Member Reviews

A really moving accidental pregnancy, friends to lovers romance that is sure to be one of my favs this year! The surprise pregnancy trope can be such a difficult one to pull off well but Hannah Bonam-Young and Cara Bastone are two authors who have been able to nail it seemingly effortlessly recently!!

Full of found family, NYC charm, a love triangle that had me conflicted about who to root for and excellent friend relationships. This was great on audio too and definitely one not to miss!!

HIGHLY recommended that you borrow or buy this one! It was both HILARIOUS and heartfelt and I enjoyed every second! Many thanks to NetGalley for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

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Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback for an eARC of Ready or Not!

CW; Pregnancy, Infertility, and Miscarriage

I thought this book was cute, humorous, and really well-written. I've never read a Cara Bastone book before and this was an absolute delight. I know the pregnancy trope gets a lot of flack, but I thought Bastone handled it with care and really showed the growth process woman go through while being pregnant. It also showcased how relationships change, especially the one with yourself. The romance felt like a took a backseat to all these issues which, honestly, is so real. That MMC, Shep, though... he's pretty swoony!!! Overall, a very solid read that I enjoyed very much.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars, mostly because I couldn't put it down. This contemporary romance begins with Eve's discovery of a surprise pregnancy as a single woman. She has two amazingly close friends who support her through it. The love story is really sweet and sappy and feels good. The character development is fun to watch. You see them grow up a lot, which is refreshing to see.

Be aware that a character struggles with infertility and pregnancy loss if that's a hard topic for you. The depictions of pregnancy and single parenthood are more realistic than some novels and I do think we as humans tend to make things work out, but I couldn't help but think it was a little unbelievable how easily it came together in the end.

I listened to Cara Bastone's short dramatized stories on Audible this winter and they were all really fun, fluffy, closed-door, escape romance reads. If I read this without knowing who wrote it I would not have guessed if was the same author. These characters were still loveable but they had a lot more depth to them and this one was a lot more spicy. 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Steamy. Caution to sensitive readers.

Read if you like these tropes:
•friends to lovers
•best friend’s brother
•surprise pregnancy
•single parent

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This is now my comfort book. I never thought I’d love a book with a pregnancy trope but this one was done so well.

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thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of this book!

this was my first time reading a book from cara bastone and i’m glad i did! her writing was descriptive, funny, and at times very beautiful.
i loved that this book felt like a combination of a romance and women’s fiction.

ready or not explores the complexities of an unplanned pregnancy and how it alters all the relationships in your life. we got to follow eve through her whole pregnancy and the challenges and obstacles she faces with friends, family, colleagues, etc.

the romance in this book was so sweet and really took me by surprise.

i absolutely loved all the characters in this book and how real they felt. we learn about some characters infertility as well as the complexities of co-parenting and how difficult both of those can be.

absolutely give this book a read if you’re interested! i definitely think this book is going to blow up when it comes out.

pub date: february 13th, 2024

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Eve finds herself pregnant after a one-night stand which throws all of her relationships into turmoil. Her best friend is upset, as she has been trying to get pregnant for two years. The baby-daddy, Ethan, was in an "off again" moment with his girlfriend and is now on again, and her boss is asking her to do work she has never wanted to do. Oddly her best friend's brother, Shep, keeps showing up to help out, and even is reading books on pregnancy and letting her snot all over him. Eve starts to rethink everything she knows about him and all the relationships in her world.

I enjoyed the story and the humour and feelings the author added to this story of a single woman getting pregnant. You see a lot of character progression in Eve throughout this book. Not only does she discover things about her relationships and pregnancy, but she also discovers a lot about herself and how she tends to manage the conflicts in her life. Sometimes I found Eve to be a bit too forgiving of a person though. Her friend was completely self-centred at times, as were other people in her life. She often took the path of least resistance and was sometimes a doormat. We did see that growth though where she eventually started standing up for herself.

There is a bit of a love triangle in this book, where you wonder who she is going to end up with. We have a pull between Ethan and Shep. Both of them were going through their things, but I think there was always a clear direction of who she would end up with.

I loved the representation of pregnancy in this book. A lot of times it is painted as either all good, or all bad, but here there are good and bad parts and it is completely realistic. This book also had a lot of tender and sweet moments in it.

This is a slow-burn book, with more of a focus on growth and personal development. I would say, rather than a romance, it is a contemporary with a romance in it. I enjoyed that. I thought that Cara Bastone did a great job with the writing and transported me to the little part of Brooklyn that Eve was living in.

If you love a contemporary romance, with a lot of growth, a side of humour, and a few tears, this is the book for you! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

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The cover of this book is beautiful, which is what instantly drew me to the book. I felt like there were some small parts throughout the story which was a turn off for me. There were certain parts that could have been left out. Cute premise but the execution wasn’t there.

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I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t stop reading it! Cara Bastone wrote such a beautiful story about a woman who had an unexpected pregnancy and her self reflection, steps through pregnancy, growth, and romance. It was written so beautifully and made me feel all the emotions that Eve, the main character, went through. The main male character was also full of sunshine and love, which I loved and added to how beautiful this book was. As a warning for those that may be affected or sensitive to the subjects, this story also touched on some infertility and loss, and I felt like the author did a beautiful job talking about everyone’s feelings on each piece that was mentioned. I highly recommend Ready or Not and will be sure to recommend to friends and family!

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Arc received from Netgalley for an honest review

As a stingy 5 Star reader, I was happily surprised to start the year off with my first 5 star book!

In this story we follow Eve, who has a fun night with a man named Ethan and not long after finds out she's pregnant completely unplanned. Her childhood friend is there for her, Willa, but another character who is there without hesitation is Shep, her best friends brother.

The first 15% of this book I will admit, took me a while to get into. I wasn't entirely sure if I liked the characters or their ideals and thoughts. Eve starts this book off with some difficulties and she's not entirely likable when you first get to know her, but you have to cut her some slack, she's going through a LOT at the beginning.

As the story continues, we not only see the development of Eve, but the characters around her. When the story progressed, I was cheering for everyone involved. I loved Eve, Shep, Ethan, and Willa, I wanted to give them all a hug as we experienced the highs and lows of their lives and relationships.

The romance between Shep and Eve is beautiful and hilarious. Sure he's a goofball who's clumsy and nerdy at times, but Shep was there for her every step of the way. He melted my heart and made me hold my nearby stuffed animal close to scream into as to not wake up the neighbours.

We have Ethan, who rather than being a villain in this story, shows some of the reality of that shock and fear of bringing a whole new person into the world. I loved how he was written and I can't deny I was a little smitten over him (my partner is a redhead, sue me!). He was aggravating at times, but that's another reason why these characters were so beloved to me, because they felt real. Their reactions were human.

And then we have Eve. Her growth was beautiful in many ways. The love she shared with not only the people around her, but for her baby melted my heart. I full on cried reading this book as she came to realizations and understandings of things she'd never considered before. The conversation around her and her unborn child was gorgeous and as someone who wishes to be a mother someday (but who isn't yet), it touched on so many things that I somehow understood through her.

Overall, despite the rocky start, I fell in love with this book. I spent 3 hours near the end unable to put it down as I saw the romance and relationships grow. I fell in love with the characters and watched so much unfold. I only wish more people experienced this much support and love through their pregnancies because I know it's not always happiness and warmth, everyone deserves the kind of family that Eve had, and I hope someday I'll experience the same.

Random things I loved!
- Main Characters being in their 30's
- Vegetarian MC (as one myself)

~

Content Warnings below, may contain slight spoilers:

Pregnancy, loss of parents, infertility, miscarriage.
(There is a little bit of discussion on infertility from Eve's friend - Willa- along with a miscarriage so please be advised when reading this)

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This was a cute book! I loved how Shep slowly pursued her throughout her pregnancy and it made it even better that they were childhood friends. I didn’t love Ethan’s character, he seemed very emotionally unstable even with the situation. I could have done without the gender comments and spicy scene but overall I loved how they all worked it out in the end.

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Overall I liked this book.I liked the interactions between the characters. I will say it took me a bit to get that Cara was being PC.

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First, how great is this cover art? So beautiful.

This is my first Cara Bastone novel, and I may check out her earlier works. Our FMC Eve is approaching 30, works and entry level position for a nonprofit and lives in Brooklyn, near her childhood best friend. The book begins with (SPOILER ALERT) her finding out she is pregnant from an out of characteristic one night stand with a bartender. The book covers her entire pregnancy, dealing with telling the father, an unexpected friendship blossoming into something new with her friends brother, Shep. And the ultimate realization is she has got to get her sh&* together because she is growing a human. The book had a nice pace, and Shep was a ridiculously perfect guy that you couldn't help swoon at his agreeable, golden retriever-like presence.. Her career aspirations were a little strange and it irked me that her boss found out she wrote the newsletter (not in her job duties) in her free (unpaid time)" and admired her work ethic. Um, maybe instead of admiring her work effort, give her the back pay she deserves.

Thank your Random House publishing for the ARC for my honest review.

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Isn't this cover absolutely beautiful? At least that was my thought when I requested a download. I didn't read the synposis until after it was on my shelf...and then I had zero intention of reading the book. For some reason I don't like to read single/pregnant story lines...until now! I opened the book to read a few pages just to make sure I wasn't going to like it and I COULD NOT stop reading. Eve and her cast of characters swept me up. It was a feel-good romance all the way through.

**Thanks to Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley for allowing me access to this ARC!

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Eve has gone and done it. Her first time having sex in a year and she's pregnant. The dad, a one night stand who just so happened to get back with his long time girlfriend right after their romp is leaving her on read. Her best friend, Willa, has her own opinions on the matter, some that are less than helpful. Eve isn't alone though, Willa's brother Shep keeps showing up when she least expects. Is it because of more than brotherly affection, or are her pregnancy hormones reading too much into it?

Netgalley.... oh boy, do you know how to get me with those little emails you send out about new books to request. Every time, it turns out to be a winner for me. The Netgalley algorithm has got my number. I know that books with pregnancy aren't everyones cup of tea, and that is totally okay. It actually is one of those tropes that I really enjoy, because if a man can love a woman at the height of her pregnancy craze, it's gotta be real.

This isn't like most pregnancy based romance novels though. It starts with Eve finding out she is pregnant. Eve has such a strong support group, but not any of them are always strong. Not even Eve herself. Together, they might actually be able to make it through to child birth.

One of my favorite things about this book is the realistic look at pregnancy. Many books glaze over the ugly parts and the internal struggles women have throughout their pregnancies, Cara does not shy away from the ugly in Ready or Not. She masterfully writes the highs and lows of pregnancy announcements, relationship adjustments, life changes and the way it affects a woman's body (and not just talking about the boobs either).

The romance in this book took such a back seat to the upheaval of Eve's life and didn't even start coming to center stage until a little over 50% through. This is such a slice of life romance. It can be something that is happening right now to a woman anywhere. That's what makes it so believable, endearing, and the ending is absolutely brilliant.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys slice of life romance and isn't afraid of a little pregnancy trope. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 stars from me for Cara Bastone's Ready or Not.

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I received this as an ARC and that did not affect my opinion about the book or influence my review.

This book is incredible. When I tell you I was swooning, laughing out loud, and choking up in a steady rotation it still won't capture my reading experience. This is deeply and profoundly a book about pregnancy, so if that doesn't work for you, stay away. But if it does, I can't recommend this highly enough.

Eve is pregnant because of a one-night-stand, her best friend Willa has been trying to get pregnant for a couple years, and her best friend's brother Shep is there, stepping in and supporting Eve when Willa can't. Things with the father are complicated, things with Willa are complicated, and things with Shep should be complicated, but for now it's easy. No one is the bad guy, and no one is perfect, and everyone has their moments. This is a deeply human story, one that lets people be messy and have flaws, and still be worthy of love and relationship as they figure things out. I want to wrap up in it and stay for the rest of the year.

As a heroine, Eve is deeply relatable, funny, vulnerable, and just trying to figure out what her life looks like now that me becomes we. I loved being inside her head, which is great because this is single POV. The writing disappears except for all the moments where there could have been a romance cliche and instead there is something unique and perfect in it's place.

I love an accidental pregnancy romance, and all the tropes that usually go with it, and this one manages to subvert expectations at every turn and make me love it even more. Instead of strangers figuring out how to make their lives match up to make space for a kid, we have life long friends to lovers with acres of pining. Not one single thing is included thoughtlessly or abandoned without nuance and subtlety. The sheer intentionality of this story is perfection, and it manages to never go over the line into cliche or feel contrived. I don't know how Cara balanced this so perfectly, but I want 10 more. I loved, loved, loved this book.

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Ready or Not by Cara Bastone is a great book. This book was a pleasure to read, so different from other books in its category. The author's portrayal of the relationships between the friends was great. There was a realness to the emotion displayed. The depiction of the situation with Eve and Ethan was also authentic. This book was an amazing start to my 2024 reading. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

An e=arc was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

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in awe. This is a perfect love story in so many ways. Eve and Shep and Ethan and Willa were all so raw and real to me. The way i was just so ready for Eve to figure it out but also along for the whole ride.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Net galley for the arc

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Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for the Advanced Reader Copy. This was such a delightful book to read. Eve was a fun and compelling protagonist to follow from beginning to end and because of who she is and the other details of the world that Bastone included, the story of an unexpected pregnancy didn't feel already done. The secondary characters could've collapsed into caricatures, but Bastone did an excellent job of making each of them feel fully fleshed out. Looking forward to seeing what this author does next.

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Super cute and fun read! Loved it! I wish there was more of a romance aspect though, but it was still good!!

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Ebook received for free through NetGalley

An adorably cute feel good and realistic romance. So glad I came across it.

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