Ben is 16 and entering the phase of his life where the biggest decisions he has to make are preparing for college applications and how to win the next robotics team challenge. What he wasn't expecting was having to make decisions related to becoming a teenage father.

What I love most about this novel is that the writing and characters emotions are written so authentically and complex that it normalizes the non-traditional family structures. The themes of sacrifice and chosen family pull at your heartstrings so unexpectedly and this is one that easily belongs in everyone's shelf.

Really enjoyed this book and breezed through it despite it not being simple fluffy subject matter. Very much enjoyed this really interesting and unexpected Queer story.
I would say that a couple elements feel slightly underwritten. The constant scientific comparisons wore a little thin, and at times the lead character felt like they were acting completely counter to how a real person logically would. I don't think the actual choices need to be changed or edited, but rather I think we just need to understand the thought process more.
Overall a very enjoyable read with only a few minor quibbles. The 'Juno' comparison is apt and earned, although I don't think this really lives up to the 'Heartstopper' comparison.

I'm really surprised by how much I enjoyed this! I'd read the synopsis, and I was interested, but I wasn't sold. As a teenager, I expected to be irritated by the irresponsibility of the characters, but I ended up really liking them.

First point: the ending. I had no idea how I wanted this to end. I knew I wanted everyone to end up happy, and I knew that I wasn't exactly sold on Ben as a parent. But other than that, I wasn't sure how I wanted the situation to resolve itself. But the way it ended up resolving was the best way possible. It was the resolution I was looking for, so I love the author headed in that direction.

Second point: the characters. Somehow, Bailey had me caring about them with my entire heart. I felt for them. I was so happy when they'd finally talk to each other because I cared about them. I felt personally invested in them, which isn't exactly common with me.

I'll admit, this book is wildly different than most of what we see in the YA market. It's not utter fluff or sheer angst. Instead, it plays a nice middle. I loved it for that, and I'd definitely recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was offered the opportunity to review “Unexpecting” and I’ll be honest, I didn’t read up about it before I accepted so I went in blind…and that is the best possible way to read this book. This book a is a hit punch of emotions from page one all the way through to the end that you need to be completely unprepared for in order to get the full effect. Due to this: I’m going to try and right as spoiler free of a review as possible. What I will say is: this book had me hook, line, and sinker. I was immediately drawn in to Ben and his inner turmoil, devotion, and dedication to his unborn child and the means he was going to go to to make sure that the end result was what he felt was best for his baby. Faced with such a difficult decision so young, I feel Ben did everything to the best of his abilities. Very chapter brought a new layer, a new heartbreak, a new obstacle that was at once hard to read and powerful to read at the same time. This book is a must read for everyone, regardless of age or sexual identity. So much can be learned from this book aimed to YA audiences, and this author tackled such a heavy topic with care and ease. The fact this is a debut novel is astounding and makes me so excited for what this author will do in the future.

I enjoyed this novel and was able to read it very quickly. I feel like this is a slightly different type of read for me. Overall the story I liked but it was predictable.

Particular things I found unique about this book:
- the perspective of teen pregnancy from the father's POV
- diverse character's
- variety of LGBTQIA+ rep

Things that I think could have been executed a little bit better:
- In the begining I found the writing choppy and many short sentences which made reading less enjoyable. Later in in the book I don't know if it got any better or if I got more interested in the story and ignored the type of writing a little bit.
- I feel like Ben is written as being younger than 16.
- I didn't enjoy the scientific analogies and comparisons in every situation.
- I felt like the end was rushed. I already knew what was going to happen so I think I would have liked to see a little bit more
- The miscommunication bothered me. I understand that he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings but the situation he was in required open communication.

Questions I still have:
- Is Ben neurodivergent?
- If Ben's mom is a guidance couselor why hasn't Ben been to therapy to deal with the lack of a father figure in his life and his anxiety?

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this e-book.

Unexpecting is a YA novel about unplanned pregnancy, expectations, parenthood, and found family. While it is compared to Juno and Heartstopper, it is much closer to the former. There's a budding romance, but you'll be disappointed if you're expecting something reminiscent of Charlie and Nick's relationship.

Ben, the sixteen-year-old gay narrator who gets his best girl pal pregnant after a science camp experiment, is immediately adamant about keeping the baby, despite Maxie's (the mother's) wishes to give it to a couple wishing to adopt. While his intense drive to make young parenthood work, everything seems to stack against him. He lets down his team at the robotics tournament, consistently breaks dishes at his bussing job, and cannot seem to find the time to study on top of enrolling in parenting courses and sitting in on adoption interviews. In many ways, the constant wave of shit makes it unbelievable.

While the prose was written well and Ben was easy to empathize with, some plot points were too over the top, and Ben's drive to be a teenage father didn't make sense halfway through, given how many opportunities and academic programs he would have to give up—things he had been planning for since elementary school. I was also hoping for more when it came to his relationship with Gio.

Despite some of the issues, I thought it was an interesting read. I haven't read many novels about teen pregnancy, and never have I come across one written from the perspective of the expecting father. I commend Bailey for taking on this subject and would readily pick up her future works.

*Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.*

This is an interesting premise but the execution falls flat. Ben fails to provide a good reason as to why he wants the baby and it makes the whole book weird. Maxine also did not get enough time on the page, it feels like she just exists to have bens baby and I didn’t like it. This book would be better if it was dual pov so that you understand where maxine is coming from.

I received an arc through netgalley.

What a delightful and exciting novel! I was very happy to experience the unexpected pregnancy from the narrator's perspective the entire time as I was in his head. Even though I'm aware that it's been done before, Jen Bailey really seems to understand what it's like to be a teen and how to portray the whole absurdity of being an adolescent in the 2020s. Overall, I think this would make a great miniseries. I didn't love the very technical vocabulary during the robotics tournament and thought the introduction to the pair was a little dramatic. I want everyone to feel the same way about Ben, Roger, Gio, Maxie, and Mo that I did in only a short 24 hours. I adore love. I can't wait to recommend this one to others once it is released.

"In expecting" offers a prospective rarely seen while simultaneously missing the mark.

One of the biggest "icks" for me was the lack of respect for personal choices all for using a child in selfish interests. A child is not your opportunity to fix what was done wrong with you. Try therapy.

However, I love that "Unexpected" considered a view we don't see very often in literature, but definitely happens in real life. What happens when an experiment in sexuality results in a child? How are those relationships, as well as new ones, navigated? Bailey offers us a look into that world and the impact of choices.

Super cute YA novel with an interesting plot that I haven't seen before. I enjoyed the characters and plot of this book and I'm looking forward to seeing more reviews and hearing about other novels released by Jen.

Benjamin Morrison is about to start junior year of high school and while his family is challenging, he is pretty content with his life, with his two best friends, and being a part of the robotics club. Until an experiment at science camp has completely unexpected consequences.

He is going to be a father. Something his mother was not expecting after he came out as gay and she certainly wasn’t expecting that he would want to raise the baby as a single father. But together they come up with a plan to prepare Ben for fatherhood and fight for his rights.

The weight of Ben’s decision presses down on him. He’s always tired, his grades fall, and tension rises between his mom and stepfather. He’s letting down his friends in the robotics club whose future hinges on his expertise. If it wasn’t for his renewed friendship (and maybe more) with a boy from his past, he wouldn’t be able to face the daily ridicule at school or the crumbling relationship with his best friends.

With every new challenge, every new sacrifice he has to make, Ben questions his choice. He’s lived with a void in his heart where a father’s presence should have been, and the fear of putting his own child through that keeps him clinging to his decision. When the baby might be in danger, Ben’s faced with a heart-wrenching realization: sometimes being a parent means making the hard choices even if they are the choices you don't want to make...

Unexpecting by Jen Bailey was a heartwarming story.
About teenage pregnancy but told from the perspective of a teenage boy.
Which I found to be really interesting.
I enjoyed the characters, the story and the writing was amazing.
I enjoyed the journey and everything in it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

'Unexpecting' offered a unique look at teenage pregnancy from the perspective of a teenage boy. Ben is 16 years old, and he recently came out as gay. Because of this, his mother is shocked to find out that Ben has gotten his friend, Maxie, pregnant. Maxie wants to give the baby up for adoption, but Ben wants to be a father to the baby. Ben has never had a stable, l0ng-lasting father figure in his life. His biological dad died before Ben was born, and his mom has a series of boyfriends and husbands that haven't lasted long enough to stick around for Ben long term. Ben doesn't want his baby to feel like they were abandoned, so he struggles with trying to figure out how he can raise the baby.

Along with his mom and new step-dad, Roger, Ben makes a plan to raise the baby. He gets a job to save money, but his schoolwork and robotics club activities start to suffer. His friends at school are disappointed, and Ben struggles with determining how to make it all work.

Ben starts to bond with his step-dad, Roger, and I really enjoyed that part of the story. He starts to learn that family and love can come without having the same DNA. I loved how supportive Roger and Ben's mom were of Ben too. It was great to see how much they loved him.

I liked the book, but there were parts that were very slow and drawn out. I liked learning about the process of adoption and what rights the father of a baby has. I didn't know how all of that worked, and I learned a lot from this book.

I think that Ben became a really difficult narrator to follow. I would have liked to have the perspective of Maxie too because it was important to see things from her point of view. Also, I loved how the story ended, and I teared up while reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

When two analytically minded teens conduct a social experiment, there are unplanned consequences: Ben, who can now confirm he is definitely gay, has gotten his best friend Maxie pregnant. And worse than that, everyone expects him to just give his baby up for adoption. But Ben knows what it's like to be abandoned by his dad(s), and he's not going to give up so easily!

This book was pretty cute, although Ben drove me absolutely crazy sometimes. He could be really... oblivious. I can't say I loved him as a character, but I was definitely invested in his story. I loved the support he got from his family, and how he was so desperate to do the right thing. I especially loved the relationship that grew between him and his stepfather.

All in all it was a cute story, and I really liked the ending. I did end up rooting for Ben, once he got his blinders off!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an unbiased opinion!

This book had potential, and it being compared to Heartstopper made me excited to read it. Unfortunately, though, this didn’t quite live up to the comparison.

First, the characters. None of them had any real depth, outside of Ben’s issues with growing up without a stable father figure. Yet that wasn’t enough to make me like him, let alone relate to him or root for him. He was just so blind to everything around him and refused to take responsibility for his own actions. When his friendship with Mo starts to crumble because of Ben’s lies, does Ben make any effort to repair the situation? No. Does he make any effort to see the pregnancy from Maxie’s perspective? Again, no. And more than that, he also doesn’t listen to the adults in his life who are trying to give him advice and support. He just keeps barreling straight ahead and then wonders why his friends are shutting him out.

Second, the lack of plot. Outside of the pregnancy, very little actually happens in this book. Honestly, reading the synopsis of it tells you everything you need to know. There’s some robotics happening, but that disappears partway through, and the reader never learns if the club will be able to keep their funding, a plot point that was introduced at the very beginning. And the same thing happens with Gio, who also disappears partway through only to reappear at the very end, making his burgeoning relationship with Ben very hard to believe. They spend very little page time together, yet suddenly they’re dating at the end? Oh, and supposedly Roger and Ben’s mom are starting to have marital problems even though they’re only shown to be fighting one time. There are hints of possible infidelity, but once again, that’s never mentioned again. And time will randomly skip forward, but the author never fills in the gaps for the reader.

The one part of this book I did really like was Ben’s relationship with Roger, especially their conversation at the hospital. Despite Ben’s cold and distant demeanor toward him, Roger never gives up on trying to get to know Ben and trying to be, if not a father, then at least a friend. Here was someone I genuinely believed cared for Ben and wanted to help him make the best decision regarding the baby, which is probably why Roger is the only person Ben actually does end up listening to.

Overall, this book fell flat for me. It was very predictable and could use some fleshing out to make the characters and the plot more well-rounded.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

- thank you to netgalley and St. Martins press for the arc to review!

- i wanted to love this story, but the issues i saw made me question the main characters choices and moral development. Ben, a gay 16 year old, had sex with his best friend, Maxie, as an experiment, and he got her pregnant. Ben proceeds to go against the family interest and wants Maxie to keep the baby so he can raise the child so that they’ll never feel what Ben had to go through. this is not a great idea for forcing his best friend to have the baby he created, when she doesn’t even want it, and has papers signed in order to give it up to a family who can take care of the baby. it felt off to me that Maxie’s decisions were overturned by ben’s desire to raise the baby like he wanted to be raised. plus, Ben is 16, so he should still be living like a child, going through the psychological stage of finding his identity, not becoming a parent when he is not mentally capable of being a teen parent.

- overall, the book was one with decent writing, but a poorly executed main character who pushed the choices of the pregnant character for what he wanted specifically.

This is a heartwarming story about teen pregnancy, coming to terms with expectations and your sense of self, and family in all its forms. 4 stars only because I wish we had gotten to see more of Maxie and her own experiences, but loved that we also got to see how this story was dealt with by so many of the people involved.

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for allowing me to read Unexpecting early.

I loved this book! From the moment I read the premise I wanted to read the story badly and it didn't disappoint. I really liked the different take on teenage parenthood and rushed through this book within twenty-four hours.

When Ben (who thinks he’s gay) and Maxine experiment and have sex, she gets pregnant. Ben, who’s never had a permanent father, wants to keep the baby. Ben’s mom says it will be tough because the courts will want his family to prove he is a better fit than an adoptive family. Ben is so overwhelmed he messes up coding for his robotics team, doesn’t tell his best friend about the pregnancy, and forgets about studying for the SATs. When he’s accepted into a robotics academy for the summer, he’s excited and then remembers about the baby coming. When Maxine is rushed to the hospital because she’s not feeling well, Ben is worried but also feels a teeny bit of relief if she were to lose the baby. He has some big decisions to make. What ends up happening? A fantastic book done well.

Such a nice and refreshing perspective! I've read so many books about unplanned pregnancy from the girls POV and it has been overdone in my opinion. In this novel, we get the males POV. After "experimenting" over the summer, gay Ben learns the girl he had relations with is pregnant! Seeing his perspective on the situation was a breath of fresh air for me, personally. Loved Ben's character and cannot wait to try more titles from this author!