Ready or Not

A Novel

By: Cara Bastone

Narrated by: Alex Finke

A surprise pregnancy leads to even more life-changing revelations in this “absolutely buoyant read” (Elle).

“Bastone delivers on this truly heartwarming, funny, and real story. Come for the dog bar, stay for the special, slow-burn romcom.”—Abby Jimenez, New York Times bestselling author

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, NPR, Elle

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.

The ending hits you right in the feels!

I am a big fan of Cara Bastone. I have exclusively listened to her work on Audible so when I saw a new title coming out, I didn’t hesitate, I hit pre-order. I didn’t even look at a synopsis. This book took me by surprise at first. I actually struggled a little bit for the first few chapters because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to listen to a book about a pregnant woman’s journey. But these characters really came to life for me and I had to know more about their journey by chapter 3. Today, I couldn’t stop listening. I had to hear how it ended. I had to know. And the end did make me tear up. It hit me right in the feels! So sweet!

Amazing!

Cara Bastone’s books are just another level, utter perfection as always. Real, sweet, raw and just lovely. The narrator did an incredible job with a very nuanced performance.

Narrator!

Beautifully written story that pulls at your heart strings and Keri’s you captivated until the end. The narrator did an amazing job!

A Bundle of Joy

I enjoy Cara's writing, especially how she brings comedy into her character building and dialogue. I gave four stars because I was thinking, based on her short stories, it was going to be a clean read. The sex scenes were more than I like to read. I was suprised as they didn't even appear until about 3/4 of the way through the story. Overall a heart-warming read.

Life long sweet friendships

The narrator A. Fink caught me up in this story so fast! I wanted to be her friend, telling the Authors witty, quick, story of life long friendship. The combination of this lovely sweet story, with truly the best narrator will keep you smiling and cheering for Eve!