Ready or Not
A Novel
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- 6,49 €
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This heartwarming tale of motherhood and unexpected romance gave us a serious case of the butterflies. Since Eve left Michigan for Brooklyn, her life has gone according to plan. She has a good-enough job, a cute apartment near her BFF Willa’s place, and a love life that’s been pretty uneventful. Well, except for a one-night stand that accidentally leads to a life-changing roller-coaster ride. Navigating her pregnancy as a single woman, Eve finds support in Willa’s older brother, Shep, who unexpectedly shows up for Eve physically—and emotionally. Author Cara Bastone draws us into Eve’s deeply touching journey of self-discovery, and we particularly loved her transparent, realistic, and humorous depictions of modern motherhood. Ready or Not is a heartwarming read about learning to trust yourself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bastone (When We First Met) enchants with this luminous contemporary about a one-night stand that results in an unexpected, but not unwelcome, family. After Brooklyn-based nonprofit worker Eve Hatch has an out-of-character hookup with bar owner Ethan Rise, she discovers she's pregnant—despite the condom she and Ethan used—and decides to keep the baby. Her decision sparks the wrath of Ethan's on and off girlfriend, Eleni; envy from Eve's bestie Willa, who has been trying and failing to get pregnant; and a growing attraction between Eve and her longtime friend (and Willa's lovable brother), Shep Balder, who is there for her through thick and thin. Shep proves utterly swoonworthy as his unreserved emotional support provides a lifeline for Eve. Pregnancy hormones and on-again, off-again coparenting conversations with Ethan make things tense at times, but readers will gladly go along for the friends-to-lovers journey between Shep and Eve. This is a gratifyingly modern take on the accidental pregnancy trope that acknowledges a family can come in many different configurations. The nuanced, believable characters and depth of emotion make this warmhearted romance a keeper.
