Whenever You’re Ready by Rachel Runya Katz 🫂💕
Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC, this is my honest review! 😊
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My thoughts: If you enjoy slow burns and I mean the slowest of burns ever, this is for you. This book will also make you sad! While reading, you can feel how intense the love and the friendship was, the unrequited love when they were younger, and the pain and grief they all felt. Wow, as someone who is grieving this was a lot but so good. I definitely recommend it!

⚠️TW: “This story centers around the main characters' grief over the death of their best friend. Because it takes place on a Southern Jewish history road trip, white supremacy, including anti-Black racism and antisemitism, primarily in a historical context, is discussed. Please read with care.”

This book touches on so many topics - grief, maturing into adulthood, friendship, family history, siblings. Katz does an amazing job highlighting the importance - while trying to understand how do you move on from major loss?
Michal introduces her two best friends in adolescence - the three are inseparable. After undergrad, they find themselves hundreds of miles of apart for the first time. And one less. After Michal's death, Jade and Nia break. Their friendship fades as they build their own lives, mourn their loss.
Nia decides it's time to do the trip they planned with Michal - dragging Jade and her twin, Jonah along. The mood shifts constantly - but with some humor thanks to the token cute dog, Luna.

A beautiful slow burn about friends who become lovers. The book was beautiful but also heavy. The author did a great job handling difficult topics such as grief and antisemitism. These topics were handled in a way that made you feel connected but also there was a layer of sensitivity that makes it easy to read. There is a dual timeline that gives you the ability to get really connected to the characters and the characters are beautifully written and full of depth.

Whenever you’re ready is a beautiful book that handles some difficult subjects with elegance. Anti-semitism, racism, and grief are all confronted in this book. The story was intriguing, the plot was well thought out, and the ending was beautiful.

wow what a ride. once i started reading, i truly couldn’t stop. i had a great time reading this one. i’m always down for a bucket list and seeing where it takes the story and how the characters grow. i don’t want to spoil anything but it pulled at my heartstrings so much. definitely give it a read !

I absolutely adored “Whenever You’re Ready” by Rachel Runya Ratz! I thought the writing was so good and beautifully done throughout the book! While the book does handle very heavy topics such as grief, antisemitism, and racism in America, Rachel does a really nice handling the topics with sensitivity and care. Rachel did a nice job balancing the romance while still leaving room to explore these other topics. The romance between Nina and Jade was so beautiful, the dual time allowed so much depth to be added to their relationship. I love how the book focuses also on the importance of platonic love between friends being just as important and impactful as romantic love between partners. This is definitely a book I would recommend to others!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
My review is currently on Goodreads and Instagram!

Warning to read this book with tissues. The entire concept itself is enough to make me want to cry. A beautiful trio of friends spend years together. When Michal ends up having devasting Brain Cancer she sets in motion a road trip for her two friends. The goal is to embrace their Jewish Heritage and embark on a journey focusing on different locations. As someone who grew up in a Jewish Household that was so touching. I loved that element and how the goal of the book was not just romance, but recovery of grief, love of friends and romantic love. This is a slow burn, but I loved every part. It is not a book you plow through and come out the other side in the same way. It really showed me another side of Jewish Culture but also Grief. How two close friends can pull apart in the devastation. How a road trip, including a brother, puts the awkwardness into a forced communication. I will like to highlight there is a lot of reading Text messages at points. Also, there is time differences in chapters from present time to 19 years ago. I found Rachel Katz has really developed her characters as they are so well done it feels like we know them. A beautiful story that I will highly recommend.

3.5* There was so much to like about this book, particularly the examination of Jewishness in the American south with an intersectional lens. While I appreciated the tension between Nia and Jade, I simply couldn’t overlook some of the miscommunication in this book. These characters are supposed to be in their mid-to late-twenties when this all happens and they are acting as if they are in their very early twenties. I really couldn’t get behind the big reveal involving Toni. I appreciate that conversations can be difficult but I just can’t imagine two best friends who have been in each others lives for this long not speaking for three years over this conflict.

This is a beautiful story about love, grief, and identity. The author did a phenomenal job at blending a cultural road trip with a tender friends to lovers romance. Some scenes felt more like a history lesson, which I surprisingly didn't mind, especially since it was through an intersectional lens that isn't usually discussed. This book will make you emotional so be aware! Overall this was a beautiful book, and I'm already looking forward to the author's next release.

Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy.

This was a great story! The characters were like able and the plot was great! I was really interested and would definitely recommend.

This is a perfect book. Rachel Runya Katz is a master at crafting stories that twine grief with the absolute hottest romance under the sun. This story is both hilarious and heartbreaking, and every character is so vividly drawn, down to the absent but so so present Michal. This is a book that will stick with you, and you will want it to.

Michal died of a brain tumor and had planned a road trip to look at southern Jewish History With Michal’s death, twins Jade and Jonah, and Nia embark on the trip without her. Their time together had them rehashing love between Jade and Nia and where Michal fit into their lives. Jonah dated Michal as well. There are a lot of bad feelings between the three of them as well as a lot of love. I got tired of the back and forth in their lives together. Other than the three being Jewish, I did not see where the time spent in old Jewish history figured into their lives today. Strained relationships were more prevalent than relationships built on love and understanding.

What if the crush was never unrequited? “Whenever You’re Ready” by Rachel Runya Katz is a captivating sapphic romance that explores the complexities of friendship, love, and second chances.

Meet Nia and Jade. The once inseparable best friends drifted apart after the loss of their mutual friend, Michal. But fate intervenes when Nia discovers a letter from Michal, urging her and Jade to embark on the southern Jewish history road trip they had planned together before Michal’s passing.

As the two friends reunite on this emotional journey, old wounds resurface, and buried feelings come to light. Nia has secretly loved Jade since their teenage years, while Jade has always prioritized their friendship over anything more. Their chemistry is undeniable, but can they risk their precious bond for something deeper?

Katz’s writing is both tender and witty. She deftly navigates the complexities of relationships, weaving together moments of vulnerability, humour, and heartache. The road trip setting adds an extra layer of nostalgia and adventure, making the story feel like a warm hug on a chilly day.

The characters are beautifully fleshed out. Nia’s vulnerability and Jade’s steadfast loyalty create a magnetic pull between them. And then there’s Jonah, Michal’s twin brother, who joins the trip, adding another layer of tension. As the trio grapples with their shared grief and unresolved feelings, readers will find themselves rooting for love to triumph.

The pacing is spot-on, with each stop on the road trip revealing more about the characters and their past. Katz’s prose is evocative, painting vivid landscapes and emotions. Whether it’s the sun-drenched beaches of the South or the quiet moments in a roadside diner, you’ll feel like you’re right there with Nia and Jade.

“Whenever You’re Ready” celebrates the power of friendship, the courage to take risks, and the magic of love that transcends time. Katz’s storytelling is a breath of fresh air in the romance genre, and Nia and Jade’s journey will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. This is a gem of a book that will leave you smiling, wiping away tears, and believing in the transformative power of love.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm really not a big romance reader but the premise of this drew me in and I'm happy to say it delivered!

Jade, Nia, and Michal were childhood best friends, but Michal passed away when they were 26. Now Jade, Nia, and Jade's twin brother Jonah are going on a southern Jewish road trip planned for the four of them, despite the fact that Jade and Nia have hardly spoken since Michal’s death three years ago.

The book alternates between the present and past, and between Jade and Nia’s perspective which I initially found a bit hard to follow. But once I had it figured out I was in it. This is a super slow burn, and focuses just as much on the characters' relationships with themselves and each other as it does on the romantic side of things.

I loved learning about southern Jewish history, something I had almost no knowledge of but which was worked in wonderfully without being an info-dump.

The conflict all felt realistic and natural. And the slow burn was also done well, the makeup scene especially 👀 I also loved seeing a butch/femme pair since I feel like that doesnt show up as much in queer romance for some reason?

Overall a really entertaining read, I definitely recommend picking it up if it sounds interesting to you.

Meet Nia, Jade, and Jade's twin brother Jonah. Since their childhood friend, Michal, died of cancer a few years ago, Nia and Jade have barely spoken, but as their 30th birthday's approach, it is time to go on the Southern Jewish History road trip they planned with Michal before her death. Told in a series of flashbacks and their road trip adventures, we see them reckon with their grief, family dynamics, systemic racism and antisemitism, and their love for one another.

Whenever You're Ready was beautifully written. Despite approaching such challenging topics, it somehow manages to feel bright, uplifting, and so full of heart. I loved seeing Jade and Nia work through their grief individually and together, and find their way back to each other after so much time apart and so many monumental changes. I found the elements of Jewish history and the intersection between Judaism and Blackness fascinating, especially as a white Jew. I'm so glad I got to read this story and I look forward to whatever Rachel Runya Katz has in store next!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy!

This book is so wonderful. Its exploration of Jewish heritage in the south was super enlightening, and the characters were so well developed with so many layers and years of history. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it and give it 5 stars before its official release. I think this will be a hit when it comes out!

Thank you so so so much to NetGalley for the ARC! :)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance readers copy of this ebook.

I greatly enjoyed this author's first book, Thank You for Sharing, and Rachel Runya Katz kept going strong with this sophomore novel. Like TYFS it puts a lot of interesting twists on the average rom-com plot. For example, in another book, Nia's unwillingness to confess her love for Jade over years on end would just be glossed over as an extreme case of unrequited pining. But here it's justified due to Nia having anxiety. This book's twist on the trope of "reuniting at someone else's wedding" is also very sweet. I would've loved to see an epilogue of their life after getting together though, like TYFS had, but this is just a minor complaint. Learning the backstories of the friendships between Mia, Jade, Jonah, and Michal was also very interesting. Many book bloggers talk about the trope of an unseen character's death "haunting the narrative" and I think that's done very well with Michal's death. As from the first page it inspires the other three to do (or don't) act on their hidden secret lifelong goals.

On a more serious note, I also appreciated getting to learn more about the southern history tours that the main characters all went on together. Especially since I myself did not grow up in the south. The tour stories from Atlanta and tours from Charleston (and the twins' conversations in Charleston about it afterward) were especially sobering. As one tour guide character says, "I personally think it would be worse to pretend we were never on the wrong side of history, but I know that it can be hard to look at." These chapters encouraged me to seek out more about these histories in these towns as well as others all across the US. As said in the author's note, "If you found it interesting, I hope you'll consider reading more from actual historians. There may not be as many kissing scenes, but it'll be worth it anyway."

I wanted to love this book SO much, and I just could not get past about 12% on my kindle. I felt myself skimming rather than reading because I felt so disconnected from the characters, which shocked me because I was so rooting for a book about fellow Jews, and especially one which delved into the unique experiences of queer Jews of color. Not only that, but I'm also finishing a clinical psychology internship! I should have felt connected to these characters for so many reasons, but they felt like character sketches and did not come alive on the page for me. I felt I was grasping to understand the plot as it transitioned towards the trip, but the chemistry between the friends felt pushed and, perhaps because the writing style felt very stiff and clunky to me, I was skimming and probably missing parts of the plot. The style was just not for me, though I think the characters and plot would have been if I could have hung in there. I think another round of editing may do this book very well.

hmmm, this book is a hard one to rate. Overall I enjoyed it, it had a good plot and the characters were cute. There was just some scenes that felt cringe and gave me the ick. The writing was a struggle to get through, if it had another round of edits I think it would have a lot potential.

Overall still a good read.

Thank you Netgalley!

I was really excited to see this one, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. Unfortunately, the writing style just didn't jive with me so I put it down for now.