Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the complimentary ARC.

Wow I absolutely loved this book. It made me happy and sad and made me laugh and cry. It was such a great story of an untraditional road to pregnancy and family and that even if something isn't perfect doesn't mean it can't be beautiful. I sobbed the last few chapters. Such a lovely and heartfelt book!

5 star for Ready or Not!
This was my first novel from Cara Bastone and I LOVED it. It had me hooked from the first page. I know people have strong feelings about pregnancy tropes, but Cara did an amazing job. It was heartfelt and realistic. The character growth throughout the book was beautifully written and had me falling in love with the characters. Every character served a purpose, and one of my favourite parts ended up being advice that a nurse gave the main character about how once you become a mother, you go from being self-centered to others-centered, and I’ve never related to anything more! This heartwarming book had me smiling down at the page and kicking my feet giddy more than once!

Keep an eye out for this one in early 2024!

So, this novel was super cute. I know the pregnancy trope is not everyone's jam, but it doesn't bother me, and I would definitely recommend this book. Ready or Not is about Eve, who gets the surprise of her life: a VERY unplanned pregnancy after a steamy one-night stand. Filled with humor, emotion, and love, it's a read worth your while. If you enjoy a friends to lovers, a lil' love triangle, found family, and a slow burn. This book is for you. I also love a book that has the Brooklyn/NYC vibes (as a New Yorker, a book set in New York is always going to be my jam). Plus, the cover is absolutely GORGEOUS! So when the book comes out don't over look it. It's a strong debut!

*Thank your Random House Publishing Group for the complimentary ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

#readyornot #netgalley

This talented author has written a book that resonates with the reader. Realistic fiction. A surprise pregnancy. Love and romance. The father decides to be in the picture. A boyfriend. Friends and family. All of these characters keep this story moving quickly. The journey is fun. This is a cannot put down story of what can happen. What might happen. Surprises also. Thank you Netgalley.

I need my own Shep. I loved so much about him and how he always stepped up to the plate to help Eve in any way during her pregnancy. I love how Eve and Shep’s relationship progressed through out the book. And those spicy pregnancy scenes, wowza amazing! I genuinely also liked Ethans character, his heart was always in the right spot he just went about things a bit confusingly. It was really cool seeing pregnancy through Eve’s eyes and how it does affect others. Hearing about Willa’s pregnancy loss and her and her husband’s hard time trying to conceive since then had me in tears. I also really enjoyed Nurse Louise’s character.

I requested this book on NetGalley purely because of the cover (isn’t it gorgeous?) but the book inside is just as lovely! It focuses on Eve, beginning on the day she finds out she’s unexpectedly pregnant.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like:
🍼friends to lovers
🍼unexpected pregnancy (main plot point)
🍼slow burn
🍼friends like family
🍼jealousy
🍼wrestling with hard emotions

I absolutely loved this book. I love unexpected pregnancy story lines and then best friends brother trope. There’s just a lot of fun stuff in this book and I love this book. Also showing how complicated life can be was a theme in this book and I loved that because a lot of romance books can tend to romanticize instead of show how hard it can be.

The overall idea of this book interested me more than the pages itself. The pace of the story was so slow and it didn’t grasp my attention or my emotions until more than half way through. At that point, it was hard for me to become emotionally invested in this book because it felt like I had one foot already out the door. I wanted so badly for this book to take my heart. At times it felt like I was right there on the edge ready to fall, but there was a disconnect that kept me from truly being encompassed by this book.

As individual characters, Eve, Shep, and the rest of the gang all had unique journeys through very heavy topics and it was refreshing to read about. I enjoyed how even though Eve was the main character of this book and her growth was the main focus, the story was more well rounded because other characters' voices shine just as bright as Eve.

Overall, as a women’s fiction book it was a nice read, but as a romance book, I just couldn’t feel the chemistry between Shep and Eve. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, Dial Press for this ARC

This book surprised me in multiple ways, multiple times. I was expecting a cute little accidental-pregnancy romance, where the female main character and the male main character make a baby, make it work, and fall in love. BOYYY was I wrong!! This book had me asking “will they?! won’t they?! who will it be?!” so many times!! Eve was a sweet and likeable main character, and i’m convinced everyone needs a shep. this story really dives in to what it means to be a parent/co-parent, a friend, a partner, and so much more, and i really loved it.

“Ready or Not” shows us how big surprises can lead to big revelations and huge life changes. the main character, Eve, loves her predictable, non-surprising life; until she finds out she is pregnant after a one night stand. this shocking revelation causes strain in her friendships, except with her best friends brother, Shep, who steps up when it’s least expected to help eve through this challenging time. over the course of her pregnancy, eve learns that love can be found in mysterious places when you aren’t even looking, and that family doesn’t always have to look the way society tells us.

This book was funny, heartfelt, and had so much detail in the writing. if you love accidental pregnancy tropes, slow-burn romance, and insane friends to lovers vibes, definitely check this one out when it debuts in February!!

As always, thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author @carabastone for providing this ARC for me to read and review! 💓

This book was an excellent read - I couldn't put it down! I'm not usually the biggest surprise pregnancy trope fan, but this was very well done. Also, I LOVED SHEP! He was one of the best written male leads I've read in a loooooong time, so honestly, I'd re-read the book for him over and over again. There was a sweetness to their relationship over the course of the book that just warms your heart ♥️ overall, would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a sweet book that deals with very real and authentic feelings!

This is such a fun story that follows Eve on her unexpected pregnancy journey. The characters are witty, relatable, and heart-warming. Bastone does a great job of telling pregnancy as it really is and detailing the ups and downs of the reactions that one can encounter. Along the way, Eve finds love in unexpected places, adding another layer of fun to the mix. This one is worth picking up.

Published on Goodreads 9-2-23

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an early copy of Cara Bastone's latest, "Ready or Not". Bastone's "Forever Yours" series is a comfort reread favorite of mine, specifically "Just a Heartbeat Away". Her newest book, "Ready or Not" gives that same feeling of wanting to hold on to characters long after the book is finished. Bastone does an amazing job using Brooklyn as a character and the power of friendship and connections to fuel the plot.
The tiny scene in the book describing the difference between gender and sex felt especially timely and poignant.
Prior to this book, had someone asked if I would rate an unexpected pregnancy book a 4.5 stars I would've thought it not possible. It is a testament to Cara Bastone's strong characters and emotional descriptors, that I loved this book as much as I did.
Cara Bastone books are always an automatic read for me, but this one quickly became one of my favorites.
4.5 stars

Love this book!!!


Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

I went into this book with a preconceived notion about how this book was going to go, but what I didn't expect was how it was going to make me feel at the end!

I absolutely fell in love with Eve's character, she is just a lovable and anxiety ridden woman and is so so so relatable! She has a one night stand with a gorgeous bartender and a few weeks later is met with a surprise pregnancy! What comes after is where the real meat and potatoes of this story starts for me. She is counting on her best friend Willa to help tell Ethan about this pregnancy, but instead is met with her best friends older brother Shep! I fell for Shep almost as immediately as I did for Eve. You can tell in the way Shep immediately starts taking care of Eve how much he loves her, even if she doesn't know or show it back.

I think Eve secretly hoped for her and Ethan to work out, but in the end knows the way they ended up is best for everyone involved. I also love how supportive Willa is about her and Shep because it's a tricky relationship which can go either way if mismanaged. I feel like all the characters in this story had an important role in place and it worked so seamlessly.

Such a fun story! So cute and adorable, sweet and funny. A premise I never would have thought of. Loved it!

I really enjoyed this one. The characters were relatable and fun, and i loved seeing the dynamics between ALL the main/secondary characters, romantic and not. Very interesting twist to have the entire story taking place within the duration of a pregnancy! I’d love to see more from this author.

I did not think I would become so attached to the characters in this book or to the story. I’d read Bastone’s Seatmate and found it really fun and endearing but this book is BIG emotions and challenging circumstances and has so much depth and heart that it really pulled me in.

It could have been cheesy, with more of a love triangle but Bastone creates complex characters that don’t do your typical things. I think I read this at a very tender time in my life but it worked for me.

CW: death of a parent, pregnancy, childbirth, infertility

Thanks so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group.

Eve has a steady and comfortable life that is predictable. She suddenly finds herself pregnant from a one night stand. This makes all of the relationships in her life feel unsteady as she tries to navigate life with a baby on the way.

This was a good read! I liked Eve and how she was able to learn how to figure out what she wanted. All of her friends and even the baby daddy were all decent people. There is some friend to lovers romance. I liked how Eve kept correcting someone when they said gender, and she explained the difference between sex and gender. My favorite character was the nurse, and I thought she took on the mother like figure that was absent from Eve's life.

My one annoyance is that this book did not feel realistic enough for me. Yes, books are an escape and there's always some sort of ending, but I don't think Eve really figured out how much of her life was going to change with this baby. I really wanted some sort of epilogue to see how everyone was doing on so little sleep. Still, I liked this book a lot and want to check out the author!

Just finished this delightfully charming book. I enjoyed this story and the realistic struggles Eve went through. It wasn’t all peaches and cream, without being demoralizing. It was nice to see a quasi love triangle (but not a real live triangle) that didn’t pit the two possible interests against one another in any toxic way. I always do appreciate a plucky heroine who, while she can do it alone, doesn’t have to!

I’ve never met a Cara Bastone book that I didn’t love! This story captures so many of the feelings of pregnancy so perfectly. Although the main characters finds herself unexpectedly pregnant from a one night stand, I think that anyone that has been pregnant can relate to the feelings that are presented throughout the book. It is full of heart and the relationships are great! No one in this story is perfect, yet they all come together in best possible ways!
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5