Whenever you're ready was a great read that explored grief, friendship, and romance. I really enjoyed the journey we go on with the characters and how heartfelt the roadtrip itself felt. It felt like a story about finding yourself, reconnecting with loved ones, and processing grief.

It's a slow burn sapphic romance but it was also much more than that. Rachel also touches on racism and antisemitism in a way that is engaging and yet gentle. I really appreciated the different points of views even in third person.

This book follows two childhood best friends, Jade and Nia, that reconnect on a road trip three years after their best friend, Michal, died of cancer. This reconnection also includes Jonah, Jade’s twin brother and Michal’s then-boyfriend. The road trip brings up uncomfortable truths and realities regarding identity, grief, friendship, and family that the group must grapple with. In the middle of it all, there is the unspoken tension and desire between Nia and Jade, which is yet another matter left to be confronted.

There’s a lot of things to love about this book. I really appreciated the road trip aspect to this book. I thought that the description of the settings worked well to ground the reader in the book, and it makes you feel like you’re visiting these places with Nia, Jade, and Jonah. I also loved that these places were infused with real Jewish history because I learned a lot that I didn’t know before, and I thought it was cool that I could read a romance novel and learn something along the way, too.

I really adored the slow burn romance between Jade and Nia. I feel like that’s something we don’t get a lot of in romance novels these days, so it was a great addition, and I thought it was very well done! There’s also Black, Jewish, and queer representation in this book, and I thoroughly appreciated that. I haven’t read many books with Jewish characters or representation, so it was super refreshing to come across it again. I believe so much of the representation in this book will mean a lot to many people, as the queer representation meant so much to me.

However, even with all that being said, I thought this book had quite a slow start. You’re kind of thrown into this setting and this road trip when there’s still many things left unexplained, and it makes it difficult to connect to the emotional center and reason behind the trip in the first place. I also found Nia and Jade’s characters to be hard to connect to. I found that the switching points of views made it hard to differentiate Nia and Jade’s characters from one another, as well as their motivations and emotions, which makes it difficult to truly understand these characters at their core.

Although I had my issues with this novel, I still think it’s a promising addition to Katz’s work. It has emotional weight, a narrative study on grief, and a beautiful story about friendship, family, and love. I would definitely recommend giving it a shot.

This book was a hard read for me. Not because it wasn't good, it is sad but it also is a well written book. Check trigger warnings before reading because the topic may be heavy for some people.

This book is not just good, it is necessary. I don't think I have the words to explain how powerful and important it is, and how impactful it was on me. At a time when the Jewish experience is being ignored and minimized, relegated only to one type of Jewish identity, to see a complex view of it - a conversation between our diverse traditions and recognition of the complicated reality of being Jewish and Southern. To see Sephardi Jews on the page, and mixed Jews, and Jews of Color - to see all those things that make us who we are as a People - the representation was everything to me.
And then there is the romance. Nia and Jade are so perfect for each other, and their friendship is so precious. It was such beautiful torture to read and hope and never be quite sure that they will summon up the courage to risk it for the possibility of more.

This story touched on a little bit of everything. It was happy but also sad. And incredibly important.

this is a book about friendship, grief, history and also the angst of being in love with your best friend for most of your life and now it’s been three years since you saw each other. AWESOME!

generally i don’t go for books with sad themes or grief, i prefer my escapism on the lighter side but this was so so well done. i liked the chapters going back in time showing nia, jade and michal’s friendship as it grew were so lovely to read - even after michal’s diagnosis i loved those chapters and the three girls’ friendship. those chapters really helped to understand how they were feeling in the present.

plus, going back to the current time and being with nia, jade and jonah as they took the trip they were meant to take with michal was sad and lovely and also more informative than i previously expected (not a bad thing at all).

to be honest i basically always love books with really strong friendships, they make me happy. plus the intense gay pining and rachel runya katz was on to an immediate banger.

I had to sit with this book a little before I wrote my review. I went into it thinking it was going to be cute but sad sapphic story. While it was that it was also so much more. There was family friendship and history. I enjoyed both fmc. It was nice having a stemme represented in the story. I do wish there was a little more romance in the story. It did feel like an extremely slow burn. Overall I think it was a 3.5 but I rounded up to a 4.

I absolutely loved "Whenever You’re Ready" by Rachel Runya Katz! This book dives deep into the friendship between Jade and Nia, who reconnect after losing their close friend Michal. It handles heavy topics like grief, antisemitism, and racism in America while weaving in a slow-burn sapphic romance. The writing is touching and captures the intensity of their bond beautifully. The road trip through Southern Jewish history adds a rich backdrop to their emotional journey. This novel is a heartfelt tribute to lasting friendships and the courage to embrace love. Five stars! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

If you liked this book, you should definitely check out Katz's debut, "Thank You For Sharing."

I really wanted to like this but I just didn’t. I didn’t find the characters interesting. The friendship and grief storyline was relatable

My heart. I absolutely loved this book. Rachel Runya Katz truly shines in exploring the unique experience of being a mixed-race Jew in America. She captured this beautifully in her debut novel, "Thank You For Sharing," and she delves into it once more here, along with a profound exploration of grief.

This book is not only a meditation on the enduring power of grief and the complex history of race relations between Black and Jewish communities in America but also a romance. However, it defies all typical romance tropes. It's kind of, but not quite, a second-chance romance. It's sort of, but not exactly, friends-to-lovers. It's a romance that feels like found family, where two people who are destined to be together actually find their way to each other.

Unlike many contemporary romances, there's a unique twist to the usual third-act miscommunication. Instead of a simple misunderstanding, there's an explosive moment—a secret revealed in anger that threatens to derail everything. Yet, our two female main characters move past it swiftly. The third act break occurs because one of the leads knows exactly what she wants and refuses to compromise her boundaries.

In summary, I adored this book. It can be a bit heavy at times (the premise and trigger warnings are clear in the summary), but it's beautifully written and a wonderful tribute to the enduring power of childhood female friendships. Five stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a poignant sapphic romance filled with emotional depth and humor. While the themes of friendship and love are beautifully explored, I found myself longing for more nuanced character development. Nevertheless, the novel's heartfelt moments and exploration of love as a risk worth taking make it a compelling read for fans of contemporary romance.

Thanks Netgalley for the arc!
This was a beautiful, but accessible written romance between two women named Jade and Nina. I went into this book thinking it was going to be an easy, romcom, beach read. While it was fun and certainly has some of those elements, the author does tackle more serious subjects about antisemitism and grief. I enjoyed this read and look forward to more by this author.

DNF @ 45%. unfortunately I'm just bored, and I'm finding it confusing how the narrative switches between Nia and Jade in the middle of chapters; it's making it hard to keep their characters straight. The writing is pretty mediocre too, but I can appreciate the story the author is trying to tell. It just isn't for me.

ARC REVIEW: Whenever You're Ready ✨

I absolutely loved Rachel's debut "Thank You for Sharing" so I was truly beside myself when I saw she was coming out with a sapphic novel! I am so happy to have gotten my hands on this early because it's that much longer that I have this book in my life.

What a beautiful story about grief and platonic friendships. I loved the way Rachel emphasized how important our friendships are and how they're constantly looked at to be second to romantic love. You could really feel how much Nia, Jade, and Michal loved each other through the flashbacks and the present chapters in their grief.

I loved Jonah and Jade's relationship and I think this had one of the best sibling relationship dialogues I've ever read in a story. That reconciliation scene had me crying so hard; how fucking beautiful. (Side note: Rachel, I'd pay good money to read a follow-up Jonah book. Just sayin!)

And now for romance: I love me some sad angsty gay and bisexual pining!!! All the looks! All the touches! So many one beds! You could feel their love for each other during every interaction. The flashbacks, the pain from the years spent apart, the joy they bring each other. I loved every dang second.

I love the setting of the roadtrip and the Jewish History tours were fascinating. It's not the aunties job to teach us about minority history and suffering but I appreciate the work Rachel put into this story.

Thank you SMP and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whenever You’re Ready by Rachel Runya Katz 🫂💕
Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC, this is my honest review! 😊
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️
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!