere. The relationship development is extremely subtle and lovely. So while I don't actually think the romance is THE main plot here, this relationship was so deeply romantic.

I also appreciated the complexity given to the secondary characters. The friendship between Willa and Eve is so foundational for both of them, but Willa really struggled with Eve's pregnancy and genuinely handled everything Not Well. So while it was a hurdle for them, it just felt realistic and human. I feel very similarly about the baby's father -- he very obviously sucked, but he sucked with nuance! He was not an objectively bad person, but I think the way he handles the pregnancy is so illustrative of the way men and women do not have the same options in this situation.

Sooooo …. This book took me totally by surprise. It’s witty, poignant, hilarious, heartfelt, and delightful all rolled up into one big, smile inducing novel. I clearly was not ready for Ready or Not. Thank you, Cara Bastone, for this absolute gem of a novel.

Eve is a people pleaser. She’s just going through life not making waves and keeping her expectations small until an unplanned pregnancy makes her re-examine every aspect of her existence. The pregnancy is the result of a one night stand with Ethan and his future role is a big question mark. Eve’s best friend, Willa, is battling infertility and her conflicted emotions leave Eve feeling confused and abandoned. A big age gap and physical distance mean Eve’s bothers are not much help. Enter Shep, Willa’s brother and Eve’s close friend since childhood. Shep is there for her; stepping up to be a one-man support network. He’s thoughtful, considerate, unselfish, and present. (The world needs more Sheps.)

Eve evolves during the course of this story. Her feelings about becoming a mom, how her life will change, and what she wants that life to look like are played out with brutal honesty and hilarious dialogue. I was enchanted from the very first page. The only thing missing from this book is an epilogue - I desperately want to know what happens next. Sequel maybe?

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Oh how I loved this book!

I honestly wasn't so sure about it because pregnancy romance tropes can turn cringe pretty quick, but not this one.

I loved the characters and their dynamic. Shep immediately stole my heart. I loved that the third act tension wasn't between the love interests but with the baby daddy instead. We don't always need a third act breakup/conflict to make a romance work.

Also, her birthing scene brought me to tears because of how realistic and filled with love and happiness it was. Made me relive the births of my babies.

I was sad when I was done because I needed to know how the characters are. I will miss them!

irst off, I want to say I really did have a good time with this book. I thought it was a unique take on an accidental pregnancy romance. I ADORE shep. I adore their relationship and how it built over time. There are so many deeply romantic quotes and moments and EXCELLENT banter. I also think eve was absolutely hilarious, but I wish this book had dual pov and I think it suffered alot in terms of pacing because of that. I also wish there was an epilogue because I don't like abrupt endings. Overall, I love cara's writing and I am so excited to see what she does next! I'll give this a 3.75 rating.

Read this at the perfect time since I am 8 weeks pregnant myself. It is unlike other romances I've read since not many authors try to do the pregnancy trope, but I think the author did a good job with this one. I felt like it was an accurate depiction of pregnancy and there was a lot more going with all of the relationships. There was a lot of self-discovery with Eve and I felt like her journey to motherhood would be relatable and I resonated with the first trimester feelings. Shep was the perfect support person and who every pregnant woman needs in her life! I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I have so many feelings.

First of all, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for choosing me to receive an arc of one of my most anticipated reads of the year, despite my dismal ratio. (I swear I won’t let it happen again)

We’ll begin with Shep, my favorite Cara Bastone mmc since Elliot from Sweet Talk. I can’t imagine a more perfect man. He is so genuinely GOOD to his core. He supports Eve unconditionally from the very beginning.

I struggled with both Willa and Ethan’s characters. I hated them both at times, but ultimately accepted their imperfections. (Not everyone can be as perfect as Shep)

Eve’s dynamic with her family was interesting. My eldest sibling is 16 years older than I am. Seeing an even bigger gap was fascinating. There wasn’t much said about her parents, but the subtle glimpses you get tell you enough.

This story is obviously very personal to the author, it was plain to see even before the note at the end of the book.

Things didn’t end exactly how I was hoping, but they ended exactly how they should have. There was no epilogue, so here’s how things go in my head: Shep works from home and takes care of the baby while Eve works/goes to school. Ethan pops over during work breaks and the two dads bond over how awesome their kid is. Because that little girl clearly has three parents who adore her.

*ARC Review* 🔅 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒚 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆

Genre: Romance
Pub date: Feb 13, 2024
Rating: 5🌟♾️

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

Thank you @carabastone , @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley, from the bottom of my heart, for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, my favourite novel I’ve read so far this year.

I was literally laughing out loud from page one. Eve is hilarious and sarcastic and EXACTLY my favourite kind of person. I wish she was real because I would want to be friends with her. Her narrative actually made me want to be friends with Cara Bastone. Is that weird?

If you have kids or are currently expecting, you will 100% resonate with this book. Eve talks about all the glamorous (and not-so-glamorous) parts of pregnancy and labour that we don’t normally discuss and makes it so real and relatable. I’ve never cried because of a book before… but I did with this one.

Also, Shep. My goodness. He. Is. Everything. Gosh. Cara says at the end of the acknowledgements that she’s a ‘fangirl for love stories featuring men who aren’t hobbled by their own masculinity’… and same. Shep is kind and thoughtful and intelligent and the best part, is that he isn’t afraid of being those things for Eve. He doesn’t put on this facade of toxic masculinity to make himself feel bigger… he is the guy that any woman SHOULD be looking for in their lives. I finished this book MUCH too quickly because I couldn’t sleep without knowing what happens with Eve and Shep.

I cannot say enough good things about Ready or Not. It is adorable and hilarious and heartwarming and you WILL NOT REGRET picking it up when it’s released.

Tropes:
•friends to lovers
•unexpected pregnancy
•slow burn
•he falls first

Excited to get this book to review but not enamored with it after reading it. Surprise pregnancy, friends to lovers trope, family, ALL about pregnancy changes both physically, emotionally, and mentally. Favorite character was Shep with his kindness and acceptance and unrequited love for Eve. Do you think that the author chose this name as a nod to Eve and temptation? I did love Eve's sarcastic humor, but not her noncommittal and indecisive personality. Cheers to her for finally growing up. But my sympathy lay with her best friend Willa and her fertility struggle while trying to be supportive to her best friend. That was more real than having a one-night stand sperm donor, Ethan, all of a sudden decide to support and participate in the unplanned pregnancy, while constantly saying what an idiot he was. (True). I don't think this is really a rom-com but more like a women's fiction, with some elements of humor. A bit predictable, I felt that this book was just okay. Many thanks to #netgalley, #randomhouse #readyornot #carabastone for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ready or Not is a sweet, cute read! I was INSTANTLY drawn in to the story and characters. While somewhat predictable it hit all of the right "romcom" feels. This was a quick and fun read while also filled with heart. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who needs an uplifting time!

Omg I was hooked the entire time and was SWOONING so much. I did get a little annoyed with the love triangle-ish vibes , but not enough to lower the rating. I also don't usually care for the unplanned pregnancy trope, but this one was just so sweet and well executed!

DNF

i am not a member of the surprise pregnancy haters club. i love a good best friend's brother/brother's best friend romance.

the problem is i just can't vibe with this one. the main character was too rambly and quirky. i even forgot that her best friend's brother was the love interest because (at least in the beginning) he was just there? they just seemed like good friends to me. it took me a mindless reread of the synopsis to be reminded that he was, in fact, the eventual love interest. he was very caring and supportive though, i love him for that, but sadly wasn't enough for me to continue reading.

if you like the surprise pregnancy, friends to lovers, and best friend's brother tropes, you may want to check this book out.

trigger warning: conceiving issues (side character)

thank you cara bastone and random house for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

huge thank you to Random House/Dial Press Trade and Netgally for this advanced reader copy.

this book. this book my heart melted. i feel like i went on this journey with all the characters. they felt like friends and I was attached to them and their lives.
Eve, Shep, Willa, Ethan felt like the most raw and real group of characters I have ever read.
We follow Eve as she navigates the 9 months of her pregnancy. She learns so much about herself, her friends, motherhood and life itself.
She felt so relatable and a character I would love to be best friends with. The story is told in first person POV and it honestly feels like Eve is writing a letter to you and telling you the reader personally about these 9 months.
The relationship between Eve and Shep made me feel so giddy and emotional. The relationship was so done in such a careful way and the two characters were so gentle with each other.
Shep is the perfect golden retriever and sunshine boyfriend we all want in our lives.
This book made my heart burst, it made my heart ache in the best possible way and had me shedding some tears at the end.
this is for sure a favorite of the year already. i have such a love for these characters and their authentic story about life and learning about ourselves along the way.

This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!