Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Ready or Not

What a beautiful love story. Not just romantic, but familial. Watching Eve figure out herself while growing a human and figuring out her real wants in life was quite a journey.

And Shep…everyone deserves a Shep kind of sweetness in their life.

Content Warnings

alyse_turns_pages's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This had a lot of potential but I think a few things really just annoyed me a little too much to overlook.

🚨There are going to be spoilers below. So click away if you don’t want to see. 🚨

I mean it.
Look away.

Last chance…
.
.
.
.
1. Ithan. This “man” is a wet freaking noodle. The dude can’t even make his own mind on whether or not he can be there for his baby…because his girlfriend who is apparently psychotic and insecure as heck doesn’t want him to be?! He’s so freaking wishy washy and Wve really let him get away with a lot of bullshit. Ithan is no man he can’t even think for himself.

2. All the intimate scenes between Eve and Shep felt very juvenile in the way they were talking to each other and even Eves internal monologues. Maybe this was just amplified on audio and isn’t as bad eyeball reading but I didn’t like it.

Okay. Things I did like.

🫶🏻 I appreciated the spotlight on how pregnancy and infertility can suffocate and sometimes ruin friendships. Willa was really hurting and she showed up in the best way she could for Eve. As someone who has had to deal with this exact situation it’s so hard to try to be a good friend while you’re silently heartbroken.

🫶🏻 Shep was such a caring MMC. I loved how he loved Eve.

Content Warnings

fireflyhollow's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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

🔖 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."

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