I tend to avoid the topics of pregnancy, childbirth, or parenting in my pleasure reading, but Wednesday Books sent me a copy of Unexpecting to review and I usually like anything Wednesday Books publishes, so I figured I'd give it a go. This book covers some tough topics, obviously- teen pregnancy, adoption, sexual identity, coming-of-age, friendship- and just like most YA, it comes at these topics through a very straight-forward lends. Sometimes I think YA is too "in your face," but I feel like this subject matter needed to be. Unexpecting didn't glorify teen pregnancy or all the tough decisions that come with it, and even though Ben seemed somewhat flippant about his decisions initially, his motives were eventually revealed to stem from sincere depth and thought. For a book heavily centering on topics I don't tend to enjoy, this book was really well done and I definitely enjoyed it. I'd recommend it for YA readers and parents of teens, for sure. Some of the robotics sections kind of bored me, but overall, it's a really great book.

*SPOILERS INCLUDED*

Ben Moore has recently come out to his mother and step father as gay. Imagine their surprise when a few months later he sits them down once again to announce that he is going to be a father.

Ben and Maxie have been friends since childhood, and found themselves on a quest to conduct some personal experiments while at summer camp this year. The result? A teenage pregnancy.

When Ben is served with termination of parental rights paperwork at school, his world comes crashing down around him. He can't let his child grow up thinking they were unwanted. He knows what it's like to be left behind by a father (or 3) and doesn't want that for his child. Instead, with the support of his mother and step father behind him, he embarks on a journey of preparing himself to raise the child as a single father.



I think this story arc has a lot of potential and I was entertained throughout. However, it at times felt rushed, like parts were missing or underdeveloped, and predictable. The title gives away the ending, in my opinion. The romance on the side I think took away from the reader really connecting with Ben's struggle. He often told us that he was tired or didn't have enough time to finish his homework, but as a reader I didn't necessarily see or feel that to the extent that I had hoped. I think the multiple conflicts (the romance arc, the robotics team in need of saving, the internal struggle of what the right choice was, and the external struggle of preparing for a baby) took away from the true plot of the story.

The synopsis of this book sounded very interesting, but the execution fell flat. The characters were all very one dimensional, and the writing really did not evoke any kind of emotion out of me.

Many things were told and not shown.

In Unexpecting Ben Morrison, who has come out as gay, finds himself an expectant father, after he and his good friend Maxie experiment to confirm his sexuality. Maxie's strict parents are determined to put the baby up for a closed adoption, but Ben, who has never had a stable father figure in his life, wants custody. His mother and Stepdad #3 support him, but also try to expose the challenges he will face. He has SATS, robotics team competitions, a job and an invitation to a summer internship to juggle, as well as a blossoming romance with a former stepbrother. As his grades and responsibilities start to suffer, Ben begins to realize that fatherhood will come with a lot of sacrifices. When the fetus appears to be in danger, Ben recognizes that he must do what's best for the baby. Refreshingly, this poignant portrait of family dynamics focuses on the difficulty of teen parenting rather than Ben's sexuality.

This story was all sorts of bittersweet and complicated as Bailey discussed the realities of teen pregnancy, sacrifices in parenthood, mental health, adoption, and friendship. Even though the topics are heavier, Bailey approached each with tenderness, honesty, and zero judgment. I appreciated that Bailey didn’t try to put rose covered glasses over the story, instead settled into the messy, complicated reality of teen pregnancy and difficult decisions in an overwhelming, unexpected situation.

While my heart went out to Ben, especially as he was trying to make a serious effort to keep the baby and fight for custody, I wish he had communicated more with Maxie. I know they were both hurting and processing, but as Ben found out after sharing with Gio and Roger, having a safe space to land is so important, and I very much wish Ben had considered Maxie and reached out to her. In my frustration, I had to remind myself these characters were 16 and that emotional immaturity is to be expected, especially when said teens are dealing with a major shift in their worlds.

Unexpecting is marketed as Juno meets Heartstopper, but I would say it’s more Juno and less Heartstopper. I do wish the story had been a little longer because so much was packed into (big decisions!) and wrapped up in the last 30 pages. Overall, I very much enjoyed this story and appreciated the care with which Bailey approached these topics, but I wanted to see more from Ben and Maxie at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for a review! I enjoyed the book -- a premise I've not seen done before, and I loved the uniqueness of the plot in that respect. The book has themes that everyone can connect with, including family, relationships, parenthood, stigma, and mental health. Juno was one of my favorite movies growing up, and I loved the comparison in the plot synopsis, because it was spot on. The book may have mixed reviews upon release, but I enjoyed it!

2.5 stars rounded up to 3
In short, I think I’m really not the target audience for this book - so bear that in mind when considering this review.
I am a mom myself, so first and foremost I sympathize with Maxie sooooo much throughout the story. Pregnancy can be a lot to handle, I can imagine even more so as a teenager and when it isn’t technically wanted. From that alone, I spent 95% of the story absolutely dreading Ben as the MC.
Ben wants this baby so bad, but wants almost no part in Maxie’s pregnancy and even goes as far to say that birth is gross and that he “sure as hell hopes” he doesn’t have to be present for it. I get that he’s a teenager, and gay, but he is so blatantly disgusted by pregnancy and birth - but he was part of the adult decision to have sex. He is also so rude to Maxie until pretty much the last page of the book.
The synopsis compares this to Juno and Heartstopper. Juno - I 100% understand.
Heartstopper - I 100% do not understand. Heartstopper is very much about coming to terms with yourself and living proudly in your truth. I found Ben was still mostly ashamed of his identity and it was very much a background topic to the story.
The writing in this book is altogether not bad, it’s just the story was not something I enjoyed.

Thank you to St.Martin’s Publishing Group/Wednesday Books for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own!

This wound up being completely different than what I expected. Ben, a high school student, loves STEM and dreams of going to MIT. In his recent past he had a bit of a difficult time coming out to his mother. However, things get way more difficult when one of his experiments ends with a girl being pregnant with his child.

This story is quite understandably different from other ya books I've read. It deals with the very real difficulty of being pregnant or expecting during high school. I love almost all the different elements that made up this tale. I think a few of the relationships could have been healthier, but I loved the emotions this book brought out, and I definitely feel like this is worth a read!

Out August 22, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I am planning to purchase Unexpecting by Jen Bailey for our high school libraries. After the main character comes out as gay, he unexpectedly finds himself about to be a single father. Bailey tackles coming of age, teen parenting, family relationships, and tough decisions with tenderness and heart.

This is quite the rollercoaster of emotions. From page one you are thrown into a teen who just wants to do the right thing. Though the whole book you are feeling the emotions of trying to be a person you don't know you want to be.
The ending felt like it was earned and I really loved that the author didn't force a normally happily ever after.

ARC: Gifted from publisher on NetGalley. Thank you!!
As I delved into this book, my affection for Ben as a character grew stronger. Witnessing his unwavering determination to fight for his desires, despite the moments of discomfort I felt, left me truly inspired. Maxie was written almost as a side character and I would have liked to see more into her character with more development. Overall, the ending was a super nice conclusion with a few happy moments. I am not a crier for books, but this one pulls on those heart strings. The writing was super easy to follow as well as the pacing felt just right. If you are looking for a good coming of age story with sacrifices, this is for you!

It’s always happens when it’s the first time. This was a cute read. I do enjoy when middle grade / YA do have a nice executed plot and characters. The story was nice, the characters developed nicely throughout. I really felt for Ben when he was so blindly pushed aside in the beginning. But highly recommend this for the younger crowd.

Ben is starting his Junior year of high school and while his home life is challenging at times he is happy with his life on the robotics team and focusing on his future. But when an experiment at science camp over the summer ends up with some unexpected consequences, his straightforward life takes some wild turns. When he learns he is an expecting father it takes everyone by surprise, especially since he recently came out to his family as gay. But his best friend, the expectant mother, wants to put the baby up for adoption and having never had a consistent father figure in his life, that’s the opposite of what Ben wants. Among the challenges of junior year and robotics Ben finds himself juggling a part time job, parenting classes, and a legal fight for custody. With each new challenge Ben finds himself learning what it means to be a parent and how the right decision isn’t always the one you want.

Wow. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book, but I really enjoyed it. Ben was such a great, well developed character and the story moved quickly and smoothly. The description of Juno meets Heartstopper seems spot on and I haven’t gotten around to watching Heartstopper yet. I loved the cast of characters, especially Gio and the front-of-house manager Monica. You don’t see a lot of stories told from the teen fathers point of view and it‘s a really great, unique perspective. I love how Ben was encouraged to learn and try to see the point of view of Maxi, the teen mom, especially with the challenge of what appears to be neurodivergence. I haven’t read a lot from a neurodivergent perspective, but have enjoyed everything I’ve read so far, it really helps open your eyes to other people’s learning styles. I applaud Jen Bailey on tackling such a difficult subject and can’t wait to see what she comes out with in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review

Ben Morrison is a junior in high school, a strong student, a member of the robotics club with dreams of MIT and also gay. You’d think with Ben being interested in guys he wouldn’t have to worry about the whole teenage pregnancy thing, well you’d be wrong. An experiment gone wrong with his best friend leaves Ben with a major decision that could affect his whole future.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked up this book and at the beginning I didn’t fully connect with the books. At first it seemed like a typical high school pregnancy story and there wasn’t much to it. The more I read of this book though, the more I fell in love with it. It just kept getting better and I loved all of the feelings it brought out and the aspects of life it explored. I originally thought o wasn’t going to like this book or connect with the characters but that was completely wrong. I found myself infested in the story and, even though I could guess how it was going to end about half way through, I still couldn’t put it down. This was a great YA book with a lot of different things explored, high school pregnancy, friendship, family drama and a little bit of romance. I’m glad I kept with the book and I loved the ending!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Jen Bailey you've done it again. excellent read.

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I got an ARC of this book.

This book was a lot more than I was expecting. I was expecting something like the sitcom Babydaddy. You know the feel good adventures of a single dad trying to make things work, but them going comically wrong. The baby is clearly ok, but the adults are losing it. That level of silly. Instead I got a super intense book about what makes a family.

The last 30% had me crying the whole time. I had not great relationships with my step-parents. I have a terrible relationship with my mother. I can understand where the MC is coming from. He is so afraid of being left and not being wanted again. I might not have been left, but it was clear I was unwanted. Those feelings hit hard. Add in I just became a step-dad to two boys. I got so worried that they felt anything like the MC did about step-parents. I texted the Oldest and reminded him that I was there for him, that even if the relationship with his parent ended I wasn't going anywhere unless he asked me to leave. It was a long emotional text out of nowhere. It was weird, but at least he doesn't have to wonder. I don't want him to ever doubt that he is wanted and cared about. (The Youngest and I don't talk, because he isn't a talker, but I will find a way to awkwardly let him know that I am not going anywhere either, don't worry. He is not safe from my weirdness either). So the MC's feelings around his biodad and his step-dads and just families in general is really complex and full of pain that felt so real and close to home. It was amazing to see a boy allowed to feel hurt and unwanted, even though I wish he didn't have to.

The idea that doing the right thing isn't always easy comes across so clear in this book. Right doesn't mean easy, right doesn't mean it is what you want either. Sometimes doing what you want is the wrong choice. Sometimes you feel like you are being punished for doing what you think is right. Right choices aren't always easy, but sometimes the good that comes from them is much better for everyone. I do wish there was an epilogue of a few years down the line. I have a perfect chapter in mind, but I don't want to spoil the ending.

My only issue with this book was the vagina=girl=eww that kept happening. Testing he was gay by sleeping with a woman. How did the gay kid get hard for a woman? It all felt like "eww vaginas" over and over again quietly, since no one ever said it out loud. There is so much of that in the gay male community, but it was also coming from the straight people all around the MC. It was annoying. I can see why it was added, but I am just so tired of it. Be a trans guy for five seconds in a cis gay space and the plot will never be interesting or tolerable again. Thankfully that was really quick and not a big focus, despite the pregnancy being a central plot.

I was so invested in this unique storyline. It follows Benjamin Morrison who is going into his junior year of high school. He loved science and was a part of the robotics club with his two best friends.

Benjamin is gay, but plot twist he is now an expecting father. The girl who is pregnant is his best friend and her and her parents want to put the child up for adoption.

They begin to go through the whole adoption process, interviewing potential parents. Benjamin refuses to let that happen. He wants to raise the child and is willing to be a single father. He does whatever it takes, from getting a job to taking parent classes.

I really loved the way everything turned out. This will definitely make you feel a variety of emotions. This was a great book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Wednesday books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a novel about family and what it means to be a parent. The author takes on an unusual premise: a sixteen-year old boy, who has recently come out as gay, has to deal with adult issues when he unintentionally gets his best friend, Maxie, pregnant. Ben, the book's protagonist, decides that while Maxie wants to put the baby up for adoption, he wants custody of the baby, in large part because he himself has grown up as the child of a single parent and has experienced what it feels like to have a parent "leave." Complications, of course, ensue.

In fact, the sheer number of complications is overwhelming--poor Ben! He suffers from panic attacks, he is trying to balance schoolwork, parenting classes, a job at restaurant that involves one disaster after another, feelings for his former step-brother; a complicated relationship with his new stepfather whom he fears may also leave him, a competitive robotics team that is threatened with being disbanded, bullying at school when his fellow students find out about the pregnancy, conflicts with the mother's parents, alienating his other best friend, and the normal teenage stresses: trying to get his driver's license, prestigious internships, and the SATs;

The book's strength is the focus on family and the best interests of the baby. While Ben is certainly admirable in his focus, he seems to have some undiagnosed anxiety disorder and is probably somewhere "on the spectrum" but the author oddly leaves untreated these factors that clearly underlie much of his interactions with others. And why does he "squeak" all the time? To me this is a symptom of lazy writing. Without giving due credit to his cognitive issues, the author creates a character who can often come across as annoying.

There is nice development of the secondary characters, particularly Ben's mother and Roger, his latest step-father who teaches him the meaning of family. The resolution is a bit pat--and you can see it coming long before the end. The potential love interest is more of a wiser big brother (he's only a year older)--which makes the romance a bit awkward. Ben comes across as younger than his sixteen/seventeen year old self. Characters occasionally talk like self-help textbooks.

These are mostly minor flaws because the story's arc moves briskly, I never lost interest in Ben's story, and the author generates "all the feels" in the last quarter of the book.

Such a good book! Ben’s life is thrown upside down when he finds out one night experimenting turns into him becoming a father. Now he has to deal with everyone talking about how a gay guy got a girl pregnant, while also working to make sure he is the best dad he can be. Through the pregnancy Ben learns more than just how to take care of a child, he learns what it means to be a parent, even if that picture isn’t what he always thought it would be. I really enjoyed this story and think you should keep it on your radar for it’s August 22nd release date!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC.

I picked up Unexpecting because of the premise - a gay boy gets someone pregnant? Consider my curiosity piqued. But what this book made me realize is that I think I've grown past my YA days. The writing read a little to YA for me and I just found that the characters were too immature (and borderline insufferable, sometimes) for me, which I shouldn't fault them for. They're high schoolers! They're meant to be like that. Unfortunately, that detracted from the experience for me.

I wasn't a fan of Ben or his circle of friends. Though, I did like that the book highlighted that teen pregnancy is not easy at all instead of glorifying it. All in all, a good book for those who enjoy YA and appreciate an emotional ending. But it's not for others.