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A review by rachelshubin
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Pretty sure I will never read a pregnancy trope better than Ready or Not! I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. It explored a different side of pregnancy that most romance books don’t have the time to get to because they throw it in at the end.
Eve is an absolute mess but not for just any reason. I think her story was strong because of her being an unexpected pregnancy herself and dealing with the fallout of having an older brother who was old enough to be her dad and losing her parents at a young-ish age. That gave her character complexities.
Willa and Shep were amazing. Their mother Corinne was a huge part of Eve’s life too, which really bound them all together. And Shep, oh Shep. He was male perfection (except sometimes I did wanna shake him by the shoulders to have him confess he was into Eve). Because yeah, best friend’s brother will never not be an elite trope. Ethan was a complexity that also added more layers to the story.
What I enjoyed the most was that the unexpected pregnancy started on page one so you knew what you’re getting yourself into. Eve’s inner molecule annoyed me sometimes but it was mostly just the beginning of her reactions I’m like okay…sure. I think the book really nicely portrayed being pregnant, accepting that, dealing with grief in a real way and also finding/making your own family. Nontraditional families aren’t even just unmarried couples but the friends who become your family for whatever reason.
And this review is coming from someone who really doesn’t have a desire to have kids or to experience pregnancy. So, I think that speaks for itself. Don’t miss the authors note at the end behind writing the book.
The cover is also one of the most stunning ones I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I think this book will be in my top 10 for 2024. Also, I have heard the audiobook is great and I’d definitely consider listening to it.
Eve is an absolute mess but not for just any reason. I think her story was strong because of her being an unexpected pregnancy herself and dealing with the fallout of having an older brother who was old enough to be her dad and losing her parents at a young-ish age. That gave her character complexities.
Willa and Shep were amazing. Their mother Corinne was a huge part of Eve’s life too, which really bound them all together. And Shep, oh Shep. He was male perfection (except sometimes I did wanna shake him by the shoulders to have him confess he was into Eve). Because yeah, best friend’s brother will never not be an elite trope. Ethan was a complexity that also added more layers to the story.
What I enjoyed the most was that the unexpected pregnancy started on page one so you knew what you’re getting yourself into. Eve’s inner molecule annoyed me sometimes but it was mostly just the beginning of her reactions I’m like okay…sure. I think the book really nicely portrayed being pregnant, accepting that, dealing with grief in a real way and also finding/making your own family. Nontraditional families aren’t even just unmarried couples but the friends who become your family for whatever reason.
And this review is coming from someone who really doesn’t have a desire to have kids or to experience pregnancy. So, I think that speaks for itself. Don’t miss the authors note at the end behind writing the book.
The cover is also one of the most stunning ones I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I think this book will be in my top 10 for 2024. Also, I have heard the audiobook is great and I’d definitely consider listening to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Miscarriage