Ready or Not by Cara Bastone was probably my favorite romcom of this year!! It's such a heartwarming story with amazing characters that feel so realistic. Even though pregnancy trope isn't typically my go-to, this is quite different and I'm so glad I gave it a chance because it was so worth it! I don't want to spoil anything so I won't mention anything else but please read this book so you can swoon along with the FMC! Also this cover is gorgeous!

I adored this book so much!! I don't usually like the accidental pregnancy trope, but Cara Bastone wrote it so well, and I absolutely loved the characters and the story. I liked how complex the characters' relationships with each other were, and I thought that the author handled the heavier themes in this book very well and with a lot of care. Overall, I would completely recommend this book!! :)

I read this book in one day. I couldn't put it down! Eve finds herself pregnant after a one night stand with a bartender named Ethan. She tells her best friend, Willa, and her best friend's brother, Shep. Willa, Shep, and Eve grew up together.

I loved the relationship between Willa and Eve. Willa has had fertility struggles, and I felt like she was written in such a realistic way. As Eve goes through her pregnancy, she spends more time with Shep. Shep shows up for her, and he is so amazing! Willa starts to develop feelings for Shep, and they are so sweet together!

I think that her situation with Ethan was handled in such a great way too. I was pleased to see that it wasn't a love triangle, and he was still a really good guy.

Overall, this book was an amazing read. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this book.

This book hits you in all of the feels!

I'm pretty sure that Cara Bastone writes amazing characters. Eve and Shep are so well written that you want to keep reading after the story is complete. I fell in love with the story.

I loved Eve Hatch. She is a strong person who didn’t realize how strong she was. Ethan’s character was a bit much but he worked with the storyline. Shep was probably my favorite character. I wish we saw more of Willa since she was supposed to be Eve’s best friend but I get why we didn’t. Shep and Eve’s chemistry was strong and well written.

This is a slow-burn and for a little too slow. with way their chemistry was written, it shouldn’t have taken so long to admit their feelings and for more to happen.

I received a copy of this for my honest

I love Cara Bastone and have heard such great things about this book.

I absolutely loved this book! If you enjoy authors like Abby Jimenez or Emily Henry, or if you're a fan of the Friends to Lovers trope (which is my personal favorite), this book is definitely for you. It was the perfect escape during a tough week.

The story has a wonderful balance of humor and heartfelt moments, and the characters feel incredibly authentic. I connected with them so much, I wanted to give them all a hug! There were even some beautiful lines about motherhood that resonated with me.

Romance has been a comfort genre for me lately, and this book is a prime example of why. It's a slow burn with a few heart racing scenes! I highly recommend it to my fellow romance readers!

Thank you, Cara Bastone, Netgalley, and Dial Press Trade for the honor of the Arc in exchange for my honest reI loved this one! Cara Bastone is now an autobuy author for me.

Ready or not was like a warm hug and hot coco. I loved reading about this little slice of life and watching Shep and Eve's relationship. The found family and side characters were enjoyable to read.

Friends to lovers and slow burn. Zero toxicity,

If you enjoy Kate Clayborn, it had similar vibes.

Please go pick this up if you haven't already.

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone had well-developed characters and a plot that was engaging. This book was a great read. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

This was a great way to spin a surprise pregnancy. I liked how Eve had to slowly come to grips with the idea, but that she had a good deal of support backing her. The background characters were the best. Shep was the best of cinnamon rolls and I wanted so much more of him!

Overall, this was a fun quick read that I was eager to watch unfold.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced ecopy read in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this sweet and heartwarming story about Eve, a woman living the dream in New York City near her best friend and trying to get ahead in her career. She gets accidentally pregnant after a one-night stand. She navigates telling the father-to-be, her family, her best friend's brother, her best friend since childhood, and her co-workers. Her best friend is trying to get pregnant and finds this difficult, so her brother steps up for Eve, supporting her as she goes through the pregnancy and getting used to the idea that she will eventually be responsible for another human.

This was a funny, sweet, friends-to-lovers rom-com set in New York City. The accidental pregnancy was done so well, as the father dealt with his responsibilities to her as well as his girlfriend with which he had an on-again, off-again romance. I loved Shep, who stepped up for Eve and was super sweet to her. He's her best friend's older brother and she loved their mom, who was another mother to her. Her friendship with Willa was sweet and supportive, but it was complicated because she desperately wanted to get pregnant. Just overall a sweet, wonderful book. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley for the ARC

Why is writing a review for one of your favorite books of the year so hard?! (we are only a few months in and I’m already calling it).

READY OR NOT features the sweetest, slow-burn, friends to lovers romance between Eve and her best friend’s brother, Shep. Told with such humor and heart, I loved their interactions and chemistry, and the way that Shep was just always there to support Eve through one of the most challenging times, and their banter was hilarious.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-friends to lovers
-best friend’s brother
-accidental pregnancy
-heartwarming with all the humor
-found family

*many thanks to PRH and prh audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The story starts with Eve discovering she is accidentally pregnant, and follows her journey of pregnancy as she navigates relationships with her best friend, her best friend's brother, the baby's father, the nurse she befriends at the doctor's office, family, work, etc. I really enjoyed this story and Eve's humor, as well as the romance between her and Shep, the best friend's brother. I was expecting a bit of cringe when I realized it would be a romance during an accidental pregnancy, but the author handled it nicely, and you can feel the affection that has always been there. I was a little frustrated with the grace and kindness Eve gave to the baby's father while he was figuring his stuff out, but it all worked out in the end. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I was happy to get an ark but didn’t really know what to expect going into it, but it ended up being one of my favorite novels this summer. The banter is excellent and there are so many parts where you will just laugh out loud to yourself and Smile into your pillow. I will definitely be enthusiastically looking for more books from Bastone.

4.5 stars. I'm not usually a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope, but this sweet slow-burn romance was an exception. Eve and Shep's growing friendship over the course of her pregnancy (the result of a one-night stand with someone else) was lovely.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Ready or Not was a different kind of romance than I normally read. The book starts out with the main character, Eve, at her OB/GYN's office confirming a pregnancy. She's completely terrified as the pregnancy is the result of a one night stand with a hot bartender and she just is not sure how to move forward with this brand new information. The story continues from there as Eve tries to navigate life while you're growing a human and all the curveballs that come with it.

As someone who has never been pregnant and will never be pregnant, I tend to shy away from books with pregnancy/babies as the main plot point but this one was different. I really appreciated how the author didn't make pregnancy sound like it was all sunshine and roses all the time. The experiences Eve went through during the course of the book felt more real and authentic than I've read before and I think that's why I didn't throw my Kindle across the room while reading. We do also get a best friend's brother romance in it and Shep is the golden retriever boyfriend we all deserve.

I picked up and put this book back down before I really got into it. Once I did it was a quick and entertaining read. Some highlights include the characterization of a pregnant main character as experiencing desire and being sexually attractive (this definitely is missing from our culture as a whole!) and the character of Shep. In the end it was worth the read.

This is a friends-to-lovers romance when the woman gets pregnant unexpectedly. Love this plot!

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

Just wow! This was so beautifully written and executed. It was heartwarming and funny with such strong, well developed characters. I really felt like I got to know and understand the many layers to each of them so I felt connected to seeing how the story played out. The romance was a slow burn and almost felt secondary to the main character’s personal journey but that just made it that much better once it finally played out. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year!

I really happy to get an arc of this book. Thank you so much. I really loved this book. It was a heartwarming , realistic contemporary romance. It was at times funny as well loved the main character eve.