Unexpecting: A Family Drama With Love, Heartbreak, and Humor (Find Yourself Series Book 2)

After reading and being profoundly impacted by Lori's book Momnesia, I had very high expectations for Unexpecting. To my absolute delight, Lori not only met but exceeded those expectations! I loved Momnesia because I could relate to the loss of self that we experience as mothers and the confusion and questioning about how to balance being there for our kids and also being happy in our own lives as women. The story was so beautiful and honest and moved me deeply. So to get to see what came of Shelly's life several years down the road, in Unexpecting, was a thrill. It gave me hope that true love and self-care are possible for moms, if we work at them.The twists and surprises life unleashed on Shelly in Unexpecting were riveting and had me cheering for her even as all seemed to be falling apart around her. I knew her inner strength and ability to do the right thing would prevail, even when the story became almost unbearably heartbreaking and hope for things to work out well was hard to hang on to. The conflicts Shelly struggled with in her life and in her own mind were so real and easy to relate to and the tough choices she faced forced me to put myself in her position and consider what I would do. I came away from reading Unexpecting with a new appreciation for my own life and the difficulties I face, which are minor compared to Shelly's. I also came away realizing I'm a die-hard Lori Verni-Fogarsi fan and cannot wait for her next book!!!

Having met the author last year and purchased her other book "Momnesia", I was anxious to purchase this follow up book as well. Momnesia was better then expected, but if you didn't read that book first it is still easy to slip into this book.Shelly and David have almost grown children, having combined their families after divorce from their prior spouses, and marrying each other.What follows is well developed characters that are easily indentifiable and you can easily relate to all of them.David is faced with a daughter from a previous relationship he didn't even know about, until the unfortunate time as the mother dies leaving the teenager with no where to turn.I laughed, I cried, I felt anger, hatred and joy.What makes Lori Verni-Fogarsi stand out is her totally believable trials and tribulations for this family.She makes you believe that the story could easily be a true one, and you get such an insight into everyone.I look forward to more from this author! Perhaps volume 3 of this story?

Unexpecting is a wonderful sequel to Momnesia! Shelley and David have been married for ten years, have successfully blended their families, and are looking forward to having an empty nest. That changes when Alexandra, a daughter David never knew he had, shows up at the door in her last trimester of pregnancy. Pregnant, unmarried, teenaged Alexandra changes the dynamics of the family. The conversations between Shelley and David and their actions/reactions are realistic. I read it quickly because I couldn't wait to know what was going to happen next.

Interesting

I wasn't really sure what to expect but promised my friend I would read it.....I was so glad I did! I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter! Lori is the type of writer that you want to be your best friend. Her books are easy to read with a real story line. All too often books leave me dangling and I have to summize or figure out the ending myself. I hope Lori is typing away at the next book!

I LOVED this book! Even more than Momnesia, which I loved as well! I beg the author to write book 3, and secretly plead that it's already written! 10 stars out of 5!

very well written and really held your interest. Hard to put down,how one bad apple can ruin family harmony. Go read it.

Lori Verni-Fogarsi’s Unexpecting offers a pleasing blend of serious issues and gentle humor, with well-timed introspection. The characters all feel very real, as Shelley and David’s perfect world starts falling apart. Perfectly well-intentioned and well-behaved children, perfectly successful, perfectly promising all the best for the future, they’re surely the perfect example of a blended family. But the unexpected offers a blend too far, and too much for the heart to hold.Shelley meets her family’s invader with heartfelt sympathy. She even feels a gentle empathy for a pregnant teen’s plight. “It reminded her of years earlier, when she’d gotten divorced from her first husband and all of her neighborhood friends treated her like a pariah.” So now Shelley ploughs a path through life, determined to help everyone, however undeserving. But being a grandma isn’t at all what she expected, and soon her friends are treating Shelley as the local pariah too.Nicely placed chapters offer different points of view – a life falling apart, sullen anger growing, love sinking beneath a haze of regrets. The result is a story that might sometimes be overly wordy, but is always achingly real. And the wisdom it offers is genuine, gently taught, and convincingly told.Disclosure: I won a free ecopy and I offer my honest review.