IMPORTANT!! THIS BOOK IS THE FIRST ONE IN A SERIES OF CHRISTIAN ROMANCES

I decided to read this story because it has one of the tropes that I enjoy reading the most in this type of romance novel: Surprise pregnancy!
Especially if the father is not the girl's boyfriend, and all the drama of "now we have a son, what do we do?" comes together. What I did not expect was that it was part of a saga of Christian books, which I discovered once I finished the book. Apart from the fact that the novel is full of references to god (obvious) I really enjoyed the relationship of the main characters, Kayla and Ben, and how their worlds come together and their decisions guide them to become a family (sorry for the joke, but a good Christian family)
Being a Christian novel, there are certain values ​​that are criticized in this story, especially of people outside the protagonist, such as: Virgin until marriage, against abortion ... etc. I did not share the thoughts of this novel, especially around abortion, but I put it down to the fact that the author wanted to project the beliefs of a believing family, so I let it pass, since at no time did they criticize the values ​​of others. I mean, "I couldn't do that", but not that it was wrong.
In this novel, the family is very important. The support you can receive from your family is superior to anything, but it is also healthy to know when your family is not good for you.

In general, I really liked it and it has entertained me, which was what I was looking for.

Thank you for the free review copy Netgalley 
I’ll be honest, this book wasn’t really for me. It sounded good but it frustrated me. It was well written though but just not for me

DNF.
I hated the characters and their story which was so unrealistic in my opinion and that's why I decided not to finish this book.

I liked the plot of the story but I felt like the characters were a bit unrealistic and one-dimensional. It was a quick read with a satisfying ending.

Sadly this one wasn't for me. I was hoping to love it so much more but sadly it fell short. I am however obsessed with the cover.

This was a decent read. It was light and quick to read. The characters were likable. There were religious undertones, but that doesn’t bother me. Overall not bad.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Thank you firstly to #Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC of Formula for a Perfect Life.

It follows Kayla and Ben’s two very driven students who have a one night stand that results in a pregnancy. That definitely puts a dent in all their plans and doesn’t life throw a dent in our plans all the time?I thought it was a cute, quick, and emotional story

There was a strong sisterhood with Kayla and her roommates. I love a good women supporting women storyline. Kayla and Ben were good characters. I liked both their POVs. The growth they went through felt realistic and well-paced.The novel is a cozy romantic read. It was a predictable read as there weren't many unexpected surprised or deep dark secrets.

Formula For a Perfect Life by Christy Hayes is an unconventional romance. The characters lives are far from perfect. The book takes them through the journey of figuring out their lives after an unexpected pregnancy. Readers of contemporary romance will enjoy this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for this E-arc.

I'm DNF-ing this book at 13%, which I don't usually do as I prefer to give chances or set something aside until I can get back to it. However, there are a few things that have me scratching my head or just uncertain how I feel about wanting to continue this any further. Such as being a senior, in college mind you, and there is a Spring Formal mentioned when that isn't a college thing. Also, again, even if it is early in the book and I'm sure it's the author's intentions, I don't mesh well with Kayla, our main character.

An authentic and heartwarming take on dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. Whilst the topic is a serious one, Christy Hayes handles it with a perfect balance of grace and humourthat twists this tale into a delectable, fun and heartwarming read. A really enjoyable story with interesting characters that it is easy to connect with.

4.0/5.0
  If you were a fan of The Secret Life of the American Teenager as a young adult (or a senior in college when I finally watched it), this is a great book for you!  After discovering she is pregnant after having sex for the first time, Kayla is forced to make some major life decisions in the span of a few months before graduation.  And where does the father of the baby, Ben, fit into her future?  Even though there is the feel of The Secret Life of the American Teenage, this has a more mature tone to it as it takes place in her early 20s.  I have been looking for more books that take place during the college years, as most of what I read either takes place in high school or in later adult life.  I am the perfect age for this book because I am a recent college graduate but I am still trying to find myself and what my future will look like.  This read as something I could have written because it was so relatable to me when it comes to the subject of being a college student.  It was an easy read, as I was able to finish it in two days, but also it just seemed really realistic to me.  I did not expect this book to have a religious aspect to it (talking about God's plan, pre-marital sex, having babies out of wedlock) and as a moderately religious person, this did not take me out of the story.  It was in there a lot more than I thought, but again nothing that was too "in my face" or "preachy" that may take some people out of the story.  I thought that this book was good at showing the pressure kids feel to live up to their parents' expectations and when they want to change how much it affects the familial relationships.  I also liked how this book shows how having toxic and manipulative people in your life can be more problematic and go on for years no matter how many times you try to cut them out.  There were a lot of things related to the college life and being a person in their 20s can feel at all times when it comes to the future and when things may not go according to your perfect plan.

*I received an advanced copy of this book for free for review.  My opinions are all my own.*

This was a unique story. There's truly no formula for a happy life. I love how the author dealt with these issues. Both Ben and Kayla made bad choices and had to face the consequences of their actions. It took a lot out of them especially on Kayla's part to learn to trust each other. One thing I enjoyed was their willingness to take responsibility for their actions from the start although hard and scary, they owned up to their mistakes.
I also loved Kayla's mom. Yes she was disappointed but she supported and encouraged her daughter not pushing her own views on her and turning her towards God. Most importantly, I really appreciated the way she dealt with hard topics with grace bit did not sugarcoat it.
This is definitely different for me as I don't usually find new adult books that I'm excited to read but I loved every minute of this one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine.

3.5 Stars

So adorable. This is just the type of book I read when trying to get out of a reading slump.

I enjoyed this book, the characters were well written and although it was a serious matter it was light and cute. I'd recommend this book!

** spoiler alert ** CW + TW: pregnancy, an unexpected pregnancy, abortion talk, strained relationship with parents, cheating, bullying, teen death, drug talk, overdose discussion, religion

*SPOILERS*

I hadn't read the review in some time before reading this so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. The only thing I could really remember was that the main character becomes pregnant while in college. After reading it, I can tell you that A FORMULA FOR A PERFECT LIFE by CHRISTY HAYES is a contemporary novel about Kayla Cummings who is a college senior that has plans for her life that are put on hold when she discovers that she is pregnant. The father, Ben Strickland, is her secret crush, her one night stand, and her first time. No matter what she is feeling or thinking, she knows she has to tell him.

On the other hand, we have Ben Strickland, also a college senior who's life has basically been planned out the majority of his life... as long as he gets a good score on the LSAT. Since he has failed it before, he's feeling pressure from all over to do better this time. He's juggling studying for the LSAT, finishing up courses for the semester, and his super needy girlfriend Darcy when Kayla appears at his door with news that they're going to have a baby.

Now Kayla and Ben have to inform others about their baby as well as figure out what their futures will look like. Will they continue the college and career path that they planned? Where will the baby be? What will their relationship be? Where will they live and work?

I have never been in this position or experienced something like this so I'm not sure how accurate this story is to the real thing. I did notice a few similarities to people I know in real life that got pregnant while still in school. Getting pregnant in general can be a difficult thing, especially if it's unexpected for both parties. Luckily for Kayla, Ben wanted to be in their baby's life and her parents came around to the situation. Not many other young pregnant people can say the same. I liked the aspect of religion and family's not always being supportive right away, as well as the father (Ben) wanting to be there and the parents being the opposite. Often times it's the father dipping on his child and family members silently helping out or not knowing until later on. By adding those things, it gave the characters more to think about and some inner conflict on what they believe is right for them to do.

I did enjoy this one but it wasn't the best story I ever read. I do not plan to reread it anytime soon and or don't think I will able to remember much about the story in 6 months- 1 year so for that, I'm giving it 3 stars.

this is my second christy hayes book and i just loved it. i twas so cute and swoonworthy and precious and yes please.

This is a great story taking you through the stresses of two lives just getting started when something completely changes their paths... a feel good thriller, highly recommend this one.

When I read the blurb of this book, it sounded like something that would appeal to me. However, it isn’t what I was expecting at all, in that it was one with a heavy religious tone to it. Whilst, I have no qualms with accepting other peoples’ beliefs, (and I went to a church school), religion was heavily referenced.
Some might argue that it did play into the characters and influenced their behaviours and choices and that it worked well, but for me I wasn’t keen.

The story follows that of an unplanned pregnancy - a result of two college students, Kayla and Ben, having a one night stand. Both characters have their own issues and face their own problems because of the unplanned pregnancy. I will say that it was cute how they came together to work at it, with the support from their friends and family.

This book is a quick and easy read. The dialogue between characters work well and it easily flows. However, I was expecting a rom -com, from the blurb, but unfortunately it  didn’t hit the mark for me. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I received this book from Netgalley with the promise of an honest review 😊 I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this book! I loved the idea of the blurb but it was a bit too heavy on the religion side for me. I don't mind reading about religion but I felt it was a bigger factor in this book than anything else. I love the relationship between Kayla and Ben and their growth throughout the story! Kayla had a very great outlook on life, with the attitude of everything happens for a reason, and Ben with trying to better himself for her 😊 It was a very quick and sweet read for me 😊

When I first read the blurb for this book – accidental pregnancy, strong female friendship, life goals and plans completely turned upside down – I was intrigued. I love a good story that takes tried and true tropes yet makes them unique in their own way. Christy Hayes Formula For a Perfect Life was not that.

To begin, there’s nothing in the blurb that indicates that it’s a Christian fiction novel – something that shouldn’t necessarily need a disclaimer yet for this, I have to give. There’s a big difference between an unplanned pregnancy story and a Christian unplanned pregnancy story and this is definitely the latter. The viewpoints, dialogue and description of how Kayla and Ben make their decisions are about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

This isn’t inherently a bad thing, if anything I’m sure there’s an audience that would willfully gobble this up. But for me, a believer who also recognizes the reality and nuance of what a conversation about accidental pregnancy after a one-night stand would mean, the dismissive way that characters described these decisions was… a lot to swallow. This also isn’t helped with the dialogue surrounding Kayla and Ben by their parents and peers which makes it seem more like two teenagers who got pregnant rather than twenty-one year old college seniors.

The romance itself felt rushed to the point that while I really wanted to like Kayla and Ben’s journey, it all felt completely unearned. Maybe I expect too much of a light-hearted romance novel but I like to be shown why two people are falling in love with each other, not just told that they are. Especially when the story is set in the modern day, they’re having a baby together after a one night stand and aside from said baby… seem to have nothing in common with each other.

Formula For a Perfect Life would be best recommended for a Christian/faith-based reader who wants an endgame romance and dialogue that blindly supports their worldviews and choices. As it was, it was not the book for me.