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... (Pub Date: Aug 22 2023)
Before Benjamin came out, he wanted to make sure he was really gay, and his best friend Maxie wanted to lose her virginity, so they had sex. Some time later, they must deal with the consequences—Maxie is pregnant. But while her parents won't accept an abortion, Ben, who lost his father as a baby, doesn't want to give his child to adoption. Can he, however, give up his ambitions of passing to a good university to work to have enough to raise a child by himself?
I won't lie, I didn't like all aspects of this book. So I'd say it's more of a 3.5 rounded up. Ben was unbelievably naive about how his future would be raising a child for someone who is supposed to be smart, and his friendship with Maxie was hard to buy, as it fell through much before Ben showed that he was willing to fight her family in court for the child. A little of Ben's drama didn't feel natural and deserved a little more development, it's what I mean.
But to compensate, the book focuses elsewhere, on points you don't always see stories about teenage pregnancy cover. Ben's mother trying to make he see the level of responsibility that he'll have even before the baby is born is the best part. Also, the meaning of family. The side characters were all charming (I mean, almost all), I loved them.
We've also got a budding romance with the boy, Gio, who works at the place Ben needs to start work to save money. Gio is very cute, I'm in love with him, especially. Even if the point of the book isn't romance, it's also worth it.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment