I really liked this one! It's not a traditional love story, fully, although there is a very satisfying friends-to-lovers arc if that is your thing. It's actually not mine, but I wasn't bothered by it here and I thought it served the story well. What I really enjoyed about this is the love story between the main character, Eve, her siblings, colleagues and friends, her unborn baby, and how she grows to love and accept the person she becomes over the course of the book and her pregnancy. It's a deeply satisfying and comforting read with a few obvious content notes: unexpected pregnancy and previous death of parents.

4.5 Stars

While this may not have been my normal kind of romance book, meaning the romance really wasn't the focal point of the story, I absolutely loved this one. At let me just say, the romance may not have been the focus of this story, it was still very prominent and had me swooning left and right. Though this book is definitely the definition of a slow burn.

I absolutely loved Eve as the main lead in this book. She's going through so much but honestly handles it with such grace while also being completely real and relatable. I loved all the relationships shown throughout this book and how they all grew and developed. The struggles Eve had with Willa, the growing friendship with Shep, getting to know Ethan, learning to lean on her brothers, the nurse at her OB's office, all of them were so fleshed out. And the pacing of this book felt perfect, even with everything going on around her.

Then of course you have the personal growth of Eve's character, which for me was the main focus of this story. I've never been pregnant, but this book felt like a real representation of what that might be like, especially when going it through it (kind of) on your own. Yes, she had a lot of people around her, but for a good portion of this book, she felt like she was going through a lot of it on her own, and watching her come the realization that she wasn't? That was golden.

And I don't think I could write a complete review of this book without talking about Shep... He was probably the best love interest I've read. The way he loved and supported Eve throughout this entire book, without ever expecting anything in return was truly perfection. It's clear from the start of this book they have a history and that it's important, to the both of them, and I seriously loved how everything between them was explored.

I know surprise pregnancy isn't a trope for everyone, but if there is one surprise pregnancy book I suggest you read, it is this one.

✔️ Friends to Lovers
✔️ Best Friend's Brother
✔️ Found Family
✔️ Unplanned Pregnancy
✔️ Slow Burn
✔️ First Person Single POV

I always enjoy Cara Bastone’s writing and this new one from her is no exception. I really enjoyed this story even though I don’t always life surprise pregnancies. This one was done well.

I think this is my favorite Cara Bastone book so far. I could not put it down. There was humor and so much emotion and I loved every part of it. My favorite trope is best friend’s brother and I loved the unique pairing with the pregnancy trope. Also my favorite scene in the book is on the cover! Shep is the most sweet, goofy, lovable guy and Eve is so freaking hilarious. Eve learns so much through her journey and I found so many lessons throughout this book that so many people can relate to. I also loved the side characters of Ethan and Willa. I loved it and can’t wait for more from Cara Bastone.

When Eve finds herself pregnant after a one night stand, she has to figure out navigating all the changes this will bring about in her comfortable life.

I really enjoyed how real this book was about pregnancy. I just had my third child 4.5 months ago so pregnancy is still relatively fresh in my mind, and there was definitely relatable content! I also enjoyed how there wasn’t a ton of Drama™️ in the book. It felt very, very much real life with some mild humor thrown in. Watching relationships develop and grow or shift and change was thought out and believable.

It was overall a cute story, if you’re looking for an easy read about a woman figuring out what she wants, and don’t mind reading about pregnancy, this book may be for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

They say you can't judge a book by it's cover, but this one is beautiful inside and out!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a heart-felt romance with depth! It's such a beautiful story and definitely had me sobbing at some parts. (in a good way, I promise)

Synopsis: Eve Hatch's comfortable & consistent world is turned upside down when she finds herself pregnant after an uncharacteristic one night stand. This news seem to shake everything up, including her relationship with her life-long bestie, Willa.

As Eve navigates her new reality, she finds herself on an emotional journey, as well as a physical one. With everything changing, one thing remains steadfast -- her best friend's brother Shep -- who is becoming increasingly helpful and present in Eve's life. Turns out pregnancy isn't the only surprising thing changing in her life.

What I liked:
-- realistic pregnancy
-- Eve's journey in her personal life
-- the loveable character's with valid flaws
-- the MMC not being the father, I thought this was a super interesting twist on the surprise pregnancy trope

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

Such a great, original story! I love friends-to-lovers tropes. I’m not typically a fan of surprise pregnancies, but that one-off with her normal character really made this story what it was.

This is the novel I have been waiting three years for (short form audible originals only count half a point…they were also great, I’m just greedy)! After a three-year wait, I saw this cover and let out the most undignified squeal. Seriously, it is stunning and whoever designed it should be given a raise immediately. However, the plot made me hesitate to add this to my TBR. Accidental pregnancy is not a trope I typically enjoy, but I just couldn’t stay away…and I am so glad that I was proven wrong!

Ready or Not is a beautiful novel filled with Cara Bastone’s trademark blend of humor and heart. Eve was a fantastic character grounded in realism and I found myself fully invested in her story. If that wasn’t enough of a reason to pick this up, maybe this will. Our hero Shep is an absolute cinnamon roll who had me in tears with his bike scene. I don’t know if I have ever swooned harder over a fictional man.

While Shep was perfection personified, Ethan, Eve’s baby daddy, and Willa, her best friend, felt like they could have been developed a bit more. For most of the novel, I wanted to punch Ethan in the face and I felt like we did not get enough growth from him. An epilogue where we get to see everyone’s roles in the baby’s life would have put the cherry on top of this already marvelous novel.

Book was reviewed on Barnes and Noble.
Review will also be posted to TikTok and Instagram on publication day.

Super cute and heartwarming! I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Unexpected pregnancy books usually do not work for me and are so cheesy that I have a hard time enjoying them. This one sounded like it could be promising, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try and I'm glad I did. I found it to be very charming and entertaining. I loved all the characters in this book, but I think Nurse Louise was actually my favorite. Eve's inward monologue and her conversations with Nurse Louise at her OB/GYN appointments had me smiling. I also love the cover of this book! So pretty!

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley, for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I have not read anything by this author before, but I will definitely be looking out for their work in the future. I loved seeing the story unfold and seeing the characters grow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC.

I will be honest here - this was not the right time for me to read this book. As I am unraveling my own feelings of my start of motherhood this book and its emotions were too much for me right now.

4 stars.

This book was absolutely beautiful. As a mama, it brought such warmth to my heart.

I can’t lie, the beginning was very slow. I didn’t find myself sucked in until halfway through. But, just half of this book made it all worth the four stars.

The details and raw experiences of becoming a new mother was so refreshing to read. Not all pregnancies are the happiest of moments at first. They can be scary and that doesn’t make it a bad thing. New life changes can be scary.

As a mama, myself, I adored all the moments. The characters were amazing. A little too mushy gushy as some points, for me, but overall a delightful read.

Thank you NetGalley and Cara Bastone for this ARC. I look forward to owning this physical copy when it comes out!

Accidental pregnancy
Friends to lovers
Found family

Pregnancy is a miracle. But sometimes it's hard to remember that it is a miracle, if it's unexpected, if you're a single woman, if your best friend's been dealing with infertility, and when your feet are so swollen it hurts to stand. 

Despite the challenges, Cara Bastone's Ready or Not is a love letter to pregnancy, and about discovering love in the midst of the process. Eve Hatch (lots of winking in this name) is a single woman living the best life she can with what she's been granted in life. She dreams of a better job while she works admin at her dream company, her best friends and found family live in the same borough, and she's tailored her apartment just the way she likes. But one fun night on the town and a one night stand later, the cracks begin to show after she discovers she's pregnant. Where will she fit a baby in her perfectly crafted but tiny apartment? How is her pregnancy affecting her relationship with her best friend who has been dealing with infertility for years? Will she take a promotion at work, even if it takes her farther away from her dream job? And will she risk a years-long friendship to see if the overwhelming feelings she has for the most thoughtful man she's ever known could be something?

The struggles of pregnancy, physical and emotional, are portrayed so lovingly yet candidly. Bastone accurately conveys the tornado of confusing emotions that pregnant women experience: desperation, worry, joy, horniness. She also reveals the emotions and struggles of infertility, but also the difficulties of being the friend to infertility. The feelings of uselessness and helplessness, and feeling utterly impotent in what to say and do around someone struggling with it. She also describes well the insecurities of early to mid career women, yearning to succeed but feeling stuck by circumstances, education, bills, lack of time, and/or lack of opportunity. 

So to say this book really spoke my life experiences into existence is an understatement :). A good book doesn't necessarily exactly mirror your life, but you will see reflections of yourself or your life in moments, character traits, and emotions felt by the characters. All this to say, this is a good book.

With the content I would categorize this book more as women's lit than romance, but romance readers will not regret reading this story. The only critique I would have would be an abundance of metaphors that felt forced in some parts. I admired her creativity with some of them, but at times I felt they broke up the flow of the writing too much. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I'm already a big Cara Bastone fan and have read all her books, including her exceptional Amazon Audible Original stories. I highly recommend you check them out!

Content Warnings: Infertility, talk of pregnancy loss, pregnancy, talk of abortion, birth, grief, parental death

4/5 stars, and thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, Dial Press, and Cara Bastone for the eARC. Ready or Not is on sale February 13, 2024.

Thank you to the publisher for the eArc!

I’ve read Cara Bastone’s audible originals and novels and absolutely adored them, so I was super excited to see a new book from her. I’m also happy to report that this book did not disappoint! It was incredibly sweet and I loved it to bits.

I think that the love interest in this book, Shep, may take the crown for one of the best I’ve read. He is so sweet and caring while still being a grounded character. This was such a good friends to lovers story that didn’t feel too angsty, and instead was all about the slow realization which I LOVED.

When I started this book it took me a bit to get into the writing style. This is partially because it did start off feeling a little bit too quirky. However that feeling didn’t last and I ended up loving it.

Overall, this book felt like such a warm hug. It’s a really strong 4.5 for me and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone who wants to swoon over a love interest.

A beautiful book and an incredibly worthwhile read. I haven't been a huge fan of surprise pregnancy when I've come across it before, but this story felt like the trope done right and covered with a massive amount of thought and care, often subverting expectations. The synopsis presents this primarily as a romance, and while it is a major plotline, the tale also effortlessly weaves in friendship, grief and humor as well as featuring not only a strong growth journey arc for main character Eve but also for several secondary characters. The romance between Eve and Shep works splendidly due to there already being so much history between the two of them as they've known each other since they were kids and them being such believable close friends with oodles of easy chemistry at the beginning, and the slow build of Eve's feelings is well done since Shep is willingly present for all her needs throughout the pregnancy, coming through in the clutch. I appreciated the many words of wisdom and honest observations included about both pregnancy and motherhood; it's obvious that this was written by someone who has experienced all of this firsthand, and I was blown away to discover in the Behind the Book section at the end that Bastone wrote it during her two successive pregnancies. I hope many other readers find joy in this wonderful book! Even though it's only February, I can already declare that this will easily be among my favorites of the year.

*I received an early copy for review. This is my opinion.*

I did not know what to expect (ha) when starting this book. Pregnancy is a topic I avoid in the media I consume, but since the book begins at the beginning of the pregnancy and it's not used to push our MCs together, I decided to give it a shot.

I am so glad I did.

Eve's pregnancy was so relatable, through her misery at the beginning, to the burst of energy in the second trimester, to the final blackouts during labor. It felt real in a way that was not triggering or traumatizing for a person who has historically felt very squicky about pregnancy. (My own pregnancy was traumatizing in the final trimester, hence my avoidance.)

Shep is exactly the opposite of what you'd expect from a book boyfriend (okay, he's tall and hot with broad shoulders so not *exactly* the opposite). He's awkward and sort of generally floppy and weird (in a cute way) and I LOVE HIM.

Ready or Not weaves a beautifully rich story of family and friends, pregnancy and new beginnings, and is such a heartwarming read. Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, The Dial Press (Random House) and Cara Bastone for the arc!

I don't know if a book has ever made me laugh out loud, giggle and kick my feet, and sob uncontrollably within such a short period of time.

This book follows Eve as she discovers that she is unexpectedly pregnant and has to figure out how to navigate life with this unknown future ahead of her. She deals with baby daddy drama, work problems, a best friend who is less than supportive due to her own personal issues, and trying to figure out what she wants from her life. Her best friend's brother, Shep, steps up to help her with the day-to-day as her pregnancy progresses.

Can I just say Shep might be my favorite book boyfriend ever? He is adorably clumsy, gangly, and a tad awkward. He's also hilarious, thoughtful, and so sweet. Shep deserves EVERYTHING!!!!

One of my favorite parts of this book was how much I genuinely liked all the characters. Eve had me cracking up with her inner monologue, and I was genuinely rooting for her story.

I am so thankful I had the chance to read this book early! It releases February 13, and y'all NEED to read it!

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and Cara Bastone for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

While Cara is an auto-buy author for me, I sadly did not connect as emotionally with this book as I had hoped. I do not know what caused the disconnect but I found myself interested in the side characters more than with Eve. Her support group was so fantastic! I also wish we had more of Shep.

Overall this was a good book, but Cara's past books have been great! I look forward to reading her next.

Huge thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh this cover is just absolutely BEAUTIFUL! This was the perfect valentines day read. This book had beautiful characters, a ton of heartwarming moments and all under the backdrop/location of NYC! I love the found family threads throughout. Just overall, this was wonderful. Thank you so much for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this story and especially Eve, the main character. She (and all the characters) were people you could root for, yet were still working their way through complicated situations. The move story was sweet. Definitely feel good!