This has the cutest, hopeful, funny, upbeat writing I have ever read. Slightly emotional at times given the topic of pregnancy and loss and everything that comes with being single and unexpectedly pregnant. The friends to lovers trope here was perfection, the gradual realization of her feelings towards Shep and her realizing he loves her. The love declaration was explosive.

Wow, this was such a lovely and heartwarming book! I knew what the premise was going into it, and I was curious about how Cara Bastone would pull it off, and she did it so beautifully.

This is a story about what it means to be there for others, but also be there for yourself. The relationships were complicated, and there was often uncertainty, selfishness, and immaturity on display. But there was also deep love on a friendship level and on a romantic level, and the characters were able to come together to make sure the new person on the scene (the baby!) was loved and cared for.

In real life do I think that things would turn out so perfectly? Likely not. But this was an aspirational look at what could be if we were only selfless enough to put others before ourselves.

I gave this 4 stars for the story, the snappy writing, the character development, and most of all for the CYFO (cry your face off) weeps I had at the end. As a mother reading this, I was just so touched.

Bravo! I love it!

After an unplanned pregnancy, the brother of Eve's best friend begins showing up in unexpected ways. Ready or Not is a story about new beginnings in life, love, and family. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ready or Not was a pleasant surprise! Unplanned pregnancy plot lines can either completely miss the mark or be too heavy that you feel a pit in your stomach when you're finished reading. This was neither and I loved it! I felt the characters' chemistry through the pages and actually laughed out loud at Eve's musings about pregnancy and Shep.

The slow burn was a little too slow at points but I appreciated that Cara Bastone built a foundation for Shep and Eve beyond what happened before we entered their lives. The reader was able to appreciate Shep more in the end.

Overall, I thought it was a cute, feel good book!

I read this book in the span of two days which is shockingly fast for me these days when I read with my eyes. I simply could not put it down. If you are reading this review, you will undoubtedly be rather shocked when you get to the end of this review and see that I’ve given this book a letter grade of C-. Yes, that minus is important because this book is verging on a borderline D. You might ask yourself then, how is it possible that I couldn’t put this book down and yet, gave it such a low grade. Well, the short story is, I couldn’t put it down because I was invested in reading about these characters that I really didn’t like for the most part and whether they would finally pull their heads out of their asses. But if you’d like the longer answer, then please accept my preemptive apologies and bear with me while I endeavor to explain in this very lengthy and probably convoluted review.

First things first: the official description for this book reads as follows:

“A surprise pregnancy leads to even more life-changing revelations in this heartfelt, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance of found family and unexpected love.”

That is the first line of the description and yes, I double-checked both Goodreads AND Netgalley.

Now, this might be a good place to give a brief description of how I think a romance novel should be defined. I know romance readers harp on the fact that a romance novel absolutely needs a HEA and while I agree with that assertion, I also think the journey to that HEA is equally as important. The development of a romantic relationship needs to be at the heart of a romance novel, the central focus around which other plot points revolve. The romance should never be a secondary plot to a bigger issue. Now, a romance novel could be a slow burn or a steady simmer or even a boiling inferno about to sizzle over and make a giant mess. But it should be the focal point of the book. This book could be described in many ways but a romance novel, slow burning or not, is not one of them. This book, at its core, is a love letter to pregnancy and to impending single-motherhood and it happens to contain a romantic subplot that feels almost like an afterthought.

Usually in a romance, the main characters falling in love are clear. Here, for a big chunk of the book, I was unclear who the hero was meant to be. Was it going to be Ethan, the bar owner who has a one-night stand with Eve, our protagonist? Or is it clumsy, dependable Shep, the best-friend’s older brother who is always there and ready to lend his support and strong shoulders? (I don’t care if this is a spoiler because much of this review is going to focus on the ways this book got many things wrong but the hero is Shep and boy oh boy did he deserve better than this book).

Let’s start with our protagonist, Eve, a single white woman living in Brooklyn in her dream apartment that she has decorated exactly as she wants. She is, by all accounts, an administrative assistant for a wildlife conservation organization. She dreams of being a policy analyst but is limited by only having an undergrad degree and considers herself a “conservation fangirl”, lives an admittedly happy and carefree existence, hanging out with her married best friend Willa while curating her apartment with fresh flowers and bowls of fresh fruit that she gives away so they don’t go bad. (She is vegan, could she not just…eat the fruit?)

A one-night stand with a hunky bartender named Ethan leads to his sperm meeting her egg, despite the use of a condom and before we know it, there is Eve, legs up in stirrups, making uncomfortable jokes while getting confirmation of what she already knows full well, that she is indeed pregnant. Her response is to be expected but then comes the people in her life, mainly her best friend Willa, who is married and is trying (and failing) to become pregnant. It is an awkward conversation when Eve reveals her pregnancy to Willa and while I can sympathize with Willa’s inability to immediately be thrilled or excited for Eve and even Eve’s hurt reaction to it, it’s a follow up conversation about whether Eve is planning to keep the baby that leaves a decidedly bad taste in my mouth.

I’m not going to sugarcoat this: we live in a time where rights to reproductive healthcare are being systematically dismantled all over this country. Forced births are driving people into economic hardships. This book seems to ignore all of the issues we currently face as a society, choosing instead to paint an idealized and dreamlike version of pregnancy and single-motherhood. The initial conversation that even involves the word “abortion” comes off incredibly judgmental and alludes to Eve thinking it might feel like a curse word. A curse word! At a time when pregnant people are literally DYING because they can’t get the health care they need.

This entire book reads like a privileged white woman taking on single-motherhood, with a woman who inexplicably lives in a very nice apartment on an assistant’s salary, about to bring a whole other human into this world. There are only the most cursory discussions about the financial burdens of such an undertaking with best friend Willa doing much of the grunt work.

And then there is Ethan. Ethan, who, upon learning about the fact that Eve is pregnant with his baby, divulges that he has a girlfriend (even though they were not together when he and Eve hooked up). Ethan who vacillates between wanting to be a present participant in this pregnancy and the child rearing to follow, and also wanting to appease his less than pleased girlfriend, Eleni. For the bulk of the pregnancy, Ethan feels torn and then he suddenly ghosts Eve, only to return towards the end of her pregnancy when an ultimatum from Eleni finally makes him realize that, despite him defending her to Eve as a good person, she very much is not that. I generally hate the evil ex-girlfriend trope anyway and there’s really no reason to make Eleni a villain in this story about whether Ethan will show up as a father or not. All too often, we as a society make excuses for men, give them credit for doing the bare minimum, and are all too happy to lay blame for their shortcomings elsewhere instead of where it rightfully belongs. Ethan is conflicted, sure, but he is also a massive asshole who does not deserve the grace and compassion extended to him by both Eve and Shep. (Or, at the very least, make him earn back the trust he lost – if he’s planning to co-parent a whole baby, perhaps it’s imperative that Eve feels secure enough to rely on him and him ghosting her for several months when she is gestating his baby is not a good indicator of reliability).

It’s at this point that I would talk about Shep but this review is already very long. Needless to say, Shep was the best thing about this book and for a book purporting to be a romance novel, he gets massively shortchanged as the “hero”. I put “hero” in quotes not because he is not heroic but because the evolution of his relationship with Eve from friendship to romantic partner is given such little time and attention, it doesn’t feel like a slow burn but more like a crock pot dinner you forgot to actually plug in.

I could write a lot more about this book and the many reasons it did not work for me, in a general sense and also specifically as a book marketed as a romance novel. It’s hard for me to read a book that is glorifying pregnancy and single-motherhood without taking into real account the difficulties posed by both, especially in our current political climate. Anyway – main takeaway, this book is very definitely not a romance and the overall message is problematic.

A really sweet story. I loved the FMC she had great growth and development. I thought the story line was pretty real life and told in a way that is both messy and sweet. I also loved how the timeline was set in trimesters so you got the whole story but were never bored.

This was amazing on audio and I would highly recommend listening to it. An unexpected pregnancy shows a young woman what she wants out of life. There is romance and friendship mixed in with humor.

DNF @17% - Now don’t take this the wrong way. I was really excited for this novel as it contains a lot of tropes I really like. On top of that I also want to say that I do not hate what I read of this book so far, and I can totally understand why other people would like it. However, I just could not with the writing. It just felt a bit too quirky, I guess. That’s not completely the right word for it, but I don’t know what else to call it. It was just annoying to read, and I tried to get over it but ultimately I just couldn’t. I’m sorry.

Eve Hatch lives in Brooklyn and lives a quiet normal life with her cozy apartment and working for a non-profit. She has her childhood best friend Willa, and a nice geographical distance from her family who love her dearly but don't really get her. After an uncharacteristic one night stand she ends up pregnant.

Being pregnant was not the plan, and the father of the baby is in a very complicated situation. She seeks support from her best friend, who has her reasons for not being there the way Eve needs. Who is there ends up surprising her, it is newly single, handsome, kind, thoughtful, selfless, and steadfast Shepard, Willa's older brother. Over the next 9 months Eve's life gets turned upside down in every aspect. She has always gone with the flow and never taken a chance, but her pregnancy hormones have her questioning growing feelings for Shep, what she wants out of career and what she truly desires in her life.

This book was as beautiful in the words on the pages, as on the outside cover. I am not a mother, nor have I ever been pregnant but the author did such a wonderful and masterful job of writing her characters that I felt everything they felt. The romance and feelings were so well developed, it felt like such a natural progression. Shep was a dream love interest, I even fell for him. The depiction of being pregnant, and possibly a single mother felt so real. I have fallen in love with this author's writing and can't wait to dive into her backlist.

This book was good! I do not LOVE a pregnancy in a rom com. So i was skeptical going into this one. I really enjoy a best friends brother moment tho! and friends to lovers! this was a nice, quick read with some parts that just felt unrealistic and surface level? but still had moments that made you swoon? the ending itself was interesting - just seems like it should be more complicated than the author made it??

I am willing to to bet that I read more pregnancy-trope romances than the average reader. It is a trope that I generally don't mind in books (I'm getting my Master's in Maternal and Child Health, what can I say?). However, if I can be blunt, most of the pregnancy-trope romances I've read are really bad. "Ready or Not", on the other hand, was very good, and I am so excited about that.

I recognize that this is not going to be the book for everyone, and that's ok, but there were so many things I loved about it. First, this is the only book in this niche that I've read where abortion is given page time as a valid option. Most books I've read with unexpected pregnancies don't broach the topic at all and seem to use inevitability of carrying the pregnancy as a plot device. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with considering an abortion and ultimately deciding to continue with the pregnancy, even if the protagonist has complicated feelings about it (which is realistic, pregnancy is complicated).

All this to say that I loved how Eve's pregnancy experience was chronicled throughout the book, complex feelings and all. I also loved the complexity of the supporting cast and how they all dealt with Eve's pregnancy, and their own relationship to pregnancy and childbirth, in different ways.

I also loved the romance in this book. Usually my issue with this niche of book is not the pregnancy representation itself, but the fact that the accompanying romance is sub-par at best, cringey and toxic at worst. I loved Eve and Shep's relationship and getting to learn more about both of them through the course of the book.

My only real criticism of the book is that the plot dragged in the middle a little bit, and I selfishly wish there was an epilogue.

4 stars.

Thank you Dial Press for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

🍞 Book Review 🍞

The swoon has left my body, Ready or Not by @carabastone summoned it all out of my body. Wowwww was this book good. I was already a fan, having read her Forever Yours series, her Love Likes series, and Love at First Psych; she's been an autobuy author for a while now; and Ready or Not was one of my most anticipated reads this year. Happy pub week to Cara and thank you to @thedialpress and @netgalley for the ebook.

✔️ Surprise Pregnancy
✔️ One Night Stand
✔️ Love Triangle
✔️ Friends to Lovers
✔️ Best Friend's Older Brother
✔️ Cinnamon Roll MMC
✔️ Slow Burn

-summary-
Eve is at a crossroads in her life. She's not quite sure what her next step is, professionally, and oh yeah, she is unexpectedly pregnant! It was a one night stand with a currently unavailable guy. She's also starting to have feelings for Shep, her best friend's older brother and one of her closest friends. But also how many big decisions can she make while her life is about to already drastically change?

-my thoughts-
I'm not sure I have enough superlatives to express how terrific
this book was. The storytelling felt intimate too, like I was in the room with Eve as she was trying to navigate her life and sort through her feelings.

The characters were all terrific and well-rounded. They all felt so real, like I could fly to Brooklyn right now and walk into their homes. The dialogue and banter between all of them were expertly crafted, so it does land like real conversations you'd have with your friends/romantic maybes and not heightened romcom banter.

I love Eve and Willa and definitely female friendships forever but omg the men! All the men in Eve's life are pretty great - the love interests, her bff's husband, her brothers! While reading I legitimately had the thought "Wow Eve is so lucky to have such a great support system".

I laughed, I felt emotional, I swooned. 5⭐️ and please add this to your tbr immediately. If you've already read this, please let's talk about it. And if you're Cara Bastone omg can we please be friends?!! 😆

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

I loved this book. It is a heartwarming story that will make you laugh and cry happy tears. A one night stand results in an unexpected pregnancy for the main character, Eve. The author takes us on Eve’s nine month journey where she learns some unexpected things about herself. She also discovers who is the one person who has always been there for her and who she can count on.

I loved the humor the author wove into this story.

“Today, we’ll all be brand new together.”

I was very skeptical about this book because it starts with an unexpected pregnancy, but all the characters are so well developed and mature. I loved it! All characters have depth, but they also understand that humans are flawed so they accept each other. This is a beautiful love letter to family and human kind.

Eve has been floating through life with not much success in her love life, until one day she goes on a one night stand and gets knocked up BY A COMPLETE STRANGER. She has to tell her midwestern way older brothers, and her best friend who has been trying to get pregnant for years! While pregnancy is complicated, she also finds her people, new friends and her own "village".

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book’s advanced reviewer's copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I absolutely LOVED this book. It was so so perfect, I enjoyed every second. Shep was the sweetest, cutest, goofiest character and I loved reading about his relationship with Eve. You could tell his love runs so deep for her and I loved how the author could make me feel all the feels with her writing. 5⭐️

I discovered Cara Bastone by listening to her Audible Original novels and loved her ready to love characters and the way her humor shines through in her writing. Ready or Not may not usually have found itself to my TBR but because I’ve laughed my way through a couple of her novels I wanted to give this one a try. I am so glad I did! This was a true friends to lovers slow burn romance. Pre pregnancy, Eve’s life was kind of a hot mess. Her best friend’s goofy older brother Shep became her rock and she wasn’t the only one who saw him become more and more attractive. His faithful friend act was sweet and her growing attraction to him and his obvious feelings for her were a joy to read. And yes! There was some laugh out loud scenes in this novel too.

I think we all have a bit of an Eve inside of us. We feel like our lives are not quite as great as we’d like them to be and aren’t quite certain how to get ourselves over that hump and live our dreams. This made me like Eve so much which made reading this novel so pleasurable. Throw in a hero like Shep who was described as goofy and likable, which at first made me picture a Labradoodle, and then see him slowly transform into leading man material was unexpected and very attractive. I felt all of those mixed emotions with Eve and ate up each detail as it was revealed. I couldn’t find anything to dislike about this novel and plan to spend a credit getting the Audible book so I can experience the magic of Cara Bastone’s writing again.

very fun and cute!! mmc has definite cinnamon roll vibes and hes a big sweetie. i felt the story was a bit bland but overall had a fun time reading

I have so many mixed feelings about Ready or Not. While there were a few things I enjoyed about it, I struggled with quite a bit too.

I actually loved the premise of a woman finding out she’s pregnant following a one night stand and her best friend’s brother stepping up to help her. I liked how the story explored the ups and downs of this life changing surprise as well as the complicated relationships with the people in Eve’s life.

But overall I felt the story dragged a lot (mainly due to excessive internal monologue) and I wasn’t really able to connect to the characters. Honestly most of them frustrated me more than anything. I do however think that Shep was very sweet, genuine, and caring. He was such a great addition to this book and I wish we could’ve seen more of him.

Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press for this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I'm not normally a huge fan of accidental pregnancies but this one was simply beautiful. RON is a best friend's brother, friends to lovers romance. I swear every chapter hit me right in the feels. The mmc is literally the sweetest ever. I could've cried just reading how caring he is.

My only complaint is that the book ended too soon. I would've loved a few more chapters of everyone happy and together.

I recommend this book for fans of brother's best friend, friends to lovers, accidental pregnancies, sweet and emotional romances, and a million little grand gestures.

This book was everything!! The sweetness of Shep and how much he dropped everything ever for Eve! I melted…turned me into a complete puddle. And I can’t remember the dad’s name but he was as kind as he could be in the situation he was in. And then by the end? Completely redeemed himself. I really shy away from the pregnancy trope because most stories don’t do it right at all but this book nailed it and I ordered a hard copy of it before I had even finished my ARC. Congrats and I’m in love with this five star book!

****I received an Advanced Reader Copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ready or Not is a contemporary romance in which we follow Eve as she navigates a surprise pregnancy after a one night stand. I absolutely adored this book. I thought it explored this issue in a very tasteful realistic way. Eves pregnancy was described in a manner that any woman that has ever been pregnant can relate to. The emotions that Eve experienced were also very relatable. The up’s and downs in her relationships with friends and family felt very real. The slow burn romance was so incredibly sweet. I found myself smiling and laughing out loud throughout. I absolutely adored this book. Very well done.