3.5 stars

When I started this book, I wasn't feeling it. The main character was interesting, and it took a while to get used to her personality. BUT once things really started to come together, and we meet the men in her life, I was invested. How was she going to take care of her unborn child? Who would she choose to be with? And what's going on with the best friend? We watch Eve grow so much and watch her take what she wants from life. When I finished the book, I was smiling big with tears in my eyes. It was so sweet to watch eve become a mother with the most important people by her side.

Did I pick this book because of the beautiful cover? Maybe. Did I laugh and cry as I read it? Definitely. This is such a sweet read - definitely recommend!

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone was such a sweet read.
I have to say I was a bit annoyed with one of the characters, but overall I enjoyed this one. Eve was a strong, resilient woman and I enjoyed watching her growth.
A nice read that I would definitely recommend.

When Eve becomes pregnant from a one night stand. It’s her best friend’s older brother who helps throughout

This is not a trope that I usually read as it is not my favorite. However, I thoroughly enjoyed Eve's journey with pregnancy and how she and Willa navigated their friendship through the tricky subject. With that being said, I was all in for Shep and the slow burn that they had. But once they finally came together and professed their love it just went downhill for. IT was seemingly cheesy, and the tension just disappeared. It was an overall fun read.

Between 4 and 4.5 stars

Love the Cover!
This book really worked for me: unexpected pregnancy, friends to lovers trope, and clever idea of using trimesters of pregnancy to tell the story.

This is more than a romance book about a gal and a guy. It's a romance book about falling in love with the experience of pregnancy and the unborn child, while dealing with the ups and downs of being pregnant, and challenges at work and with friendship while falling in love with a simply wonderful, nice guy.
It's heartwarming, humorous, sad at times, realistic in certain parts, and a lot of swoon moments.

The writing was the only part that I thought was fine but could have been better.

Where to start? I read the book description and was very skeptical as to whether or not I would like this story. Felt very familiar and not in a way that was inspiring me to dig in. But from the very first page, I was rooting for Eve to figure things out and have her HEA. This was a well written book and the main character was both likeable and real, because there were moments when I also wanted to smack her. The secondary characters were well developed, particularly Shep, Willa and the baby daddy, but I kind of wanted to have her brothers around a bit more because the time she spends with them is so genuine and fun.

The book is a bit romance but a lot more Eve figuring out how to be a mom and what it means to bring a new life into the world. The romance was secondary to all of that. And I was overjoyed when Nurse Louise (I think) shows up in the key moments to help guide her.

Yes, there were some passages that felt a bit preachy about the wonder that is motherhood and adulting, but all in all, they were minor. And if all I can find to nit pick about is a few passages here and there where Eve gets into her head about being a good person, then so be it. Ok. And also how she avoided a few big decisions like her job and deciding what to do about Ethan-Edie.

I have never read any Bastone books before, so not sure whether this lives up to the previous ones. I read a few other reviews, and I think that it's a bit of a deviation in that it is less about the romance than some of her other books. So, more of a story of growth and maturing with a smattering of romance to help us romantics through.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Bastone, and Random House Group - Random House, Dial Press for an advanced reader copy of “Ready or Not”. This soon to be released 2/13/2024 is a friends to lovers rom-com that doesn’t disappoint!

Eve finds out she is pregnant from a one night stand with a handsome guy. One of her oldest friends moves back to the area (brother of her best friend) and she discovers there may be more to him than just friendship.

The real evolution in this novel is within the main character. The author writes of pregnancy, childbirth, friendship, fertility issues, unrequited love and self-reliance in the believable ways. Eve and all her relationships were written with warmth and hope. I was rooting for her the whole way through. The book is very engaging, and fun!

I think this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. Not only was it a sweet romance, full of friendships, devotions, acceptance, and strength, it was also an authentic, wonderful look at the experience of pregnancy, parenthood, womanhood in general. the way the author lets us walk this journey with Eve from start to finish of the pregnancy was intensely emotional, poignant, spectacular, and loving.

Eve has a non-traditional route to motherhood, but we see her step into such an emotional new phase of life with such an authentic and loving point of view. I loved Eve so much as she stood up for what she wanted. throughout the story, Eve says that her friend Willa is the one who is vocal about what she wants, but there are several instances Eve makes her wants & needs abundantly clear, all in the name of keeping herself and her child safe, protected, and loved. Eve stands up for her and her child’s self, body, autonomy, respect, and worthiness throughout this story. It was so breathtaking to read.

and Shep. I love Shep with my whole heart. from the very beginning, he is the definition of other-centered, love-focused, abundant kindness, etc. he shows his love for Eve in so many ways, ways that she is able to comprehend and accept. I love a good boy-pining trope and boy did this story deliver. seeing Shep love Eve and baby right from the start was the most beautiful thing.

all the moments of dealing with friendships, parental loss, infertility and miscarriage, non traditional parenthood, budding romance, etc. are all dealt with (in my opinion) in such a respectful, authentic, endlessly loving way. there’s no one right way to deal with all the abstract, emotional moments of life, but this story shows so much love in so many abundant forms. it’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. needless to say I cried a lot in this story, but I also laughed so much…much like life itself.

what a beautiful story from start to finish. it’s none like I’ve ever read, and one that will stay with me for a while. thank you for the arc :)

Love Love LOVED this book!!!! Five gigantic stars! I’m not a huge pregnancy trope fan but this may have changed my mind. Found Family, strong funny FMC, swoony Shep. Omg. The best. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love Cara Bastone and I was so happy to receive this book for a review. However after 200 pages I stopped and didn't want to go back to reading... something is off. Definitely not my favorite one.

This was such a feel-good romance that made you fell in love with every character - even the protagonist came around in the end! Shep was appropriately named with the most loveable, golden retriever energy, and his chemistry with Eve was fantastic. Some parts lulled a bit, but overall I found a lot of parts relatable and the writing flowed well. Thanks so much for the ARC - I think a lot of readers are bound to fall in love with this one!

In the novel Ready or Not by Cara Bastone, Eve finds her actions which lead to a one-night stand have now led to a surprise pregnancy and her otherwise steady and predictable life is now anything but predictable. Eve's best friend, Willa, is struggling with Eve's news, Willa's brother, Shep, is stepping up in ways no one could predict and the father of her soon-to-be baby keeps coming and going in her life. While Eve's life keeps taking unexpected turns, she finds family and love in the most unexpected places.
I truly enjoyed this novel and the characters in it. I found myself rooting for everyone and hoping that they would all get their happy ever after. Even the some-what "villain" ends up having redeeming qualities and everyone in the book helps propel the story and Eve's character forward in her growth.
Ready or Not is a wonderful story that I found myself shedding a few tears at the end and I was very happy with the conclusion.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. Plus, the characters were realistic and raw enough to have me hooked too, and in this house we love a good romance and this did not disappoint!

Eve finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after a one-night stand, while she’s trying to get a handle on this new reality everyone else in her life is having different reactions to her pregnancy. Her always been there for everything best friend is retreating further away from her as her pregnancy goes on, her co-workers don’t know the right thing to say to her, to top it of the father of the baby can’t make up his mind if he wants to be in the baby’s life or not. Thankfully she’s been able to lean on Shep, her best friend’s older brother for support as she comes to terms with the reality of being a mother, but the more time she spends with Shep the more she begins to see him in a new light, how is it that she’s never noticed how good looking he is? As these feelings begin to grow into something more, she can’t help asking herself, are these new feelings real or just pregnancy hormones?

Eve is such a great FMC, she wasn’t a perfect FMC but given an unplanned pregnancy and everything else she was dealing with I don’t expect her to be, she was trying to make the best choice’s while many times trying to consider other people’s feelings and I loved the moment she decided she was going to do things for herself and stop waiting for people to step up. You go girl! Her growth throughout the book was amazing, from the nervous lost woman we see in the beginning to a strong woman that knows what she wants by the end of the book, we just love to see it.

The romance was done so well, Shep was perfect. While everyone else was dealing with their own emotions on the pregnancy, Shep was the unwavered support that was always in Eve’s corner, and that speech that Shep gave to Ethan (the baby’s father) where he finally expressed how he really felt about Ethan being that father…just break my heart why don’t you.

One thing that I would have wanted is an epilogue, I would have liked one year later or heck even one month later to see how the characters are doing. That’s not to say that the way the book ended wasn’t satisfactory on its own, it does give the reader hope that everything will work out, I guess I just wanted more.

Solid four stars

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ready or Not, by Cara Bastone, is a wonderful book, full of friendship, love, life lessons and choices that affect the rest of one’s life. Eve, the main character, is thrown headfirst into a new reality, and the incredible people around her help her grow into self-discovery as well as mature into the woman she was always destined to become. This novel is a perfect example that ‘life happens’ but love ultimately prevails, and that sometimes your family is not always with whom you are born and raised, but those people who fall into your life when you need them most.

Eve finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after a one-night stand.This is the story of how her pregnancy affects her relationships, her work, and her love life. I was genuinely surprised how much I liked this book. Shep as a romantic hero just melted my heart! And the chemistry between Shep and Eve once they found each other was HOT!

Finally an unplanned pregnancy book that doesn't center around a teenager. I loved Ready or Not by Cara Bastone. Even though I absolutely knew where the story was going to go, I was ready to follow her there!

Ready or Not surprised me, but in the absolute best way. I've never read a book with the pregnancy trope before and was a little worried I wouldn't enjoy it, but this was done SO WELL. Eve is such a strong FMC. We get to see her struggles as she comes to terms with being pregnant and the idea of motherhood and everything that comes with it. The worries she had plague so many expectant mothers (from 'oh my god how to do I tell everyone I'm pregnant??' to figuring out how you will be able to afford to pay for everything baby-related) and it made her a very relatable character and was so cool to see her figure out that she can do it, and that she doesn't need to do it alone necessarily. AND THE ROMANCE. Oh my god. OH MY GOD. I don't think I've ever fallen harder for a MMC. Shep Balder is the most adorable, perfect, golden retriever love interest. He is so swoony and must be protected at all costs. I love a good spill-your-guts scene (you know, when the two main characters FINALLY tell each other how they feel) and this one doesn't disappoint. I really liked that this book shows you don't have to end up with your child's father to have a perfect happy ending, and that everything absolutely happens for a reason (even if it doesn't seem like it in the moment). Five stars. A million stars. I'll just be smiling like an idiot to myself over how freaking cute this book was. Thank you to NetGalley and Cara Bastone for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book had me hooked - I could not stop thinking about it, and read it within 24 hours. If you're not someone who likes a surprise pregnancy, that's the over-arching trope in this book, along with friends to lovers.

I'd say this book is about 4.5 stars for me - there were a couple of areas that I felt dragged a bit, but otherwise this was a poignant book about accidental pregnancy, and how it changes lives all around. I definitely recommend this to friends!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.