I was a bit late reading this one. Some health issues going on, but I have to say it ended up a nice distraction.
It wasn’t what I expected. To be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect but I love books like this.

Very good, loved the characters and authors writing style. Definitely recommend!

I love the pregnancy trope in romance novels; but I have to say, it was very different to read this books. It wasn't focused on the couple itself but on Zoe so it was kind of refreshing. I also loved the end and how open it was. I loved this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending me an ARC of Unplanned,

I really enjoyed this book.

Zoe never planned to have children. She was content in a relationship with Sam, travelling and socialising. However, a surprise pregnancy makes her re evaluate everything. The story follows Zoe over those months from learning she's pregnant to having a baby.

I loved the way the author captured the essence of London, especially for those of us with Caribbean heritage.

The characters were likeable and had you rooting for a happy ending.

The story is more focused on Zoe's character development and how she overcomes a lot of upheaval to create a happy life for herself, as a strong independent woman.

This was a good story - I can definitely see this being picked up by book of the month. I think it’ll be a good airport read.

I was expecting this book to follow a very classic romance formula and was pleasantly surprised it was something entirely different. I enjoyed following along with Zoe's growth and perceptions on parenthood and was even more taken with Jude's character who, although this isn't necessarily a contemporary romance, is an ideal book boyfriend.
It fills the space of a coming-of-age novel but for people in their late 20s to early 30s and want something more digestible than emotionally taxing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me a copy of Unplanned!

Summary: Zoe finds out she was unexpectedly pregnant and her long-time partner (we do not speak of his name) doesn't want anything to do with the baby. With this unexpected twist in her life, Zoe creates her own path and learns how to stand up for herself.

What I love about Unplanned is the very human relationship between Zoe and her support system. The love that they have for each other warmed my heart and I wish every person in the world has Zoe's wonderful family and friends. Although I found parts were slow-paced, I was excited to see how Zoe tackles her pre-baby bucket, which kept the story moving for me. Overall, I love the wonderful and empowering take on unexpected pregnancies while still showing the hard sides of it. A very unique perspective and I enjoyed how wholesome this story is.

I highly recommend Unplanned for those who love reflective books and main characters going through a self-discovery phase!

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

This book captivated me from the start. I finished this book in two to three days! I was very invested in Zoe's story. In this book, Zoe becomes unexpectedly pregnant with her boyfriend Sam. They have been together for 11 years traveling the world together. This baby throws a wrench in the plans Sam had for the two. Zoe chooses to keep the baby and intern change her life. She creates a pre-baby bucket list with her best friend Nina. Zoe now forced to look at her life differently realizes she must make choices about how she wants to live her life and how she wants her child's life to be.

This story is full of self-discovery and reflection. I loved the female empowerment and self-love that are themes in this book. I found the pre-baby bucket list such a great idea. I would consider creating one that I wanted to do while pregnant. I really enjoyed the idea that we decide our value that others see. Zoe truly comes into her own and it was inspiring. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be inspired to find themselves.

Unplanned
Author: Natalie K Martin

eARC and Book Review
Publish Date: September 20, 2022

For the past 11 years, Zoe and Sam have been traveling the world, seemingly living the dream together. When Zoe finds out she is pregnant, Sam has no interest in being a father. Taking matters into her own hands, Zoe decides it is time to find a new dream, even if Sam is not part of it.

Back living in her childhood room in London, Zoe's life is 'meh' again - this time just with a bump. When Natalie, her best friend, challenges Zoe to complete a pre-baby bucket list, Zoe embarks on a nine month adventure of self-discovery.

Unplanned features a woman finding her own path and the journey to motherhood.

While this book was quite different from what I normally read, I did enjoy it. It was very well written and shines a light on experiences that some women face.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Amazon Publishing UK and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

What happens when the unexpected happens? A story about live, love, loss and changing lives.

Have you ever read a book that had a pregnant woman as the protagonist? Neither had I.

This book was thoroughly captivating. Martin did an amazing job writing her characters. It also was a beautiful journey of self-love - WHILE having a baby on the way. Highly, highly recommend for fiction readers that enjoy human relationships.

This is a lovely story of strong women, great friendships and fantastic bonding experiences. I love the idea of the baby bucket list of self improvement and dream catching and was thoroughly invested in Zoe from the outset.
Sam is an excellent disinterested father character and who wouldn't want the Nina/Jude combo in their life?
A great read!

An enjoyable, easy to read book about Zoe's journey of self discovery as she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant.
3 stars.

Unplanned is a sweet little gem I found on NetGalley. Living in Australia with her partner Sam, Zoe finds out she in unexpectedly pregnant. This was not something the couple had planned for and fatherhood isn't something Sam wants.

So Zoe packs up and heads back to London to prepare for life as a single mother. With the support of her own mother and her best friend Nina, Zoe starts to rebuild her life and for once take the time to think about who she is and what she really wants before the baby comes. Nina challenges her to make a pre-baby bucket list to help her accomplish things she never was able to in the many years she was with Sam. As she checks off items on the list, Zoe realizes she is able to accomplish more than she gave herself credit for.

As a mother myself, I know firsthand how even just pregnancy can change you. While our circumstances are vastly different, I felt a connection to Zoe as I watched her navigate those nine months. Her story is inspiring and sweet, while not glossing over the real feelings and challenges that come with motherhood. I loved it and my only complaint would be that I wanted more before the ending.

I definitely recommend and when you read it let's talk about Jude!

A cute, heartwarming story, Natalie K Martin's 'Unplanned' introduces us to Zoe. At 38, she's been in a relationship for 11 years, they've travelled the world, settled in Sydney and they're convinced they don't want kids... Until she accidentally gets pregnant after a bout of food poisoning.

Her boyfriend Sam doesn't want the baby, but Zoe does, and just like that, a decade-long relationship ends and she moves back in with her mom in London.

Even though she's back amongst the people she loves most, Zoe feels adrift and decides to make a 'Before Baby' bucket list. On the list? Moving into her own place, attending a festival and learning how to make a fire, amongst other things.

As she ticks things off her list, she grows closer with a certain someone, gets to know her loved ones all over again and confronts some ghosts from the past, and while it was a really slow burn, I enjoyed 'Unplanned'.

I enjoyed how Zoe grew into herself and learnt to stand up for herself and what she wanted, and while she was often a damsel in distress throughout the book, it wasn't written in a way that made me cringe.

The last scene was a bit... Questionable, but still cute, and overall, it was a good read.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was engaging and it was well-written, and I was invested in the main character, the story and their potential relationship.

**this is an honest, consumer review provided by NetGalley as an arc. I am doing this review voluntarily**

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It hit a nerve for me because I know some people with similar stories and I resonated with one of the characters stories in particular as well. It was an easy read and I found myself wanting to read more and more, not even paying attention to the time. The writing style was a perfect match for me and I would love to read more from this author. I enjoyed that there was some comedy to it as well between the two girl friends to lighten the mood a bit. Amazing read & highly recommend to people who are having some thoughts about child bearing and how it will affect their life.

Having a baby is a life-changing experience and although Zoe is delighted to be a mum her long-term partner just doesn't want to know. Zoe starts a new life back with her Mum and best friends who together help her set up a new life for her baby. Of course, there is a bit of romance but this novel is about independence and learning to recognise your own needs. For Zoe having a baby makes her assess her priorities and stand up for her own beliefs without having to please others. This is a beautiful life-affirming novel celebrating womanhood and the scary but amazing journey that is becoming a mother.

I don't really seek out books about pregnancy and such but the cover looked cool, and Zoe sounded like she would be a great character to read about!

Zoe was in fact a fun character to read about and how she managed pregnancy "alone" and along the way found herself was interesting to read. It did pull at heart strings at a certain point but it was nice to know it wasn't for certain (if you know, you know)

Whilst reading this, I wished that when I was pregnant I could have done the stuff she did but whilst having whole day sickness and then in and out of hospitals that's kind of hard to do haha. But man doing a festival whilst pregnant that's amazing!

Thank you to Natalie K Martin for allowing me to read this ebook. And thank you Netgalley for allowing me access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a DNF for me. I really wanted to love it, but it just moved too slowly for my taste. I tried to relate to the characters to stay engaged and finally gave up.