Ready or Not by Cara Bastone Book Review

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, my best friend gave me a fun fiction book about pregnancy to enjoy. I honestly don’t think I’d read anything about a pregnant character before then and the book was so relatable to me.

I wish Ready or Not had been published then because this story was just what I would have needed during that emotional time. First pregnancies are overwhelming under even the best of conditions and there is comfort in sharing that experience — even if it’s with a fictional character.

Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.

Summary of Ready or Not

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.

Book Stats

Published: February 13, 2024
Pages: 400
Genre: Feel-Good Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance
Get Your Copy: Kindle | Paperback | Audiobook

What I Liked

Here’s what I would tell my best friend about the book:

1. Fun Pregnancy Story: The book is set in three sections for each trimester of Eve’s pregnancy. It’s been a long time since I was last pregnant but it brought back so many memories of that special time. This would be an excellent book for grandmas-to-be to read as a refresher for just how emotionally challenging that time is for the new mom!
2. Lots of Love: This isn’t just a romance, there is SO much love to go around between the characters. Best friends, siblings, and parents of all kinds, I had so many warm and fuzzies.
3. Found Family: If you’ve created a family by choice or added on to your family with special bonus people, you’ll love the dynamics in this story.
4. Light Humor: This isn’t a slapstick portrayal of pregnancy but there are definite light hearted moments that made me giggle. It was more humor from being relatable and things I’d forgotten about being pregnant.
5. LOVED The Ending: No spoilers so I won’t say anything more. But I was grinning from ear to ear.

What I Didn’t Like

Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part so take this with a grain of salt.

I was truly blessed to have two very wanted pregnancies with no major health challenges for me or my babies. One of the characters struggles with infertility and I’m not sure how sensitive the portrayal of her emotions are in the story arc. Her very real grief was treated with too light a touch in my opinion.

I also got extremely frustrated with how Eve treats the birth father for a good portion of the story. I wanted to yell at her several times.

Overall Score

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I give Ready or Not 5 stars.

I devoured this book in just 2 days, I couldn’t put it down. It had a hugely satisfying pay off at the end and I would love, love, love to read a sequel and know where the characters are down the road.

If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.

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First-Time Caller Book Review

The Love of My After Life Book Review

The Christmas Fix Book Review

The Wishing Game Book Review