Ready or Not by Cara Bastone is sweet unplanned pregnancy story but was lacking a few things I usually look for in a romance. I enjoyed the first half of the story, I lost interest in the second half and had a hard time finishing.
The witty dialogue was missing the romance was not believable. I didn't connect with any of the characters, especially the MMC who came off as immature and just a little off. While I think some readers will really enjoy this story, those looking for deeper, complex characters may want to look elsewhere.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Cara Bastone for the ARC

I DNF this book. There were a few things in the book that made me not want to continue reading. I did enjoy parts but I did not feel compelled to finish.

This is the book you need if you want to laugh, cry, swoon, and cheer. Cara Bastone captures all the drama of being a single person in the world and mixes it up with the mad hormones of pregnancy, adds a dash of charm, humor, and the biggest dash of love. She serves it up and revels in her ability to make you binge read way past your bedtime.

Wow! I originally requested this story not knowing anything about it, it was purely because of the GORGEOUS cover that it peaked my interest but wow am I glad I came across this author and story, this was a beautiful story about pregnancy in a non traditional way and it come out absolutely beautiful. I was rooting for everyone in this book. Definitely will be seeking more by this author.

What a cozy, emotional, slow burn, slice of life piece of magic. This book was growing pains and anxiety and needing answers you don’t have and friendship and learning to be selfless.

I don’t typically love the accidental pregnancy trope, but there was something special in this.

I loved Shep, and again Golden Retriever Energy is usually not my thing, but he was an angel among us. Speaking of angels, Nurse Blank made me cry countless times. I love that woman.

Such a sweet story about family, love, friendship, and finding the silver linings through growing pains. Almost all of the characters were lovable which made some parts predictable, but still so so good.

I did find that during the labor scene they refer to a “physician’s assistant” however the correct job title is “physician assistant”. That was annoying, but really that was my only issue with the book.

5 ENORMOUS STARS! When I read the synopsis for Ready or Not I knew it would a book I would enjoy. Well it did that and much more, Cara Bastone knocked it out of the park with this MUST READ! The storyline was incredibly fresh and original and extremely relatable! I have not personally been through the situations the main characters were experiencing, but I storyline and character development were so fantastic that I felt all of their emotions/feelings! And speaking of emotions, I literally felt every emotion there possibly is throughout this book, soooooo many feels! Ready or Not will most definitely be one of my top reads of 2024! There is absolutely nothing I would change about this novel—it’s sheer perfection! I have not read a novel from Cara Bastone prior to this gem, but I have already put her previous novels on my TBR list!

This book was so cute! I really enjoyed the main character Eve. I am a rare one who likes a good pregnancy trope and this was really good. I wished there was more of a love triangle between Ethan, Shep, and Eve because it was too obvious throughout the book that Shep would be the one. Eve and Shep were sickeningly cute and I really wanted an epilogue of them raising the baby together. I also thought it was great that Ethan continued to be in the picture.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance copy of Ready or Not by Cara Bastone in exchange of an honest review.

I can't say enough good things about 'Ready or Not' by Cara Bastone. This book pulled me in from the very beginning with its engaging storyline of an accidental pregnancy and a love triangle. The emotions and struggles that Eve, the main character, goes through as she grapples with the prospect of becoming a mother without her parents' support were portrayed in a deeply heartfelt way. The author's writing style effortlessly painted a vivid picture of Eve's journey, capturing both the joys and challenges with a delicate balance. The characters were endearing and felt remarkably relatable, making me root for them every step of the way. 'Ready or Not' is a sweet and satisfying read that will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a beautifully written story that explores love, family, and unexpected twists of fate."

This was a fun book! Eve was an interesting character and I liked her character development over the course of the book. The real winner of the book was probably Shep. He was one of those characters that you just had to love and you loved him immediately, too- he’s the perfect book boyfriend but also the perfect person, too. I would have loved an epilogue of this book, but the ending tied up nicely. The NYC setting always draws me in. I love reading the descriptions of the workplace atmosphere, the Bogeda’s, etc.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author, and I’m happy to say -I really like her writing style! She combines humor and heartfelt moments together perfectly. This is definitely a book I would recommend to others. It’s a sweet, touching story.

Firstly thank you to NetGalley/and Random House Publishing Group/Dial Press Trade Paperback for the e-arc of this lovely story!

I didn’t know what to expect reading this book but was pleasantly surprised by how engrossed I felt with the characters. I was literally hooked.

I loved Eve’s voice and her inner workings, she was funny and relatable and her self-discovery of letting herself WANT was inspiring 🤍 her letting herself need people and letting them help her was also extremely relatable. Her love for the people in her life like Willa and even Nurse Louise was just so heartfelt and I just really loved multiple characters in this book.

Shep, sweet golden retriever Shep. He deserves all the love in the world and the sweetness of his and Eva’s love blooming from friends to partners was beautiful. He is such a sweet man and just a great example of what men could and should be. His love for Eve was so pure and wholesome and just 😭😭😭 loved it!

Ethan, so frustrating at times but it was understandable. But a sweet man in the end. The quartet of 2 men, Ever, and a baby was great! 🤣 I loved their dynamic once everyone was on the same page.

The way all these characters grew and evolved through the story was just great, all for themselves while also growing for the baby.
The little village that will surround them is just wonderful. I would read even more of them if I could.

I have now discovered a new author that I will gladly read again and I will definitely be preordering this book to add to my shelves!

i've been getting real into pregnancy trope recently so this found me at a GREAT time

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.

Eve loves her life. She lives in Brooklyn in an apartment she has meticulously decorated to be a cozy home. She lives close to her childhood best friend Willa,after they moved to New York together after college, and Willa’s brother Shep, who moved in with Willa after his breakup. She doesn’t have her dream position but she is working for the conservation agency she has always dreamed of. A one night stand resulting in a surprise pregnancy was not in the cards, but she is determined to find a way to make her baby fit in her life. But she might have to make a few more changes then she realizes.
I loved this book. Eve is so incredibly determined. She is giving her life everything she has to make it the one she needs. Willa and Eve are so familiar to watch, longtime friends who are struggling with navigating the big changes happening in their lives and how to help each other through them. And Shep, he’s pretty great. I love how @carabastone handles some of the bigger challenges like infertility, loss, fear, and self discovery. She treats all of her characters with love and kindness. It’s easy to see parts of yourself and your loved ones in these people as they feel so real. And the cover for this one is one of my favourites this year, it’s such a perfect representation of what’s on the inside.
Thank you to @netgalley and @thedialpress for letting me review this one. Look for this one Feb 24 2024
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Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This was my first book by Cara Bastone, and I really enjoyed it. The plot and conflicts in this book were rich and interesting. I liked the characters and their quirls made them feel like real people I could know! I enjoyed that, for the most part, the romance of this book fully sat on the back burner to Eve's bigger story about who she was and what she wanted. I liked that this book was romantic but it wasn't a full romance book and Even goes through a full character arc. I wish we'd gotten the same for some of the secondary characters. I want to know more about her best friend and I wish we'd seen more of her and her story throughout the book

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.

Has Cara Bastone ever written a book I didn’t absolutely love? No, never. I will think of this book for a long time. I loved getting to see Eve’s pregnancy and how her relationships in her life changed with her. It was a beautiful story and I loved nurse Louise. Even if you aren’t into the pregnancy trope you should still give this book a try. Ugh can’t recommend this enough!!!

I really enjoyed this new romance book by Cara Bastone. I love Bastone's Forever Yours series so I was really excited to read this one. The story focuses on Eve who gets pregnant from a one night stand with a bartender she barely knows. Throw in a best friend struggling with infertility issues, and her cute little brother, and some friction ensues. I loved the slow burn between Eve and Shep, as well as Eve's relationship with her best friend, Willa. I also really enjoyed that Ethan (the baby daddy) was a fully-formed, complex character. He could have easily been written as a dead beat loser not interested in his kid. Instead he was a nice guy really struggling with things. Overall, a great read!

I feel 100% head over heels in love with this story and never wanted it to end. In this book, Eve has just found out she’s pregnant after a one night stand with handsome bartender Ethan. It’s completely unplanned but she’s determined to make the best of it. But, it’s complicated when she tells her best friend Willa who has been trying to get pregnant for years. So it’s Willa’s older brother, and Eve’s childhood friend Shep who steps up and is there for her through everything - including as Ethan tries to decide how involved he wants to be in the baby’s life. After spending more and more time together, Eve and Shep start to look at each other in a different light and Eve wonders if what she’s been looking for has always been right in front of her.

Though this sounds like a typical romance, it’s anything but. The love story is all butterflies and heart eyes to be sure, but at it’s core this is a book about who you can count on, the complications that can arise between friends, and going after what you want. I loved everything about this book.

Friends to lovers is my very favorite trope and this had the exact sort of banter and smiles that I’d expect from that trope. This book was funny and lighthearted but also very serious in the way that it handled the complications at its center. The reactions to Eve’s pregnancy struck me as particularly realistic - specifically from Willa and Ethan and I found myself feeling both sympathy for them and an overwhelming urge to shake them by their shoulders.

I could’ve easily read hundreds of more pages about the people in this story and they aren’t a group that I will soon forget. I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book into my hands when it comes out.

This book will be featured on an upcoming episode of Reading Through Life podcast.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. Below are my honest thoughts on this book.

This novel follows Eve, a woman who became pregnant following a one night stand. The story begins with confirming Eve’s pregnancy and follows her throughout the 9 months. We see how her pregnancy affected some of her relationships both in her personal life and at work. Eve also struggles to have a relationship with baby daddy Ethan, since his girlfriend doesn’t want him to be involved in Eve and his child’s lives. Finally we get to see Eve and Shep move from childhood friends to lovers, as she learns he’s loved her since childhood.

I’ve seen lots of positive and rave reviews prior to starting this book, so I was super excited to read this one. I did enjoy this book, however I do feel that it went on a little too long. The buildup to Eve and Shep getting together felt a little too drawn out for my taste. A slow burn romance really isn’t my thing.

I did like how the relationship between Eve and her best friend Willa was portrayed. Willa is happily married and has been struggling to conceive when Eve gets pregnant by mistake. Willa initially finds it difficult to be happy for Eve and her accidental pregnancy. As someone who has struggled with infertility it can definitely be difficult to be happy for your friends or family who get pregnant so easily when it’s something you’ve been trying so hard yourself to do. I appreciated seeing that dynamic represented, and that the author didn’t shy away from topics such as infertility and pregnancy loss.

Also as a nurse the relationship towards the end of the book between nurse Louise and Eve is totally unprofessional. Nurses don’t give current patients their personal phone number no matter the patient’s circumstance. It makes for a touching sentiment that after it all, nurse Louise is there… but as a nurse, it irks me.

My final thoughts was that the story was good, it definitely had potential. As someone who’s experienced pregnancy I appreciate how it doesn’t change all parts of your life. I feel like the objective could have been accomplished in about 100 fewer pages though.

Thank you, net galley, for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This was such a cute read! I know that some people struggle with the accidental pregnancy trope, but I didn’t mind this one. This story was so fun and cute, and I loved it! It was the first read of mine by this author and I really enjoyed it. I also loved the setting of the story, as NYC is one of my favorite places. Bravo on this debut novel!

I LOVED this book and inhaled it in two days. I may or may not have stayed up until 1am reading it (I did. I definitely did). I loved the inclusivity and lack of negative-drama in this story - it's life: raw, sometimes painful, sometimes really, really, hard, and yet beautiful. I loved that all characters were REAL in their struggles and expectations of each other. And I'm so thankful to have my very own Shep - what a beautiful character of a man!