Read by Alex Finke
Dial Delights*
From the publisher:
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.
“Accidental pregnancy is a love-it-or-hate-it construct for most romance fans, which could leave Cara Bastone’s friends-to-lovers entry in a tough position. But for those willing to jive with that particular plot twist—and trust me, it’s worth it—Ready or Not is an absolutely buoyant read. Vivacious and funny, Bastone’s first-person perspective through protagonist Eve traces the tricky threads of single parenthood, long-term friendship, infertility, grief, and (yes) sex with skill.”—Elle
“I’ve never read a contemporary romance novel quite like this one. This friends-to-lovers trope centers on a surprise pregnancy that’s filled with heartfelt dialogue, unexpected love and a slow burn. It’s incredible and I found myself not wanting to put it down. This story is endearing, life-affirming, and left me feeling buoyed and hopeful.”—New York Post, “The 15 Best Books We Read in February”
“Sure, this is a love story. But it’s also about all the ways love shows up. . . . And at the end of the day, that’s the ideal family, right? Never perfect but always trying.”—NPR
“This pitch-perfect rom-com . . . could be the guidebook on how to successfully execute the ‘friends-to-lovers’ trope. Bastone carefully captures the slow-burning magic of seeing someone familiar in a new light, and Shep is so wonderful he deserves a place in the Book Boyfriend Hall of Fame.”—The Washington Post
I have to start this review by saying I loved the narrator – Alex Finke made me understand why audiobook readers often follow narrators even more than authors. I am looking forward to listening to more Finke!
Eve is a young woman in her twenties with a crappy job but living her dream in New York City. She’s trying to find her path forward when she gets a sharp dose of reality; her one night stand has left her pregnant. Her best friend, Willa, is not happy with her, but Willa’s brother, Shep, becomes someone she can lean on.
I often wonder about these romances that begin in pregnancy because, let’s face it, most women are not always themselves while pregnant; those hormones are no joke! But Shep is such a sweet, supportive guy that I couldn’t help but root for them. The baby daddy, Ethan, turns out to be more than just a one night stand, too, so lucky Eve in that regard.
This is a slow-burn, sweet romance, and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes, you just want to feel good escaping into a book, and this certainly filled that need for me. As the world around me is burning to the ground, books remain my escape, and I am most grateful for it.
*Dial Delights is a series put together by Random House. All the books are contemporary romances but written by different authors, so they do not need to be read in any order. There are a few more books coming out later this year, including Promise Me Sunshine (3/3/2025), also by Cara Bastone and read by Alex Finke. I am especially looking forward to that one!
3/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
READY OR NOT by Cara Bastone. Narrator: Alex Finke. Random House Audio; February 13, 2024. Listening Length: 10 hours and 50 minutes
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