Super cute YA novel with an interesting plot that I haven't seen before. I enjoyed the characters and plot of this book and I'm looking forward to seeing more reviews and hearing about other novels released by Jen.

Benjamin Morrison is about to start junior year of high school and while his family is challenging, he is pretty content with his life, with his two best friends, and being a part of the robotics club. Until an experiment at science camp has completely unexpected consequences.

He is going to be a father. Something his mother was not expecting after he came out as gay and she certainly wasn’t expecting that he would want to raise the baby as a single father. But together they come up with a plan to prepare Ben for fatherhood and fight for his rights.

The weight of Ben’s decision presses down on him. He’s always tired, his grades fall, and tension rises between his mom and stepfather. He’s letting down his friends in the robotics club whose future hinges on his expertise. If it wasn’t for his renewed friendship (and maybe more) with a boy from his past, he wouldn’t be able to face the daily ridicule at school or the crumbling relationship with his best friends.

With every new challenge, every new sacrifice he has to make, Ben questions his choice. He’s lived with a void in his heart where a father’s presence should have been, and the fear of putting his own child through that keeps him clinging to his decision. When the baby might be in danger, Ben’s faced with a heart-wrenching realization: sometimes being a parent means making the hard choices even if they are the choices you don't want to make...

Unexpecting by Jen Bailey was a heartwarming story.
About teenage pregnancy but told from the perspective of a teenage boy.
Which I found to be really interesting.
I enjoyed the characters, the story and the writing was amazing.
I enjoyed the journey and everything in it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

'Unexpecting' offered a unique look at teenage pregnancy from the perspective of a teenage boy. Ben is 16 years old, and he recently came out as gay. Because of this, his mother is shocked to find out that Ben has gotten his friend, Maxie, pregnant. Maxie wants to give the baby up for adoption, but Ben wants to be a father to the baby. Ben has never had a stable, l0ng-lasting father figure in his life. His biological dad died before Ben was born, and his mom has a series of boyfriends and husbands that haven't lasted long enough to stick around for Ben long term. Ben doesn't want his baby to feel like they were abandoned, so he struggles with trying to figure out how he can raise the baby.

Along with his mom and new step-dad, Roger, Ben makes a plan to raise the baby. He gets a job to save money, but his schoolwork and robotics club activities start to suffer. His friends at school are disappointed, and Ben struggles with determining how to make it all work.

Ben starts to bond with his step-dad, Roger, and I really enjoyed that part of the story. He starts to learn that family and love can come without having the same DNA. I loved how supportive Roger and Ben's mom were of Ben too. It was great to see how much they loved him.

I liked the book, but there were parts that were very slow and drawn out. I liked learning about the process of adoption and what rights the father of a baby has. I didn't know how all of that worked, and I learned a lot from this book.

I think that Ben became a really difficult narrator to follow. I would have liked to have the perspective of Maxie too because it was important to see things from her point of view. Also, I loved how the story ended, and I teared up while reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

When two analytically minded teens conduct a social experiment, there are unplanned consequences: Ben, who can now confirm he is definitely gay, has gotten his best friend Maxie pregnant. And worse than that, everyone expects him to just give his baby up for adoption. But Ben knows what it's like to be abandoned by his dad(s), and he's not going to give up so easily!

This book was pretty cute, although Ben drove me absolutely crazy sometimes. He could be really... oblivious. I can't say I loved him as a character, but I was definitely invested in his story. I loved the support he got from his family, and how he was so desperate to do the right thing. I especially loved the relationship that grew between him and his stepfather.

All in all it was a cute story, and I really liked the ending. I did end up rooting for Ben, once he got his blinders off!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an unbiased opinion!

This book had potential, and it being compared to Heartstopper made me excited to read it. Unfortunately, though, this didn’t quite live up to the comparison.

First, the characters. None of them had any real depth, outside of Ben’s issues with growing up without a stable father figure. Yet that wasn’t enough to make me like him, let alone relate to him or root for him. He was just so blind to everything around him and refused to take responsibility for his own actions. When his friendship with Mo starts to crumble because of Ben’s lies, does Ben make any effort to repair the situation? No. Does he make any effort to see the pregnancy from Maxie’s perspective? Again, no. And more than that, he also doesn’t listen to the adults in his life who are trying to give him advice and support. He just keeps barreling straight ahead and then wonders why his friends are shutting him out.

Second, the lack of plot. Outside of the pregnancy, very little actually happens in this book. Honestly, reading the synopsis of it tells you everything you need to know. There’s some robotics happening, but that disappears partway through, and the reader never learns if the club will be able to keep their funding, a plot point that was introduced at the very beginning. And the same thing happens with Gio, who also disappears partway through only to reappear at the very end, making his burgeoning relationship with Ben very hard to believe. They spend very little page time together, yet suddenly they’re dating at the end? Oh, and supposedly Roger and Ben’s mom are starting to have marital problems even though they’re only shown to be fighting one time. There are hints of possible infidelity, but once again, that’s never mentioned again. And time will randomly skip forward, but the author never fills in the gaps for the reader.

The one part of this book I did really like was Ben’s relationship with Roger, especially their conversation at the hospital. Despite Ben’s cold and distant demeanor toward him, Roger never gives up on trying to get to know Ben and trying to be, if not a father, then at least a friend. Here was someone I genuinely believed cared for Ben and wanted to help him make the best decision regarding the baby, which is probably why Roger is the only person Ben actually does end up listening to.

Overall, this book fell flat for me. It was very predictable and could use some fleshing out to make the characters and the plot more well-rounded.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

- thank you to netgalley and St. Martins press for the arc to review!

- i wanted to love this story, but the issues i saw made me question the main characters choices and moral development. Ben, a gay 16 year old, had sex with his best friend, Maxie, as an experiment, and he got her pregnant. Ben proceeds to go against the family interest and wants Maxie to keep the baby so he can raise the child so that they’ll never feel what Ben had to go through. this is not a great idea for forcing his best friend to have the baby he created, when she doesn’t even want it, and has papers signed in order to give it up to a family who can take care of the baby. it felt off to me that Maxie’s decisions were overturned by ben’s desire to raise the baby like he wanted to be raised. plus, Ben is 16, so he should still be living like a child, going through the psychological stage of finding his identity, not becoming a parent when he is not mentally capable of being a teen parent.

- overall, the book was one with decent writing, but a poorly executed main character who pushed the choices of the pregnant character for what he wanted specifically.

This is a heartwarming story about teen pregnancy, coming to terms with expectations and your sense of self, and family in all its forms. 4 stars only because I wish we had gotten to see more of Maxie and her own experiences, but loved that we also got to see how this story was dealt with by so many of the people involved.

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for allowing me to read Unexpecting early.

I loved this book! From the moment I read the premise I wanted to read the story badly and it didn't disappoint. I really liked the different take on teenage parenthood and rushed through this book within twenty-four hours.

When Ben (who thinks he’s gay) and Maxine experiment and have sex, she gets pregnant. Ben, who’s never had a permanent father, wants to keep the baby. Ben’s mom says it will be tough because the courts will want his family to prove he is a better fit than an adoptive family. Ben is so overwhelmed he messes up coding for his robotics team, doesn’t tell his best friend about the pregnancy, and forgets about studying for the SATs. When he’s accepted into a robotics academy for the summer, he’s excited and then remembers about the baby coming. When Maxine is rushed to the hospital because she’s not feeling well, Ben is worried but also feels a teeny bit of relief if she were to lose the baby. He has some big decisions to make. What ends up happening? A fantastic book done well.

Such a nice and refreshing perspective! I've read so many books about unplanned pregnancy from the girls POV and it has been overdone in my opinion. In this novel, we get the males POV. After "experimenting" over the summer, gay Ben learns the girl he had relations with is pregnant! Seeing his perspective on the situation was a breath of fresh air for me, personally. Loved Ben's character and cannot wait to try more titles from this author!

M rating 3/5 Stars

I have never read a pregnancy story from a males point of view and it was quite refreshing and interesting to read. You can’t help but to root for Ben throughout the story. He tries his very best and has his heart in the right place. I will I did see how this was going to end as in the beginning there was a scene that kind of gives it away. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read about finding yourself and has a great representation of the found family trope.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unexpecting is about Ben, an openly gay sixteen-year-old boy, who just found out that his experiment over the summer to make sure he really is gay, resulted in his best friend Maxie getting pregnant. Ben's biological father died when he was really young and he is currently on his third stepfather, resulting in abandonment and daddy issues. Ben's two previous step-fathers would act fatherly toward him while they were married to his mom but then never stayed in touch with him after the divorce, leaving him feeling inadequate and like he isn't enough for a father figure to stick around for him.

One day, Maxie hands him papers at school for him to sign to give up parental rights since her parents have decided that she is going to give up the baby for adoption. Ben doesn't want his child to feel the way he did growing up, unwanted and unloved by his father/father figures, so he decides that he is going to fight Maxie's parents because he wants to raise the child.

At the end of the book, he realizes that the best thing for his child is to go to a loving and capable home that is not his, so him and Maxie give their baby to Ben's boss and her wife.

This book was very strange at times and I felt like things were happening just to put more stress on Ben and to make his life fall apart more. For example, Ben's mom makes him get a job and secures one more him at her ex-husband's restaurant where he will be working with his ex-stepbrother, Gio, who he has had a crush on since their parents divorce. At one point Ben and Gio are talking and Gio mentions how he always hoped that his dad and Ben's mom would get back together since he still has a relationship with Ben's mom. Ben makes a remark about how he shouldn't give up hope because his mom never keeps her husbands for long. Yes, this was not a nice thing to say but he said it because that is how he feels due to having father-figures constantly introduced and then ripped away from him. Gio gets so angry at him, like so angry. And I was just sitting there reading it confused because obviously Ben is under a lot of stress and it was a shitty thing to say, but I feel like Gio's reaction was just to make Ben feel even worse about himself.

Also, at a later point in the book, Gio kisses Ben and then later confesses he has feeling for him. Ben gets overwhelmed, and even thought he likes Gio, tells him that he doesn't have time for dating right now. Gio gets really annoyed and upset at this, which really annoyed and upset me. Gio has watched Ben have multiple breakdowns about the situation he is in and barely have time to sleep, let alone date. All of these times Gio got upset at Ben felt out of character for him and felt like they only happened to make Ben feel even more stressed out.

Another example is Mo's reaction to the pregnancy. Maxie and Ben have a mutual friend, Mo, that completes their friend group. Neither Ben or Maxie tell Mo about the pregnancy since they haven't told anyone outside of their family, Gio only knows because he accidentally overheard Ben talking to Maxie and her parents about it. One day, the news about her pregnancy gets out and when Mo confronts Ben about it, he is irrationally angry. He started saying things like they always tell each other stuff, and how he fells betrayed........ I need you to be so for real right now. Two of his best friends are experiencing teenage pregnancy, but somehow it is about him.....okay.....After this, Mo and Ben stop talking for months, further isolating Ben.

Ben was not a very likable character. From the start, his whole motivation for keeping the baby is that he doesn't want his child to grow up the way he did, feeling unwanted. This is a totally wrong motivation for having a child and Ben doesn't think about how his decision will affect anyone else, not his mom, not Maxie, and not even himself. His mom is trying to stress how big of a deal a child is to him and he's always saying that he knows, but he obviously doesn't. He is selfish and childish, which makes sense because he is a child and at sixteen you're basically supposed to be selfish. He does not change at all by the end of the book, except by finally deciding to give up the baby and learning to feel empathy toward Maxie specifically and no one else.

At one point in the book, he gets an acceptance letter to a summer academy that would be really good for his academic career and to put on college applications. But when his mom points out that his child is due in May and that he can't just go to an academy for weeks at a time, he gets so upset and thinks to himself that she "can't take this away from him". Literally what are you even saying right now. Also, he doesn't even have his driver's license until the last five percent of the book. You don't have your driver's license but you are going to raise a child?

I think that the premise of this book is very interesting, having a gay teen boy all of a sudden have to grapple with getting a girl pregnant, but I think the execution was okay. I think this book would have been better if it was from Maxie's perspective instead, or even if it was dual POV between Ben and Maxie. Maxie was barely a side character and wasn't given much depth, which I feel like was a missed opportunity.

Unexpecting is Juno.....if Juno was WAYYYYY nerdier. This book combines so many tropes I love (queer, unexpected pregnancy, coming of age, semi disfunctional but loving mom, and the list goes on!) There were good moments, but I'm not sure I loved it.

This is the story of a gay nerdy science experiment gone wrong, which sounds insensitive but also exactly like what happened. He really is gay. And she really is pregnant. He is totally a teenage boy, not winning at communication. It's really different and interesting to see teen pregnancy through the view of a dad of an involved parent duo. I liked hearing his thought process and seeing his eventual growth. I think he is Neuro divergent for sure! There are funny moments, heartfelt moments and oh so many nerdy moments.

Ben is a sweet kid and his perspective was unique and interesting. His revolving door of stepdad definitley set up some interesting internal conflict for him!! We also get to see him form relationships, struggle and ultimately (spoiler) succeed

I will say, there is a LOT of robotics and discussion about college/school/nerd priorities. The balance of robotics to storyline in the beginning leans way too far towards robotics and overall, it's too technical about robotics and the situation and not enough conversation or story driven for me. I like the basis of the story and there were good moments, overall I found it okay.

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!!

I won't lie, I didn't love this. I just couldn't stand Ben, and felt like he had zero understanding of the gravity of the situation he was in. He read as a high school freshman, and I think that was a bit off putting for me. The plot idea is really unique, but I'd also add that the ending was pretty predictable by the halfway point.

4.5 stars. What a fun and emotionally thrilling book! I was so glad to be in the narrator's mind the whole time and experiencing an unexpected pregnancy from his point of view. I know it's been done before, but it really feels like Jen Bailey gets what it's like to be a teenager and knows how to show the absurd and utter chaos it is to be a teenager in the 2020s.

Didn't love the super technical jargon during the robotics tournament and thought the introduction to the couple was a little dramatic, but overall, I think this would make a fantastic mini series. I want everyone to love Ben, Roger, Gio, Maxie, and Mo like I managed to in a quick 24 hour period. Love love love. Can't wait to tell people to get this one when it comes out.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the advanced copy, but special thanks to Austin Adams at St. Martin's Publishing Group for emailing me directly and inviting me to read this. It was so special!

This started out so well. The characters are interesting and engaging, the premise an intriguing one - a slightly different twist on the typical teen pregnancy topic.

Midway through however, the resolution became very predictable, and I felt the ends were tied up a little too neatly.

Still, it was well written, the dialogue is believable, the characterization was well done. It was simply that midway through the book, I knew exactly how the story was going to end, and it did.

Rating is 4 stars because I don't think it is deserving of 3, but admittedly it's not quite 4. I would put it at about a 3.5 rating.

Thanks Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I really enjoyed this book! Ben is sixteen and just told his parents he was gay a few months ago, now he has to tell them that he is going to have a child. That’s not the only thing he has to say though because he wants to keep the baby! But raising a child isn’t easy will Ben be able to handle the pressures? And how does his long time crush Gio fit in? I loved Ben! I liked how he thought and felt about things and while, as a reader, I recognized that things were more complicated I still loved Ben’s journey! He’s well intentioned and sweet though aloof at times. I also enjoyed Maxie and her feelings on their situation! The book is full of well intentioned sweet characters! I can’t recommend this book enough! Can’t wait to read it again!

When I read the blurb for this new queer YA story I was immediately intrigued. “Juno meets Heartstopper in this poignant and emotional story about found family, what it means to be a parent, and falling in love.” That definitely sounded like something that would be right up my alley. And I really did enjoy this adorable story about a teen pregnancy with a twist, but not quite as much as I’d hoped for.

The story follows sixteen-year-old science geek Ben Morris shortly after he (1) has come out as gay and (2) has received the surprise of his life when an experiment at science camp has had completely unexpected consequences: a baby. When the mother in question, Ben’s best friend Maxie, wants to give the baby up for adoption, Ben tries to fight for his rights and to prepare himself for fatherhood as a single dad. Starting junior year, Ben struggles with the weight of this decision alongside the financial problems for his beloved robotics club, the challenge to keep up with school and friends, and not the least a budding romance.

Unexpecting had such a huge potential to tell a unique story and show the side of a teen pregnancy from the young dad’s view, especially with the added twist that he’d already come out as gay. And while some of these aspects were explored in a great way and the story all in all was a heartwarming and sweet portrait of an awkward and anxious yet strong and brave teenage boy facing the biggest and most scary thing in his life, I still feel like it could have been so much more.

My main issue was the plot premise itself. Firstly, about the actual act of conceiving. I mean, I could understand how the act itself happened as an experiment between two science geeks, where one wanted to make sure he was gay and one wanted to dissect virginity as a social construct, but not how the broken condom wasn’t even mentioned until halfway in the book. For a long time, it seemed like they’d been reckless enough to not even use a condom, which made no sense at all for these two characters. Especially since they weren’t drunk and it wasn’t in the spur of the moment or any other circumstances that could explain it. And even after the revelation that they had used a condom, but it had broken, it would have been better to make it into a bigger deal for the credibility of the story. Ben and Maxie should have been worried when it happened and after, at least addressing the possibility she could get pregnant before she just handed the adoption papers to Ben. Secondly, I also had issues with how quickly Ben came to the conclusion to keep the baby and how he still acted kind of childish and worried mostly about the job schedule to have time for the robotics team. He should at least have come to realize that raising a baby gives you no time for extracurricular activities whatsoever. I also really think that before coming to the conclusion to become a dad at sixteen he also should have had some doubts about giving up college or questioning how to make it work. It took until half of the book until he finally realized that raising a child has some real consequences and that he wouldn’t be able to go to MIT or the robotics summer camp as planned. And that was only because his mother told him so, not because he figured it out himself.

For the most part of the book, I felt a lot like Maxie when she confronted Ben about why he wanted to keep the baby. “Ben, I don’t get why you’re pushing this. Why would you let this disrupt your life, your plans, when you don’t have to.” and all Ben had to say was “You wouldn’t understand.” No, of course she wouldn’t, since I as a reader truly couldn’t understand it either.

Because of this, and because of the way Ben not once considered how Maxie was dealing with everything and offering his support, but just focusing on himself, he felt very childish and whiny and nowhere ready to be a parent. I also never understood the rationale for treating his other best friend, Mo, the way he did.

But on the other hand, I’m also glad that the author allowed Ben to completely be himself, not shying away from his flaws and less likable traits. His character development in the end was also truly great, and the decision he eventually made in the end was so wholesome. So a bit of mixed feelings for Ben as a main character, but eventually he made his way into my heart.

Some of the other main characters were truly amazing from the very beginning though. Like Ben’s mother who right away took Ben’s side even though she realized the hardship it would bring, and Roger, Ben’s supportive step dad. And of course Gio, Ben’s love interest. Gio was my absolute favorite, such a sweetheart, and so wise, empathic and caring. I really rooted for him right from the start, even though I didn’t fully understand what he saw in Ben and therefore never felt fully invested in their romance.

But all in all, Unexpecting was an entertaining, sweet and heartfelt YA story, with great representation and a unique plot with a fresh take on a teenager’s struggle to learn what matters most in life. So even though it wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for, I am definitely curious to read more of Jen Bailey’s books ahead.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the ARC and the opportunity to read this book! All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.