I really feel like I need to diversify my romance reading and picking up this adorable cover was an attempt to do that. Obviously I will continue making the conscious choice to read books from non-white perspectives but I feel like romance is a genre where these voices are notoriously hard to find, so my search continues!

Since their best friend Michal died of cancer, Jade and Nia have barely spoken but when Nia reads a letter that Michal wrote for her, asking her and Jade to go on a road trip together exploring southern Jewish history, it appears to be time for a reunion. Along with Jade’s twin brother Jonah, the former best friends realise how much they’ve missed each other. But Nia has been in love with Jade since their teenage years and Jade has never acknowledged it. As tensions mount, can they realise each other’s true feelings and come out the other side together?

Naturally, there is a lot of commentary on the treatment of Black people in academic and corporate settings. There is a nod to the idea that non-white people are employed due to DEI policies and how that makes both Nia and Jade feel. This is a conversation that we need to keep having and unpacking, so I really appreciated it being included here.

As they learn more about their Jewish ancestors, Jade and Jonah realise that their family weren’t always on the right side of history. I feel like this isn’t something that is visited much in books but again, it’s something that we need to think about and reflect on. These little history lessons also taught me a lot that I didn’t know, so I got a lot more than I thought I’d get from a romance novel!

We get a few flashbacks to earlier points in their shared pasts, including when Michal was alive. I was really touched when we saw Jade and Nia shave their heads in solidarity with Michal when she lost her hair. I’ve heard of women doing this for their friends before and I think it’s such a beautiful thing to do. It really hit home how much they loved Michal and how amazing their friendship was.

The romance is pretty cute. They’re both very subtle about their feelings to the point where it’s not a surprise that neither of them really knew how the other felt. It’s actually my favourite kind of romance -that slow build, friends first, shy looks kind of flirting. There is only one really steamy scene and that was definitely enough for me, so if you’re big on spice, you may be wanting a bit more than this book gives you!

There was one thing that really bothered me and it was Jade. I just couldn’t like her for some reason. Jonah was Michal’s boyfriend and Jade got really angry at him when he implied that he had a closer relationship with Michal than she did, which felt really odd to me. Grief isn’t a competition. She did it more than once too, so I just couldn’t quite get where she was coming from. There might be readers who completely get what she was saying about that 20 year friendship being more meaningful than an adult relationship but it’s not like Jonah had just met Michal. Jade and Jonah are twins, so surely it can’t have been that long after Jade met Michal that Jonah also met her?

Whenever You’re Ready is a unique, queer, friends-to-lovers romance. However, Jade’s aggression just grated on me and I was quite bored for a lot of the road trip plot, so I didn’t love it. But there were some lovely moments and I think I would have enjoyed it more if Michal had still been around -she seems like she was an amazing friend and excellent matchmaker.

*4.25 Stars*

This romance novel was above all a story about grief and loss and friendship. It was not always a fun time but it was a good book. I enjoyed getting to know both of these characters and I liked seeing them get to know each other again. The journey they were on was an emotional one and I feel like I learnt quite a lot. I also really enjoyed the side characters and the parallel storylines.
It was still a romance novel and I did like the romance, the tropes were really well executed and the whole road trip of it all really gripped me from the start. But I didn't feel as much as I excepted to? I don't know. I liked everything about this but I didn't love it?
So yes, this was truly pretty good and I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a layered romance.

Thank you to Hera Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

The first word that comes to mind when I think of Whenever You're Ready by Rachel Runya Katz is messy. This book is messy. The characters are messy. Their relationships are messy. The non-linear storytelling, while incredibly impactful, could at times get messy. But none of this detracted from my enjoyment of what ended up being a five-star read; although I hit a point about a third of the way into the story where I thought I might DNF, I was so utterly charmed by Jade, Nia, and Jonah that I kept reading. I am beyond glad I did.

By the time you finish this book, twins Jade and Jonah Pardo and their best friend Nia Chin will feel like your friends. Even in all their drama, you can't help but be intrigued by them, desperate to know more about the events that drove a wedge between them three years ago - not just the death of their best friend, Michal, but also what happened after. Jade is an effortlessly cool butch lesbian; Nia, a sweet high-maintenance bisexual disaster; and Jonah, token closed-off straight boy trying desperately to do right by his sister, dead ex-girlfriend, and their friend.

Michal, the aforementioned dead ex-girlfriend and Jade and Nia's long time best friend, haunts the narrative through a series of birthday letters she wrote the girls before her untimely death. She makes appearances, too, in flashbacks that detail the months leading up to her death - but also how she met the Pardo twins and Nia, and how the four of them navigated messy teenage relationships. Michal is the kind of character you know would have held the story all on her own if she'd been in it; but in her absence, Nia, Jade, and Jonah step up to the task.

Nia and Jade's romance is very grounded, and deeply believable. The yearning that dances across the page is palpable at many points. By the time they got together, I was about ready to throw a party, and I would by no means refer to this as a slow burn! It was just an incredibly satisfying moment.

I appreciated the Jewish and Black history aspects of this story. Some parts were very confronting, both for the characters and the readers alike, but it was a necessary kind of confronting. I would not recommend this story to anyone seeking out a lighthearted romcom to read; this story is full of drama, though tucked between confrontations there are sweet moments, too, especially on the road trip. If you enjoy Emily R. Austin's work, I think it is likely you would enjoy this.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

have to admit i struggled with some of this book.... more to do with the religion as i am ignorant of that faith and all it entails....

but the lives of the and history of their friendship had me glued right to the end.... would they or wouldnt they.....

I really liked the blurb off this book but unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I really wanted to like this book but it was really hard to connect with the characters and the story.

Absolutely beautiful, intensely bittersweet and completely human. Whilst the love story in this book is very sweet and enjoyable, with at least a few moments where the characters are completely frustrating as so many of the best romances do, to me it's the rest of this story that makes it a 5* read. The complexities of grief felt even 3 years later, the impact of unknown history on their sense of self and the long bruised interpersonal relationships of the three main characters are beautifully woven together in a way that is completely honest. They are gentle, selfish, cruel and kind with each other in a way that we only are with those we love and it takes the reader on the journey with them.

There are so many things I didn't know that I learnt through this road trip and it has started me on a path to want to learn more.

I read an arc of this book through netgalley

I loved this slow burn romance, i found myself very invested in Jade and Nia's relationship, such a good read from start to finish,

While this isn’t a fault of the book I really don’t like the uk cover for this edition the sticker that says slow burn spicy sapphic really grates at me because that’s not what the book is at all to me. I knew that going in but I think it’s misleading in the worst way.
Mild spoilers are for the plot of the story
The book is about the complexities of grief and love and the conflicting feelings about your identity and ancestral history. The book leaves you wishing you knew the late Michal and you grieve for what she misses out on and knows she’s missing out on. I wish we got to know her a little more before she was gone but you felt the space of where she had once been. I really enjoyed the southern Jewish history tours they went on and learning about the characters history at the same time as them. You feel the love the characters have for each other and the resentment they’ve built in the 3years since the passing of their best friend. I enjoyed slowly seeing snippets of Michal and what led the remaining friends to drifting apart. My only real complaint is because of the perspective style of the book (jumping around with pov) it’s sometimes confusing which “she” it’s referring too when both have been talking and the action doesn’t always line up with the last person speaking. I also noticed two typos with the first letter or first part of the sentence missing.
#ad I read this as an arc but the opinions are entirely my own

Whenever You're Ready is a sharp departure from Rachel Runya Katz' first lighter romance towards a darker, more reflective second book.

I wasn't prepared when I started reading for this change as the UK cover seems like a lighter book centred around two women. Once I embraced what the book was, I could really appreciate all the layers.

This is a story about a friendship group who lose the anchor and their grappling with the grief surrounding and isolating them all. There was profound writing about American Southern history and many heartfelt moments in the messiness of people who haven't processed their feelings.

The reflective mood of the book made it quite slow paced, but I think there is real richness to be found there if that is your taste. I found it quite frustrating to see people being so avoidant and harsh so consistently, but I think ultimately it just wasn't for me. If I had expected a slower reflective book going in I would have enjoyed it a lot more though.

If you are looking for a contemplative drama about friendship, loss and sibling relationships, I think you'd love it.

There was something quite cute about this book. It was raw, honest and emotional! Thanks for a fab read

Having enjoyed Rachel Runya Katz's first book, I was really curious about this one as well. I ended up reading this in one sitting, and my eyes were glued to the page the entire time. This is a little bit of an unconventional romance book, in that the story deals a lot with grief, and there's a huge focus on friendship and sibling relationships. I can sometimes end up disappointed when the romance doesn't get the main focus, but here it worked incredibly well, and the other elements worked to make the romance stronger. I loved this focus on other people and other relationships, because it shows that romance isn't the single most important relationship in a person's life, but friendships and family relationships are just as important. Every character was written with so much care, and they felt so real with all their flaws and struggles.

Overall rating: 4.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of Whenever You’re Ready!

When I saw that Alison Cochrun had pitched this book on the cover, I knew I would love this book.
And I did! I loved the characters, their friend group and Luna the dog! I love how complex and fleshed out they all felt.
And let’s not forget the CHEMISTRY!!

It’s raw, it’s honest and beautiful. This, despite being a “romance book” packed so much complex emotions and relationships. It will make you chuckle and on the verge of tears.
This book was incredibly human.
The history and culture it packed was also incredible to read.