Ready or Not is a light take on unplanned pregnancy. It felt so easy for Eve to plan to enter into single parenthood despite the many practical challenges she faces; but the love story that emerges is lovely and offbeat, satisfying and sweet.
Eve Hatch is an administrative assistant at a wildlife conservation organization who's obsessed with creating a homey, personalized tiny Brooklyn apartment for herself to cozy into.
Eve's parents died when she was younger, and her Midwestern brothers are far older. But she's got Willa close by--her friend-like-family best friend since childhood.
While Eve's largely letting her life happen to her, Willa and her husband are struggling to conceive a child. But another beloved figure in Eve's life, Willa's older brother Shep, has moved to Brooklyn, and the three of them are ready for some carefree fun.
Then a one-night stand with a cute neighborhood bartender leads to an unplanned pregnancy, and suddenly everything changes in Eve's world.
I was on the fence about this book at first; the tone initially felt silly, and Eve seemed to be creating nonsensical complications for herself. (For example: Why keep bringing peanut butter sandwiches in her purse, knowing her officemate was allergic to peanuts? The first time she repeatedly found herself short on time so that she wouldn't be able to brush her teeth following the sandwich-eating and therefore couldn't eat at all, she did not learn and change her lunch plan for the future. I found this too dangerous for the officemate and too generally ridiculous to believe.)
But the novel settled into a lovely set of back stories and a deliciously loving found-family situation. Eve spent very little time exploring options upon discovering her unplanned pregnancy; it was so easy for her despite her complete lack of a plan, she knew she would keep the baby despite the many challenges and unknowns (lack of money, single parenthood, lack of space, lack of a plan, lack of career security). And while the trajectory of the novel was evident, it was fun to watch the nontraditional love story and blended family unfold.
I listened to Ready or Not as an audiobook.
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You might also like the novels on the Greedy Reading Lists Six Lighter Fiction Stories Perfect for Summer Reading, and you can find other Bossy light fiction reviews here.
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