Asher Anderson is a dick.We aren't friends, so when he seeks me out in the cafeteria on the worst day of my life, I'm suspicious. When he tells Liam Heiter that we'er dating, which couldn't be further from the truth, I want to kill him.Until I see Liam's reaction.Liam—my best friend, the guy who crushed every hope of us officially being together—is jealous. He has never looked at me this way and I love it.So, I play along.Maybe watching me with someone else will make Liam suffer like I have the past four years. And maybe, just maybe, he'll come to his senses and realize we belong together.It's not like I have any kind of feelings for Asher. At best, I tolerate him.What's the worst that can happen?
Bailey B is an up and coming New Adult author. She lives in Lehigh Acres Florida with her husband, twin girls, and two fur babies. She enjoys (but doesn't get to take part in because of her crazy daughters) the simple things like Disney+ binge watching, Netflix romcoms, reading and sleeping. She reads two to three books a week and thinks if narwhal's are real animals then unicorns might be too.
Style: New Adult Romance (High School) Story: 4/5 Enjoyment: 4/5 Dark Level: 0/5 Sexual: NO Male: Sweet, Cute & Broken Home Series: N/A Pages: 259 Kindle Unlimited: N/A
Dear Elaine,
Stop being young, dumb and full of come. Your character was annoying for the first 40% of the book and because of that, I got a massive headache, because of a case of severe eye rolls. Luckily, for you, I understand how if feels to be caught up in a jerk who treats you like sh*t. As I too was young and dumb, not so much full of come.
Yours Truly
I just had to send that message to Elaine. But make no mistake, love this book, however, Elaine has to be in my top 5 most annoying female characters. This was based on her decisions, thoughts, and who she thought she loved. Some readers may or could find her weak and annoying with her relationship with Liam. However, I view this as apart of her makeup/character in this role for this story, as it was needed for you to appreciate Asher even more. Elaine for me is the typical quintessential teenager that makes bad choices and makes you yell WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, but later redeems herself due in part to Asher.
Asher, I have no words to describe him. He left me speechless. He can have my heart, he can have my panties he can have whatever he wants. Not only that, but he was everything. He makes you want to doodle hearts and I heart Asher all over my notebooks, and I’m a grown woman. He was so prefect, I wouldn’t change a thing.
To the author, forgive me for what I am about to say, but the slut in me wanted at least 1 sex scene. But with it or without, it was a very good book for me.
Overall, annoyed as I felt, I walked away forgetting all that enjoying this book. It was a good book and I enjoyed Asher. Who can resist a guy on a motorcycle.
***I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the books you read. I know we all have different opinions and preferences with what we read and hope this review was helpful.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I have pretty much read and loved all of this author's writing and this book did not disappoint. The book lived up to its name and was definitely "unexpected". This was an emotional read and beautifully written.
Our heroine, Elaine, well......I have never wanted to slap someone silly and tell her to wake up and see what is in front of her. I also want to hug her and tell her it will be ok. I had to ask for forgiveness for the thoughts I had on Liam. I just wanted to strangle him throughout the whole book. I loved Asher though!
This book has a little bit of a love triangle and bullying thrown in but it was a very good read!
I received a free copy of this book by the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a high school/new adult romance that was well written and enjoyable. I had to think back to my high school days to really feel how Ellie/Lainey is feeling. She is in love with one of her best friends, Liam, who doesn't see her the same way, but has no problems with stringing her along in between his girlfriends.
Asher is a boy she grew up with and was also her best friend until he started acting weird around her and making fun of her. He's the boy from the wrong side of town and also Liam's half brother. (which no one knew). Liam and Asher don't like each other. Asher steps in and offers to be her fake boyfriend until the end of the school year. Her hopes that it will make Liam jealous and realize what he is missing. But to Asher, it is something more. I adored Asher. He is an amazing book boyfriend. Ellie/Lainey, at first, doesn't know how good she has it with him.
I enjoyed the story and the writing and Ellie/Lainey's internal thoughts were, at times, humorous. The ending involving Asher was a little crazy and partly unbelievable, but I just went with it since I was enjoying the ride. It was also nice to see a character pop up from previous books.
Thank you to the author for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
Frenemies to lovers, fake relationship, love triangle, high school romance...it’s got it all and then some!
High school heartbreak at the hands of your life long best friend just might ruin a girl, until along comes an unexpected hero. He wasn’t who she was looking for, but he was just who she needed.
Elaine, Liam and Asher have been part of each other’s lives since birth, and to say their relationships are complicated would be an understatement. Elaine is in love with the one who broke her heart and wrecked her...now she’s fake dating the one who is in love with her and wants to mend her heart and build her back up.
Elaine may be a frustrating character to read at times, but she is just a teenage girl with low self esteem who is confused about what her heart is telling her. I was one of those girls once upon a time, so I get it.
A slow burn...and unfortunately we never get to read about the big bang as it’s just implied, but here’s where your imagination gets to work hard, lol.
This book was a treasure of amazing words weaving a story of incredible, unconditional love that may not have been expected but was meant to be.
I absolutely loved, adored and devoured this book. All the twists and turns of this book were amazing. And so unexpected I was floored by them. I loved Asher so hard. Book boyfriend goals for sure. And to be honest this book is my favourite of Bailey B's. I know no matter what book of hers I pick up it will be a sure-fire great read. I believe this is her best though. 100% a five star read.
I received a copy from the author for an honest review.
Ah, Bailey B, you do not disappoint! Ellie and Asher's story was filled with drama and angst. Ellie, Liam, and Asher had been childhood friends until something happened between all their parents and Asher split off from the group. Ellie and Liam have been having a secret relationship, in between his girlfriend relationships, until Liam falls in love with his latest girl. Asher steps in to help Ellie get Liam back and this is where things get really good. There is so much drama going on in Asher's home life that eventually affects the couple, it's just heartbreaking. I hated how Ellie couldn't see how selfish Liam was, just using her, but she did come to realize that at the end. I would love to see an extended epilogue to see what Asher and Ellie are up to a few years into the future ;-).
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Amazing! I felt so bad for Elaine in the very beginning. She doesn’t deserve what happened. Liam is an asshole and I hate him. I love Asher so much and I love how he treats Elaine. I love how we get a look into his life and I hate the life he is forced to live. I love how they get together for real in the end. I definitely was emotional for the entire ending. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves romance with a deep twist. I cannot wait to finish the other books by this author.
Unexpected by Bailey B an unexpected five-star read. Its not often I enjoy a book about teenagers this much, but honestly Bailey B has a way of writing teenagers that I can imagine myself as my younger self being with them, hanging out and having fun. They are characters older than their collective years. Elaine did annoy me at first, but she is young, so you allow that, and when she gets into her own skin she grows into her own and for that it just compounded everything. Asher you will always have a special space in my heart. Liam, I hope you grow into yourself as I would like to hear more about you, and hopefully grow to like you. Ailey B, I can’t wait for your next story, as I adore your writing.
Why must all good things come to an end? I was on a really good reading streak of thoroughly enjoyable books, then I hit a wall and couldn’t find not one book to read, until I stumbled onto this one. And now my good book streak is officially broken. sigh
Elaine, who goes by everything but her name, thinks she’s in love with her best friend (Liam? I’ve already forgotten). She’s willingly been his dirty little secret for years, waiting in the wings to be picked up and dusted off by Liam between girlfriends and then haphazardly discarded when the next skirt catches his eye. This all blows up when Liam officially ‘dumps’ her for his current girlfriend. And that’s where Asher comes in, the only character worth knowing in this entire godforsaken book!
Asher has had a crush on Ellie since they were kids, but like most boys didn’t know how to express it. Now that Liam has publicly broken Ellie’s heart, again, Asher decides to make his move and offer himself up under the guise of a fake relationship. Being that this is one of my favorite tropes I was all too excited to dig in, unfortunately this was nothing more than a mud pie.
Nothing was flushed out, not the characters, plots, subplots, not a twist nor a turn. Ellie was a whiny, spineless crybaby. Liam may as well be a cardboard cutout. I did, however, enjoy Asher, even with the small glimpses I was allowed.
Ellie and Liam have been best friends forever, but as they get older that line becomes blurred. Being Liam’s secret “go to” girl for years has been Ellie’s normal. In her mind her and Liam are end game he’s just enjoying his high school experience.
Until his relationship with his latest flavor becomes serious, Ellie’s imaginary plans with Liam blow up in her face.
But Asher comes to the rescue. An old friend of Ellie’s after growing apart, he makes his way back into her life to play the ultimate game on Liam. Make him see what he’s missing.
Asher was lovable of course to the point of perfection. Liam = gross, no other words needed. Elli I loved/hated. She was very gullible and a push over but was also sweet and selfless in a probably unhealthy clingy way. She’s not one of my favorite female characters but when you’re young you’re also dumb. Liam was just her case of being young & dumb
This was more of Young adult read I’d say than new adult. I loved the build up between Asher & Ellie but was honestly disappointed when there wasn’t actually a sex scene for all the angst to be relieved. It was more of a “fade to black” style. That was slightly disappointing. Even so, their chemistry was insane without so if kind of makes up for that.
I find Bailey B’s writing to definitely be enjoyable. The ending felt slightly rushed and for a fake relationship romance there was a lot going on. Especially the reminders about the parents friendship but never being explained further. & Asher’s moms’ custody agreement? Super confused on her choices
While there were minor issues for me, I really did enjoy this book and it was definitely a quick read for me. I love how much chemistry she created between her chapters. So I’ll be reading more of Bailey’s books in the future for sure. And it was awesome to see Logan again!
Elaine is a nervous mess who is very unsure of herself. This book starts off with drama but definitely has some twists and turns in it. Elaine and Liam have been hidden relationship for a long time. So when Liam decides to rip her heart out, she is surprised by Asher, an old friend coming to her rescue. Asher is sweet and romantic in the book, and then more unexpected heartbreak. After your heart is ripped out and you feel used, how do you go on? Well, Elaine did just that, even under the guise of a fake relationship. The time spent in it healed her, and she found love again in an unexpected place only to have it ripped away from her again. Asher is a surprise enigma in this book. I honestly didn't expect him to be so lovely or so caring. I had great hope by the end of the book but was surprised with the turns it took. But the book does end happily, so give it a chance.
The author did a great job introducing the readers to the characters in the book timeline. We don't get many backstories, but we do get some general history and some surprising secrets. It is more like a peek into the life of Elaine. This book is mainly from a single-person perspective but occasionally includes conversations or another character's thoughts. Her characters have depth. Even without the whole story, you get an excellent feel for their personality, ideas, and actions. The author really tapped in the reader's feelings with her characters' reactions to circumstances. Don't be surprised if this book brings you to tears while you read. This book is filled with high school drama and romance. Even some really thought situations for the characters to experience.
I was so intrigued when Bailey posted the blurb for this book because I haven’t read very many love triangle books and this seemed like it would be an interesting take on it. Bailey sure has a knack for packing the emotion into a book and she brought the angst with this one! It delivered on so many levels and hit on so many amazing tropes that worked so well together. It truly was unexpected!
Elaine, Elaine, Elaine. Y’all this heroine had me feeling everything. She frustrated me at times and made me want to cry in others. I felt for her because Liam drove me absolutely nuts too. The push and pull of these two got to me so many times throughout the book. And Asher, oh Asher. He was my favorite and I was so rooting for him throughout the book. I won’t tell you who Elaine ends up with because that would ruin all the fun of the love triangle, but I will tell you this was definitely worth the read!
This is a high school romance so the maturity of the characters is around that age. So know that going into it. They are dealing with situations as a teenager and at times it can be frustrating, but I totally remember handling situations similarly in high school.
Emotional books are something I don’t read often, but always look forward to when they come from Bailey! Unexpected is a high school romance featuring a love triangle that packs on the emotion and angst!
I also wanted to mention that this is a clean book in the aspect of detailed smut.
This book definitely grabbed my attention! A high school romance with so many other elements...enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, fake relationship, love triangle.
High school heartbreak at the hands of your life long best friend just might ruin a girl, until along comes an unexpected hero. He wasn’t who she was looking for, but he was just who she needed.
Elaine, Liam and Asher have been part of each other’s lives since birth, and to say their relationships are complicated would be an understatement. Elaine is in love with the one who broke her heart and wrecked her...now she’s fake dating the one who is in love with her and wants to mend her heart and build her back up.
Elaine may be a frustrating character to read at times, but she is just a teenage girl with low self esteem who is confused about what her heart is telling her. I was one of those girls once upon a time, so I get it.
A slow burn...and unfortunately we never get to read about the big bang as it’s just implied, but here’s where your imagination gets to work hard, lol.
This book was a treasure of amazing words weaving a story of incredible, unconditional love that may not have been expected but was meant to be.
Reading this synopsis, I kind of knew what to expect however I was really surprised. I genuinely didn't think I would love Asher as much as I did. He was such an amazing book boyfriend. He has it all, the sweetness but yet the bad boy persona. He has a troubled past, yet he takes everything in his stride and thrives to be the best he can be.
If I'm completely honest, if Asher wasn't in this book I don't think I would have finished it. Sorry. Elaine and Liam were very unlikeable in my opinion. I genuinely wanted to shake her at times and wanted her to grow up and see what's right in front of her. Liam is a complete a**hole! I genuinely don't know what Elaine see's in him. Overall their relationship/friendship didn't make sense.
In my opinion, this book could benefit from a little bit more editing. There were a few inconsistencies and if I'm honest, I couldn't really follow Elaine, Liam and Asher's parents friendships, or lack of.
Overall, I enjoyed Asher and his character alone gets the 2.5 stars.
Thank you to the author for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the plot of the story. I really felt for Asher. I tried to relate to Elaine like she’s in high school, this is her first love. But Sometimes i truly couldn’t see how she didn’t deserve better than Liam. Like i said I get that she feels she “in love.” But when he came to her and completely disregarded her feelings without empathy. She should’ve made it her business to try to move on. I feel what made it worst was he was her “best friend” not just a guy she was messing around with. What ai disliked the most was how she would get hurt because she felt Asher thought everything was fake but at the exact same time was going on about getting Liam back?? How does that make sense?? How would that be fair to Asher? Like okay your emotions all over the place but how can you want something real with Asher when you’re clearly not over Liam. The audacity!! I just didn’t like that. But other than that the book was good. I also wish we could’ve gotten more time with el and Asher as a real couple!
Uh I have to say I am very happy that I read this book! Not my usual genre but one I will be revisiting as I could relate to Elaine. Yep been there although I am grown now and NOT as naïve as I once was, I get where Elaine was coming from. Now listen I am so glad that Liam is a who he is. Not a fan! Asher, well that boy can rock my world in so many ways and well being an old lady it would be fun to be ravished by a boy with such a wonderous heart and willing to share a moment with me. Oh who am I kidding (myself obviously)? I would devour him alive, stick to him like glue with a smile on my face and not be none the bitter about it! Oh Bailey, you have written a character that melted my heart and left me swaying with hope that maybe there is someone out there that is just like your Asher! I adored this book!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Unexpected lives up to it's title I was blown away Asher's unconditional love for Ellie is something I will hold in my heart for a very long time. Unexpected was emotional and beautifully written expect to feel butterflies in your stomach from all the plot twists they wrenched my heart in the best way it reminded me of my teen years where I would stay up all night reading Wattpad teen love stories hooked on their love and desperate to know the ending.
Elaine suffers her first high school heartbreak from her childhood best friend Liam who has decided to become exclusive with his new flavor of the month girlfriend and leaves his secret relationship to Lainey in the dust. Elaine then finds unexpected comfort in her old friend Asher who convinces her a fake relationship between the two of them would be just the thing to make Liam realize who he has missed out on.
Oh my goodness! Asher has completely stolen my heart!
I have been reading this author's books for a while, and this one is definitely my favorite! The writing is smooth, the characters are relatable, and Asher is more than swoon-worthy.
I did find our main gal a little annoying at times, but with the setting being high school, I feel like that's to be expected to a certain extent.
This isn't as steamy as some of her other books (I think it could pass for YA contemporary) but I wholeheartedly loved this story.
I probably could have gone without the time jump at the end (but I'm not a fan of epilogues, so maybe that's just me), but overall this book was a quick read that I enjoyed every minute of!
I enjoyed this book, it was a sweet high school romance. Elaine/El/Lainey/Ellie has been waiting for Liam to make them an official couple for 4 years, but then breaks her heart. Asher, an old childhood friend, steps in as a fake boyfriend to help her save face and possibly win Liam back. Asher was such a sweetheart, the perfect book boyfriend, with a touch of bad boy. I really felt for him, with his home life and previous friendships. I've never read book where the character had so many nicknames, it threw me a couple of times. Ellie wasn't the easiest person to like, she was so frustrating with Liam, but she's 18 so I guess it would be expected. Definitely a bit of a roller coaster of emotions and a bit of suspense, but I loved the ending.
This book sent me over the moon with emotions! There are some triggering topics so please research the triggers before reading. The connection I felt for Ellie was unlike any other, her pain is one I know personally. She is brave and a beautiful but also such a good friend to the people around her. Her relationship with Asher is one I know people would envy if they were real. Asher puts her first, above all else and that makes me so obsessed with him. His ability to care for her and his family is one that makes him such a good man. There are some risqué scenes so a rating of 18+ wouldn’t be uncalled for. However there aren’t many. Overall I’d rate this book 5/5 stars. The Epilogue made me so happy I was smiling like crazy!
Wow....I just loved this story! Bailey B really knows how to pull on your heart strings! This story gripped me straight away, I just loved the angst, drama and heartbreak in Elaine's love life. I really wanted to slap her in the beginning as well as Liam, it was so obvious what was happening! But OMG Asher was just something else! His love of Elaine was quite simply...perfect! This is most definitely a heart warming romance which was written beautifully and I can't wait for more from this author!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Fake relationships, Love Triangle, secrets about family life, and so much more..... Just when Elaine things things couldn't get any worse the person who she thinks hates her guts shows up to be her unexpected hero and the person that she was needing the most. I love Asher, he is my favorite of the three characters, he has a troubled past and life and he is just trying to make the best out of what he has. There are ups and downs that I didn't see coming and I absolutely love that! I would recommend this book to other readers!!!!
I enjoyed reading this story as Elaine, Asher and Liam had their love triangle drama story happening. Full of heartache this story of a girl who finally looks past the guy who's always been there but has forever let her down and finally sees the guy who's been waiting for his chance kept me very entertained. This was a pg romance which was certainly a bit different for me but still enjoyable. Just when you think things are finally going to work there is a huge life changing drama that changes everything.
I don't know why, but when I read this it seemed familiar. It's a great New Adult Romance, and maybe I read it in the past, but either way, it's my favorite type of book right now. Enemies to Lovers, a Love-Triangle of sorts, a heroine who is a bit naive but really comes into her own by the end of the book, and a Hero who I absolutely loved everything about. It's not the most unique in the genre, but it really is a great read. Secrets, Drama, and a great love story that will have you rooting for the characters.
The book is a good, and enjoyable sweet romance read with a sexy side of hotness. The story has a good story line. The characters are good, and they have good chemistry. The story will take you on a wild rollercoaster ride of emotion that is filled with violence, abuse, loss, lust, angst, love, and heartache.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Elaine is in love with her best friend, Liam. Her best friend who treats her like crap, strings her along and uses her when he's lonely. She deserves someone who will treat her better. And she finds him, in an old friendship rekindled. Too bad it's only fake to make Liam jealous. Even worse, is when it's no longer fake, these two young lovers are faced with extraordinary obstacles.
Bailey B. gives us two amazing main characters who will really have you rooting for their love story. Oh my gosh, Asher. We all need an Asher. He is my perfect Book Boyfriend. He has sat on the sidelines and waited and I think I swooned many times reading this book. This is a story of self-discovery. It’s a story of learning about yourself, finding the person who complements who you really are, and letting go of things that aren’t good for you. Well-written and a quick and easy read.