Ready or Not by Cara Bastone surprised me in all the right ways. I am not usually a fan of unplanned, or surprise, pregnancy tropes, especially in romance books, but this story was different, a bit expected in the most pleasurable-of-ways. It's a slow-burn romance, which is my favorite kind, and it's believable. So believable, in fact, that I worried, toward the end, that something devastatingly bad would happen to one of the characters to ruin the good and wholesome relationship built between them! Aye! Spoiler alert: The main (and unexpectedly pregnant) character, Eve Hatch, does NOT end up with the baby daddy, but, as a reader, I was okay with that because both the baby daddy and the man she ends up with are fully-developed male characters with depth. Also, I would be remiss in not mentioning Eve's real-life-feeling relationship with her best friend, Willa, which had its share of bumps along the way. All-in-all, this was a very enjoyable book.

Read this one if you like a gorgeous book cover, a cute heartwarming story, relatable characters, best friend's brother, he falls first and slow burn friends to lovers. This was a fun one to read, loved it!! I really enjoyed Eve's story, handling the stages of pregnancy and finding love. And Oh SHEP - you have my heart!. I definitely recommend this one.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

This was a super fast and light read. I absolutely adored the main character and the love interest. All the characters are relatable and they deal with a lot of real-life stuff.

This has a very interesting take on what it means to be self-centered vs other-centered and made me see how others might look at life.

Also, can we talk about the quote: “That your children are like your heart walking around outside your body.” I am sobbing!!

This was a charming read!

READY OR NOT by Cara Bastone was such an unexpected delight! I'm usually weary of the "accidental pregnancy," trope, but it was handled beautifully in this book! I also loved our heroine's journey and character growth as she comes to terms with becoming a mother. Such a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! 

I really enjoyed this book. It was like a cute & cozy friends to lovers romance.  I loved Eve's character & I feel like her anxiety & will to persevere was well balanced to make her quirky character. (That sounds weird but if you read this I think you'll understand). I loved Shep & Willa & the love they all have for each other & the family dynamic between them & Eve. The loss in this book was so heart breaking & I really felt for all of the characters who had to deal with it. Despite how great this book was, it definitely fell flat in some areas. The timeline always felt kind of off & I was never quite sure when everything was happening besides around the holidays. When Eve's brothers are introduced, their political backgrounds are introduced with them which you would think in a book like this that would be a huge topic that maybe Eve would have to maneuver but it's so glazed over that it wasn't even worth mentioning. I also felt like Willa should have played a little more of a role in this story because of what she was dealing with when Eve got pregnant but her appearance is very choppy throughout. Overall, I thought this book was really good & I think I fell for Eve & Shep as much as they fell for each other.

I'm in love with this book. I really loved Eve's character and seeing her growth. She learned to accept and love the fact that she was pregnant and just be excited about being a mom. Shep is a perfect man and I love him so much. He didn't care for one second that the baby wasn't his, he was going to be there regardless. It was so easy to see how much he loved Eve and it was fun watching her slowly figure it out. I really want an epilogue because I need more of them with the baby.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Eve Hatch's story begins with an unplanned pregnancy from a one night stand. But honestly, there is more to this story. The unplanned pregnancy is the center but it also brings changes to Eve's relationships with her family and friends.

First there is Willa, her best friend since growing up together in Michigan. Willa and her husband have been trying to have a baby for quite some time. So, after the news of Eve's pregnancy, Willa starting acting weird towards Eve.

Then there is Shep, Willa's brother. Shep was supportive of Eve's pregnancy from the very beginning and many times in the story, Shep stepped up to the plate to assure her that everything was going to be OK, and that Eve was going to be a great mother.

I felt that this pregnancy was a blessing in disguise for Eve and Shep's friendship. Throughout her pregnancy, Eve's and Shep friendship started to blossom into something more. Shep took every opportunity to grow closer to Eve and also be there for the baby. The best part, was Shep not expecting anything in return. It was unconditional support which eventually turned to love for one another. Shep was also very understanding of Ethan, the baby's father.

Overall, I enjoyed this story because it is emotional and relatable. I also loved all of the characters personal growth as well. Highly recommended! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a cute heartfelt book with lovable characters. I enjoyed hearing Eve's inner monologue and of course, Shep! It had a few spicy scenes and realistic banter. Overall, good read!

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

I requested this book from Netgalley because I really enjoyed her Love Lines series. This book is different from those, it’s deeper and so lovely. Funny, but touching. Wonderful characters dealing with so many emotions! Makes you laugh one minute and tear up the next. I liked it so much, I am thinking of buying a copy for myself and will highly recommend it to friends.

I loved Eve’s journey, but I especially loved Shep. He is exactly my favorite type of leading man: dorky, sweet, helpful, wears his heart on his sleeve even if the woman he loves isn’t ready to see it. His Love Language is most definitely Acts of Service. I wish there were an epilogue where we could see how the three of them really work to raise this baby together. There aren’t enough books out there that show that kind of family.

This book is a delight. Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Ready or Not was a great read! I love the accuracy in emotions when dealing with a surprise pregnancy. I loved how the serious situation was dotted with humor. I loved the slow burn romance between Eva and Shep. I don't normally enjoy the accidental pregnancy trope but this one hit the mark and was great.

I loved this story full of decent people figuring out how to deal with an unexpected pregnancy. I loved the friendship between Willa and Eve, and Shep and Eve. I appreciated the nuance of how Ethan was developed as a character. This was very much a warm, comforting read and I unhesitatingly recommend it.

This was such a cute, warm, feel good story! It started off pretty slow but quickly turned into a slow burn that I never wanted to end. Shep is easily one of those characters I’ll think about for a long time!

This was such a sweet book. I loved Eve and I loved how her character developed throughout the book. It was a great commentary on pregnancy and early motherhood. I loved that it was more than a love story.

Yup, this had everything I like in a romance novel. Adults telling each other what they want… we love to see it! Bastone did not include any of that ‘tiptoeing around our feelings’ bullshit. This novel was complex in that it centered around Eve’s unexpected pregnancy from a one-night stand. Will the biological father step up to the plate? What about her best friend’s brother, seemingly waiting in the wings to attend to her every need? For someone who hates all things babies and children, surprise!!!! I loved it. A Book of the Month selection that will surely be passed along to my friends and family.

I used to be wary of reading any book with a pregnancy trope but honestly if done correctly, I love them. This was such beautifully written and it felt so real. Many times a pregnancy is sugar coated or written in a way that makes pregnancy sound like rainbows and sunshine. While you are bringing a life into the world, I can imagine how difficult that can truly be. We see the journey of Eve’s full pregnancy and how she navigates it. Shep is just perfect. He is unconditionally supportive of Eve and I think he’s an angel.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I requested this book, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this is a lovely, well developed, and page turning romance. Not all of the characters were easy to love, but they were written so well that you will eventually find something redeeming about all of them (I'm looking at you, Ethan!). Shep is a swoon worthy character that ranks right up there with other swoon worthy romance characters, and the friendship between Eve and Willa is wonderful to read (despite the difficulty that Willa initially has with Eve's pregnancy). I'm looking forward to what Cara Bastone writes in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-galley.

My First experience with Cara Bastone but not my last. This was a great original, creative, sweet romance story that exists and succeeds without any of the fight/breakup tropes and I'm so grateful for it. I love the messaging, I love watching Eve find her way. It was all around a feel good book but not at all cheesy.

I am a fan of Cara Bastone, and this one was another hit! It was real and raw, and sweet and romantic...Eve our heroine is unexpectedly pregnant. Her one-night stand is actually a nice guy but has gone back to his ex-girlfriend by the time Eve has informed him of the pregnancy. He was kind of wishy-washy about what he wanted (and manipulated by girlfriend) for most of the book, but I never hated his character. Shep her best friend's brother was just a dream! If I wasn't a married mother of six, and Shep wasn't a fictional character...lol He was definite book boyfriend material!
Everything about this book was great and it was almost perfect...except, I honestly cringed during the ultrasound and there was a discussion about gender verses sex of the baby...ugh. I wish I could block that whole part out! It was so unnecessary when a simple "I don't want to know..." would have sufficed. Sigh. Thankfully, it was a short-lived topic and I loved everything else!

4.5 stars

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Title: Ready or Not
Author: Cara Bastone
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: February 13, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC from Dial Press, a division of Random House Publishing Group, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Heartfelt • Wholesome • Authentic

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Eve Hatch lives for surprises! Just kidding. She expects every tomorrow to be pretty much the same as today. She loves her cozy apartment in Brooklyn that’s close to her childhood best friend Willa, and far from her midwestern, traditional family who has never really understood her. While her job is only dream-adjacent, it’s comfortable and steady. She always knows what to expect from her life... until she finds herself expecting after an uncharacteristic one-night stand.

The unplanned pregnancy cracks open all the relationships in her life. Eve’s loyal friendship with Willa is feeling tense, right when she needs her the most. And it’s actually Willa’s steadfast older brother, Shep, who steps up to help Eve. He has always been friendly, but now he’s checking in, ordering her surprise lunches, listening to all her complaints, and is... suddenly kinda hot? Then, as if she needs one more complication, there’s the baby’s father, who is (technically) supportive but (majorly) conflicted.

Up until this point, Eve’s been content to coast through life. Now, though—maybe it’s the hormones, maybe it’s the way Shep’s shoulders look in a T-shirt—Eve starts to wonder if she has been secretly desiring more from every aspect of her life.

Over the course of nine months, as Eve struggles to figure out the next right step in her expanding reality, she begins to realize that family and love, in all forms, can sneak up on you when you least expect it.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Ready or Not was on my radar way before it was announced as a Book of the Month choice because the premise sounded so wholesome and just right up my alley. This is my first time reading Cara Bastone and I was pleasantly surprised with just how much I enjoyed it.

This friends-to-lovers, slow burn romance featuring an unexpected pregnancy was done just right. There were so many real-life obstacles and tender moments between the characters that I felt myself among friends. Each of the characters was so real and endearing. I particularly loved Shep and nurse Louise, even though her role was small. The romance was definitely not the main focus, and yet it felt so organic. The theme of found family was very progressive and important in this day and age.

There were some laugh-out-loud moments and it was definitely interesting getting Eve's internal monologue. The character's reactions (even Eve's) to the pregnancy were varied and genuine. Despite covering a shorter period of time (nine months), the pacing and writing style was spot on.

Overall, Ready or Not was an enjoyable read. The realistic relationships and characters development were definitely the strength. I would definitely be willing to explore more of Cara Bastone's work, and there is a little part of me hoping these characters might return in a follow-up or even a series.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the friends-to-lovers trope
• readers who like endearing characters

⚠️ CW: pregnancy, infertility, miscarriage, medical content, sexual content, death, death of parent, cancer, grief, vomit, abortion, cursing, toxic relationship

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Sometimes the good news hurts more than the bad."

"Sometimes the bad feels better than the good."