I enjoyed this story of two young women starting to grow up and make decisions, each envying the other and navigating their friendship through them and a viral video. An enjoyable read

Ready For It by Nicola Masters is a heart-warming story of friendships, societal expectations and everyday life. Natalie and Fiona are besties throughout childhood and stayed together regardless of their differences. There are huge changes taking place in their lives. They are also under pressure to tick off all the big life moments. Inevitably, cracks appear in their friendship. Could these besties who have overcome their differences to remain friends up until now do so once more? Masters weaves a compelling novel around this premise.

Told in alternative POV it proves to be an emotive read. Masters takes a remarkably different route dealing with female friendships. As she meaningfully explores the dynamics and social politics of their relationship, a fascinating and twisty tale unfolds. Nat and Fi have relied on each other as their anchor. The two protagonists however have very different characters. One is incredibly immature, naïve, and comes across as self-centred. She ambled along in life making decisions that unwittingly negatively impacted her bestie. The other seemed to have a better grip on realities, was other-centred but at times was so unsure of things even when faced with them head-on. I’m not however gonna reveal who’s who. You will just have to read the book. Both protagonists were believable as were the supporting characters. One is always likely to meet them in a friendship circle or the workplace. I liked that one could relate to them, to the dilemma of playing adults, wanting to fit in, the limited opportunities of living in a small Cornish town, insecurities in relationships, a kind of self-possessiveness between long term mates and making ends meet. These are all problems that most 20 somethings encounter in daily life. Masters speaks in a potent voice. However, I feel she could have explored these topics in a bit more depth.

I found it beautiful how she captures their everday conversations and mannerisms which might seem trite to others. It was subtle, realistic and lacking in conceit making it relatable. Having weathered the storms of their childhood they have reached a pivotal moment in their lives. Their friendship had been growing albeit not at the same rate. Not surprising that this moment was threatening to turn into a chasm that could not be bridged. Full of twists and poignant moments, Masters perfectly captures every nuance making it an enjoyable read.

The novel has a side story with Masters exploring how women’s friendships’ can also sometimes be problematic & insincere. Again she pulled this off with panache without detracting from the main story. Due to the frequent transitions between the two protagonists, I found the beginning confusing. Once I established the POV of the two characters the novel sailed seamlessly. The alternating POV put forward both women’s perspectives. However, some readers may have a problem with this continual to and fro detracting from their pleasurable reading. True too, that the writing style could use a bit of polish.

Unlike many authors who write similar novels ignoring real life considerations Masters has dealt with them in her novel head on. Well readers, you will just have to read the book to discover this angsty, emotive, thoroughly relatable and incredibly twisty read. I was chewing my thumb as the pages kept flipping.

If you are looking for a book focusing on strong female friendships, ‘Ready For It’ is a must-read. This tells the story of Fiona and Natalie, and how their friendship survives what life events occurred for them.

Both women are likeable and relevant. The concept of comparing ourselves to our friends and others is very relevant, especially with our increased use of social media and filters, etc. The pressure to keep up with the Jones, and to be at certain stages in our lives, is something most of us can relate to. This is a thought-provoking area, and I reflected on situations I have experienced with my friendships. There are some seriously comical scenes within this read, ensuring the read wasn’t too deep.

‘Ready For It’ is an entertaining, fast-paced and highly enjoyable read which comes recommended. Don't let the predictable conclusion discourage you. This is well worth picking up!

Well what can I say, a fab read about female friendship, I loved how it was told between the two main characters, a good storyline too, was a bit gutted I finished it as quickly as I did, but just couldn't put it down

I received an E-Arc thanks to NetGalley and for the opportunity I’d like to thank both NetGalley as well as the author for this.

This book is a roller coaster following two best friends Natalie and Fiona, the two seemingly have a perfect friendship. The opening chapter was so cleverly written for me with each person saying how they’re jealous and envious of the other etc. I really like this as I’ve not seen it done before in other books so have really enjoyed reading it.

I found at times while I did enjoy this book and the story was written well I didn’t love the characters and felt that they were not fleshed out enough. I at times also felt I couldn’t remember who was doing what and felt I couldn’t tell the two women apart. (At times). But for the most part I did enjoy this book as well as the concept.

When Natalie goes for her dream job and gets it she doesn’t realise that Fiona, whose love life is set up, has also gone for the job. This big rift sets up the whole book in motion as the two bicker and are angry with one another.

I also realised that the women who are in their late 20’s so the bickering and immaturity that was shown in this book was so justified. At any point in our lives really we will still be immature. I’m really glad I got to read this and while I was engaged and enjoyed the story I didn’t love the characters. At times I felt Natalie to be just a pain in the butt really. I can’t really think of another way to explain it. The same with Fiona really but I think that comes with the story really. So not a criticism.

It was a nice story to experience especially since you’re rooting for their friendship and you cannot ever go wrong with HEA!

Overall I’d rate it a 3.5 stars, I’m excited to see what else the author writes. Thank you again NetGalley and Natalie Masters for this opportunity!

This is a story about the impact of social media. I was very disappointed. It seems to be endless bickering between the two main characters with very little substance.
Not for me, sorry.

In their late twenties, Fiona and Natalie have been besties for the last decades and have been sharing a flat for years. But now Fiona moves in with her longterm boyfriend and Natalie lands her dream job Fiona has also applied for…will their friendship withstand these tests life throws at them? This is a lovely, fast-paced story that captures the essence of female friendship and will keep you hooked til the end.

Cute read about the importance of friendships and growing up and trying not to grow apart. Thought this was an entertaining read liked the dual points of view of the main characters and found them very relatable. Want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was good and I highly enjoyed this book. I thought that it was written beautifully and the dynamic of their friendship between Fiona and Natalie
I just reviewed Ready for It by Nicola Masters. #ReadyforIt #NetGalley
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This is so good! I really enjoyed reading this latest book by Nicola Masters, excellent characters , great story . It’s about friendship , love, family , the mistakes in life most of us make and the putting said mistakes right . It’s a great read , plus it also made me laugh, always a good sign .

When life suddenly takes on different paths for life long friends, it feels strange. Fiona is moving in with her boyfriend and Natalie is suddenly needing a new direction. Friendship is explored in great detail and it made me look at some aspects from a different perspective. A thought provoking read.

⭐️Rating: 2/5
✍🏼Author: Nicola Masters
📖Genre: Chick Lit

This is a story that follows two best friends Natalie and Fiona. The two end up wanting the same dream job and tensions arise when Natalie ends up landing the gig. The two have been drifting apart but this seemed to cause more tension between them, and they are left to figure out the next step in their friendship.

I had really high expectatiions for this book, because I love a good chick-lit that is focused on friendships- especially in your 30s. However this fell flat for me and the plot seemed to drag.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are that of my own.

Two friends who have lived through everything together (but for one, it always seems that is the case unless something better comes along) are parting.
Fiona and Natalie have been best friends forever, but now, one of them is growing up, leaving the other behind,
Natalie struggles with the idea of her best friend finally moving out into a place with her long-time partner but tries her hardest to accept that life changes and moves on.
Fiona is excited about the next step in her life. but isn't 100% sure of what she has done.
The story revolves around the two friends navigating the time after Fiona leaves their shared flat.
Things don't go as planned, and we find one faring rather better than the other.
I enjoyed reading the book but would have loved to get to know the characters a bit deeper. A quick, easy read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing, Lake Union, for an ARC.

This book was not for me. I could not get into it at all. I have tried a few times. For now this is the best review I can give. If I manage to read at a later date I shall amend my review.

This was a fairly good read and I read it very quickly. This book was different but funny at times. The characters were interesting. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Ready for It is a quick, enjoyable read about the dynamics of female friendship, betrayal and envy between our main characters Natalie and Fiona. It centres on the typical sense of jealousy, feeling as though everyone else has life figured out; Natalie is envious of Fiona's stable relationship with her boyfriend and Fiona feels like she's one step behind in terms of her career prospects.
The book kicked off to a great start, it was very funny with laugh-out-loud moments. However there is very little plot and actual storyline to this book. The main conflict is very weak and the resolve is also unsatisfying.
I was, at first, delighted to see that this book was dual POV which is one of my favourite writing devices to gain both perspectives. However, within each standard-length chapter, the POV swapped at least 4/5 times on average, sometimes after only 1 short paragraph. It was too disorientating to keep switching back and forth so frequently, it would have worked better for each chapter to be dedicated to alternate characters.
I definitely think Nicola Masters' writing has considerably improved since her book Happy Happy Happy came out. I think if you're looking for a fast-paced book, wanting a laugh about friendships with relatable, realistic and modern female themes, this is definitely a book you'd enjoy.
3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Nicola Masters for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads and Amazon.

Ready For It meandered along without really going anywhere as far as I was concerned. I lost interest in it a third of the way through.

A lovely quick gentle read. It made me laugh out loud and made me tear up too. A relatable look at friendship, finding your way in the world and every day life

My experience with "Ready for it" has been slightly bittersweet.

I absolutely loved the way Masters has represented the generational anxiety and need to "grow up", to fill everybody's expectations both emotionally and career wise by making each of the best friends focused in one. I've also quite liked how the author shows different kinds of friendships and how there are no better/worse kinds, they're just different. You might need your oldest friend sometimes, or may prefer to meet or talk to your coworker.

However, there are two aspects of the novel I just can't get through. The first and most important is that basically all of the story is written down in the description for the book, the one you read before even opening the first page. Sure, there are more details, more subplots, but the key ingredients have already been spilt out. It made me feel like nothing was happening, I just wanted to get to the conflict, the "fight" for that wonderful job, and I didn't get to it until 50% or so. I think it would've been better and I wouldn't have expected to happen so soon if they didn't mention it.

Secondly, and that's more of a "me" problem, I just really disliked Fiona. I felt like she was a narcissist who had luckily come across Natalie, an introvert empath, and she had been able to do everything she wanted and everything she felt disregarding Natalie's feelings their entire life. It was frustrating and made it really hard to read. It didn't make sense to me how, after being separated due to the trip Fi took with her boyfriend, they lived together and pretty much nothing changed.

Overall, I liked "Ready for it" a lot, but those two points just made it very difficult to keep reading.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A charming and playful story about growing up, growing apart and growing together.

Fiona and Natalie are best friends. And flat mates. Until now. Fiona is moving in with her fella Tom, and everything is changing.

The distance geographically is reflected in the growing distance between the two friends. Tensions only increase when they both go for the same job, and Natalie gets it (deservedly).

Add in a viral video, a disgruntled boyfriend, and one too many kids puking up their ice cream at her job, and Fiona has had enough.

A decision she makes causes a lot of upset for her best friend and for her partner. But it's only in almost losing them that she realises just how much they matter.

Told in dual POV, the chapters are short and punchy. It's a fairly quick read and whilst I didn't overly connect with any of the characters, or become emotionally invested, I still enjoyed this sweet, sassy book.