This will be absolutely devoured by fans of contemporary women's fiction. A lovely story with compelling characters and a well-developed NYC setting. Will recommend.

So this is the first ARC i've ever requested.? and I just have to say WOW. The banter? Delightful, delectable, and delicious. Crazy part is that I usually loathe the pregnancy trope, but Cara Bastone has such a fresh and truly beautiful take on what it means to be a single, scared, and very pregnant woman. When people say things like "this book felt like a warm hug", I always scoff and ignore it. For real I mean how could a silly little book about unplanned pregnancy give ME a hug? Then i'm a hundred pages in and blushing/kicking my feet like a crazy person. The slow burn was slow burning and I loved every second of it. This is also a very speedy read, so if you're looking for something easy, quick and enjoyable, Ready or Not is totally for you.

Also quick design note: this cover is quite lovely and I think will do a lot to make this book a bestseller.

*posted to goodreads*

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you, netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ready or Not follows Eve after a one-night stand leads to accidental pregnancy, and then through those nine months until that little soul is earth side. There will be readers who take a glance at this, see accidental pregnancy, and decide it’s not for them. I get that. I used to be like that. To each their own, but you are missing a story with depth if you pass this up.

I don’t think it’s possible to read about Eve, Willa, Shep, Ethan, and Isamu without feeling the rollercoaster of emotions that this book is.

Cue: I’M IN A GLASS GIF OF EMOTION GIF

Eve is funny and relatable. She’s flawed in the way that all good characters are. She’s not a perfect person, but she is a good person in a very uncertain situation. And that brings her to life. Following her journey through pregnancy was beautiful. It’s not one I can relate to personally, but I didn’t need to. Cara wrote magic in Eve, and I felt her struggles anyway.

Willa, the best friend, is the one I relate to the most. She desperately wants to be a mom. She’s always trying, and hoards baby information like it will make it more likely to get pregnant. I know her, because I am her. And without making this grossly personal, Willa is always trying to be a better friend to Eve. It’s devastating to see a bump grow on a body that is not your own. The struggle of being there for Eve, and hurting on her own is one of the layers to this story. (And I will defend Willa with my life.)

Shep falls into the best friend’s brother trope—a favorite—and also friends to lovers—another big favorite. He’s a constant for Eve because as the world changes, his love does not. They’ve been friends for years, and if you like the idea of soulmates, I think they’re it.

The character development in this story is engaging, and satisfying. Ethan, the father, has his own struggles. Like Willa. Obviously like Eve. That’s the world—everyone is struggling in different ways, and they converge. I love this book. I need to have a copy in my hands.

I’m a romance reader. I love love. I collect them and annotate them so at any time, I can trip and fall into a love story.

Ready or Not has romance, but it’s not only a romance and that’s what made it perfect to me. It’s more a story about all types of love: the love between best friends shifting toward adulthood, the love you share with the little soul that you’ll bring into the world, carrying the love of those you’ve lost, and even accepting the love that has been waiting your whole life.

Long reviews aren’t usually my vibe, but I could double the size of this review. It’s outstanding. It’s raw too. Because of my own private struggle, this book was difficult at times, but it was also cathartic.

4.5 stars rounded to 5!

I couldn't put this book down. I was hooked after the first chapter. I loved that this story was unique and unlike the typical "unplanned pregnancy" romances. I absolutely adored all of the characters especially Eve and her growth throughout the book. I highly recommend adding this one to your spring TBR list.

“Does anyone actually believe an almost thirty-year-old women’s when she says she’s never really given the kids issue a lot of thought? Well I hope they would because that’s actually the case for me. I’ve given it a ton of adjacent thought, because it was the topic du jour for about a million hours in a row”



4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

This book made me feel SO many things. I felt like the exploration of each relationship in the FMC’s life was extremely well done. The friendship between her and Willa and the internal dialog Eve has regarding how her becoming pregnant has made Willa feel felt very real, raw and genuine. I’m just overall very impressed and would recommend to anyone loves a great happy ending.

- .5 ⭐️ for Ethan lol. I wish she had slept with Shep that night.

I thought this was so sweet. I love that it’s a love story between a new mother and baby along with romantic love, and friendship love. Shep and Eve have a love so special and I’m so happy they worked out. I thought Ethan was nice but him being so indifferent about everything just made me think it would have been better without him. I think if there were a few chapters of his and Sheps POV could have helped understand them both better. I really felt for Willa. I’m happy her and Eve were able to work through this situation together at stay strong. Overall, this was really enjoyable and would recommend to others!

holy swoon!!! shep is my love language! not normally a fan of pregnancy trope but who doesn’t love a slow burn??

I have been reading strictly fantasy for the past few months, almost the entire year so I enjoyed this quick break into a contemporary romance. I struggled a bit in the beginning, mainly because of my aforementioned reading history but as the story picked up I was in no rush to put it down. This felt like the perfect palette cleanser. I enjoyed the characters and of course the romance.

I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this! I thought it was the cutest book. The writing had a casual, you’re talking to your girl friend, style of writing that made it so easy to read. It reminded me a bit of Georgie All Along. If you love FMC who are a lil messy and don’t have it together, then Eve is the one for you.

She is unexpectedly pregnant, and throughout the book this incident forces her to reevaluate her relationships with family and friends and decide where she sees her career going. While she’s working through all this it’s her childhood friend and best friend’s brother, Shep, who steps up in a big way. But the one night stand baby daddy isn’t out of the picture just yet!

Slow-burn, friends to lovers and sort of second chance trope lovers will be super happy with this book. Can’t forget the found family trope, either!

I couldn’t put this down. It had me laughing, squealing, squirming from secondhand nervous energy and just swooning at some of the things Shep would do. It also gave a sad but real look at how friendships can be challenged when one friend faces infertility issues and another is suddenly pregnant.

I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Wow, what a book! I was reading in bed sobbing last night because of how beautiful this story is.

Eve's pregnant. The father? One night stand. Her family? Miles away from NYC. Best friend Willa? Otherwise engaged. Best friend's older brother, Shep, whom she's known her whole life, is super supportive, funny, sweet, recently single, and kinda hot? Here to help!

While Shep is there for her, Eve does have to do a lot of self-reflection to figure out who she truly is, what she wants out of life (pregnancy and career related), and what actually led to that fateful one-night stand in the first place.

Not only was this story about navigating all of the facets of pregnancy (mostly alone, I might add), but it was really about Eve finding herself, discovering who she wanted to be as a mother and a human being in general, and being okay with maybe having to do it all alone.

I think this book is a love letter to anybody who's ever been pregnant and didn't know what the hell they were doing. While I've never been in that position, parts of this book really made me think about the pressure some pregnant people may be under to have it all figured out. It also really made me appreciate my mom and the things she sacrificed just to be my mother!!

Overall, I really really loved this book. I'm not always a huge fan of pregnancy tropes, but this one did it for me. If you also enjoy found family and friends to lovers, add this to your TBR for next Spring, you won't be disappointed.

Let's just start with the cover - perfect and so cute! Who wouldn't want to pick this up?

The premise of this story is so unique - I love the quirky characters, the friendships, the setting, the premise, etc.

Warning: LOTS of infertility struggles so keep that in mind if this is a topic that may make you uncomfortable.

I am so happy to see that Cara has other books - can't wait to dive into those!

I love everything Cara Bastone writes. This was no exception. If you're looking for a true romance novel like some of her previous work, this definitely leans more closely to women's fiction.
Eve is a wonderful protagonist, and watching her grow and evolve throughout this novel was so beautiful and touching. It was so easy to root for her.
I'm not usually one to enjoy the unexpected pregnancy trope, but every single bit of this story felt realistic. Conflict in the story was resolved effectively, and each one of the friendships and relationships within the story was rich and nuanced.
The slow burn was lovely -- it is impossible to not love Shep and root for him throughout. He's one of the softest, sweetest MMCs I've ever read. It makes me wish we got more of him. Bastone's MMCs remain my absolute favorite in the industry.
I'm not the first to say it, but I wish this novel had an epilogue -- the ending was great, but felt a bit abrupt. I wanted more!
Thank you to Dial Press Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect book for fans of Love Rosie or Knocked Up! If you love books about family, finding one’s self and romance, then you will absolutely love this book!

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone was an unexpected delight! Eve is navigating an unplanned pregnancy, which really shines a light on the relationships in her life. There is the somewhat supportive but conflicted baby’s father, her best friend who has difficulty showing up due to struggles she is experiencing in her own life and Shep, her best friend’s older brother who shows up as a strong support exactly when Eve needs someone the most. Eve is funny, brave and very realistic.

TW: unexpected pregnancy, infertility

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, NetGalley and the author for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great book and wonderful story. This is a new to me author and I can’t wait to delve into her other books! I loved the slow burn between Eve and Shep and the characters were adorable. I enjoyed watching Eve grow and see how she reacts to all her other relationships with her news of the unplanned pregnancy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review. And for introducing me to a new author.

Ready or Not was an absolute delight. It’s a super sweet love story that unfolds around an accidental pregnancy. Eve is an incredibly likable heroine, and as someone who has been pregnant, I felt the cycle of emotions she goes through throughout her pregnancy was incredibly relatable. She is hesitant, at first disconnected, and then slowly begins to enjoy developing a relationship with her baby. Her best friend Willa has trouble talking about the baby due to her own issues with infertility, which is a common occurrence that does not get talked about enough. Willa’s brother Shep steps in to help Eve, initially serving as her emotional support and then much more, Their relationship grows and unfolds in such a sweet way, and Shep is not a typical alpha male hero in a way I found really refreshing. Ready or Not is heartwarming, genuine, and authentic. Highly recommend!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The banter between Shep and Eve was fantastic!

This book made me cry. A lot. Parts were triggering (personal life issues) but parts were just so feel good happy I couldn’t help but cry. The prose was beautiful and I very much enjoyed reading every word. I loved the characters and their issues and how it all worked out in the end. Nothing major happened, but it was a nice, relaxing, beautifully told story that I’m glad I picked up.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I WANT to say that I LOVED this book - and there definitely were parts that I did love! But it just felt like there was something MISSING. Maybe it was the POV of Shep? I’m not sure. I usually prefer dual POV, but can make due with single POV, but this time I think having Shep’s POV would’ve helped make the story move a long a touch more, especially in the second trimester portion.

But, it was very interesting to me, a single girl in her twenties, living in a big city, to see how Eve, also a single girl in her twenties living in a big city, navigated pregnancy and childbirth and her relationships with her friends/coworker/family.

I genuinely really enjoyed this book, I just feel like I needed something else to make me LOVE it.

However, it’s all worth it for the ending.