this was such a good debut. it was emotional but also fun at times and overall a great sapphic read!

thank you netgalley for the arc!

A beautifully written romance that delves into the power of childhood friendships and the complicatedness of first love. The writing is reminiscent and heartfelt, and describes the emotional depth of Nia and Jade’s journey. The reader is exposed to grief, friendship, and love, making it an emotional read.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

this book made my heart hurt in the worst way. but also somehow in the best way?? i love rachel runya katz and I'm so looking forward to her next work.

I adored Rachel's debut so I was hyped for this one and didn't read the synopsis since I never do, but when I realized this book was about a friend who died it was a bit much for me to handle (in part because Rachel's writing is so good). I hope to revisit this book one day, but it was too emotional for me at this time. I hope to read more from Rachel going forward since I adore her writing and she seems like such a sweet person.

Absolutely loved this one. Beautifully written, poignant, sexy, and just overall lovely. I plan to recommend this to anyone looking for an emotional, thoughtful exploration of grief and healing.

Beginning with a letter from a dying friend, Whenever You're Ready is a unique love story. A love story between friends, a love story between siblings, and a love story between lovers. When Michel realizes that she is dying, she writes a series of birthday letters to her two best friends - Nia and Jade. She wants them to take a long planned bucket list trip after she's gone. When the time comes for them to finally go, they bring along Jade's twin brother Jonah. Rachel Runya Katz's second novel is a honest telling of how love can be misinterpreted and weaponized. Katz writes love stories that are realistic and romantic. Looking forward to the next one!

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

3.5 stars really. I wavered on this one. It took me quite a while to get through. I liked the characters. I think Jewish people have a different relation to death than I do as a former Christian. However, Jade and Nia were excellently written as well as Jonah and Michal. This was a good one. I’ll try another by Rachel Runya Katz.

3.5 rounding up

This took me a really really long time to read because the story hit way too close to home for me. Losing a best friend to cancer fucking sucks, and reading this made me revisit so much grief and it was not pleasant.

Nia and Jade were a bit confusing to me at first. The writing switches between them pretty frequently even within the same chapter, and I would forget who was being talked about when “she” pronouns would be used without renaming anyone. Nia and Jade became more distinct as the story went on, but it took me longer than I’d hoped to be able to tell them apart easily.

The history was cool, dark and awful, but definitely stuff I wouldn’t hear about elsewhere. I appreciate that this was a love story, an ode to friendships, a lesson on grief, and a southern Jewish history lesson all wrapped up in one.

I love a friends-to-lovers romance! This Sapphic romance is emotional and a bit heavy at times, but there are enough lighthearted moments to keep the book from becoming a downer. I appreciated that their road trip brought to light the historical intersection antisemitism and anti-black racism in the south. This was an excellent sophomore novel from Katz.

how is this book everything I needed ? this book really made me so amazing and love it because its just... wow Rachel is an amazing writer and I wish I could read this book again

I'm new to reading sapphic romances, but I adored this! The growth each character has is stunning from the beginning to the end. While it has some lighthearted moments it's heaviness is a testament to the importance of the themes within. A great book!

Whenever You're Ready is an emotional story of friendship, healing, and self-discovery, while simultaneously being informative on a lot of Jewish culture and history.

Nia and Jade were part of an inseparable trio with their best friend Michal, but when Michal sadly passed, their friendship took a huge hit. The group had planned a Southern Jewish History road trip, but sadly Michal didn't make it long enough to see the plan through, but it was a wish of hers that Nia and Jade would see it through and bring Jade's twin brother Jonah (who was also Michal's boyfriend in the end of her life) in her place. We quickly learn that Jade and Nia have had very little contact in the last 3 years since but of course have no idea why, which I am not a fan of in books. The slow-burn relationship between Nia and Jade showed how complicated it can be to work through a complicated past into something more than friendship with someone, which I did enjoy for the most part. I just wish we would have had more of their backstory up front to be able to understand the hesitancy.

The history part of the road trip was very interesting, finding an intersection between anti-black and antisemitism in the south. I learned a ton from these pieces of the book and so many of the stories were heartbreaking. That said, it felt a little like a history novel from time to time? Not a bad thing, just very unexpected.

Even with the elements of the story that I couldn't find much connection with or wasn't a fan of, it was still a touching story about grief, friendship, and the evolution of relationships in our lives. It wasn't a perfect book for me, but I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a book with a diverse set of characters and some romance found through healing.

A Sapphic romance which is emotional and a tearjerker where friends reconnect after 3 years. And I absolutely loved the depth that this book had.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this one! The concept of this one was promising and I love a friends to lovers story, but I just didn't love this one. I can see how other's may really love it, but it just was not for me. Thanks for the opportunity.

After reconnecting on a road trip, two friends must decide if love is the ultimate risk worth taking in this funny, emotional sapphic romance

Nia and Jade had been inseparable ever since their best friend, Michal, introduced them at her tenth birthday party. But now it’s been three years since Michal died of cancer— since the brutal fight Nia and Jade had in the weeks after— and they're barely on speaking terms.

Until Nia reads a letter Michal wrote for her 29th birthday, asking her and Jade to go on the southern Jewish history road trip they'd planned before she died. To add to the complications, Michal's then-boyfriend and Jade's twin brother, Jonah, joins the trip. Despite the years apart and Jade and Jonah’s strained relationship, any awkwardness quickly disappears as it becomes clear how much Nia and Jade have missed each other.

Unfortunately, old issues soon arise. Nia has been in love with Jade since they were teenagers, and Jade has been so committed to their friendship that she never let herself consider something more. As the stops pass, tensions mount, running high until Nia and Jade are forced to confront what happened three years ago, their feelings for one another, and even their respective relationships with Jonah.

Rachel Runya Katz’s Whenever You’re Ready is about family, friendship, and the kind of first love that could last a lifetime—if only you are willing to take a chance.

Loved it

I appreciated this book so much!! This is the first book that I have read by Rachel and I will definitely be looking forward to more books from her. This story had my heart the entire time that I was reading it and it's a bit hard for a book to do that. I loved the dynamic between Nia & Jade. It was refreshing to see how they came together and got to know each other over again.

5 stars

Okay, wow, this book didn’t need to come for me like this.

Whenever You’re Ready may be best termed (for marketing boxes) as a romance, but it’s so much more than a fluffy love story. It’s a heartfelt portrait of friendship, love of all types (familial, soulmate, platonic, romantic, community), grief, and personal/community identity. The story follows a trio of friends (Nia and twins Jade and Jonah) embarking on a Southern Jewish History road trip they had originally planned for three years before with their best friend Michal—but Michal unfortunately passed away due to brain cancer before the trip could take place. Her death ripped them apart, individually and as a group, and a road trip may not be enough for them to fully heal. Nia and Jade are also in love with one another, but a complicated history as estranged best-friends-forever makes acting on those feelings a daunting challenge.

I actually cried while reading this book. And I called my best friend to tell her that I love her. This book worked so well for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone who values human relationships.

The author has figured out how to write socialists into her books without explicitly saying they are which is phenomenal. The exploration of queerness, grief, and more is done so well!!

Loved this friends to lovers romance. It was anything but light, really hitting some tough topics, but with a lot of love. I'll go back and read this author's debut!

Synopsis:
After reconnecting on a road trip, two friends must decide if love is the ultimate risk worth taking in this funny, emotional sapphic romance

Nia and Jade had been inseparable ever since their best friend, Michal, introduced them at her tenth birthday party. But now it’s been three years since Michal died of cancer— since the brutal fight Nia and Jade had in the weeks after— and they're barely on speaking terms.

Until Nia reads a letter Michal wrote for her 29th birthday, asking her and Jade to go on the southern Jewish history road trip they'd planned before she died. To add to the complications, Michal's then-boyfriend and Jade's twin brother, Jonah, joins the trip. Despite the years apart and Jade and Jonah’s strained relationship, any awkwardness quickly disappears as it becomes clear how much Nia and Jade have missed each other.

Thoughts:
Originally, from the synopsis, I was expecting a story about two friends reconnecting and falling in love while dealing with their grief. But it was a lot heavier than I was expecting it to be. There was a lot of historical context and facts, which I didn't mind because I love history. Also, it took some time for me to be invested in the characters. Overall, it was a good book that had a happy ending!