It's all about the family you make. Josie is back living with her parents in their small town after leaving her cheating husband. And she's pregnant. Luckily, a craving for a corn dog brings her back in contact with her BFF Kevin and her high school crush Ben. Kevin and Ben are living together in Ben's house, where he's coping with changes in his own marital situation and an angry tween daughter. And now Josie's moved in as well. This is more about caring for one another than it is both romance (although yes, there's some of that as well). It's generous and sweet. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Josie’s life is falling apart. Her husband cheated on her and now they are getting a divorce, she moved back to her hometown with her parents, and now she’s pregnant. When she runs into Ben and Kevin, her friends from high school, the three decide to move in together and get their lives together.

I adored this book. It was full of heart and sweet moments and Josie’s journey was so beautiful. I loved watching her really start to feel like she found herself despite all of the struggles she was going through. I loved the unconventional family she Ben and Kevin created and how they truly encouraged each other and were an incredible support system for one another. Josie was the sweetest main character - she was funny, she was relatable, and she was such a kind person it was impossible not to root for her. The slow slow burn second chance romance between Josie and Ben was so sweet and I loved them together. The romance definitely takes a backseat in this story, and is more of a women’s fiction, self-discovery journey, so be aware going in. Overall, I loved this book so much and am so happy I read it.

I switched between audio and ebook and loved both formats. Sophie Amoss was the narrator and did an amazing job bringing Josie to life. I loved her narration and found myself listening to almost the whole story before realizing it was suddenly almost to the end.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced copies.

Three childhood friends reunite in their 30s and make a pact to help each other get their lives together. For Josie, newly divorced and pregnant, she has to figure out what single motherhood is going to look like. This was a fun, lighthearted story of friendship and self-discovery that gave me lots of Three men and a baby vibes. Perfect for fans of Josh and Gemma make a baby by Sarah Ready or The temporary roomie by Sarah Adams. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copies!

Sooooo this book was way better than I expected. The humor was top notch and the characters’ struggles were at times VERY relatable. I loved the dynamic between Josie, Kevin, and Ben. They were so adorable and hopelessly pathetic at times. Josie had a lot of crap to deal with, but she remained resilient and was encouraged by her friends to get back on her feet. I really enjoyed this read.

I Loved This 🥰

Josie, newly separated & going through a divorce finds out she’s pregnant after moving back home to live with her parents. With a hankering for a corn dog Josie makes her way to the local fair where she runs into her best friend from high school, Kevin & Ben, her high school crush. Together they make a pact to help each other save money & fix their lives because being 30 sucks!!

The relationship between the three of them was so great! It was like they were never apart after high school, I love Ben & I also love how goofy & full of life Kevin is! This was all around such a great book!! It gave me some definite warm & fuzzies.

Thanks NetGalley & Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the arc!

This was such a sweet story. Good for my soul.

I have been really annoyed with the cheating husband plot line so I was honestly not looking forward to this book.

But it was not what I was expecting. I don’t know what about it made it different/better but I really enjoyed it.

Ben and Kevin are the real mvps of this book. Where can I find friends like them? They are so supportive and completely there for Josie.

And the romance with Ben was there, but it really wasn’t the focal point. It was about all three of them healing.

This was a unique book with a fun interesting characters. I loved the idea of friends coming together when in tough times.However it was light with the romance but enjoyable.

What an absolutely delightful, quirky, and predictable (in the best way) story! Hilariously loveable characters, real growth, a hint of romance and a great story - this book picked me right up out of a slump and brought a smile to my face. I really enjoyed following along with Josie as she worked to get her life together.

Thank you, NetGalley, for my copy of this book. All opinions here are my own.

Not going to lie, I found the first few chapters of this book both weird and intriguing because I didn’t know much about Ben and Kevin yet. Once I did get to know more of them and saw their friendship, it was pretty enjoyable and entertaining to see them banter.

Reading this has the same feeling as watching sitcom like FRIENDS and HIMYM (with fewer number of friend in a group). And I actually love their friendship.

I both love and hate Josie's character, I applaud her for standing up for herself and being strong and brave about her current situation. She definitely rose to the occasion, but I also can't help but be annoyed about her perspectives sometimes and her thought process.
Ben, is Josie’s old high school crush. I love him because he is very attentive and caring when it comes to his friends and family. He was always there to help Josie with her pregnancy, making sure she had everything she needed and she was always comfortable.

Highly recommend if you're looking for a quick read with adorable romance and a found family trope.

I loved this SO much. It's a lovely story about found family and second chances. Josie is in a tough spot - pregnant and divorcing her cheating husband. She moves in with her two old friends until she can get back on her feet.

Josie is so funny. I love how much of a normal person she is. She's self-deprecating and down to earth. Her inner monologues are hilarious. Josie is a delight and I found her to be super relatable.

I adored Kevin and Ben. Kevin is a riot and Ben is a sweetheart. They are the friends we all deserve but rarely find. They are kind people who give Josie so much support - but they are also struggling with the way their lives have gone. Kevin and Ben's relationship with one another is really funny and their dynamic is extremely entertaining. And watching Ben try to develop more of a relationship with his pre-teen daughter was so lovely, it was genuinely one of my favorite parts of the book. Altogether, Josie, Ben, and Kevin make a great trio.

This was a fun, sweet story. I think it is listed primarily as Women's Fiction; on Amazon, it's in the categories of Friendship Fiction, Women's Friendship, and Humorous Fiction. It definitely has a romance element but this book is about many other things than just Ben & Josie's relationship. Their story is a hard-core slow burn - though it's more like 95% mutual pining and 5% romance. They get together at the very, very end, so just a heads up on that in case you're expecting a full-on Romance with a capital R where the love story is the main focus. (It's not but it's really no less romantic for it being so. Trust me.)

I really enjoyed Eding's writing style. Her dialogue is very natural, she writes extremely relatable characters and topics, and is able to incorporate a great sense of humor into the whole shebang. I'd be very happy to try anything else this author writes. This book was SO enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

I thought this was a cute story. A bit predictable but a fun read nonetheless. It seemed a little unrealistic.to me for Josie to completely fall out of touch with her friends when she went to college but I could see how it was necessary for the plot. I really enjoyed the accompanying storylines of the two guys meeting their goals and the note board on the fridge.

It was an ok read. When I saw second chance romance in the description I expected more. Something didn't really click with me and the characters. I found myself skipping through the book because I was bored (sorry).

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casa for sending me an ebook Advanced Reader's Copy for me to read and review via Net Galley. This is my honest and spoiler-free review.
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I picked the opportunity to read 'The Unplanned Life of Josie Hale' via NetGalley, for something different to read. A change of pace from the novels that are my usual go-to and/or comfort zone reads. The Unplanned Life of Josie Hale' promised just that.

✔ Found family
✔ Second chance romance
✔ Single Parent/Surprise Pregnancy
✔ Coming of age
✔ Roommates
✔ Slow burn

All of the above tropes appealed to me in some way, especially since I've not read too many novels with as many tropes within one novel. Usually the above tropes were either spread across a book series, or one was the central trope, so I was intrigued to see how Stephanie Eding would weave them all together, and how the final product that is The Unplanned Life of Josie Hale would fare.

Although this may be the life of Josie Hale, as promised in the title, we very much get more than we bargained for. Again, much like Josie did herself. We get Ben and Kevin, former friends and now roommates of Josie and her unborn child. Josie has connections to both and they meet unexpectedly after several years apart, bonding over the many woes and disappointments several of us go through in life here in the real world, Here, Stephanie injects an element of realism into this novel which most authors would not choose to do. Novels are often referred to and are sources of escapism from the unpleasantness of real life, but Stephanie choses to toe the line and include and raise awareness to those experiences.

In a bid to rid not only Josie of her current plagues bringing her life down but all three of them, a mission is set into motion which you all will become familiar with as a continuous element mentioned throughout the entire novel. This pact is what binds the three together and entwines their fates, as well as getting one another involved with the personal lives of everyone within their household. Everything about their lives is affected by this mission, and Kevin, especially, is keen to see it to completion to the amusement and annoyance both, of his two roommates.

The Unplanned Life of Josie Hale, among the many things, is a story about no one, but three stories of second chances. Throughout reading the novel, we join Josie, Ben and Kevin in searching for and discovering the true meaning of what it means to be family outside of the traditional, 2.2 children, nuclear family-enforced stereotype of a 'family' most of us grew up being told was THE definition of family. We see the evolution of this from the first day of Josie living with the pair, to her pregnancy bringing the three closer--and the things that happen along the way--, to the birth and the moments that follow. The novel takes the time to slowly explore this and many other evolutions, rather than suppressing this to a chapter or two as a mini-arc.

Although lacking in any steam, smut or intimacy, The Unplanned Life of Josie Hale makes up for those things with the close bonds of friendship, going the extra mile for the ones who you love, general wholesomeness and pushing of positive messages and lessons.

I would love for a second book to follow after this, as I would like to see how Josie's life goes from unplanned, to even more unplanned as her baby grows up and a whole new chapter of life for them both can and will be explored.

4.5 stars!

I love a pregnancy romance, it's my favourite trope. Josie is having a year, she's back living with her parents and getting a divorce... The cherry on top is she's now pregnant with her cheating husband's baby. Kevin and Ben propose a year of getting their lives together. Jose leaps and looks at this new move and roommates as an opportunity to work on herself.

I just loved reading Josie's journey. Kevin and Ben are funny and make the story so much better

I just loved the whole thing and the awesome happily ever after.

Super cute and read it in a day. Was a bit unenthused by the story at the beginning, being in a similar age bracket as the down on their luck protagonists. But, once the characters banded together to improve their lives, it was less sad and more funny. Overall. great story and love a good found family story.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


A quaint romantic comedy that will warm your heart.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
What a fun idea for a book! This would make a fun rom-com. I loved the characters, and the changes and growth that they made. I especially liked the daughter, she was a fun addition to the story. If you've got time, and room in your stack, give this fun book a go.

Truth, when I got the email that my wish was granted on NetGalley for this book, I kinda forgot that I asked for it at all. Definitely an impulse click. Anyway, I really liked this book! It was heartfelt and funny. I loved Josie Ben and Kevins little found family plus getting their lives together pact. I would say that this is more just fiction than it is romance. There is a slight romance plot line and Josie and Ben end up together obvi but it’s way more about her pregnancy and them all working on bettering themselves and getting their lives together. Ben repairing his relationship with his daughter was really sweet.
I would recommend if you don’t mind pregnancy in a book. It’s a pretty significant part of the story. Release date is 5/3! Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advance copy!

This will be posted on my Instagram @katebrownreads as well!

Three friends decide to share a house together and get their lives in shape. Josie is pregnant and going through a divorce. Kevin is stalled in his career and Ben is trying to get his precocious 11 year old to like him. I liked the friendship between the three since sincere, good friends are hard to find. One of the funniest scenes Is when Josie meets up with her ex and the other two are lurking in the background. It’s quite endearing.
I liked Kevin the best. I’m,Ike’s his zany attitude and antics.
It’s a good story to lose yourself in for a few hours.

When life gives you lemons you gotta make the corn dog pact! This book gave me all the giggles and fuzzy feels! Josie who finds herself pregnant at the worst imaginable time runs into her high school best friends. They reconnect and start a new beginning together! Yes, this was a romance....but it was about friendship and growing up the best possible ways! This was a great book to escape in and laugh! I really need Kevin's book!!