I read this book in a day. Great representation, great characters. Funny, sad, frustrating, a real rollercoaster of emotions but it was hard not to stop once I got going. The only thing is I just wish it was longer!

First ten pages in and there was a plot twist and it kept going from there. I genuinely gasped out loud a few different times throughout the book and laughed at some points too. I couldn't anticipate what was coming next throughout the book and I think that made it even better. I think this is a highly recommended book especially if you want something a little quicker and not heavy.

Was excited to read because the premise is incredibly interesting, but that’s where the creativity ends, unfortunately.

Unexpecting is okay in all regards. It isn’t offensive, it isn’t mind-blowing - it’s lukewarm. I didn't connect to the characters, didn’t feel drawn into the story past the set-up.

Ben isn’t empathic because despite being in his head, you never understand his choices. He doesn’t come to natural conclusions on his own. It was painful to read the interaction between characters.

This wasn’t for me.

This book is sometimes annoying because of how much it relies on characters having miscommunications. The book also felt a bit boring.

It definitely has no qualities relating to Heartstopper (It’s also a bad marketing tactic to say that your product is the combination of two different things. Source: I’m a current college student double-majoring in business. Your product should be an original, comparing it to two other similar products raises or defines the expectations of the consumer and puts unnecessary pressure on the producer. It sets the book up for failure. Because the consumer assumes that they are gonna get the same feelings they got from the comparison products.)

Ben isn’t trying to understand the people around him and why they are upset. and everyone else around him does the same. No one puts themselves in other people's shoes. The problems in the book felt superficial and weren’t developed well, which affected the characters' personalities. So the character development wasn’t all there.

This book felt markedly anti-choice, though i don't think it meant to be. They name the fact that no one asks the pregnant teenager what she wants to do, but then they just... keep not actually asking and not seeming to see that as a problem? She deserved better.

Also there's a part where she is finally asked and the language is something along the lines of her being 4 months along so she wouldn't do something that terrible now. And second trimester abortions are not terrible! It really rubbed me the wrong way.

Every character is pretty flat, but i was still pulled along by the book and it made me want to know what was going to happen next. So that is worth something for sure!

What a charming read! I absolutely adored this take on parenting, growing up, and relationships. I loved seeing Ben and Gio’s relationship blossom, but I appreciated that it didn’t become the main focus of the book. There were so many facets of this story that lead to a beautiful ending (that I saw coming from the first hint that was dropped, and I was absolutely hoping that was the direction it was going). The only thing I wish was that there had been more discussion and growth with Maxie. She felt like an important part of the story and I still felt we ended the book with her never really having much of a voice, and the point about her possibly having feelings for Ben was brought up once by Gio, then tossed away and never mentioned again. You could barely even tell she and Ben were friends, or that she was yearning for the lost relationship between her, Mo, and Ben the same way Ben was. As a character I felt she needed a little more care and attention.

On the whole, I truly loved this book and it was a lovely perspective on unexpected, teenage pregnancy, and how to do the right thing as a parent.

A unique narrative approach to address teen sexuality, bodily autonomy, and pregnancy. Students often research these topics, but rarely from the father's point of view. I could see many students being interested in this book.

I DNF'ed this because it really wasn't at all what I was expecting (pardon the pun). I thought from the blurb that maybe the protagonist or whoever got pregnant was trans, and that was why this pregnancy was so unexpected, but it turns out it was just because the protagonist was experimenting? Fine with me, but I didn't feel compelled to finish it.

Unexpecting was such an enjoyable read. The characters are written in a way that made me want what’s best for them. As a mother of a teenager I sympathized with the parents, and remembered what it’s like to be a teenager so I sympathized with the kids as well. Jen Baileys writing style is great, i didnt want to stop reading once I got to the meat of the story. While a little predictable, the ending is what everyone wants, what’s better than a feel good story? Would love to read more from Jen Bailey in the future.

For such a serious topic, this book was really cute! Ben and Gio were really cute together, and I loved how their relationship blossomed. I also really liked Ben and Maxie’s relationship, although I wish Ben had considered Maxie’s feelings a bit more. I totally knew how the book would end, I called it right from the beginning. It would’ve been nice to have a surprise, but I do agree that that was the best possible ending.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone.

This was the first time I’ve read a book about teen pregnancy that is told through the lens of the expectant father. Adding in the fact the expectant father has come out and is struggling with his own issues regarding his parents. The importance of navigating his changing responsibilities while trying to decide what is best for his future child and for himself. Was well told. This story dies a great job of showing this unique experience without feeling heavy handed.

Ben is in his junior year at high school, navigating SATs, college applications, and getting his driver’s license.
An experiment at science camp with his best friend Maxie was able to prove that he is in fact gay, however, he’s now going to be a father.
Ben can’t seem to keep his head above water, preparing for a baby, taking parenting classes, getting a job, participating in the robotics club, and maintaining his GPA.

I think this book is important for young adult readers because it has something everyone can relate to. The sacrifices and consequences that follow actions, and how rapidly expectations and plans can change. Along with the interworking of friendships, relationships, and what being a family whether blood or found really means.

There were times when I shook my kindle and just wanted Ben to communicate more openly. This book took me through several emotions — giddiness, laughing at one moment, and ready to cry at how tender other moments were. The author was able to weave topics that can often be heavy into this story with grace.

I would recommend this book to individuals who enjoy LGBTQIA+ young adult novels.

Ben is gay, but he’s about to have a baby with his best friend, Maxie, after an experiment at camp. Ben learns valuable lessons about what makes a family and what sacrifices people have to make for their kids, even when they don’t want to.

I absolutely adored this story. Ben, while frustrating, is relatable to me with his inquisitiveness and dedication. While very book smart, he wasn’t very emotionally intelligent and he knew it. With help from his friends and family he gains a new perspective on life and learns how to be more mindful of others.

Overall, this was a beautiful story of how blood is not the only thing that makes people family.

I requested this book on a whim and I didn't know what to expect. It's being compared to both Heartstopper and Juno, Heartstopper, I assume for the LGBT+ story and Juno for the unexpected pregnancy story? However, I think that's where the comparison stops.

1) Reading this as an adult and not a teen makes me think about this differently but he really does come across as really childish and immature, and I do think there is some growth by the end of the novel but mostly he is written as very incapable of thinking of his kid as a real kid? Does he have anxiety, because it seems like it's written that way, but never really addressed.
2) this book is not a romcom, don't know why it's being sold as one
3) heartstopper has a whole thing of trying to understand your identity, but I don't think that's present in here at all so it shouldn't really be compared to it
4) as the Juno comparison would entail, Ben (who is 17, and gay) gets his best friend Maxie pregnant (they "experiment" at camp). Ben wants to keep the baby, while Maxie/her parents want to give it up for adoption. Ben has dad issues.
5) the book is only told from Ben's POV which is certainly unique, but I felt Maxie didn't get a say in anything and it was a sort of frustrating read because of that

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I was really excited to read this because the concept seemed promising. A single gay teen dad, and it was compared to Heartstopper, which I really don’t get… there were no similarities at all.

This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but as the plot picked up, it got really predictable. I have mixed feelings about Ben because at times he was acting so stupid and immature. Yes he’s young, yes he’s basically a child, but come on man. He didn’t care about Maxie for majority of the book. “I’m going into this whole parenthood thing with my eyes wide open.” boy no you’re not. I’m glad he realized it at the end but his attitude really pissed me off. And Mo… he was so dense too. The best characters were Eliza and Roger, his mom and his step dad. And Maxie, god I felt SO bad for her the entire time until the very end. She deserved so much better and I am so mad about it. “We created that life, Maxie, but that baby isn’t ours. I don’t think she ever has been.” What the hell. Truly, what the fuck. Not one person bothered to ask her what SHE actually wants. Not one person seemed to care enough to LISTEN to her. Yes, Ben did ask her once, but even then, she couldn’t open up and he definitely should’ve tried harder. Adoption is a controversial topic as it is, and Maxie not truly having a say in what happens to her baby made everything worse. The whole time it was about Ben and Maxie's parents, but what about Maxie??? You could really tell she was unhappy at the end. The last 20% of the book just infuriated me so much and I didn’t like the direction it took at all.

I appreciated the development that the characters went through and the realistic and thoughtful resolution. While predictable, it made for a comfortable story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but the cover and description immediately caught my attention. The first quarter of the book felt as though it dragged a bit, but after that, I was sucked in and couldn't stop reading it.

For starters, I would just like to say that for a guidance counselor, Eliza is terrible at realizing that her son needs mass amounts of therapy. My goodness. That poor boy. But it was nice to watch Ben's growth from the beginning of the book to the end of it. I'm not sure if the author intended him to be written neurodivergent but I caught more than one hint at it, particularly in regard to some of his anxieties as well as some of his issues with social cues.

This book was a unique perspective. We don't typically get to see stories like this from the father's point of view. I quite enjoyed that. But even as I felt for Ben and everything he was going through, my heart also broke for Maxie. Because her parents, particularly her father, were quite awful to her especially in the beginning (making her deliver the papers at school to punish her; how terrible), and her feelings and desires were completely swept under the rug like she didn't even matter.

This was a really lovely book. What starts out as a bit of a quirky premise is really brought to life by Bailey with a rich cast of characters.

Ben decides to conduct an experiment to determine if he's really gay and accidentally gets his best friend Maxie pregnant. Maxies parents want the baby to be put up for adoption, but Ben wants to take care of the baby.

Ben's growth through this book is definitely one of the highlights for me. He's very scientifically minded and really learns a lot about the human aspect of parenthood. The book also grapples with the definition of family, what it means to be a parent and what love looks like.

Definitely worth a read!

Absolutely worth the read, particularly for fans of LGBTQIAP+ & YA lit. An emotional story about what it truly means to be family and a parent, with a dash of young love. You won’t regret it.