I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

3.5 stars really. I wavered on this one. It took me quite a while to get through. I liked the characters. I think Jewish people have a different relation to death than I do as a former Christian. However, Jade and Nia were excellently written as well as Jonah and Michal. This was a good one. I’ll try another by Rachel Runya Katz.

3.5 rounding up

This took me a really really long time to read because the story hit way too close to home for me. Losing a best friend to cancer fucking sucks, and reading this made me revisit so much grief and it was not pleasant.

Nia and Jade were a bit confusing to me at first. The writing switches between them pretty frequently even within the same chapter, and I would forget who was being talked about when “she” pronouns would be used without renaming anyone. Nia and Jade became more distinct as the story went on, but it took me longer than I’d hoped to be able to tell them apart easily.

The history was cool, dark and awful, but definitely stuff I wouldn’t hear about elsewhere. I appreciate that this was a love story, an ode to friendships, a lesson on grief, and a southern Jewish history lesson all wrapped up in one.

I love a friends-to-lovers romance! This Sapphic romance is emotional and a bit heavy at times, but there are enough lighthearted moments to keep the book from becoming a downer. I appreciated that their road trip brought to light the historical intersection antisemitism and anti-black racism in the south. This was an excellent sophomore novel from Katz.

how is this book everything I needed ? this book really made me so amazing and love it because its just... wow Rachel is an amazing writer and I wish I could read this book again

I'm new to reading sapphic romances, but I adored this! The growth each character has is stunning from the beginning to the end. While it has some lighthearted moments it's heaviness is a testament to the importance of the themes within. A great book!

Whenever You're Ready is an emotional story of friendship, healing, and self-discovery, while simultaneously being informative on a lot of Jewish culture and history.

Nia and Jade were part of an inseparable trio with their best friend Michal, but when Michal sadly passed, their friendship took a huge hit. The group had planned a Southern Jewish History road trip, but sadly Michal didn't make it long enough to see the plan through, but it was a wish of hers that Nia and Jade would see it through and bring Jade's twin brother Jonah (who was also Michal's boyfriend in the end of her life) in her place. We quickly learn that Jade and Nia have had very little contact in the last 3 years since but of course have no idea why, which I am not a fan of in books. The slow-burn relationship between Nia and Jade showed how complicated it can be to work through a complicated past into something more than friendship with someone, which I did enjoy for the most part. I just wish we would have had more of their backstory up front to be able to understand the hesitancy.

The history part of the road trip was very interesting, finding an intersection between anti-black and antisemitism in the south. I learned a ton from these pieces of the book and so many of the stories were heartbreaking. That said, it felt a little like a history novel from time to time? Not a bad thing, just very unexpected.

Even with the elements of the story that I couldn't find much connection with or wasn't a fan of, it was still a touching story about grief, friendship, and the evolution of relationships in our lives. It wasn't a perfect book for me, but I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a book with a diverse set of characters and some romance found through healing.

A Sapphic romance which is emotional and a tearjerker where friends reconnect after 3 years. And I absolutely loved the depth that this book had.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this one! The concept of this one was promising and I love a friends to lovers story, but I just didn't love this one. I can see how other's may really love it, but it just was not for me. Thanks for the opportunity.

After reconnecting on a road trip, two friends must decide if love is the ultimate risk worth taking in this funny, emotional sapphic romance

Nia and Jade had been inseparable ever since their best friend, Michal, introduced them at her tenth birthday party. But now it’s been three years since Michal died of cancer— since the brutal fight Nia and Jade had in the weeks after— and they're barely on speaking terms.

Until Nia reads a letter Michal wrote for her 29th birthday, asking her and Jade to go on the southern Jewish history road trip they'd planned before she died. To add to the complications, Michal's then-boyfriend and Jade's twin brother, Jonah, joins the trip. Despite the years apart and Jade and Jonah’s strained relationship, any awkwardness quickly disappears as it becomes clear how much Nia and Jade have missed each other.

Unfortunately, old issues soon arise. Nia has been in love with Jade since they were teenagers, and Jade has been so committed to their friendship that she never let herself consider something more. As the stops pass, tensions mount, running high until Nia and Jade are forced to confront what happened three years ago, their feelings for one another, and even their respective relationships with Jonah.

Rachel Runya Katz’s Whenever You’re Ready is about family, friendship, and the kind of first love that could last a lifetime—if only you are willing to take a chance.

Loved it

I appreciated this book so much!! This is the first book that I have read by Rachel and I will definitely be looking forward to more books from her. This story had my heart the entire time that I was reading it and it's a bit hard for a book to do that. I loved the dynamic between Nia & Jade. It was refreshing to see how they came together and got to know each other over again.

5 stars

Okay, wow, this book didn’t need to come for me like this.

Whenever You’re Ready may be best termed (for marketing boxes) as a romance, but it’s so much more than a fluffy love story. It’s a heartfelt portrait of friendship, love of all types (familial, soulmate, platonic, romantic, community), grief, and personal/community identity. The story follows a trio of friends (Nia and twins Jade and Jonah) embarking on a Southern Jewish History road trip they had originally planned for three years before with their best friend Michal—but Michal unfortunately passed away due to brain cancer before the trip could take place. Her death ripped them apart, individually and as a group, and a road trip may not be enough for them to fully heal. Nia and Jade are also in love with one another, but a complicated history as estranged best-friends-forever makes acting on those feelings a daunting challenge.

I actually cried while reading this book. And I called my best friend to tell her that I love her. This book worked so well for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone who values human relationships.

The author has figured out how to write socialists into her books without explicitly saying they are which is phenomenal. The exploration of queerness, grief, and more is done so well!!

Loved this friends to lovers romance. It was anything but light, really hitting some tough topics, but with a lot of love. I'll go back and read this author's debut!

Synopsis:
After reconnecting on a road trip, two friends must decide if love is the ultimate risk worth taking in this funny, emotional sapphic romance

Nia and Jade had been inseparable ever since their best friend, Michal, introduced them at her tenth birthday party. But now it’s been three years since Michal died of cancer— since the brutal fight Nia and Jade had in the weeks after— and they're barely on speaking terms.

Until Nia reads a letter Michal wrote for her 29th birthday, asking her and Jade to go on the southern Jewish history road trip they'd planned before she died. To add to the complications, Michal's then-boyfriend and Jade's twin brother, Jonah, joins the trip. Despite the years apart and Jade and Jonah’s strained relationship, any awkwardness quickly disappears as it becomes clear how much Nia and Jade have missed each other.

Thoughts:
Originally, from the synopsis, I was expecting a story about two friends reconnecting and falling in love while dealing with their grief. But it was a lot heavier than I was expecting it to be. There was a lot of historical context and facts, which I didn't mind because I love history. Also, it took some time for me to be invested in the characters. Overall, it was a good book that had a happy ending!

3.5 stars.

"Whenever You're Ready" by Rachel Runya Katz was not what I was expecting. It's about a group of friends, Jade, Nia, and Jade's twin brother Jonah, reconnecting after the death of their friend, Michal, a few years earlier. They had planned to go on a Southern Jewish history road trip before it was discovered that Michal had brain cancer. Jade and Nia have been in love with each other since they were kids, but have yet to make their true feelings known. They have been estranged for a couple of years following Michal's death and a falling out. To make matters even more complicated, Jonah was dating Michal when she died, and Jade and Michal were best friends, so they all have this big, amalgamous blob of connections and feelings for and with one another. Long-lost loves, brother and sister dynamics, best friends loving and fighting, lovers who have lost, friends who have lost more...It's a little dizzying and complex, to be honest. The story is mostly well written, especially when it comes to the grief aspects of the story. This is one of the slowest-burning romances I have ever read. Katz really leaves it to the last minute! I did find myself getting confused about some of the dynamics and characters, though. There is *a lot* of history in this book. The Southern Jewish history road trip is compelling, to be sure. I feel like I learned a lot that I previously didn't know about the history of Jewish people in the South during the Civil War. While this is a fine book, I must admit, I liked Katz's first book better.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Runya Katz, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This was an informative and interesting read, but wow, the characters drove me crazy sometimes!

Our lead characters were so juvenile and immature at times that I wanted to just shake them. Jade and Nia meet when their best friend Michal introduces them at age ten. The three girls become fast friends. However, Michal died three years ago, throwing the friend group into chaos. Michal wanted Jade and Nia to go on a Southern Jewish history road trip--one they all had planned to go on before Michal got sick. Jade, Nia, and Jade's twin brother (and Michal's boyfriend, confused yet) set out on the trip in Michal's honor.

We learn quickly that Jade and Nia have been somewhat estranged for the past three years, but, of course, we can't be told why. I am not a fan of books where there's a big past event/blowup that is alluded to but not revealed for most of the book. However, it seems par for the course for this group, who cannot communicate to save their lives.

The history part of the road trip is fascinating, as it delves into the history and intersection of anti-black racism and antisemitism in the American South. I learned a lot, honestly, and there are parts that can make you cry. It's wonderful to see queer Jewish characters of color in literature.

There's a lot of intertwined romance and drama in READY and it's difficult to keep track of, sometimes. There's Michal and Jonah's relationship; something that happened with Nia and Jade; and the background of Michal's illness and death. All the drama and sadness is overwhelming sometimes. Nia and Jade are a cute couple, but wow, it's a slooooow burn romance. Those two know how to drag things out!

This one is rather long and you have to warm up to the characters. There is, however, a delightful dog named Luna and wonderful, diverse representation.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I don't think it was for me. The concept was so promising and I was so into the idea of the book, but the pacing was way too slow and I couldn't get through it.

good romance and loved how they found love and each other. They survived their trials and found their way back to each other. another great romance.

Oh my goodness, one of the easiest five stars ever.

This book was BEAUTIFUL. I loved all of the Jewish history that they put in, I loved the sloooow burn, I loved the development of all four characters. Were there times I wanted to shake them? Yes. But in a good way. I'm so glad I spent my Yom Kippur reading a book about forgiveness, about Jewish joy and Jewish heartbreak, and about love.

Three years ago, the third part of Jade and Nia's trio, Michal, died, and Jade and Nia had a massive fallout, leaving all their plans in the dust. Now, Nia has found a letter from Michal, encouraging them (and Jade's twin brother) to take the Southern Jewish History Roadtrip they planned so many years ago. Jade and Nia have a chance to reconnect, rekindle what they once had, rebuild, but will they?
It's slow and meditative. Advertising it as a romance isn't really true. The characters are interesting and the history is too, but it really is slow. It's pretty decent, though. Definitely worth a shot.