In "Ready or Not," Eve finds herself pregnant after a one-night stand, shaking up her life in Brooklyn. Her quick wit and sharp banter become her coping mechanism as she grapples with strained relationships and uncertain futures. Her friend Willa's brother, Shep, unexpectedly steps up to help, sparking new feelings. As Eve rethinks her life, she discovers that love and family come in unexpected ways. This heartfelt tale explores love, self-discovery, and the surprises life throws our way.

I really enjoyed the writing style and hope to read more by Cara Bastone in the future.

Eve's story was wonderful! I really enjoyed seeing how her and Shep grew closer throughout all the complicated events and roadblocks they encountered. They definitely became each other's "person" and Shep's support of Eve was so lovely. There were so many emotions to feel throughout this read!

I did not know who Cara Bastone is but I enjoyed this book so much and the emotions it brought out of me.

The book follows Eve who gets the most unexpexted suprise after a one night stand . Her pregnancy unravels her relationship with her siblings, her job , her best friend Willa who is trying for a baby,the baby daddy Ethan and her best friend’s brother Shep. The book is divided into segments as we get to follow her from the first trimester to when she gives birth. Witty,reflective,fast paced and emotional-great read.

I received a complimentary copy all opinions expressed are mine.

How often do you go into a book completely blind?

I do it somewhat frequently when @netgalley sends me a random eARC. I’ll be honest, I mostly judge them by the cover and then go check @goodreads to see if some friends have added it. That was 💯 the case with Ready Or Not.

This book was not like anything I would normally pick up! Eve finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after a one night stand. The father is not someone she has any desire to develop a romantic relationship with, besides he’s back together with his on-again-off-again girlfriend by the time she finds out and tells him. Her bestie, Willa, isn’t the most supportive because she’s having fertility issues and that makes their relationship a bit strained. The real star of the show for Eve is Willa’s brother, Shep.

I enjoyed watching Eve’s story progress through these 9 months as she gathers her feelings, plans for the future, and matures in rapid fashion. Honestly, I’m not sure I’d have picked this one up if I’d read the blurb more carefully (surprise pregnancies aren’t typically my jam in books, no offense), but I did highly enjoy this one! It was a cute book and that cover is gorg. 😍🌸🌺🌼

This is hands-down my absolute favorite read of the year thus far! The characters were charming and so so lovely. The romance was so heartwarming, authentic, and realistic. This was fantastic writing- witty yet full of heart. I loved every second of my time with this book!

Wow. I don’t even really know where to start. I’m flabbergasted that a book about pregnancy (and so much more) has such a hold on me.

I was hooked from the first page and instantly fell in love with Shep. I was hoping he was the love interest and he exceeded any and all expectations.

The writing was beautiful. The characters felt so real, and the humour was exactly my kind. I laughed and I cried. My heart ached during the sad moments, and I was kicking my feet during the romantic ones.

I flew through reading this. I even had to stop myself a few times so I could take in what was happening.

Eve’s pregnancy is the main plot of the story, but the underlying message of love and family was so powerful and heartwarming.

As someone who’s still very unsure about having children, I didn’t expect to connect with this book. I requested the e-ARC because I’m a sucker for romance, but it took me forever to pick it up because I truly didn’t think I’d enjoy it. But wow, I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I loved this book so so much. Eve was such a fun character to read and heading her story was so much fun.

Eve becomes pregnant after having a one night stand and what follows in Ready or Not is her journey through accepting her pregnancy, her relationship with her best friend/father of the baby/ her best friends brother, and decisions regarding the trajectory of her career. Ultimately this a really lovely story with honest portrayals of becoming a mother and a very slow friends to lovers romance. I felt that all characters were highly relatable and while I felt frustrated at times by decisions made, I came to understand them and felt that Bastone did a great job examining complex relationships.

Eve is a great character. She is funny, loyal, honest, and a hot mess but you adore her and want her to be your friend. Shep, her best friend Willa’s brother, is an absolute sweetheart of a man. He’s loved Eve for as long as he can remember and he’s the most supportive friend to her until her feelings catch up to his level. The relationship between Willa is a beautiful, honest portrayal of friendship and what it looks like for women during the ages of motherhood. I laughed and I cried.

I will say that this book felt much more general fiction with a heavy emphasis on pregnancy and the romance was a subplot. I expected this to be a contemporary romance, like Bastone’s other work, and had to shift my lens to better appreciate the story. Her writing is excellent though and I was so glad to read another book by her as I love her other series. I read alternatively with my eyes and with audio and would highly recommend the audio for your reading experience. The narrator hit it out of the park! She perfectly captured the essence of Eve and was easy to follow with the other characters. She was so animated and it was a delight to listen to her.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a very enjoyable read. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sharing such an enjoyable read with me.

Eve Hatch finds herself pregnant after a memorable one-night stand despite using a condom. It's a hard truth to accept because the father was 'on a break' with his on-again/off-again girlfriend and they're back on, and her best friend does not take the news well because she's been trying unsuccessfully to conceive for years. But Eve isn't alone because her other best friend steps up and is always there to support and encourage her as the nine months of pregnancy bring a lot more change than expected into her life.
I don't know why I was expecting this one to be a lot more dramatic, but it's funny and heartfelt in the best way possible. I loved how positive Eve is in general, even when she's a bit in denial of the whole thing. It makes for fun reading while also pointing out some hard truths, like the fact that the only life that gets turned upside down after an unplanned pregnancy is the woman's or that there's support out there even when you think you're alone. As adorable as the romance is, I'm here for Eve's empowerment. That's not to say that the romance is lacking at all because it's a slow burn that blazes hot when the time comes and is one of the best relationships I've read in romance in a long while.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the great read!

this book was not my favorite. there were some aspects of it that were sweet, but there were some things written in that conflicted with my personal opinions, which is the reason i gave it a lower rating. i lost complete interest in the story when the author decided to bring in politics. overall, it was alright, but just not my cup of tea.

*much appreciation to netgalley for lending me an ARC copy of this book*

I think my heart knew, from the very beginning, that it wouldn’t stand a chance against this book. This has been hands down, one of the most spectacular experiences I’ve had with a book in a while. This story was so human, so realistic and so lovable. It spoke to my soul, how much support and how loved Eve was. It was a joy to see her grow throughout the book and her pregnancy. It was a gift to see Shep, right there along with her. He was so attentive, so gentle, genuine and loving, that it broke something in me. They were the most precious beings and I am forever changed. I am touched, I felt this pierce my soul and set up camp there. I sobbed the last 10% and I feel healed. I have nothing else to say because, nothing I say, will ever do it justice.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House and Dial Press for an e-arc 🩵

. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⋆
I immensely enjoyed this one. It was funny, cute, sweet, and just an all around delight to read.

I found Eve as a narrator to be both entertaining and relatable, and found myself smiling down at this book on a regular basis because of her inner monologue. And while she seemed to be riding the wave of her life instead of steering the ship ( as it were ), this is where her character has to chance at growth and development. I liked Willa both as a friend and as a sister, and felt like her character was written realistically and honestly in regards to her reactions and behaviours in the context of her own struggles within the story. Shep? Well he’s basically the sweetest, kindest, golden retriever of a friend-to-lover that this sometimes-romance-reader could ever hope for. I loved the dynamic between the three of them, as well as the small spotlight we get to see between Eve and her brothers.

All in all, this story is so cute, and wholesome, that I probably got diabetes from the book as a whole but I am here for it. Is it too good to be true / aka unrealistic? Probably. Was I rooting for Eve and Shep the entire time, and didn’t want to put the book down? Also yes. Will I now seek out other books by this author? Youuuuu betcha.

~ 👩🏻‍🦰

⧞ Sincere and heartfelt thank you to Dial Press, Net Galley, and author for an advanced digital copy of this lovely and enjoyable book.

Omg this book. I absolutely loved this book from the very beginning. I loved that it wasn’t a typical romance. It was complicated. Messy. But amazing.

This was a very cute fluff read. Nothing too heavy in terms of topics and a somewhat predictable ending.

The relationship between Shep and Eve was a very cute slow burn which was again predicable but cute. I liked that the main character also was not focusing on a love story just because she was pregnant and trying to force a relationship.

I loved this entire book -- even when I hated what was happening to our main squeeze. I was so invested the entire time. This is the exact kind of triangle one of my besties would fall into and I probably wouldn't know who to root for in her life either. The characters are just raw and flawed and real. 10/10 recommend.

I really wanted to love this book as much as everyone else, but it fell short for me. I felt like I was so bored reading this book, and just kept waiting for something exciting to happen. I felt like this book read more as a women’s fiction vs a romance novel. I did like the concept of the book and how it followed Eve through each trimester. I know others loved it, so I highly recommend checking their thoughts on it. I just don’t think it was for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

i wish this had more romance, this is a women’s fiction novel with not even a hint of romance until 60% of the way through

This gave me all the warm fuzzy vibes with the perfect mix of realistic relationships!
I absolutely adored the plot line of this book that starts as an unplanned pregnancy between two people who barely know each other - but morphs into an all-encompassing, life-realizing novel. The character development was spot-on and I loved how the heartwarming story intertwined with a variety of tropes. I'm still smiling about it weeks later :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book is perfection. No notes. I loved it and the characters so much. Talk about swoony. I'm excited to read more from Cara Bastone.