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Unexpected

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At age thirty, Hope Miller has mixed feelings about her unexpected pregnancy. Sure, she loves fostering shelter dogs, but she never imagined herself as a mother. Anxious to be an aunt, her sister starts pressuring her to be someone she’s not. Her new friend wants her to stay fun and unencumbered. When Hope’s ex says he wants back in her life, she feels like it might be what’s best for her baby. Pulling away from her sister, Hope spends more time with her new friend and risks letting her ex break her heart all over again.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2017

518 people are currently reading
224 people want to read

About the author

Karen Lenfestey

17 books86 followers
Karen Lenfestey, a Midwest Writer’s Fellowship winner, writes “happy endings with a twist.”

Karen has a bachelor's degree in advertising from Purdue University and a master's degree in counseling from its rival school, Indiana University. (Please don't ask her to choose favorites!) During the week, she advises students, on the weekends, she writes and on vacations, she loves to travel.

She is active on Goodreads and Facebook and she loves to hear from readers on her website, www.karensnovels.com.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
144 (33%)
4 stars
126 (28%)
3 stars
106 (24%)
2 stars
39 (8%)
1 star
20 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Maren.
22 reviews
November 5, 2019
This was really awful. I don't know what I was thinking when I picked it up on my Kindle - I was probably attracted by the dog on the cover (there are dogs in the story, none of which are the same breed as is depicted in the cover art).
The story itself is simplistic, predictable and the characters are unlikable, probably because they lack intelligence and common sense.
If you're looking for a fast, rainy day read, this will do it for you. The author's writing style isn't too terrible, and there aren't too many egregious grammatical or editing errors, so for that, I give it two stars. I myself wish I had spent my time in another book.
Profile Image for Jenna.
160 reviews4 followers
October 1, 2019
Stilted. Boring. Flat.

Writing style fits a high school audience. This was pretty bad. Every cliche in the book used. And the plot was just cookie cutter rich boyfriend, unexpected pregnancy, bad childhood. The grammar was awful and I just didn’t care about the characters. They were all a tad pathetic. And whatever happened to poor Miley?
Profile Image for Michele Packard-milam.
351 reviews10 followers
November 23, 2019
Not Very Good

I struggled to finish this bland novel. The characters have potential but continually do stupid things. The main female character is particularly frustrating and so far from reasonable that I just wanted to scream. I can’t recommend this book.
Profile Image for Barbara Hackel.
2,859 reviews46 followers
March 3, 2019
In book two, the story shifts to Claire's half sister that she recently learned about. Hope Miller hasn't had an easy childhood. She was raised in a foster home after her parents died of a murder-suicide when she was first born. Now pregnant by a man she just found out is married, she turns to her half sister for stability. After getting over her shock, Claire allows Hope to move in with her for mutually beneficial reasons. Nothing is easy for the two women, as Claire is struggling to keep her house after discovering her ex-husband was many months behind in paying for the mortgage. Meanwhile as Hope's pregnancy progresses, she is less committed to working, and can no longer afford her apartment rental. Hope moves in with Claire, bringing her 5 rescue dogs as well. From that point it is a whirlwind of emotions spilling over.

A new friend and a second chance with the father of her child should have been a happy book. But the author had different thoughts and Hope needed to learn how to think for herself and make good decisions. Not an easy task for anyone! This book was a little darker as it had constant financial problems and trust issues to deal with. However the author has a way of writing that makes it impossible to give up on the characters or even to stop reading at a reasonable hour.

Ms Lenfestey is a wonderful story teller, and as her focus shifts from character to character, I found myself glad that there was another book to read in this series called BITTERSWEET HOPE, because I wasn't ready for the book to end!
Profile Image for Susan Acevedo.
70 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2019
Two sisters, two lives mixed up together.

A sweet story of two sisters and how they manage to get through life. One sister has lost a child and the other sister is going to have a child. As life goes on lost love becomes the theme. The older sister is divorced, lost a child and struggling to pay the mortgage. The other sister is pregnant and seems to pick losers fit boyfriends. The father of her baby it's a real jerk but she keeps hoping he'll change. I recommend third story of you like romance and sisterly love☺.
Profile Image for Melinda.
181 reviews
February 22, 2019
Loved this book! But, I want more. I want to see how Hope and Claire come to terms with their differences. Does Finn get Miley back? I fully expected Bree to be a crazy stalker and wanted to read about her and Drake's downfall!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
312 reviews
September 30, 2019
Unexpected

This was a nice read different from my usual genre. Predictable with characters you would like
At times though there wasn't a constant flow between the threads of the characters and the different routes they were taking.
308 reviews1 follower
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October 2, 2019
4****

This was a very nice story. It had a lot of emotional issues but was a very enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it. Read and enjoy and be grateful for the happily ever after ending.
Profile Image for Louise Clarke Stone.
18 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2019
Nice evening read

Picked this book to read because the title appealed to me. I am very glad that I made this choice. This was a sweet and realistic story. I enjoyed my evening spent with this book.
249 reviews
December 19, 2022
Excellent Novel

Karen Lenfestey is a talented author who creates characters which share their experiences with emotional bravery and insight into their lives. I look forward to more novels from Karen Lenfestey.
Profile Image for Aimee Rekoske.
77 reviews
October 9, 2019
Short and sweet

This was a good read. I liked the story even with its predictable ending. I hope there is more closure for some of the characters I. The other books.
Profile Image for Laura.
38 reviews
October 9, 2019
Meh

Writing is choppy. It was hard for me to get involved. Good story. Fun to read about the foster pups.
Profile Image for Deb Shank.
493 reviews2 followers
October 11, 2019
Good read

Good read. Enjoyed getting to know the characters. Nice how their lives fit together. Life is a struggle but with good friends we make it through.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
806 reviews43 followers
October 30, 2019
A thoroughly enjoyable read, filled with dogs and tough decisions about friendships, relationships, and financial pressures.
64 reviews
November 4, 2019
A surprise ending story!

I really did not like the story at first but the surprise ending made the reading worth the time spent reading.
Profile Image for Marilyn Geary.
239 reviews2 followers
November 17, 2019
I liked the book, but didn't love it. I wanted to shake sense into a lot of the characters heads.
1 review2 followers
November 30, 2019
Sweet

Although predictable, Unexpected was a sweet and heartwarming story. It left me with that warm, happy feeling. An enjoyable, light read.
451 reviews3 followers
January 2, 2020
Good read

Good read. I recommend this book. The story kept my interest. The characters were very interesting. The dogs added the right touch
Profile Image for Anna Smith.
336 reviews6 followers
March 9, 2020
Cute sister story

Very cute story of two sisters and their lives mixed with a little bit of love and of course puppies.
Profile Image for Miriam.
672 reviews5 followers
May 21, 2020
Great continuation of her first book, and there is a third one! I am so enamored by all the characters and I just want to keep reading to find out how their lives all turn out. Fun, easy read.
Profile Image for Gladys Mills.
1,963 reviews8 followers
December 31, 2017
Unexpected. I enjoyed this book! This series is really good and heartwarming. I fell in love with the characters. I am not a real dog lover but nobody wants to put a dog down if it can be helped. I enjoyed the relationship Finn had with Hope and how he was there to help at all costs. I hope there's another book coming because I would like to know what happened to Miley and her mom. This was a great read! *** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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