I am participating in the St Martin’s Press boycott. I will not publicly be reviewing this title until St. Martin’s Press addresses reader concerns. I was sent an arc from the publisher and all thoughts are my own, honest opinion.

This book was a rarity in that it's a YA book featuring teen pregnancy, but told from the father's POV. Ben, the father, is gay but before he comes out he want's to make sure with his best friend which leads to her being pregnant. I really liked the POV change because it was interesting to see the story from his side. Ben wants the child and fights for them.
The author still gives Maxie, the mother, a story and doesn't lay her to the wayside. I really enjoyed the angst between them, their friendship, and the love they had for each other. I think this was a great book and dealt with adult topics in meaningful ways.

I really did enjoy reading this book although there were a few points that I'm not sure worked for me or worked with the book? It's a bit hard to place my finger on exactly what it was.

First, I like that it showcases Ben's immaturity and the realities of being a teen parent. I remember being in high school and it felt like a lot of boys matured much later than the girls. I liked the reality of this but as an adult felt kind of impatient and annoyed by Ben. Like, at some point he needs to have a come-to-jesus moment and grow a little bit. I didn't really feel like he got there.

I enjoyed the diverse representation of the book and how it goes into something I don't think a lot of books really touch. I guess toward the end it all started to feel predictable and I would have liked to be pleasantly surprised.


Thanks again to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

A heartwarming coming of age, this YA title tackles hard topics with a huge amount of grace. Well written, this is worth reading from beginning to end.

Ben was a hard protagonist to root for. I have not been in those shoes but felt as if he made hard to sympathize for him. However, I did respect the level of support around the situation. Overall, I think the plot was a bit predictable and the main character wasn’t easy to root for. The other characters and the idea of the plot was really good!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Cute, quick read. Have to remember the characters are teenagers, so it’s very YA. Ben was pretty infuriating, but I like the light it shed on teen pregnancy.

I really enjoyed this! It deftly tackles complicated family history and dynamics, friendship struggles, sexuality, and the big issue - what to do when you accidentally get your best friend pregnant. Ben is an earnest character and he's determined to do the right thing and raise the baby he's created, but he doesn't fully understand what that will mean for him and his plans. Honestly, this book stressed me out! It portrayed Ben's anxiety really well, and at times I felt just as trapped in his spirals of stress and worry. Thankfully, Ben has so much love and support from his family, and his new ally, Gio. I loved watching Ben and Gio get closer and how they were both able to open up about their struggles. Likewise, I liked seeing how Ben grapples with his issues of abandonment and loneliness, and finally starts to reach out and bond with his stepdad. I wish more time had been spent with Maxie but it made sense in the narrative why they couldn't spend more time together. All in all, an emotional and thought provoking read.

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.

I loved this book, it gave me everything I wanted as a reader and more. I am a sucker for a cover and fell in love with the storyline and characters. Well written and kept me engaged :)

This novel truly pulls on the heartstrings and as the title suggests, centers around characters in a situation that wasnt exactly expected. My favorite thing about this story was not only the individual character growth and development and the way they all came together to create found family, but also the way it parrallels the realities that teens often find themselves facing in the world where sometimes support and care comes from places you don't always consider.

Unexpecting is, at its core, a story about friendship, love, and family. I thought the romance wasn't super necessary but I really enjoyed the book overall and feel like it's an important coming of age of story for teens.

this one started out very slow for me and i was having a hard time connecting with the characters. in the end, i found myself very appreciative of the storyline, the relationships, the pains of jumping into parenthood, and the reality of parenthood as a teen. the love interest aspect felt a bit random and the book could’ve done without, but i’m not bothered by it. i love love loved ben’s mom and how supportive she was. sometimes even book mom’s can heal my childhood!!!

overall, it was quite a refreshing story and i’d probably recommend to YA readers!

A tough decision making type of book, where you're intrigued as to the decisions that the characters will make and why they will make them. It was just missing a little bit of a connection to the reader, so it didn't get that fifth star for me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’m normally not a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope but this book took that trope and made it enjoyable! This book was so emotional and beautiful and sent me through all of the emotions! I loved the found family aspect of it all and just really enjoyed this one!

A thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
.
It’s practically unheard of to have a teen pregnancy story told from the perspective of the father, let alone when said teen boy has recently come out as gay. Yet, that is actually what Bailey has set up for us at the beginning of Unexpecting. Ben’s mother and stepfather are understandably surprised when he reveals that in a science experiment he got his best friend pregnant at Summer camp, but even more so when he wants to keep the baby. Mix in a “maybe this could be something” romance with Gio, robotics club, a new job, the pressure of being a soon-to-be parent in high school, and Ben’s emotions are running wild.
.
Ben was a highly unreliable narrator and his motivations for keeping the baby weren’t always the most clear, but his journey and character growth made sense given his young age. The romance took a back seat to the relationships Ben has with his mom and stepdad, his best friends (including Maxie, his childhood best friend now carrying his child), Maxie’s parents, his peers, boss, and even himself. This is a fast-paced and worth it read.

I liked this book! The pacing was good and it felt like a very important story that this age group could learn from. It's very difficult to make such grown-up decisions so young, and the support and care given to this story was very easy to see and understand,

Y’all I am extremely picky when it comes to books about unexpected pregnancies and the choice of adoption.

UNEXPECTED delivers. It is told from the perspective of Ben, who knows he is gay but was curious if it was for sure and has sex one time with his best friend Maxie.

This is Ben’s story of deciding on whether or not to parent, defining family, figuring out friendships in times of deep personal change, and making hard choices for an unknown future.

A very fun read. I really liked the characters and the character development. Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book, it was a captivating story, that not only endeared you to characters but helped you truly understand them and the hard decisions we make as people.

This book made me cry and gave me undeniably good hopeful feelings at the end. If you are looking for a book that gets you in the feels this is the one for you. I felt all the feelings while reading it (in a good way). I loved the way we got to see all the characters grow and how they all approached the same situations differently and similarly.

Watching Ben’s growth throughout the story is at times frustrating but overall rewarding. You get to see him look past his need for order and concrete things, and really explore his emotional side. You get to see him understand what Maxie is going through and even learn how to trust that a father figure is going to be there for him.

Overall, I thought this was a beautiful story. Every character was well developed and multilayered. The story was poignant and beautiful while being accessible and relatable. I’d highly recommend giving this a read!