Jen Bailey

Sixteen-year-old red-headed high school junior Ben is a high achiever whose two best friends, Mo and Maxie, are also on the school robotics club - which, they learn, is in danger of being axed unless they can place well in competitions this year. But thanks to an experiment Maxie and Ben conducted at science camp last summer, Maxie is pregnant, and Ben, who is gay, wants to keep the baby. His mom and (third) stepdad Roger are supportive, even though they don't know his real reason: he doesn't want the baby to feel unwanted, the way that he has when the first two stepdads left (his biological father died when he was a baby). Maxie, meanwhile, has been pressured by her parents to have the baby and give it up for adoption. Ben struggles to communicate with those around him in this new set of circumstances, which also throw him together with his former stepbrother and crush, high school senior Gio, when Ben's mom gets Ben a job as a busser at stepdad #2's restaurant.

It might have been interesting to have Maxie's perspective as well, but it's an interesting premise, well executed. Ben is forced to consider and expand his definition of family, and if the resolution is convenient, well, so it goes.

Quotes

I don't have time for this. I feel every second that passes like a screw being tightened into my chest, pressing me to do more, faster. (81)

"Why do people think that talking about things makes them better? I mean, it won't change anything." (Ben to Gio, 125)

"But sometimes it seems easier to give in to what others expect than to just do your own thing no matter what." (137)

It's like once a kernel of curiosity is planted, commo sense is a lot harder to pay attention to. (160)

"Sometimes I think the more you want something, the harder you fight for it, the more doubt can take root. With every stumbling block, with every rejection, it's easy to question if it's worth it. And sometimes, in the end, it may not be worth it. Sometimes our goals change." (Monica to Ben, 197)

"I want to understand. Why are you doing what she wants if it's not what you want? Shouldn't you be able to choose?" (Ben to Gio, 212)

"The point is...a parent isn't a mind reader. They will do the best with the information they have, attempt to make the right decisions and hope for the right outcomes, but that means that sometimes, especially when it's important, you have to be able to tell them the truth. Tell them, and trust that they will react the way you need them to." (Gio to Ben, 214)

"Sometimes, my dad told me, being a parent means putting the child's needs first, no matter how hard it might seem, nd no matter what you have to sacrifice to do it." (266)… (mais)