Reviews: Ready or Not (Cara Bastone) | The Memory of Us (Dani Atkins)

Ready or Not

by Cara Bastone

Pub: February 13, 2024

Source: Random House/NetGalley

4 stars

GoodReads

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.

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When a one night stand leads to an unplanned pregnancy, Eve is thrown for a loop. With two failed relationships behind her and stagnating in an unfulfilling job, parenthood wasn't exactly part of plan. Add to the mix Eve's best friend (Willa), who was dealing with fertility issues, and her decidedly lukewarm response to the news, plus the revelation that the baby's father (Ethan) had a serious girlfriend... and Eve was left feeling even more conflicted. Enter Shep, Willa's brother and Eve's lifelong friend. As Shep became her main source of emotional support, Eve navigated pregnancy, new career options, and an evolving relationship Ethan.

This was my first from Bastone and there was a lot to enjoy. Eve's conflicting feelings about impending motherhood felt realistic and made her all the more relatable. Ethan's struggle to accept his new reality while placating a jealous girlfriend and Willa's inability to fully support her friend due to her private challenges add layers that complicated matters, but never felt like unnecessary drama. But the shining star was Shep: the too-precious-for-this-world man who stocked Eve's refrigerator, gave foot rubs, bought a bicycle with a baby carrier, and provided unwavering support. While the middle of the story seemed to lag a bit and make the book feel overly long, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the true-to-life characters created by Bastone. This is one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

The Memory of Us

by Dani Atkins

Pub: February 15, 2024

Source: Aria/NetGalley

4.5 stars

GoodReads

If you can't trust your head, can you trust your heart?

If she had been found moments later, Amelia's heart would have stopped and never recovered. Instead she was taken from the desolate beach to the nearest hospital just in time to save her life. When her sister Lexi arrives from New York, Amelia's heart is beating, but the accident has implanted a series of false memories. These memories revolve around a man named Sam, and a perfect love story that never existed.

Determined to help her sister, Lexi enlists the help of Nick, a local vet who bears a striking resemblance to Sam. Together, Lexi and Nick recreate and photograph Amelia's dream dates in the hopes of triggering her true memories.

But as love starts to stir between Lexi and Nick, they must navigate a complex web of emotions. How can Lexi fall for Amelia's dream man without hurting her sister?

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Sisters Lexi and Amelia had always shared a special bond. When Lexi received the devastating call that Amelia was found unresponsive and is now hospitalized, she immediately left her life in New York City and returned home to Somerset. Reuniting with Amelia was bittersweet because as relieved as she was to see her sister, Amelia's repeated questions about her husband Sam's whereabouts were troubling to say the least. Because Amelia was not married and Sam did not exist. Intent on helping Amelia by any means possible, Lexi meets Nick, a man who looks exactly like Amelia's drawings of Sam. Lexi embarked on a journey to recreate Amelia's "memories" with Sam by staging photographs with Nick, hopeful that they would somehow jolt Amelia from her confabulation.

I was immediately intrigued by the premise of the story but it was the execution that brought the characters to left and dealt an emotional punch. The bond between the two sisters was something magical (in more ways than one), and the relationship that formed between Lexi and Nick was heartwarming and gave meant-to-be vibes. I sat back in wonder as the story unfolded. Like a movie, I watched each scene play out and I was completely invested. Atkins delivered a few twists that I did not see coming and by the end I was shedding tears and smiling, despite my battered heart. This is not my first from Atkins (I enjoyed the equally moving The Story of Us) and it will certainly not be the last.

violence/death (mostly off page), physical abuse (off page)